How Many Mes Owners Here?

[gary s]

 
Even though yours is a Gen #2 MES, you could get better smoke flavor by using an AMNPS.

As for the Smoke Ring----You don't get them in an electric smoker, but they are all show anyway.

Bear

I am a stick burner and take pride in my smoke ring, But I have to agree with Bear. Here is an article from a friend of mine who has a PHD in Physics and a BBQ enthusiast .This IS HIS EXPLANATION 

            Summary of the mechanisms leading to smoke ring depth and profile:

• Smoke rings record the environment in which they are formed
• They are generated as carbon monoxide or nitric oxide combustion products diffuse into the meat,
• Turning myoglobin pink.
• Smoke rings grow more slowly over time.
• And the ring only stops growing when the myoglobin is deactivated, at ~170F on the surface.
• By analogy with photography, nitric oxide is the developer revealing the image, and heat is the fixer, stabilizing the image
• In humid smokers, cooking cold moist meat low and slow, wide wedge-profile rings occur
• When cooked fast in smokers with lots of airflow, dark narrow wall-profile smoke rings occur
• Smoke rings do not add much flavor, but indicate a smoke fire was used...
•  

            Nitrogen oxide smoke ring:

• Nitrogen is a minor element of fossil fuels
• During combustion, nitrogen compounds present in wood burns, and are mostly transformed into nitric oxide (NO)
• But only in a hot fire, with plenty of oxygen
• Even though there is 100x more carbon monoxide than nitric oxide in smoke, most smoke rings are NO-based
• NO is a small and mobile molecule that passes from the smoke through the meat's surface
• Inside the meat, NO bonds more strongly to myoglobin than oxygen or CO, producing a nearly permanent pink color
• Surface water on the meat is not required to synthesize nitric acid intermediaries, or to produce a smoke ring, but humidity helps
• The smoke ring stops growing when the myoglobin molecule falls apart (around 160F)
•  

            Carbon monoxide smoke ring:

• Carbon monoxide is the most common wood combustion product
• It is a small and mobile molecule that passes out of the smoke and diffuses beyond the meat's surface
• Inside the meat, CO bonds more strongly to myoglobin than oxygen, producing a neon-pink color
• This pink color is stable for days or weeks in the absence of oxygen, but fades in minutes when exposed to air
• The smoke ring stops growing when the myoglobin molecule falls apart at the meat surface (around ~160F)
• While wood is 50% carbon and only ~0.2% nitrogen, nitrogen oxides  are ultimately responsible for the persistent smoke ring
• CO, in the wrong place at the wrong time can kill
•  

A pink smoke ring is a pitmaster's badge of honor, an assurance their 'cue was smoked (never boiled) and cooked over a real wood fire. A bright red smoke ring turns a gray, mundane slice of meat into an colorful, fun, attractive bite.

Lipstick on a pig, so to speak.

 

[daricksta]

 
with the prices of brisket nowadays,,,i'll just go to Sams,,,let them cook it,,lol,,,,,,,,,I sawa large brisket at our local market,,,$85.00,,,i'm not spending that much and ruin it,,,,ugg,,some things are better left to the pros,,,

I buy 5-6 lb. briskets at Safeway which I think has about the best meats in town. Right now Safeway is carrying whole briskets--on the smaller side--with the point AND flat. This size is perfect for my MES 30 Gen 1 and it's much cheaper--around $20-25 or so, depending on weight. I went to a BBQ class earlier this year and the teacher taught us to cut the point from the flat anyway since they cook differently from each other. I've cooked flats in my MES 30 and they come out great, no problems at all. I also use the AMNPS, never wood chips. That has also made smoking a lot easier.

 

[chiefwej]

I've been buying my brisket at Sam's Club. If you buy a full packer I think it's $2.99 per pound. For $50 I bought a 17+ lb brisket. I ended up trimming a couple pounds of fat before smoking, but it's still a good price to feed a crowd.

 

[tlgothard]

I have the 1200 watt 40" with glass.i mostly smoke venison sausage, sticks, jerky, brats, dried deer,polish. I take nothing to a locker any longer. Mostly fall & winter.3 years and still going. Temp fluctuates some but monitor with oven thermometer and adjust accordingly. My chip loading tray is about shot. I am looking for a replacement. I clean what comes out in a tub of hot water with dawn and clean the glass with stove top cleaner. I am a fan of this smoker. Summer grilling and smoking usually done on my Weber kettle.

