Damn AMNPS

[Panthur]

For the life of me I just cant seem to keep the AMNPS lit. Anyone got any tips ?
I have tried several flavors of pellets. I am using " BBQ Delight " brand pellets. The first couple times it seemed to work good but lately my seccess is poor. I have ised it in MES40 and my Weber grill. Have tried to ensure sufficient oxygen supply by leaving misc vents etc open too. Damn.......

[veryolddog]

Just a suggestion: call A-MAZN-Products and ask for Todd Johnson. Tell him the problem and what equipment that you are using and he will try to help you out.

Ed

[MossyMO]

Create hot embered coals with the pellets while the pellets are igniting the first 10 minutes after you light it; I will blow on the pellet coals to creat the smoldering and heat I need to keep the pellets lit during the smoking process.

What brand and model grill/smoker are you using the AMNPS with?

[ThunderDome]

I had same issue. Then started going waaaaay heavy on the lighting and its seemed to work since

[L20A]

I have found that they burn better when they are warm or hot. If the pellets are cold they will light but they don't want to stay lit. I put them out in the sun for a half hour or so & if no sun I put them in the smoker (MES) to heat 'em up before lighting them. Also, I do get the embers going real good with a heat gun or blow dryer. It is much more effective that just letting them burn and faster, too.

[Panthur]

Ok. Yes I have been lighting them real long with a portable propane torch as per instructiions that came with AMNPS. And I blow in them as well. They are skoking very well when put into MES40 or Weber grill but they peter out within 10 mins it seems. Never tried warmimg them up tho. I have heard some people put them in microwave 1st for a short period ? Anyone ever tried that with sucess ?

[jmposing]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKVy34-Vqtw

[Richtee]

nuking for a min or so..toss into a collander while hot for airflow helps. I crush up charcoal and sprinkle in liberally amongst the pellets... wait..I am conservative... but sprinkle chunks liberally.

[someAZdude]

Ok. Yes I have been lighting them real long with a portable propane torch as per instructiions that came with AMNPS. And I blow in them as well. They are skoking very well when put into MES40 or Weber grill but they peter out within 10 mins it seems. Never tried warmimg them up tho. I have heard some people put them in microwave 1st for a short period ? Anyone ever tried that with sucess ?

I do this every time and it has made a huge difference. I do one minute and stir them. Let sit for a while and do it again if they are still giving off moisture. There's a lot in some pellets. Other pellets need no nuking. Just depends.

[CeramicChef]

All very good points, especially pellets in the microwave. I've done that ever since I got my TubeSmoker.

One suggestion that you might want to consider is placement in the cooker. I place my TubeSmoker where I know it will get as much fresh air as is possible. Remember, those pellets are competing for O2 with all the lit charcoal. I place my TubeSmoker as close to a vent as possible.

Here's to great cooks and even better memories with family and friends!

Sent from my Galaxy SII using Tapatalk 2

[Richtee]

One suggestion that you might want to consider is placement in the cooker. I place my TubeSmoker where I know it will get as much fresh air as is possible. Remember, those pellets are competing for O2 with all the lit charcoal.

to you!

[nickelmore]

I think it is the MES, you need LOTS of air for the pellets burner to work.

Fire only needs 2 things, fuel and air. Call or email Todd and ask the best way to get it to work in the MES. I know he tested them in the MES.

I have a home built smoker and had the same problem, I place it right above the bottom damper and crack the bottom of the door about a 1/4 inch. Works like a champ.

[Grogger27]

Hey Panthur,
I will tell what works for me.
I only fill the first 2 inches of my AMNPS to a depth of a 1/2 inch. I light that and let it burn for a few minutes. I then slowly add a few more over the next 5 minutes all the while it continues to burn. Once you're level with the sides, I top up the rest of the AMNPS with pellets, blow out the flame and set it directly under the burner of my MES with the ash tray removed. It's a tight fit but it will squeeze in there. I also pull the loading tube completely out as well. I have had a 90 to 95% average since switching to that method.
IMAG0258_1.jpg
This picture is how I place my AMNPS in my MES 30. No ash tray, no loading tube, directly under the burner.
I also buy Traeger Smoker pellets at the local Home Hardware. $20 for 20lbs. I was paying $6.50 per pound at Canadian Tire for BBQ Delight.
Good luck.

[Panthur]

Thanks guys. Lots of good tips I will be trying for sure. I suspect I will have better sucess with some of these ideas for sure. If not, I will e-mail Todd.
Thanks to everyone.

[Bearcarver]

Panthur,
Which MES 40 do you have?


Bear