MES Mailbox Mod! for use with AMNPS

[tjdcorona]

The good thing about the MB mod is that you just buy the standard steel mailbox - cheaper the better. For vents - drill holes in bottom and along sides all the way around for air. Also - put your AMPNS on "stilts" - screws thru it to act like legs elevating it above the mailbox floor.

Buy two 90 degree elbows and a length of the straight tubing and some duct tape.

Cut the hole in the top of the mailbox as far to the end (Away from the door) and connect everything. The 90Degree elbows are rotatable, so it don't need to be perfect.

When you put the AMPNS in, (The greatest invention ever) put all the way in back - but first.....

Turn your MES to 275, fill your AMPNS with the pellets - I found each straight row lasts 2 hrs and place in MES for 30 mins. (This also gets the MES sterile, and ready.

Turn the MES to 225, or whatever temp you have to cook at.  Put the AMPNS at the front of the mailbox and light with a torch. Lets burn ofr 2-3 mins, and blow out. Blow on it a little bit to keep ambers going and place the AMPNS all the way back. Be careful, cause the front will be a little hot where flame was, so....

Of course, all this needs to be done after removing the innards of the smoke tray and chip loader. Make sure you cover your heating element correctly.

 

[mawil1013]

Is the tubing required, has anyone mounted the mail box directly to the back or side of the cooker box? Sheet metal screws thru mail box side to side of cooker with a two inch hole sealed in between box and cooker outside wall?

 

[holyfeld]

For me the tubing is a matter of flexibility, not necessity. It makes it easy to switch between the MB for long or cold smokes, and the chip feeder for short hot smokes.

From a structural standpoint, I'd be worried about the weight of the MB and AMNPS eventually pulling the screws out of the smoker shell sheet metal. If I was going to direct mount, I'd probably get SS bolts and bolt through the smoker wall.

 

[mawil1013]

Good point, 

 

[masonsjax]

I'm just curious, most of the mailboxes I'm seeing are made of galvanized steel. Is there any concern with metal fume fever or other side effects from using that type of box or do you definitely want to stick with untreated steel or aluminum?

 

[mneeley490]

 
I'm just curious, most of the mailboxes I'm seeing are made of galvanized steel. Is there any concern with metal fume fever or other side effects from using that type of box or do you definitely want to stick with untreated steel or aluminum?

You're not building a fire in there. The AMNPS doesn't put out enough heat to be worried about it.

 

[domapoi]

I agree with mneeley490 on that but, I did find on line without any problems, an all aluminum one. I live on the west coast and the salt air will still cause, even the zinc or painted steel ones, rust after awhile. With the all aluminum one I won't ever have to worry about that problem.

 

[smoketrailsteve]

Will definitely be trying this!

 

[china cowboy]

I'm shopping for supplies for my mailbox mod. I'm a bit of a food safety nut. What would be the safest, low risk material, for the mailbox? Aluminum or straight steel?

I understand galvanized steel is not reactive until 400F and that the heat of the AMNPS would be well below this but my line of thinking is why even take the chance when there could be lower risk material to use.

Also is there anyway to easily tell if the metal is galvanized or is stainless? Magnetic perhaps?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[smoketrailsteve]

Plain steel is ideal but Aluminum is probably ok, although there are some concerns with the link between cooking with aluminum and alzeimers disease "aluminum pot syndrome". Galvanized steel has a crystalline pattern while plain steel is uniform in appearance. Obviously hard to tell if something is painted though.

 

[china cowboy]

Haven't been able to find a straight steel mailbox for a reasonable price.  What would be lower risk galvanized or aluminum? 

 

[daveomak]

Galv. is fine...  it will never get hot enough to be a problem...  unless it catches on fire.. 

 

[smoketrailsteve]

 
Galv. is fine...  it will never get hot enough to be a problem...  unless it catches on fire.. 

Agree with Dave, this seems to be the common consensus on the internet (but you never know). To hedge my bets I have a galvanized steel mailbox but I am going to set it on a brick or lift it off the floor of the mailbox. As long as the pellets aren't burning right against the inside of the mailbox I can't see it being an issue...

 

[sundown farms]

I have an idea to pose although surely it is not a new idea. That is, paint the zink coated mailbox with high temp grill paint thereby sealing in the zinc for another layer of protection along with the lower temps.  I have not researched the potential based on molecular size for volatilized zink to permeate the paint.  I also know that paint does not adhere well to zinc coatings but then as long as it does not fall off the barrier effect could persist. If anyone reads this idea in the future be sure to read the responses that will surely come to find out if there is an inherent flaw.

 

[hinds90]

Curious how anyone who did the mailbox smoker mod and didn't have the chip loader set up the cut and duct since it's double walled?

 

[tjdcorona]

The mailbox idea - be careful when using the duct taping-----that WILL catch fire if your smoke gets too hot, so never place directly under  the ducting going to the box.

 

[daveomak]

Curious how anyone who did the mailbox smoker mod and didn't have the chip loader set up the cut and duct since it's double walled?

Use single wall flex pipe with a 3" fitting......

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• daveomak
• Jul 10, 2017

 

[daveomak]

Or single wall rigid dryer ducting...

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• captrichc
• Dec 26, 2015

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• da maxx
• Oct 20, 2012

 

[mneeley490]

You don't have to use duct tape. There is an aluminum tape on the market that works very well. I have it on the back end of my mailbox.

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• mneeley490
• Aug 6, 2017

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1272338

 

[smoketrailsteve]

 
You don't have to use duct tape. There is an aluminum tape on the market that works very well. I have it on the back end of my mailbox.

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• mneeley490
• Aug 6, 2017

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1272338

​Yes, I used the same aluminum tape on my mailbox mod. No fiery infernos yet.