Hello everyone. I have been into smoking for many years, but in the last 8-ish years, it has become somewhat of a hobby of mine.
I initially started in the late 1990's with a Brinkman charcoal smoker (shaped like vertical tube). Although I enjoyed what was smoked with it, I found I had to constantly babysit it. It burned out or everything caught fire if I wasn't right there all the time. After a couple years, I graduated to an electric version of the brinkman smoker, and enjoyed that more because i did not have to hover.
Several years later, my wife got me a MES30 (2nd gen, the bad one, I think, based on Bear's MES thread). Initially, I was very disappointed with my MES. The heating element was used to heat the smoker and generate smoke and did not smoke much. Unfortunately, I think my MES is insulated enough that the heating element didn't run long enough to make any appreciable smoke. I was somewhat down on smoking until I came across the masterbuilt cold smoking attachment. Finally, I could generate all the smoke I wanted, so I was back in. All in all, I've gone through three masterbuilt cold smokering attachments. Unfortunately, after my last one went down, I discovered the cold smoking attachments from masterbuilt are no longer for sale. I replaced the switch then found out the terminal on the heating element went down. Anyways, this is how I ended up here. Researching replacement parts (no heating elements available for it either). So, I've got ideas which I'll throw up on another thread sometime. In the meantime, I've discovered if I throw a brick in my MES and leave the loading tube out, my MES smokes more, but not as much as the cold smoker.
Anyways, I'm glad to be here. This is an excellent forum with many great people. My favorite smoke combination is hickory with pork. I love smoking sausage, ribs, pork roasts, jerky, and etc. I made the pig shots a couple days ago (excellent recipe from Jeff). I'm still a brisket noob though.
Sorry for the book.
Steve
I initially started in the late 1990's with a Brinkman charcoal smoker (shaped like vertical tube). Although I enjoyed what was smoked with it, I found I had to constantly babysit it. It burned out or everything caught fire if I wasn't right there all the time. After a couple years, I graduated to an electric version of the brinkman smoker, and enjoyed that more because i did not have to hover.
Several years later, my wife got me a MES30 (2nd gen, the bad one, I think, based on Bear's MES thread). Initially, I was very disappointed with my MES. The heating element was used to heat the smoker and generate smoke and did not smoke much. Unfortunately, I think my MES is insulated enough that the heating element didn't run long enough to make any appreciable smoke. I was somewhat down on smoking until I came across the masterbuilt cold smoking attachment. Finally, I could generate all the smoke I wanted, so I was back in. All in all, I've gone through three masterbuilt cold smokering attachments. Unfortunately, after my last one went down, I discovered the cold smoking attachments from masterbuilt are no longer for sale. I replaced the switch then found out the terminal on the heating element went down. Anyways, this is how I ended up here. Researching replacement parts (no heating elements available for it either). So, I've got ideas which I'll throw up on another thread sometime. In the meantime, I've discovered if I throw a brick in my MES and leave the loading tube out, my MES smokes more, but not as much as the cold smoker.
Anyways, I'm glad to be here. This is an excellent forum with many great people. My favorite smoke combination is hickory with pork. I love smoking sausage, ribs, pork roasts, jerky, and etc. I made the pig shots a couple days ago (excellent recipe from Jeff). I'm still a brisket noob though.
Sorry for the book.
Steve
