SMOKIN-IT SMOKER

[old sarge]

I like that set-up. And the sausages.

 

[wingzofsteel]

When I use the AMNPS, I use the Jerkey fan to ensure the AMNPS starts off good.  I noticed that if I turned the fan off afterwards, the AMNPS still works fine.  As a matter of fact, the fan shorted out on me the first time I used it and the AMNPS ran the entire time.

2015-03-08 11.12.03.jpg

• paidin
• Mar 30, 2015

Maybe it was all the times I tried to make the AMNPS work with the MES40 that enables me to so easily use it with my SI#4 :)

I place the AMNPS in front of the element and over the hole.  I place a rack above it and place aluminum foil right above the AMNPS to prevent any drips from putting out the ember.

2015-03-08 14.54.50.jpg

• paidin
• Mar 30, 2015

Yes, I am very glad I got rid of my MES40 and bought the SI#4

Great set up and the perfect smoker for those who use AMPS as their smoke generator.

 

[tbrtt1]

 
When I use the AMNPS, I use the Jerkey fan to ensure the AMNPS starts off good.  I noticed that if I turned the fan off afterwards, the AMNPS still works fine.  As a matter of fact, the fan shorted out on me the first time I used it and the AMNPS ran the entire time.

2015-03-08 11.12.03.jpg

• paidin
• Mar 30, 2015

Maybe it was all the times I tried to make the AMNPS work with the MES40 that enables me to so easily use it with my SI#4 :)

I place the AMNPS in front of the element and over the hole.  I place a rack above it and place aluminum foil right above the AMNPS to prevent any drips from putting out the ember.

2015-03-08 14.54.50.jpg

• paidin
• Mar 30, 2015

Yes, I am very glad I got rid of my MES40 and bought the SI#4

Do you use the Jerky Fan for all your smokes? Does it pull too much heat out for hot smokes for briskets and ribs, etc.?

 

[ndkoze]

 
Do you use the Jerky Fan for all your smokes? Does it pull too much heat out for hot smokes for briskets and ribs, etc.?

You wouldn't want to use it for rib, brisket, pork butt type smokes that rely on a moist smoking environment as it pulls all of the moisture out of the smoker.

The main use for the Jerky Fan is to pull the moisture from the very moist Smokin-It smoker environment so that your jerky/sausages can dry.

<Note this is my personal preference only>  I believe that the Amazen devices are really not necessary or beneficial for hot smokes in the Smokin-It smokers. I only use my AMNPS or AMNTS for cold/warm smokes because the Smokin-It smoker has problems keeping the temps down when using the standard smoke box. For hot (225+) smokes, I use my smoke box with 3-6 ounces of wood and have plenty quantity and quality smoke flavor on my products.

It is possible that I have some old/bad dust, but I have a lot better luck keeping my pellets going than the dust in my AMNPS without some external air movement. I will not permanently modify my smoker by drilling holes since I do not use the AMNPS/AMNTS enough to justify permanently modifying my smoker. But, I may try an aquarium pump to assist with moving some air through the smoker if I am smoking in a humid or no wind type of environment that causes my dust/pellets to go out. I haven't done this yet, but it is my plan at some point.

 

[tbrtt1]

 
You wouldn't want to use it for rib, brisket, pork butt type smokes that rely on a moist smoking environment as it pulls all of the moisture out of the smoker.

The main use for the Jerky Fan is to pull the moisture from the very moist Smokin-It smoker environment so that your jerky/sausages can dry.

<Note this is my personal preference only>  I believe that the Amazen devices are really not necessary or beneficial for hot smokes in the Smokin-It smokers. I only use my AMNPS or AMNTS for cold/warm smokes because the Smokin-It smoker has problems keeping the temps down when using the standard smoke box. For hot (225+) smokes, I use my smoke box with 3-6 ounces of wood and have plenty quantity and quality smoke flavor on my products.

