Beginning to hate my MES40

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People say pellet grills don't have good smoke profile . Not true with a Weber SmokeFire .

I used to burn wood chips in the tube mixed with pellets way back when . I've since gutted the 30 and use wood chunks for higher temp cooks . Lower temp stuff gets the tube .
Works great . This is what it likes . Any more , or bigger and it doesn't
want to burn .
View attachment 705528
Burns nice and clean .
View attachment 705529


Great idea , and put an Auber controller on the 40 . I resisted as it seemed not to make sense .
You have a diamond in the rough right now . The best part of an MES is the insulated Cabinet .
Is that the original MES lower plate holding those chunks. The lower plate that got removed when you gutted to go exposed element???
 
Is that the original MES lower plate holding those chunks. The lower plate that got removed when you gutted to go exposed element???
That's the removable chip tray . Slides out so you can dump the ash . I gutted everything , but leave that tray in there to cover the element .
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I dont do much smoking anymore, mostly just to keep myself in good pastrami, maybe some ribs once in a while...some trout when I'm gifted it. But when I was using my MES30 more I discovered the element/chip tray issue as well.

I only use chips for the first period of time on a smoke (depends on what I'm smoking, my wife doesn't like too strong of a smoke flavor.) and dont set the smoker and, say, leave and be somewhere else away from the house/property. I seem to average about 45 minutes per load. And I drop two loaders of chips in each time, not just one. It really doesn't bother me to add chips at that interval rate. Even if I'm outside working on something its not a big deal to walk over and load it.

I stopped smoking in the heat of the summer some years ago because of the element not cycling on. The insulated box is so efficient, when it's 90 degrees outside it can reach and hold temp for a long time. Like you, I didn't want to have to add appendages to a smoker that was supposed to be designed to work. It doesn't kill me to not smoke for a couple months out of the year. I hate hot weather anyway!

I did find a temporary solution to the element issue though. I have a MAPP gas torch with a pistol style igniter. I just pull the loader out of the hole and blast torch flame on to the chips to keep them smoldering. It doesn't take long enough to cause any damage to anything. Maybe 5 seconds at a time?

The display thing would bug me too. I haven't had that issue yet.
 
I added the Auber PID a few years ago and it was a game changer. Also did the chip tray removal as Rich recommended. That enabled me to use wood chunks as well. Add the Cold Smoke attachment and the tube and I'm very happy with the performance as well as the flavors. I tried a Pitboss pellet a few years ago and didn't like the results. Went back to the MES 40 and haven't looked back.
 
Every time I smoke my experience gets worse and worse. The way this MES40 is set up is not conducive to productive smoking.

The tiny little chip tray holds enough wood to smoke for about 20 minutes. That's a lot of babysitting for a 4-16 hour smoke. (Yes I know I can hook some sort of mod to it, but then why don't I just build my own from the ground up?).

The chips keep going out because the temp reaches the set point and then the element turns off, but many times it doesn't give the fresh chips time to ignite. So it sits with no smoke until I check it. (Yes I know I can use my AMNPS, but what's the sense of having a chip tray?).

The stupid display is almost unreadable. The 7 segment display is down to about 4 segments each. Is it 240, 230, 250? I don't know. (Yes I know I can drop a probe through the top to monitor, but what's the point of having the MES controller?).

I'm trying to smoke a pork loin for Cuban sandwiches later tonight and I'm about ready to say screw it and throw it in the oven and take the MES40 to the curb for pick up.

Sorry, had to vent to someone, and the wife is sick of me complaining about it. So you all get to hear it LOL. Thanks for listening.
:emoji_angry::emoji_poop:
Switch to an East Oak. Much bigger chip tray and, in my opinion, better temperature control. The smoke last for a few hours before you have to add more chips. I've done multiple briskets (8-10 hour smoke) and they've all come out great. The only downside is they don't make a 40" model. Hopefully soon.
 
