tom b
somebody shut me the fark up.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2015
- Location
- Temecula...
I have not used the smoke setting, I get enough smoke for my pallet just cooking in the low 200's.
Gotcha. I did my first smoke using Lumberjack Applewood pellets. Smoked at 225 for a while then bumped it up to a high temp to finish. Unfortunately did not get enough smoke profile. Im wondering it it is just the mildness of the Apple or if i needed to use the smoke setting. Id prefer to smoke at 275 or so but i worry about not getting enough of a smoke profile.
Yes, fruitwoods are always gonna be more mild. I see that you also have a WSM. I find that guys coming from charcoal/chunks to pellet smokers often take some time to adjust to the lighter/cleaner smoke profile. I spent 20+ years smoking with lump/chunks and have always loved it. That said, once my pallet adjusted to the cleaner smoke profile of pellets, I find that I enjoy them more than charcoal/chunks. I also get more consistent praise for the food from my MAK than any of my previous cookers.
While i have you another question. I notice that when i was seasoning, i set it to 450. The unit said grill temp was 450 as well as the set point. However, the probe that i had at the grate was always lower. Like around 390 or so. Is this normal? I havent installed my flamezone yet, not sure how that impacts this.
I ended up going to visit my parents before the Rural King sale was over last weekend and bought a few more bags. I think I should be good to go for quite some time now.
I’ve tried all those except for the mesquite. I haven’t used mesquite in a long time.
going to smoke some meatloaf. Im still getting used to timing on the Pellet Smoker(Mak 1).
I have 3 1.5 lb meatloafs.
Lets say i use the smoke mode(~170 degrees) for an hour then smoke at 225 from there on. Roughly how long would you expect this to take?
Also if i sit it on foil, any issues getting smoke on the underside?
Thanks.
Best guess would be a 3-4 hour cook time. That said, in my opinion, I see no solid reason to cook a meatloaf at that low of a temp. The MAK's produce a ton of smoke all the way through the 200 degree range... even into the lower 300's. I am starting to think that I get more smoke production at 245 than I do on 'smoke'. Not sure if you are aware of this... but the MAK's use a variable speed fan. Within that variable speed functionality, there are 3 additional categories... low, medium and high. Low is considered a controller temp set between smoke-245... a medium temp is between 250-295... and the high temp is => 300. So, depending on what temp you are cooking at, not only does the fan run at variable speeds, but the rpms are governed within the low and medium heat ranges. Any temp at 245 or lower and the fan will not exceed 60% of it's max rpms... any temp between 250-295 and the fan will not exceed 80% or it's max rpms... and any temp 300+ and the fan is capable of hitting 100% of it's max rpms when needed. I tell you this to say that 245 is really a sweet spot to cook at on the MAK's as you still get incredible smoke production due to the lower max rpm's, plus your cooks won't take so darn long. I also find the end result to more often than not be more desirable when cooked in the mid 200's for the entire duration of the cook. Doesn't mean you can't cook other ways and have great results... this is just based on my experience(s) and opinions...
As far as cooking on foil, I don't prefer it. If you are considering that for easy cleanup, I'd suggest a cookie sheet with a cooling rack inside. Set your food on the cooking rack. That will allow smoke to fully circulate around the food and catch the drippings. Works great!
Got plenty of 100% Hickory and Competition Blend. Would like to try Pecan.I ended up going to visit my parents before the Rural King sale was over last weekend and bought a few more bags. I think I should be good to go for quite some time now.
Got a Daniel Boone. Pretty happy with it. Not sure what the difference is with the prime designation.