Hi. Electric newb here.

[CErb1987]

So I am not a complete newbie to smoking. I have a small flower pot smoker that I haven't done anything to modify it. Its a twelve inch diameter at the top with a 10 inch grill. Still havent mastered how much charcoal and wood etc. Still gonna mess with it cause I really like the way it cooks when I do use it. My smoked salmon always cooks too fast but hey still learning.

However I'm thinking of getting a masterbuilt 30, either the 20070910 or the 20071117. That or a char-broil deluxe 725. Now I know the masterbuilt has some issues and I will likely eventually have to repair it. Some people use theirs for years with no problems but I don' trust my luck that far.

So I would like to know what I need to do to make it smoke better and be more consistent heat wise. I can not at this time afford a pid for it. (See I have already been doing some reading )

Links are great. I just have no clue where to even start

 

[old sarge]

Try the search feature at the top of the page. Judging by your smoker selection I would guess you are on a tight budget. Here is another smoker you might want to consider.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoke-hollow-smoke-tronix.256735/

 

[CErb1987]

Try the search feature at the top of the page. Judging by your smoker selection I would guess you are on a tight budget. Here is another smoker you might want to consider.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoke-hollow-smoke-tronix.256735/

That smoker is a little too expensive. I' looking at 200 or less. I know I won't get a great smoker for that price. I will upgrade later. This is something I like to do. As for the search function I've tried. I just don't know exactly what I am looking for.

 

[old sarge]

I understand budgets dictate everything. But I subscribe to the philosophy of buy once cry once then enjoy for years with no problems. That is why I went with Cookshack many years ago and later Smokin-it. You have to do what is right for you and your family. Good luck.

 

[SonnyE]

Hi CErb, Welcome to Smoking Meat Forums!
Faced with the same dilemma's as you, I scratched, and sniffed, and finally Management said, Just go get it!
I grabbed my dog and was off like a ruptured duck to Lowe's.
I got a version of the MES 30. A John McLemore Signature Series. Which is a basic MES 30 with Version 2.5 guts. (In the end, they were removed and stored away.)
After all was said and done, what I could have done was to get the cheapest MES 30, for the box, the heating element, and the temperature control. Then added my mod, and AMNPS.
In reality, just the MES 30, and an AMNPS could do you. Load the AMNPS, light it up, and go to smokin and cooking. Just set the AMNPS on the bottom or bottom rack for smoke, and set the temperature for the meat. There Ya Go!

I'm a very old school bootstraps smoker. This MES 30 is the first smoker I ever bought. All mine were home made before.
But I knew what I hoped to achieve, and I did. I can cold smoke cheeses and nuts like Almonds, or do a full blown smoked cook.

But I figured in I would be apt to modify the pea-doodle out of it going in. I have my thermometers, so did not want any troublesome control probes. I also decided that since I never needed to peer into a cloud of smoke, I could forgo a window in the door. ( I know it's smokey in there. ;) )
Also, there are some whines about Bluetooth and WiFi. Here again, I decided I don't really need that either.

I could say I had two disappointments. First being it doesn't smoke worth a damn below 225°. At 200° is barely was able to smoke salmon for me, and that's above my target temperature. It is a design flaw in the element/chip pan, and the box holding the heat in so well. Hence, why so many opt for AMNPS's, and often do a mod for a separate smoke control.
My other disappointment is the display is kind of a yellowish light. I think blue or red would be easier to see in daylight. I have to shade it to read it.

My bottom line? I could have gotten the most basic MES 30 (Big enough for me), from Cabela's for $129, and been happy.
Then do my modifications, and likely have been money ahead.
But everybody has different goals they'd like, and most have deeper pockets or are more liberal with their funds than I am.
But I'm very happy with what I've done. It's been a great addition to my outdoor kitchen. Here is my final result.

 

[tallbm]

Hi there and welcome!

