Pk 100 smoke quality

[crash50458]

I purchased the PK 100 smoker probably 3 years ago for doing Summer sausage and a few other things. I’ve always had trouble getting quality smoke out of it using sawdust, always seems to be a grey color. I mix 6 cups of sawdust with 2 cups of water per instructions from pro smoker with the dampers 2/3 closed. I set the smoker to 140 degrees on the high wattage setting, also recommended to me by Pro smoker. Anybody with this smoker have any suggestions? I’ve thought about trying wood chips in the bowl instead of sawdust to see if this changes anything.

 

[Winterrider]

Welcome to the forum from ND.
Not familiar with that smoker at all but that sounds like saturating the saw dust way to much . Dampers on my smokers I run just about wide open, don't want that stale smoke hanging around in cook chamber.
I put zero water on my dust when used in my Amaz'n tray.

 

[sawhorseray]

ARE YOU TALKING THE PK-100 MADE BY PS SEASONINGS. I HAVE THE CABELAS PRO MODEL100 MADE FOR THEM BY PS SEASONINGS, COMMERCIAL GRADE. I HAVE A CHOICE OF 625 WATTS OR 1250, TEMP RANGE 60º -250º. IS THAT WHAT YOU HAVE?

 

[crash50458]

Welcome to the forum from ND.
Not familiar with that smoker at all but that sounds like saturating the saw dust way to much . Dampers on my smokers I run just about wide open, don't want that stale smoke hanging around in cook chamber.
I put zero water on my dust when used in my Amaz'n tray.

Thanks for the welcome. The PK 100 produces smoke by setting a bowl full of dust or chips on an electric heating element. I’ve tried using dry dust but it burns the entire bowl in about 30 mins creating to much smoke. I can try leaving dampers fully open and see if that helps.

ARE YOU TALKING THE PK-100 MADE BY PS SEASONINGS. I HAVE THE CABELAS PRO MODEL100 MADE FOR THEM BY PS SEASONINGS, COMMERCIAL GRADE. I HAVE A CHOICE OF 625 WATTS OR 1250, TEMP RANGE 60º -250º. IS THAT WHAT YOU HAVE?

View attachment 729342

yes that’s the same thing

 

[1MoreFord]

I would think trying something similar to the wood chip boxes used in gas grills might work.
Try filling your dust container with dry dust, or chips, and then covering it with foil, leaving only a small opening. Maybe even use several small slits for holes.
The idea being to heat the dust to smoking but not allow enough air to allow it to burn away.

 

[gmc2003]

I purchased the PK 100 smoker probably 3 years ago for doing Summer sausage and a few other things. I’ve always had trouble getting quality smoke out of it using sawdust, always seems to be a grey color. I mix 6 cups of sawdust with 2 cups of water per instructions from pro smoker with the dampers 2/3 closed. I set the smoker to 140 degrees on the high wattage setting, also recommended to me by Pro smoker. Anybody with this smoker have any suggestions? I’ve thought about trying wood chips in the bowl instead of sawdust to see if this changes anything.

I'm not familiar with your setup either, but mixing 6 cups of dust with 2 cups of water sounds like you're making a sawdust paste. Something doesn't sound right here, or I'm not reading it correctly.

Chris

 

[crash50458]

I'm not familiar with your setup either, but mixing 6 cups of dust with 2 cups of water sounds like you're making a sawdust paste. Something doesn't sound right here, or I'm not reading it correctly.

Chris

No you’re reading it correctly. This is what was recommended by the manufacturer when I sent them an email asking about my smoke problem. The instruction manual actually calls for 4 cups of water per 6 cups of dust.

 

[crash50458]

I would think trying something similar to the wood chip boxes used in gas grills might work.
Try filling your dust container with dry dust, or chips, and then covering it with foil, leaving only a small opening. Maybe even use several small slits for holes.
The idea being to heat the dust to smoking but not allow enough air to allow it to burn away.

I’ve tried a pellet tube in there but doesn’t seem to produce much smoke flavor. Maybe I’ll try leaving it going for an additional hr

 

[crash50458]

I'm not familiar with your setup either, but mixing 6 cups of dust with 2 cups of water sounds like you're making a sawdust paste. Something doesn't sound right here, or I'm not reading it correctly.

