# Going to use my MES 30 for the first time



## canada3 (Jun 23, 2015)

Couple of questions for you folks:

I am going to try smoking the first time this weekend. I want to try and smoke a whole chicken and a salmon fillet. Do you have any recommendations on how to do that? I am going to be using apple wood chips. Also, how do I know when to put more chips in the side loader?

Thanks,

canada3


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## crazymoon (Jun 23, 2015)

C3, Hit the search bar above for all kinds of tips and recipes !


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## vwaldoguy (Jun 24, 2015)

Good choice on a smoker.  I have the same one.


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## canada3 (Jun 24, 2015)

Is it possible to smoke two things at the same time? I am planning on doing my chicken at 240, but I am seeing that people are saying that the salmon should be cooked at 200. Do I have to do the separately or is there a way I can do them both together?


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## jonnyg (Jun 24, 2015)

Hey c3! I just bought my mes 30" 5 months ago and its amazing. Have you heard of the amnps? Ive only used it a couple of times but it eliminates having you constantly put chips in the loader every 45 mins. You should check it out it will change everything! 

Also I'm sure it's OK to smoke multiple things at once, depending upon what you want to put in there. Ive smoked pork and beef together before but never mixed fish and other meats.  Search for it here and I'm sure you'll find your answer! 

JonnyG


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## daveomak (Jun 24, 2015)

add I/4 cup of chips every 45 minutes or so....   I would not cook chicken and salmon at the same time...  you do not want to over cook the salmon...   If you see ANY white fat rise to the surface of the fish, while cooking, it IS done and very close to overcooking....  
FWIW, I have a separate smoker for cooking fish...   fish flavors can carry over and make everything taste like fish...


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## mummel (Jun 24, 2015)

Dave how long does that flavor carry over for?  I'd like to try fish at some point but dont want to screw up my meats.  Some people have said there is zero diffs.  Others say never do it.  I dont know???


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## jonnyg (Jun 24, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> add I/4 cup of chips every 45 minutes or so.... I would not cook chicken and salmon at the same time... you do not want to over cook the salmon... If you see ANY white fat rise to the surface of the fish, while cooking, it IS done and very close to overcooking....
> FWIW, I have a separate smoker for cooking fish... fish flavors can carry over and make everything taste like fish...


 I'm with Dave on this one!


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## canada3 (Jun 24, 2015)

Forever? So I should not smoke fish in my smoker ever?


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## daveomak (Jun 24, 2015)

Well, carry over, I'm not sure....   All I know is I smoked some fish in my smoker, then smoked a turkey...   The turkey tasted like a walking and flying fish...  horrible....   I kept that smoker for fish and built another for meats...    As you are probably aware, fish odor is pretty penetrating...   in the drapes, carpet etc...    Now, in my dedicated fish smoker that I have had for near 30 years, I'm pretty darn good at smoking fish...   I don't have to learn a new smoker...  and the fish is very good...    Sooooooo  getting a second smoker is not really a drawback....    
Anywho, that was just a warning....    keep a good drip catcher under it....   scrub the rack really good after the cook...    look on craigs L. for a big chief or something like that for smoking fish....  IMO, they are the best smoker for salmon there is....   

 Here's my fish smoker....  and the smoker I built for other stuff...   It is now retired... but I'm going to "rejuvenate" soon....

View media item 406041.. ..View media item 406042


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## mummel (Jun 24, 2015)

I'd love to do some salmon but I think my wife will divorce me if I start talking about a second smoker haha.  Im torn about what to do.  Dont want to mess up my MES.


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## canada3 (Jun 24, 2015)

I am in the same boat! My wife purchased some Salmon for this weekend, and it will be my first smoke. The last thing I want to do is ruin it! Should I reach out to masterbuilt and see if they have any recommendations?


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## daveomak (Jun 24, 2015)

canada3 said:


> I am in the same boat! My wife purchased some Salmon for this weekend, and it will be my first smoke. The last thing I want to do is ruin it! Should I reach out to masterbuilt and see if they have any recommendations?




