MES30 help requested

ad69iuu said:

 
I'm new to the MES30 device but I have a quick question.  Does anyone use the MES30 straight out of the box with no modifications and have good results?  Everything I read is about how people have modified their smoker to actually produce decent results.  From what I am reading, the MES30 is a hunk of junk and needs to be "fixed."  That said, in the three times I have used mne, the chips catch fire and flames are shooting out of the input spout.  BTW, that is at 175 degrees with about a quarter of a cup of chips.  I am pretty much ready to ship the entire thing back, dispute all charges on my credit card and invest in a machine that does what it says it will do.

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There is nothing wrong with an MES 30, unless it's too small for the owner & the things he wishes to smoke in it.

No built in smoke generator works perfectly, and neither does the MES chip burner. Most MES owners get an "AMNPS" Amazing Smoker Smoke generator.

An MES (30 or 40) and an AMNPS makes Smoking Meat an easy thing to do.

I would look into an AMNPS & some pellets & Sawdust.

Bear

I just got a Gen1 MES30 (20070910). Today is my second use.

My AMNPS pellet tray arrived in time for my first cook, so I never used the chip tray for actually smoking food. But I did use the chip tray while seasoning the smoker the first time, at 275F. I didn't have flames shooting out, certainly! What kind of chips were you using?

Do you have an oven thermometer, or something that you could use to help confirm that the temperature is actually close to the setpoint?

I think tweaks are common, like adding the AMNPS (I got mine for $30). But people use them with chips and the included chip tray, for instance, look at the Amazon reviews.

Have you talked to Masterbuilt about your issues? I've heard pretty good things about their customer service.

Granted, I added the AMNPS and bought a 20lb bag of Lumber Jack pellets, but I'm still at $180 total, which doesn't seem too bad. There are definitely other options, but the higher-quality options, like from Smokin-It, are significantly more expensive than mine.

There is nothing  seriously wrong with the MES 30 out of the box. It *is* lacking in a number of areas that would make it a great smoker though.  To correct those deficits is why people modify their units.  All you really need to add is a good term that will give you an accurate temperature reading in the cooking chamber (CC). Nothing else is needed to produce good quality BBQ. Mind you I didn't say great quality or competition quality BBQ, just good quality BBQ and, for most, that's good enough.

BTW, if flames are shooting out of the chip tray opening try closing the tray all the way. You're giving your chips to much air. 

Is this your first rodeo when it comes to smoking?