Q-matz for the first time? Difference in heat distribution?

[azbohunter]

I used Q-matz for the first time today in my MES 30 and it seemed like my heat distribution was surely different than before.

Does that seem logical? I did 5# of snack sticks which I have done many times before and I will say it was nice having them roll off the Q-matz so easy.

But it sure seemed as though my heat was much more uneven than before. I had a hard time getting to IT of 162 with the same setting I have always used.

Nothing else was different that I can think of. Anyone else notice something like this?

 

[daveomak]

Yes... More even heat distribution... Kinda nice..... Dave

 

[azbohunter]

Good morning Dave,

Thanks for your thoughts. For the first time I noticed a real hot spot on the right rear side of my MES  30 and the sticks in that corner were way over done. I thought more on this after making my first comment and I am wondering:

Because it was so much easier to load the racks, "I am using a caulk gun type cannon" and these are unstuffed sticks. I think I had the sticks laying much closer together therefore more per rack. 6# usually fills all 4 racks, this time I had 3 full and the last maybe 60-70% full. So, possibly the meat laying that close together kept heat distribution from being as even as it had been without the Q-matz.

I will say this, they were a breeze to clean!

Next time, I will try to spread them out a little and I might rotate my racks part way through.

Keep thinking about a small fan like is in a convection toaster oven????

 

[daveomak]

The exhaust diverter/tunnel seems to have helped eliminating the hot spot in the rear/right corner of the MES 30.... I also leave the chip pan in the smoker for a heat absorber, and I leave the water pan in the smoker, empty to sort of move the heat around it and a heat absorber... I had it filled with gravel and it worked really good... Can't remember why I dumped it... DOH....

3f61fe8a_exhtunnel1.jpg

• daveomak
• Dec 28, 2014

 

[Bearcarver]

Yes Dick,

Having things too crowded on a rack can effect how the heat circulates.

Also the easiest way to get rid of that hot spot on the right of an MES is a heat deflector (shown below).

Bear

The aluminum plate above my water pan is supported on the left by a metal leg.

I can move that leg left & right to raise or lower the left end of that plate.

Raising it higher on the left causes more heat to go to the center of the smoker, instead of too much going up the right side.

If I need more heat to go up the right side, I can also slide the whole plate a small amount away from the right wall, allowing heat to go straight up.

This picture was before I started covering the plate with foil.

100_2142.JPG

• tropics
• Jun 6, 2015