MES30D w/4 Racks. How to use the lowest 3?

[BugHunter]

Recently did a whole pork loin into back bacon in my Masterbuilt 30" Digital.

I cut the loin into 3 pieces, both for the brine but also to fit it in the smoker. All 3 would not fit on one rack so I used 2 racks. The pieces on the bottom rack got dripped on by what was above. Essentially basting the lower ones. I got away with it doing back bacon because it really doesn't matter. But if I were to be doing other types of food (like all the marketing pictures show), I guess the lower stuff gets basted by whatever is above?

How do you guys deal with that (other than buy a horizontal smoker), or is that just all marketing nonsense and you simply can't use all the racks when anything sheds juices? I can't imagine the answer is a foil roof over every layer, but...

 

[normanaj]

Really depends on what your cooking. Love doing chicken thighs over beef or pork.But for the most part I do like cooks on my MES30 simply because of its size but I do have two 30s but I'm always keeping my eye out for a used 40".

 

[smokerjim]

Personally I dont worry about stuff getting dripped on, I think the only way to stop that would to use aluminum pans to smoke your food in.

 

[BugHunter]

Personally I dont worry about stuff getting dripped on, I think the only way to stop that would to use aluminum pans to smoke your food in.

When I did that pork loin, I just wanted it cooked, didn't care about the exterior moisture that much. But if I had been looking for bark on the outside, the lower shelf did not have that, which was why I asked. Thanks guys.

 

[zwiller]

I copied a few guys here and used aluminum angle iron and self tapping screws to make a "shelf" at very top so I can hang. I use S hooks. Not a fan of the "self basting".

 

[BugHunter]

@zwiller I JUST bought this thing and I was trying to not modify it in it's first use! I had considered putting in angle but just didn't get around to it. I was able to cut miters on the rods I made for the smoker I borrowed before buying this, and make them work. But they should be thinner. (not as easy as just cutting them down). I've got loads of angle here at work (literally miles of alum extrusion), and even have stainless angle. But the wooden bars worked for me so far... Those need re-made far smaller but with ends bigger to fit this crazy smoker interior. Not a trivial job.

 

[normanaj]

Personally I dont worry about stuff getting dripped on

This ↑

 

[indaswamp]

There is also an easy modification made with wood to make wood racks that slide into the wire framing on either side that has half moon cutouts which hold wood dowels for hanging. @chopsaw might be the guy that invented that. But I'm with @zwiller , I hang when I can in my smokehouse...

 

[BugHunter]

There is also an easy modification made with wood to make wood racks that slide into the wire framing on either side that has half moon cutouts which hold wood dowels for hanging. @chopsaw might be the guy that invented that. But I'm with @zwiller , I hang when I can in my smokehouse...

That would work on the smoker I borrowed to test-drive this whole endeavor, but the MES ins't constructed that way any more. Believe me, I spent 2 weeks searching for a smoker made the way my buddies 10 year old one was. No joy. That thing not only had a better rack system, it actually smoked without the external smoke gizmo at 130F. I never even considered getting the cold smoker gizmo till I bought my new one.

The new style has embossed sheet metal walls like the oven in your kitchen, but the tops and bottoms of those indentations were made at angles that make you think they intentionally wanted it to be impossible to use other racks. the old style also not only had more rack supports, but you could sit a rack on top of them if you wanted that extra 1/2" of space for whatever reason. Again, that ship has sailed...

Add to that, the top rack is down from the ceiling far enough that you loose your height for hanging sticks. Well, hanging long sticks anyway.

These two pics show the new system they use. Those angles in the steel mean I had to cut those miters on the hardwood rods, and made them tall in order to gaine what height I could because I lost so much height with where they put that top rack. And if I don't make those things far too wide to hang stuff on, they fall over because they have no footprint for support. This is why I say, making new ones isn't trivial. I may be forced to add extra rails as was suggested, but would really like it unmodified if I can make it work.