Masterbuilt MES 440s (Gen 4)

[bowserx69]

Hi all! I'm new to smoking, I just got the Masterbuilt MES 440s (Model #: MB20077419) as my first one. I grabbed it on sale at Dick's and couldn't pass it up for $249 when I noticed it retailed for 3x that much. However I'm running into problems when I have questions about it. I'm looking to see if anyone else has purchased this and can swap some knowledge both ways. I've searched and searched the web and can barely find any information on this model. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated thank you!

 

[hewl35]

I would move this to the electric smokers section To get more eyes on your posting.. I don’t have this model but MES builds some nice units. First and foremost when you unpack it remove all the foam, tape, and plastic films. I use canola or sunflower oil to liberally coat the and run it hot for several hours to cook out the protective oils and coatings from manufacturing. Then let it cool. All this and more is found in the owner’s manual or possibly online.

 

[bowserx69]

Thank you for the input. Do I have to just repost it on there? Or is there a way to just move the post over?

 

[Wurstmeister]

Hi all! I'm new to smoking, I just got the Masterbuilt MES 440s as my first one. I grabbed it on sale at Dick's and couldn't pass it up for $249 when I noticed it retailed for 3x that much. However I'm running into problems when I have questions about it. I'm looking to see if anyone else has purchased this and can swap some knowledge both ways. I've searched and searched the web and can barely find any information on this model. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated thank you!

Welcome to the Forum from SC. Before you leave/transfer your message over to the Electric Smoking area. Here is a copy of the Operators Manual for your series of MES. Hope it helps.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Welcome. I'll make the move. That looks like a nice smoker. Best of Luck...JJ

 

[cmayna]

So, what kind of problems are you having with the smoker?

 

[bowserx69]

So, what kind of problems are you having with the smoker?

Well to note, right out of the box I noticed some small dents on the side of smoker and the door. Assembly wasn't too bad, pretty straightforward along with the pres season initial burn in. However the first smoke after the pre season I was trying to smoke a pork butt and it couldn't of went worse. When I would open the door, the tempature would spike, the wood box would catch fire and display Err2 code. The smoker stayed unresponsive regardless of unplugging for 10 seconds and turning back on, it did not reset the control module. It would not let me turn it back on until it it cooled way down to an actual inside temp of probably 110°. After some trail and error I experimented and traces it to the Meat Probe jack 1 was shorting out the controller. I'm not sure why but it was flying temps all over the screen. After I left it unplugged all went smoothly after with no Err2 code. However the next problem started trying to smoke a rotisserie chicken with the broiler. The smoker started to produce smoke at the very beginning for a minute or two then would not create any. I tried resetting the smoker by unplugging it. I tried both wood chips and chunks, changing the custom smoke level setting but still would not produce any smoke, I checked numerous times opened the smoke box and the element was not hot, nor was the wood smouldering. I unplugged the smoker from the extension cord, let it reset, moved the smoker close to the outlet and started it up again and worked fine. Could my extension cord not be quite a heavy gauge or not? ** NOTE I did have the Top broiler element set to high, smoke element on, and rotisserie motor all running at once, I'm thinking maybe it was just too much juice for that extension cord.


This smoker however imo is very nice in general. It has a ton of PROs and few CONs yet so far from what I can tell. I will make another post to describe everything I like about the 440.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Masterbuilt does not recommend using an extension cord. However, I bought a 10' 10awg, extension cord, rated for 20amps and had no issue with my MES40...JJ

 

[bowserx69]

UPDATE: Finally got ahold of customer service. Explained what the Err2 code means for anyone else that has had that problem with the MES 440