Is it still a MES

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Wakulla

Fire Starter
Original poster
May 5, 2019
66
37
Well i did the PID mod. Nothing electronic from the original remains. Very pleased with the results.

Just about complete with my mailbox mod. I will post pics tomorrow.

Only thing left of the original smoker is the cabinet and element.

Is it still a MES?
 
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It's still a MES as long as it isn't a MESS.

Chris
 
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I had a '66 Mustang GT 2+2 that ran a low 12 second quarter mile . 289 , balanced , blue printed . 750 holly , 3500 stall , 125 HP nitrous oxide , 4:30 rear end .
It was still a Mustang .
 
I fail to understand your need to call your unit by something other than a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker (MES).

I have upgraded all my equipment but still call it by original name, outside of the Brinkmann which deserves the POS.


I wasn't askin
I had a '66 Mustang GT 2+2 that ran a low 12 second quarter mile . 289 , balanced , blue printed . 750 holly , 3500 stall , 125 HP nitrous oxide , 4:30 rear end .
It was still a Mustang .

So it is still an MES just a hot rod MES

Sure is fun building hot rods.
 
So it is still an MES just a hot rod MES
Yup . That was pretty much my point . I have a Gen 1 30 . Mailbox mod and an Auber 1510 . Big difference from stock .
Post some pics when you get it finished .
 
My mailbox mod

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Looks really clean - nice job

Chris
 
I and maybe a few others like to use the term "Franken-MES" sometimes hahaha. Mine has all kinds of mods but is fantastic!
 
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No fair using an electrical enclosure and calling it a "mailbox" mod. ;)

My MES has had its guts ripped out. So it's not really a true MES. But I rather like the enclosure, and for me, building such an enclosure would be a lot of work.

The enclosure that has me salivating right now is a Pit Boss Copperhead. Yep, it's a pellet burner. But I love the adjustable shelves and the size of the unit. I think it would take more power than you can get from a normal 20 Amp 120V outlet to properly heat it, so I get why, as you move up to a smoker of this size, it's not available as an all-electric off the shelf.

But I can wire up a 220 outlet just for a smoker, and fit it with a heating element or elements big enough to get the job done and do it that way. Sure, Pit Boss wouldn't sell many smokers that require a 220 outlet, but that won't stop someone from modifying or building a 220V unit from scratch.

So I'm with you. The enclosure of the MES is worth having, even if your MES isn't truly just an MES anymore!
 
Is it a "Hot Rod" or a "Rat Rod"?
Both are builds to what you want, but manufacturer didn't deliver.
I say Rat Rod.
Hot Rods appear pretty much stock. (I had a '69 Nova that appeared stock, but turned 10's on the strip. Still a Nova as far as the insurance company knew.)

Rat Rods stand out. Be proud of your mods
 
Ok
Last night tested the smoker box. Ran all night with no problems. Wanted to check it out and season it before hooking it up to the smoker. Just wondering if this is the right amount of smoke? You can't really see any smoke in the picture but it is smoking. I have the damper about 3/4 closed now. Easy to make more smoke.

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Here is how the setup looks now. I have a pizza stone over the element as a grease shield and heat sink.

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I think the setup looks good.
One word of caution though on the foiled pizza stone sitting directly on the heating element.

You may want to consider removing foil from the pizza stone. Foil can go up in flames more easily than one might imagine. If the foil is not directly in contact or too close to the heating element, then I think you are ok.

Good work! :)
 
I think the setup looks good.
One word of caution though on the foiled pizza stone sitting directly on the heating element.

You may want to consider removing foil from the pizza stone. Foil can go up in flames more easily than one might imagine. If the foil is not directly in contact or too close to the heating element, then I think you are ok.

Good work! :)

Thanks for the foil tip. I will make sure there is none on the bottom of the stone. It is supported about 2" above the element on the rack that used to support the chip loader.

Going to test it out this weekend. Hope this clean smoke will give the meat more of a Smokey flavor and turn out ribs with that bright red color instead of looking like a chunk of coal.
 
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