 

[daricksta]

 
I am a stick burner and take pride in my smoke ring, But I have to agree with Bear. Here is an article from a friend of mine who has a PHD in Physics and a BBQ enthusiast .This IS HIS EXPLANATION 

            Summary of the mechanisms leading to smoke ring depth and profile:

• Smoke rings record the environment in which they are formed
• They are generated as carbon monoxide or nitric oxide combustion products diffuse into the meat,
• Turning myoglobin pink.
• Smoke rings grow more slowly over time.
• And the ring only stops growing when the myoglobin is deactivated, at ~170F on the surface.
• By analogy with photography, nitric oxide is the developer revealing the image, and heat is the fixer, stabilizing the image
• In humid smokers, cooking cold moist meat low and slow, wide wedge-profile rings occur
• When cooked fast in smokers with lots of airflow, dark narrow wall-profile smoke rings occur
• Smoke rings do not add much flavor, but indicate a smoke fire was used...
•  

            Nitrogen oxide smoke ring:

• Nitrogen is a minor element of fossil fuels
• During combustion, nitrogen compounds present in wood burns, and are mostly transformed into nitric oxide (NO)
• But only in a hot fire, with plenty of oxygen
• Even though there is 100x more carbon monoxide than nitric oxide in smoke, most smoke rings are NO-based
• NO is a small and mobile molecule that passes from the smoke through the meat's surface
• Inside the meat, NO bonds more strongly to myoglobin than oxygen or CO, producing a nearly permanent pink color
• Surface water on the meat is not required to synthesize nitric acid intermediaries, or to produce a smoke ring, but humidity helps
• The smoke ring stops growing when the myoglobin molecule falls apart (around 160F)
•  

            Carbon monoxide smoke ring:

• Carbon monoxide is the most common wood combustion product
• It is a small and mobile molecule that passes out of the smoke and diffuses beyond the meat's surface
• Inside the meat, CO bonds more strongly to myoglobin than oxygen, producing a neon-pink color
• This pink color is stable for days or weeks in the absence of oxygen, but fades in minutes when exposed to air
• The smoke ring stops growing when the myoglobin molecule falls apart at the meat surface (around ~160F)
• While wood is 50% carbon and only ~0.2% nitrogen, nitrogen oxides  are ultimately responsible for the persistent smoke ring
• CO, in the wrong place at the wrong time can kill
•  

A pink smoke ring is a pitmaster's badge of honor, an assurance their 'cue was smoked (never boiled) and cooked over a real wood fire. A bright red smoke ring turns a gray, mundane slice of meat into an colorful, fun, attractive bite.

Lipstick on a pig, so to speak.

I think I read this article online, Gary. Don't know if it was in this article or another one but I also read an electric smoker can produce smoke rings if a charcoal briquette or two are placed at the bottom of the smoker. The intense heat and the smoke create those chemical compounds which can create a wood fire-type smoke ring. For me, I'm not willing to use lit charcoal briquettes inside my MES 30 because it wasn't designed for that and besides, no one I serve my "Q" to would be impressed by smoke rings.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I think I read this article online, Gary. Don't know if it was in this article or another one but I also read an electric smoker can produce smoke rings if a charcoal briquette or two are placed at the bottom of the smoker. The intense heat and the smoke create those chemical compounds which can create a wood fire-type smoke ring. For me, I'm not willing to use lit charcoal briquettes inside my MES 30 because it wasn't designed for that and besides, no one I serve my "Q" to would be impressed by smoke rings.

#1   A smoke Ring is all show.

#2   Page #1 of your Manual-------"Fuels, such as charcoal briquettes or heat pellets, are not to be used in electric smoker."

Bear

 

[daricksta]

 
#1   A smoke Ring is all show.

#2   Page #1 of your Manual-------"Fuels, such as charcoal briquettes or heat pellets, are not to be used in electric smoker."

Bear

#2 is another reason why I wouldn't use charcoal in the MES but remember that guy who posted that he was doing it anyway in an attempt to get a smoke ring?

