SmokePistol??

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smoking g8tr

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 20, 2010
13
10
I keep reading about the AMNS, but has anyone heard of something called a SmokePistol from http://www.smokepistol.com? I am looking to make a consistent and controllable amount of smoke easily. Anyone here use one and have some input?

Thanks in advance.
 
I have one and I use it to cold smoke cheese. It works great for cold smoking because the heat and smoke source can be outside of your smoker and run in with surgical tubing or just mounted on the side of your smoker. There are several ways to use it and one really simple way is shown here with a product called a grill kicker: http://www.smokepistol.com/smokedcheese.html.
 
I use my AMNS for both cold AND hot smokes because of the fact that it produces a steady controllable smoke. You can light one or two ends depending on how much smoke you want and you get a steady smoke without having to reload like you do with the smoke pistol.  Just my .02
 
Smoking G8tr

Lots of guys & gals use the A-MAZE-N-SMOKER with great success.

I'm sure some guys will pipe in with their opinions.

What smoker do you have?

Todd
 
At the moment I have a modified warming cabinet for the smoker and a metal bucket for wood chips... not easy or ideal. Some people like to constantly have to "play" with the smoke, but I hate getting up at 2am because I am worried about temp or smoke volume. The SmokePistol just seems like a no-brainer. Also, according to the website it is sold and packaged right here in Fl. http://www.smokepistol.com/contactus.html
 
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I never used a Smoke Pistol, but after looking at their demo, I don't think I want to.

Way too much white smoke guys!

Check here, but put a respirator on first. I'm not kidding---watch the demo for a few seconds (cough--cough):

http://www.smokepistol.com/videos/Smoker.wmv

"A-MAZE-N-SMOKER" is the way to go:

Easy to use

Unit not too expensive

Fuel not expensive

And it puts out nice smoke---Not Creosote.

And any idiot can use one---I'm proof of that!!!

Bear
 
I just got the A Maze N Smoker..but haven't used it yet...I do have a Smoke Daddy 6 inch installed on my MES 30"...and I love it for cold smoking, and for smoke production for a hot smoke as well, over the built in tray.  I would recommend the Smoke Daddy to anyone with a small smoke box.

Dan
 
I just got the A Maze N Smoker..but haven't used it yet...I do have a Smoke Daddy 6 inch installed on my MES 30"...and I love it for cold smoking, and for smoke production for a hot smoke as well, over the built in tray.  I would recommend the Smoke Daddy to anyone with a small smoke box.

Dan
That's why I said any idiot can use the AMNS.

I bought a Big Kahuna over a year ago, and never had any success with it. Always either smoking too much or it would stop, and I'd have to jam a screwdriver into it to force the chips, pellets, or chunks down through the sticky black tar that forms inside, to get it going again. The creosote just runs down the walls whatever you have it in. No smoke or too much smoke, no matter where you have the air set. Then we converted it to the backdraft design. I was all excited again, but for no reason, because it did the same thing, only the black tar formed at a different place. Biggest waste of money I've spent since I've been smoking meat instead of cigarettes!

And forget about cleaning the freakin' thing. You can't even get down in there to clean the disgusting tar out of it.

Like I said, maybe it's just me, but I have no problem with the AMNS.

My son was going to try to figure out what the problem is, so I gave it to him. He tried everything---Same thing.

Bear
 
I never used a Smoke Pistol, but after looking at their demo, I don't think I want to.

Way too much white smoke guys!

Check here, but put a respirator on first. I'm not kidding---watch the demo for a few seconds (cough--cough):

http://www.smokepistol.com/videos/Smoker.wmv

"A-MAZE-N-SMOKER" is the way to go:

Easy to use

Unit not too expensive

Fuel not expensive

And it puts out nice smoke---Not Creosote.

And any idiot can use one---I'm proof of that!!!

Bear
That video is everything that is wrong in smoking for sure and I bet the neighbors would call the fire department on him at some point. I can not imagine how bitter that food would be after a smoke like that.  I too am living proof that an idiot can use the AMNS with good results.  
 
I have both the Smoke Pistol and an A-MAZE-N. Ditto to post #8 from Bearcarver. His experience with the Big Kahuna is the same as I've had with the Smoke Pistol. It takes LOTS of attention to keep it going.  It does seem to put out WAY too much white smoke, altho I have not noticed an oversmoked taste in my meats. It takes a great deal of effort to keep the smoke going and also is almost impossible to clean completely.  On the other hand, it Looks Real Good sitting on that shelf in my garage.  I vote for the A-MAZE_N also.  I can fill it, pack it, light it and forget about it for a few hours.
 
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I think this thread is a good example of the uninformed ignoring a vast amount of positive input.  I think we all like to figure out a better way or new trick, but there is a lot to be said about the counsel from others.  In my two and half years on this forum there has been several products users have bought reviewed and discarded as a smoke generating accessory for their MES.  NONE, have had the staying power or mass positive response as the AMNS.  People not only have purchased one they have bought two, the reviews have been overwhelming very positive.  The simplicity of the AMNS makes it a no brainer.

The same kind of uninformed thinking occasionally pops up regarding the MES.  People see SMF member after SMF member, talking about their MES, they confuse people reporting problems or asking for help as complaints that the MES is not all that so many claim.  Yeah there has been problems, but the overwhelming majority of SMF MES owners are pretty happy with their MES smoker.  Again the MES is a model of simplicity mixed with technology that makes a great product.  Like the AMNS you just look at the MES and you know its going to work, there just isn't a lot there that can go wrong.  Who doesn't understand that double insulated walled construction is better than single wall?  Who doesn't understand that 800-1200 watts is better than 300-500 watt in some more expensive competitive brands?  Who doesn't understand that a simply external chip loader is better than having to open the hatch and add or change your wood chips?  Etc, etc.

