# New masterbuilt 40 how often do you add chips?



## graphicsman (Jun 22, 2016)

So ive been eyeing a masterbuilt smoker for months and my family got me a 40" for fathers day so ive been looking at videos and researching what to cook but ive seen people add chips every 30 mins all the way to every hour.  Currently im looking for four pork spare ribs then ill trim and place each one on a rack and do a 3-2-1 on them @ 215 but im unsure on the first three hour smoke if i should add every 30 mins.


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## mrmerck (Jun 22, 2016)

30 to 45 minutes is what I do with my chips.


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## SmokinAl (Jun 23, 2016)

Add them when the smoke stops or do as most of the MES guys do & get an AMAZEN.

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Then you don't have to add chips at all. It will give you smoke for hours.

Al


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## stckthrwr (Jun 23, 2016)

How does the amazen work?  Just put a load of chips or pellets in, walk away and let it go?


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## graphicsman (Jun 25, 2016)

I've looked at the amzn before to use it for cold smoking with my wsm 22.  How do you suggest using the amzn in the master built?  Place it on the bottom shelf?


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## texas mathew (Jul 4, 2016)

I re-fill about 1 to 2 hours using the chip loader. I wait until the chips are completely burned up....there isn't even ash in the chip loader. If i use dry chips, it's about every 1 hour, and 2 hours using soaked chips. Kind of tiresome when smoking a brisket for 12 hours. I might look into this Amazen thing.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 4, 2016)

graphicsman said:


> I've looked at the amzn before to use it for cold smoking with my wsm 22. How do you suggest using the amzn in the master built? *Place it on the bottom shelf?*


It depends on which Generation MES you got.

If you get 4 racks of Ribs to make at once, I would:

See if you can put two racks on each of the top two racks.

Or only make 3---One on each of the top 3 racks.

I find the bottom rack too close to the Heat source.

Here's some help you might like:

Just click on *"Bear's Step by Steps"*.

Bear


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## mikew999 (Jul 4, 2016)

I think I am missing something. I have an MES 40.  If I get an amazen, where do I place it in the MES? In the chip tray?  Also, I was wondering if I could use wood chunks? I thought the MES instructions said no, but then you guys have figured out a few workarounds.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 4, 2016)

MikeW999 said:


> I think I am missing something. I have an MES 40.  If I get an amazen, where do I place it in the MES? In the chip tray?  Also, I was wondering if I could use wood chunks? I thought the MES instructions said no, but then you guys have figured out a few workarounds.


I said it depends on which Generation MES you have, because I hate to go through all of them all the time.

But here goes.

If you have the Generation #1 the best place to put the AMNPS is on the support rods in the bottom, to the left of the chip burner.

If you have the Gen #2.5, I found the best place is to put the bottom rack in & put the AMNPS on the far right of that bottom rack.

If you have the Gen #2, you can remove the little Water pan that's hanging from the slanted Drip pan, and straddle your AMNPS over the hole left by the water pan. Or remove that whole slanted Drip plate, and put the bottom rack in & set the AMNPS on the far right of that rack, and put a foil pan in the middle of that rack to catch any drips.

You can use Chips or chunks in your MES, but neither will give you the success like you'll get with an AMNPS.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Jul 4, 2016)

BTW: MikeW999,

If you don't know which Generation MES you have, this will help you:

Link:

*MES Generation Number Recognition Pictures & Pics (Digital Units)*

Bear


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## smokingearl (Jul 4, 2016)

I have the MES 40 BT which is the gen 2.5.  The best place for my Amazn tray is on the bottom of the smoker under the water pan with the lit end towards the rear and next to the heat element.  Smokes perfect, never goes out, and a full tray will last 11 hours.


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## graphicsman (Jul 4, 2016)

I was debating the mailbox mod as it wouldn't matter what model I had.  Guess i will look into the model but from research you have air restriction when using the amns in the mes.


