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  1. rfjoinery

    Hi from St.Louis MO

    I have an MES40, the older/more reliable model (glass in the door, control at top rear) that's available. I upgraded to an Auber 1510 PID for better temp control, which is very good. Some spare grills in it etc. This served me for a good 5-7 years, til I got the charcoal bug and replaced it with...
  2. rfjoinery

    AMNPS 5 X 8 and MES 40 Issues

    The problem is, I can't keep the thing lit. ) All of these solutions work for some people. I know that dry pellets are essential, I dry them in a microwave. Still sometimes have trouble keeping the AMNPS (5x7 tray) lit in the MES40; My site is inside a garage, with the door open, but not much...
  3. rfjoinery

    Hi from St.Louis MO

    Have the MES, 40 inch, OLDER MODEL with glass door and controls on the backside of the top. 4 years now, love it. The wisdom from this forum steered me to the older model and I'm convinced. For smoke, forget the chip tray that comes with it, and burn pellets in an AMNPS tray. Works well with the...
  4. rfjoinery

    Anyone use wood pellets in their MES?

    Yeah, dry pellets can be important, they don't stay lit well if they have absorbed much moisture. You can microwave them, you can leave them in a hot smoker for a few hours before lighting them, you can FedEx them to Iraq and back, but however you do it, get em dry. Fresh from Amazen they're...
  5. rfjoinery

    Anyone use wood pellets in their MES?

    The AMNPS is a separate steel "tray" that holds pellets. You light the pellets with a torch, then put it inside your smoker, just somewhere on the bottom. It's about 6x8x1 inches so it doesn't fit into a specific spot like the cylindrical one that came with the MES. With just a little practice...
  6. rfjoinery

    Another AMNPS-MES Question

    Cool. So this air pump is to provide a boost of outside air, to help the AMNPS keep burning? Like a turbocharger!
  7. rfjoinery

    Another AMNPS-MES Question

    Yup, dry pellets are essential for a reliable long burn. They may be dry when you get them but all wood can absorb moisture. Lots of ways to dry them. I microwave a cupful for one minute, twice, then store in a sealed jar. A heavy ziploc bag will not stay 100% sealed over time. You can use your...
  8. rfjoinery

    Anyone use wood pellets in their MES?

    These guys have addressed the airflow issues and procedures well. But don't forget the pellets need to be dry. You can microwave or oven bake them then keep them sealed, or you can "preheat" them in a hot smoker for an hour or two before lighting, you can Fed Ex them to the desert in Iran if you...
  9. rfjoinery

    Anyone use wood pellets in their MES?

    This sounds like all the overall flaming from below and from above, is an alternate way to get them to really dry out before showtime. Should work even if they're damp at the start of the process. Whichever way works easiest for you.
  10. rfjoinery

    Anyone use wood pellets in their MES?

    Agree it's important to get your pellets dry. Mine have never failed to burn well when they're dry. AMNPS or tube shape. First, no matter how dry they are when you buy them, they can absorb moisture pretty quickly if your climate is more humid then where they came from. (Speaking from...
  11. rfjoinery

    How Many Mes Owners Here?

    Sure, the spatchcocking thing isn't hard and can really help with the "danger zone" timing thing. Can also allow a whole chicken to be done low-and-slow if you like. Torch idea I may have got from here on the forum. I like the medium size torches like 3" diam 9" h, any hardware store, tanks are...
  12. rfjoinery

    How Many Mes Owners Here?

    More on the spatchcocked bird. When it was cooked to temp and I took it out, I did use the propane torch to crispen the skin at that time. Browned it real nice, another trick that Grandma doesn't need to know about. It was time to take the bird to her house and there wasn't time for an oven...
  13. rfjoinery

    How Many Mes Owners Here?

    The spatchcock deal isn't hard at all once you jump in. Following some online info somewhere, I used some heavy duty shears to cut out the backbone; one full-length cut each side of it, maybe an inch wide pack of bones. Then you flip the bird over, and pressing down with the heel of a hand...
  14. rfjoinery

    How Many Mes Owners Here?

    I recently did a 15 lb, turkey spatchcocked, turned out very good. Set MES to 275, the max. actual oven temp averaged closer to 250. Had brined it for 20-24 hrs. Took about 6-7 hrs in MES. 165 internal temp is the real test of course, YMMV. I ran most of a full tray of AMPS pellets, smoked the...
  15. rfjoinery

    How Many Mes Owners Here?

    Any mention of 14 or 16 in the labeling or imprinting? Even if the cord is mf'd in China they're probably required to label the wire.
  16. rfjoinery

    How Many Mes Owners Here?

    I you get a 25 ft, 14 guage, you'll be fine. Imprinted on the wire insulation will be codes including "14AWG" and that's what you want. It'll also cost more than the more common 16 guage cords. Of course you want a grounded cord, that is the ones with 3 prongs and 3 holes. If you're really...
  17. rfjoinery

    Pear wood

    Why would you say Bradford Pear is bad? Sure, they have good and bad qualities in the yard but it's beautiful wood. Have first hand experience smoking with it?
  18. rfjoinery

    smoking my frist brisket today

    Did my first brisket today and would appreciate feedback. (It's in towels now so the most important feedback, the taste, will have to wait.) Using all the advice I can glean from this great forum, and the butcher/smoker guy too. Did an 8 lb flat, expensive meat from a good butcher. Dry rub...
  19. rfjoinery

    Trouble getting AMPS to burn

    As a woodworker I've learned about moisture with "biscuits", little flat football shaped things used kind of like dowels. If the moisture content gets too high they fit too tight, so I microwave or bake them when I need them dryer. They come in the same kind of ziplock bags the pellets do, and...
  20. rfjoinery

    Trouble getting AMPS to burn

    SUCCESS. Dried my AMPS pellets in the microwave, 2-3 times for a minute, and they burn great. Taking them out of the microwave you can see the water vapor coming off, or collecting on the jar sides. Also left the tray full in the MES for the 45 minutes it took to heat the box up.  Lit the tray...
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