Chris

Here is a video showing there sawdust procedure

 

[sawhorseray]

I'VE HAD MINE FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS, NEVER WHIPPED UP A BUNCH OF GOOP TO PUT ON THE BURNER LIKE THAT VIDEO SHOWS. THEY USED TO RECOMMEND SPRITZING A LITTLE WATER FROM A SPRAY BOTTLE ON THE SAWDUST BUT IT WASN'T NEEDED. TRY FILLING THE SAWDUST PAN WITH APPLE OR HICKORY CHIPS 3/4 FULL, LEVEL THEM OUT WITH A LITTLE SHAKE, AND WORM YOUR INDEX FINGER IN THE CENTER OF THE PAN UNTIL IT HITS BOTTOM, IT'S NICE TO DO BUT NOT ABSOLUTELY NEEDED. I SEE IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SMOKER THEY GIVE YOU A WATER PAN, THAT'S ALL THE MOISTURE YOU'D EVER NEED. YOU HAVE A REALLY NICE SMOKER, JUST USE THE CHIPS RIGHT OUT OF THE BAG, NO WATER.

Amazon.com : Luhr Jensen Little Chief Hickory Chips 'N Chunks - 2 Pound Bag : Smoker Chips : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Luhr Jensen Little Chief Hickory Chips 'N Chunks - 2 Pound Bag : Smoker Chips : Patio, Lawn & Garden

www.amazon.com

 

[sawhorseray]

I KEEP MY WATTAGE ON THE 625 WATTS UNTIL I NEED MORE THAN A 165º SMOKE. THE PANS NEEDS TO BE CHANGED ABOUT EVERY 60-90 MINUTES, GETS PERFECT TBS. YOU CAN ALSO SET THE WATTAGE TO 1250 AND THE DESIRED SMOKER TEMP TO 250º, SMOKE BUTTS AND PRIME RIB ROASTS. I'VE NEVER CLEANED THE INSIDE WALLS OF MY PRO-100, DON'T TOUCH 'EM, THE BUILDUP WILL GIVE THE MEAT YOU SMOKE CHARACTER. YOU GOT A NICE RIG, I'VE SMOKED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ON MINE OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE THE "CLASSIC" MODEL.

 

[chopsaw]

Anybody with this smoker have any suggestions?

I'd follow Rays advice .

 

[crash50458]

I KEEP MY WATTAGE ON THE 625 WATTS UNTIL I NEED MORE THAN A 165º SMOKE. THE PANS NEEDS TO BE CHANGED ABOUT EVERY 60-90 MINUTES, GETS PERFECT TBS. YOU CAN ALSO SET THE WATTAGE TO 1250 AND THE DESIRED SMOKER TEMP TO 250º, SMOKE BUTTS AND PRIME RIB ROASTS. I'VE NEVER CLEANED THE INSIDE WALLS OF MY PRO-100, DON'T TOUCH 'EM, THE BUILDUP WILL GIVE THE MEAT YOU SMOKE CHARACTER. YOU GOT A NICE RIG, I'VE SMOKED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ON MINE OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE THE "CLASSIC" MODEL.

Thank you Ray, I will try your advice. I will say the most difficult thing I've found with this smoker is the conflicting advice pro smoker gives out from there recipes. The wet sawdust is one of the examples. When I email pro smoker on advice they tell you something totally different from what they post on their website. When talking about my smoke problems they said to never use the low wattage setting, always smoke at 140 degrees on the higher wattage setting but like I said that burns up the sawdust pretty quick. I will try the wood chips instead of the dust like you recommended. Do you put foil over the bowl to prevent any of the chips from actually igniting? Ive also thought about maybe changing that stainless bowl out for a cast iron pan because those stainless bowls don't seem to last

 

[sawhorseray]