It is possible that I have some old/bad dust, but I have a lot better luck keeping my pellets going than the dust in my AMNPS without some external air movement. I will not permanently modify my smoker by drilling holes since I do not use the AMNPS/AMNTS enough to justify permanently modifying my smoker. But, I may try an aquarium pump to assist with moving some air through the smoker if I am smoking in a humid or no wind type of environment that causes my dust/pellets to go out. I haven't done this yet, but it is my plan at some point.

Your assessment about the moisture is interesting. I have to disagree (very respectfully) as moisture is being purged from the meat during the cooking. Having moisture present wouldn't find its way back into the meat from whence it came. Plus the formation of the almighty bark doesn't start to happen until the moisture is essentially removed from the cooking process. Also, as I posted previously (I think in this thread) the moisture being rendered during the early part of the cooking process is particularly heavy when I have not rubbed a given piece of meat the night before. The salt in the rub draws out excess moisture ( a lot of meat today has moisture added) and rubbing the night before helps in being able to keep the pellets going.

What I am getting to in a long winded way is that when there is a lot of moisture present the pellets do not stay lit for me. By ad nauseum observation of the smoke hole at the top, I have been able to discern when it is mostly steam or mostly smoke. When I do not rub the meat the night before the moisture rendered early in the smoking process is significant and hence the heavy amount of steam out of the top vent. The look and smell is quite different. Of course, as I mentioned before as well, the humidity in this part of the country is very high. I find the pellets highly susceptible to humidity. 

Soooooooo.............I say all of that to say this: Maybe the use of the Jerky Fan for my hot smokes is just what the doctor ordered! I'll be interested is what others think and I'll stew on this a bit more myself before I buy one. Though I am sure I could use it for jerky anyway. Also, my results using the smoker box are quite good, but I do notice a bit of a difference when I use the pellets. My best smokes have come when I use of the pellets, though I have no scientific evidence that the pellets are the reason for the superior smokes.  

 

[ndkoze]

 
Your assessment about the moisture is interesting. I have to disagree (very respectfully) as moisture is being purged from the meat during the cooking. Having moisture present wouldn't find its way back into the meat from whence it came. Plus the formation of the almighty bark doesn't start to happen until the moisture is essentially removed from the cooking process. Also, as I posted previously (I think in this thread) the moisture being rendered during the early part of the cooking process is particularly heavy when I have not rubbed a given piece of meat the night before. The salt in the rub draws out excess moisture ( a lot of meat today has moisture added) and rubbing the night before helps in being able to keep the pellets going.

What I am getting to in a long winded way is that when there is a lot of moisture present the pellets do not stay lit for me. By ad nauseum observation of the smoke hole at the top, I have been able to discern when it is mostly steam or mostly smoke. When I do not rub the meat the night before the moisture rendered early in the smoking process is significant and hence the heavy amount of steam out of the top vent. The look and smell is quite different. Of course, as I mentioned before as well, the humidity in this part of the country is very high. I find the pellets highly susceptible to humidity. 

Soooooooo.............I say all of that to say this: Maybe the use of the Jerky Fan for my hot smokes is just what the doctor ordered! I'll be interested is what others think and I'll stew on this a bit more myself before I buy one. Though I am sure I could use it for jerky anyway. Also, my results using the smoker box are quite good, but I do notice a bit of a difference when I use the pellets. My best smokes have come when I use of the pellets, though I have no scientific evidence that the pellets are the reason for the superior smokes.  

Well, agree to disagree I guess. ;)

For a meats that I want to make sure do not dry out, I include a water pan filled with Beer, Apple Cider, water, etc. to get and keep as much moisture as I can in the smoke box. The Jerky dryer has a opposite effect by pulling the moisture out of the box. Instead of trying to push moisture into the meat the Jerky dryer assists in pulling moisture from the meat.

Also, I believe that it is VERY important to not open the smoker door and release that valuable moisture. This is why the "No Peak" method has become so popular and works so well for smoking ribs. This technique makes the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 method totally unnecessary in the tight Smokin-It / Cook Shack type smokers.

My 2 cents.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Would the use of a James Jerkey help with the oxygen flow when using the AMNPS instead of drillin holes?

