2012 Masterbuilt Smokers - NEW 30" & 40" Models!

altmanator · May 10, 2012

It appears they are still backordered. The product page says in stock, but I add it to my cart it then shows a backorder of 1-2 weeks. Got excited there for a minute

jsc1234 · May 10, 2012

I actually went through and purchased it. Says it will be ready for pickup by 5-21. I may go over there and see if they are in stock in the stores

Let the smoking begin

timetosmoke · May 10, 2012

My new 30" was shipped today with expected delivery date of 5/15.. very excited to get this new 2012 unit.

timetosmoke · May 10, 2012

I see a member posted he has the manual for the new models but was never able to upload it. My 30" unit is due next week but would love to get the manual ahead of time. Does anyone have the pdf?

Thanks

T.T.Smoke~

jsc1234 · May 10, 2012

TimetoSmoke said:
I see a member posted he has the manual for the new models but was never able to upload it. My 30" unit is due next week but would love to get the manual ahead of time. Does anyone have the pdf?

Thanks

T.T.Smoke~

Not sure which smoker you ordered but Masterbuilt has their manuals online

http://www.masterbuilt.com/manuals.aspx

bigfish98 · May 10, 2012

rabbithutch said:
I talked to a gentleman at Masterbuilt about a month ago and he told me ( and you can take this for what it is worth.) the reason there is a delay with this is because the were reworking the control system, making improvements on the internal thermometer and venting along with reversing the door, I talked to him for about 10 minutes and seemed very knowledgeable about the product. Whether he was blowing smoke ( no pun intended) I cannot tell you. He also told me there was a 1200 watt element but that earlier models also had that.
Will keep you updated when I get it

Click to expand...

- per jsc1234
I have sent several e-mails to the MasterBuilt 'contact us' address that have gone unanswered concerning their controls.

Originally Posted by rabbithutch View Post
If they haven't done anything about the electronics, and if they have in fact reduced the wattage for the element, my advice - that of a fairly recent MES40 owner - would be to stay away from it.
My 40 does OK with heat and recovery, though I HAVE had some problems maintaining 275*. The problem with the one I have is that the electronics are crap. One must set both temp and time in order for the element to heat. The $30 Maverick ET-73 doesn't have to trip a circuit to start an element, but it allows you to set both and choose to have either or both notify you when thresholds are crossed.
Focus on the electronics as well as the wattage of the heating element. I find it difficult to believe that many would be satisfied to pay that much for what appears to be so little in the way of improvements.
JM2C
It says that right in the manual. Why is this an issue?
Bigfish

Click to expand...

Yep, but reading the manual and smokin' meat ain't exactly compatible operations at all time. The instructions should be much clearer, IMO, warning that setting the time too short or the temp too low will kick the heating element off. But, I can live with that. I was just makin' suggestions for improvements. But, I didn't get the courtesy of a reply from them, either. The electronics would be much improved if they were more like the alarms that the ET- 73 uses to let you know that either the upper or lower temp range was exceeded and when the time is about to expire. And, I've found the range on fresh batteries to be limited. I am never more than 30-35 feet away from the smoker but it sometimes fails to signal a properly sync'd remote. And, while we're at it, why not let the remote sync anytime it signals the transmitter. And, ABOVE all else, make it more difficult to accidentally turn the unit off. There should be a confirmation cycle where you have to say "Yes, I really mean it!" because it is just to easy to hit that button. In fact it should alarm and prompt for a confirmation when it is about to go off for whatever reason, on/off button, temp upper or lower limit reaching threshold, timer near countdown. In the world of such elaborate apps on smart phones, it's fairly obvious that the technology is out there and there are people who know how to design and build better solutions.
If they have listened and improved the electronics, I will give them kudos for having done so. The will not get kudos for making changes that don't significantly improve their function in use. At least, not from me.

Apologies. I didn't realize that you were saying that as a suggestion to Masterbuilt.

Bigfish

justint · May 11, 2012

Jsc1234 said:
Not sure which smoker you ordered but Masterbuilt has their manuals online

http://www.masterbuilt.com/manuals.aspx

I don't think they have the manual for the 2012 model 20070312. I ordered mine from Bass Pro Shops last Saturday. Got it yesterday and just finished putting it together.

justint · May 11, 2012

Jsc1234 said:
Not sure which smoker you ordered but Masterbuilt has their manuals online

http://www.masterbuilt.com/manuals.aspx

I don't think they have the manual for the 2012 model 20070312. I ordered mine from Bass Pro Shops last Saturday. Got it yesterday and just finished putting it together.

jrp · May 11, 2012

First impressions? Where's the vent?

justint · May 11, 2012

jrp said:
First impressions? Where's the vent?

