Anyone with a LEM Mighty Bite Smoker?

[Mauritius]

Hi all,

Got an early Christmas present last weekend in the shape of a LEM mighty bite smoker. After seasoning it I tried to smoke some summer sausage & kielbasa on it and had a pretty horrible time of it. Ambient temperature was around 45 degrees. I was having temperature swings of around 60 degrees - it'd fire up to around 170/180 and then drop to 110/120 over the next 10 minutes before kicking back on. If I cranked it any higher I started getting into the danger zone around 190/200, still with 60 degree swings. I understand temperature variance is to be expected, but this seems a bit extreme to me.

I ended up running like this for a few hours and then shutting it down and cold smoking with an AMNPS for an hour or two before finishing with the sous vide (which saved the day). Finished product was great, but this is not the smoke I was looking for. It must be a very new product because there is zero information available about it online.

LEM customer support is being less than helpful - "yes, that's normal" and "you have to pay return postage for a refund" - 75% of what it cost in the first place. So I'm wondering how to salvage the situation if LEM won't take it back. I have a #22 LEM grinder and 5lb stuffer and love them, but I'm starting to think this one was a mistake.

I've debated adding a PID controller, but that costs basically as much as the unit did originally. And I'm scared of what that might do to the element. Plus at that point I'd be halfway to a smokin-it 3D.

Has anyone else had experience with this smoker? Advice is welcome. Thanks!

 

[ol smoky]

To me good customer support is one of the most important things a company needs to have. Lem does not have this and for that reason I will never purchase anything electrical or mechanical made by lem again. EVER. I have no experience with this smoker but 60 degrees is unacceptable and in my book not normal. Good luck.

 

[old sarge]

As for salvaging, a water heater blanket might help from an insulation standpoint but if the controller and cabinet probe are way off, insulting won't help. A lot of analog smokers work off a bulb and capillary (B&C) thermostat/controller so swings can be kind of wild. Sometimes the knob can be adjusted to more accurately reflect a particular set temp. Smokin-it and SmokinTex (great smokers!) have analog controllers but their swings are in the 20 to 30 degree range high and low. Did you mount your digital thermometer at the same location as the built in probe? B&C systems act differently than than digital, kind of slow.

Here is a link to the LEM store locator. There may be a dealer near by, just punch in your zip code. Worth a shot.
http://www.lemproducts.com/store_locator

If you are going to be doing primarily sausage, and have the funds, here are two smokers with good reputations. Plenty of hanging room.


https://www.psseasoning.com/products/pro-smoker-model-pk-100?variant=1071305883
Next link has specs but no pricing:

https://pro-smoker.com/products/model-pk-100ss




https://www.sausagemaker.com/30-lb-Digital-Stainless-Steel-Smoker-p/19-1011.htm

Good luck.

 

[dward51]

A PID controller should not impact the heating element at all. The element is made to run "full on" when the smoker is set to high, and a PID will actually be gentler on the element than an analog thermostat (gentle pulses of power vs sessions of full on heat).

In looking at the limited images of the LEM smoker in the user manual, it appears it is your basic analog controlled smoker. So if you bought an Auber Instrument "plug-n-play" or "all in one" prebuilt PID controller in a box, it should be as simple as turning the thermostat on the smoker to high/full on, and then plugging the main cord into the Auber controller box. That is the way I'm running my heavily modified MES 30 Analog which I call the MES Custom SS.

I would invest in a PID controller (or build one) before I lost money sending it back to LEM unless they actually want to step up and address your problems (which they should be doing). A 60 degree swing is not normal no matter what the dweeb on the customer support line tried to tell you. Shame on them.

I would bet you get excellent performance with the Auber PID, but adding insulation is always an option, but you are going to be deconstructing the cabinet to do that. It can be done, and that is what I did with my MES Analog, but it takes planning and some work depending on the construction of the LEM smoker body.