They may know something...  I doubt it....  Probably will say "Clean it really good"...  

Like has been noted.... some folks say they don't have a problem....  All I know is I had a problem....


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## canada3 (Jun 25, 2015)

Just seasoned it last night with some Apple chips! Looking forward to Saturday!


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## jonnyg (Jun 25, 2015)

Good Luck!


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## cael (Jun 29, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Just seasoned it last night with some Apple chips! Looking forward to Saturday!


I'm very excited to hear how it went.    As a fellow Canadian who also just did there first smoke this weekend in a new MES 30.     I'd love to hear how the chicken went and if you opted in for the fish.   
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






My first smoke ended up....ok.   I will post separately for that.


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## canada3 (Jul 6, 2015)

Hello Cael!

So, I ended up getting the stomach flu last weekend, and just the mere thought of food was making me feel even more ill! And of course, this last weekend, we were out of town on a scheduled family trip. So I am going to give it another go this upcoming weekend! I have had the thing for about two or three weeks and not smoked anything yet! Arrrgggh! I do plan on doing the salmon in it, my wife likes that, and if it is too much of a pain or the smell does not come out, I may look at returning it. I need the ability to be able to smoke lots of different things. I did not see your post, how did it go?


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## cael (Jul 7, 2015)

Hey canada3! 

No worries, I'm glad you are feeling better.    I'm sure if you air out the smoker after and clean it well it will be fine.   It would truly suck if you could not do fish and other things in it.    

So far I have done 2 small sirloin tip roasts, and those were ok, but need to be done to a higher temp in order to be tender.    I pulled the first one after about 2.5 hours at an internal temp of 145.    Tough and way too rare for me.    I popped it back in foil to cook with the other one, and we left it til bedtime and they both came out much better.   But surprisingly they only came up to 160 with the additional 4 hours of cooking.   A solid 3 hour stall.   I'd give the finished product a 6.5-7.

But I did Costco Baby Back Ribs on Canada Day.    Wow.   7 hours since I had some trouble keeping temps up in the morning.    But just wow.   9/10 for sure.   No foil, just olive oil and a rub and straight on the racks.    They were super tender and getting close to fall of the bone, but it was nice to have a little structural integrity to them.    My guests were so pleased, that for the effortlessness of doing them straight on the rack with no fuss, I don't know that I would ever bother foiling them.    Maybe 1 time as an experiment.   Nice thing about the Costco ribs is that the membrane is already removed.   So easy.

Last night I cut some boneless chicken breasts in half and wrapped them with bacon.  (I was in a hurry and figured the cut pieces would cook faster).    They cooked in 40 min at 275 degrees.    Fast.   Chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked, but bacon was too soft for me.   I popped the remainders under the broiler for 5 or so min, and I'll see what they are like for supper tonight.     I think that is the way to go.    Or if I had done whole breasts, maybe the bacon would have had time to solidify if not entirely crisp up.

I was supposed to do my first Boston Butt this Friday night to eat Saturday, but something has come up that I won't be home to monitor the smoker Friday evening.    So it just won't work time wise.    I guess I'll do ribs again for my guests on Saturday.    Fantastic, but disappointing for me as I really wanted to try the long slow smoke.

I can't wait to hear about your first go round when it happens!


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## mummel (Jul 7, 2015)

Man I wish I knew how you guys get your no foil ribs to be FOTB?  I cant get it right.


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## cael (Jul 7, 2015)

To be fair, they were right in between.   Super tender, but still with structure.    But no tug like I get at my local smokehouse.    I seriously did nothing but cook them for 7 hours @about 240.


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## mummel (Jul 7, 2015)

Perhaps Im just really pick about my ribs.  Im going to definitely foil the next ones.