THE BOWL THAT COMES WITH THE SMOKER IS FINE, LEAVE IT. NO FOIL OVER THE CHIP PAN, THE BOTTOM TRAY WILL AVOID ANY FLARING. THE GUYS AT PS ARE PRETTY GOOD ABOUT RESPONDING BUT SOME OF THEIR RECIPES HAVE CHANGED QUITE A BIT OVER THE YEARS. HERE'S A COUPLE OF THREADS FROM OLD COOKS WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, A FEW GUYS DIDN'T THINK I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, THEY GOT STRAIGHTENED OUT BY POPS AND DIGGING DOG. I'VE BEEN AT THIS A LONG TIME, HAVEN'T POISONED ANYONE.............YET!. I DO GIVE THE SAWDUST A LITTLE SPRAY NOW AND THEN, JUST A COUPLE LITTLE SQUIRTS OF SPRAY, NOTHING LIKE IN THAT VIDEO. CHECK OUT THESE OLD POSTS, IT'LL PRETTY MUCH EXPLAIN HOW I USE TEMPS ON THE PRO-100. ANY QUESTIONS I'M ALWAYS AROUND, FEEL FREE TO ASK. RAY

Six Smoked Chickens

Found a decent deal on large whole chickens, 79¢ lb., so I picked up a 6-pack. Whipped up my favorite turkey-chicken brine: 2 gallons water 1 gallon 7-Up8482 (soft drink) 2-1/4 cups powdered dextrose 1-1/2 cups salt 1 cup Prague Powder #1 Shot up each bird with about 8oz of the brine and then...

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Made a brine last Monday morning to get some Canadian bacon going. 19 lbs. of pork loin @ $1.79 lb . 6 quarts ice water 4 & 1/2 tablespoons Cure #1 1 & 1/2 cup canning salt 1 cup powdered dextrose 1 2oz. bottle Mapeliene Injected 10% of the loins dry weight and then let them soak in the fridge...

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[crash50458]

THE BOWL THAT COMES WITH THE SMOKER IS FINE, LEAVE IT. NO FOIL OVER THE CHIP PAN, THE BOTTOM TRAY WILL AVOID ANY FLARING. THE GUYS AT PS ARE PRETTY GOOD ABOUT RESPONDING BUT SOME OF THEIR RECIPES HAVE CHANGED QUITE A BIT OVER THE YEARS. HERE'S A COUPLE OF THREADS FROM OLD COOKS WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, A FEW GUYS DIDN'T THINK I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, THEY GOT STRAIGHTENED OUT BY POPS AND DIGGING DOG. I'VE BEEN AT THIS A LONG TIME, HAVEN'T POISONED ANYONE.............YET!. I DO GIVE THE SAWDUST A LITTLE SPRAY NOW AND THEN, JUST A COUPLE LITTLE SQUIRTS OF SPRAY, NOTHING LIKE IN THAT VIDEO. CHECK OUT THESE OLD POSTS, IT'LL PRETTY MUCH EXPLAIN HOW I USE TEMPS ON THE PRO-100. ANY QUESTIONS I'M ALWAYS AROUND, FEEL FREE TO ASK. RAY

Six Smoked Chickens

Found a decent deal on large whole chickens, 79¢ lb., so I picked up a 6-pack. Whipped up my favorite turkey-chicken brine: 2 gallons water 1 gallon 7-Up8482 (soft drink) 2-1/4 cups powdered dextrose 1-1/2 cups salt 1 cup Prague Powder #1 Shot up each bird with about 8oz of the brine and then...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

A Little More Canadian Bacon

Made a brine last Monday morning to get some Canadian bacon going. 19 lbs. of pork loin @ $1.79 lb . 6 quarts ice water 4 & 1/2 tablespoons Cure #1 1 & 1/2 cup canning salt 1 cup powdered dextrose 1 2oz. bottle Mapeliene Injected 10% of the loins dry weight and then let them soak in the fridge...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Another question Ray. Do you always run both dampers 1/3 open when smoking? Most of the Pro Smoker recipes call for 2 hrs of smoke then removing the pan. Do you leave the smoke on for longer for things like summer sausage and brisket? Ive been doing the 2hrs and haven't been to happy with the smoke profile

 

[sawhorseray]

Another question Ray. Do you always run both dampers 1/3 open when smoking? Most of the Pro Smoker recipes call for 2 hrs of smoke then removing the pan. Do you leave the smoke on for longer for things like summer sausage and brisket? Ive been doing the 2hrs and haven't been to happy with the smoke profile

