Masterbuilt Elite electric smoker-should I buy it?

mutterback · Nov 21, 2014

c farmer said:
Todd is a great guys to deal with. He is a sponsor here.

I recommend a mav 732 thermo and a AMNPS for hot and cold smoking

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Added them to my Amazon wish list! Thanks for the tip!

rgautheir20420 · Nov 21, 2014

Sorry for the off topic rant there mutter. Glad you pulled the trigger on this. It was a great deal at $150 and at $130 you got a steal. Now all you need is a good therm and the AMNPS and you're in the clear. Happy smoking!

mutterback · Nov 22, 2014

rgautheir20420 said:
Sorry for the off topic rant there mutter. Glad you pulled the trigger on this. It was a great deal at $150 and at $130 you got a steal. Now all you need is a good therm and the AMNPS and you're in the clear. Happy smoking!

It wasn't a big deal, tho I reserve the right to change the topic of the thread I started. LOL With the AMNPS, are they being used to supplement the smoke from the wood tray or to use instead of it? I thought they were just used for cold smoking.

Bearcarver · Nov 22, 2014

mutterback said:
It wasn't a big deal, tho I reserve the right to change the topic of the thread I started. LOL With the AMNPS, are they being used to supplement the smoke from the wood tray or to use instead of it? I thought they were just used for cold smoking.

Once you learn how to get an AMNPS lit properly, you will not want to go back to any other method of making smoke---Hot, Warm, or Cold.

Fill it, light it, put it where it works best, and sit back and enjoy up to 12 hours of perfect, continuous, consistent smoke, without touching it.

And you'll smoke happily ever after.

THE BEGINNING.

Bear

themule69 · Nov 22, 2014

Happy smoken.

David

daricksta · Nov 24, 2014

mutterback said:
I feel like I'm commenting way off topic here, even though it directly relates to my original post, however as an update I did end up purchasing this unit. I almost didn't since it isquite a mess, but it fired up just fine. I got it up to 170, according to the digital read out anyways, before turning it off. I got her to take off another $20 too since it needs some serious cleaning. Thank you all for your input. It helped a lot. I'm just crossing my fingers that this one will work for awhile. If not then I'll probably wait until I can afford a Smokin-It before purchasing another smoker. Now I'm looking forward to a dry day, go figure it's Seattle, to give this thing a try. Hopefully before TG because I'd like to try smoking a turkey in it after I get a trial run in first.

I live in the Seattle area, too. This is why my smoking is restricted to spring-fall when we've got the driest, warmest weather. I've smoked a couple of times on damp nights and while I still got great results it was more of a hassle. My MES 30 stays covered and inside my garage (along with my Weber charcoal kettle grill) during the "off" season.

I lost track of which smoker you bought--was it the used MES 30? I agree that you should get the temp up to at least 215 degrees. Most people seem to smoke between 215-245. I prefer 235 degrees because of a Ray "Dr. BBQ" Lampe book I bought. I don't smoke ground beef, though. When I make burgers, I grill them or fry them in a cast iron skillet.

mutterback · Nov 24, 2014

daRicksta said:
I live in the Seattle area, too. This is why my smoking is restricted to spring-fall when we've got the driest, warmest weather. I've smoked a couple of times on damp nights and while I still got great results it was more of a hassle. My MES 30 stays covered and inside my garage (along with my Weber charcoal kettle grill) during the "off" season.

I lost track of which smoker you bought--was it the used MES 30? I agree that you should get the temp up to at least 215 degrees. Most people seem to smoke between 215-245. I prefer 235 degrees because of a Ray "Dr. BBQ" Lampe book I bought. I don't smoke ground beef, though. When I make burgers, I grill them or fry them in a cast iron skillet.

Yeah, I wish I had a covered area outside to continue smoking. I got my first smoked project in yesterday during the game though (Go Hawks!). I smoked a chicken and a fattie. :) I'll keep the 235 in mind. I had no idea what to set it at. Yes, I did get the MES 30 2nd Gen. So far; so good! :)

daricksta · Nov 25, 2014

mutterback said:
Yeah, I wish I had a covered area outside to continue smoking. I got my first smoked project in yesterday during the game though (Go Hawks!). I smoked a chicken and a fattie. :) I'll keep the 235 in mind. I had no idea what to set it at. Yes, I did get the MES 30 2nd Gen. So far; so good! :)

Go Hawks, indeed!

You're going to find the set points (temps) that you feel most comfortable with. I've arbitrarily chosen 235 but as I said just about everyone has their favorite temp or they choose a set point which might better suit what they're smoking depending on the size of the cut of meat and the target cooking time. I also own the "Smoke & Spice" book and their favorite temps are between 215-225.

I'd suggest buying one or two smoking books so that you can learn recipes and cooking techniques. Every recipe will have a suggested rub, sauce, wood type, temp, and cooking time. The fun thing about smoking is that you can tweak and change all that stuff to suit your own tastes. The books provide a baseline from which to start learning how to smoke. I also subscribe to Jeff Phillips' newsletter, which you can sign up for somewhere around here. I've yet to cook one of his recipes but he taught me the 3-2-1 technique for smoking pork ribs. I haven't bought any of his rubs or sauces because I prefer to make my own from recipes, tweaking them for my own needs if the occasion calls for it. Jeff also has a book which has gotten good reviews although I don't own it but I might buy it next year.
Was it already suggested in this thread that you get the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS)? It's what many of us use. I also buy wood pellets exclusively from Todd Johnson, who makes and sells the AMNPS and many other products. http://www.amazenproducts.com/

mutterback · Nov 26, 2014

daRicksta said:
Go Hawks, indeed!

You're going to find the set points (temps) that you feel most comfortable with. I've arbitrarily chosen 235 but as I said just about everyone has their favorite temp or they choose a set point which might better suit what they're smoking depending on the size of the cut of meat and the target cooking time. I also own the "Smoke & Spice" book and their favorite temps are between 215-225.

I'd suggest buying one or two smoking books so that you can learn recipes and cooking techniques. Every recipe will have a suggested rub, sauce, wood type, temp, and cooking time. The fun thing about smoking is that you can tweak and change all that stuff to suit your own tastes. The books provide a baseline from which to start learning how to smoke. I also subscribe to Jeff Phillips' newsletter, which you can sign up for somewhere around here. I've yet to cook one of his recipes but he taught me the 3-2-1 technique for smoking pork ribs. I haven't bought any of his rubs or sauces because I prefer to make my own from recipes, tweaking them for my own needs if the occasion calls for it. Jeff also has a book which has gotten good reviews although I don't own it but I might buy it next year.
Was it already suggested in this thread that you get the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS)? It's what many of us use. I also buy wood pellets exclusively from Todd Johnson, who makes and sells the AMNPS and many other products. http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Awesome, thanks for the links! I just might buy one or both of those books.

I ordered the AMNPS a couple of days ago, so it's on its way. I've since learned about the mailbox mod which sounds like a good idea to me. I'm interested in doing some cold smokes and some say that they get a longer burn time using a mailbox even with hot smokes by keeping it away from the element.

I appreciate all the info given so far and am eager to learn more. :)

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Masterbuilt Elite electric smoker-should I buy it?

mutterback

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rgautheir20420

Master of the Pit

mutterback

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Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP

themule69

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daricksta

Master of the Pit

mutterback

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daricksta

Master of the Pit

mutterback

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