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## mfreel (Jul 7, 2015)

I have to agree about the fish.  I usually make salmon candy and it drips all over.  IMO, the residual fish smell contaminates any other meat.  If you do fish in the same smoker, I recommend using foil and cleaning your racks really well.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 7, 2015)

In case anyone's interested:

Shortly after I started smoking meat, I Hard-smoked 8 full loads of Salmon in my MES 30. That little Smoker was full every time. There was 19 fillets averaging 4 to 5 pounds each, cut into smaller pieces. 

After they were all done, I didn't do any special Smoker cleaning, and nobody noticed any fish flavor or smell in any of the things I smoked after all that Salmon Smoking.

I'm not saying it can't happen, but this was from my experience.

Bear


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## mummel (Jul 7, 2015)

Im going to do some salmon in ~3 weeks and will report back.


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## canada3 (Jul 9, 2015)

Glad to hear that Salmon has not been an issue for the majority of people with the MES 30. I am currently looking for a nice whole chicken smoke recipe. Thinking about brining and letting that sit for about four hours, then washing it off with water, applying some vegetable oil, applying dry rubs, let that sit for about 15, then tossing it in. I need to get it to 165, so I was thinking off putting it at 175? Not exactly sure on that.

Also, I am going to do two at the same time, hoping that is not a problem.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 10, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Glad to hear that Salmon has not been an issue for the majority of people with the MES 30. I am currently looking for a nice whole chicken smoke recipe. Thinking about brining and letting that sit for about four hours, then washing it off with water, applying some vegetable oil, applying dry rubs, let that sit for about 15, then tossing it in. I need to get it to 165, so I was thinking off putting it at 175? Not exactly sure on that.
> 
> Also, I am going to do two at the same time, hoping that is not a problem.


If you're going to let it sit for any amount of time, it should be in the Fridge.

Also you will never get two or even one Chicken through the Danger zone (40° to 140°) or to a 165° IT, by using a smoker temp of 175°.

I would suggest a minimum of 225°, but for 2 whole chickens, 275° smoker temp would be better in an MES 30.

Bear


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## cael (Jul 10, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Glad to hear that Salmon has not been an issue for the majority of people with the MES 30. I am currently looking for a nice whole chicken smoke recipe. Thinking about brining and letting that sit for about four hours, then washing it off with water, applying some vegetable oil, applying dry rubs, let that sit for about 15, then tossing it in. I need to get it to 165, so I was thinking off putting it at 175? Not exactly sure on that.
> 
> Also, I am going to do two at the same time, hoping that is not a problem.


Yeah I think cooking at 275 is the way to go.   Many folks talk about the fact that chicken doesn't need to go low and slow since it doesn't have much to break down.

If you care about crispy skin, lots of folks recommend letting it sit in the fridge to air for 2-4 hours after you rinse and pat dry.     I have not done it myself, but most seem to agree on that.     But if time is a factor, if the skin isn't how you like it, you could always broil it for a couple of minutes in your oven.   I had to do that the other day for small pieces of chicken wrapped in bacon that cooked so quickly the bacon was wiggly still.

Very eager to hear back when you are done.


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## GaryHibbert (Jul 10, 2015)

Hey canada3

Afraid I'm with Dave when it comes to fish--the odor WILL linger and odds are real slim you'll be able to return it for that reason.

My suggestion would be to find a used Big or or Little Chief (they're cheap and small) and use it strictly for fish.  Best of both worlds--MES and Chief.  Just me saying.

By the way, stop by Roll Call and fill out your personal information, so people know where you are--helps answering questions you may have.

Gary


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## canada3 (Jul 10, 2015)

Thanks for all the tips guys! I will smoke it at 275. How do I know when to add more chips in? Just look at the smoke coming out of the vent? Also, do you guys think adding a dry rub that has salt in it after brining it in salt will be too salty? I was thinking of doing a S&P with Paprika, onion powder and brown sugar. But thinking about it more, maybe remove the salt from that rub?


