Decided I need a Electric to go with my gas and pellet rigs

[okiecat]

So, Ive come to the conclusion I need an electric smoker. This will be used primarily for sausage making, sense its a pain trying to get a gas rig down to 100* and then at 125* and then at 165* for 10+ hours. Ive narrowed my search to the new Smoke Hollow 40" Smoke-Tronics or the Smoking-It 3-D. My question is will the 20" summer sausage sticks fit either and not burn on the bottom or over cook. Its hard to find an elec rig that is 30" tall on the inside with out spending a grand or more. Would like to stay in $500-800 range. Thanks for any help. Been smoking for 15 yrs this will be my first electric. Needs to stay on temp.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

MES 30 inch FTW!

 

[old sarge]

The 3D is 20 inches from floor to ceiling. To get 20 inches of free hanging space above the wood box you would need to get the 3.5. Other than that, the 3D is a great smoker for just about everything else, including the hanging of shorter sausages.

 

[oddegan]

I really like my MES-30. Once you figure out your true temps (they are notorious for their mis-reads) they really are set it and forget it.

 

[okiecat]

Im afraid the MES-30 is too small. I usually do 25-50# at a time. May look at the 40 but read a lot about not holding temp range and everybody putting in PID's

 

[Telemachus]

When you are only spending $288 you can get a pretty awesome PID and stay well under your budget.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Masterbuilt-Digital-Electric-Smoker-140S-40/540467018

 

[tallbm]

I've never owned a Smokin-It but if I had to do it all over gain I would go with that product in one of the "D" formats for the PID controller. The PID controller is important and should keep you within 1-5 degrees of your set temp without swinging all over the place.

The other thing to understand is that at sausage temps the electric smokers will likely not be able to produce enough heat to make smoke from the wood source with the onboard heating element. Whatever model you buy will likely have this problem. The answer is to move to the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) smoke generator and use wood pellets or wood dust. Make sure any electric smoker you go with can easily accommodate the AMNPS or the addition of a Mailbox Mod with the AMNPS.
Don't be discouraged by having to add an AMNPS, it is totally an upgrade that produces Thin Blue Smoke (TBS) with no tinkering and can produce smoke up to 9-12 hours!!!! So again, a total set and forget upgrade :)

I hope this info helps :)

 

[okiecat]

Thanks to all, You've convinced me to go with the MES-40 Get 2.5 I will then see about a PID controller if needed. Now where do I get one? Im about an 1hr from a city or some might call it a town. Anyway called Atwoods, Tractor Supply, H D, and Lowes and no one had one. Looked on Cabelas and they have one but its a solid door. Kind off like that glass door.

 

[oddegan]

Kind off like that glass door

My MES-30 has the glass door. After the first smoke you can't see through it anymore and I'm to lazy to clean it every time I smoke. May not want to pay more for the glass.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks to all, You've convinced me to go with the MES-40 Get 2.5 I will then see about a PID controller if needed. Now where do I get one? Im about an 1hr from a city or some might call it a town. Anyway called Atwoods, Tractor Supply, H D, and Lowes and no one had one. Looked on Cabelas and they have one but its a solid door. Kind off like that glass door.

Academy Sports and Outdoors stores usually has them for very good prices when they are on sale. Best of luck with it! :)

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

Spend $130 and get the MES 30 from Cabela's. You won't be sorry.

 

[okiecat]

Pulled the trigger last night, got the MES 40 at Cabelas on sale for like 290. Had enough cabbalas points to get it. Hope it gets here before weekend but I doubt it will. Thanks again to all the input.

 

[okiecat]

Oh If I decide I want a PID, which one? Order direct or are there vendors here on the site.

 

[dr k]

Oh If I decide I want a PID, which one? Order direct or are there vendors here on the site.

I just got in the WS-1510ELPM Auber PID (auberins.com) It handles 15 amps and is a multi purpose controller with the multi purpose RTD sensor. So it can be used with the Mes, steam table, roasters, crockpots, and rice cookers for Sou Vide cooking etc. I read the instruction manual online and bought it before I needed it for my Mes since my Mes controller is just fine.

 

[tallbm]

Pulled the trigger last night, got the MES 40 at Cabelas on sale for like 290. Had enough cabbalas points to get it. Hope it gets here before weekend but I doubt it will. Thanks again to all the input.

Congrats and welcome to the electric wold! Just know that there are a few things that basically all MES owners do to overcome some short comings of the MES:
1. Get a dual/multi probe thermometer, my suggestion is the ThermoPro Tp-20. It is rock solid. Others have moved to some 6 probe thermometers they have liked. I use 6 probes in my setup so I would love it to all be from 1 thermometer.

2. A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS). The advantages of using this contraption are HUGE. The main reasons are for set and forget smoke generation up to 9-12 hours AND because the MES doesn't seem to like to produce smoke below 200F or so. Some guys put the AMNPS directly in the MES others build a Mailbox Mod to have smoke generation done from outside the MES for a number of benefits. I use the Mailbox Mod approach. Plus buying varieties of pellets is easier to do online than buying variety of other wood options :)

Oh If I decide I want a PID, which one? Order direct or are there vendors here on the site.

Just a heads up. You will need to do a small rewire job on the MES to move to using a PID controller. I posted a guide on how to do so here : https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/mes-rewire-simple-guide-no-back-removal-needed.267069/
If you are prepared by reading the guide and with the handful of tools (wire cuttes, crimpers, hi temp steel female spade connectors, etc.) the job can be done in 30 minutes or so.

Auber (https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_28&page=1&sort=4a) seems to be the simplest and best deal out there for complete Plug and Play PIDS and has decent prices on parts if you want to build your own. To me the the cost of building was almost equivalent to buying all the tools, components, etc. to create my own PID setup so it was a no brainer for me with the smoker I did using an Auber PID.

In the Auber link I provided start with the WS-1510ELPM model of PID controllers and work down. Starting with that model you should be covered to handle the MES 1200Watt heating element or greater.

Best of luck with it and don't be discouraged by the mods or work you may put into your MES. The goal is to produce exceptional smoked food NOT limp by pinching every penny possible to have hit or miss smoked food :)

 

[Telemachus]

Also if you are hand with a soldering iron, consider the Heater Meter. DIY PID with 4 probes for under $100 that will give you an awesome Web interface from anywhere in the world!