smoker tubes

DWFII

My family really likes cold smoked cheese. I bought one of those oval shaped tubes to use with pellets in the bottom of my egg. But it won't stay lit.

I get it going good but about an hour in it goes out.

Anyone else have this problem or better yet an answer of an alternative?

lkapigian

Maybe just moist pellets, when I use my Amazn smoker, I make sure it’s lit like a good cigar , if you blow on the coal end it should turn right to flame … I stick some pellets in my dehydrator before I use them which is not often 

littlerascal56

Never had much luck with those tubes & pellets.  Results always tasted like cheese in an ashtray!

DWFII

littlerascal56 said:

Never had much luck with those tubes & pellets.  Results always tasted like cheese in an ashtray!

I'm sure you already know this but you have to let the cheese 'age' for at least a month and longer is better.

Photo Egg

littlerascal56 said:

Never had much luck with those tubes & pellets.  Results always tasted like cheese in an ashtray!

I don’t disagree with you. I think most pellets have a lot of junk filler wood in ratio to the cherry, apple or pecan that they claim is the flavor.
Not letting the cheese rest for a few weeks in the fridge to mellow was the mistake on my first batch. 

Langner91

I have an Amaze'n tube.  I stick a few pieces of lighter cube in with the pellets at different points as I fill it.  I just break off small pieces about three times the size of the pellets.  I light the one that is on the end of the tube and let it go.  As they burn, they hit another lighter piece and get it going again.

As stated, the cheese needs to mellow tightly wrapped in the fridge for a few weeks. I go 2 weeks at a minimum, and it gets better at 3 or 4 weeks.

Keep trying different cheeses and different pellets.  Find a buddy with a pellet pooper and see if you can borrow a baggy of pellets.  Or, you can buy some small packages on Amazon, but they are almost as expensive as the large bags.

I have always wanted to use my MiniMax as my smoke generator and a dryer vent tube to get the smoke into my large egg.  Then, I can use smoking wood instead of the pellets.

This batch was done 2 weeks ago.  I may have to have a few slices this weekend!

lkapigian

@The Cen-Tex Smoker has a good write up on pellets somewhere here

DWFII

Langner91 said:

I have an Amaze'n tube.  I stick a few pieces of lighter cube in with the pellets at different points as I fill it.  I just break off small pieces about three times the size of the pellets.  I light the one that is on the end of the tube and let it go.  As they burn, they hit another lighter piece and get it going again.

That's what I have--the Amazn(?)

I like the idea of sticking small pieces of lighter cube in with the pellets but it worries me because I am not sure what causes lighter cubes to burn.

It seems logical that the lighter pellets have paraffin or some such in them and I am cautious about off-flavours, esp. with cheese.

EzraBrooks

DWFII said:

Langner91 said:

I have an Amaze'n tube.  I stick a few pieces of lighter cube in with the pellets at different points as I fill it.  I just break off small pieces about three times the size of the pellets.  I light the one that is on the end of the tube and let it go.  As they burn, they hit another lighter piece and get it going again.

That's what I have--the Amazn(?)

I like the idea of sticking small pieces of lighter cube in with the pellets but it worries me because I am not sure what causes lighter cubes to burn.

It seems logical that the lighter pellets have paraffin or some such in them and I am cautious about off-flavours, esp. with cheese.

I treat it just like the lump. I don't use lighter cube, but I use a olive oil soaked paper towel cut in half and then rolled up like a doobie (or so I've heard). Then I stick one end into the pellets, with the other end exposed. Light the exposed end and wait until the pellets have lit and paper towel has burned off. Then I blow the flame out and the pellets have a nice smolder that is giving off smoke. Only then do I put the cheese on for 2-3 hours, rotating once or twice. Then put into food saver bags and into the fridge for about 3 weeks.

So I'm just saying you wouldn't put food over lump until you have clean smoke, I think the same principle applies here with the cheese.

lkapigian

lkapigian said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker has a good write up on pellets somewhere here

Found it HERE

xfire_ATX

I started with a #5 can with some holes in the bottom and just used lump.  That was a PIA so I bought the 6" A-maz-n Smoker and pellets from Tom @ CGS.  Works way better.

I use a torch to light the one end and a full load lasts about an hour which is plenty of time.  *Edit*  Also I completely pull the KAB and all ash from the EGG and have the tube sitting on the egg base.  I also have the Woo set up in full indirect and felt line. *Edit

I vac seal the cheese and go 4-6 weeks and up to 6 months.  Living in CTX means only about 4 months of smoking time so I usually do it twice once in the beginning of "season" (now) and once towards the end.

English Sharp Cheddar from Costco is our favorite, close 2nd is blue cheese.  After that its all fine but Im going to try swiss this year.

caliking

As @Photo Egg mentioned above, most pellets are filler, flavored with cherry/hickory/apple/whatever. Some competition grade pellets are made of  of the wood they claim to be, everything else is usually "100% hardwood" or something like that. 

GregW

Photo Egg said:

littlerascal56 said:

Never had much luck with those tubes & pellets.  Results always tasted like cheese in an ashtray!

I don’t disagree with you. I think most pellets have a lot of junk filler wood in ratio to the cherry, apple or pecan that they claim is the flavor.
Not letting the cheese rest for a few weeks in the fridge to mellow was the mistake on my first batch. 

I've posted this before, but I will mention it again. There are different qualities of pellets on the market. At the premium end are the 100% named species pellets, like 100% Hickory. This is the kind I use in my pellet smoker. They are much better for flavor. I use and recommend the Lumber Jack brand of 100% pellets.
Lumber Jack offers the regular blended pellets as well as 100%- be careful when selecting.

https://bbqpelletsonline.com/lumberjack-pellets/100-Hickory-Lumber-Jack-BBQ-Pellets-p367824147 

Legume

When I had an amzn smoker (has since been lost in a move) I took CenTex’s suggestion and baked a bunch of the pellets on low heat in the oven for a while.  This really helped them stay lit vs how they were right out of the bag.  Funny enough, they were apple pellets but made the whole house smell like maple syrup when I baked them.

DWFII

Would micro waving the pellets in a non-metallic container work? Anyone tried that?

HeavyG

DWFII said:

Would micro waving the pellets in a non-metallic container work? Anyone tried that?

That's what I do. Pour some into a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. They get surprisingly hot.

DWFII

HeavyG said:

DWFII said:

Would micro waving the pellets in a non-metallic container work? Anyone tried that?

That's what I do. Pour some into a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. They get surprisingly hot.

High? med? low? For how long?

HeavyG

DWFII said:

HeavyG said:

DWFII said:

Would micro waving the pellets in a non-metallic container work? Anyone tried that?

That's what I do. Pour some into a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. They get surprisingly hot.

High? med? low? For how long?

I just ran full power (I think mine is 1200 watts) for a minute or two with a rest for a minute or two then ran again. YMMV.

DWFII

HeavyG said:

DWFII said:

HeavyG said:

DWFII said:

Would micro waving the pellets in a non-metallic container work? Anyone tried that?

That's what I do. Pour some into a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. They get surprisingly hot.

High? med? low? For how long?

I just ran full power (I think mine is 1200 watts) for a minute or two with a rest for a minute or two then ran again. YMMV.

Thank you!

xfire_ATX

I buy mine from Tom at CGS in smaller qtys
https://ceramicgrillstore.com/search?type=product&q=pellets*

wwinnc

This is why I enjoy this forum!! Folks willing to help one another and so much knowledge!  Thanks for the info, always nice to learn different ways and ideas to do things.