When I use the AMNPS, I use the Jerkey fan to ensure the AMNPS starts off good.  I noticed that if I turned the fan off afterwards, the AMNPS still works fine.  As a matter of fact, the fan shorted out on me the first time I used it and the AMNPS ran the entire time.

2015-03-08 11.12.03.jpg

• paidin
• Mar 30, 2015

Maybe it was all the times I tried to make the AMNPS work with the MES40 that enables me to so easily use it with my SI#4 :)

I place the AMNPS in front of the element and over the hole.  I place a rack above it and place aluminum foil right above the AMNPS to prevent any drips from putting out the ember.

2015-03-08 14.54.50.jpg

• paidin
• Mar 30, 2015

Yes, I am very glad I got rid of my MES40 and bought the SI#4

That's how I use the AMNPS in the #4...but no need for the fan.

 

[tbrtt1]

 
Well, agree to disagree I guess. ;)

For a meats that I want to make sure do not dry out, I include a water pan filled with Beer, Apple Cider, water, etc. to get and keep as much moisture as I can in the smoke box. The Jerky dryer has a opposite effect by pulling the moisture out of the box. Instead of trying to push moisture into the meat the Jerky dryer assists in pulling moisture from the meat.

Also, I believe that it is VERY important to not open the smoker door and release that valuable moisture. This is why the "No Peak" method has become so popular and works so well for smoking ribs. This technique makes the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 method totally unnecessary in the tight Smokin-It / Cook Shack type smokers.

My 2 cents.

I hear ya Bro. And I, of course, am only speculating in my 2 cents as well. This is part of the fun of the journey of smoking meats. I personally suffer from tweakitis until I feel I get something perfect that can be reproduced perfectly each time. I am by far my own worst critic. And also not to beat the moisture dead horse, strangely I find myself going in the opposite direction in that I want moisture removed to enhance bark production (I get superb bark, BTW). I don't find I am drying meat out at all. However, that is not to say I won't dry out meat in the future if I used said jerky dryer. I guess I'll just have to try it. I simply surmise that the moisture inside the smoker is not adding anything to the moisture content of the meat and that the moisture in the meat is coming from the rendering of the fat and connective tissue inside the meat. But your point about an overly dry smoker pulling too much of the moisture out of the meat is duly noted. 

Ultimately, I see myself moving back to using the smoker box and quality Fruitawood. I get great food and it is one less variable in the equation since there is no risk in the pellets going out during the smoke. That happened once. I smoke my briskies while I sleep, and one night while I was dreaming of succulent smokey brisket the pellets went out. I woke up the next morning excited about my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire weekend waiting for me in my smoker. I opened the door and the whole darn tray of pellets was unscathed. Rats! Excess moisture is bad for the pellets, that much I am sure of. 

I really do appreciate the your input and you have given me more to ponder for the smoking journey. 

 

[paidin]

 
I hear ya Bro. And I, of course, am only speculating in my 2 cents as well. This is part of the fun of the journey of smoking meats. I personally suffer from tweakitis until I feel I get something perfect that can be reproduced perfectly each time. I am by far my own worst critic. And also not to beat the moisture dead horse, strangely I find myself going in the opposite direction in that I want moisture removed to enhance bark production (I get superb bark, BTW). I don't find I am drying meat out at all. However, that is not to say I won't dry out meat in the future if I used said jerky dryer. I guess I'll just have to try it. I simply surmise that the moisture inside the smoker is not adding anything to the moisture content of the meat and that the moisture in the meat is coming from the rendering of the fat and connective tissue inside the meat. But your point about an overly dry smoker pulling too much of the moisture out of the meat is duly noted. 

Ultimately, I see myself moving back to using the smoker box and quality Fruitawood. I get great food and it is one less variable in the equation since there is no risk in the pellets going out during the smoke. That happened once. I smoke my briskies while I sleep, and one night while I was dreaming of succulent smokey brisket the pellets went out. I woke up the next morning excited about my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire weekend waiting for me in my smoker. I opened the door and the whole darn tray of pellets was unscathed. Rats! Excess moisture is bad for the pellets, that much I am sure of. 