Here is my mod of a bottom of the line MES 30 analog to give you some ideas of what I'm talking about. I like the looks of the LEM element placement and the smoke stack. It "should" be a good smoker with a decent controller.

https://smokingmeatforums.com/threads/mes-custom-ss-model-mods-pic-heavy.264396/

This is the Auber "plug-n-play" controller I'm using. Basically the analog smoker cord plugs into the back of the PID box and the PID runs the show. No modification to the element or power cord needed (it appears this would be the same on the LEM). 6 programmable steps so you can set the entire sausage or stick smoke up ahead of time. I use a pellet tray for my smoke source as it does not need the heating element to produce smoke.

 

[tallbm]

Hi all,

Got an early Christmas present last weekend in the shape of a LEM mighty bite smoker. After seasoning it I tried to smoke some summer sausage & kielbasa on it and had a pretty horrible time of it. Ambient temperature was around 45 degrees. I was having temperature swings of around 60 degrees - it'd fire up to around 170/180 and then drop to 110/120 over the next 10 minutes before kicking back on. If I cranked it any higher I started getting into the danger zone around 190/200, still with 60 degree swings. I understand temperature variance is to be expected, but this seems a bit extreme to me.

I ended up running like this for a few hours and then shutting it down and cold smoking with an AMNPS for an hour or two before finishing with the sous vide (which saved the day). Finished product was great, but this is not the smoke I was looking for. It must be a very new product because there is zero information available about it online.

LEM customer support is being less than helpful - "yes, that's normal" and "you have to pay return postage for a refund" - 75% of what it cost in the first place. So I'm wondering how to salvage the situation if LEM won't take it back. I have a #22 LEM grinder and 5lb stuffer and love them, but I'm starting to think this one was a mistake.

I've debated adding a PID controller, but that costs basically as much as the unit did originally. And I'm scared of what that might do to the element. Plus at that point I'd be halfway to a smokin-it 3D.

Has anyone else had experience with this smoker? Advice is welcome. Thanks!

Hi there and welcome!

After the warranty was up I would rewire and use a PID controller. Yeah its a good chunk of money but it is likely that you will have 100% of the temp control you desire rather than running to another product and potentially having the swings again.

In the end what matters is that you get the desired behavior you are looking for. I would almost guarantee that you wouldn't think about the cost the moment you realize the control you have and ability you have to make smoked products exactly the way you want them to turn out :)

This is coming from a guy who has probably put $400 of mods into an MES I think I paid $200 for lol. I couldn't be happier with how things have turned out and the super high quality food I'm producing :)

 

[Mauritius]

Wow thanks for the great info everyone! I'm expecting a call back from a LEM customer support manager today to discuss the situation. The fact that they wouldn't offer any solutions besides "that's normal" or "send it back" is what bugs me. I can't even use the thing to follow the instructions that it came with. "Set it at 140", hah!

sarge - I did my temperature readings using my trusty Maverick thermometer, I tried multiple probes to rule that out. I put it in four different places and got fairly consistent results, including the bottom where I believe the build-in probe is. I agree with your analysis - the thermostat/controller are just slow. I'm hoping they will agree to replace some of those components. The knob on the thing is super cheap feeling. It has 15+ degrees of play to it (like driving my dad's old ford) and there aren't any numbers, just high and low. I can turn it up and down and hear the element kick on/off but the exact position of the dial is pretty hard to determine since it flops around so much. And the point at which the element engages seems to vary. It's not really a deal breaker because it comes up to temp so fast I can dial it in pretty quick, but adjusting it might be futile.

