MES40 Just Arrived, Need Some Advice

[djtech2k]

Ok, so my MES40 just arrived this evening.  I cannot wait to get it going!  I am considering trying a smoke tomorrow, but not sure yet.  I ordered a AMNPS, Maverick, and a lot of pellets from AMAZN, but it did not get here yet.

So I have some various questions that I am hoping you experts can help me with :)

I am guessing that my MES40 will be outside year-round (unless u guys think thats a bad idea), so to keep it in good shape I would like to have a good cover for it.  I have looked, but have not found any covers for the MES40.  Any ideas where to get one?

So since my AMNPS and pellets are not here, is it worth trying to smoke something without it or should I wait?

I would like to do a smoke with a few different meats for Fathers day Sunday, but again I only want to do it right :)  If I did smoke, any suggestions on meat/wood/recipe/rub?  I know theres tons, but if I smoke for Fathers Day, I want it to be good :)

I put the MES together this evening and it seems like a beast!  I am impressed so far.

I have not turned it up yet, but I was wondering about how to deal with the vent on the top.  Do you use it to adjust temp?  I thought the temp control/remote was for that, but I am not sure.  How should the vent be used?

Looking at the inside of my MES40, I am not sure where the AMNPS would sit.  I saw some pics of it near the burner, but with the trays and the water pan in, I am not sure how that would work.

Thanks in advance for all the help. 

 

[pops6927]

Main thing is, what do you like; beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey, etc.?

 

[smoke king]

Dj, here are my thoughts below:

Ok, so my MES40 just arrived this evening.  I cannot wait to get it going!  I am considering trying a smoke tomorrow, but not sure yet.  I ordered a AMNPS, Maverick, and a lot of pellets from AMAZN, but it did not get here yet. You're a smart man!

So I have some various questions that I am hoping you experts can help me with :)

I am guessing that my MES40 will be outside year-round (unless u guys think thats a bad idea), so to keep it in good shape I would like to have a good cover for it.  I have looked, but have not found any covers for the MES40.  Any ideas where to get one? Sorry, can't help you there, I keep mine the garage.

So since my AMNPS and pellets are not here, is it worth trying to smoke something without it or should I wait?  If you have some wood chips, go for it! It is more labor intensive that way but if its your first time, you may enjoy it!

I would like to do a smoke with a few different meats for Fathers day Sunday, but again I only want to do it right :)  If I did smoke, any suggestions on meat/wood/recipe/rub?  I know theres tons, but if I smoke for Fathers Day, I want it to be good :) Pork ribs using the 3:2:1 method is pretty easy for a starter.  Then how about some ABT's to go with it?  (use the search function or let us know if you don't know what 3:2:1 or ABT's are)

I put the MES together this evening and it seems like a beast!  I am impressed so far. It is a great unit!

I have not turned it up yet, but I was wondering about how to deal with the vent on the top.  Do you use it to adjust temp?  I thought the temp control/remote was for that, but I am not sure.  How should the vent be used? Most keep the vent wide open, to make sure the smoke doesn't get stale.  You use the electric controls for temp regulation.

Looking at the inside of my MES40, I am not sure where the AMNPS would sit.  I saw some pics of it near the burner, but with the trays and the water pan in, I am not sure how that would work. If you have the older model, the AMNPS sits on the bars just to the left of the heating element.  If you have the 2012 model, I am not sure. 

Thanks in advance for all the help. 

 

[smokinhusker]

Ok, so my MES40 just arrived this evening.  I cannot wait to get it going!  I am considering trying a smoke tomorrow, but not sure yet.  I ordered a AMNPS, Maverick, and a lot of pellets from AMAZN, but it did not get here yet.

So I have some various questions that I am hoping you experts can help me with :)

I understand your eagerness at having a new toy and wanting to jump right in. Keep an open mind that you are new to this. Then "season" it per the instructions. Then make sure you have good meat thermometers (to compare the meat probe built into the unit) and a good thermometer to check the actual cabinet temperature as compared to the temperature you set it on. They do differ, and in some cases as much as 30*. 

I am guessing that my MES40 will be outside year-round (unless u guys think thats a bad idea), so to keep it in good shape I would like to have a good cover for it.  I have looked, but have not found any covers for the MES40.  Any ideas where to get one? Ideally it should be under cover of some type (porch, garage,etc. I don't know about a cover for it because my boyfriend built me a cabinet to put mine in and I can leave it out all year that way. You might try searching MES 40 cover in the search bar at the top of the page.

