New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

[Bearcarver]

 
Ya I have those bookmarked, they are very well done. I'm super excited to go buy my smoker laster this week. Gonna do the Gen 2.5 based off of your intense research on all the different models. Was almost the "Proud" owner of a Gen 2 before I read that post you made, so thanks a bunch!

That's Great !!

I usually get a Headache when I try to help Gen #2 owners.

I love my 2.5.

Bear

 

[smokingearl]

I use the amps. Will smoke for 11 hours without having to baby sit it. I do a lot of brisket and pulled pork so the Amps is my best friend. It's not hard to learn to use at all. I always thought I'd get the cold smoker attachment when I could afford it, but now I don't see any reason I need it.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
So what are you thoughts on this AMPS vs Cold Smoker issue? To me they seem to have the same purpose, but the cold smoker seems to be just a little bit less of a hassle, which I was thinking would be nice for a newbie.

Personally I would think the AMNPS would be less hassle, but I've been using the AMNS and the AMNPS for near 7 years now.

All I do is keep my pellets Dry, load as many pellets I want to use, light it properly, and put it in my Smoker. It gives me Perfect smoke for up to 11 straight hours, without touching it.

I don't have to connect it to the MES & disconnect it to put my cover on.

I never have to clean it, other than tapping it on my Galvanized Ash Can, when I empty it.

My AMNPS never jams on me.

I can stop it any time I want & save the unburned Pellets for next time.

Also my MES doesn't have to share my GFI outlet with anything.

Bear

 

[candurin]

It takes me less than 5 minutes to light my amps.

I load the pellets in the tray and leave them alone for an hour before smoking (my pellets are stored in a cool, dry area as is). Then I light them with my propane torch and let them stay ignited for a minute or two. Then blow out the flame and I'm ready to go.

If it is warm and sunny out, I'll just leave them in the tray on top of the smoker. You could also leave them unlit in the AMPS inside the smoker while you are preheating. That should get them plenty dry.

It really is akin to burning the large incense sticks (I miss my late teens and early 20's!). Once the smoke starts, I've never had an issue with it going out.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Hmm, some valid points. I think the main one that would matter for me is the cover part. But otherwise i think the cold smoker shares many of the other aspects, like easy loading just dump chips in and then ash tray gets cleaned out after. And no need for external heat from the torch (which is kind of intimidating for an entry level pyromaniac lol).

Lets say i did get the AMNPS over the cold smoker, I live in Arizona so its always hot and dry. I saw some guy microwaving his pellets to get them dry before lighting them on fire. Would that be necessary for me? And his whole process took the span of an 11 minute video, so maybe thats why i was turned off by the seemingly simply load the cod smoker and flip the switch. Plus if you need to turn off your smoke, wouldnt you need to open the door and release heat by doing so with AMNPS (minus mailbox mod)?

I only stop the smoke after I'm done smoking, and if I want to stop the smoke & save pellets when I foil my meat, I have to open the door to foil it anyway, and taking the AMNPS out takes about 3 seconds.

I'll be posting a thing (Probably tomorrow) on keeping pellets dry, but I can tell you AZ is a lot Drier than PA, and I never had to Nuke any Pellets or Dust, or put them in an oven, and I never needed a Mailbox for anything other than my Residential Mail.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the MES Cold Smoker, other than the things I listed in the other post, but I have heard of some jam-ups. That could have been operator error.

I just never wanted the hassle of the Cold Smoker attachment or the Mailbox & piping that goes with it.

Also I don't really care what anybody uses, I only give my opinions so I don't feel bad when somebody buys the one thing, and then ends up getting what I suggested later.

Same thing with those who get the MES Gen #2, and then end up not liking it, and having to get the Gen #1 or the Gen #2.5 that I recommend.

Bear

 

[smokesontuesday]

 
So what are you thoughts on this AMPS vs Cold Smoker issue? To me they seem to have the same purpose, but the cold smoker seems to be just a little bit less of a hassle, which I was thinking would be nice for a newbie.

I have both and the Cold Smoker attachment is much less hassle for me. Like a few others I have trouble keeping the AMPS lit whereas the cold smoker is just a switch flip and 6-8 hours of clean smoke.

