better than masterbuilt? please?

[joopster]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/159572/my-mini-build-thread-with-buildit-view

That's a mini!

 

[susieqz]

thanks joops. i read the thread but don't understand. you build it yourself? what's the advantage? how much are parts? you mentioned $150. the MES30 is on sale for $129.

 

[daveomak]

thanks joops. i read the thread but don't understand. you build it yourself? what's the advantage? how much are parts? you mentioned $150. the MES30 is on sale for $129.

You haven't bought that yet.....

 

[susieqz]

nah, dave. the thread about poor cold weather performance has me thinking. i have til monday to decide.

anyway, i'm snowed in. no ups deliveries or anything.

i'm sure not driving this week.

 

[ladygt]

Susieqz, I love your posts. We think alike. You ask what's better than a Masterbuilt, well from the very short time I owned a MES (1 week), my husband and I are now converts of The Big Green Egg.  I originally came here looking to learn more about the MES we just purchased and read so many negative posts after we received ours. Ours was defective right out of the box.  After reading about how others have had problems with inaccurate temps, modifications and replacement parts, we decided not to replace it. There were other issues unrelated which convinced us look for something different.  We have a garage full of stuff and did not have a covered patio to protect it from bad weather which meant our smoker had to be fueled by charcoal. Georgia is very humid and gets lots of rain. A MES is not watertight and will eventually rust just like anything else made of metal here.

We ended up purchasing a Big Green Egg.  We were not happy with the price for the unit but what you get in return is better than a MES.  No more worries about weather.  It can be used all year round in the rain or snow and stored outside not taking up premium storage space in the garage.  The temps can be held longer and easier than a MES. The insulation of an EGG is fantastic for keeping temps where you want it because of the ceramic composition. No inside wire corrosion worries with an Egg. Cost to use is cheaper also. When done cooking, you just close it up and the remaining charcoal is saved to be used the next time. 

An Egg is more versatile because it can be used like a grill, pizza oven and as a smoker. I admit it cannot smoke as much meat at one time as an electric smoker. For empty nesters like us, it would be too much anyway. But you do not have to worry about keeping it dry if the weather changes and it doesn't have to be cleaned because the debris burns off. It also keeps temps better and longer because it is so well insulated. We sampled a piece of smoked meat at a store selling Eggs and the flavor convinced us that this met our needs.

I cannot say enough good things about a Big Green Egg in comparison to a MES. My husband loves his Egg.  It will last longer than a MES if it's well taken care of too. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for. I wish we knew about this product when we first got married which was 35 years ago because we are on number 3 Weber gas grill.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[rgautheir20420]

Not to knock the BGE, because I'd love to own one one day, but that's not at all a fair comparison to the MES. You are right when you say you get what you pay for...and that's for a reason. You're paying many times what an MES costs. It's like comparing a Porsche to a Hyundai....

Regardless, I hope for the day I can have a BGE sitting in that nice wood specialty made setup in my back yard!!! I can picture the house that backs up to the creek and my boat now!

 

[ladygt]

No competition for sure, but why go through what an MES puts you through? Inaccurate temps, storage issues, parts wearing out, electrical shorts, possible wire corrosion, a 1 year warranty, and calling customer service. I learned all this from the members here in a week.  Why deal with all that crap if you don't need to? Why not buy something really good the first time so you don't have to deal with the hassle of replacing/repairing something in the future.  Maybe this is the difference between men and women's thinking. Men like to fix stuff and women don't. lol.  I am willing to spend more for a better product which should last longer as well.

 

[gathumper]

I don't know much, and don't own either a Masterbuilt smoker or a ceramic cooker like the Big Green Egg (or Kamado Joe). I have owned a 22" Weber Smokey Mountain for about 5 years and have no complaints and it has produced great smokes every time I have used it. The only issue I have with it is using it in cold temperature where I have to use more charcoal and watch it closer.

So I ended up on this forum when I decided I might need to add an electric smoker to the mix. My reasoning was to get into low temp smoking, jerky, snack sticks and other smoked/cured meats. The combination of steady regulated temperature and more space for product lead me to the electric smokers.