I'm a solid hour from a LEM store, but I'll check that out next time I'm in an area with one. And thanks for the recommendations. I've been eyeballing a smokin-it similar to yours, but I was just reading some about the difficulties smoking sausage (requires the jerky fan). I am primarily going electric for sausage. I have two freezers full of venison and am tired of paying the butcher to make something I know I could do better and faster myself. Pretty sure if I had a unit I could trust to run overnight lazy Q style I'd use it more for other cooks. I have a WSM and kettle I use for hot smokes, and a little chief for cold smokes, I'm missing something in the middle.

dward51 - Great info. That PID controller is exactly the one I was looking at. I've read all over how well it works for MES and Bradley smokers. I think it'd work given the simple analog nature of the LEM smoker. And I'm glad to hear I'm not risking the element - although I'm sure those are cheap to replace. I don't think I'm going to tear it apart to redo the insulation. And I don't really want to mess with wrapping it in something. If LEM won't try to fix it or give me a decent refund I'll just re-purpose it as a cold smoker with an AMNPS, it works pretty well for that, and it's a big upgrade from what I currently have.

tallbm - Thanks! If LEM won't play ball then I'm sure not worried about the warranty. I am thinking a plug-and-play PID like the one dward51 mentioned is what I'd get if I go that route. And you're absolutely right - I need a certain level of control so I can repeatedly crank out the goods. What I have now is not gonna do it!

 

[tallbm]

Oh wow it's an Electric Analog smoker. Well the Plug n Play that dward51 is talking about is about as simple and painless as you can go. Just make sure you get one that can handle the wattage of your smoker. So if you have a 1200watt smoker the 1500watt capable Plug n Play PID would do the job with room to spare :)

Best of luck!

 

[Mauritius]

Agreed! I'm looking at a WS-1510ELPM or WS-1510DPMS. Looks like they handle up to 1800W which is well within range of what my smoker's rated at (1450W) and they're a little cheaper than I expected. Plus I can probably use the ELPM model to run a fridge when I finally get around to building a curing chamber.

 

[Mauritius]

Hi all,

Just wanted to add some closure here. LEM customer service sucks a big one, they never called back and repeated calls to them yielded no better results than I got on day 1. Don't buy this smoker unless you want to drop some extra Benjamins on an external controller.

The good news is that the Auber PID controllers kick serious butt. I ended up getting the WS-1510ELPM for about $150 from Auber. Currently holding rock solid at 130F +/- 2 degrees with an ambient temp of 46F. Wooo hoo!!! I will post another thread with my testing results once I wrap up tonight.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

 

[dward51]

I would not totally give up on LEM. We are in a holiday week still. Try them after about Wednesday of next week.

 

[old sarge]

Mauritius - Regarding LEM customer service, it is unfortunate that you needed assistance at this time of the year (Christmas). I have personally found them very responsive and positive but then it was during a less busy time of year.

Good to know the Auber is giving you good tight control of the temperature. Auber was chosen a few years back to develop the PID controller for the Smokin-it line of smokers. Pretty solid units. Enjoy! And have a happy new year. David

 

[tallbm]

Hi all,

Just wanted to add some closure here. LEM customer service sucks a big one, they never called back and repeated calls to them yielded no better results than I got on day 1. Don't buy this smoker unless you want to drop some extra Benjamins on an external controller.

The good news is that the Auber PID controllers kick serious butt. I ended up getting the WS-1510ELPM for about $150 from Auber. Currently holding rock solid at 130F +/- 2 degrees with an ambient temp of 46F. Wooo hoo!!! I will post another thread with my testing results once I wrap up tonight.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

Congrats!!! The PID controller is definitely the way to go. It handles the job no fuss and keeps things about as precise as you can ask for.
You are now able to do sausage and bacon and other some temp swing sensitive meats without issue! :)

 

[forkin pork]

You know what my friend, you may have to chalk this one up to a bad purchase. Don't even begin to feel bad about it, we have all been there, and if anyone says different, they are liars.
Look we all make mistakes, and this sounds like one of them, it not the end of the world.
I never owned a LEMS product, and don't think I ever will.
Personally, there are much better products on the market, and next time, ask some of us in here.
So, I don't know how you can make the best of this poor cooker, I've owned a few. Do what you can and move on!
Hopefully, LEMS will work with you.
I wish you the best of luck, and welcome to the club.

 

[dr k]

Hi all,

Just wanted to add some closure here. LEM customer service sucks a big one, they never called back and repeated calls to them yielded no better results than I got on day 1. Don't buy this smoker unless you want to drop some extra Benjamins on an external controller.

