New guy, first smoker, any recommendations?

[ajsmokes]

Thats smart.  Can you rest the transmitter on top of the smoker or does the top get really hot?

I hang mine off the handle on the back. Also it's well insulated shouldn't be hot anywhere on the outside of the unit

 

[mummel]

I'm excited.  Thanks for all the help and info guys.  Now to hunt for a deal.....  What would be the easiest food to start with for a new guy?  Fish, brisket etc?

 

[ajsmokes]

I'm excited.  Thanks for all the help and info guys.  Now to hunt for a deal.....  What would be the easiest food to start with for a new guy?  Fish, brisket etc?

my personal experience which isn't much would be a pork butt. A lot of others with a lot more experience would most likely say the same.

 

[mummel]

Oh and as for the AMPS, how many hours of burn does one get end to end? 

And if you are manually using the Masterbuilt factory wood chip feeder, how often do you need to add chips (I saw a vid saying every 30min).  How do you know how many to add or whats going on inside without opening the door?

 

[timberjet]

 
I'm excited.  Thanks for all the help and info guys.  Now to hunt for a deal.....  What would be the easiest food to start with for a new guy?  Fish, brisket etc?

Brisket is the trickiest thing you could try for your first smoke. Fish might be second. I would go with Chicken or Pork shoulder. Boston Butt is very forgiving and takes quite a while to do so you can really get the hang of using your new smoker. Plus it is so good. Chicken is easy and only takes a few hours and is fairly cheap to buy so if you screw your first one up it's no big deal. I always recommend taking Jeff's 5 day E-course for new smokers. It is free and will help you get started off on the right foot. Bearcarver has step by step tutorials on everything you might want to try smoking and he uses nearly the same electric that you are looking at so that is an added bonus as well. Most importantly, read, read, and read some more. This website is chock full of usefull information for you to soak up. The search bar at the top of the page is really excellent and the best one I have seen on any cooking website period. Just type in what you want to know and you can read for days. Happy smoking. timber

 

[ajsmokes]

Oh and as for the AMPS, how many hours of burn does one get end to end? 

And if you are manually using the Masterbuilt factory wood chip feeder, how often do you need to add chips (I saw a vid saying every 30min).  How do you know how many to add or whats going on inside without opening the door?

I don't use the AMNPS.. the feeder holds so much. Fill the feeder load the smoker and walk away I feed it every 45 mimutes..

 

[mummel]

Thanks Timber.  As for the feeder, how much do you add every 45min?  How do you know whether to add more or less?  Do you use the smoke coming out the chimney as a guide?  How long after you add chips on a fresh start do you start to see smoke?

 

[mummel]

Sorry for all the questions.  Anyone one I had pop up is, do these smokers get really hot on the outside?  I assume the chimney metal must be on fire, but what about the rest of the box?

The reason I ask is because we have small kids running around.  I was just curious as the smoker will be left unattended.  Thanks.

 

[timberjet]

 
Thanks Timber.  As for the feeder, how much do you add every 45min?  How do you know whether to add more or less?  Do you use the smoke coming out the chimney as a guide?  How long after you add chips on a fresh start do you start to see smoke?

The factory chip deal is pretty crappy. If you want to smoke a 10 pound Butt you don't want to get up and load the thing and open the door every 45 minutes and lose all your heat and smoke. I suggest one of those pellet tubes or trays. Todd Johnson  is a member here and he owns Amazen products. He is very active on this website and if you PM him he can answer all your questions. You will be looking for a thin blue smoke that is barely discernible coming from the exhaust. This is what we refer to as TBS. It is the best smoke for long smokes where you want to impart a very good flavor to your meat. Some shorter smokes like salmon of something might benefit from heavier smoke for a shorter time and in that case you might like to use the factory chip tray. His pellet smoker will go producing perfect smoke for like 11 hours at a time. Pretty cheap too. Masterbuilt has their version as well but once again you have to attend it constantly. I do 24 hour smokes all the time and it is nice to be able to get a few hours of sleep when you need to. If you have the maverick and todd's equipment you are all set. Your smoker can be monitored from the bed or couch.

