# A maze n smoker



## sickdsm (Apr 20, 2017)

I load up with pellets, start on fire, correct?   Will the tube style fit in the chip loader or duo they both go inside?   Tray or tube for 30 inch?   Will pellets smolder or bust into flanges?  My chips are either on fire or not cooking throughout anymore.   Black chunks left.    This will solve my problems?


Thanks.


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## daveomak (Apr 20, 2017)

Black pellets left over are a sign of lack of oxygen...    The maze tray is perfect for a 30 inch smoker...   Some folks have noted, the tube puts out too much smoke for that size smoker...  I put together answers from Todd to members about problem they were having....

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If you place the Tube Smoker on the same level as the charcoal, it may have enough oxygen to burn If you place the Tube Smoker above the charcoal, there is no oxygen Todd

　

Send back the AMNPS 5x8 and I'll send you a 12" Tube Smoker The Tube Smoker will work great right inside your gas smoker Then you can use what you already own! Todd

　

The AMNPS 5x8 usually works great in the MES 30 & 40, but occasionally there are issues It's a great alternative to dumping chips every 30-40 minutes Some guys use the mailbox mod with great success Elevation can be an issue for the AMNPS 5x8, but the 12" Tube Smoker is a great alternative The MES Gen 2 has terrible airflow, and there are a couple tricks to help Remove the water pan and place it on the floor Place the AMNPS 5x8 on top the hole where the water...

　

100% Cherry and Wine Barrel Pellets do not burn well on their own Layer the bottom 1/2 of the row with something that burns well like maple, oak or hickory and the top 1/2 of the row with your wine barrel or cherry pellets Todd

　

AMNPS 5x8 was actually designed out of frustration with my own MES 40

Placement depends on which model MES you own

*Old Model MES*

Place the AMNPS 5x8 on the rails to the left of the chip pan housing

Exhaust WIDE open

No water in the water pan

Pull the chip pan out 1.5"

Pull the chip loader out 2"

*New Gen 2*

Remove the water pan and place it on the floor

Place the AMNPS on top the hole where the water pan used to sit

Exhaust WIDE open

Pull the chip loader out 2" and rotate to the "Dump" position

　

You should notice a difference in how your MES drafts Make sure you pull the chip loader out about 2" and rotate to the "Dump" position HUGE diff in how your MES performs!! Don't remove the chip loader during hot smoking or the unit can back draft Todd

　

Cherry Pellets do not burn well on their own. Not really sure why, but it's just the nature of the pellets. I cover this issue in my instructions. Layer the bottom 1/2 of the row with good burning pellets like Oak, Maple or HickoryLayer the top 1/2 of the row with cherry pellets The bottom layer is your fire and the top layer will smolder Todd

　

Tube Smokers work very well in just about any low oxygen atmosphere. A pellet or gas grill has very little oxygen after the flame. This is where the Tube Smoker really works well. The Tubes have a larger mass of pellets than the AMNPS 5x8, and produce more smoke. Tube Smokers also perform better at higher elevations. The AMNPS 5x8 seems to struggle around 5,000', but the Tube Smokers perform well.

　

Try placing the AMNPS just inside the main chamber and i would even crack the hood Make sure you have lots of air coming in from the intake Yes, pellets do absorb moisture, so drying them out can help Todd

　

If you need more smoke, light both ends of the AMNPS 5x8 Stacking them may make a mess Todd

　

Dave hit the nail on the head! The tube is 2" in diameter The 1st row of the tray is about 1/3 the volume as the Tube The Tube produces a lot of smoke You can fill the Tube with less pellets, and create less smoke Todd

　

I would use the Tube Smoker in your propane smoker Larger mass of pellets performs better in the low oxygen atmosphere of a propane smoker The smoke circulates, so your meat shouldn't get too smokey

Both act as a heat sinkWater in your pan puts out a lot of steam. Too much steam for the size of the cabinet.

If you boiled a stew pot on your stove, how much steam would you generate?

The water pan in your MES has a larger surface area than a stew pot on top

your stove

All this moisture condenses on the door and the top of your cabinet and runs

down the sides

It's called "Black Rain", and can end up on your food

Also, excess moisture causes creosote during combustion

In the new MES GEN2, Masterbuilt has gone with a much smaller water pan

Ever wonder why?>

My 2+2 Cents

Todd

　

Couple things...... Usually if the AMNPS dies out at 4 hours or so, it's because the unit is starved for oxygen. What's different this time that you only got 3.5 hours of smoke time out of the pellets? Smoker Temp? Ambient Temp? Water in the water pan? Placement inside your Smoker What smoker is it in? Did some juice drip on the pellets? Todd

　

Citrus wood does not make good pellets. The wood has to be blended with another wood. Anyone who claims to make a 100% citrus pellet is not being honest

　

Confused??? Don't be AMNS uses Dust is and basically for cold smoking AMNPS uses pellets and is for both cold smoking and hot smoking Tube Smoker is for use in a Pellet Grill, Gas Grill or propane smoker Todd

　

In my instructions. I used to state that the flame needs to burn for 5-10 minutes, before you blow it out. After I changed the instructions to read, "Allow the flame to burn for 10 minutes, before you blow it out", the starting issues greatly reduced. This step is very important, and in most cases of a failure is the direct cause. Altitude, humidity and draft can also be an issue, but more often than not, the pellets have not been started properly.