I arrived here before purchasing a 40" Masterbuilt and have been mulling it over for a few weeks now. During that time I had come to the conclusion I would be better served with a Smokin-It #3 or perhaps the #4 from Steve at - http://www.smokin-it.com/

My thoughts are well documented here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...c-smoker-masterbuilt-40-or-cookshack-clone/40

I had also been looking at ceramic cookers and had made the decision to buy a Kamado Joe. http://www.kamadojoe.com/index.php

I believe these are different and complementary products and see no reason, for me, not to have both. The ceramic cooker/smoker will allow me to smoke ribs, butts, brisket, poultry, etc. with little concern for ambient temperature. It will also be used for high temp grilling/cooking such as steaks and with a pizza stone and 700 degree temperature should make a nice pie!. The electric smoker will do ribs, butts, brisket, etc. if I choose to use it for them, but will give me the space and temperature control for smoked/cured meats (and hopefully cheese).

The only downside I see is cost, and I'm old, employed, and work hard to allow myself to buy things like this. I'm still looking at the Masterbuilt as an option, I believe it would work fine if you didn't experience any of the reported problems. And I think for every problem reported on the old interweb, there are many satisfied users who don't bother getting online to say it's working fine, so I don't have a good feel for the percentage of failures.

I've talked to Masterbuilt several times and read a lot of mostly good feedback on the company and their service, with a few not so good. I've talked with Steve at Smokin-It and found almost 100% good feedback on them, so that's the direction I;m leaning for my electric smoker purchase.

I've been following your delimma and sure am sorry to hear of the problems (product and service) you have had. Smoking is supposed ot be fun and relaxing! (my opinion) Based on what you are trying to do with your smoker, you may want to take a look at Smokin-It and give Steve a call if you have any questions.

Best of luck in the new year with you smoking!

 

[rgautheir20420]

If the BGE was "a little more" than the MES30 than that might be a different story but it's not. And you are right, there are a number of MES horror story threads out there....as with any product. I'm guessing you've read all the threads about peoples positive experiences with them also.

My personal experience? Never had 1 issue right out of the box...and I bought a "Like New" unit from Amazon. One of the ones tested, but might have a ding or whatever. It was cheaper and came in perfect condition minus a ripped cardboard box. 

It all boils down to what you can afford or are willing to pay for a smoker. Of course your smoking needs come into play also, and the MES has suited my needs perfectly as has it many others. BUT, I know the BGE has suited many smokers as well, so I hope it provides you with years of great Q. Don't forget to the photos!

 

[daricksta]

I own and love my MES 30 Gen 1 which proves they're not all defective and not all owners hate them. Yes, lemons can come off any assembly line but check out the Masterbuilt discussion group to see how many satisfied owners there are. As for modifications, that's an individual decision. Mine works fine without any mods at all. I do use the AMNPS to burn wood pellets but that's it.

As for the Big Green Egg, I got to use one once and I know some people who own one. They're very good but also expensive. Besides, a BGE wouldn't be suitable for Susie because it doesn't go below 275° which rules it out for true low and slow smoking, although there are pros and home BBQers who cook at that temp.

The other thing is the precaution needed before lifting the lid to turn or add meat and vegies. The BGE needs to be "burped" to prevent a shot of red hot flame singeing one's hair and eyebrows. The burp technique was demonstrated by a BBQ instructor at a class I took last year. For my purposes, the MES 30 works extremely well and is more flexible because I can also cold smoke with it, which is what Susie's interested in as well.

 

[susieqz]

i think lady is right. men love to tinker. the majority of members seem to have MBs, they love them, but spend all their time modifying them.

i'm not a mechanic n actually hate trying to fix or modify things.

for my needs n general laziness i think i need an electric smoker that i can smoke on but otherwise ignore.

had i found this site before i bought the trager, i'd own a cookshack. only a few hundred more than traeger. equivalent in price to the big green egg.

now that i've seen the thread about MBs not working in the cold, i'm gonna save up for something like cookshack. i smoke weekly, year round.

i'll save up til i can afford something i'll be happy with.

rick, you are the only one i know here that doesn't run around adding various electrical components n hardware to his MB.

these other folks don't have lemons, just smokers that are sub optimum.

