[MES30] Something seems to be Very Wrong

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smokingoregon

Newbie
Original poster
Sep 17, 2016
2
10
I've had my MES30 for about a month, and its been great, i've done chicken, ribs, pork loin, lots of butt, all fantastic... So i thought i'd do a brisket. I split the flat and point as they wouldn't fit as a packer. Its 15.5 LBS, and there is very little crust. I'm at 225. 

After a fair amount of reading i figured we'd cook at least 10-12 hours, so I started at 5am, for a 5pm dinner party. 

I went to check the temp at 11:30 and i am at 200-205 every time I probe. 

Is this possible? I figured I'd been in the stall right now, based on everything i've read, it seems like something is amiss. 

So my question is, what should i do, pull and wrap? Chock it up to bad thermo and keep going? 
 
If it is at 205F already, and you are confident in your thermometer readings, I would do the toothpick test for doneness...and if that passes, I would, pull, wrap, and rest it.
 
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At 205 a toothpick should go in like room temp butter, if it does it's done.

You can keep it hot in a 170 degree oven until you want to slice it.

Just wrap it in foil with a little juice.

Al
 
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I pulled it, as it seemed tender. It was Good, but not great, it honestly seemed more like pot roast then brisket. 

Then I realized that because I live in oregon and it was raining, i effectively steamed this as the bottom of the smoker was filled with water..... 

Do you guys use a cover for when it rains? 
 
 
I pulled it, as it seemed tender. It was Good, but not great, it honestly seemed more like pot roast then brisket. 

Then I realized that because I live in oregon and it was raining, i effectively steamed this as the bottom of the smoker was filled with water..... 

Do you guys use a cover for when it rains? 
Oregon, My first thoughts were not very nice ones.  After looking at how many posts you have I figure you are sorta new at this.

Smoking in the rain poses several problems. JUST DON"T DO IT

 It is not a good idea to use electrical equipment in the rain.

It is hard on the smoker and can be hard on you.

I store my smoker outside under a very good cover. I try very hard not to smoke when there is a chance of rain. If a storm comes up, I stop the smoke and move the cook indoors in the wife's oven. A smoker is just a smokeless oven.

Just a tip about setting a time for dinner. Don't do it you will usually be disappointed . If you must, plan the dinner several hours after the expected completion time of the meat.

Please be very careful when mixing water and electricity.   Jted
 
You can smoke in the rain just keep your smoker under an umbrell, awning etc. As long as you keep the electronics dry you'll be fine. I keep mine under the roof overhang of the garage.
It must have been raining really hard for you to end up with water in the bottom of your smoker!
 
 
I pulled it, as it seemed tender. It was Good, but not great, it honestly seemed more like pot roast then brisket. 

Then I realized that because I live in oregon and it was raining, i effectively steamed this as the bottom of the smoker was filled with water..... 

Do you guys use a cover for when it rains? 
I live in the state just north of you and I know about the rain. Here's what I do when it's raining: I don't use my smoker. Unfortunately for me we have no awning or shelter from the storm attached to my house. I have outside electrical outlets in my front and back yards. When it's raining I don't plug anything into them. I have a vinyl canopy in the backyard but I won't run an extension cord out to my MES 30 Gen 1 in rainy weather. When not in use I store my MES under its cover in my garage. So I never have to contend with water inside my smoker. I don't even put water in the water pan. I just foil it over and use it as another grease catcher. And if you're not getting any bark to form on briskets or pork shoulder roasts then you're right--you're steaming them--especially if you're not wrapping the meats.

I've got a 16 pound whole packer which I'm going to need to split up to fit on two racks inside my MES 30 Gen 1. It's something I've done before and it's fine. The flat goes for dinner entrees and sandwiches. The point--after being split from the section of flat below the layer of fat, goes to make burnt ends. I made my first ever batch of those a few weeks ago.

Again, my advice is to make sure you've removed all interior moisture from the inside of the smoker or prevent it from forming in the first place. The MES is so well-insulated a certain degree of moisture accumulates inside on its own.
 
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