A coupe quick questions

[three2one]

I have a Masterbuilt 30" digital BT electric (would put that in my signature - but haven't found how to do that yet - just joined).

I have a few things to learn so my questions may seem a little silly.

Q1 - Do you close the vent, leave it partially open or open all the way during smoking? I suppose it depends.

Q2 - Do you stop using the meat probe when you wrap or do you punch it through the foil. Maybe you don't use one at all and just go by time and ambient temp.

Thanks for any info.

 

[bigpapi1869]

Q2 - Do you stop using the meat probe when you wrap or do you punch it through the foil. Maybe you don't use one at all and just go by time and ambient temp.

Safety first. Always use internal temp to determine doneness. After you've wrapped a piece of meat, just unwrap the foil to take a temp. Don't puncture the wrap, as that kind of defeats the purpose. I usually wrap so that I have a spot I know can be uncovered and re-covered quickly for temping the meat. As you use your smoker more and smoke more meat, you'll get a feel for about when things should get done, so you aren't temping again and gain and again. And of course, ask around here for what people smoke certain items at and for how long. Talking with everyone here can only help.

Oh, and don't worry about silly questions. We all started somewhere.

 

[noboundaries]

Three2one, good questions.

#1.  Leave it open.  Closing the top vent can result in stale tasting smoke. 

#2.  You can poke the temp probe right through the foil.  If you are using something like a Maverick probe, it will allow you to constantly monitor the temp.  If you are using an instant read probe, you can still poke it through the foil. 

Internal temp of the meat is a guide.  For meats like lean pork and chicken, and low temp meat like steaks and roast beef, you can determine when a meat is done by the Internal temp. 

For meats that are high temp, requiring melted collagen in the muscle (brisket, chuck roasts, pork butt/shoulder), and wrapping in foil if you desire, internal temp is a guide.  How the probe feels sliding in the meat will tell you when it is done.  Any resistance, it needs to cook longer.  It should slide into the meat easily. 

 

[dirtrider73068]

When I do my bacon wrapped pork loin roast in the overn, I use my meat probe cheap one I bought at walmart, I stick it in the roast, cover the roast with the foil leaving the probe and cable for probe sticking out just wrap foil around it so I can still moniter the meat temp with out uncovering the roast. It also has a set temp mode, I can set the temp when it reaches that temp it beeps telling my internal temp has been reached.

If you have one of these type meat probes its what I would do with the smoker, is what I did when I ran my fist smoke in my MES for burgers, used the MES probe and my own to see how far off each was, and was surprised to see the MES probe read about 10 degrees hotter. So I may end up buying more meat probes like I have and not use the factory one in the smoker, it does not seem like it was built right or at the right calibration.

 

[dr k]

 
When I do my bacon wrapped pork loin roast in the overn, I use my meat probe cheap one I bought at walmart, I stick it in the roast, cover the roast with the foil leaving the probe and cable for probe sticking out just wrap foil around it so I can still moniter the meat temp with out uncovering the roast. It also has a set temp mode, I can set the temp when it reaches that temp it beeps telling my internal temp has been reached.

If you have one of these type meat probes its what I would do with the smoker, is what I did when I ran my fist smoke in my MES for burgers, used the MES probe and my own to see how far off each was, and was surprised to see the MES probe read about 10 degrees hotter. So I may end up buying more meat probes like I have and not use the factory one in the smoker, it does not seem like it was built right or at the right calibration.

Mines 10*F hotter as well in my Mes Gen 1 40".  No difference if it's in food or air.  Since my smoker is balanced with identical temps on the left and right sides with dedicated calibrated digital therms I took out the left therm and placed the mes meat probe there and kept the right one where it is.  If the meat probe is 10*f higher than the right, then I know they are both accurate for chamber therms and leave the probes there until I clean them after several smokes like the back wall sensors. I just unplug the right chamber therm that goes through the vent and leave the probe cable in the vent.  I can leave the food probe threaded through the vent but I bring it in to clean every time so that is stored indoors.

-Kurt  

 

[browneyesvictim]

3-2-1: Welcome! And great online name choice too!

I see you figured out how to update your signature. And I also see you now have a Webber IGrill2. Good call! Use that sucker! Put a probe in the meat and one for the pit temps for a much more accurate reading than what the Masterbuilt therm says. You will see it will be WAY OFF as many other members here will attest to as well.

You can wrap the probe and leave it hanging out or you can poke through the foil and leave it in. I prefer the latter.

Always- Always- Always leave the vent WIDE OPEN. Don't ever put water in your pan either like a lot of folks insist you need to do.

 

[GaryHibbert]

Yep. ALWAYS leave the top vent in a MES wide open.

When I wrap ijust poke my Maverick probe through the fiil and leave it there.

Always boil test your probes on a regular interval to test their accuracy.

Gary

 

[three2one]

Thanks for all the responses. You guys are on it. Sorry I have been missing for a couple days - extremely busy.

The one response that has really piqued my interest was from Browneyesvictim to not put water in the water pan. I'd like to hear more about that. Do you mean use something else like apple juice or nothing at all, which in my thinking is going to dry out the meat. Curious.

Once again - thanks for all the great responses.

 

[browneyesvictim]

It is well documented here on the forum that the consensus is you do not need to put ANYTHING in the water pan of your MES. The unit is insulated well enough that there is plenty of moisture retained in the unit that you will not experience any drying out of your meat. You can line your water pan with foil to make cleanup easier but no need to put anything in it.