 

[socal mesmoker]

I got a 30" MES for Christmas last year so I'm just now trying to get into the "smoking" business. 

 

[jted]

Hi Riceeater,

Welcome to the forum. You have entered the world of smoke. Some good some bad. I would steer you to Jeff's 5 day course here is the link.

http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse

 you will get a email daily for 5 days with a lot of info.

 

[socal mesmoker]

Thanks jted.  I did read that it's a good course for beginning smokers and I tried to sign up using a previous link but got an error.  I was able to sign up using your link so thank you for that.  I'm looking forward to getting the most out of my smoker.  My Cold Smoking kit is already on order as well so I wanted to try that out so I could smoke cheese.  I think it might be a little overkill, but I know that I'm going to get the AMNPS as well to do a comparison on my own and maybe make a mailbox mod for the AMNPS.  I've read a lot of information on this site so far and excited to expand my knowledge first hand.  Thanks everyone!!

 

[chopsaw]

 
just a quick question,,,,,do I brine my pork roast???,,

Yes , I just started doing this comes out so good nobody talks at the dinner table , to busy eating . Tenderloins dont need it for my taste , if you watch the temps . 145 150 no more , like said above . Chop

 

[mommameah]

I am looking into this after a less than happy fiasco this weekend. 

So just to verify before I go any further...

Does the MES 1. temperature fluctuate if there is a breeze/wind if I don't wrap a blanket around it, and 2) and I know this is trivial and ya'll may laugh...but can you see and smell the smoke as it rises from the smoker making all my neighbors jealous?

TIA

 

[fished]

I bought a new MES40 from Acadmey today.  I'll take it out of the box this weekend.  I think it is the Gen 1, It has the control in the back middle.  Can't wait to try it out.

 

[jted]

 
I am looking into this after a less than happy fiasco this weekend. 

So just to verify before I go any further...

Does the MES 1. temperature fluctuate if there is a breeze/wind if I don't wrap a blanket around it, and 2) and I know this is trivial and ya'll may laugh...but can you see and smell the smoke as it rises from the smoker making all my neighbors jealous?

TIA

The MES does have a fluctuating temp.  Until you are familiar with your unit figure a 25 degree temp from the set point. I don't think you need to put a blanket on it. Set your temp at 240 and let it go. It will do fine, remember we aren't cooking cakes.  The best smell in the world is a chunk of pork that has been smoked and ready to be eaten. Watch them show  up. 

Jted

 

[daricksta]

 
The MES does have a fluctuating temp.  Until you are familiar with your unit figure a 25 degree temp from the set point. I don't think you need to put a blanket on it. Set your temp at 240 and let it go. It will do fine, remember we aren't cooking cakes.  The best smell in the world is a chunk of pork that has been smoked and ready to be eaten. Watch them show  up. 

Jted

Right on, Jted! My MES 30 also fluctuates, which is the way it was designed. I just monitor it with my Maverick ET-33 and if it's fluctuating higher than I want it to go I just lower the set point on the MES control display. I have the ET-733 set for the alarm to go off if the temps go beyond the max and min temps I've designated.

 

[chiefwej]

Even your kitchen oven will fluctuate from the set point. The heating element only comes on when the temp drops well below set point and when it shuts off the temp rise will go well above. So you will always have some temp variance.

 

[22gunslinger]

My wife just got me an MES (30 inch, with window, RF remote and Rear Control Panel), from Home Depot for my Birthday. I am impatiently waiting to smoke something soon.  

 

[Bearcarver]

 
My wife just got me an MES (30 inch, with window, RF remote and Rear Control Panel), from Home Depot for my Birthday. I am impatiently waiting to smoke something soon.  

That's Great !!

You got a Generation #1 MES.

Here's a whole bunch of things you can do with an MES:

Just click on "Bear's Step by Steps".

Bear

 

[22gunslinger]

Everywhere I read said to get the Gen 1 MES, although I am not exactly sure why, but since that was the consensus, who am I to disagree? 

 

[jted]

Gun slinger, You and your wife made a good choice. You won't be waiting long to smoke something. I recommend you take a look at Bears step by steps index page. Also sign up for Jeffs 5 day Q school it's free and so is his news letter. Jted