Testing out my new AMAZEN Pellet Smoker Tonight - Cheeeeese

[ThunderDome]

I've had my eyes on this thing for awhile. I've heard great things about it, and my local BBQ shop here in AZ just got a shipment in.

I sent Todd @ Amazen a PM askin him for some tips, and he gave me some times to shoot for for my first smoke.

I ran into Costco and got a block of mild cheddar, then also picked up some mozarrella and extra sharp to add to my test smoke

Like I had read, this thing is well built. Thick


Here's some close-ups if anyone hasn't seen 'em




Thick gauge steel beams across bottom. This could def go in your smoker..not just for cold-smoking


The guys at BBQ Island hooked me up w/ some Hickory Pellets to test it with so I didnt have to buy a 40 lbs bag


Loaded up about half way for this smoke. I had to use 2 lighters, then blow on it since I dont have a torch yet. Got it goin good w/o any accidents


My test subjects


So far so good. I've got it in the bottom of my 30 gal UDS.


Will keep you posted on results!

[MossyMO]

Thunderdome
Nice to see you picked yourself up one, good quality product that puts out a steady smoke that is not too strong or mild. Can't wait to hear your thoughts after the cheese is smoked, then frozen for the smoke to meld in the cheese for a few weeks and then tasted!

[SOB]

You gonna really love that unit!!! "Good-Old" American quality and ingenuity.
Worth every penny!

SOB

[gooose53]

I'm sure your goin to like it!! Question for those who have used one - thinking of getting a used gas unit and know they don't put out the smoke I like from charcoal. Would one of these things put out the smoke like using wood chucks in a charcoal cooker?

[Scarbelly]

This unit will run fine on sawdust or pellets.

Todd designed this one to burn both pellets and dust. The origional versions were just for dust. The problem is that the pellets burn hotter than the dust version can handle. The extra heat from the pellets caused the fire to "jump rows" thru the perferation and start the next row on fire. As you can see from the pictures he angled the seperator rows here to solve the jumping issue.

Dust vs Pellets. I would recommend using dust for smoking cheese or anything you want to cold smoke. The dust burns at a much lower temperature and does not cause the smoker chamber to heat up nearly as much. The pellets are great for warmer or hot smokes. I have been using both units for hot smokes for a couple of years with great results.

The pellets that Todd sells are 100% the flavor of that wood. What that means is apple is 100% apple. The other folks get some apple and some filler wood for heat. You get a much nicer smoke using his pellets. He now sells them in 40# units as well.
Here is his site www.amazenproducts.com/



I dont beleive it will work with chunks. If you want to run chunks, I would just get an aluminum pan .

Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I have been using both units for a while.

[TJohnson]

Glad the guys at BBQ Island took care of you!
I came across these Weber Starting Cubes at Home Depot, and they really work well for starting the AMNPS. They cost under $4 for (24). You only need 1/4 - 1/2 a cube to start the AMNPS. The burn for about 10 minutes.






I smoke my cheese for about 2 1/2 hours. Some guys like more smoke, but I really like a subtle smoke flavor on my cheese.

ENJOY!


Todd

[chefrob]

i've used those starting cubes for starting lump....good idea for the maze! also mike, shelton and crew are top notch @ BBQ Island.

[Mark R]

They work great just watch the heat, especially in that Weber. I had an almost "Rich cheese" in my cold smoker with it. It's four foot tall, fire on the bottom, cheese near the top. Be better off with dust if ya got it.

[SmokinOutBack]

They work great just watch the heat, especially in that Weber. I had an almost "Rich cheese" in my cold smoker with it. It's four foot tall, fire on the bottom, cheese near the top. Be better off with dust if ya got it.

Nice tip Mark, thanks.

[ThunderDome]

Good call mark. These were in my drum so the heat was far

[TJohnson]

Yea, the pellet burner does put out a little more heat than the sawdust burner
Sometimes a simple heat deflector above the pellet burner pushes the heat to the outside, rather than straight up.

TJ