Fill the chimney, get it good and smoldering, then crack the ash drawer just a touch for air flow and turn off the heating element in the cold smoker. It will burn and smoke chips for hours. I've gotten 12 hours off a single chimney but it's usually closer to 7-8.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I have both and the Cold Smoker attachment is much less hassle for me. Like a few others I have trouble keeping the AMPS lit whereas the cold smoker is just a switch flip and 6-8 hours of clean smoke.

Fill the chimney, get it good and smoldering, then crack the ash drawer just a touch for air flow and turn off the heating element in the cold smoker. It will burn and smoke chips for hours. I've gotten 12 hours off a single chimney but it's usually closer to 7-8.

You shouldn't have trouble with an AMNPS, at only about 800' Altitude, but it sounds like you're doing Great with the MES Cold Smoker. That's Great !!

Bear

 

[smokesontuesday]

 
You shouldn't have trouble with an AMNPS, at only about 800' Altitude, but it sounds like you're doing Great with the MES Cold Smoker. That's Great !!

Bear

I have trouble with it maybe 1 out of 5 times. The cold smoker is just as reliable as the MES itself though. It's almost too easy.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I have trouble with it maybe 1 out of 5 times. The cold smoker is just as reliable as the MES itself though. It's almost too easy.

That works best for you, I'd use it too!!

Bear

 

[smokesontuesday]

 
Thanks for that input! That's exactly what I was looking for. I had a co-worker who said pretty the same thing, so the confirmation is great. he was saying he leaves the power on the cold smoker on the whole time though. Is that necessary or just until you get it smoking and then can turn it off and crack the ash tray to get natural smoke without the heating element being necessary?

I used to leave the element on all the time because that's what the instructions say but I quit doing that about a year ago and started turning it off. I've had one smoke in a year (~100 smokes) that I had to go out and relight the chips with the element. I'm not sure what happened that day other than it was really windy and cold. Neither of those should affect the chimney I'd think but that was the only thing out of normal that day.

I'm not hating on the AMPS at all. I'll definitely attempt to use it to cold smoke in my Oklahoma Joe when I want to smoke a whole bunch of cheese this fall. I just prefer the Cold Smoker for the MES. 

 

[remsr]

Bear explained things very well 6 or 7 hours on large cuts of meat 2 or 3 on ribs, anything more is a waste, cold smoking is different in that we bubble smoke and often smoke with no heat at all for many hours. The cold smoker will give you more smoke in less time than the AMNPS, but will burn longer, the AMNPS does require a torch to fire it up so cost wise the price of either is close to the same.
Fomeheart will confirm that as he uses both. Bottom line is that you will like both for different reasons.
Randy,

 

[smokingearl]

Bear explained things very well 6 or 7 hours on large cuts of meat 2 or 3 on ribs, anything more is a waste, cold smoking is different in that we bubble smoke and often smoke with no heat at all for many hours. The cold smoker will give you more smoke in less time than the AMNPS, but will burn longer, the AMNPS does require a torch to fire it up so cost wise the price of either is close to the same.
Fomeheart will confirm that as he uses both. Bottom line is that you will like both for different reasons.
Randy,

Smoking for more than 6 hours is definately not a waste. I smoke my 16 hour butts and 22 hour briskets the whole time and they are definately more smokey than if only smoked 6 hours. And with the thin blue smoke the AMPS provides it's perfect, not bitter or too much. You can light the AMPS with some gel fire starter and a bic lighter if you needed too, but a small torch works best for me.

 

[remsr]

OK guess we like less smoke.
Randy,

 

[remsr]

Also guess I should have been more clear in that I foil almost everything. Ribs at 2 and 3 hours butts and brisket at 160 internal temp which is around 6 hours. Once in foil smoke is a waste. I have read information that says that after a certain point smoke is not effective but when it comes to smoking where there are no set rules I am open to all possibilities and new ideas. All I really know about smoking that makes my smokes consistent,
I learned on SMF. Most of what I say is a quote from someone else. I don't have a lot that is original to share. Pretty much all has been said and done before and their is a lot to pick and choose from.
You did cause me to question something concerning how much smoke is enough. If there is a point where smoke no longer penetrates, why do we cold smoke meat for hours? Why do we double smoke?
Randy,