 

[mummel]

 
The factory chip deal is pretty crappy. If you want to smoke a 10 pound Butt you don't want to get up and load the thing and open the door every 45 minutes and lose all your heat and smoke. I suggest one of those pellet tubes or trays. Todd Johnson  is a member here and he owns Amazen products. He is very active on this website and if you PM him he can answer all your questions. You will be looking for a thin blue smoke that is barely discernible coming from the exhaust. This is what we refer to as TBS. It is the best smoke for long smokes where you want to impart a very good flavor to your meat. Some shorter smokes like salmon of something might benefit from heavier smoke for a shorter time and in that case you might like to use the factory chip tray. His pellet smoker will go producing perfect smoke for like 11 hours at a time. Pretty cheap too. Masterbuilt has their version as well but once again you have to attend it constantly. I do 24 hour smokes all the time and it is nice to be able to get a few hours of sleep when you need to. If you have the maverick and todd's equipment you are all set. Your smoker can be monitored from the bed or couch.

That's awesome.  How long does the 5X8 tray burn before it needs a refill?

 

[timberjet]

 
Sorry for all the questions.  Anyone one I had pop up is, do these smokers get really hot on the outside?  I assume the chimney metal must be on fire, but what about the rest of the box?

The reason I ask is because we have small kids running around.  I was just curious as the smoker will be left unattended.  Thanks.

No, the unit is very well insulated. Most guys and gals put it up on a rolling cart to keep the chimney out of reach of kids. Even it doesn't get real hot. You must realize you are smoking at low temps. not blazing up a big fire or something. If something is on fire you have problems.

 

[timberjet]

 
That's awesome.  How long does the 5X8 tray burn before it needs a refill?

11 hours

 

[mummel]

Yeah I read bluefish is at 200F and then at 150F.  I'm keen to try the Boston butt first though. 

 

[mummel]

 
11 hours

That's plenty, thanks. 

 

[mummel]

It looks like the AMPS does use more fuel than the standard chips though.  Maybe not as efficient?  Are pellets cheaper? 

Any recommendations for type/flavor of chips / pellets?  Can I use the same pellets for fish as for Boston butt, or do I need a different flavor depending on what I'm making?

 

[mummel]

BTW - I found this probe.  If I dont need the wireless capability, can I just use something like this?  Would work for meat only though, not grate temp.  $13 on Amazon.

 

[bmaddox]

Pellets are actually very efficient as they burn completley while wood chips will not always burn completely. The flavor is up to you. @TJohnson  has a "Pitmaster Blend" that is a great all around pellet to start with (I believe he sends you some of it when you buy an AMNPS).

 

[bmaddox]

I have a probe thermometer by Thermoworks that is not wireless. It works great and I use it when I want to track multiple pieces as one of my two Maverick probes is always tracking the smoker temp.

 

[frog1369]

 
I am in the camp of 'buy once, cry once'.....I've bought stuff on the cheap to save a few bucks and realized a few miles down the road I should have gotten the one I wanted and just bit the bullet. I still suggest going to look at one....have you considered a pellet smoker? Rec Tec has a great rep and they offer payment plans. Check out the options. I understand the agonizing over these things....I do it all the time

Mummel,

I'm with Chef Willie on this one as I have learned my lesson on this same thought several times in my lifetime.  Too many people try their hand at something with the wrong equipment for them and then give it up because they couldn't make it work.  All units will have a learning curve, require some kind of effort and  benefit from whatever cooing experience you have.  OF course, things get better with practice.  Do your research and find what will be right for you.  This is a good place for information, there is a ton of info on the web in other forums as well.  

Chef Willie mentioned pellet grills, I have one to complement my gasser grill, charcoal grill and vertical propane smoker.  Rec-Tec makes a mini that gets great reviews, there are several other entry level units that can get you started, Traeger Tailgater or Junior, Pit boss at Menards, Green Mountain Davy Crockett, Rec Tec Mini and more.  I mention pellet smokers because they are pretty hard to mess up on, much like cooking in your kitchen oven.  

 

[mummel]

Thanks Frog, but I just dont have the space for a pellet smoker.  I have a very small patio which is already full with furniture & a grill.  There is not much more space to go.