New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

[dennispfaff]

My MES temps are less than desireable.  I range between 210F and 250F when set at 220F.  That's quite a range.....  The +-5F changes also make it complicated (1F increments would be much more useful).  The startup temp & overrun issue is also really annoying but there are workarounds.

Love my MES but just saying.  Masterbuilt needs to fix this crap in Gen3.

I noticed that if you mess with the chip loader it affects the smoker temp a little. I had mine pulled out half way for additional ventilation for the AMNPS (per Todd's recommendation), but when I closed it the smoker temp went up a bit. After the pellets get going, I don't think the chip loader needs to be out.
Dennis

 

[Bearcarver]

 
On the new Bluetooths when setting the temperature to start, the temperature moves in 5* increments and not 1* like on my old Gen 2.0. So far, I have been overly successful by starting my starting temp at 5* below what I want the final temp to be. In other words, If I want the final temp on the controller to be 235*, I set it at 230*. It will then over-run this temp the first time to approx 238*-239* at which time I bump up the set point to 235*.

It will then drop to 227*-228* and climb back to 235* and over run to 240*-241*, drop to 229*, back up to 235* and over run to 240*-241* and cycle perfectly between these temperatures from that point on.

Sounds like yours is doing about the same as mine.

Bear

So, why can't the temp just be set at desired set point? Won't the unit eventually equillibrate? How much time is being saved? I had set mine to desired temp for the 5 smokes I've done and it has been spot on (1-2 degrees off from my maverick) shortly after preheat.

They're all different, and it sounds like yours is one of the best.

Some of them seem to over-run by 30° to as much as 50° on the start-up run.

Then if you just leave it alone it will over-run on the valley by 30°.

And 30° again on the peak, and again & again, and again for a long time.

The method I showed was designed to clean that mess up and get it stabilized in a short time.

Yours sounds like it doesn't have that problem, and doesn't need the method.

Bear

 

[dennispfaff]

Sounds like yours is doing about the same as mine.

Bear


They're all different, and it sounds like yours is one of the best.
Some of them seem to over-run by 30° to as much as 50° on the start-up run.
Then if you just leave it alone it will over-run on the valley by 30°.
And 30° again on the peak, and again & again, and again for a long time.
The method I showed was designed to clean that mess up and get it stabilized in a short time.

Yours sounds like it doesn't have that problem, and doesn't need the method.

Bear

My 2.5 pretty much works like candurin's. I pick a set temp and leave it alone and it eventually levels out to that temp +/- 1 or 2 degrees.

By the way, I finally got away from using the foil pans for smoking. I am now convinced putting the food directly on a rack with the foiled water pan below produces the best results.
Dennis

 

[floridasteve]

My overruns are acceptable. My problem is that to keep my racks at 225, I have to set my temp at 250. Not a problem unless you want tosmoke at 270.

 

[candurin]

Sounds like yours is doing about the same as mine.

Bear


They're all different, and it sounds like yours is one of the best.
Some of them seem to over-run by 30° to as much as 50° on the start-up run.
Then if you just leave it alone it will over-run on the valley by 30°.
And 30° again on the peak, and again & again, and again for a long time.
The method I showed was designed to clean that mess up and get it stabilized in a short time.

Yours sounds like it doesn't have that problem, and doesn't need the method.

Bear

It wouldn't be fair of me to take that title :)

But, I do know I have seen some spikes up to 15-20 degrees. But it evens out within 10-15 minutes of preheating and then stays solid thereafter. Once it's set, even after opening the door keeps it within a few degrees of set point while auto re-adjusting.

Do any of with issues you ever get a decent ± swing or is always so drastic?

 

[mummel]

At startup, my MES reads 180F when my Mav hits 225F.  If I recall correctly, if I leave it so my MES reads 225F, the overrun runs into 300F+.  So you really have to baby the startup temps.  Thanks to Bear's guide I can work around this. 

 

[dr k]

My MES temps are less than desireable.  I range between 210F and 250F when set at 220F.  That's quite a range.....  The +-5F changes also make it complicated (1F increments would be much more useful).  The startup temp & overrun issue is also really annoying but there are workarounds.