This thread also is a great example of SMF members patience in helping and explaining to newbies what they have learned and often answering the same questions repeatedly.  SMF members are a great group and I really am grateful for them.

Finally  smoking g8tr, I'm not taking a shot at you, I am only pointing out what you said in your opening line, "I keep reading about the AMNS, but has anyone heard of", and making a generalization that applies to a lot of questions from newbies.  Unfortunately the SMF search capabilities are not what they once were due to the move to new forum platform, and the same with searching google using the site search modifiers.  However I doubt most ever try to make these searches, they see SMF members make it easy by quickly responding and providing a wealth of info.  (Newbies really don't know how lucky they are here at SMF, on other forums I belong ask a question, the "Q" can sit for days and only get one or two responses, even though the membership and amount of daily posts are similar).

Ok done with my rant, welcome to SMF, and I'm now going to be known as the cranky one. :)
 
Dear Cranky One aka DeltaDude,

I agree.  I have only been on the Forum about a week and I was amazed to see replies to my very first post in a matter of hours! 

This helped me in choosing to buy the MES 40 from Sam's and save the extra cash for chips, beer, great cuts of meat, and now judging from what I am seeing, an AMNS  LOL.

Thanks everyone so far!

Ken
 
Cranky One !!!!!

My notes on you are more in the line of "One of the most reasonable & informative members on this forum".

Thumbs up point going to Post #11.   
PDT_Armataz_01_34.gif


Bear
 
I have used a smokepistol for a few years now and it is great.  The smoke is adjustable so I don't know why everyone is concerned about too much smoke.  A friend of mine tried that A-MAZE_N  smoker thing on cheese and it all melted.  He threw it away when he saw and tasted the results I showed him with my smokepistol.  There is also a competition cheese smoker guy on the true stories section of the smokepistol web site that does is similar to how I do except he makes his cheese from scratch. http://www.smokepistol.com/customertucker.html   He is much more energetic than I am.

If you just turn down the smoke control on the smokepistol you will get great smoke and it will last for about 6 hours on one cartridge.  It has worked great for me and I have done lots of hot and cold smoking with it.
 
I was concerned about that smoke video you all were talking about so I called the smokepistol people and they told me that you would never smoke with the unit on high unless you had a lot of ventilation and a very large smokehouse.  The video was to show what it could do in so far as smoke producing ability.  They also showed me a newspaper article about a guy that used the smokepistol for the first time and won the Texas State BBQ Cook Off bbq contest http://www.smokepistol.com/customertimber.html so I guess the flavor must be good as well. I mean if those judges liked his food.
 
Cranky One ,,,,,,, 

I must agree totally with your post, on most forums people get torched into a cloud of smoke for asking the frequently ask questions. No pun intended.

SMF is different, I guess we are just a little more laid back.

Hats off to all the great members here..

To the OP

Back on topic, I feel everything needs a chance.

We are all our own person, so the way I see it. If you are liking what you are seeing then go for it. Never know, you may get it and find out its the greatest thing since sliced bread. You may even be able to come back with a product test result that is fabulous. Or not so fabulous, that's what is so great about this site.

I have not used either so I really can't make an offering on my opinion on this topic.
 
BBQfarmer welcome to SMF!

Congrats on your success with the smoke pistol, however the smoke pistol has got mixed reviews from others here at SMF, many of those owners we know, they are SMF regulars and offer up their opinion based on their actual experiences.  In the end each has to judge for themselves and we are always grateful to hear how a product works or not.

Too bad your friend had a bad experience with the AMNS.  If you take the time, and page back through about a dozen pages of the SMF electric forum you will find new AMNS owner after AMNS owner singing nothing but praise for the AMNS. In other words your negative friend of a friend experience is like the only negative we have heard in months. Heck a monkey could almost figure out how to correctly use a AMNS, Lets see add wood dust, light one end, has approximate heat of a cigarette, place in bottom of smoker, put cheese far enough away so the little amount of heat doesn't affect the cheese, if the smoker is tiny use alum foil  or pie tin and rack to isolate the tiny amount of heat from the cheese.

Maybe the smoke pistol site would have more creditability if purchasers of the smoke pistol could actually rate their purchase and comment on their experience with the product without editing by the product mfg.  That is exactly what is happening here at SMF, the AMNS is getting open, honest, all positive reviews from people we know because they post regularly here at SMF, we also know they are not ringers who have some connection to the mfg.
 
WOW!!!  at first I thought the video of the smoke pistol the guy didn't have his vents open. But after watching it to the end I realized that it was putting out that much smoke. What I'd like to know is how on earth can you even eat something that was smoked using 1. That much smoke has to be creosote city, and I would think that it would be SO bitter you could not eat it
PDT_Armataz_01_32.gif
. I am looking for a better way to get my smoke so I dint have to keep fiddling with the smoker every 1/2 hour, but I know the pistol is not the answer.
 
I had a friend of mine who bought a Corvette.

He got rid of it when he found out every time he pushed one of the buttons on his door, a window would open.

Then he got tired of the girls following him around all the time.

He never had that problem with his '56 Packard!

Try the A-MAZE-N-SMOKER---It's either the greatest thing since sliced bread, or you can't trust the word of 99.9% of their owners.

Bear
 
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