Text 39078, 136 rader
Skriven 2010-06-18 00:32:02 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Stephen Haffly
Ärende: Re: Smoker
==================
 -=> On 06-16-10  23:20,  Stephen Haffly <=-
 -=> spoke to Dale Shipp about Smoker <=-

 SH> I agree that soldering is probably not the best idea.  Is it possible
 SH> to tighten up the clip, or is it just the heat cycling that works it
 SH> off? 

I'm not sure why it decides to let go.  Maybe heat cycling has something
to do with it.

 DS> Time line is about three years to first failure, and one year to next
 DS> one.   It is working again -- hopefully I got a better connection this
 DS> time than the last time and it will be longer before it fails again.

 SH> Hopefully, the fix will be permanent.

From your mouth to God's ears:-}}
 
 SH> Thanks.  I checked out and bookmarked the slideshow.  It looks like
 SH> the connectors are about shot.  Did you check to see if you could find
 SH> some crimp-on connectors that would not require soldering?  I think
 SH> that might be needed if this repair fails again.

That is a very good suggestion.  I'm going to keep my eye out for them,
and will probably go that route if it fails again.  One of the
connectors was especially bad.  That is why I wrapped it tightly with
wire.

 SH> I also see that they have improved the smoker in more than a few
 SH> respects.  There is now an access panel on the back for the connectors
 SH> (at least, it is in the right place for them) as well as the latch on
 SH> the door.

We were out today, and stopped at Bass Pro shops just to look at them.
They had several models of Masterbuilt on the shelf.  Two of them had
glass doors.  I consider that to be a bit overkill -- especially
considering how grungy those doors will get in time.  One of them looked
like mine, with a latch.  The back had no access panel and it was
riveted on, not screwed like mine.  That is a step backwards, IMO.  The
other one also looked to have the back panel riveted on, but had an
access panel in the spot where the heating element makes connections.
That access panel is a BIG improvement.  If you ever open yours up, I'd
be interested in having a picture of what it looks like inside.

 SH> My one question is on how to get it to generate more smoke when doing
 SH> something at lower temperatures.  Even with the vent wide open, I
 SH> couldn't get hardly any smoke for the batch of jerky I did. I finally
 SH> resorted to removing the chip drawer and putting the chips in a foil
 SH> packet directly on the heating element that was exposed.  Even then,
 SH> the smoke generation was minimal and when I unwrapped the chips, I
 SH> found that only a small part of them showed any evidence of changes
 SH> from the heat.

A few questions.

What temperature?  I have not done much smoking at low temperatures,
usually 200 or 250.  Are you sure it was heating?   Did you put a
thermometer inside to test?

I think I get more smoke with the top vent open, so that was right.

How long had you soaked the wood chips?  I often let them soak over
night.  The water looks like weak tea.

What sort of wood chips?  I once had very low smoke out of a very old
bag of hickory chips, but have not had much problem with the newer bags
of apple that I am now use most of the time.

How much wood?  I usually fill the round thing up at least two, maybe
three, times.

BTW, Home Depot web page had one at a price of $199.  The one at Bass
Pro was about that same price.   You did quite well with your price from
Amazon -- plus getting the model with the access panel.  I don't recall
seeing that feature even mentioned when you looked at their web page.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Shrimp Creole
 Categories: Cajun, Main dish, Seafood
      Yield: 6 servings
 
      2 lb Fresh shrimp, heads off
      1 qt Water
    1/2 c  Vegetable oil
      3    Med. yellow onions, chopped
      2    Large bell peppers, chopped
      5    Celery ribs, chopped fine
     10    Lge. tomatoes, peeled&seeded
      2 ts Salt
      1 ts Ground red pepper
    1/2 ts Ground black pepper
    1/2 ts Ground white pepper
      1 tb Fresh thyme or 2 t dried
      1 tb Fresh basil or 2 t dried
  1 1/2 ts Sugar
      5    Bay leaves
      1 c  Green onions, chopped
      1 c  Parsley, chopped
 
  Peel and devein the shrimp.

  Place heads (if you have them), and peels in a small saucepan and add
  the water.  Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat and let boil
  slowly for 15-20 minutes.  Strain and discard the heads and peels.

  Place the oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot and place over
  medium-high heat.  Add the onions, peppers, and celery and saute
  stirring often, until the vegetables are very soft, about 45 minutes.
  Stir in the tomatoes, salt, peppers, herbs, sugar, and shrimp stock
  and return to simmer.


  Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring
  occasionally,  This is your creole sauce; it can be prepared 1 or 2
  days in advance and stored in the refrigerator (I find the sauce is
  even better after sitting a couple of days in the refrigerator).

  When you are ready to serve, return the sauce to a simmer and add the
  shrimp.  Cook until they turn pink, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the green
  onions and parsley and let cook for 1 minute more.

  Serve on flat plates over beds of rice. Serves 6-8.


From Alex Patout's "Cajun Home Cooking"
 

MMMMM


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