Question for jimsbarbecue - Re: MAK Smoker Box

[TentHunter]

In your contest entry I saw this picture and got to wondering...

Where these items smoked in the MAK smoker box while you were cooking something else?

It suddenly occurred to me that if you used that box while cooking other items, then that means you are burning no extra fuel (pellets).

With that kind of efficiency it's conceivable that the smoker box could actually pay for itself in fuel savings over time. Especially if you consider the price of the wood pucks for the Bradley smokers.

Cliff

 

[Big Poppa]

Cliff we are the best at justifying this stuff...makes perfect sense...This is expensive but when you see it you understand Like everything MAK it is just a work of art.

 

[jimsbarbecue]

Cliff I did not, you did read my mind.The smoked Sweet Money was crazy good. You could easily smoke items like salt and spice while using the MAK for other uses. I smoked the salt and money five hours while I was working and kept checking the temps with the MAK WiFi from my smart phone. It really doesn't use many pellets when in the smoke mode. We also used it yesterday to keep food warm until serving. It fits half pans nicely.

 

[Ducaticraig]

Jim, are you loving/enjoying the smoker box? I'm about to pull to trigger to get one if BPS still has one? I will check with them. I love the idea of keeping food warm until guest arrive. That's just an added benefit on top of cold smoking the box will serve. I might just use the box as storage when not in use. Of course I will have to remember to remove things when I fire up the grill

Bob (Mak Daddy), if you make the smoker box taller I can use it as a small storage shed. LOL!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Pappymn]

Jim, are you loving/enjoying the smoker box? I'm about to pull to trigger to get one if BPS still has one? I will check with them. I love the idea of keeping food warm until guest arrive. That's just an added benefit on top of cold smoking the box will serve. I might just use the box as storage when not in use. Of course I will have to remember to remove things when I fire up the grill

Bob (Mak Daddy), if you make the smoker box taller I can use it as a small storage shed. LOL!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

This box has me interested. But how do we keep it covered? Did Mak create a cover to cover this and the rest of my 2 star?

 

[jimsbarbecue]

Super smoker box

As with any tool, it will take time to figure it completely. Smoking spices seemed easy and I am very happy with the results. Have some cheese to do,which is hard because after you smoke it the proper procedure is to leave it in a vac sealed bag for weeks before tasting the goodness . I do like it,well made and it is easy to take it off and on. Honestly ours will live on one of our MAK Grills. The one we use the most. I am happy with the purchase. The fact it increases how many and much easier to heat plates is a plus for me. Just what it did when smoking spices and nuts is great. I have found that spices and nuts are more flavorful after a few days. Doing the Money with the salt gave a visual reference to the amount of smoke. Adds a new dimension to how you will cook.

 

[Big Poppa]

check out the cold smoked basil heirloom tomato salad that will do it for you.

 

[Tailback]

Crap.

My wife is gonna be pissed when I show her this and say "I have to get one".

 

[Kite]

Crap.

My wife is gonna be pissed when I show her this and say "I have to get one".

Then don't show her.. say "honey, look what I got in the mail today!"

 

[Ducaticraig]

Better yet, say honey, look what I bought for you today!

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

 

[sptucker]

This thread has been dormant for a year, so for all of you Super Smoker Box owners:

Any reviews or updates to share? Do you use yours a lot? What do you use it for? Is it worth the expense?

I have a possible line on one of these locally, so the wheels are turning...

Thanks for any inputs in advance!
Paul

 

[jimsbarbecue]

Still use it at least once a week

 

[sptucker]

Still use it at least once a week

LOL, thanks Jim. I see you found the other thread I started... I thought this one got lost in the shuffle!

 

[Aizen]

Have any of you smoker box owners used it to add extra smoke to your barbecue? IE: smoking at 150 for 2-4 hours before moving to the main cooking area to finish.

The one thing keeping me from pellet cookers right now is that I like a lot of light smoke built up on my barbecue. I don't want to be tasting smoke hours after the meal, but I want the smoke to be one of the more prominent tastes during the eating. The smoker box seems like it might be able to generate that effect.

