Amazen tube smoker

[jimlj]

My kids gave me an Amazen tube smoker. I have used it several times to smoke some cheese, and have tried it with some burgers and steaks. The cheese turns out great, but the burgers and steaks were just OK. I'm sure there is a better way of doing it than how I tried. I cold smoked them for a few hours then grilled them. Very little smoky flavor.

Do any of you have one? What have you smoked with it? If I only use it for cheese it's a worthwhile gadget. I'm hoping to find something else that turns out as good as the cheese does.

[sixshot]

I have one & used it over the week end when I did 4 Pork Butts using Hickory. Turned out great & it also works great when doing Brisket. Maybe you had it in the wrong end of your smoker?

Dick

[Boaz]

I made a amazen type tube smoker ...same as you have . Dang it's hard to believe you smoked em for 2 hours and didn't get much flavor . you might try hickory or mesquite pellets , mesquite smokes really quick . I totally agree that they are great to smoke cheese .

[MaryB]

Check your pellet bag, if it says blend of or blended... it means not enough good wood and to much oak filler. Oak is okay in a log fire to smoke with, as pellets I find it way to mild..

[Baja_Traveler]

I agree with Mary - don't use Trager pellets, they are mostly Alder with a tiny bit of flavor wood. A lot of the other brands are the same way - spend $2 more a bag and get the good stuff. I'm lucky in that my local Deli sells Bear Mountain pellets - 100% of what ever wood is labeled on the bag. I've been using the Amazen pellet tray for years, it gives me up to 12 hours of smoke for those pork shoulders that run 11 or so hours. I always use Mesquite for burgers and big cuts of beef. Last time I did ribeye steaks all I had was Pecan left over from my last pulled pork, and they turned out awesome. I did my cheese last month - I run 10 pounds of cheddar at a time using Washington Apple for 4 hours. It gets too hot here later in the year, so I do my years worth in the winter - then it ages in the refrigerator and just gets better and better.
I think where you are failing is trying to cold smoke the burgers - there is so much moisture on the surface of the burger it is acting like a barrier to the smoke. Try putting on the lowest heat you can on your grill to cook off some of that surface moisture and make it more receptive to the smoke. Here's some stuffed Elk Burgers I did a few months ago using Mesquite - wish I could have these again!

[Wayne Smith]

I have the tray rather than the tube. I use it in an old smoker box - the firebox burned through. I smoke nuts - my altered recipie rather than theirs - and take them to Church for the snack table - it's the only protein there! This gives me a very cool smoke, no heat at all.

If you are using your grill think jerky, think smoked sausage, etc.

[Lance Boyle]

I wish I had a cold smoker setup. I would smoke salmon and trout.

My smokers are a pit barrel smoker (does great on butts for pulled pork), a Smokey joe combo smoker grill and an electric masterbuilt that I thought would cold smoke with the tube gadget. Turns out I got an older style that only burns smoke on the inside. My goal was to smoke fish as well.

I know most websites don’t recommend cold smoking fish but I really enjoy the salmon on a bagel type and not the cooked and flaked type.

I but bags of wood chips/chunks. I have not done pellets.

[reloader28]

I agree with Baja Traveler. I think the cold smoke is what screwed it up. Just put some heat to them next time and they should come out fine. I smoked some burgers at around 350* a couple weeks ago and they were awesome

[jimlj]

Sooo..... Should I have the burgers and stakes on the grill WHILE I have the smoke tube going? I had tried to cold smoke first then grill. Next time I'll try Having heat and smoke going at the same time. Just seems like there won't be much flavor with the amount of time it takes to grill a burger.

[Smoke4320]

Just smoked 10 lbs of lebanon bologna
4 hrs of smoke 7.5 hrs cooking time
Its AWESOME
Done chickens, burgers, roasts
As said above the 100% pellets are what you want .. No blends no added fragrance
Anyting with adder wood will be sub par

[Smoke4320]

Yes for meat you need the heat to help the smoke penetrate

[2011redrider]

I agree with Mary - don't use Trager pellets, they are mostly Alder with a tiny bit of flavor wood. A lot of the other brands are the same way - spend $2 more a bag and get the good stuff. I'm lucky in that my local Deli sells Bear Mountain pellets - 100% of what ever wood is labeled on the bag. I've been using the Amazen pellet tray for years, it gives me up to 12 hours of smoke for those pork shoulders that run 11 or so hours. I always use Mesquite for burgers and big cuts of beef. Last time I did ribeye steaks all I had was Pecan left over from my last pulled pork, and they turned out awesome. I did my cheese last month - I run 10 pounds of cheddar at a time using Washington Apple for 4 hours. It gets too hot here later in the year, so I do my years worth in the winter - then it ages in the refrigerator and just gets better and better.
I think where you are failing is trying to cold smoke the burgers - there is so much moisture on the surface of the burger it is acting like a barrier to the smoke. Try putting on the lowest heat you can on your grill to cook off some of that surface moisture and make it more receptive to the smoke. Here's some stuffed Elk Burgers I did a few months ago using Mesquite - wish I could have these again!

If you look on the back of the bag or their website, it shows they are also a blend of the flavor wood and Alder, not a 100% of the listed wood.

[Wayne Smith]

I wish I had a cold smoker setup. I would smoke salmon and trout.

My smokers are a pit barrel smoker (does great on butts for pulled pork), a Smokey joe combo smoker grill and an electric masterbuilt that I thought would cold smoke with the tube gadget. Turns out I got an older style that only burns smoke on the inside. My goal was to smoke fish as well.

I know most websites don’t recommend cold smoking fish but I really enjoy the salmon on a bagel type and not the cooked and flaked type.

I but bags of wood chips/chunks. I have not done pellets.

Use your pit barrel smoker and if you have a water pan just put the tube in the dry pan. It's essentially what I do. If no water pan put it in the bottom of the barrel. All you need is something to contain the smoke - actually a wooden box would do if it were tight and a metal liner for the bottom to put the tube on.

[Baja_Traveler]

If you look on the back of the bag or their website, it shows they are also a blend of the flavor wood and Alder, not a 100% of the listed wood.

You know you are right! - Another lesson - just because a bag says 100% hardwood on the front does not mean it's 100% of the same wood!
I still think the Bear Mountain gives me better flavor than the Tragger pellets ever did though..

[reloader28]

Almost bought one of those amzin smokers one time.
Anyone with a soldering iron, soup can and cardboard box can have a cold smoker. I've never tried the box but it should work.
I do use a soldering iron and can filled with oak sawdust from my woodshop alot though. Plenty of smoke and no heat. I've smoked cheese in the middle of the summer as long as it was in the shade to keep the cheese from melting.

Got the idea from someone on this forum if I remember right. Drill a hole in the side of the soup can , insert the iron and fill with sawdust or shavings. Seems to last me around an hour give or take before refilling

If I'm grilling on the gas grill I'll put sawdust or shavings in a tuna or chicken can and place it above the flame. Leave the flame off the other side and just kinda slow cook the burgers or steaks

[MaryB]

Another good pellet brand is Lumberjack. I use them all the time. They sell blends and pure so look at the sack for the contents!

[koehn,jim]

For cold smoking I have used a cardboard box and it worked for cheese. Try a meatloaf in your smoker as well, hot not cold.