Love my MES but just saying.  Masterbuilt needs to fix this crap in Gen3.

 

[dr k]

 
My MES temps are less than desireable.  I range between 210F and 250F when set at 220F.  That's quite a range.....  The +-5F changes also make it complicated (1F increments would be much more useful).  The startup temp & overrun issue is also really annoying but there are workarounds.

Love my MES but just saying.  Masterbuilt needs to fix this crap in Gen3.

I didn't realize till today that the MES BT controllers are in five degree increments.  MB has three digital smokers, with three different vent locations, with different MES temp sensor/shut off sensor locations and different chip tray/housing setups that heat differently, making things frustrating.  Well, MB got it half right with a tethered probe for meat to go anywhere in the smoker.  What about a MES temp sensor just like our MAV's that can go anywhere?  MB would only need to add a paragraph in the manual next to the MES meat therm info, telling people that for optimal results the temp of your smoker should be at food level so clip the MES  heat sensor on the rack next to the food.  If using two racks, then clip it on the bottom of the two racks, or with three racks clip it on the center rack.  That would probably be too expensive because they would have to be replaceable etc.  Finding problems is easy.  It's the solutions.  So before MB does an moveable heat sensor I think all MES smokers can handle a heat deflector.  My 40" GEN 1 with the right rear heat element, then going up the right back wall past the temp sensor to the right rear vent would over heat the right side of the smoker if I didn't deflect the heat.

-Kurt

 

[daricksta]

 
Not sure what you mean by "connected", but the probes shouldn't touch any metal, like the rack itself.

This is how I balance the heat from left to right in my MES 40.

A Maverick probe on each side, and my adjustable heat deflector below.

​Notice how the probes stick through the rack & hang without touching anything. I tape the probe wire to the top of the smoker to keep the probes where I want them.

Then the meat goes on that rack when I'm only using one rack.

If you use the top rack too, it will be slightly lower heat, and the third rack would be a bit higher.
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1562.jpg.html

I just proved to myself that the top rack gets the least amount of heat than the other 3. It seems counterintuitive because heat rises but I guess intuition doesn't exist inside a MES. If I'm smoking one piece of meat it always goes on rack 2. Two pieces go on racks 2 & 3. I had to use the top 3 racks on Sunday when I smoked 3 racks of ribs. I never use rack 4. As I posted in my own comment in this thread, my favorite ribs of the 3 was smoked on rack 2.

Bear, is this a photo of you just balancing the heat inside your MES? Where do you typically position the BARBECUE probe when the FOOD probe is inserted in a cut of meat? It that foil pan section on the left protecting the AMNP? What's that folded foil section in the middle of the water pan for? I see the heat deflector on the right there.

I use the metal rack clips to position the ET-733 probes to keep one or both probes sitting just above the racks where I want them. I always position them to the rear of the racks. One goes on the rear left side of one rack and on the rear right side of the other rack if I'm monitoring the smoker temps temps with both probes. If the FOOD probe is inserted in the meat then I just use the rack clip for the BARBECUE probe.

I've discovered that after the MES has been going for about an hour the temps at both racks will either be the same or within 4 degrees of each other. Typically the temp differences will be wider when the controller is in its heating cycle but once that's completed the temps stabilize pretty close. I've seen this happen in smoke after smoke. But then I'm using a MES 30 Gen 1 and it might operate differently than the 40-inchers and differently from the later generations.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I just proved to myself that the top rack gets the least amount of heat than the other 3. It seems counterintuitive because heat rises but I guess intuition doesn't exist inside a MES. If I'm smoking one piece of meat it always goes on rack 2. Two pieces go on racks 2 & 3. I had to use the top 3 racks on Sunday when I smoked 3 racks of ribs. I never use rack 4. As I posted in my own comment in this thread, my favorite ribs of the 3 was smoked on rack 2.

