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I ordered the Masterbuilt 40" electric, along with the AMNPS pellet tray. Does anyone have this setup and have any tips or recommendations before I start?
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Apr 26, 2012 02:27
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Great ideas, thanks guys. I've been smoking on a Weber kettle for over a year now and it's definitely time to get into painless smoking. Not that I didn't enjoy the process, but the time investment required ends up being the major obstacle. Plus the ability to cold-smoke is hard to pass up.
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Apr 26, 2012 20:43
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Christened the Masterbuilt 40" + AMNPS last night at 10:30. The shoulder took 15 hours to reach 190 without any foiling. The ribs went on at noon. Lamb chops for a snack. 
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May 7, 2012 19:40
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spiralbrain posted:I've read that that Masterbuilt has trouble keeping the proper temperature meaning it gets too hot. Notice this problem at all? Before I cooked any food in it, I made a couple modifications to make sure this doesn't happen. - Can on the top vent to improve draft. - 12" x 12" unglazed ceramic tile placed directly over the chip tray + element, this acts as a heat deflector + heat sink to help maintain temps after the door is opened/shut. - The perforated foil on the top grate. I plan on putting this higher up, but I figured it would help diffuse the heat at the top instead of letting it focus in the corner where the vent is. According to my IR thermometer, there weren't really any hotspots. GigaFool fucked around with this message at 18:57 on May 8, 2012 |
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May 8, 2012 18:45
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Here's my first hot-smoked salmon. Slowly brought it up to 140 over the course of 4 hours.      The other piece is currently cold-smoking in the same smoker along with 2 trays of ice-water and a block of cheddar. The belly in the smoker is regular bacon.
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May 14, 2012 22:12
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Picnics are fine for pulled pork. Often you'll have to remove the skin (you don't have to, but it lets you hit more actual meat with rub), and they're often bigger than the butt section so they can take longer.
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May 26, 2012 05:05
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TouchyMcFeely posted:Does anyone know of such a device or can give their input on locating or even building a stand alone smoke generator like I described? Earlier in this thread, PainBreak recommended these products: http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=12 Based on that recommendation, I bought the AMNPS to go with my Masterbuilt 40", and it's been absolutely incredible. Pellets are really easy to come by; I picked up a 20lb. mix of hickory/oak/maple at a local stove/oven store for $20, and my local grocery store is stocking 2 lb. bags of assorted flavors. And of course you can order them online if you absolutely have to. The other models are meant to be used with sawdust. You basically just use a butane torch to light one end of the maze, let it burn for 5-10 minutes, blow it out and it will smoke for 10-11 hours. I've used it for both hot (butts, ribs, bacon, salmon) and cold-smoking (cheese, salmon). It's a revelation for cold-smoking, because it barely raises the temperature of the smoker at all, especially when paired with a water pan filled with ice. edit: Here's a picture of it right before I lit it. It's at the bottom of the smoker with a makeshift foil tent to keep drippings from landing in it. 
GigaFool fucked around with this message at 19:16 on May 26, 2012 |
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May 26, 2012 19:14
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- A rub will draw moisture out of the meat. The longer it sits with rub on it, the wetter it will be. Wet meat will take longer to dry out (creating the bark). - Spraying and mopping constantly (especially in the beginning) will also help prevent bark, - Foiling will soften any built-up bark, and prevent any from continuing to form if it hasn't yet. If I rub a shoulder the night before, I always add some rub right before it goes on the smoker, to soak up some of the juice that now covers the meat. I also rarely foil, because I like chewy bark. If you're going to foil, you have to wait until the bark is well-formed if you want the caramelization in the final product.
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May 30, 2012 17:16
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Senior Funkenstien posted:Is about 170 degrees a normal temp for a boston butt roast to stall at? I have been cooking it for 8-9 hours now at 225. I thought it would have been done by now. The 'stall' usually happens between 150-160, but the temp doesn't go up super quickly afterwards, especially if you dot foil the butt. The higher the temperature of the meat, the more energy required to further raise it by 1 degree, so it's always slower as the temp goes up. The foiling technique sacrifices crisp bark for cooking speed. I did a 6 pounder last week, unfoiled, and it took 14.5 hours at 225.
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Jun 4, 2012 01:44
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Scott Bakula posted:Whats the best way to stop the water tray being an absolute nightmare to clean after smoking? Put something else under the meat lined with foil so it can just be thrown in the bin once its done? Yeah, I use a drip pan (foil pans work fine). If you put a little water in it at the beginning (to prevent burning), you can usually turn the de-fatted drippings into something useful. I usually mix it with some BBQ sauce and simmer it on the stove for a few minutes and serve with the meat. As far as the guy with the WSM on the balcony goes, I'm pretty sure electric smokers were invented for you. 
