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A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker.....

Hey guys, I am interested in smoking some cheese and bacon.  I see these Amaze-N-Pellet smokers.  Any of you guys use them? Would I need the flat tray one or the tube one?  You cold smoke with them - hot smoke.  To be honest I'm not sure the difference in cold/hot smoking or the process of smoking cheese and bacon.  I just want to do it so all the help you have give me on the pellet smoker and smoking process would be much appreciated!!

XL Egg Owner Since Dec 2013 - Louisiana

Comments

  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    I got the stainless one that looks like a mouse maze and use dust/pellets - works pretty well in an empty egg.  Using this only (without lighting any coal) is cold smoking - and that is what I use it for.  I have cold smoked salmon / almounds / bacon with good results . . . still gotta try cheese.
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • I have one and I love it.  I have the tray version and it is used for cold smoking.  You fill the unit up with pellets and light it through the hole on the side.  I place it at the bottom of the egg, put in the plate setter and then place on racks above the stuff that I want to smoke.

    Tom

    Charles is a mischevious feline who always has something cooking

    Twin lbge's .. grew up in the sun parlor of Canada but now egging in the nation's capital

  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    Tons of info on this forum about people using it - I would search and I bet you find lots of good stuff . . 
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    The flat tray one works well in the egg. Check out Cen-Tex's tutorial which walks through the process step by step:

    There are a lot of cheese and bacon smoking threads on here, which may be easier to search using Google vs. the search function on the forum. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
    edited December 2014
    I have one and used it this past weekend to smoke some bacon, see my cook.http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1174199/cold-smoking-12lbs-of-pork-belly#latest

                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
  • corey24
    corey24 Posts: 386
    Thanks guys - Keep em coming?  What's the process for the bacon curing before smoking - is that necessary? Also process for cheese?

    XL Egg Owner Since Dec 2013 - Louisiana

  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    edited December 2014
    I have the A-maze-N smoker too. (the tray style one)

    One thing I would recommend is to buy blended pellets (not 100% hickory for example). I have a LARGE bag of 100 % hickory and the smoke flavor from it is so intense. I'm new to cold smoking too. I've only done some cheese and almonds. Both are aging in the fridge right now. I waited two weeks on the cheese and it was still very strong. I think I went too long in the smoke on my first try. 

    I have pork belly and pork shoulder curing right now for my first run at bacon. I may try one cold smoke and one hot smoke to compare. I'm using Ruhlman's cure recipe as many on here have done. 
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    corey24 said:
    Thanks guys - Keep em coming?  What's the process for the bacon curing before smoking - is that necessary? Also process for cheese?
    For cheese, just empty the lump out of your egg, put pellets in the A-maze-N smoker on top of the charcoal grate and light it. Put in plate setter and put cheese blocks on the grate. Depending on your air temp, you may need to add a pan of ice on top of the plate setter. I live in MN so it wasn't necessary for me as my internal egg temp stayed at about 50 degrees with an outside air temp of about 20. I've been told to cold smoke at under 90 degrees in the chamber. 

    I went 5 hrs on the cheese the first time. I just did another block of medium cheddar a couple of days ago for 2 hrs. I haven't tried the 2-hr cheese yet. I hope its not as smokey as the first round - that has a pretty bitter hickory taste. Next time, I'll try apple blended pellets. 
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    What is the ideal temperature range for cold smoking?
    If my temp gets too high, what do I do?
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    @Zmokin - I was asking some of these questions the other day. I was told that anything under 90 deg F is considered cold smoking. The purpose of the pan of ice is to keep the smoking environment under the 90 degree temp. If you're using the A-maze-N smoker, you shouldn't have a run-away as far as temp unless your ambient air temp is too high to start with. I'm sure others with more experience will chime in to help as well. 
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • corey24
    corey24 Posts: 386
    This is all really interesting.  What is the curing process for bacon.....?

    XL Egg Owner Since Dec 2013 - Louisiana

  • @corey24‌ here is one. The blogger is a member here although I haven't seen him lately.

    http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/10/lynnes-breakfast-bacon.html

    there are many variations, most dry cures I've seen are similar to this.
  • corey24 said:
    This is all really interesting.  What is the curing process for bacon.....?
    This is a good place to start:



    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • BTW- the AMS is a nice tool for doing what you are asking about. I use mine all the time. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980

    I have smoked bacon a couple of times. 30lbs + each time. I just put my AMNPS on top of an inverted pan and just put on top of the lump that was in the egg. No need to empty it out. Living in Canada I usually smoke all my stuff in the spring and fall for cold smoking and don't have to worry about ice bowl to keep the temps down.

    Looking to buy a Smoke Vault 24" so I can do larger volumes of cold smoking. I now make sausages, kielbasa, all kinds of summer sausages, and the egg just doesn't have the room. I just did up 7 chubs of jalapeno and cheese x 4, and pepper and garlic x 3. I had to do them at work as my egg would accommodate that many.

  • I have one as well and have blew it the two times I have done it so far. My mistakes not the AMS. I tried on a 25deg C day and that need up being to warm and the cheeze semi melted and sweated. The cheese actually tasted good, i smoked it for 4 hours. The second time some of the hot pellets got in my lump and lit it and got the egg to about 200deg C before I noticed, cheese tastes kinda ashy. Not sure how the ash got into the lump but it was a windy day so maybe it blew off the tray into it. Of you do not remove the lump definitely get a larger tray for it. And if it is warm outside use ice! Hopefully you learn from my mistakes
    Large BGE
    BBQ Guru DigiQ II

    Martensville, Saskatchewan Canada