MES 30 Terrible Smoke Flavor

[agoude]

So I moved on from my WSM and just bought a MES 30, 135S to be exact, based on my research here it may be a hybrid unit? Regardless, I've done 2 smokes both came out looking great and juicy but had a not so great smoke profile. I used apple wood, dry chips, the first time on Salmon and it came out heavy and and harsh in some areas. Soaked the chips with split chicken breast the 2nd time and it just had an off taste. I'm wondering if that's because of the lack of airflow in the unit or the need for an Amnps, maybe both? The smoke seemed somewhat stagnant, would leaving the wood chip loader cracked help?

 

[TomKnollRFV]

First off; don't soak the chips. That alone could be part of the problem..

And second..before you...did food in it, did you season it? You should first take all removable bits out; IE the water pan, drip tray, chip tray, the racks. Hose them down good <or soak in warm water over night with some dawn detergent in them>...

Then put them back in, crank the MES to 275f for at -least- an hour, to err on the side of caution, two hours. After 2 hours, add chips for another hour or two. Oil the grates etc between uses to help protect it.

Also check if some how, packaging materials are still in there. You also need the top vent cracked some. It could also be you just don't like the smoked flavour? No idea. If nothing I listed is the cause, I'm stumped.

 

[Smkryng]

Before I got a pellet tube I always just filled the chip loader with dry chips and reloaded every 30 to 45 minutes with pretty good results. I always leave the top vent open also. I over loaded the tray once and smothered it out so I pulled the chip loader a little bit to give them some air and had a pretty big fire going fairly quickly so you may keep an eye out if you go that route.

 

[Smkryng]

Also the MES is bad about producing little smoke, to tbs, to really heavy smoke as the heating element cycles

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Also the MES is bad about producing little smoke, to tbs, to really heavy smoke as the heating element cycles

Not sure on that..mine is a hybrid MES 40 and it actually does wonderful TBS with the chips. But lets see if we figure out how to save this man future headaches!

 

[Smkryng]

Not sure on that..mine is a hybrid MES 40 and it actually does wonderful TBS with the chips. But lets see if we figure out how to save this man future headaches!

I can completely agree with that. I thought mine was the same MES 30 pictured but I realized it isn’t after looking at the water pan set up. Mine is bad at lower temps about inconsistent smoke but does pretty well at higher temps with the chip loader. I’ve had a few smokes that were a little bitter when I first started but I think I was cramming in to many chips at once. I bet if Bearcarver could stop by he would have some really good advice on this. He’s given me a few really good pointers that have helped me out tremendously.

 

[agoude]

First off; don't soak the chips. That alone could be part of the problem..

And second..before you...did food in it, did you season it? You should first take all removable bits out; IE the water pan, drip tray, chip tray, the racks. Hose them down good <or soak in warm water over night with some dawn detergent in them>...

Then put them back in, crank the MES to 275f for at -least- an hour, to err on the side of caution, two hours. After 2 hours, add chips for another hour or two. Oil the grates etc between uses to help protect it.

Also check if some how, packaging materials are still in there. You also need the top vent cracked some. It could also be you just don't like the smoked flavour? No idea. If nothing I listed is the cause, I'm stumped.

I did season it for 3 hours with dry chips in the last 45 minutes, however, I didn't remove the internals and clean them prior to using it. I did go out this evening with just a wet cloth and wipe everything down real good and washed the racks in soapy water.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Remember after washing every thing to spray it down good with clean water, then put it in the smoker and run for a few hours at 275f. <It burns off any soap left etc>.

Honestly other then maybe you dislike the smoke flavour, I'm at a loss.

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

Did anyone else eat it? What did they think?

Maybe you can try adding less chips. Only fill it halfway and once an hour. That seems to be preventing that off taste I was getting. See how you like that. I was noticing an off taste when I filled the chip loader as full as I can, certainly if I added more than one load at a time, or more than once an hour.

So I'm playing around with finding the right amount. I'm wondering if too many chips smoking at once is causing the off taste during the initial/white smoke stage. Also, I'm playing around with the number of loads, so 2 loads for 5 hour ribs rather than adding for the entire time the meat is smoking. I'm playing with adding less but more frequently, like every 30 to 45 min.

Maybe there's something wrong with that particular batch of chips you have. Maybe they're old, moldy, weren't stored properly, or contain some kind of chemical that's altering the flavor.

 

[daveomak]

Exhaust wide open... 1/4 cup of chips every 1/2 hour to every hour.. Thin smoke has better flavor than thick white smoke.. Don't soak the chips...

 

[agoude]

Did anyone else eat it? What did they think?

Maybe you can try adding less chips. Only fill it halfway and once an hour. That seems to be preventing that off taste I was getting. See how you like that. I was noticing an off taste when I filled the chip loader as full as I can, certainly if I added more than one load at a time, or more than once an hour.

So I'm playing around with finding the right amount. I'm wondering if too many chips smoking at once is causing the off taste during the initial/white smoke stage. Also, I'm playing around with the number of loads, so 2 loads for 5 hour ribs rather than adding for the entire time the meat is smoking. I'm playing with adding less but more frequently, like every 30 to 45 min.

Maybe there's something wrong with that particular batch of chips you have. Maybe they're old, moldy, weren't stored properly, or contain some kind of chemical that's altering the flavor.

The wife ate it as well, she shared the same thoughts.

I had a similar thought around my current batch of chips, I may toss and replace just to be safe. Thanks for the feedback. I'm sure its an experiment to get the right amount of chips for preference, I'll keep a note on that as I move forward.

 

[agoude]

Remember after washing every thing to spray it down good with clean water, then put it in the smoker and run for a few hours at 275f. <It burns off any soap left etc>.

Honestly other then maybe you dislike the smoke flavour, I'm at a loss.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll run it this evening and burn that off.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll run it this evening and burn that off.

If all else...like Kris said, could be the chips. You could just be oversmoking too. If it occurs with other kinds of chips try to reduce the time of the smoke by half. Just because a smoker is on doesn't mean it needs to make smoke. <Forgive me Forum gods, but it's true!>