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## smokingearl (Jul 4, 2016)

graphicsman said:


> I was debating the mailbox mod as it wouldn't matter what model I had.  Guess i will look into the model but from research you have air restriction when using the amns in the mes.


not with the newest models- the 2.5's or the original gen 1's.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 5, 2016)

graphicsman said:


> I was debating the mailbox mod as it wouldn't matter what model I had. Guess i will look into the model but from research you have air restriction when using the amns in the mes.


Nah---Been using AMNS and AMNPS in my MES units for 7 years without a mailbox or any other contraption without a problem.

It's a pleasure to just light it & put it in my MES, and not have to play games with mailboxes & ductwork or pipes.

I'm getting kinda lazy in my old age!

Bear


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## graphicsman (Jul 5, 2016)

If you have pics i started another thread looking for how people have them setup  in their mes.  I also posted the model in which i got


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## Bearcarver (Jul 5, 2016)

graphicsman said:


> If you have pics i started another thread looking for how people have them setup in their mes. I also posted the model in which i got


Yours is a Gen #1, like below.

The only other thread I could find was more than a week old, so I'll show you here too:

You can see where my AMNS is & my AMNPS works Great there too:













DSC02348.JPG



__ Bearcarver
__ Jun 24, 2011


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## brickguy221 (Jul 5, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> If you have the Gen #2.5, I found the best place is to put the bottom rack in & put the AMNPS on the far right of that bottom rack.
> 
> Bear


Hmmm... I have always had my Maze on the left and never tried it on the right side. So for me to be clear here Bear, on the 2.5 like you and I own, you place the Maze on the right above the chip pan, is that correct?


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## Bearcarver (Jul 5, 2016)

Brickguy221 said:


> Hmmm... I have always had my Maze on the left and never tried it on the right side. So for me to be clear here Bear, on the 2.5 like you and I own, you place the Maze on the right above the chip pan, is that correct?


Good Question Brickguy!!

I used to put mine on the left side of the bottom rack, but I had a couple times that the smoke was a little light in my Gen #2.5.

So I moved it to the right side, and pulled the Dumper out about 2". 

Then when the Smoke got a little too high, I pushed the Dumper back in, and the smoke simmered down to a nice amount.

Bear


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## brickguy221 (Jul 5, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> Good Question Brickguy!!
> 
> I used to put mine on the left side of the bottom rack, but I had a couple times that the smoke was a little light in my Gen #2.5.
> 
> ...


Thanks Bear, I am going to try that the next time I smoke. I had thought about it a few times, but that is all I did was "thought about it. Now that I know it will work, I will try it.

It makes a lot of sense to me when I think about it .... Maze over chip tray and chip loader pulled out directly below it to let in extra air.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 5, 2016)

Brickguy221 said:


> Thanks Bear, I am going to try that the next time I smoke. I had thought about it a few times, but that is all I did was "thought about it. Now that I know it will work, I will try it.
> 
> It makes a lot of sense to me when I think about it .... Maze over chip tray and chip loader pulled out directly below it to let in extra air.


Let me know how it works for you.

Bear


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## mikew999 (Jul 5, 2016)

Ok. Sold. I am going to buy an AMNPS soon. Do you buy your pellets from the same place? Are there different kinds, like hickory, apple, etc.? Will I be throwing my supply of chips away, or will I still be using them at times? Looking forward to trying my hand at a pork butt soon!


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## brickguy221 (Jul 5, 2016)

MikeW999 said:


> Ok. Sold. I am going to buy an AMNPS soon. Do you buy your pellets from the same place? Are there different kinds, like hickory, apple, etc.? Will I be throwing my supply of chips away, or will I still be using them at times? Looking forward to trying my hand at a pork butt soon!


You can get your Pellets from the same place and you can also get them from here ...

http://www.smokedaddyinc.com/products/wood-pellets/item/103-vortex-blend-pellets.html


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## texas mathew (Jul 5, 2016)

Is there an easy way to turn logs into pellets? I gotta big stack of pecan logs.