I really do appreciate the your input and you have given me more to ponder for the smoking journey. 

step 1 when using pellets:  scoop out the amount of pellets you are going to use and microwave them for 2 minutes first.  that should get rid of excess moisture.

I noticed my friends with big pits are able to smoke chicken low and slow at around 225 degrees for 4 hours and they are able to get moist meat AND crispy delicious skin.  I think the secret to this is air movement away from the meat through the convection process of the hot coals.  I think using the jerky fan mimics this process and I was able to get crispy skin on chicken using my smokin-it #4.  We all need to get as much advice as possible from these and other forums and then we all need to take that information and use it to experiment and make food that is delicious to us and then share it so that we can help other like minded smokers out there.  Please experiment and help out community grow additional techniques.

using the fan gave me these results that is simply not possible with an electric smoker

image007.jpg

• paidin
• Apr 2, 2015

image010.jpg

• paidin
• Apr 2, 2015

image008.jpg

• paidin
• Apr 2, 2015

 

[bocaboy]

Man oh man, that sausage looks delicious!!

 

[Bearcarver]

 
step 1 when using pellets:  scoop out the amount of pellets you are going to use and microwave them for 2 minutes first.  that should get rid of excess moisture.

I noticed my friends with big pits are able to smoke chicken low and slow at around 225 degrees for 4 hours and they are able to get moist meat AND crispy delicious skin.  I think the secret to this is air movement away from the meat through the convection process of the hot coals.  I think using the jerky fan mimics this process and I was able to get crispy skin on chicken using my smokin-it #4.  We all need to get as much advice as possible from these and other forums and then we all need to take that information and use it to experiment and make food that is delicious to us and then share it so that we can help other like minded smokers out there.  Please experiment and help out community grow additional techniques.

using the fan gave me these results that is simply not possible with an electric smoker

image007.jpg

• paidin
• Apr 2, 2015

image010.jpg

• paidin
• Apr 2, 2015

image008.jpg

• paidin
• Apr 2, 2015

Getting Sausage like that would tell me to do it that way again---Fan & All !!

Nice Job Paidin!!--------------------

Bear

 

[gary s]

Nice !!!   Looks Tasty

 

[tbrtt1]

Paidin,

I've tried the microwave thing. It helps very little. I have microwaved the crap out of em and they have gone out. Baking them at 275 for 1.5 to 2 hours does help, but as mentioned that is an extra step that I am not always willing to do.

I think I will try a jerky fan. Can't hurt and I'll have it to make jerky.

 

[tbrtt1]

BTW. Great looking sausage.

 

[ndkoze]

You definitely need the fan for sausage. Nice job Paid in!

 

[offshore ginger]

Wow that Sausage l@@k's good .   

 

[paidin]

Thanks everyone! That sausage is the best i have ever eaten. It was because of the fan. I should have said step 2 for using pellets is to ensure air circulation.

Bear, the fan is just a computer fan in a housing. You can make one yourself for your mes40 and I'm sure you should get the same results. If you go to smokinitforums you can see some good diy fans.

Wait i should say the perfect sausage was because of the jerky fan and the auber pid unit. My program was:
100 degrees for 2 hours
120 for 2 hours
140 for 2 hours
160 for 2 hours
185 until internal temps hit 150 degrees.
Then shut off but keep the fan running

This had the effect of automatic blooming of the sausage. The snack sticks were cooked 100% while i was sleeping and then while i was at work. I came home to finished product. Super lazy-q. Lol

 

[jond36]

20150406_141921.jpg

• jond36
• Apr 6, 2015

20150406_142034.jpg

• jond36
• Apr 6, 2015

Made some beef back ribs on the SI #1 today. 3 hrs smoked. 1 hour sauced and returned. 4 hours total at 225.

 

[gary s]

Where's mine ?

Gary

 

[jond36]

I also conducted tests in my SI #1 with two accurate thermometers. While my PID controlled the temp at both 225 (110 C*) and 275 (135 C*), there was only a max of 18 (10 C*) degree difference from the top corner of the smoker to the grate directly above the heating element. The average was 13*.