Will turn on later today but I like what I see. Looks like they have put some thoughts into the design. Looks much smaller than what the new overall dimensions had led me to believe. It’s pretty nice looking. It’s also $30 cheaper at Bass Pro now.

Fit and finish quality adequate. Minor juggling for plastic parts to fit but everything looks functional. Good enough for a smoker. Inside is totally different from the previous version. I ordered the AMNPS #3 pellet smoker, will not be able to put it at the same place people have been putting it, probably will go to the lower right side.

Vent is upper left side and a few inches from the top which might help keep smoke around the food longer before exiting. Grease tray in front, nice. Handle in the back to rock the unit back on its wheels.

Here is my take on the power rating. I read a review comparing a ‘good’ smoker and a ‘cheap’ smoker. The ‘better’ smoker had a much smoother temperature vs time curve, i.e. much less switching on and off. A jagged curve won’t affect cooking but excessive on/offs can shorten the life of the heating element, which indeed was the complaint against the cheaper unit. The only way to reduce unnecessary switching is not to oversize the heating element. Enough to cover the temperature range needed and not too much more. It would take a bit longer to heat up initially though. The engineering required to figure out the correct power rating should be trivial for a company like Masterbuilt so I would gladly take the lower rated element. Will wait and see but I am confident that Masterbuilt would not put out a unit that cannot maintain its temperature, so for now I am glad mine is 800W.

viskey · May 11, 2012

Thanks for the write up! I'm waiting for Sam's to get in stock ans then ill let people know as well! Thanks!!

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

atori2001 · May 12, 2012

Hey JustinT! If you dont mind me asking what is the model# on these new ME40's? I saw a model# earlier here in the replies but it was [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]20070312. I want to grab one of these so i will never be denied of my right to cook meat with smoke :)[/color]

justint · May 12, 2012

atori2001 said:
Hey JustinT! If you dont mind me asking what is the model# on these new ME40's? I saw a model# earlier here in the replies but it was [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]20070312. I want to grab one of these so i will never be denied of my right to cook meat with smoke :)[/color]

Hello atori, mine is a 30" model number 20070312. The 40" is 20070512.

atori2001 · May 12, 2012

Thanks for the reply! i noticed the model number on the sams club one is 20070810. Heres the link:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1180971&navAction=push

Anyone can explain what the deal with the model number boogie here? Post a pic when you can to see the goods :)

timetosmoke · May 13, 2012

atori2001 said:
Thanks for the reply! i noticed the model number on the sams club one is 20070810. Heres the link:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1180971&navAction=push

Anyone can explain what the deal with the model number boogie here? Post a pic when you can to see the goods :)

The last 2 digits is the model year, the first 4 is the model and the 5th/6th is the size?

jrp · May 13, 2012

I believe the last two digits are the model year. Somebody here posted that a while back.

justint · May 13, 2012

atori2001 said:
Thanks for the reply! i noticed the model number on the sams club one is 20070810. Heres the link:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1180971&navAction=push

Anyone can explain what the deal with the model number boogie here? Post a pic when you can to see the goods :)

Model # and picture from your link is for last year's model. See picture of 2012 model at the start of this thread. Top now flat, controls and LED on sloping front surface. Notice the 2 forward front feet and the drip tray in between.

badkat · May 13, 2012

Newbie here... just putting together my MES 30" - New Model. On sale at Bass Pro in Canada for less than the old model. Wheel isn't going on well... have to re-drill a hole, but otherwise, very excited to start.

This is our first smoker. We got tired of using the BBQ for smoking.

atori2001 · May 13, 2012

Thanks again guys! I'll be on the lookout for a 40. You all let me know when you find one!

justint · May 13, 2012

Update: First run last night was a success considering 1[sup]st[/sup] ever meat smoking attempt. During the pre-seasoning operation I noticed that smoke started easily and was still there one hour later. I smoked a brisket, only put in wood chips twice, at the beginning and after one hour. Plenty of smoke flavor. More would have been a waste, might even turn out bad.

Insulation is good, not hot at all around the unit. The unit maintains the desired temperature by turning the heating element on and off. Off/on state is indicated on control panel. Whenever I went out to check, the unit was more likely to be off than on, suggesting that the 800W element is more than enough to maintain proper temperature.

I would recommend calibrating the unit’s built in thermometer. I found it to be easily 15 degrees off (it reads higher than actual). It’s accurate at low temperature, less and less accurate as temperature rises. Remote useful as reminder to check once I mentally added the temperature offset.

Overall this smoker sure can smoke.

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