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Talking about smoke flavor becomes a subjective discussion based upon the individual's preferences. Some prefer stronger smoke flavor other prefer smoke that allows the protein flavor to still be prevalent and there are levels to that as well. All of them are paths to getting it the way you like it. For me, I enjoy the aroma of smoked meat that also allows the protein flavor to shine through. Love the chunks Rich!
I agree. I too prefer that the flavor of the meat come through first, with a more subtle smokiness. I guess that's what I was trying to convey. I feel that the pellets give a less "authentic" smoke than wood chunks (that I've had elsewhere). But maybe it's my preference because it allowed the meat flavor to come through more?
 
I agree. I too prefer that the flavor of the meat come through first, with a more subtle smokiness. I guess that's what I was trying to convey. I feel that the pellets give a less "authentic" smoke than wood chunks (that I've had elsewhere). But maybe it's my preference because it allowed the meat flavor to come through more?
Also keep in mind the pellets and pellet brand matters.

Most pellet companies that list the wood on the bag like "Hickory" are not giving you 100% hickory. You might get getting 20-35% Hickory and then the rest is Oak or Alder or some other milder wood.

This is super common and very annoying. Also this is the reason why Lumberjack Pellets and a few others are so beloved. Lumberjack will be 100% of the wood on the label unless they identify the bag as a "blend". With blends they will identify what is in the blend and I THINK they even identify the % of other woods in the blend.

So if you want more smoke flavor then a 100% Hickory or 100% Apple or 100% XYZ is good to know you are using. I buy only pellets that are 100% of the wood on the label and then make my own blends. Lumberjack used to do almost all woods in 100% but these days they don't do 100% Apple or 100% Mesquite anymore. I was able to find an alternate 100% Mesquite in my state (we have lots of mesquite trees) so thank goodness I can source 100% Mesquite pellets for my beef smokes.
Before Lumber Jack stopped doing 100% Apple I think I bought about 60 pound and I go through it slowly so will be good for a while there.

I hope this info helps :D
 
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I will add this,if you're looking for good smoke flavor from a pellet I very highly recommend pecan shell pellets. Game changer for me when using them in the tube with my MES.They burn great as dust also.
 
CookinPellets Perfect Mix Natural Hardwood Hickory, Cherry, Hard Maple, and Apple BBQ Grill Wood Pellets for Pellet Grill and Pellet Smoker, 40 Lb Bag https://a.co/d/1ng4oxb

These are great pellets for just about everything.
 
Also keep in mind the pellets and pellet brand matters.

Most pellet companies that list the wood on the bag like "Hickory" are not giving you 100% hickory. You might get getting 20-35% Hickory and then the rest is Oak or Alder or some other milder wood.

This is super common and very annoying. Also this is the reason why Lumberjack Pellets and a few others are so beloved. Lumberjack will be 100% of the wood on the label unless they identify the bag as a "blend". With blends they will identify what is in the blend and I THINK they even identify the % of other woods in the blend.

So if you want more smoke flavor then a 100% Hickory or 100% Apple or 100% XYZ is good to know you are using. I buy only pellets that are 100% of the wood on the label and then make my own blends. Lumberjack used to do almost all woods in 100% but these days they don't do 100% Apple or 100% Mesquite anymore. I was able to find an alternate 100% Mesquite in my state (we have lots of mesquite trees) so thank goodness I can source 100% Mesquite pellets for my beef smokes.
Before Lumber Jack stopped doing 100% Apple I think I bought about 60 pound and I go through it slowly so will be good for a while there.

I hope this info helps :D
They use to have 100% Pecan also, just blend is all I've seen lately.
 

Expensive but worth it imo.Since I'm only burning in a tube a 20lb box lasts a long time.
 
I'd say the problem with the stock unit (as you mention) is that the smoke is generated by the heating element. So as it goes on & off to regulate cook temperature, your smoke generation does as well. Adding more precise temperature control (like an Auber) may switch the temp more frequently, which helps the smoke uniformity, but the real fix is to move the smoke generation away from the heating element. That's what the mailbox mod does. (Search to find lots of implementations of this.) If you think that looks corny, an all-metal ammo case works well too.
 
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