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Jun 11, 2012 15:48
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MB Electric w/AMNPS tray Pros: - No fuel necessary = cheap to operate. - Very consistent temps. - Can be used to easily cold-smoke with no modifications necessary. - Can go for ~10 hours unattended. - Remote control/temp monitor. - High capacity, particularly with the 40" model. Cons: - No smoke ring (supposedly you can put small pieces of charcoal in the chip tray to get one, I've never done it). Has no effect on flavor. - Can't be used in competitions. - Not 'authentic' according to the rules of BBQ. I've never owned a WSM, but I know they're pretty much the best charcoal smoker you can buy for the price. You can't go wrong with one. I debated purchasing one but settled on the electric because I'm busy enough as it is, so the consistency and ability to run unattended overnight is a big plus for me. I've owned it ~2 months and already smoked more stuff than I did all of last summer on a Weber Smokenator.
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Jun 20, 2012 17:35
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Astronaut Jones posted:For the record, if you use the "minion method", a WSM can handle an overnight smoke with no intervention easily. I built a HeaterMeter for mine, and it's insanely temperature stable if you load it up and leave it a lone. I don't doubt it. I thought about building one of those just to monitor/graph the meat temps in my electric (for later reference and planning ahead), but I have this feeling there will eventually be some sort of network-ready thermometer on the market. At least I'm hoping, because I'm not the best at soldering.
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Jun 21, 2012 03:14
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His Divine Shadow posted:I often find I'd like more salt though, should I just incorporate more salt into my rub or just put on salt separately first? The first rub I mixed up was slightly too salty, and it definitely came through in the finished ribs. I mixed up a huge batch and used it for both shoulders and ribs; what obviously happened is that the shouldes were excellent (having been pulled and mixed up) and the ribs were too salty (where every bite has lots of bark). Now I make rubs with less salt, and salt the shoulders prior to rubbing, so I can still use the same one for a number of things.
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Jul 2, 2012 03:01
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Yeah, just for an example of how variable smoking is, last week I did 2 picnic shoulders and 1 butt in my electic smoker w/AMNPS. All three pieces went in at the same time, 1 PM in the afternoon. The butt and one of the picnics were finished at 1 AM. The other picnic wasn't done until 7 AM. The two picnics were exactly the same size, and I've made a few modifications to the smoker so the temp is consistent everywhere in the box. The shoulder that took the longest seemed a little fattier when I was shredding it, so I'm wondering if that had something to do with it.
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Jul 5, 2012 15:50
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Siochain posted:And is this the right masterbuilt that everyone is talking about? My 40" MB electric cost me $320 shipped. It's one of the greatest food-related things I own, but I don't know if I would have spent $650 on the smaller version of it. Is there really no way to get one for cheaper in Canada? As far as the electric vs. the WSM, I think you can get great results with either one. I absolutely love my electric and wouldn't trade it for anything; the amount of food I can fit in it combined with the foolproof long-cooking consistency (with the AMNPS tray) is just incredible. I definitely smoke more often than I did when I was using charcoal, because setting up to smoke takes so little time/energy, and maintenance is non-existant.
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Jul 24, 2012 00:29
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McSpankWich posted:Plus you don't get that nice dark bark and smoke ring from an electric. The latter is true (and meaningless to flavor). I don't know where you heard you don't get bark, though. Not the case for me.
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Jul 24, 2012 03:22
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Canuckistan posted:Can you explain "tighten up the skin"? As in literally grab the loose skin and pinch it off somehow to keep it tight against the meat? It's a reference to the skin tightening around the meat as it's crisped over a grill or under a broiler.
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Jul 26, 2012 18:10
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Slung Blade posted:and it turned out really salty. I'm a staunch proponent of soaking cured fish in plain ice water for at least 60 minutes prior to air-drying + smoking. My belief is that it's always easier to add salt than to take it out, and my cold-smoked fish always comes out perfect when I do this.
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Jul 27, 2012 03:24
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How did you get crispy skin at such a low temp? Every time I smoke chicken or turkey at smoking temps, I have to broil or grill them to crisp up the skin, otherwise it's very leathery.