The good news is that the Auber PID controllers kick serious butt. I ended up getting the WS-1510ELPM for about $150 from Auber. Currently holding rock solid at 130F +/- 2 degrees with an ambient temp of 46F. Wooo hoo!!! I will post another thread with my testing results once I wrap up tonight.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

Congrats!!! The PID controller is definitely the way to go. It handles the job no fuss and keeps things about as precise as you can ask for.
You are now able to do sausage and bacon and other some temp swing sensitive meats without issue! :)

In another thread I mentioned I read the WS1510ELPM Auber PID manual yesterday. I don't need it yet but I also downloaded my car manual and read it before I buy. It seems like right out of the box the default parameters are good to go. I have the Mes Gen 1 40 with an exposed element because I took the chip housing assembly out and have the mailbox mod. So is it good to go out of the box without auto tuning? And is each step out of the six per cook maxed at 999 minutes? Setting the last step at 145*F for holding is nice.

 

[Mauritius]

Thanks everyone! I just posted another thread with my testing results (a resounding success) which should pop up shortly.

Re: LEM and customer service - I've pretty much given up, partly because they weren't willing to do anything besides have me pay return shipping, and partly because it was a gift and I wanted to make it work. I have a beast of a #22 grinder and 5lb stuffer from them and they're awesome. So I'm not giving up on LEM, I just think this product is a bit of a dud by design and there's no way it would work to the level I needed consistently. Plenty of other smokers have similar problems. If MES and Bradley worked perfectly out of the box this forum would be half empty :)

Re: the Auber PID - it works wonders, see my other thread for info on that. I didn't have to tune it or anything. I haven't used the programming features yet, and I may never need them. I just set it to hold a single temp and it did that perfectly.

 

[old sarge]

Thanks everyone! I just posted another thread with my testing results (a resounding success) which should pop up shortly.

Re: LEM and customer service - I've pretty much given up, partly because they weren't willing to do anything besides have me pay return shipping, and partly because it was a gift and I wanted to make it work. I have a beast of a #22 grinder and 5lb stuffer from them and they're awesome. So I'm not giving up on LEM, I just think this product is a bit of a dud by design and there's no way it would work to the level I needed consistently. Plenty of other smokers have similar problems. If MES and Bradley worked perfectly out of the box this forum would be half empty :)

Re: the Auber PID - it works wonders, see my other thread for info on that. I didn't have to tune it or anything. I haven't used the programming features yet, and I may never need them. I just set it to hold a single temp and it did that perfectly.

Truth be told, many folks who spent far more on a Smokin-it or a SmokinTex electric smoker wanted tighter temps as well and just could not abide by the 20+ degree swings and went to Auber for a solution or built their own PID. I cannot imagine a 60 degree swing.

I got a real kick out of your comment regarding Bradley and MES.

I'm looking at getting a new grinder. Maybe the #12 or the #8 from LEM. Good to know you are happy with yours.

Have a good new year and happy smoking.

 

[tallbm]

In another thread I mentioned I read the WS1510ELPM Auber PID manual yesterday. I don't need it yet but I also downloaded my car manual and read it before I buy. It seems like right out of the box the default parameters are good to go. I have the Mes Gen 1 40 with an exposed element because I took the chip housing assembly out and have the mailbox mod. So is it good to go out of the box without auto tuning? And is each step out of the six per cook maxed at 999 minutes? Setting the last step at 145*F for holding is nice.

I think the Auber PID is pretty close out of the box without autotuning.
I would autotune anyhow as it only takes like an hour and a half and it is very very accurate.

I belive each step maxes out to 999 minutes but if I remember correctly there is no "OFF" feature so it will continue to run but you won't have any alerts or additional steps triggered once 999 minutes is exceeded and the step is the last/only step being used. Key to rememver is that the PID WON'T turn itself off... you must do that manually.

Setting the last step to 145F hold should work indefinitely :)

Let me know if I explained this well :)