So since my AMNPS and pellets are not here, is it worth trying to smoke something without it or should I wait? I have an MES40. You can smoke with it without the AMNPS and pellets. Keep in mind that you are going to have to keep loading the chip tray approximately every 30-45 minutes without the AMNPS. You don't want billowing white smoke but rather a thin blue smoke. 

I would like to do a smoke with a few different meats for Fathers day Sunday, but again I only want to do it right :)  If I did smoke, any suggestions on meat/wood/recipe/rub?  I know theres tons, but if I smoke for Fathers Day, I want it to be good :) Being new to smoking, I'd choose one or maybe two easy meats to smoke for your first run. Different cuts of meat are sometimes smoked at different temperatures and get done at different times. Chicken is pretty easy as is pork butt. And as Pops said "[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Main thing is, what do you like; beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey, etc.?". [/color]Once you decide you can search the forum, using the search bar at the top of the page, to find answers on how to's.

I put the MES together this evening and it seems like a beast!  I am impressed so far.

I have not turned it up yet, but I was wondering about how to deal with the vent on the top.  Do you use it to adjust temp? It aids a bit in temp adjustment but for the most part, I've found it helps with not getting too much smoke and moisture in the unit.  I thought the temp control/remote was for that, but I am not sure.  How should the vent be used? I leave mine, as most other MES owners, 100% open when in use and closed when not in use.

Looking at the inside of my MES40, I am not sure where the AMNPS would sit.  I saw some pics of it near the burner, but with the trays and the water pan in, I am not sure how that would work. Although the picture in this thread is for a MES30, the placement of the AMNPS is placed the same in the MES40

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/122773/mes-30-heat-distribution-tunnel-update6-15

Thanks in advance for all the help. 

Good luck and hope this helps!

 

[djtech2k]

Thanks a lot smoke king.

I have a 2nd story deck that I plan to keep this thing on, so unless its a no-no to keep it outside, I would like to find a good cover for it.

If I smoke something, it will be tomorrow for Sunday lunch.  I will have to go to the grocery store to get all my supplies, including meats lol.  I will be cooking for a lot of family, so thats why I was thinking of doing a few different meats for variety and scale.

I do not know what ABT or 3:2:1 is, but I know I saw it somewhere on here.  I am guessing 321 is some kind of cooking method.  I have made pork butts, brisket, chicken, ribs (once), and a small piece of salmon (once).  This was all on my charcoal smokers.  I have never prepped any meats for more than an hour before cooking it, so yeh I know I have a lot to learn :)

Ok, so I was wondering about the vent.  I will just assume that it stays wide-open for all smokes.  I dont have my Maverick yet, but I do have a remote thermo, so I will use it as a sanity check for the MES until the maverick comes in.  Should I use my old thermo for the cabin temp or the meat temp?

I ordered this unit from Sams Club online, so I am sure its the 2011 model.

 

[djtech2k]

I am doing the burn-in on my smoker now.  I have a strange thing going...

I put in my remote thermo to check against the built in ones.  I have the temp set to 275.  The MES cabin temp says 272.  The MES meat probe says 224.  My other meat probe temp says 253.

I have the vent wide open and its been going for over an hour.

Whats with the temp diff?  What would u guys suggest I do since I dont have my maverick yet?

BTW, I just bought Jeff's recipes, so I am going to try to make his rub for my first smoke on this thing.  Is it a bad thing to use it on fish like salmon?  If so, whats a good one for fish?  I am thinking about doing some ribs/brisket/pork first, then doing a separate smoke for some fish.

I have been considering smoking my meats in those aluminum pans to keep all the juices with it instead of dripping down the shelves.  Is there any issue with that or any loss of taste/tenderness?

 

[smoke king]

You can test your meat probe using an ice bath to make sure it is accurate.  Put a binch of ice cubes in a cup with water and let it sit for a while to get the water temp to 32 degrees. If your therm reads 32 it is accurate.  If it is, I would believe that over the MES.  The temp differences could be partially due to probe placement.  These units can get hotter on the right side since the heating element and vent are on the same side.  I would suggest moving your heat probe around while you are doing your burnout and get a feel for the hot vs. cold spots. 

I haven't used pans before but many people do so go for it.  Either way, wrap your drip pan and water pan with foil prior to cooking, it makes clean-up a snap.

 

[chef jimmyj]

The MES Meat probe is high on the left side and the cabinet temp probe is closer to the heat element. So there will be a big difference for several hours. Pans can be used but they disrupt the circulation of  heat. I use a Disposable as a drip pan on a low shelf and regularly have to set the MES for 250* to get 225* above the drip pan. Go by which ever therm you can test accurate...JJ

 

[djtech2k]

UPDATE:

I have been doing the pre-heat for hours now and I have had the wood chips in for about an hour.  So far, NO smoke.  What am I doing wrong?  The book says to season the unit by smoking chips for the last 45 mins of the 3 hours.  I cant get it to smoke the chips.  I used the chip tray loader.  I opened to check, removed the water tray, and opened the trip tray to make sure the chips are in there.  The chips are full in the tray.