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## dr k (Jul 6, 2016)

Brickguy221 said:


> You can get your Pellets from the same place and you can also get them from here ...
> 
> http://www.smokedaddyinc.com/products/wood-pellets/item/103-vortex-blend-pellets.html


Have you tried the Smoke Daddy pellets with 30% charcoal pellets? I was wondering if there is enough charcoal to form the smoke ring they say it does and if the charcoal flavor is noticeable compared to 100% wood. 
-Kurt


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## dr k (Jul 6, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> Is there an easy way to turn logs into pellets? I gotta big stack of pecan logs.


No. You can Google heating pellets on how it's made and watch the 10 minute video. Heating pellets have all kinds of pulverized wood pieces where smoking pellets for food is all natural hardwood that is 100% the flavor of the wood on the bag or mixed with Alder or Oak for fuel and flavor for grills that are designed to burn pellets. The process is the same to make these pellets and require rollers with tons and tons of pressure to extrude the pellets through a die plate. The natural lignin in the wood even having 10% or less moisture content gets melted and binds the wood dust together, having them come out shiny and steaming without additives. 
-Kurt


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## texas mathew (Jul 6, 2016)

I think I have the MES40 Gen 2.5...not sure what is a Gen 3.
My chip tray seems small, and looking at the chip/burner area, a tray twice its size could be used. 
I emailed Masterbuilt to see if there is a retrofit kit. 












image.jpeg



__ texas mathew
__ Jul 6, 2016


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## Bearcarver (Jul 6, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> I think I have the MES40 Gen 2.5...not sure what is a Gen 3.
> My chip tray seems small, and looking at the chip/burner area, a tray twice its size could be used.
> I emailed Masterbuilt to see if there is a retrofit kit.


I believe there are reasons for making their chip drawers & other things the sizes they make them.

You will be Much happier to get an AMNPS, and forget about struggling to get your MES to do what isn't possible to do with an electric smoker.

As far as I know there hasn't been a Generation #3 added to the Masterbuilt line.

Bear


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## cmayna (Jul 6, 2016)

Since I flipped my heating element over to the center of the box, it got closer to the amnps,  thus more the reason why I went with the mail box.  Never looked back, especially since I like to start my fish smoking with Alder and end it with Apple.  Never have to open the MES to change pellets.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## brickguy221 (Jul 6, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> I think I have the MES40 Gen 2.5...not sure what is a Gen 3.
> My chip tray seems small, and looking at the chip/burner area, a tray twice its size could be used.
> I emailed Masterbuilt to see if there is a retrofit kit.
> 
> ...


The picture you show here doesn't appear to me to be a 2.5


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## texas mathew (Jul 6, 2016)

Brickguy221 said:


> The picture you show here doesn't appear to me to be a 2.5



model: 20070215 which I could not find on the Masterbuilt website.


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## brickguy221 (Jul 6, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> model: 20070215 which I could not find on the Masterbuilt website.


Are you sure you have the model number right?


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## texas mathew (Jul 6, 2016)

image.jpeg



__ texas mathew
__ Jul 6, 2016


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## Bearcarver (Jul 6, 2016)

Brickguy221 said:


> Are you sure you have the model number right?
> 
> 
> > image.jpeg
> ...


It's a #2.5---You can see the Split level Water pan above the chip burner shield.

Bear


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## smokingearl (Jul 7, 2016)

It's definitely a 20070215. MES 40 BT with the stand sold at Sams club. It's the one I bought.


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## brickguy221 (Jul 7, 2016)

SmokingEarL said:


> It's definitely a 20070215. MES 40 BT with the stand sold at Sams club. It's the one I bought.


I have the same Sam's Smoker with legs, but didn't realize that it  is that Model No.

Bought it a year ago this month along with the extended warranty and have had no problems with it to date....

I posted earlier that I didn't think the Smoker in picture was a 2.5, but Bear said it is, judging by the water pan. I did study that pan, but it isn't a good picture and the water pan just didn't look right, but I guess as Bear said, it is right.


