Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear’s Thoughts & Findings)

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
 
I've loved my 40"BT since I bought it. My biggest problem with temp swings was doing summer sausage when it would run up to 190 on the swing when I was trying to keep things under 180 and I was set at 170 - normally at higher temp settings it doesn't run that far past. But for my ribs, chucks tenderloins and everything thing else, the bit of swing has had negligible effect on the smoke. The BT is poor (regarding distance) but enough to reach my back office so I can follow my meat ITs without running outside. The accuracy of the meat probe vs my other probe has been close enough to be comfortable with it alone.....
I never use the built in Meat probe, because I don't trust the accuracy, because I haven't figured an accurate way to boil test that Meat Probe.

Bear
 
yahoo.gif
Just got back from Samsclub.  got my 40 BT for $329. and since sams is in a depreciated area, tax is only 3%.  picked up a pork butt and chicken while there. I am not so patiently waiting for my son to get home to help me get it out of my vehicle.  UGG  the suspense is killing me. 

oh and I had gotten the 3 year extended warrantee!!

THANKS TO ALL
 
:yahoo: Just got back from Samsclub.  got my 40 BT for $329. and since sams is in a depreciated area, tax is only 3%.  picked up a pork butt and chicken while there. I am not so patiently waiting for my son to get home to help me get it out of my vehicle.  UGG  the suspense is killing me. 

oh and I had gotten the 3 year extended warrantee!!

THANKS TO ALL

Wow! That was quick and didn't long at all! Well good luck and have fun.
 
Maybe you do need a new controller.
I don't know how long you have yours, but you paid to get a smoker that can get to 275°.
If you have to set it to 260° to get to 230° that means set at 275° will only get you 245°.

A 10° swing each way isn't bad, but a Max of 245° just isn't right !!

That 10° cooler on the left only when there's meat in is not a problem with the smoker itself.

Bear

Guess I'll call Masterbuilt tomorrow and tell them Bear says I need a new controller! I'll let y'all know what they say :-)
 
 
You haven't seen when I do Scarbelly wings.
icon_razz.gif
  Two more racks would come in very handy.
The 6 rack ones are nice but will cost you $100 more for 2 more shelves. ($429 @ Bass Pro Shops  vs $329 at Sams) plus tax

I looked at both before buying mine at Sams and the only difference I could find was the number of shelves of 4 vs 6.

Other than that they appear to be identical inside and out.
 
 
I think you're the only one I know that has had 2-3 hours to stabilize.

My Gen #1 was worse than this Gen 2.5, although using my method I could stabilize my Gen #1 to 230° (Plus and Minus about 6 Degrees) in about 15 to 20 minutes. (After it had gotten to 230°)

Here was my 275° Start-up TestÚ

Ambient Temp start at 60° up to 64° during this time.

The higher the setting the bigger the swings, but I'll give you what I got from my MES Read-out on my 275° start-up, without touching the control setting at all after starting it:

9:42---------------Set to 275° and start Smoker.

9:50---------------110°

9:55---------------160°

10:00-------------210°

10:06-------------250°

10:10-------------275°----Element shut off.

10:13-------------284°-----Coasted to this Peak.

10:17-------------274°----Element came on.

10:20-------------270°----Coasted to this Valley.

10:22-------------275°----Element shut off.

10:25-------------276°---Coasted to this Peak.

10:26-------------274°---Element on.

10:28-------------272°---Coast to this Valley.

10:30-------------275°---Element off.

Continued from here with cycles like the following:

On at 274°

Coast down to 272°

Off at 275°

Coast to276°

On at 274°

So there it took about a Half Hour to get from 60° to 275°, and within 12 Minutes it was stabilized to a total cycle of 4°.

And like I said this was without needing the Method I had to use to stabilize my Gen #1.

This Smoker is Awesome!!

Bear
If my Gen 2 screws up any more then it is,I may get a 2.5 Thanks for taking the time and sharing 

Richie

points.gif
 
 
I never use the built in Meat probe, because I don't trust the accuracy, because I haven't figured an accurate way to boil test that Meat Probe.

Bear
Yeah, I hear that. I did test my other remote (both in ice water and boiling water) and have run them side by side in meat and just checking the ambient of the cabinet enough times now that I trust it. Maybe I've lucked out with this one but the probe seems too convenient not to use.

Cheers
 
Guess I'll call Masterbuilt tomorrow and tell them Bear says I need a new controller! I'll let y'all know what they say :-)
I would just tell them that your smoker won't allow the heat to get above 245° on accurate, verifiable digital Thermometers. A new controller should fix that.

You paid for a smoker that can get to 275°. LOL---Nobody at that office would know me.

Have your model number ready.

Bear
 
Last edited:
I never use the built in Meat probe, because I don't trust the accuracy, because I haven't figured an accurate way to boil test that Meat Probe.


Bear

I stuck both the maverick and MES meat probes into the same Chuck of Boston Butt . The agreed within a couple of degrees. I also once took the two maverick and one MES probes and bound them together with some safety wire and set me unit for 250 degrees. I was amazed ar how close the three readings were
 
Last edited:
I never use the built in Meat probe, because I don't trust the accuracy, because I haven't figured an accurate way to boil test that Meat Probe.