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## GaryHibbert (Jul 10, 2015)

Sorry--double post

Gary


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## canada3 (Jul 11, 2015)

Getting her fired up. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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## canada3 (Jul 11, 2015)

Do I put the probe in the breast or the thigh?

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## canada3 (Jul 11, 2015)

Smoking it at 275. Only been in for about an hour, already at 118 internal. Is that normal? Seems very quick. 

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## canada3 (Jul 11, 2015)

I finished the chickens. I am not sure if I did it right, but I think they are done. They are wrapped and we will be eating them in a couple hours. I had my probe in the thigh because in the past I have checked the temperature at that breast and found that i had blood in the joints. So I thought I would check it there. I brought it to 165 and then for kicks I put the probe in the breast, it was reading like 155. I took it off anyways, saying oh well. I then took the other one and put the probe right in the breast all the way thorough and brought the breast to 165. It is also wrapped as well, I guess in a couple hours I will know which was the right way to do it! Here is one of the chickens, let me know how I did!













0711151425.jpg



__ canada3
__ Jul 11, 2015


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## Bearcarver (Jul 11, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Do I put the probe in the breast or the thigh?
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


Probe Thickest part of the Breast---Pull at 165° IT.

Bear


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## vwaldoguy (Jul 11, 2015)

Hope it turns out great.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 11, 2015)

Sorry I was late---I had to mow my Yards.

Sounds like you're in good shape.

Bear


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## canada3 (Jul 11, 2015)

We just ate the chicken. The one that was probed at the joint, was not cooked as much as the one in the breast. I prefer the consistency of the one that was probed with the breast. However, unfortunately, I really don't like either of them. :(

Couple things I think are to blame, but I can't be certain.

I will not brine the next one that I do. They both came out very salty (my brine and my rub both had copious amounts of salt, like a full cup in the brine and then half a cup in the rub).
The smoke flavor was too rich for me. I am a bit embarrassed to say that on this forum as that probably makes me lame, but it was just TOO rich. This may be due to the brine and rub, but I am not sure.
The joints were still a bit bloody, but not too bad.
I need to learn how to properly butcher a chicken, I found myself not knowing how to do anything on it. I was simply snapping wings and legs off, slicing the breast. 
My stomach is a bit upset from the richness, so I am a bit disappointed. :( However, it was only $15 for both the birds, so I am not out much. And this is how you learn right?

canada3


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## vartz04 (Jul 11, 2015)

What kind of wood was used for the smoke? Did you have chips going the whole time or just part of the smoke? Was it thin blue smoke the whole cook?


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## canada3 (Jul 11, 2015)

I used apple wood chips, and I had them smoking for most of the time. There was about 1/3 of the time with no smoke.


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## vartz04 (Jul 12, 2015)

Well I'm not sure then. Maybe you just don't like smoked food. Part of the issue might have been your over use of salt  I guess try again to make sure


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## vwaldoguy (Jul 12, 2015)

It's all an experiment, and finding what you like and don't like.  My wife has made many meals that simply ended up in the garbage afterward because we didn't like the result. No worries.  Not every swing at bat is a home run.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 12, 2015)

canada3 said:


> We just ate the chicken. The one that was probed at the joint, was not cooked as much as the one in the breast. I prefer the consistency of the one that was probed with the breast. However, unfortunately, I really don't like either of them. :(
> 
> Couple things I think are to blame, but I can't be certain.
> 
> ...


As for the Smoke Flavor-----If by "Rich", you mean too strong a smoke flavor, as in licking an ash tray, I'm assuming your smoke was too heavy at times. It's hard to get nice even "Light" smoke with burning chips & chunks in the MES Chip Burner. It ranges from No Smoke to Heavy Smoke, in cycles. That's why most of us use an AMNPS with pellets, and I recommend that too, because once you get one, you fill it, light one end, and sit back and enjoy perfect, consistent, continuous smoke for up to 11 hours without touching it.

Many hours of light smoke is good, but even a short period of Heavy Smoke can be bad.