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Sep 28, 2012 14:46
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Choadmaster posted:3) Speaking of brining, I read some kinds of brining can give meat a "hammy" taste. Not surprising, since ham is brined pork... but I HATE the taste of ham. I had brined turkey legs once that totally tasted just like ham, too, and it was doubly disgusting to me (turkey should never, ever taste like that). What makes a brined piece of meat "hammy"? The ingredients in the brine? The length of brining time? I want to avoid "hammy" flavors if at all possible. A hammy taste is usually a result of curing salt, which is usually present in ham. I agree with getting used to your smoker with basic meats before worrying about a brine. The less variables the better in the beginning. quote:* Beef short ribs $7.95/lb 6 hours at 225. Cry yourself to sleep. quote:MasterBuilt built-in water tray; should I be using it? I guess it has a wood chips tray too, that I guess I won't be using; where do I put the AMNPS? Do I need a drip pan? Are the temperature probes built in to the MasterBuilt reliable? I did buy a Maverick ET73 I can use instead. Good advice above. Foil everything, including the bottom drip pan and the outside pan. Heavy duty foil. My MES 40" probe and internal thermometers were right on target, but it's a good idea to check it with another thermometer if you can. quote:7) Anyone ever smoked tri-tip? I can grill great tri-tip and it's one of my favorite meats, so I really want to try smoking it. I found some instructions via Google but if anyone here has any personal experience I'd love to hear. You can smoke anything. You have a lot of options now. You can cold-smoke with the element off and trays of ice on the shelves, and then cook conventionally (or not, ala cold-smoked salmon). Or smoke until cooked at 225-275 then sear on the grill, etc. Once you get the hang of ventilating the AMNPS and keeping it going, it's time to experiment.
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Oct 1, 2012 05:21
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The window is really useless. Once the smoker is gets some seasoning, it's essentially covered up unless you really want to spend time scrubbing it. And it's pretty dark in there (the interior light also gets covered and isnt very strong anyway), so you can't see much anyway. My recommendation is to hold out for the 40", though.
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Oct 4, 2012 16:16
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Yep. Pull it when it's still warm, and cover it to reheat. Pulled pork is fine at room temperature anyway, so I wouldn't worry about getting it too hot. If you can save the drippings (I use a drip pan for this purpose in my MES40), adding them back to the pork after you pull it will enhance the flavor and keep it moist.
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Oct 10, 2012 22:37
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I smoke short ribs regularly, and I always take them up to 190. I cook them at 225 for 5-6 hours to get to this point. If I'm in a hurry, I'll foil them halfway to cut the time down. I almost never add anything to them other than salt/pepper. They always come out perfectly.
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Oct 18, 2012 18:37
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Ezrem posted:What I am wondering is if anyone has tried cold smoking with a setup like this, as I want to do things like eggs and cheese. I am thinking I should be able to get away with just lighting the AMNPS and leaving it in the same spot in the smoker. I use my MES40 + AMNPS regularly for cold-smoking. There are a number of things you can do to make it more fool-proof. - Fill the water pan with ice, salt and water. You can even fill another tray with the same and put it on the bottom rack. This will keep the chamber cool for hours, and you can always refill the trays for long smokes. - Get those disposable aluminum grill trays (they're just flat trays with lots of holes in them). Put one on the bottom rack and it will help diffuse the smoke and reflect some of the minimal heat. - Put enough pellets for your smoke in a shallow plastic container and microwave them for a few minutes. This will help dry them out so they continue to smoke in a cold box. I recommend applewood for the cheese. The alder is a classic for cold-smoked salmon, which I do regularly using these methods.
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Oct 22, 2012 19:57
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I've never smoked eggs, but I've done cheese for up to 4 hours before. One thing that's important to do with the cheese: it will taste alright coming out of the smoker, but a lot of people wrap the cheese as tightly as possible (foodsaver is best) and refrigerate it for ~1-2 weeks. This 'cure' distributes the smoke flavor throughout the cheese and gives you a much better product. The first time I was worried about mold, but the smoke seems to make the exterior of the cheese incredibly stable, especially if it's shrink-wrapped.
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Oct 22, 2012 20:21
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McSpankWich posted:I've tried this a few times a super low temp (~90) and the cheese never tastes like anything except an ashtray. How do you get smoke flavor and not disgusting flavor. What temperature, what type of wood, etc? I could be wrong, but I'm not sure the temp matters too much as far as flavor is concerned. I've had temps anywhere from 40-80. As it gets higher you run the risk of melting the cheese a bit. When I cold-smoke, the smoke is much thicker than it is vs. hot smoking, yet the cheese always comes out tasting similar to any commercially smoked cheese I've had (gouda, etc). I like using apple, but I've had great results with oak/maple also. If I had to guess, an ashtray flavor would result from improper burning of the wood, or poor ventilation.
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Oct 23, 2012 03:59
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Choadmaster posted:Anyone here have an opinion on smoked burgers? To me, one of the best part of a burger is the contrast between the charred crust and moist interior. Even if I smoked them, I'd still want to sear them before eating, at which point they'd probably be overcooked for my liking. Smoking a meatloaf, on the other hand, is something I'd highly recommend.