 

[Bearcarver]

Yeah, Why go through the hassle of buying an electric smoker for $350, like the MES 40 Gen #1, with a glass door, remote digital control, and have to put up with outstanding cooking for already well over 4 years, without any problems!!

Bear

 

[susieqz]

bear, i wonder about the glass door. how do you keep it clean?

when it is clean, what do you use it for?

i'm not disputing you. these are honest questions.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
bear, i wonder about the glass door. how do you keep it clean?

when it is clean, what do you use it for?

i'm not disputing you. these are honest questions.

I clean it just like I clean the glass in my living room pellet stove---Not a hard job.

If you get it every time, it's real easy to clean, but if you get lazy & skip cleaning for a few times, and you bake the discoloration on, just like a Pellet or wood stove, it gets harder to clean.

I like to see what's going on inside, but I don't like to open the door.

I can see if some pieces are getting done quicker than others. I can see how heavy the smoke is, 

I can see everything I used to wonder about & open the door to see when I had my first MES 30 without a glass door.

I wouldn't want to go back to a smoker without a glass door.

I'm Spoiled !!

Bear

 

[susieqz]

k, bear. i think we just have different cooking styles. i've never used or even seen in person a glass  doored smoker.

all i can compare it to is my kitchen oven  it came with a glass door which is a pain to clean. plus i can't remember, even once, using that window for anything.

so, just speaking for my kitchen, i prefer no windows.

since opening doors is more of a problem in a smoker, perhaps the window is more valuable there.

what  cleaning product do you use? maybe i can use it on my oven.

 

[daveomak]

i think lady is right. men love to tinker. the majority of members seem to have MBs, they love them, but spend all their time modifying them.
i'm not a mechanic n actually hate trying to fix or modify things.
for my needs n general laziness i think i need an electric smoker that i can smoke on but otherwise ignore.
.
now that i've seen the thread about MBs not working in the cold, i'm gonna save up for something like cookshack. i smoke weekly, year round.

.

My MES 30 works in the cold.... I have smoked at 5 deg. F... all you need to do is get a hair dryer.... You got one ????? and trick the sensor, inside the CC, to thinking it is warm outside...

 

[Bearcarver]

 
k, bear. i think we just have different cooking styles. i've never used or even seen in person a glass  doored smoker.

all i can compare it to is my kitchen oven  it came with a glass door which is a pain to clean. plus i can't remember, even once, using that window for anything.

so, just speaking for my kitchen, i prefer no windows.

since opening doors is more of a problem in a smoker, perhaps the window is more valuable there.

what  cleaning product do you use? maybe i can use it on my oven.

We never use the window in our oven either----No reason to.

I use wood ashes on wet paper towels when available, or Windex, or alcohol.

If I use Windex, I open the door all the way so none goes in the smoker. 

I can't remember ever cleaning the oven door, or trying to look through it, but I don't smoke meat in there.

 

[Bearcarver]

My MES 30 works in the cold.... I have smoked at 5 deg. F... all you need to do is get a hair dryer.... You got one ????? and trick the sensor, inside the CC, to thinking it is warm outside...

My MES40 works below 0°, but I don't work so good below 20°.

Maybe Mrs Bear should keep the MES and get rid of me???

LOL----I guess after 46 years, that aint gonna happen.

Bear

 

[susieqz]

dave, that other smoker you mentioned? i'll save up n spend the thousand to get a smoker like that,  that works without hair driers, charcoal, new controlers, evil customer service  or anything else. i'll load pellets or chips n press a button.

that's my idea of fun smoking.

 

[joopster]

susie - just send me your address and 100 a month and I will send you some good bbq and you won't have to spend any of your time or effort!