Bear, is this a photo of you just balancing the heat inside your MES? Where do you typically position the BARBECUE probe when the FOOD probe is inserted in a cut of meat? It that foil pan section on the left protecting the AMNP? What's that folded foil section in the middle of the water pan for? I see the heat deflector on the right there.

I use the metal rack clips to position the ET-733 probes to keep one or both probes sitting just above the racks where I want them. I always position them to the rear of the racks. One goes on the rear left side of one rack and on the rear right side of the other rack if I'm monitoring the smoker temps temps with both probes. If the FOOD probe is inserted in the meat then I just use the rack clip for the BARBECUE probe.

I've discovered that after the MES has been going for about an hour the temps at both racks will either be the same or within 4 degrees of each other. Typically the temp differences will be wider when the controller is in its heating cycle but once that's completed the temps stabilize pretty close. I've seen this happen in smoke after smoke. But then I'm using a MES 30 Gen 1 and it might operate differently than the 40-inchers and differently from the later generations.

Rick,

I'll have to answer these questions tomorrow. I'm getting the "Eye".

Bear

 

[daricksta]

 
Rick,

I'll have to answer these questions tomorrow. I'm getting the "Eye".

Bear

I take it the "Eye" is from Mrs. Bear? No married man can withstand the "Eye"...

 

[daricksta]

 
I didn't realize till today that the MES BT controllers are in five degree increments.  MB has three digital smokers, with three different vent locations, with different MES temp sensor/shut off sensor locations and different chip tray/housing setups that heat differently, making things frustrating.  Well, MB got it half right with a tethered probe for meat to go anywhere in the smoker.  What about a MES temp sensor just like our MAV's that can go anywhere?  MB would only need to add a paragraph in the manual next to the MES meat therm info, telling people that for optimal results the temp of your smoker should be at food level so clip the MES  heat sensor on the rack next to the food.  If using two racks, then clip it on the bottom of the two racks, or with three racks clip it on the center rack.  That would probably be too expensive because they would have to be replaceable etc.  Finding problems is easy.  It's the solutions.  So before MB does an moveable heat sensor I think all MES smokers can handle a heat deflector.  My 40" GEN 1 with the right rear heat element, then going up the right back wall past the temp sensor to the right rear vent would over heat the right side of the smoker if I didn't deflect the heat.

-Kurt

I closely monitor the temps in my MES 30 Gen 1 with my ET-733. Disregarding temp overshoots during the heating cycles, when I have a set point of 235° I see on both probe temp displays a temp of 235-239°. The probes are on two different racks, one probe positioned on the rear left, the other on the rear right. During heat up there's about a 10 degree difference between the two. One probe gets up to 251° while the other is at 241°. Other times the temps might drop down to 225-228° so a few times during the smoke I'll raise/lower the controller temp by 5-10 degrees. But time after time I've found that for the most part the temp stabilizes around my set point for hours at a time.

I've written this many times before. I always clean the hi temp cutoff and the temp sensor each time I smoke. I'm convinced that it's because I keep them both clean that I the cooking temp remains stable, give or take 2-5 degrees. Again, we're talking outside of the heating cycles.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I just proved to myself that the top rack gets the least amount of heat than the other 3. My observation too. It seems counterintuitive because heat rises but I guess intuition doesn't exist inside a MES. It's my theory that it's because we have our top vent open 50% to 100%, and some of the heat leaves the area of the top rack more quickly than the rest of the smoker. I never did it but I would imagine if we kept our top vent closed the top rack would be the hottest, because of the fact that heat rises.  Also the closer the rack is to the heating element, the more direct heat gets thrown at it, especially in the start-up phase & heating cycle.  If I'm smoking one piece of meat it always goes on rack 2. Me Too. Two pieces go on racks 2 & 3. I prefer 1 & 2.  I had to use the top 3 racks on Sunday when I smoked 3 racks of ribs. I never use rack 4. Me neither.  As I posted in my own comment in this thread, my favorite ribs of the 3 was smoked on rack 2. Same here.

