Older MES

david what · Nov 24, 2015

I have an older MES 30 that i just bought a few weeks back for 40 bucks used to try my hand smoking. So far so good but i have a few questions.

Its analog and i notice on here folks talking about vents. The only vent i have is about a 3/4" hole in be back right clise to the top of the unit. Am i missing something?

I use apple chips that i soak and i get smoke for about 6 hours, yet i read on here of replacing wood every hour or so. Whats going on with that?

Drip tray? Am i suppose to have , whick i dont, so where would it go and what makes a good replacement?
TIA
David

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david what
Nov 24, 2015

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david what
Nov 24, 2015

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david what
Nov 24, 2015

bmaddox · Nov 24, 2015

Most of the posts on here are about the Masterbuilt Digital smoker which is drastically different than the analog models.

This is what it looks like new so your pics look like you got everything:

On that unit you should invest in a probe thermometer to monitor the air temp as the analog control is not that precise. Also, there is no need to soak the chips.

david what · Nov 24, 2015

Thanks BMaddox. I am looking at the newer units, what probe would you recommend?

bmaddox · Nov 25, 2015

I have a Maverick ET733 and it works great. Other members here use the iGrill and seem to be happy with it. Either one will get the job done.

brickguy221 · Nov 25, 2015

bmaddox said:
I have a Maverick ET733 and it works great. Other members here use the iGrill and seem to be happy with it. Either one will get the job done.

I know nothing about the iGrill and totally agree that the Maverick ET33 works great .... once set up .... However for people like myself that haven't used it a lot, setting it up sometimes can be a bitch because of it moving so quickly from one step to another.

daricksta · Nov 25, 2015

David What said:
I have an older MES 30 that i just bought a few weeks back for 40 bucks used to try my hand smoking. So far so good but i have a few questions.

Its analog and i notice on here folks talking about vents. The only vent i have is about a 3/4" hole in be back right clise to the top of the unit. Am i missing something?

I use apple chips that i soak and i get smoke for about 6 hours, yet i read on here of replacing wood every hour or so. Whats going on with that?

Drip tray? Am i suppose to have , whick i dont, so where would it go and what makes a good replacement?
TIA
David

20151108_170754.jpg

david what

Nov 24, 2015

20151108_170805.jpg

david what

Nov 24, 2015

20151103_161007.jpg

david what

Nov 24, 2015

I suggest you stop soaking the wood chips. Considerable research has proven wet chips do not last longer nor produce more smoke than dry wood chips. Besides, Masterbuilt doesn't recommend soaking them before placing them inside the smoker.

I don't know how long wood chips last in an analog MES. I own the digital version and long ago when I was using wood chips I was replenishing them every 20-30 minutes. The MES 30 digital has a top vent so it was easy to see when the volume of rising from the vent lessened to zero. Then it was time to add more chips. I use wood pellets in a tray specially designed for them and they work far better than wood chips.

All that being said, if that's you in the photo with all the smoking meat you definitely know what you're doing.

david what · Nov 26, 2015

DaRicksta, that's me, and I have no clue what I'm doing but I do research a lot. Lol
A turkey and Turkey breast going right now. First time for a turkey and a few hours to go. But they look good.

20151126_103645.jpg

david what
Nov 26, 2015

daricksta · Nov 26, 2015

David What said:
DaRicksta, that's me, and I have no clue what I'm doing but I do research a lot. Lol
A turkey and Turkey breast going right now. First time for a turkey and a few hours to go. But they look good.

20151126_103645.jpg

david what

Nov 26, 2015

David, I smoked my first boneless turkey breast in my MES 30 using wood pellets last summer and it turned out great. We got a free 12 lb. turkey from a supermarket last week and that's what I'm going to smoke next summer.

What did you use for wood smoke? I'm not seeing any wood chips or pellets. Were they outside the photo frame? I know that the wood chip holder is in a little compartment below the heating element. You've got to open the smoker door to put more chips in.

david what · Nov 26, 2015

20151126_151107.jpg

david what
Nov 26, 2015

DaRicksta, the wood box is in the lower right and sits in its own rack with the water tray. Really can't see it in the last pic I posted. Scroll up to the first pic I posted in this thread and you can see it a little to the right of the water tray.
I am using apple chips that I soak for a few minutes. Yeah everyone says no need to soak them, but they are still putting out smoke 6 hours into this.

daricksta · Nov 27, 2015

David What said:
20151126_151107.jpg

david what

Nov 26, 2015

DaRicksta, the wood box is in the lower right and sits in its own rack with the water tray. Really can't see it in the last pic I posted. Scroll up to the first pic I posted in this thread and you can see it a little to the right of the water tray.
I am using apple chips that I soak for a few minutes. Yeah everyone says no need to soak them, but they are still putting out smoke 6 hours into this.

It's interesting that the chips are still smoking away after that length of time, David. Perhaps it's all in the design of the wood chip drawer. You're right, I couldn't see it but I knew it should be there. I think with your next smoke you should experiment with using dry wood chips to see if they still smoke as long.

jted · Nov 29, 2015

David, I am like Rick about the chips lasting 6 hours. Me I don't think I would change as thing. As it was said the digital goes through chips so fast a whole industry evolved to counter that. Todd Johnson developed a smoking tray to burn hard wood pellets in. About the drip pan you need one. The grease dripping will damage the unprotected element. Most folks use a foil pan lined with foil so it can be used more than 3 times. Use a foil pan that will allow the heat to rise You need a couple of inches of open area around it. For 40 dollars you have the start of a great hobby one that feeds you at the end of the day.

There are a few things you can do to modify your smoker to make it more user friendly. You can use the trusty search bar for analog modifications. Jted

david what · Dec 2, 2015

Thanks everyone. I think the key to how long the smoke lasts is the lid on the chip box. I will try dry chips this weekend.another question. When I pull the controller of the unit water drips out of it. Whats the cause of that you think?

daricksta · Dec 3, 2015

David What said:
Thanks everyone. I think the key to how long the smoke lasts is the lid on the chip box. I will try dry chips this weekend.another question. When I pull the controller of the unit water drips out of it. Whats the cause of that you think?

I don't know much about the analog smokers. But I'm wondering if the insulation has been compromised at all, allowing the moisture buildup inside the smoker to seep into the slot or whatever the controller is inserted into? So my guess is that that moisture inside the smoker is leaking into where the controller goes and condenses on the controller. With the digital the controller is pre-installed either on the top or in the front so that's never an issue.

david what · Dec 4, 2015

I think I will tilt that side up a little and see what happens

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