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Oct 29, 2012 15:56
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I did duck just last week; I stuck to the legs, though. What I found works best is if you smoke them at 250 until they hit ~165 or so, then pull them. A decent amount of fat will have rendered, but not all of it. Put some duck fat in a pan on medium heat, and put the legs in the fat, skin side down, as soon as it melts (before the pan is hot). If you are doing this immediately after smoking, you can serve them as soon as the skin is crispy. If they cooled off a bit between the smoker and the pan, you can turn the oven broiler on, flip them and finish them under it. My preference is to break down the duck for smoking. The breast are so great med-rare that they need to be pulled relatively early on if you want to crisp the skin. I usually just end up searing them or using them for prosciutto.
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Nov 18, 2012 05:57
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I'm sure you'd be able to vent the exhaust somehow. The problem is when you open the door. This is compounded when you're cold-smoking, because from my experience cold smoke is heavy and thick vs. hot smoke.
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Feb 14, 2013 03:37
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I have a Masterbuilt electric. It can be set from 100 - 275. I use an AMNPS pellet tray with mine, so it's easy enough to cold-smoke by leaving the smoker off and putting a tray of salted ice water in along with the fish/cheese.
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Mar 11, 2013 00:07
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I would suggest smoked salmon. That way you can have it for lunch/snack on crackers or something. If he cold-smokes it, he can throw some cheese in there as well.
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Mar 29, 2013 18:08
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He did say they're already having a ham and a leg of lamb. A pork shoulder might be overkill.
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Mar 29, 2013 18:29
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That's sirloin. Can you get any chuck/shoulder? In your picture it's called etuselka/lapa. That would be your best smoker option imo. You can smoke sirloin, but it's not the sort of cut you want to bring up to a high temp, so it's not ideal.
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Apr 17, 2013 13:20
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I think generally you should avoid cold-smoking chicken.
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Apr 18, 2013 02:38
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Seconding the tray under the meat to catch drippings. I almost never foil a butt because I like dry bark. When it's all done, I use hot water to dissolve the caramelized drippings, put it in a pot, reduce to taste and re-add to the pulled meat. I also generally put the meat in without letting it come to room temperature. I haven't calculated it out, but at smoking temperatures you're just getting closer to the 4-hour danger zone by doing that. It takes a while for a 9-10 pound hunk of meat to come to room temperature just sitting on the counter.
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Apr 26, 2013 02:39
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PainBreak posted:I've never really understood this. I get wanting "bark" on a brisket, but for pulled pork? It ends up just being the inedible parts that you have to throw out. Why would you purposefully want to dry out the meat? I've typed up a few different replies to this post but each time I erase it because I feel like I'm being trolled.
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Apr 28, 2013 03:38
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Bob Mundon posted:Had my pulled pork come out a little dry yesterday. Was at 225-230 pretty much the whole way, and pulled it at 195. Is my approach wrong, is it possible to trim too much fat, or do some cuts just come out dryer than others? I've always pulled mine at 190 and it's always great. At a low temp it's usually a decent amount of time between 190 to 195, so I'd think about pulling it sooner. You can always rig a pan in the smoker for drippings, soften it with a little hot water, de-fat, and mix it back into the meat after pulling for some additional moisture/flavor.
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May 13, 2013 19:26
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coronaball posted:I'd have trouble serving people what is basically leftovers Fresh doesn't always mean better, and 'a day old' doesn't always mean worse. Plus there is something to be said about being able to enjoy yourself at a party instead of worrying if the food you're slaving over is going to be ready in time.
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May 25, 2013 05:31
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coronaball posted:This might be the worst, most inaccurate post in the history of this forum. Much of the juice will be lost, the texture of the bark would be weird, and meat won't be nearly as tender. Maybe you're doing something odd when you reheat it, I don't know. I don't agree with this sentiment at all.
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May 25, 2013 13:08
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jonathan posted:I did some chicken today. New issue: how do I reduce the temperature ? I used 20 briquettes, and after 2 hours, with the lid closed the temp was still a little under 400f. That's with the vents closed and lid closed. The monstrosity you bought isn't really designed for low heat cooking. The picture doesn't make it clear, but it looks like the gas side and charcoal side are completely separate compartments, which makes it hard for you to offset your meat from the charcoal/heat source (usually required for low temps). Usually what you would do to maintain low temperatures is only light a few briquettes at first, and then put them in your cooker along with unlit briquettes, giving you lower temps for a longer amount of time (the minion method). I'm not sure you can manage that with what have. I could be wrong... maybe you can figure out how to open a space from the charcoal side to the gas side through the lids. Then you could use the charcoal side as a 'firebox'. Load it up with briquettes, wood, etc. and then put the meat on the other side to smoke. You'd need to rig an exhaust vent if there isn't one already.
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May 27, 2013 04:14
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