A-MAZE-N setup for Cold Smoking Question

[Aspenextreme]

I have had a maze 5x8 for a while and wondering what everyones setup is when they do cold smoking in the SI.

Also any tips in keeping it lit in my smoker?  Tried it today and while it did ok the air flow kept it from going after 2 hours.

Do you use a cold plate or water bottles to keep the temp down? Tested it today with pellets without the tray or smoker box and stayed lit without any problems in my model 2.

thanks in advance.

 

[SuperDave]

I use the maze for my cheese cold smokes.  I take the wood box out and set the maze on the heating element.  Then I take the drip pan out from under the smoker to allow more airflow.  I've had a lot better results with sawdust than pellets.  Sometimes the pellets stay lit and sometimes they go out mid row.  I've found that I get better burn with pellets that I've put in a baggie and smashed a little bit versus pellets right out of the bag.  I do all my lighting with a propane torch.  Once the initial flame burns out, I blow on the fuel source, sawdust or pellets, until a bright red cherry is visible. 

 

[NDKoze]

I use the maze for my cheese cold smokes.  I take the wood box out and set the maze on the heating element.  Then I take the drip pan out from under the smoker to allow more airflow.  I've had a lot better results with sawdust than pellets.  Sometimes the pellets stay lit and sometimes they go out mid row.  I've found that I get a better burn with pellets that I've put in a baggie and smashed a little bit versus pellets right out of the bag.  I do all my lighting with a propane torch.  Once the initial flame burns out, I blow on the fuel source, sawdust or pellets, until a bright red cherry is visible.

I use the exact same process as Dave for my Cheese and Cold Smoked Bacon. However, I definitely have better luck with pellets than sawdust. It could be my dust that is the problem, but that has been my experience.

The one thing that I found is that my pellets burn a lot hotter which ends up averaging around 90-110 degrees which is a decent temperature for bacon because the fat does not render very much if at all at this temp.

But, for my cheese, I prefer to keep my temps in the 50-70 degree range. So, I do use three to four 1-Liter or 2-Liter bottles to keep the heat within the desirable range.

If you search for A-MAZE-N, you will find several threads out there where several of us have done some testing and shown our successes and failures. Here are a few:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2639
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4587
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=5652
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4629
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=6203
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=6042

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[Aspenextreme]

Thanks foe the replies. I am assuming you dont use the cold plate while using the amazen? 

 

[SconnieQ]

Thanks foe the replies. I am assuming you dont use the cold plate while using the amazen?

The cold plate is designed to be used with the heating element and smoke box with chips inside. Then set a pan of ice on top of it. It is a relatively tight fit, which helps prevent some heat transfer, to create a hot and a cool chamber inside the smoker. There is a small amount of space to allow smoke to travel around the edges. The cold plate would definitely choke off the airflow needed to keep the A-MAZE-N lit in my opinion.

 

[Aspenextreme]

That is what I was thinking about the cold plate.  Will have to test the temp with and without the cold plate using the smoke box vs just having the amazen in there.

 

[SuperDave]

I use ice for Summer time cold smokes with the AMAZEN.  Once Fall really sets in it hasn't been necessary.