A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker

[el_matt]

So, I recently purchased one, after wanting one, for a while. Lowe's had them in stock, and I was getting pellets, anyway. I was excited to use this for cold smoking, adding extra smoke profile to meats, and helping a friend smoke grain for Scotch.

I got home, followed the instructions, and got it going. It burned for 10 minutes, then I blew it out. All I have gotten is white smoke. It smells like a campfire, and nothing I'd want to cook with. Currently it is sitting, uncoverd on, 22" kettle, with bottom grates open, producing white smoke. Not a hint of blue. It has burned about 1/3 of the tube. Still has a dirty smoke smell.

Am I doing something wrong? Is this how it operates? I'm using Pellet Boss Competition pellets. The same pellets I'm currently using in my Traeger. The Traeger is cruising along, with typical smoke.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm not trying to bad mouth this product. It could be operator error.

Matt

 

[mph33]

So, I recently purchased one, after wanting one, for a while. Lowe's had them in stock, and I was getting pellets, anyway. I was excited to use this for cold smoking, adding extra smoke profile to meats, and helping a friend smoke grain for Scotch.

I got home, followed the instructions, and got it going. It burned for 10 minutes, then I blew it out. All I have gotten is white smoke. It smells like a campfire, and nothing I'd want to cook with. Currently it is sitting, uncoverd on, 22" kettle, with bottom grates open, producing white smoke. Not a hint of blue. It has burned about 1/3 of the tube. Still has a dirty smoke smell.

Am I doing something wrong? Is this how it operates? I'm using Pellet Boss Competition pellets. The same pellets I'm currently using in my Traeger. The Traeger is cruising along, with typical smoke.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm not trying to bad mouth this product. It could be operator error.

Matt

I'll give you some pointers and you better listen to me very well. First, you should have gotten the maze not the tube. Before smoking you want to microwave the pellets a minute and a half to 2 minutes prior to placing them in the tube. the reason why is because pellets build up moisture and you need to take some of that moisture out. you also need very good ventilation and when I mean good ventilation you need every vent wide open and some. The keys to a proper cold smoking is plenty of air circulation

 

[thirdeye]

I bought an A-Maze-N sawdust generator tray when they first came out, and Todd is a good guy to deal with. I've bought many for gifts, and recommended it frequently because it's the best smoke generator for smoking cheese and butter I have EVER used. When I emailed Todd about buying the pellet tube and pellet tray, he mentioned my elevation and even sent me a tube at no charge to field test.

Both the tube and tray have a place, but there are a few tips and tricks to shorten the learning curve. First, it's best to have a smoker with a lot of draft and a lot of volume.... The tube makes a lot of smoke, and you don't want any restrictions. You might even want to block your lid open.

Next, buy pellets that do not contain a filler wood. Pellets sold for pellet cookers have fillers which provide heat.

Here are some tube specific tips: I don't pack mine fully and leave a ramp of pellets at the mouth so I don't have such a large amount to light, and they settle down faster too. I also added a U-bolt to the open end, this slows down the burn a little bit too.

If you want even less smoke, you can mix some chips in with the pellets, OR you can make a coarse blend by crushing pellets. I have a cheap mini blender that works well, or you can spread out pellets on a tray and mist them lightly. In a few minutes they will crumble. Then oven dry a few minutes and you are good to go. Fill the tube with the coarse blend and light just like you would pellets. This is a pellet tube burning the coarse blend.

 

[Smoking Piney]

Matt,

I have the maze and I use it for cold smoking. It does generate white smoke, but you're not cooking with it. You're just using it to kiss the whatever you have on the grate.

Pellet choice is critical. Buy good smoking pellets. I microwave mine about a minute and change before I put them in the maze. It gets rid of the moisture.

Cheese with the maze:

 

[txsmkmstr]

I'll add that you must use dry pellets. My tube came with some pre-loaded pellets (thinking it was a bargain) and my first try was total fail. I almost tossed the whole mess in the trash. Second round with "fresh" pellets was outstanding.

I only buy pellets in small quantities - sold in bags that are sealed shut. PitBoss pellets at Wal-mart did the trick for me although I could only find hickory. I vac-seal the unused pellets until next round to keep them dry. I've never micro-waved them but would keep that option open. The amount of smoke does appear excessive when compared to a nice clean burning fire but the results on cheese have been fantastic.

 

[jzadski]

Some great tips here that I will surely try. When I have extra time smoking on the rec tec I will lite a tube and cold smoke teh meat for about an hour but, I have a 2x4 cut in half I use to prop open the lid. That extra draft does make a huge difference. Then once I run the rec tec I have no issues with the tube staying lit.