Bear


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## GaryHibbert (Jul 12, 2015)

canada3 said:


> We just ate the chicken. The one that was probed at the joint, was not cooked as much as the one in the breast. I prefer the consistency of the one that was probed with the breast. However, unfortunately, I really don't like either of them. :(
> 
> Couple things I think are to blame, but I can't be certain.
> 
> ...


If you rinse the chicken off real well when you remove it from the brine, you should be OK for the salt.  But, half a cup of salt in the rub seems REAL excessive to me (of course I don't know how *much* rub you made up).  Just me saying.  

As for "butchering a chicken" you might want to look at spatchcock chicken.

Gary


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## mummel (Jul 12, 2015)

About that heavy smoke. We went camping this weekend and used our charcoal grill. Now that I've learned so much here, I thought I would smoke out my meat with a bit with beer on the coals and put on the Smokey Joe lid. It was thick white smoke and I have to admit the taste was poor. I've learned a lot of what good smoke looks like. This forum is great.


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## vartz04 (Jul 12, 2015)

mummel said:


> About that heavy smoke. We went camping this weekend and used our charcoal grill. Now that I've learned so much here, I thought I would smoke out my meat with a bit with beer on the coals and put on the Smokey Joe lid. It was thick white smoke and I have to admit the taste was poor. I've learned a lot of what good smoke looks like. This forum is great.



Agree 100%. I am so glad I did a little looking around before smoking my first butt on my weber kettle. I always thought smoking meat many SMOKE. Now I feel like I get the best flavor when I can barely see the smoke at all. 

Hopefully once my offset is done I can do the same kind of control (with practice of course) as I have perfected on the mini WSM and the kettle.


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## cael (Jul 13, 2015)

canada3 said:


> We just ate the chicken. The one that was probed at the joint, was not cooked as much as the one in the breast. I prefer the consistency of the one that was probed with the breast. However, unfortunately, I really don't like either of them. :(
> 
> Couple things I think are to blame, but I can't be certain.
> 
> ...


Hey there.

Sorry the first one wasn't a hit for you.   But my first one was only ok too.    My hubby and I don't care for too strong a taste of smoke either.    Usually only smoke for half the time on a shorter smoke, and less on a great long one.     For ribs we did 3.5/7 hours, and for this weekend's pulled pork butt(which was WONDERFUL) we smoked for 6 hours (small butt total 16 hours, large 21 hours).   We still get a smoky taste but laid back.   Asked guests on the butt and they said perfect amount of smoke, wouldn't want more.     I saw something on here about smoking for only half the time.   And knowing what we are like I took that to heart.

As well, I've done beef, chicken, and two kinds of pork.     Hubby and I agree that smoke on the chicken didn't really add anything.   In fact, we prefer without.    So maybe just like us, you don't care for it on chicken.    

If I was going to recommend something for you to try to shake off the discouragement, I would say try pork ribs next go around.    The wow factor is significant and it was the easiest thing I've done so far.


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## schlotz (Jul 13, 2015)

Everyone has their own likes.  To me, FOTB renders out a fair portion of the flavor in ribs.  I'm in a similar camp as Cael, done, tender, good clean bite but no tug necessary.

JMTC :)


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## canada3 (Jul 13, 2015)

Cael said:


> Hey there.
> 
> Sorry the first one wasn't a hit for you.   But my first one was only ok too.    My hubby and I don't care for too strong a taste of smoke either.    Usually only smoke for half the time on a shorter smoke, and less on a great long one.     For ribs we did 3.5/7 hours, and for this weekend's pulled pork butt(which was WONDERFUL) we smoked for 6 hours (small butt total 16 hours, large 21 hours).   We still get a smoky taste but laid back.   Asked guests on the butt and they said perfect amount of smoke, wouldn't want more.     I saw something on here about smoking for only half the time.   And knowing what we are like I took that to heart.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the words of encouragement! I am thinking that I am either going to try ribs or a pork shoulder next time. I may do what you said and just do half as much smoke, rather than the whole time.


