Need advice to achieve TBS on a MES

porktaco · Sep 20, 2015

I'm looking for advice on how to achieve TBS on a 40 MES using the factory tray and a bag of apple wood chips.

By what I have read here I need to preheat the smoker up to about 260 F then add 1/4 cup of chips to the tray. After the smoke begins, then lower temps to the recommended 225-245 F. Adding chips every 30 minutes during the first 3 hours. The exhaust needs to be fully open during the entire smoking of the meat using the 3-2-1 process or a standard non foiled 6 hours of smoking the spare ribs

I am going to try a few smoke test over the next few days without meats just to get the practice.

So, am I correct not to add the chips until up to temps? Again, I'm trying to eliminate the thick white smoke that has been destroying my previous attempts.

Thanks for any tips

PorkTaco

patg · Sep 20, 2015

My first suggestion is to ditch the chips for chunks and use a skillet instead of the stock chip pan. My experience was the chips just burn way too fast to achieve the lighter smoke. The chunks do not ignite as fast making it easier to achieve the tbs. My 1st tbs came this year after a year of attempts. It takes tweaking and adjusting. Leave the vents open. This is just my experience living in Chicago, but a few guys gave me that advice when I was first starting out. As for the 321 method can't help you there haven't tackled ribs yet.

jammo · Sep 20, 2015

I have had a MES 40 three or four years, used the chip tray for a bit until reading in this forum the easier and better results from a pellet tray and their pellets from A-MAZE-N Products which is also a sponsor for us here. No turning back after two trays and one tube!

redheelerdog · Sep 20, 2015

Your going to have to bite the bullet and get the A-MAZE-N if you want perfect TBS - been there, done that.

siege · Sep 20, 2015

My smokes in my MES worked according to plan until last week. For short smokes, like chicken of fatties, the built in chip tray does the job. I always run my chips dry, and had nice thin blue smoke. I bought a bag of oak chips on line, and they produced huge amounts of white smoke. I continued the smoke with no chips while I soaked some of the oak chips for a half hour. Put the soaked chips in, got tbs, all was good.
I have an amzn pellet smoker I use it in the MES on long smokes, and use it in a mailbox mod for cold smoking. I filled it last night, cold smoked a couple of pounds of sharp cheddar for four hours, and a pound of sea salt continued on all night. There's a reason they call it Amazin' !!

chef jimmyj · Sep 21, 2015

PorkTaco said:
I'm looking for advice on how to achieve TBS on a 40 MES using the factory tray and a bag of apple wood chips.

By what I have read here I need to preheat the smoker up to about 260 F then add 1/4 cup of chips to the tray. After the smoke begins, then lower temps to the recommended 225-245 F. Adding chips every 30 minutes during the first 3 hours. The exhaust needs to be fully open during the entire smoking of the meat using the 3-2-1 process or a standard non foiled 6 hours of smoking the spare ribs

I am going to try a few smoke test over the next few days without meats just to get the practice.

So, am I correct not to add the chips until up to temps? Again, I'm trying to eliminate the thick white smoke that has been destroying my previous attempts.

Thanks for any tips

PorkTaco

To answer your question, YES. Preheat, add chips, may smoke white a little while.When smoke goes Blue add meat and reduce to the temp you want. Add more as needed. I have 2 Gen1 Mes 40's and both have used AMNPS for 4 years, really great product...

PatG said:
My first suggestion is to ditch the chips for chunks and use a skillet instead of the stock chip pan. My experience was the chips just burn way too fast to achieve the lighter smoke. The chunks do not ignite as fast making it easier to achieve the tbs. My 1st tbs came this year after a year of attempts. It takes tweaking and adjusting. Leave the vents open. This is just my experience living in Chicago, but a few guys gave me that advice when I was first starting out. As for the 321 method can't help you there haven't tackled ribs yet.

Pat. Pork Taco has an Electric Masterbuilt. No place to put a Skillet of Chunks...JJ

daveomak · Sep 21, 2015

Try preheating to a lower temp... all MES 40's are not built the same.... The distance from the chip pan to the heating element can be different......

cael · Sep 21, 2015

PorkTaco said:
I'm looking for advice on how to achieve TBS on a 40 MES using the factory tray and a bag of apple wood chips.

By what I have read here I need to preheat the smoker up to about 260 F then add 1/4 cup of chips to the tray. After the smoke begins, then lower temps to the recommended 225-245 F. Adding chips every 30 minutes during the first 3 hours. The exhaust needs to be fully open during the entire smoking of the meat using the 3-2-1 process or a standard non foiled 6 hours of smoking the spare ribs

I am going to try a few smoke test over the next few days without meats just to get the practice.

So, am I correct not to add the chips until up to temps? Again, I'm trying to eliminate the thick white smoke that has been destroying my previous attempts.

Thanks for any tips

PorkTaco

With my MES I find that the smoke is different every time. Must be temp/humidity/etc. But I always get white smoke out of the first batch of chips to go in. But if I'm still getting it on the second and third, then I just put in fewer chips at a time. That seems to make quite a difference. Then it seems to level out and I can go back to a scant 1/4 cup at a time.

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Need advice to achieve TBS on a MES

porktaco

Newbie

patg

Meat Mopper

jammo

Smoke Blower

redheelerdog

Master of the Pit

siege

Smoking Fanatic

chef jimmyj

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

daveomak

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

cael

Smoke Blower

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