New to Electric Smokers (MES 30)

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ljweagle08

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 22, 2011
14
10
Athens, AL
Hello all, I've been reading here about the MES models for some time and finally received one yesterday as a birthday gift. My current smoker is a Chargriller Pro with SFB, so I'm extremely new to the electric side of things. Right now I'm going through the seasoning process at 275 for 3 hours adding wood chips with 45 mins to go. I've read about several mods from you guys from ceramic tiles, to adding a smoke stack for better wood use. I'm just wondering (as a beginner to MES) what the key tips and mods I should look into right away. Any feedback from ya'll is greatly appreciated. As always, happy smoking!
 
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If I were you I would just smoke something first & see how it turns out. I used my old MES for a couple of years without changing a thing. Just be aware that the right rear corner is a little hotter than the rest of the box. Which I kinda liked, because if you had a piece of meat that was thicker on on end then just put the thick end toward the right side.
 
A lot of MES owners like using the AMNS/AMNPS to generate smoke instead of using the provided chip tray/chip feeder. While not exactly a "mod", it probably is one of the better things to do to make using the MES more convenient and consistent. Another good  "mod" I like is to place a short length of 4" pipe over the exhaust opening. It seems to help improve air flow through the smoker and also keeps the smoke from blowing horzontally over the top of the smoker.
 
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The AMNS smoker looks great, do they all work with the MES 30? Are they make to slide in the standard tray slot? Sorry for the rookie type questions.
 
Im not near a pro smoker but got my feet wet.

The MES and AMPS is great combo for smokin. Also I think it lets you controll temp better then adding more chips. I seem to get a good increase in temp with chips them AMPS. No need to fill, or open door to empy tray, Etc.

Get the AMPS going and at about 1 hr in check the therm and see where it is and adjust if needed. After that temp should hold through the whole smoke.

I just picked up this smoker but I smell alot of good grub this summer.

Here in NY its a bit cold to smoke, for me at least. Although I heard this Sunday 50Degs. I may have to thaw somthing out in case the weather man is right.... LOL

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