I've been doing this since I bought my first MES 30.Makes using the tubes more convenient and much easier to handle.Fits great in the bottom left of a MES.
More than one person has asked me why pitched?Keeps the pellets from falling out and you get a slower more consistent burn rate,which would explain why I'm getting close to 3hrs out of a 6" tube (over six on the 12") and not as intense smoke as many others have reported with the tube(s).On the 12" tube the bolt in the back can be shortened or eliminated altogether to achieve the proper angle though I still like to have the back ever so slightly elevated for ease of use and more importantly to allow for air circulation in the back,pulling out the chiploader a few inches and putting in the dump position greatly helps with airflow.
Just started using the expanding 7"-12" tube in my MES30,much more suited to the 30 than the 12"-18" tube though I would think it would be awesome in the 40.
Opening the door and replacing the tube with a fresh one and closing the door takes less than 10 seconds,heat loss is minimal.With the mailbox mod this obviously is not an issue.
Even with this mod the tube inherently puts out more smoke than the tray so you need to take that into consideration when it comes to duration of smoke,using ground/crushed pellets really helps with this.Check out this thread that
chopsaw
started regarding using ground/crushed pellets in the tube:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/burning-dust-in-the-amnts.282571/
You will get even longer smoke times,close to 5hrs on a 6"tube. Less intense smoke,nice thin and blue.I was using a coffee-bean grinder to grind my pellets but I found they lacked in durability so I switched to using a blender,besides being more durable I can grind much more at a time,just pulse to get the right consistency.
The AMNTS with this mod is a great option if the tray isn't working for you,especially when using ground pellets.The tubes work awesome on hot/humid and windless days too.
This mod works just fine with the newer oval tubes and expanding tubes.
More than one person has asked me why pitched?Keeps the pellets from falling out and you get a slower more consistent burn rate,which would explain why I'm getting close to 3hrs out of a 6" tube (over six on the 12") and not as intense smoke as many others have reported with the tube(s).On the 12" tube the bolt in the back can be shortened or eliminated altogether to achieve the proper angle though I still like to have the back ever so slightly elevated for ease of use and more importantly to allow for air circulation in the back,pulling out the chiploader a few inches and putting in the dump position greatly helps with airflow.
Just started using the expanding 7"-12" tube in my MES30,much more suited to the 30 than the 12"-18" tube though I would think it would be awesome in the 40.
Opening the door and replacing the tube with a fresh one and closing the door takes less than 10 seconds,heat loss is minimal.With the mailbox mod this obviously is not an issue.
Even with this mod the tube inherently puts out more smoke than the tray so you need to take that into consideration when it comes to duration of smoke,using ground/crushed pellets really helps with this.Check out this thread that
chopsaw
started regarding using ground/crushed pellets in the tube:https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/burning-dust-in-the-amnts.282571/
You will get even longer smoke times,close to 5hrs on a 6"tube. Less intense smoke,nice thin and blue.I was using a coffee-bean grinder to grind my pellets but I found they lacked in durability so I switched to using a blender,besides being more durable I can grind much more at a time,just pulse to get the right consistency.
The AMNTS with this mod is a great option if the tray isn't working for you,especially when using ground pellets.The tubes work awesome on hot/humid and windless days too.
This mod works just fine with the newer oval tubes and expanding tubes.
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