# Too much smoke



## H. E. Pennpacker (Jan 3, 2023)

Hello,

I have just cold smoked my first batch of belly bacon. While the bacon was great (1.5% salt and 0.75% sugar) using the cure calculator linked on this site. The bacon it's self is cured well has great color. I have a MES40 that I use to cold smoke with an A-Maze-N pellet maze. I used apple pellets and cold smoked for 8 hours and the bacon was so smoky and acrid tasting that it almost ruined the bacon (let's be honest even over smoky bacon is still good bacon).  

So I ran into this over smoky and acrid flavor once before when I tried cold smoke some cheese with the same set up but for only 2 hours. I thought that I may have lit too much pellets and that was my issue so this time for the bacon I torched the pellets for 45 seconds and blew out the flame and let it go hoping it would be good. But, it still came out way too strong but had excellent color (sorry no pics). 

My question is am I doing something wrong with this pellet smoker?  I had my MES40 off with chip tube removed and top vent about 2/3 open.


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## smokeymose (Jan 3, 2023)

The only thing I can think of is airflow. The smoke should travel over the meat and not just hang there.


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## 6GRILLZNTN (Jan 3, 2023)

^^^^^
My thoughts as well.  You might want to let that belly hang out in the fridge a while after smoking also.  It might mellow out a little overnight.


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## smokerjim (Jan 3, 2023)

I would open top vent all the way, maybe heat up your smoker a little in the beginning to get the ventilation working good, are you drying your bacon before smoking, maybe add a little chimney on your vent to get better air flow


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## tallbm (Jan 3, 2023)

H. E. Pennpacker said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have just cold smoked my first batch of belly bacon. While the bacon was great (1.5% salt and 0.75% sugar) using the cure calculator linked on this site. The bacon it's self is cured well has great color. I have a MES40 that I use to cold smoke with an A-Maze-N pellet maze. I used apple pellets and cold smoked for 8 hours and the bacon was so smoky and acrid tasting that it almost ruined the bacon (let's be honest even over smoky bacon is still good bacon).
> 
> ...


Hi there and welcome!

100%, the issue is stale smoke.  
When smoke lingers and looses oxygen it becomes stale and you get EXACTLY what you are experiencing.

The solution is to keep the smoke circulating and moving out of the smoker as more fresh smoke is generated.

How do you do this?  You need a draft of some kind drawing the air/smoke out of the smoker just like when you are hot smoking.

*Solution1:*
If you live in a colder area where you can set your smoker to something like 60F degrees and outside temp is like 35Fdegress the temp difference will generate a natural draft where the hot air will rise and pull smoke through and out of the smoker.

*Solution2:*
I believe others use little fan and set it on top of the smoker and blow horizontally across the MES smoke vent and seems to suck and pull the smoke/air out as the fan air moves across.

*Solution3:*
I DIY made a "cold smoke assist" tool to create a draft over the MES vent hole to pull air/smoke up and out of the hole.  It works PERFECTLY!!!
It's a cardboard tube with a whole cut in the side.  I then rig up a 12v computer BLOWER fan to blow UP the tube and I set the tube over the MES vent hole.  The suction of the upward blowing air from the blower fan pulls air/smoke out of the smoker perfectly and has eliminated all of the stale smoke issues I had just like you are having now!
Here is what it looks like!






My approach keeps the fan from ever gunking up with smoke and creosote.

A simpler approach that 

 Braz
 used is a computer fan just over the top of the hole. Those fans are inexpensive so getting like a 5 pack and just replacing if they gunk up is also a valid approach depending on how often you cold smoke.  I only cold smoke like 1-3 times a year.


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## BigW. (Jan 3, 2023)

I would also consider burning saw dust, made from the pellets.


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## H. E. Pennpacker (Jan 3, 2023)

smokeymose said:


> The only thing I can think of is airflow. The smoke should travel over the meat and not just hang there.


That's what I was wondering as well because the smoke does just sort of linger in there.


6GRILLZNTN said:


> ^^^^^
> My thoughts as well.  You might want to let that belly hang out in the fridge a while after smoking also.  It might mellow out a little overnight.


I did let the belly dry after smoking for about a day, but it made the garage smell horrible from the smoke.  It also did not really mellow it out.


smokerjim said:


> I would open top vent all the way, maybe heat up your smoker a little in the beginning to get the ventilation working good, are you drying your bacon before smoking, maybe add a little chimney on your vent to get better air flow


I did dry the bacon for 2 days prior to smoking.


tallbm said:


> Hi there and welcome!
> 
> 100%, the issue is stale smoke.
> When smoke lingers and looses oxygen it becomes stale and you get EXACTLY what you are experiencing.
> ...


I think the airflow is my key because I know it just builds up in there and comes out because its forced out. I think I will try a fan assist as my MES40 is still using the stock controller and I am not sure how low it can go. But I do have several of these types of fans laying around from my 3D printing project. I could probably go overboard and design me a vent like yours for this thing and 3D print it to hold the fan and attach to smoker.