Any ideas?

 

[eman]

You may have to much chips. Use only a good palm full at a time to get them burning

 

[djtech2k]

Got it.  After removing the water pan and stirring the chips, it started smoking.

Question...Does anyone smoke sausage/Brats?  I bought some and was thinking of throwing them on with my brisket and chicken, but not sure how to smoke sausage.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Smoke them at 225* until the internal hits 165*F. Then enjoy the tasty goodness...JJ

 

[djtech2k]

Ok, so I finished my 1st and 2nd smoke on my new MES 40. 

The first thing that comes to mind is what a PAIN it was to keep smoke rolling.  I was only able to get smoke going about a third of the time my meats were cooking.  Very frustrating...Now I know 100% why my AMNPS is on the way!  Other than the awful smoke experience, I really like the unit. 

I am really thrown off by the temp differences.  At one time today, I had an extrenal thermo and the internal thermo in the same piece of salmon.  There was about a 10 degree difference between the 2.  Who knows which was right, but thats a little confusing.  I do have a maverick on the way also, but I would like to be able to use the internal also.  I often cook more than 1 meat, so it would be nice to measure more than 1.

Overall even with my smoke and thermo annoyances, I really like the MES 40.  With the mav and the AMNPS, I can already see how much easier life will be with it.  I now need to figure out where/how to keep this thing because I have it on a 2nd story deck on a townhouse right not.  I found a cover online, so I am hoping that will keep it in good shape.

My first smoke yesterday was 2 small briskets and 3 chickens.  I bought Jeff's rub and sauce recipe, so I made and used his rub on everything.  I then brined and dried a 5lb salmon last night.  I cooked the salmon this morning.  All foods were good, some quite good but not what I would call great.  I think the AMNPS and mav will solve most of my issues.

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions, especially to buy the MES40!  Now I can concentrate more on recipes and prep to make better meats.

 

[jnorth]

As far as covers go I use this () one and so far it has worked great.

I've just kept the vent fully open, I also got an elbow tube for it a couple weeks ago, it seems to help the draft and if it isn't raining hard enough to make me stop every thing it keeps the rain out of the vent.

Initially I had about 10-15 degrees difference between my maverick but then I discovered that I had a faulty power strip in the house (same circuit) that was causing the hot to bleed over to the neutral.  I'm kind of surprised it didn't fry the electronics.  After tossing out that power strip I'm around 4-5 degrees off, less as it heats up.  I've been going off the maverick temp for when things are done.

I haven't tried any briskets or chickens yet, I've just been doing pork shoulders (Meowey's ruby from here http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/57139/basic-pulled-pork-smoke), fatties, and ABTs.  I do have a turkey breast brining right now, should be ready to smoke Tuesday.

 

[djtech2k]

Ok, so I found an original Masterbuilt cover at lnt.com for like $38.  I ordered so I am waiting for it to arrive.

I finally got my AMNPS, pellets, and Maverick in from FedEx.  I have not yet fired up the AMNPS yet, but plan to ASAP.  I am wondering about the placement of the AMNPS in the MES40.  I have seen a few pics here on the forum, but I am still not sure.  I mean I have the drip tray in the bottom and the water tray/bowl just above the burner level.  Where should I put the AMNPS

I saw a pic with it right to the left of the burner, but that's right below the water bowl and close to the burner, which the instructions say to keep it away from the heat burner.

Anyway, what would you guys suggest from your experience?

 

[chef jimmyj]

The AMNPS goes to the left of the coil. On older MES 40's set it on the two rails that support the chip loader and tray. On the newest model the AMNPS can be placed on the left side at the bottom...JJ

 

[djtech2k]

By the newer models, do u mean the one that Sam's club sells, the one I got?

 

[hoity toit]

I put my amazn smoker tray right on the bottom in the new model MES 40, then I pull the chip tray out 1/2 way and completely remove the chip loader tube. I noticed on the new 2012 model the chip loader is different than on my older 30" model. On my old 30" you could just pull the chip loader out 1/2 way but on the 40" you have to completely remove it to get the extra air  to fuel the AMPs.

 

[chiefwej]

Here is a cover which fits the MES 40 perfect. It's well made, attractive, and very affordable.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123644/new-cover-for-mes-40