MES 2nd Attempt- Additional Concerns

[cnet24]

So I smoked a pork butt this weekend. This was my second attempt with the MES 130 and thanks to others on this forum on their recommendations, I was happy with it. Better bark and smoke production with the a-maz-n pellet maze led to a great smoke! The meat was so tender that it fell apart when I moved it to the pan for shredding:


One thing that caught my eye while smoking during the day was the covering over the buttons- I noticed for some reason it was "peeling" back exposing the buttons underneath. Considering this unit is only 3 months old and stored for only two months outside with a cover, I was annoyed to see this. I think a call to Masterbuilt is in my near future. I can actually "peel" the covering all the way back:



Now probably the most concerning: while covering up my smoker tonight, I realized what I hope to be creosote? I'm a little concerned because it appears to be very similar to other pictures of people reporting peeling paint with the Masterbuilt... does that appear what is happening here? I peeled back a small section and sure enough, it revealed some pieces of unfinished metal. This is occurring on the outside part of the smoker, where the inside of the door would meet and seal when closed.


All things considered, seems to be a lot of issue for a smoker with only around 24 hours worth of smoking.

 

[tallbm]

Hi there and welcome!

The pork butt looks awesome, great job!

As for the MES issues, yeah the controller is one of the most common failure points of an MES, they will likely send you another one for free.
As for the paint, that is a first for me to see. I don't they there is for you to do other than to just chip it away and be done with it. It sucks but provided that it is only cosmetic you should be ok.

Best of luck on your future smokes! :)

 

[Murray]

So I smoked a pork butt this weekend. This was my second attempt with the MES 130 and thanks to others on this forum on their recommendations, I was happy with it. Better bark and smoke production with the a-maz-n pellet maze led to a great smoke! The meat was so tender that it fell apart when I moved it to the pan for shredding:
View attachment 390599

One thing that caught my eye while smoking during the day was the covering over the buttons- I noticed for some reason it was "peeling" back exposing the buttons underneath. Considering this unit is only 3 months old and stored for only two months outside with a cover, I was annoyed to see this. I think a call to Masterbuilt is in my near future. I can actually "peel" the covering all the way back:
View attachment 390600
View attachment 390601

Now probably the most concerning: while covering up my smoker tonight, I realized what I hope to be creosote? I'm a little concerned because it appears to be very similar to other pictures of people reporting peeling paint with the Masterbuilt... does that appear what is happening here? I peeled back a small section and sure enough, it revealed some pieces of unfinished metal. This is occurring on the outside part of the smoker, where the inside of the door would meet and seal when closed.
View attachment 390602 View attachment 390603 View attachment 390604 View attachment 390605

All things considered, seems to be a lot of issue for a smoker with only around 24 hours worth of smoking.

I sent this picture to Masterbuilt, they told me this happens “on occasion”. I have the same creosote build up around the door seal,if you try to remove it the paint comes with it. The warm air from the smoker is cooling and the creosote is condensing out. As a result I’m working on my TBS methodology.

 

[cnet24]

tallbm and Murray thanks for the replies and confirmation on the paint. Being new- can I ask what you mean by TBS methodology?

I plan on sending Masterbuilt an email this morning. We will see!

 

[Murray]

tallbm and Murray thanks for the replies and confirmation on the paint. Being new- can I ask what you mean by TBS methodology?

I plan on sending Masterbuilt an email this morning. We will see!

TBS Methodology= I'm not happy with my Thin Blue Smoke so I'm tinkering around trying to get TBS every time. Usually requires a few adult beverages to come up with my brainstorms, a few more to build/implement and finally testing.

 

[tallbm]

TBS Methodology= I'm not happy with my Thin Blue Smoke so I'm tinkering around trying to get TBS every time. Usually requires a few adult beverages to come up with my brainstorms, a few more to build/implement and finally testing.

I take the easy route and use the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray and a Mailbox Mod with my MES