 

[Bearcarver]

Also guess I should have been more clear in that I foil almost everything. Ribs at 2 and 3 hours butts and brisket at 160 internal temp which is around 6 hours. Once in foil smoke is a waste. I have read information that says that after a certain point smoke is not effective but when it comes to smoking where there are no set rules I am open to all possibilities and new ideas. All I really know about smoking that makes my smokes consistent,
I learned on SMF. Most of what I say is a quote from someone else. I don't have a lot that is original to share. Pretty much all has been said and done before and their is a lot to pick and choose from.
You did cause me to question something concerning how much smoke is enough. If there is a point where smoke no longer penetrates, why do we cold smoke meat for hours? Why do we double smoke?
Randy,

As far as I'm concerned there is no point where meat stops taking on smoke completely.

When I said I give Ribs 2 or 3 hours of smoke & Butts 6 or 7 hours, that is because I foil Ribs & Butts at those points. If I wasn't foiling, I would give the Ribs 5 to 6 hours of smoke & the Butts would get 12, 14, 16 hours, or however long it takes to get them to pulling time.

In other words, I'll say what I've said dozens of times on this forum, "I run light smoke on all of my meats the whole time it is in my smoker, unless it is foiled. The only exception is the first hour or two of Bacon getting Pellicle before putting on the Smoke."

Bear

 

[candurin]

I keep the smoke going as long as there's something in the smoker...

 

[remsr]

I am too old to damn remember to remember where I read that meat stops thanking on smoke at some point all I remember is that I did read it. I think it don't matter if everyone is pleased with what they are doing. No rules just preferences.
Randy,

 

[Bearcarver]

I am too old to damn remember to remember where I read that meat stops thanking on smoke at some point all I remember is that I did read it. I think it don't matter if everyone is pleased with what they are doing. No rules just preferences.
Randy,

Yes I've heard that too, but I don't believe it.

Many say the Smoke Ring stops at a certain Temp too, which may or may not be true. I don't worry about that, because I don't allow that Nasty Smoke Ring to even start in my MES.

Bear

 

[remsr]

If I was doing yard work, or working in my garage I would be out of range, but in either family room upper, or lower, the kitchen, or our bed room on the 3ed floor I am in range.
I simply plan my smokes around those issues.
Randy,

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Well guys, I bought the 40" Gen 2.5 BT Smoker yesterday! Just did the 3 hour pre-seasoning of the smoker and then the 1 hour pre-seasoning separately for the cold smoker. Everything went great. Although my worries were correct about the terrible Bluetooth range. I might as well just go back outside with the range I have to be in to connect on my phone. And then it has to sit there for 10 seconds trying to reconnect. I've heard people mention they can contact Masterbuilt and get it swapped with an RF panel, any thoughts/experiences with that?

Secondly my question before I actually put some meat in this bad boy is about the smoke level. So I know we want the "Thin Blue Smoke". So the first picture attached is of when I was using the tiny stock wood chip loader for the last 45 min of the pre-season. It seemed to provide a good level of smoke. The 2nd picture is when pre-seasoning the cold smoker. I left the unit powered on, had the smoke vent on top fully open and it produced that extremely thick smoke. Lastly, unfortunately forgot to take a picture, I followed what was previously said in this forum about letting the cold smoker chips get ignited, then turning off the unit and opening the ash tray 1/4 inch and letting oxygen do its thing naturally and the smoke seemed to match the first picture, very light smoking. I am assuming when I get meat in there I wouldnt want that extremely thick smoke like in the 2nd picture or else the meat would taste disgusting. Is that so? If so I guess I will just do the ignite, shut off and vent option to get the cold smoker to smoke a moderate amount over a long period of time. Thanks to everyone on here by the way. You made this journey possible, I am now just excited to embark upon it!

Stock wood chip loader
View media item 480742
Cold Smoker with power on and smoke vent fully open

View media item 480743

I agree---First Pic= Smoke Looks Good.

2nd Pic= Smoke too Heavy.

If you can get an RF remote for that, please let me know. I don't have anything to use with my Bluetooth, so I've just been using the controls on the Smoker itself.

Thanks,

Bear