# Electric Smoke Rings



## smokinbarrles (Jan 17, 2019)

Good Morning everyone!

So i recently got an electric smoker (MES40). And iv read people have trouble with smoke rings. I know they arnt necessary for flavor but they sure make it look great! iv read you can make a "false" one with nitrate i believe and people say add a lump of charcoal and that will also cause the reaction to produce a ring.

So my question is will one of the pellet tubes produce a smoke ring? Seems like they say pellet smokers will make one appear. So will just the tube be enough in an electric smoker?


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## Jeff Wright (Jan 17, 2019)

I have the MES 30.  In my past experience I have never achieved a true smoke ring.  I always use one of the Amazen pellet mazes.  Can't see how a tube would be any different.


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## chopsaw (Jan 17, 2019)

I'm not looking for a smoke ring , but I mix wood chips with the pellets in a tube . I have noticed a ring doing that , sometimes , but I'm adding the chips for flavor and color on the outside of the meat .


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## Preacher Man (Jan 17, 2019)

I wish I could get the coveted smoke ring in my MES 30, but it continues to escape my grasp. I've tried the chunk of charcoal to no avail. My 12" pellet tube doesn't produce anything either.


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## chopsaw (Jan 17, 2019)

Preacher Man said:


> My 12" pellet tube doesn't produce anything either.


Try mixing in some wood chips with the pellets . Small pieces work best .


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 17, 2019)

Food doesn't last long enough my house to even look for a smoke ring Like said it has nothing to do with taste and most of us are not in competition so why worry about it. Just My 4.02

Warren


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## texomakid (Jan 17, 2019)

In my experience I've used the small basic MES metal box cooker with the chip tray & the Bradley digital 4 rack with the wood pucks. Was able to cook some really good meats in both of them but never achieved the "smoke ring". I think it requires burning wood and/or charcoal. More than what we burn with the wood pucks in the Bradley or the chip tray of the MES. I never tried running a AMPS in either.


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 17, 2019)

I get smoke ring in my propane with chips.

Warren


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## daveomak (Jan 17, 2019)

Do not use nitrate.... use cure#1 which is nitrite...  Do not use more than 1 gram per pound of meat.... or 1 tsp of cure#1 per 5#'s of meat....



smokinbarrles said:


> Good Morning everyone!
> 
> *iv read you can make a "false" one with nitrate *i believe and people say add a lump of charcoal and that will also cause the reaction to produce a ring.


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## smokinbarrles (Jan 17, 2019)

daveomak said:


> Do not use nitrate.... use cure#1 which is nitrite...  Do not use more than 1 gram per pound of meat.... or 1 tsp of cure#1 per 5#'s of meat....


Thanks daveomak, always get the two confused.


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## smokinbarrles (Jan 17, 2019)

SIDE NOTE: to those using pellet smoking tubes do you abandon the chip tray all together or use both. i have the tube but haven't used it yet. Also has anyone experimented with different brand pellets, which do you prefer?


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## Jeff Wright (Jan 17, 2019)

smokinbarrles said:


> to those using pellet smoking tubes do you abandon the chip tray all together or use both.


I do not use the chip tray or the water pan.  Have used a lot of different pellets, but I always seem to use a lot of apple and pitmasters choice.  Just me, though.   Probably lots of preferences when it comes to flavors.


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## daveomak (Jan 17, 2019)

Since I have the AMNPS, I have pulled out all the guts of my MES and only use the AMNPS in a mailbox mod...
I have the ability to put the chip pan on the heating element, if the need arises...


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## indaswamp (Jan 17, 2019)

Nitrous Oxide (NO) gas is produced in small quantities from fire (which produce the smoke ring), but you MUST have actual flame to do so. Which is why charcoal can produce Nitrous Oxide gas..... chips and pellets, it's a crap shoot.


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## Preacher Man (Jan 17, 2019)

I abandon the chip tray


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## fivetricks (Jan 17, 2019)

Hey 

 daveomak
 ! Do you happen to have a picture of whatever that is just out of frame to the left of your element?

Just curious how you're doing yours. Been trying a few different ways and configurations lately.


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## texomakid (Jan 17, 2019)

indaswamp said:


> Nitrous Oxide (NO) gas is produced in small quantities from fire (which produce the smoke ring), but you MUST have actual flame to do so. Which is why charcoal can produce Nitrous Oxide gas..... chips and pellets, it's a crap shoot.








Just to clarify.....Pellets burnt in a tray or tube may not produce a "smoke ring" in an electric smoker but my Yoder Pellet grill will give you smoke ring envy.


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## indaswamp (Jan 17, 2019)

texomakid said:


> but my Yoder Pellet grill will give you smoke ring envy.


What temp. where you running it at?


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## texomakid (Jan 17, 2019)

I typically run 220 to 230 for smoke.


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## indaswamp (Jan 17, 2019)

Yoder must run so that the pellets burn with a decent flame. I've never cooked on one, just a Cabela's pellet grill @ the firehouse.


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## daveomak (Jan 18, 2019)

fivetricks said:


> Hey
> 
> daveomak
> ! Do you happen to have a picture of whatever that is just out of frame to the left of your element?
> ...


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## fivetricks (Jan 18, 2019)

Yeah, lately I've been running with a foil wrapped lower burner guard and I think it's interfering with the operation of the element.. going to have to run some other method, or go back to running the element naked. Sort of a fire hazard though. Heck I don't know :-)


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## daveomak (Jan 18, 2019)

I run my element on a dimmer...  It very seldom runs over 400 watts....  only when I set it on high to sterilize the smoker...


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## texomakid (Jan 18, 2019)

indaswamp said:


> Yoder must run so that the pellets burn with a decent flame. I've never cooked on one, just a Cabela's pellet grill @ the firehouse.


You are correct. Constant flame with blower pushing light amount of air across the flame while feeding pellets as needed to control temp as set. It just a wood burning convection oven.


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## johnmeyer (Jan 18, 2019)

This site uses science to attempt to explain the lack of smoke ring in electric smokers:

Smoke Ring Science


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## zwiller (Jan 18, 2019)

To me, a smoke ring is for show/appearance only, so only something to focus on after you have perfected all the other aspects of the smoke with the top criteria being taste, and texture second.  World famous Franklin BBQ does not have a ring and he could care less.  That said, I think they ARE cool but I wouldn't worry about it until you got the above nailed.  Best way to fake one is a light TQ rub, short rest, and rinse from my research.  I have got my chuckies pretty much dialed in and won't be too long and I will be posting my trials for faking a ring.


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## pops6927 (Jan 18, 2019)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/smoke-ring-formation

This tells the story on Smoke Rings!


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