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  1. redoctobyr

    Best wireless thermometer for the buck?

    That sounds like a pretty good deal, for a wireless and instant combo. I paid about $44 shipped for my TP-20 (dual-probe wireless) on eBay. I do like having the two probes, one for meat, the other for the smoker's temp. I also have an instant digital from another brand, it's a great tool to...
  2. redoctobyr

    To clean or not to clean

    Have you had any issues with corrosion or damage, with putting the racks in the dishwasher? That would be a convenient way to clean them, but I thought I'd seen some people talk about possibly damaging the chrome plating, by running them through the dishwasher. I've only used mine a few times...
  3. redoctobyr

    Where to set up my smoker

    I've wondered about this too. I have a MES30 Gen1, the body seems to simply get warm during use, even at 275F. I don't worry about it igniting anything during normal use, I currently have it on my deck. My only concern is, if something went wrong (it caught fire for whatever reason, either an...
  4. redoctobyr

    Lowe's MES30

    I got a basic digital Gen1 MES 30 (20070910) from Amazon for $140 a few weeks ago. It's my first smoker, but I'm liking it so far. Some people report trouble with the controllers, others seem to be fine.  Mods don't seem *required*. It's not a mod, per se, but a lot of people (myself included)...
  5. redoctobyr

    new to the group and to smokers

    That seems like a pretty good idea to me. Especially if you make the high-temperature portion significantly smaller than the low-temperature portion. That would increase the W/ft^3 for the high-temperature side, helping you reach higher temperatures, assuming you used the same-wattage heater for...
  6. redoctobyr

    new to the group and to smokers

    For smoking temperatures, for pork shoulders, and beef brisket, ranges like 225-250 seem to be mentioned often. But I'm new at this, those may not be ideal temperatures, or the typical suggested temperatures that you'd often want to reach. In terms of heater wattage, I can't tell you how much...
  7. redoctobyr

    Dutch's "Wicked Baked Beans"

    Dutch, thank you for sharing this. I made them yesterday for the first time, they were delicious! I made a single batch, and started light. 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, and 1/2 Tbsp dry ground mustard. I'd be fine with a little more heat, so next time I may try 2 jalapenos, and maybe reduce the...
  8. redoctobyr

    First smoke in MES 30 with AMNPS, ended up with charred black pellets... Why?

    Interestingly, I ran mine again yesterday. Same basic setup as the previous use, dried pellets, chip loader tube pulled out a little, shield over the pellet tray, no water in the pan. I did have the top vent half-open for a while, as it was breezy, vs fully-open on the previous runs.  But...
  9. redoctobyr

    First smoke in MES 30 with AMNPS, ended up with charred black pellets... Why?

    What model smoker? I just got the 20070910, with an AMNPS, and am using Lumber Jack MHC pellets. My water pan is dry, and I have a foil shield over the AMNPS, so nothing drips on it. The pellet tray was to the left of the heater element, since it's a Gen1 unit. I leave the top vent open fully...
  10. redoctobyr

    Holy crap, why is the MES 40" gen 2.5 SOOO bad with temps?

    So, when the temperature spiked again, what was the smoker's display showing? Did it acknowledge that it was way over-temperature? If it still displayed 224F (or whatever), but had actually risen 20+ degrees, maybe it's not sensing correctly for some reason. I've only used mine twice. But last...
  11. redoctobyr

    Holy crap, why is the MES 40" gen 2.5 SOOO bad with temps?

    I just got a Gen1 MES30. Its temperature swings are much smaller than yours, sorry yours is acting so strangely. After mine settled in, with a 275F setpoint, and the unit empty (including no water in the pan), I saw it range between 276 and 290. What does the smoker report for temperatures...
  12. redoctobyr

    Master Built 40" smoker heat problem

    I just got a smaller MES 30, Gen1. But from what I understand, the unit's heater is also heating the chips, to make them smoke. The lower the setpoint, the less the heater has to run, so the less heat applied to the chips, to make them smoke. I got an AMNPS tray for mine, which burns...
  13. redoctobyr

    converting to electric

    Are you talking about soldering the wires to the spade connectors visible in those plastic plugs? I'd be a bit leery of soldering directly to those, you might melt the plastic connector. I'd be more inclined to keep spade connectors on them, crimped to the wires, like what appears to be done...
  14. redoctobyr

    Weber changed the iGrill App and it Sucks!

    Wow, I'm sorry to hear that something good got all messed up. At least for Android, there are some websites that will make old versions of apps available. Sometimes your phone might also have an old copy, if you are using some backup software. So there might be a way to use a previous...
  15. redoctobyr

    MES Mailbox Mod

    Very nice, I like the vent control on the front! I realized a straightforward way to raise the AMNPS off the ground would be to clip 4 binder clips to the vertical metal "beams" underneath it. No drilling, etc, required. Not as robust as running bolts out the bottom, but stainless can be...
  16. redoctobyr

    Different Questions for Different Smokers

    I just got my first smoker and AMNPS, so I'm new. I've seen the microwave suggestion, for drying pellets. I tried something different, I already had a reusable silica gel desiccant container, like this: I bought it several years ago, but they're under $10, and be dried and re-activated in...
  17. redoctobyr

    MES Mailbox Mod

    I actually have a toolbox on order, and some aluminum ducting. If I could find a simple mailbox, that would be nice (front-opening door, smoke exiting at the back, etc etc). But I'll use the toolbox (and hopefully post results) if I can't find a suitable, non-galvanized mailbox.
  18. redoctobyr

    MES Mailbox Mod

    Thank you for the reply. We don't have Menards around here, but I'll check Lowe's. It would be nice to find an option that wasn't galvanized, and was widely available (ideally also inexpensive). Apparently aluminum mailboxes used to be available (I believe by Gibraltar, at least), but I had...
  19. redoctobyr

    Is a 2nd generation used MES 40" worth $100?

    Cool, $150 for a 40" and AMNPS sounds like a good deal, enjoy it! Did you get different types of pellets?
  20. redoctobyr

    MES 40" w/Bluetooth Questions

    What sort of criteria are you using for whether it's "set and forget"? I'm new at this, I just got a Gen1 MES30, no Bluetooth or anything. But I added an AMNPS, and a TP-20 dual-probe wireless thermometer. This weekend I used it for a 12 hour cook. The AMNPS produced smoke for 10 hours before...
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