Think of starting the AMNPS just like starting charcoal........

You make a pile of charcoal, and use something to light it like starter fluid, a torch or maybe an electric starter.

You can't cook on the charcoal right away, so you allow the coals to burn for a while...Right?

If you spread the coals around before they began to burn, the coals would go out....Correct?

Starting the AMNPS is very similar to starting charcoal

You need a good bed of coals to keep the AMNPS burning

Without a good bed of coals, the fire will cease to burn

Another trick to starting the pellets is to pour about 2 Tablespoons of Rubbing Alcohol on the 1st 1 1/2" of pellets

Light with a match or lighter

Works well, but be careful!!!

Alcohol produces a Clear/Blue Flame

How can you tell if the pellets are started properly?

If you blow lightly on the pellets, a flame will reappear on the pellets

If the pellets do not reignite, there is not enough coals burning

TJ

　

The Tube Smoker was designed for use in Pellet Grills/Smokers, to add smoke at higher temps. As pellets burn more efficiently, they produce more BTU's, but very little smoke. It's just the nature of the beast in Pellet Smokers/Grills.

I have very limited time testing the tube smoker in a MES, Cajun Injector or other electric smokers

This does not mean it will not work, I just can't tell you with 100% confidence it will work well, and smoke for the same length of time as the AMNPS. The Smoker Tube produces lots of smoke, and possibly too much for the smaller electric smokers.

The AMNPS will still be the most effective method to add more smoke to electric smokers.

Todd

　

Yes, a couple guys tried it in their MES 30's and it works good.

I've got about 50 hours testing it in my MES 40

In-order to keep the pellets going, there has to be at least 1/2 of the the tube full of pellets. This will produce lots of smoke, and IMHO....Too Much Smoke for the MES 30 or 40.

Also, the burn time is about 4 hours @ 225° in the MES 40

Since the AMNPS does so well in the MES 30 and 40, I recommend using it instead

TJ

　

What Smoker You Using It In?

Cold Smoking, Supplementing Smoke at Higher Temps or Both

Masterbuilt Gas Smoker and other Vertical Gas Smokers

The AMNPS 5x8 will work great for cold smoking, but at cooking temps, the gas flame uses up the available oxygen

The 12" Tube Smoker will work great for both cold smoking and supplementing smoke at cooking temps

The AMNPS 5x8 was designed for use in the MES 30 and 40

The Tube Smoker puts out too much smoke for the MES 30 and 40

When in doubt give me a call at (952)736-7678

TJ

　

I sell the heck out of the 12" Tube Smokers to guys with pellet smokers Easy to use and adds a nice amount of smoke to your cook At $29.99 it's 1/3 the cost of the competition, and much easier to use!! Todd

　

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking

for valuables when a voice in the dark said, 'Jesus knows you're here..

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard

nothing more, he shook his head and continued. Just as he pulled the

stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard 'Jesus is

watching you.' Startled, he shined his light around frantically, looking

for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight

beam came to rest on a parrot. 'Did you say that?' he hissed at the

parrot.

'Yes', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to

warn you that he's watching you.' The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh?

Who in the world are you?'

'Moses,' replied the bird.

'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'

'The kind of people who would name a Rottweiler Jesus.'

　

Yup, you can ALWAYS call my cell @ (952)412-0484 I may be walleye fishing, but still answer my phone I wonder if I ca write off my fishing boat cuz I do business while fishing??? Hmmm..... Something tells me the IRS won't like my deduction Looks like you have it figured out Sometimes guys will place their MES in a garage or in an area blocked by the wind. Actually, the AMNPS performs better in a little wind TJ

　

Tube Smoker works best in a propane smoker TJ

　

100% Peach and 100% Apple Pellets are way too soft for a pellet grill. They break up and get clogged in the auger. A customer already tried them both.....Bad Day! I would consider using Peach or Apple Pellets in a Tube Smoker for additional smoke, and use other pellets in your hopper for heat. Todd

　

Charcoal uses up all the available oxygen, so little left for the AMNPS to burn properly It's just the nature of the beast Some guys have had good luck in a Weber, but placing the charcoal along one side of the grate, and the AMNPS or Tube Smoker on the other side. This way, the AMNPS has a chance of getting some air TJ


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## GaryHibbert (Apr 20, 2017)

Wow!!!  That's a lot of really useful info you've collected there Dave.  Just about every question and problem answered to some extent.

Great job.

POINTS!!!!

Gary


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## daveomak (Apr 21, 2017)

Thanks Gary.....  Back story....   I couldn't remember all the points, Todd had hit on, to keep his invention on the right track...   Have a good morning...   Dave


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## johnmeyer (Apr 21, 2017)

Points for that post, Dave. That took a lot of work to collect all that advice from Todd, and the result is _really _useful.


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## bigv (Apr 21, 2017)

I usually fill a cookie sheet with pellets and put it in my oven at 230 degrees for about a hour. Then fill my amazing smoker. Lights quickly and I blow the flame out after just a couple minutes. Never goes out. Smokes great.


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