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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

Doing ribs today, just got them rubbed. Will be throwing them in in a couple hours. What temperature for 3 2 1 ribs on the mes?

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## Bearcarver (Jul 26, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Doing ribs today, just got them rubbed. Will be throwing them in in a couple hours. What temperature for 3 2 1 ribs on the mes?
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


If this is your first time, and you're planning on sticking to the 3-2-1 for that first time, I would recommend using a Smoker Temp of 230°.

Then adjust from there, if needed next time.

Bear


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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

Excellent, thank you! Now as far as the smoke consistency, we want just a faint smoke not billowing, right?

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## Bearcarver (Jul 26, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Excellent, thank you! Now as far as the smoke consistency, we want just a faint smoke not billowing, right?
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


Yes, but there's a big range that is good:

I like anything from barely able to see blue smoke all the way up to what I call "Medium-Heavy" which is when I can see quite a bit of smoke through my window glass, but it's not thick enough or heavy enough so that I can't see the meat easily through the smoke. I never had a problem if the smoke was on the white side, as long as it wasn't Heavy, Thick smoke.

Bear


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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

How often do you typically add more chips? I think the manual said every 45 min... But that Got me in trouble last time. 

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## Bearcarver (Jul 26, 2015)

canada3 said:


> How often do you typically add more chips? I think the manual said every 45 min... But that Got me in trouble last time.
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


LOL----I actually haven't added a chip in 5 years, because I use my AMNPS for perfect smoke.

However, when I did use chips, I used to only add 3 or 4 small chips at a time, and add more when the smoke stopped coming out of my top vent, which was about every 20 to 30 minutes.

The important thing with chips is to keep it light. With an AMNPS, you just light one end & don't worry about it being too heavy.

Probably what got you in trouble was putting too many chips in at one time.

Bear


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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

It's in now. Only downside is the ribs do not fit easily on on the rack. They are going up the side a small bit. Is there another way to do it? Cut them?

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## Bearcarver (Jul 26, 2015)

canada3 said:


> It's in now. Only downside is the ribs do not fit easily on on the rack. They are going up the side a small bit. Is there another way to do it? Cut them?
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


I used to cut mine when I had my MES 30, but then I got the MES 40, and that added a bunch more width & height.

Bear


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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

I probably should have done that, but they will be done in an hour. Sauced and finishing. I would post a pic soon. Hoping for the best!

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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

Well, what do ya think? I am going to cover them, wait for them to normalize and cut when we eat in about 30 min!

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## GaryHibbert (Jul 26, 2015)

Hey canada3.  

The ribs are looking great.  Nice color and lots of pullback. Enjoy

Gary


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## canada3 (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks, they came out quite nice! The only critique I have on them, is that they are not as fall off the bone as I would have liked. I think that was because I did not wrap them tightly enough in the foil. Next time I will make sure they are SUPER tight.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 27, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Thanks, they came out quite nice! The only critique I have on them, is that they are not as fall off the bone as I would have liked. I think that was because I did not wrap them tightly enough in the foil. Next time I will make sure they are SUPER tight.


Those Ribs look great, Canada!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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We like them FOTB too, and I find it hard to get sometimes. I even go 3-2.5-.5, and still not quite there.

You just gotta play around to get what works for you!

Bear


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## canada3 (Jul 27, 2015)

Somehow, the ribs were even better today for lunch. They were in the fridge all night. Maybe that means I should have let,them cool more before eating them. 

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## Bearcarver (Jul 28, 2015)

canada3 said:


> Somehow, the ribs were even better today for lunch. They were in the fridge all night. Maybe that means I should have let,them cool more before eating them.
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


That happens with a lot of various Smoked Meats---The next day is often better tasting.

Bear


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## vwaldoguy (Jul 28, 2015)

I've had the same experience, the meats are always better the next day after sitting in the refrigerator.


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