I CHANGE THE PAN AS NEEDED EVERY HOUR OR TWO AS NEEDED FOR MORE SMOKE, KEEPING THE VENTS 1/3 OPEN. WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH SLOW SMOKE I CLOSE BOTH VENTS AND FLIP THE SWITCH TO THE 1250 WATTS UNTIL I REACH THE DESIRED IT OF THE MEAT I'M SMOKING. WHEN SMOKING SAUSAGE I ALWAYS STARTED OUT WITH THE PRO-100 SET AT 110º AND WOULD RAISE THE TEMP SLOWLY, 3-4 DEGREES EVERY 10-15 MINUTES, TO MAKE SURE THE CASINGS DIDN'T BUST, UNTIL I REACHED 165º, NEVER WENT BEYOND THAT FOR THE SAUSAGE I MADE. REALLY WHEN SMOKING ANY MEAT YOU'VE USED CURE #1 I'VE TAKEN IT SLOW IN RAISING TEMPS UNTIL IT'S TIME TO CLOSE VENTS AND FLIP THE WATTS SWITCH. I'VE SMOKED RACKS OF SPARES AND DONE STANDING RIB ROASTS WHERE I PREHEAT THE SMOKER TO 175º AND TOSS IN THE MEAT FOR A COUPLE HOURS OF SMOKE, THEN PULL THE PAN AND SHUT THE VENTS, JACK THE SMOKER TEMP UP TO 250º UNTIL IT HITS DESIRED IT. FOR SPARERIBS THAT USUALLY AROUND 200º +/-, I TEST FOR TENDERNESS WITH A TOOTHPICK. I LIKE TO PULL PRIME RIBS AROUND 126º IT AND LET REST ON THE KITCHEN ISLAND FOR 15-20 MINUTES BEFORE CARVING, DOES A GREAT JOB ON THOSE

THE PRO-100 ISN'T THE IDEAL UNIT FOR SMOKING BRISKET. BEFORE I SOLD IT A FEW YEARS BACK I SMOKED A COUPLE ON MY OFFSET, IT'S JUST TOO MUCH PAIN IN THE ASS AND TAKES TOO LONG IN THE SUMMER HEAT WHERE I LIVE. NOW I GET THE SAME BRISKET FLAVOR IN HALF THE TIME USING A 36" WEBER KETTLE ON DINO RIBS, BRISKET ON A STICK!

HOPE THAT HELPS A LITTLE CRASH, I'M NOT ALWAYS PERFECT AT EXPLAINING STUFF BUT I TRY MY BEST. I'M ALWAYS AROUND, OLD AND RETIRED, GLAD TO HELP, THAT'S WHAT THIS PLACE IS ALL ABOUT. RAY

PRO 100 SPARES

I HAVEN'T POSTED ANYTHING BUT JOKES FOR AWHILE SO IT WAS TIME TO SHOW I STILL SMOKE MEAT FROM TIME TO TIME. I USUALLY USE ONE OF MY KETTLES BUT IT'S JUST TOO DAMMED HOT HERE TO STAND OUT IN THE BLAZING SUN AND PLAY WITH CHARCOAL AND WOOD CHUNKS. PERFECT TIME TO BREAK OUT THE 20 YEAR-OLD CABELAS...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[crash50458]