As mentioned above. With an MES you can never trust the smoker temp or meat probe readings so you will want to get a wireless dual probe thermometer (or more probes) so you can get a real smoker temp reading and a real internal temp (IT) meat reading. I like and recommend the ThermoPro TP20 but there are other options out there. In short you will be paying $35-$50 for this device so really you are in the market for about a $150 MES.

Also discussed above the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) is basically the other device that basically every MES owner buys. It is a tray you put pellets or wood dust in that you then light for a bit and blow out. It will the produce PERFECT Then Blue Smoke (TBS) with no effort for up to 9-12 hours for you. This runs about $21+ at Home Depot as well.

In all this means you would want to bu the $144 version of the MES 30 from Home Depot (they seem to be on a roll with deals) and by the time you add a dual probe thermometer and an AMNPS you will be at about $225+ in cost but you will be all set!
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Masterbuilt-30-in-Black-Electric-Smoker-20071117/300070995

The $144 Home Depot MES 30 is a plain Jane one which is completely fine. I and some others find a glass door to be over rated, the probes on an MES can't be trusted so may as well save money and get a model like this one that doesn't come with a meat probe, and if you are getting a wireless dual probe thermometer you don't need any wireless or bluetooth features from the MES itself.

It is a bag full of wins! :)

 

[SonnyE]

It is a bag full of wind!

A bag full of wind? :confused:

Drops leg, runs away.... :eek:

:p

 

[daricksta]

So I am not a complete newbie to smoking. I have a small flower pot smoker that I haven't done anything to modify it. Its a twelve inch diameter at the top with a 10 inch grill. Still havent mastered how much charcoal and wood etc. Still gonna mess with it cause I really like the way it cooks when I do use it. My smoked salmon always cooks too fast but hey still learning.

However I'm thinking of getting a masterbuilt 30, either the 20070910 or the 20071117. That or a char-broil deluxe 725. Now I know the masterbuilt has some issues and I will likely eventually have to repair it. Some people use theirs for years with no problems but I don' trust my luck that far.

So I would like to know what I need to do to make it smoke better and be more consistent heat wise. I can not at this time afford a pid for it. (See I have already been doing some reading )

Links are great. I just have no clue where to even start

Have you chosen your smoker yet? If not, I've owned a MES 30 20070910 since April 2012 and it's been a superb investment. I paid on what I consider the high end for it--$189. I've seen it for as low as $130. Anyway, it's a small little box but once you learn how to use it--and burn wood pellets instead of chips--it churns out amazing Q. I've only had to replace the controller on it. I stuck with the standard MB controller instead of going with an Auber PID like a lot of guys.

And about the temp swings in the MES. Yes, they are an issued but mostly in the first two hours or so.
After that the temp more less stabilizes so temp swings are limited to just a few degrees in either direction. I monitor the temps with my Maverick ET-733. I use that same therm for roasting prime rib in my kitchen oven. And here's something important I learned from that: kitchen ovens--at least my Whirlpool--have even greater temp swings than Masterbuilts. Perhaps it's the thermostat technology, I don't know. But I'm no longer faulting MB for temp swings with its controllers because it might just be the nature of the beast. Yes, it can be a hassle forto continually adjust the temp control on the MES until it self-stabilizes, unless you're willing to spend time and money on aftermarket mods.

Anyway, here's some photos of what I've pulled from my smoker. Now, something to keep in mind. Buy the 20070910. MB introduced a smoker that looks just like it from the exterior. But inside it's more like a MES 30 Gen 2.0 and it's also not nearly as well-made. So, check the model number before you buy.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

I started several years ago with a Masterbuilt analog smoker that I bought from Aldi's on sale for $99. No mods no amnps no probe thermometer. I basically taught myself on that thing and it ended up producing some damn good bbq over the years(after a few fails at first haha). I now have 4 smokers and more money in equipment that I probably need but I built that up over the years.

Bottom line you don't have to spend a ton to produce good bbq.

