I generally don't get any smoke below 200, I have to use a AMPS or the Char-Broiler tube for lower temp smokes like Jerky.
No not really, I have 2 left hands as it is and they are wrecked too! I bought this electric to learn how to smoke, I hope to take the leap into the charcoal/wood world soon.Thanks for the info. Have u ever thought about adding some more vent holes?
I don't see where a warming mode is necessary. When I'm done smoking I like the unit to shut itself off. Also, when I'm done smoking ribs, I take them out and let them rest on the kitchen cutting board for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. For a brisket, I wrap it in foil and place it in an empty cooler with towels or newspapers on top of the brisket and, if I have the time, just let it rest for a couple of hours
One thing I like about that Char-Broil smoker is that it cooks the meat to the desired temp and then the smoker goes into warming mode! I don't think Masterbuilt has that feature, you set a temp you want it to run at and then a timer for how many hours, which makes no sense to me. If I would have known that I think I may have gone with the Char-broil as well! One thing I like better on the Masterbuilt though is the optional cold smoking unit you can hookup up to it, but it seems more people go with the A-MAZE-N Maze tray for the smoke. Also get a 1 year warranty with the Char-Broil vs 90 days with Masterbuilt.
Hi Jeff I don't have this smoker I have the Gen 1 40" Masterbuilt electric smoker. Some one will hopefully help with your questions. The MES have a controller sensor and a flat round snap switch emergency shut off sensor incase the smoker gets too hot. This emergency sensor says 150C on the face = 302F. MES smokers heat between 100-275F so if yours smoker goes to 150C or 302F but should not go this high, the sensor may have tripped shutting off power to the heating element and has to cool down before resetting to allow electricity to the element . Some MES smokers only get to 275F or less some as high as yours which may be a great thing. Just set it lower. Most of us get a digital two probe thermometer with one probe in the food chamber and the other in the meat. Since these can be boil/ice water tested you can see if these are calibrated correctly. If the therm is showing a good boiling reading at your altitude then set the smoker according to this therm and not by the stock controller sensor since they tend to be inaccurate and not where your food is.
.... hi all,
as another datapoint the oven has switched down to three bleeps and after 3 hours the internal temp is only 73 (target 90) and the cave is reduced from 160 to 80. Is this all normal or do I have a faulty unit?
Thanks.
Jeff
Kurt,
Hi Jeff I don't have this smoker I have the Gen 1 40" Masterbuilt electric smoker. Some one will hopefully help with your questions. The MES have a controller sensor and a flat round snap switch emergency shut off sensor incase the smoker gets too hot. This emergency sensor says 150C on the face = 302F. MES smokers heat between 100-275F so if yours smoker goes to 150C or 302F but should not go this high, the sensor may have tripped shutting off power to the heating element and has to cool down before resetting to allow electricity to the element . Some MES smokers only get to 275F or less some as high as yours which may be a great thing. Just set it lower. Most of us get a digital two probe thermometer with one probe in the food chamber and the other in the meat. Since these can be boil/ice water tested you can see if these are calibrated correctly. If the therm is showing a good boiling reading at your altitude then set the smoker according to this therm and not by the stock controller sensor since they tend to be inaccurate and not where your food is.
-Kurt
UkJeff, so it looks like you solved your non-heating cave problem, or have you? Anyway, you just described why I stopped using wood chips years ago. They burn up too quickly and need to be replenished about ever 20-30 minutes. Way too much work. I use wood pellets in my electric smoker. Many of us on SMF buy pellet smokers from A-MAZE-N Products. I don't know if they ship to the UK or not but you should be able to find similar products there. Wood pellets burn longer and, in my opinion, provide better wood smoke flavor.
Kurt,
Thanks for your reply. I've decided to accept defeat and simply use time and temp using some probes. I had a good day today, pre-heated manually as I think the inbuilt heats too high. As the wood chips are smallthey then burn off too quickly so I put them in later to time their smoke start to just before the proteins go. Thanks again