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## texas mathew (Jul 7, 2016)

It's all good. Seems like all the Masterbuilt models are pretty darn good.


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## texas mathew (Jul 7, 2016)

I'm wondering if I could use the older model chip tray. Seems like a bigger tray than mine, but might just smoke too much. Guess I'll just soak my chips and re-load every 1.5 to 2 hrs. Or I wonder if I use bigger chunks it'll burn longer?  I saw a youtube video of a person putting charcoal in the tray, but not sure that I wanna do that.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 8, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> I'm wondering if I could use the older model chip tray. Seems like a bigger tray than mine, but might just smoke too much. Guess I'll just soak my chips and re-load every 1.5 to 2 hrs. Or I wonder if I use bigger chunks it'll burn longer? I saw a youtube video of a person putting charcoal in the tray, but not sure that I wanna do that.


Most Veteran MES users will agree that soaking chips or chunks is not a good thing to do.

Neither is putting water in the water pan.

AMNPS is the way to go. An MES & an AMNPS is a "Match made in Smoking Heaven".

Bear


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## texas mathew (Jul 8, 2016)

Bear, I'm just not fond of pellets. Most pellets I've seen aren't the kinds of wood I prefer. I was thinking maybe I could build a device to grind a stump to saw dust, then press the saw dust through a plate to make my own home made pellets.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 8, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> Bear, I'm just not fond of pellets. Most pellets I've seen aren't the kinds of wood I prefer. I was thinking maybe I could build a device to grind a stump to saw dust, then press the saw dust through a plate to make my own home made pellets.


I watched them make pellets on TV, on that "How They Do That" program.

It's pretty neat, but takes Tons of pressure to make them.

Amazing Smoker (Todd) sells Pellets that are made from only the species of Wood that it says on the package, and he has a whole mess of wood species----Probably about anything you can get actual wood of that species.

You can also make your own Sawdust, and just use it as Sawdust.

Sawdust works Great in an AMNPS or AMNS.

The best texture comes from:

Radial Saw

Chop Saw

Miter Saw

Table Saw (while crosscutting)

Bear


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## barryvabeach (Jul 9, 2016)

Bear,  I have lots of sawdust, but since it is mostly from cutting walnut, I wouldn't think it would go all that well in a smoker -  have you ever tried smoking with walnut dust?


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## Bearcarver (Jul 9, 2016)

barryvabeach said:


> Bear,  I have lots of sawdust, but since it is mostly from cutting walnut, I wouldn't think it would go all that well in a smoker -  have you ever tried smoking with walnut dust?


No I have never used Walnut, and I used to hear & read it should not be used, however there was a Smoker or two on this forum who said it's great. I think there's a Thread on here containing that discussion.

I do know when I used Walnut in my Cabinet Shop, the smell of the dust was bad, and I couldn't get rid of the walnut sawdust to horse farms, because it can kill horses.

Bear


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## dr k (Jul 9, 2016)

barryvabeach said:


> Bear,  I have lots of sawdust, but since it is mostly from cutting walnut, I wouldn't think it would go all that well in a smoker -  have you ever tried smoking with walnut dust?


You can Google woods for smoking food and a list will come up on general flavor profiles. Walnut is suppose to be very strong but being a hardwood it is used and Todd at A-maze-n Products sells it. I don't have a desire to try it. There's eleven or so woods to definitely not smoke food with: Sycamore, Cypress , Cedar, Sassafrass, Pine, Fir, Spruce, Elm, Redwood,  and Eucalyptus. Liquid Amber trees are bad but I don't know their names. 
-Kurt


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## barryvabeach (Jul 9, 2016)

Bear,  I have heard that walnut is bad for horses, but it is great for furniture.  I have a 35 gallon pail that fills with sawdust pretty regularly, from a table saw and planer, but  it is mostly walnut and I was afraid to use it in the smoker.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 9, 2016)

barryvabeach said:


> Bear,  I have heard that walnut is bad for horses, but it is great for furniture.  I have a 35 gallon pail that fills with sawdust pretty regularly, from a table saw and planer, but  it is mostly walnut and I was afraid to use it in the smoker.