Bear, is this a photo of you just balancing the heat inside your MES? Where do you typically position the BARBECUE probe when the FOOD probe is inserted in a cut of meat? Since I now have 2 ET-732s, I usually put the smoker probes the way they are in the picture, so I can monitor both sides of rack #2.  When I only had 1 ET-732 I put the smoker probe where the one on the left is in the picture.  It that foil pan section on the left protecting the AMNP?  Yes.  What's that folded foil section in the middle of the water pan for? The deflector is currently being held up by the little black support. That folded piece of foil pan is another support that is higher than the other one.  I see the heat deflector on the right there.

I use the metal rack clips to position the ET-733 probes to keep one or both probes sitting just above the racks where I want them. I always position them to the rear of the racks. One goes on the rear left side of one rack and on the rear right side of the other rack if I'm monitoring the smoker temps temps with both probes. If the FOOD probe is inserted in the meat then I just use the rack clip for the BARBECUE probe.

I've discovered that after the MES has been going for about an hour the temps at both racks will either be the same or within 4 degrees of each other. Typically the temp differences will be wider when the controller is in its heating cycle but once that's completed the temps stabilize pretty close. I've seen this happen in smoke after smoke. But then I'm using a MES 30 Gen 1 and it might operate differently than the 40-inchers and differently from the later generations. I would say the MES 40s generally have a bigger temp swing because they have a higher watt element, and the balance from left to right has a greater chance of being worse because of the MES 40 being wider & both units having the heating element on the right side. In other words in order to balance the left to right heat in an MES 40, you have to deflect the heat farther to the left than you have to do with an MES 30.

Sorry for the Delay in replying.

Bear

 

[dennispfaff]

Question about the MES heating element: does it ever have to be cleaned, or is it protected well enough to always project fairly consistent temp readings.
I think my new 2.5 is a 1200 watt.
Dennis

 

[mummel]

I keep chip cover foiled and my water pan in.  No drippings get near the element so I dont need to clean that.  But are you asking about the creosote over time?  I would guess not as it burns away with the heat.  Plus I would be nervous to mess around with the element in case I damage it or pull a wire lose etc.

But let the pros weigh in.  What say you big Bear?

 

[Bearcarver]

Question about the MES heating element: does it ever have to be cleaned, or is it protected well enough to always project fairly consistent temp readings.
I think my new 2.5 is a 1200 watt.
Dennis

I would say it's pretty well protected, but anything that does manage to drip onto it seems to be burned off pretty quickly from the high heat of the element itself.

I never cleaned my element in over 5 years, but it's not dirty.

Bear

 

[rhaugle]

    has anyone used an additional heat deflector in the BT 40 yet? Or is the water pan enough of a deflector for this? I was trying to find bears picture of the bottom of his smoker to reference, but cant seem to find it... talking about the heat deflector over the heating element, not the drip cover over his AMPS

 

[rhaugle]

Screenshot_2015-08-24-18-59-43.png

• rhaugle
• Aug 26, 2015

This is from my initial seasoning smoke. My question is with the temp difference in the "Smoker Temp" and the Meat temp...

The meat therm was still in it storage holder on the side of the MES. Is that the reason they are showing the difference in temps? My current Maverick et732 is broken, so I have a new 733 in the mail so the meat therm is the only other thermometer I had to use during the seasoning smoke. Why the difference in temps?

 

[mummel]

Your meat temp should have been hotter because it was probably touching metal in that holder, but who knows.  Test your MES meat probe with ice water and boiling water and then report back.

 

[daricksta]

 
Sorry for the Delay in replying.

Bear

Hey, you answer when you can. I understand that. Look at you with your two ET-732s! I'd love to have a 2nd ET-733 but have to spend money on other stuff first. Why do you prefer rack 1? I just cooked three SL ribs on Sunday and the ribs cooked on rack 1 had the least amount of firm bark and was cooked slightly less than the other two. Still trying to figure that out. What you said about heat escaping through the top vent make perfect sense since I keep mine 100% open.

Thanks for explaining about the deflector supports. Special thanks for reminding me about the larger wattage heating element in the MES 40. I also forget to account for the larger interior size although I'm aware of it. My little guy gets crowded but makes up for it by being easier to use, I guess.