 

[TentHunter]

Aizen, can relate to what you're saying. That's one of the reasons I like our MAK so much. With most normal cooks (pulled pork, ribs, etc.) I can tell it got smoke, but at the same time I'm not burping smoke rings.

Now, when I want a deeper smoke, for homemade ham, bacon, smoked sausage, etc., I can start out with a cold smoke using the Pellet smoke tube for a few hours (with the grill off), then turn the grill on and move on to a hot-smoke (smoke mode). Doing that I get a very deep, clean smoke that is distinct, without tasting like creosote.


If that's the type of flexibility, with smoke taste, you're looking for, then a MAK may just be the right smoker for you.

 

[mcschlotz]

So this brings me to two questions in trying to understand better. If you start out for 2 hours with just the smoker tube, should you be concerned about introducing harmful bacteria on the meat given no heat? Unrelated, cannot the same process be down in the MAK itself, i.e. no smoker box and not starting the MAK for the first 2 hours?

 

[Aizen]

TentHunter,

Thank you for your response. I currently have an A-Maze-N Tube Smoker but have had very little success with it for about a year. I simply cannot get it to stay lit. I'm at high elevation and I've read of others having problems with it above a mile high so that may be why. What you described though sounds like what I'd like to be able to achieve. An upfront, attention grabbing smoke that fades fairly quickly once the eating is done. Not entirely unlike a good bacon. Perhaps not as aggressive as a very smokey bacon and a bit more towards a more traditional barbecue flavor. Glad to hear you're getting similar results in your Mak.

mcscholtz,

When I could get my tube to work for a bit, I was attempting to cold smoke in a non-insulated cabinet smoker and I used a couple of ice packs and a tray of salted ice water to keep the temps lower as the cooker was in direct sunlight. The meat (cured pork loin chops) also went on directly from the fridge still partially frozen. Just thawed enough to leave the surface tacky. I had to keep relighting the tube every 20 minutes or so which let out whatever built up heat was in the chamber, but got a bit more than 2 hours of cold smoke on them and they came out like little hams, which was what I was going for. The relighting was a PITA, but did work. The chops were still quite cold as well. I did not temp them, but ate them later after cooking and had no problems.

 

[TentHunter]

So this brings me to two questions in trying to understand better. If you start out for 2 hours with just the smoker tube, should you be concerned about introducing harmful bacteria on the meat given no heat?

Good question, and YES, you should be concerned!!!

I should have clarified this better. If you look at my post above you will see that when I was talking about cold-smoking with the smoker tube only, I was specifically referring to Bacon, Ham, Smoked Sausage, etc. In other words: CURED MEATS. Meat that has not been cured with a nitrate/nitrite curing salt, should really NOT be cold smoked!



As far as could the MAK main chamber be used instead of the super Smoker Box? I guess that depends on how much and what you want to smoke. I made a sausage hanger for my MAK 1 Star, but with a 2 Star, and the Super Smoker Box, you could hang a whole lot more sausage (and longer pieces), etc.

I currently have an A-Maze-N Tube Smoker but have had very little success with it for about a year. I simply cannot get it to stay lit. I'm at high elevation and I've read of others having problems with it above a mile high so that may be why.

Yep, I can see where higher elevation could definitely have played a role. That tube smoker uses more oxygen than you'd think. It MUST have a good air supply. You may have to figure out a way to compensate by allowing more air flow into your cabinet.

It definitely helps, too, if it's placed where it can pull a draft. In the MAK 1 Star I place it above where the grease drains and crack open the drawer that catches the grease. It pulls a nice draft in that location and stays lit.

 

[JD McGee]

We are adding the Super Smoker Box to our arsenal this year...we'll keep you posted on how it performs for us in competition use...

 

[sptucker]

We are adding the Super Smoker Box to our arsenal this year...we'll keep you posted on how it performs for us in competition use...

Looking forward to hearing all about it, JD!

I pulled the trigger on the Super Smoker Box last week. I got a deal I hated to pass up on the floor model from my dealer. It's still sitting in my garage, but I am looking forward to experimenting.