Here's what it says on the Forum Info Thread on Woods for Smoking:

WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

As for the Horses----If you use Walnut Sawdust in the bedding, a horse could absorb toxins through it's hoofs.

It's called "Laminitis", and I believe Laminitis is what killed "Secretariat".

Bear


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## smokingearl (Jul 9, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> Here's what it says on the Forum Info Thread on Woods for Smoking:
> WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.
> 
> As for the Horses----If you use Walnut Sawdust in the bedding, a horse could absorb toxins through it's hoofs.
> ...


Secretariat had laminitis but he was euthanized.and in all my reading of laminitis I've never seen anything about walnuts in the bedding causing it. Not that I know everything about, just I've never heard that before.
http://espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=2518471


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## Bearcarver (Jul 10, 2016)

SmokingEarL said:


> Secretariat had laminitis but he was euthanized.and in all my reading of laminitis I've never seen anything about walnuts in the bedding causing it. Not that I know everything about, just I've never heard that before.
> http://espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=2518471


How about this:

*Horses that come into contact with black walnut byproducts usually fall victim to laminitis. *Repeat:_  usually_, not _may_  or_  could_; the likelihood of laminitis is profound. Horses are extremely sensitive to black walnut shavings or sawdust, and though researchers aren’t sure of the exact mechanism that links cause and effect, there’s no question a connection exists.

Once bedded with black walnut byproducts, horses begin to shows signs of laminitis in as little as 10-12 hours. Signs include reluctance to move, shifting weight from limb to limb, increased digital pulse and hoof temperature, and positive response to hoof testers. Unlike typical cases of laminitis, leg edema, at times significant, might be present.

Remember, ingestion of black walnut shavings is not necessary to result in laminitis, warned Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research  (KER).

“This is not classic nutrition-induced laminitis. Horses must only stand on black walnut shavings  or sawdust to be susceptible to life-altering founder; they don’t necessarily have to eat them. That’s reason enough to be especially vigilant in selecting bedding,” Crandell said.  

If horses are removed from the black walnut bedding quickly enough and veterinary intervention sought straightaway, recovery may be possible.  

Black walnut shavings should not be used as bedding for horses, no matter how diluted they might be among byproducts of other woods.

Source:

http://www.equinews.com/article/black-walnut-shavings-and-horses

Bear


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## texas mathew (Jul 10, 2016)

Any of y'all have opinions on the Masterbuilt cold smoker attachment?


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## SmokinAl (Jul 11, 2016)

texas mathew said:


> Any of y'all have opinions on the Masterbuilt cold smoker attachment?



I have one & use it all the time, but it does generate quite a bit of heat & some creosote as well.

So to get rid of the heat & clean the smoke you have to run it thru a pipe or dryer vent hose.

Here's my setup.













5-11-16 17.JPG



__ SmokinAl
__ Jul 11, 2016






Hope this helps.

Al


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## rometown (Dec 19, 2016)

Making my first smoker meal in my MES 30". I figured the fatty sounds like a good dish. It's 9 degrees out and couldn't tell if my smoke chips are still going or vapor from water pan. I haven't had to ask any questions yet because there seems to be a thread for everything. Smelling amazing.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 19, 2016)

rometown said:


> Making my first smoker meal in my MES 30". I figured the fatty sounds like a good dish. It's 9 degrees out and couldn't tell if my smoke chips are still going or vapor from water pan. I haven't had to ask any questions yet because there seems to be a thread for everything. Smelling amazing.


That's one of the things that's nice about the glass window in the door.

It's easy to tell the difference between real light Smoke or Vapor coming from the Humidity inside the Smoker.

When I had my first MES (7 years ago), it was an MES 30 without a Window, and the first Winter Smoke I did, I thought I was getting nice light smoke, but it was just the warm Humid air from inside the smoker hitting the cold air outside the top vent.

Bear


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