Warming Box temps

383inTheD

Member
I didn't find the appropriate thread already existing on this so here's a new one. This was my first time making jerky on the MAK (have always used charcoal and wood chips in a vertical) so I was interested to see how this was going to work out.

Having experimented a few times with cheese in the warming box, I knew there were temp variations but didn't know how much. So a couple of temperature probes with the Pellet Boss and here's what I found.

Set Point 250 355
Grill temp 240 340
Probe 2 209 294
Probe 3 98 111​

Probe 2 was placed on the left side of the box near the venting from the fire pit. Probe 3 was placed on the right side (farthest away from pit) of the warming box. It seems that there is a pretty drastic temperature gradient that you need to be aware of depending on what you have going. I ended up finishing the jerky in the main pit which is perfectly fine.

I'm just wondering if anyone has made any modifications or have suggestions to get a better temperature distribution?
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
were these mak probes? remember the warming box is using exhaust and closest to the vent the exhaust is always going to be the hottest.
 

MAK DADDY

Moderator
Good observations, we aimed to have the average temp of the warmer around 180 degrees when cooking over 300
When on smoke we aimed to have the average temp below 100 degrees for cold smoking.
If you notice the tray and rack are set back away from the vent a few inches to help with the hot air coming in.
Overall I would say people are pretty happy with the performance of the warmer/cold smoker box, it is one of our most talked about features :)

I always smoke jerky in the main chamber as well.
 

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
I have not yet smoke anything in the MAK but use the warming drawer most of the time from warming plates to holding food when cooked
 

Buffalotom

New member
We use our warming box for smoking cheese. There is not many things better than smoked cheddar. It is great to do in the winter, spring, and fall. In the summer it tends to be too warm. At least in normal years.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
There are many other attributes for the two star other than the warming drawer...You may want to try it for a few things You may end up using it smokeless
 

bflodan

Member
I use it alot when cooking multiple foods...If something finishes early its great to have that warming box to keep it warm...I love it!!
 

scooter

Moderator
The warming tray really shines in the winter when it's colder. The colder ambient temps drop the internal temp of the WT down into the high 80s when setpoint is on smoke which is a great cold smoking temp for soft cheeses. Also, Like Jim alluded to, when you bring a platter out to put the meat on, set it on or in the WT and it will be warm when you're ready to platter the meat instead of putting hot meat on a cold platter. I never really envisioned the platter warmer until I discovered what a great job it does. All that and it is a great place to keep the early meat finishers coming out of the main cooking chamber nice and warm until all of the meat is done.
 

383inTheD

Member
I did a little experimenting with the smoke box over the weekend. I was curious if a simple baffle between the main fire box vents and the food in the smoke/warming box tray would make a difference on temperature distribution. So I fabricated an aluminum foil baffle by folding the aluminum several times (thickness for stiffness and temp reflection) but leaving room for the incoming air to flow into the warming chamber near the front and rear.

I was smoking some cheese and fish so the PelletBoss was set to smoke mode (180 F). I found that the temperature probe placed behind the aluminum baffle registered 120 F consistently. Near the end of the smoke session, I removed the baffle and saw that the temperature rise ~ 12 degrees to the 132-134 range. Sorry I didn't take any pictures.
 

BudGarrison

New member
I have used the warming drawer quite a bit. This weekend I did a big BBQ for around 50 friends. Some were vegetarians. I cold smoked Tofu marinated in soy sauce and dark sesame oil and another batch marinated in Wasabi-Teriyaki sauce. I marinated it the night before, smoked it on Saturday morning for around an hour, then grilled it saturday night when guests arrived to get some grill marks and warm it up. I am not a big tofu eater but those that were really loved it. I also cold smoked portabello mushrooms for around 2 hours, then when we were ready to serve I grilled them with a little Wasabi-Teriyaki sauce. Sliced them up and used them as the "meat" in fajitas for the veggies in the crowd. I grilled 10 big mushrooms and I think they lasted about 10 minutes on the food table.

Bud

12-Mushies.jpg


3-Tofu.jpg
 
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