Bear
My Mes40"G1 built in meat therm is 8-10*F low. It heats up in 20 minutes. I have 15*F coasting swings both ways but it's cosistent so all's good. I removed the bottom drip pan and put down foil with the drain hole open through the foil. I wonder if removing the chip tray would remove trapped heat for shorter heating cycles. The G1 chip tray is more enclosed than the open element G2&2.5. It's just that the G1 has the deflector attached to the chip tray possibly protecting the computer board in the bottom of the smoker. The G1's have so much more metal around the heating element. When do the AMNPS testing games begin?
-Kurt
 
My Mes40"G1 built in meat therm is 8-10*F low. It heats up in 20 minutes. I have 15*F coasting swings both ways but it's cosistent so all's good. I removed the bottom drip pan and put down foil with the drain hole open through the foil. I wonder if removing the chip tray would remove trapped heat for shorter heating cycles. The G1 chip tray is more enclosed than the open element G2&2.5. It's just that the G1 has the deflector attached to the chip tray possibly protecting the computer board in the bottom of the smoker. The G1's have so much more metal around the heating element. When do the AMNPS testing games begin?
-Kurt
I removed my Drip pan from my Gen #1 too, a long time ago, but I'm not sure yet if I'll do that with this one, as it is slanted to get the grease to the hole to the grease drawer.

I probably will, because anything real greasy I usually use Pans to smoke it in, so there won't be a lot of grease running---Just a few drips.

I never remove anything like the chip tray or shield, because that might allow heat radiation that it wasn't designed to allow. But that's just me. It works good the way it is, so I leave it alone.

I'm still experimenting with the AMNPS in this Gen #2.5. So far it was light (Like I like it) for 3 hours, but then it got too heavy for my liking. I moved it around, but it stayed Heavy. I'm still working on that, because that never happened in my Gen #1.

Bear
 
Last edited:
Bear when did you get a 2.5?  I must have missed your original post (or maybe my mind is failing me).  Congrats.
 
 
I removed my Drip pan from my Gen #1 too, a long time ago, but I'm not sure yet if I'll do that with this one, as it is slanted to get the grease to the hole to the grease drawer.

I probably will, because anything real greasy I usually use Pans to smoke it in, so there won't be a lot of grease running---Just a few drips.

I never remove anything like the chip tray or shield, because that might allow heat radiation that it wasn't designed to allow. But that's just me. It works good the way it is, so I leave it alone.

I'm still experimenting with the AMNPS in this Gen #2.5. So far it was light (Like I like it) for 3 hours, but then it got too heavy for my liking. I moved it around, but it stayed Heavy. I'm still working on that, because that never happened in my Gen #1.

Bear
Bear, in reference to my 40" BT 2.5,  I cover both my water pan and bottom drip pan with foil. I have yet to get a drop of grease in the grease tray on bottom outside of smoker, What little that misses the water pan doesn't accumulate enough to run to the hole and into the out side pan. All I have to do is change foil when it gets filthy. No cleaning necessary with the bottom drip pan as the foil take care of that. Simply pull pan out and recover with new foil.

On your AMNPS, did you have food in the smoker and did you have the chip loader pulled out any? Reason I am asking is that I have to pull mine out 2" with dump side down in order for the AMNPS to smoke properly.
 
 
Bear when did you get a 2.5?  I must have missed your original post (or maybe my mind is failing me).  Congrats.
2 weeks ago.

I mentioned it in my original post---This thread.

Bear
 
Bear, in reference to my 40" BT 2.5,  I cover both my water pan and bottom drip pan with foil. I have yet to get a drop of grease in the grease tray on bottom outside of smoker, What little that misses the water pan doesn't accumulate enough to run to the hole and into the out side pan. All I have to do is change foil when it gets filthy. No cleaning necessary with the bottom drip pan as the foil take care of that. Simply pull pan out and recover with new foil.

On your AMNPS, did you have food in the smoker and did you have the chip loader pulled out any? Reason I am asking is that I have to pull mine out 2" with dump side down in order for the AMNPS to smoke properly.
I experimented with different things, but I had no trouble getting smoke with everything where it belongs or pulled out a little. The only thing I need to investigate is why after 3 hours the AMNPS puts out TOO MUCH Smoke. That never happened in 5 years in my Gen #1.  So far that's the only thing confusing me, but I'll get it figured out.

It'll have to wait until after this weekend---No Smoking in the coming Storm. Too much wind.

Thanks,

Bear
 
 
2 weeks ago.

I mentioned it in my original post---This thread.

Bear

I experimented with different things, but I had no trouble getting smoke with everything where it belongs or pulled out a little. The only thing I need to investigate is why after 3 hours the AMNPS puts out TOO MUCH Smoke. That never happened in 5 years in my Gen #1.  So far that's the only thing confusing me, but I'll get it figured out.

It'll have to wait until after this weekend---No Smoking in the coming Storm. Too much wind.

Thanks,

Bear
Bear, let me know what you come up with. My problem with the AMNPS is it puts out less smoke the longer it smokes, but again maybe that is because I have meat in the smoker vs I think you are testing yours dry???? When mine starts putting out less smoke, if I pull the chip loader out for a few minutes, then the smoke will increase.
 
Originally Posted by Bearcarver  
I experimented with different things, but I had no trouble getting smoke with everything where it belongs or pulled out a little. The only thing I need to investigate is why after 3 hours the AMNPS puts out TOO MUCH Smoke. That never happened in 5 years in my Gen #1.  So far that's the only thing confusing me, but I'll get it figured out.

It'll have to wait until after this weekend---No Smoking in the coming Storm. Too much wind.

Thanks,

Bear
Same here, Bear. I get more smoke after a few hours from my AMPS. But I like it, its just the right amount of smoke on my big butts and briskets that take longer to cook, I guess because they're thicker cuts of meat. yet its also just the right amount of smoke for my ribs that typically only see 4 hours or smoke anyways. 
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky