New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

mummel · Jun 3, 2015

Well they are claiming a class 1 device which has 100ft range. Im actually quite surprised. I thought it was a class 2 device with 33 ft range. So in theory, the smoker should have decent range as long as line of sight is not an issue. Bluetooth will not penetrate walls very well at all. I'm guessing you could probably get a good 30 ft range with the MES BT in real world conditions (just enough to make it to a window inside your home). A Maverick will still be needed to get to your bedroom etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth

daricksta · Jun 4, 2015

mummel said:
I was going to foil it but was wondering if it messes with the heat transfer at all?

Feel free to foil if you like. I agree with Dennis that it won't be a problem. I used to foil the top of the wood chip burner but after using my smoker for 3 years and having it all blackened and stained I don't care if the burner gets dripped on. The only things I foil over is the water pan and the drip tray for easier cleanup. I don't even put a foil tent over my AMNPS anymore because drips have been minimal and haven't stopped the wood pellets from burning.

Bearcarver · Jun 4, 2015

Foil it if you want, and if you can, but I still say there isn't enough of that little angled plate sticking out below the water pan to worry about it.

Looking at the Pic below, you can see that in order to drip on that angled plate, the drips would have to come from the front or back corners of the far right of a rack (about 1.5" triangles??).

Image 2.jpg

mummel
Jun 3, 2015

dennispfaff · Jun 4, 2015

So far, I have been smoking without using the drip pan. That little angled plate is the wood chip housing. Before I foiled it, I had some food drippings on that plate that were hard to clean so now I keep it foiled and have not noticed ant heat loss issues.

Lately I have followed Bear's suggestion and smoking in a 9x13 foil pan with an 8x10 rack on the bottom and this seems to work quite well. I even did a prime rib in the pan on Mother's Day and it turned out excellent. I posted pictures of that om this forum.
Dennis

Bearcarver · Jun 4, 2015

dennispfaff said:
So far, I have been smoking without using the drip pan. That little angled plate is the wood chip housing. Before I foiled it, I had some food drippings on that plate that were hard to clean so now I keep it foiled and have not noticed ant heat loss issues.

Lately I have followed Bear's suggestion and smoking in a 9x13 foil pan with an 8x10 rack on the bottom and this seems to work quite well. I even did a prime rib in the pan on Mother's Day and it turned out excellent. I posted pictures of that om this forum.
Dennis

And a Fine Looking Prime Rib it was !!!

Bear

dennispfaff · Jun 4, 2015

bmaddox said:
Bluetooth is a self contained signal between two devices. It does not travel over your wireless internet network. If you had a wifi enabled thermo then your new network would have helped. In reality, a stronger wifi signal probably made the bluetooth worse as it could overpower the bluetooth signal.

I also researched online about the wifi signal as possibly interfering with the Bluetooth signal as you mentioned. So I did a little test by turning off our wifi device and can report that it makes no difference whatsoever. The only way I can safely control the MES Bluetooth is by moving it closer to my house or go outside within say 50-60 feet - line-of-sight. Now...thankfully I'm not that old or lazy to do that.[emoji]128515[/emoji]
Dennis

daricksta · Jun 5, 2015

dennispfaff said:
So far, I have been smoking without using the drip pan. That little angled plate is the wood chip housing. Before I foiled it, I had some food drippings on that plate that were hard to clean so now I keep it foiled and have not noticed ant heat loss issues.

Lately I have followed Bear's suggestion and smoking in a 9x13 foil pan with an 8x10 rack on the bottom and this seems to work quite well. I even did a prime rib in the pan on Mother's Day and it turned out excellent. I posted pictures of that om this forum.
Dennis

You posted the photos in this thread? If not, which thread?