Try searching craigslist for a used one. Or like one of the posts mentioned above I think you can get the basic MES30 for $129 at Lowes. I bought my AMNPS off of homedepot.com for $22 free shipping and you can get probe thermometers off of amazon all day. So for around $200 or less you should be on you're way.

Good luck be interested to see what you pick if you haven't yet!

 

[SoCal Smokey]

Hi Everyone! Newbie here as well with a MES 30" question...I ran my seasoning session today with a temperature probe (suggested by Bass Pro employee) and found the that the smokers temp reading is off by 20'. Is there anyway to calibrate these? Otherwise, the LED readout is a glorified timer...?

I'm thinking of chicken thighs tomorrow after reading through the newbie posts. It seems to be the smokers first meat of choice!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[old sarge]

Is the probe you are using showing an accurate reading for boiling water and ice water? If so, and you know your smoker runs 20 degree hotter or colder than what the controller shows, just adjust accordingly and enjoy!

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

^^^ what old sarge said. Plus double check internal temp with an instant read thermo. It is done when it is done

 

[SoCal Smokey]

^^^ what old sarge said. Plus double check internal temp with an instant read thermo. It is done when it is done

Tested in boiling water...

Meat thermometer was dead-on at 212' and chamber temp was a little short at 210'.

 

[tallbm]

Tested in boiling water...

Meat thermometer was dead-on at 212' and chamber temp was a little short at 210'.

Hi there and welcome!

The digital Masterbuilt Electric Smokers (MES) are notorious for having both the smoker and meat probes be off. Trust the thermometer you bought and adjust the MES temp accordingly.

To answer your previous questions, yeah your MES controller is pretty much a glorified timer and No there is no way to adjust the probe readings.

One of the 1st things an MES owner should do is buy a wireless dual thermometer. I always recommend the ThermoPro TP20 as a good dual thermometer but there are many out there that will do the trick and can provide more than 2 probes.

The 2nd thing an MES owner should buy is the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray (AMNPS). It allows you to generate smoke using wood pellets or wood dust for up to 12hours or so. Once you get it going properly you just let it roll and never have to feed wood or work to get the perfect Then Blue Smoke (TBS) that you want.

Finally, for doing chicken in an MES just know that chicken skin usually comes out rubbery unless you can cook at a temp like 325F or higher. Your results may vary but if understand that since an MES gets to 275F max that rubbery chicken skin is no fault of your own it's just the quirk of poultry skin. A simple solution is to just remove the skin and I promise the flavor will not be affected, or pull the chicken early and finish on screaming hot grill to get the skin edible.
It's up to you but removing the skin is simple and hassle free once you begin cooking :)

I hope all this info helps!

 

[Bearcarver]

Is the probe you are using showing an accurate reading for boiling water and ice water? If so, and you know your smoker runs 20 degree hotter or colder than what the controller shows, just adjust accordingly and enjoy!

What Sarge said, plus it would be best to get a wireless set of therms, for accuracy.

Also I get Great Chicken & Turkey Skin, if I jack it up to 275° for the last hour of the Smoke.

Bear

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I am thoroughly happy with my MES 140S. I went with the higher end model largely because it was on Sale at Fleetfarm <Apparently still is for about 220 USD...it's gone down since I bought mine.>

I lucked out in that when I got it, seasoned it, I tested the built in probe, it was only off a few degrees, and the stock thermal controller dohicky <I'm real technical> is accurate. I've retested the chamber's heat levels a few times since and they've been accurate. I largely think the new 2.5 hybrids are of a better quality; taking the best features to date and rolled into one.

So of course I'll advocate a Masterbuilt and the AMNPS. I originally got it for cooking..now I'm hot smoking bacon and sausages. You'll find it's an addiction and the digital controls make it far to easy to give in to. I am with others in that the actual control unit on the smoker is a royal PITA to read; fortunately the remote control unit isn't.