I also have a PC fan laying around too I could also try like your last picture. I have one more pork belly I got from Costco in the freezer that I am getting ready to start the curing process on and I will try it with some airflow and see if that helps.


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## tallbm (Jan 3, 2023)

H. E. Pennpacker said:


> That's what I was wondering as well because the smoke does just sort of linger in there.
> 
> I did let the belly dry after smoking for about a day, but it made the garage smell horrible from the smoke.  It also did not really mellow it out.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have the beginnings of a plan!

If I had a 3D printer I would make a plastic ring that could hold a cardboard tube.  The shipping/mailing cardboard tubes are perfect and you just put the tube in the holder and set it over the MES vent and boom u are in business with minimal materials!

Computer fan, cannibalize a 12v cord, and you have a fan ready to go.
Finally you just use your 3D printer to make whatever gadget you need to run your fan in any configuration you like in combination with your tube.  Lots of options there.

Sounds like a fun project.  If you do something I'd love to see the pics :)


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## normanaj (Jan 3, 2023)

Definitely following.


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## H. E. Pennpacker (Jan 3, 2023)

Well I went home and did some designing in Fusion and came up with this for a 5015 fan.















Going to insert some brass inserts into the plate on the side to bolt the fan to and then going to epoxy some magnets into the bottom to attach to MES40.  The notch on the bottom is to clear the tab on the damper.

This is version one so we will see how it works out and to see if I need to make changes. Got it printing now to test tomorrow most likely.


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## tbern (Jan 3, 2023)

Very interesting!


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## tallbm (Jan 3, 2023)

H. E. Pennpacker said:


> Well I went home and did some designing in Fusion and came up with this for a 5015 fan.
> View attachment 653401
> 
> View attachment 653402
> ...


Nice! I'm super interested in seeing how it comes out.
Also notice on mine the blower fan is angled up at like a 45 degree angle or so to cause it to blow upwards. 

Super interested in how yours comes out.


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## mr_whipple (Jan 4, 2023)

That looks far more advanced than my PVC fitting with a fan taped in it! That said It's time to get that thing rolling again now that the temps are down.


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## H. E. Pennpacker (Jan 4, 2023)

Well here it is. I will test it tonight when I get home. But the air flow does appear to all be directed out the top and I can feel a little air movement from the bottom pulling up. when I run some smoke I will see if it does induce a draft like I hope.






One other thing I need to do is probably buy a different fan. all of what I had on hand was 24v. This will run on 12v but will be alot less air flow. It may still be enough but I won't know until I test it.


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## tallbm (Jan 4, 2023)

H. E. Pennpacker said:


> Well here it is. I will test it tonight when I get home. But the air flow does appear to all be directed out the top and I can feel a little air movement from the bottom pulling up. when I run some smoke I will see if it does induce a draft like I hope.
> View attachment 653449
> 
> 
> One other thing I need to do is probably buy a different fan. all of what I had on hand was 24v. This will run on 12v but will be alot less air flow. It may still be enough but I won't know until I test it.


Lookin good!  Yeah your test will let you know if the fan can do the job.
Honestly it doesn't take much fan power.  I thought mine might be a little underpowered because you don't feel much flow when you put your hand over it.
But then when I tried it and saw smoke coming out at a steady, not fast but steady rate I knew it was working.  Then I put it to the test smoking some salmon lox and boom all stale smoke issues gone!


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## mr_whipple (Jan 4, 2023)

Looks nice. I bought a variable speed fan, and it was fairly cheap... I'll have to go look at the price but I'm sure it was under $20. Keep us updated please.


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## H. E. Pennpacker (Jan 4, 2023)

Well it appears to be working. I have a steady flow of smoke out. I took a video but it doesn’t look like I can post a video. I think I’ll test again to be sure tomorrow if it’s less windy. But it appears to be working as designed.


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## tbern (Jan 4, 2023)

Very nice!! Glad its working


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## jcam222 (Jan 4, 2023)

tallbm said:


> Hi there and welcome!
> 
> 100%, the issue is stale smoke.
> When smoke lingers and looses oxygen it becomes stale and you get EXACTLY what you are experiencing.
> ...


Awesome post


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## rbnice1 (Jan 4, 2023)

I had years of playing with my mes40, which was very easy to use, there was either no smoke flavor or a very acidic flavor.  There is many layers of smoke and electric smokers do not actually fully or actually partially combust the smoke particulate.  Pellet smokers seem to do it too much, and charcoal smokers are in between depending on the model.  

Even moving the smoke faster through it leaves it the same nothing or bitter.  Its hard to explain unless you look at the way smoke burns and the actual particulate matter in the smoke during different types of cooks.


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## tallbm (Jan 5, 2023)

H. E. Pennpacker said:


> Well it appears to be working. I have a steady flow of smoke out. I took a video but it doesn’t look like I can post a video. I think I’ll test again to be sure tomorrow if it’s less windy. But it appears to be working as designed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice, that is what mine looks like when it's going!

Great work man, much prettier probably better operating than my cardboard contraption.  The one I made for my brother is much nicer than mine.  You know how things get better with each iteration :D


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