I got a chuckle out you writing that there were some food drippings on the plate that were hard to clean. After using my MES for 3 years the inside is blackened and I've got heat-bonded stains everywhere. It's the same kind of thing I see with my stainless steel cookware after a year or more of using them over gas stovetop burners. It's a matter of if I want to spend a few hours hard scrubbing for what I'm worth to get everything shiny clean looking brand new again, or allowing my cookware and smoker to look used and loved. I typically like most things I buy to look new and pristine for as long as possible but over the years more and more I've learned to say "What the hell...

brickguy221 · Jun 5, 2015

daRicksta said:
You posted the photos in this thread? If not, which thread?

I got a chuckle out you writing that there were some food drippings on the plate that were hard to clean. After using my MES for 3 years the inside is blackened and I've got heat-bonded stains everywhere. It's the same kind of thing I see with my stainless steel cookware after a year or more of using them over gas stovetop burners. It's a matter of if I want to spend a few hours hard scrubbing for what I'm worth to get everything shiny clean looking brand new again, or allowing my cookware and smoker to look used and loved. I typically like most things I buy to look new and pristine for as long as possible but over the years more and more I've learned to say "What the hell...

I am starting on the third summer on my Generation 2 Smoker and you ought to see the inside of mine!!!! ... The window glass is sparkling clean, however the rest of inside of smoker is like you described yours is ........

bmaddox · Jun 5, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
I am starting on the third summer on my Generation 2 Smoker and you ought to see the inside of mine!!!! ... The window glass is sparkling clean, however the rest of inside of smoker is like you described yours is ........

Yep, clear glass, clean sensors, and everything else black.

dennispfaff · Jun 5, 2015

daRicksta said:
You posted the photos in this thread? If not, which thread?

I got a chuckle out you writing that there were some food drippings on the plate that were hard to clean. After using my MES for 3 years the inside is blackened and I've got heat-bonded stains everywhere. It's the same kind of thing I see with my stainless steel cookware after a year or more of using them over gas stovetop burners. It's a matter of if I want to spend a few hours hard scrubbing for what I'm worth to get everything shiny clean looking brand new again, or allowing my cookware and smoker to look used and loved. I typically like most things I buy to look new and pristine for as long as possible but over the years more and more I've learned to say "What the hell...

Yes, page 16, 316 I believe.
Dennis

daricksta · Jun 5, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
I am starting on the third summer on my Generation 2 Smoker and you ought to see the inside of mine!!!! ... The window glass is sparkling clean, however the rest of inside of smoker is like you described yours is ........

Sounds like the glass on your smoker is cleaner than the glass on my kitchen oven door. You've got your priorities right--if you've got a window you've got to keep it clean to see what's going on inside.

craig4699 · Jun 6, 2015

Saw Cabela's has there gen 2.5 on sale. Does anyone think not having the glass front is a deal breaker? I know some people prefer to not have the glass because of heat loss but I kind of like the idea of having a little bit of an indication as to how things are looking. I'm not against waiting for the price to go back down on amazon but having one for the Fourth of July is rather tempting. Any thoughts?

brickguy221 · Jun 6, 2015

Craig4699 said:
Saw Cabela's has there gen 2.5 on sale. Does anyone think not having the glass front is a deal breaker? I know some people prefer to not have the glass because of heat loss but I kind of like the idea of having a little bit of an indication as to how things are looking. I'm not against waiting for the price to go back down on amazon but having one for the Fourth of July is rather tempting. Any thoughts?

A glass door would be a deal breaker for me as I wouldn't have one without a glass door. On my Generation 2, I don't think there is much if any heat loss thru the glass door as it doesn't get that hot. You can touch it anytime you want and not get burned.

As for your wanting to get one before July 4th and not paying a premium price, go to Sams Club and get one now for $330, plus it includes legs while Amazon ($468), Bass Pro Shops ($430), etc. don't.

See my post about this here ...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/201528/finally-decided-to-get-a-40-bluetooth-yesterday

craig4699 · Jun 6, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
A glass door would be a deal breaker for me as I wouldn't have one without a glass door. On my Generation 2, I don't think there is much if any heat loss thru the glass door as it doesn't get that hot. You can touch it anytime you want and not get burned.