I CHANGE THE PAN AS NEEDED EVERY HOUR OR TWO AS NEEDED FOR MORE SMOKE, KEEPING THE VENTS 1/3 OPEN. WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH SLOW SMOKE I CLOSE BOTH VENTS AND FLIP THE SWITCH TO THE 1250 WATTS UNTIL I REACH THE DESIRED IT OF THE MEAT I'M SMOKING. WHEN SMOKING SAUSAGE I ALWAYS STARTED OUT WITH THE PRO-100 SET AT 110º AND WOULD RAISE THE TEMP SLOWLY, 3-4 DEGREES EVERY 10-15 MINUTES, TO MAKE SURE THE CASINGS DIDN'T BUST, UNTIL I REACHED 165º, NEVER WENT BEYOND THAT FOR THE SAUSAGE I MADE. REALLY WHEN SMOKING ANY MEAT YOU'VE USED CURE #1 I'VE TAKEN IT SLOW IN RAISING TEMPS UNTIL IT'S TIME TO CLOSE VENTS AND FLIP THE WATTS SWITCH. I'VE SMOKED RACKS OF SPARES AND DONE STANDING RIB ROASTS WHERE I PREHEAT THE SMOKER TO 175º AND TOSS IN THE MEAT FOR A COUPLE HOURS OF SMOKE, THEN PULL THE PAN AND SHUT THE VENTS, JACK THE SMOKER TEMP UP TO 250º UNTIL IT HITS DESIRED IT. FOR SPARERIBS THAT USUALLY AROUND 200º +/-, I TEST FOR TENDERNESS WITH A TOOTHPICK. I LIKE TO PULL PRIME RIBS AROUND 126º IT AND LET REST ON THE KITCHEN ISLAND FOR 15-20 MINUTES BEFORE CARVING, DOES A GREAT JOB ON THOSE

THE PRO-100 ISN'T THE IDEAL UNIT FOR SMOKING BRISKET. BEFORE I SOLD IT A FEW YEARS BACK I SMOKED A COUPLE ON MY OFFSET, IT'S JUST TOO MUCH PAIN IN THE ASS AND TAKES TOO LONG IN THE SUMMER HEAT WHERE I LIVE. NOW I GET THE SAME BRISKET FLAVOR IN HALF THE TIME USING A 36" WEBER KETTLE ON DINO RIBS, BRISKET ON A STICK!

HOPE THAT HELPS A LITTLE CRASH, I'M NOT ALWAYS PERFECT AT EXPLAINING STUFF BUT I TRY MY BEST. I'M ALWAYS AROUND, OLD AND RETIRED, GLAD TO HELP, THAT'S WHAT THIS PLACE IS ALL ABOUT. RAY

PRO 100 SPARES

I HAVEN'T POSTED ANYTHING BUT JOKES FOR AWHILE SO IT WAS TIME TO SHOW I STILL SMOKE MEAT FROM TIME TO TIME. I USUALLY USE ONE OF MY KETTLES BUT IT'S JUST TOO DAMMED HOT HERE TO STAND OUT IN THE BLAZING SUN AND PLAY WITH CHARCOAL AND WOOD CHUNKS. PERFECT TIME TO BREAK OUT THE 20 YEAR-OLD CABELAS...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Do you have smoke going for sausage the entire time after your drying period until it reaches your desired IT. I’m always unsure on how long to apply smoke with an electric smoker.

 

[sawhorseray]

Do you have smoke going for sausage the entire time after your drying period until it reaches your desired IT. I’m always unsure on how long to apply smoke with an electric smoker.

SMOKED SAUSAGE USUALLY TAKES RIGHT AROUND SIX HOURS TOTAL TO GET TO AN IT OF 152º, WHICH WAS WHEN I LIKED TO PULL THEM OUT FOR A BATH. I'D USUALLY GO WITH TWO, SOMETIMES THREE PANS OF CHIPS DURING A SMOKE. I HAVEN'T SMOKED A BATCH OF SAUSAGE I MADE IN MAYBE OVER A DECADE, AND SMOKING SAUSAGE WAS THE MAIN REASON I GOT THE PRO-100. I JUST LIKED THE FRESH ITALIAN COOKED OVER HOT COALS MORE THAN THE SMOKED. I LOVED MAKING SAUSAGE AND WAS PRETTY DARNED GOOD AT, HAD GREAT GEAR TOO. HAD TO GET RID OF EVERYTHING AFTER SHOULDER REPLACEMENT SURGERY WHERE THE DOC CUT INTO MY BRACHIAL PLEXUS NERVE AND RUINED THE USE OF MY RIGHT HAND. CHRIST, TOOK ME A YEAR TO LEARN HOW TO EAT WITH A KNIFE AND FORK AGAIN, STILL TOUGH TO TIE A PAIR OF SHOES, NEVER BE THE SAME. SORRY, I DIGRESS! YEAH, GIVE A FRESH PAN OF CHIPS ONCE OR TWICE, NEVER TAKE THE PRO-100 TEMP OVER 165º RAY

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