MES 40" model 20070311 Digital with window and remote.

That's a STEAL! I paid $350, on Sale, 5 years ago. This past Christmas, they were selling for $399 on Amazon. The only issue, and it may have been fixed by now, is after a couple years use, the connectors to the coil go bad but the fix is simple...JJ

unclejhim said:

 
Thanks. I'll probably pick one up. Is this considered a Gen. 1 design?

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Yes that's the Newer Gen #1 Model.

It's a Great Smoker. I have one of those for 7 years, and the only thing I had to replace Was what JJ mentioned---a Heating Element Connector (30 cent part).

Most of them need some sort of heat deflector, because the heat wants to go straight up the right side from the element to the top vent, making the right side hotter than the left side.

All that takes is a piece of metal laying on the right side of the water pan, tilted up on the left edge.

Not a Big Deal at all.

If you get it, I can show you a Pic & how to do it.

Bear

unclejhim said:

 
 I picked up the smoker this morning it's about an hour into the pre-seasoning. The remote doesn't seem to show the numbers very good . Is that common?  Hoping to do a butt and picnic later this week.

Bear if you get a chance I'd like to see  picture of that heat deflector.

I'm also curious..... can I use pellets in the chip pan or do I need to figure out how to use the amaze in this?

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The remote should be relatively easy to read, unless maybe the Sun is on the screen.

If it's really bad, I would call Masterbuilt.

Use the maze---There's nothing like the pleasure, once you get the hang of it.

Below is the inside of my Gen #1 MES:

Due to the fact that a Gen #1 has the heating element mostly on the right, and the top vent being on the right, the normal flow of heat is from the bottom right of the Smoker straight up the right side to the top vent & out.

Heat deflector bottom right. Elevating the left edge creates more movement from right to left before rising up through the Smoker & your meat on the racks.

All it is is a piece of metal---I used aluminum sheet that I could cut with a shears. I made it almost as long as the smoker is deep, from the door to the back wall (inside), and about as wide as 1/3 of the width of the smoker inside.

Then the right edge rests on the rack holder just above the water pan, and the left side rests on the water pan. Then I fold up some Foil pan material a couple times (to be strong) and form it into a "V" a little higher than from the floor of the water pan to the deflector.

Then I can rest the left side of the deflector on the Upside down "V", and slide it left to lower & right to raise the left edge of the deflector. This will adjust the flow of heat from right to left to get more heat going up the middle & left side.

The only way you can tell the balance of heat from left to right is to have a Temp Probe on each side, and the best place to test it is at about the second rack height.

Hope this helps, if you have the normal unbalanced heat situation of the Gen #1. This is the only problem I ever found with the design of the Gen #1. The Gen #2.5 has the top vent on the right, eliminating most of this problem.


BTW: The thing on the left is a Foil Pan cut in half the long way & turned upside down above my AMNPS to protect it from drips.

Bear