As for your wanting to get one before July 4th and not paying a premium price, go to Sams Club and get one now for $330, plus it includes legs while Amazon ($468), Bass Pro Shops ($430), etc. don't.

See my post about this here ...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/201528/finally-decided-to-get-a-40-bluetooth-yesterday

I went to my local Sam's last week to get the $50 iGrill2 with 4 probes and to see if they had one in stock. They did not and none of the stores around me did either. If there was one in western PA to be had I'd grab it. Thank you for your input on the window. I'm worried I'll regret not getting one with it but wasn't sure how much utility it actually had either.

Thanks,

Craig

daricksta · Jun 6, 2015

Craig4699 said:
Saw Cabela's has there gen 2.5 on sale. Does anyone think not having the glass front is a deal breaker? I know some people prefer to not have the glass because of heat loss but I kind of like the idea of having a little bit of an indication as to how things are looking. I'm not against waiting for the price to go back down on amazon but having one for the Fourth of July is rather tempting. Any thoughts?

To glass or not to glass is just personal reference. I've got your basic black MES 30 since that was the cheapest smoker in the product line. I don't miss having a glass window. I never use the window in my kitchen oven since it's typically too splattered on to see clearly through anyway. If my smoker had a window it'd only be one more thing to have to clean.

I look at the top vent to make sure smoke's still coming out. Other than that I monitor all my smokes by temperatures with my Maverick ET-733 while also paying attention to the elapsed time of the smoke. I still might overcook meat by leaving it in too long if I'm late in pulling it out of the smoker but a window wouldn't help me with that.

five string · Jun 6, 2015

I like the glass door. I can see the progress of the meat during the smoke. Cleaning it is no big deal. Since I foil the drip pan, water bowl, and top of the burner unit I have some clean up to do anyway. A little Easy Off No Fume and paper towels does it -- takes about three minutes.

Five String

Bearcarver · Jun 7, 2015

Craig4699 said:
I went to my local Sam's last week to get the $50 iGrill2 with 4 probes and to see if they had one in stock. They did not and none of the stores around me did either. If there was one in western PA to be had I'd grab it. Thank you for your input on the window. I'm worried I'll regret not getting one with it but wasn't sure how much utility it actually had either.

Thanks,

Craig

I agree with the 3 answers you got above:

It is a matter of Personal preference.

It's easy to keep clean.

The heat loss is not enough to worry about.

And after over 5 years with a window in my MES Door, I would never buy one without it. So call me Spoiled!!

Bear

brickguy221 · Jun 7, 2015

Five String said:
I like the glass door. I can see the progress of the meat during the smoke. Cleaning it is no big deal. Since I foil the drip pan, water bowl, and top of the burner unit I have some clean up to do anyway. A little Easy Off No Fume and paper towels does it -- takes about three minutes.

Five String

I've never tried Easy-Off No Fume. I'll have to try it sometime.

I spray with Simple Green and immediately spray with a bit of water over that. Then wipe off with paper towels, then spray with plain water and wipe with paper towels again and it is done.

Also, this spray on Weber Grill Cleaner works well also ...
I use it the same way as Simple Green

dennispfaff · Jun 7, 2015

I also use the Easy Off NO FUME (blue cap) with great success. Do NOT use the yellow cap Easy Off w/fumes - it will gag you! After I clean the window and seals with the EO and paper towel, I hit with a spray of Vinigar and water mixture and it is just like new.
Dennis

five string · Jun 7, 2015

Exactly...the Blue cap Easy Off No Fumes doesn't leave anything behind odor-wise. I also shoot a quick vinegar/water and wipe just in case. FWIW....I drop all the other stuff in the dishwasher; grills, trays, pans, whatever comes out. I do foil tray and water pan.

Five String

Easy Off.jpg

five string
Jun 7, 2015

New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

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