New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

[foamheart]

It just seems something is inheritly wrong with running your smoker by telephones......LOL

You need a Star-Trek badge, just touch it and say, cook the pork butt. Then Scotty would come back and say, BUT captain the dilithium crystals! Damn it Mr Scott I said low and slow!

 

[tjwheels]

 
Gotalot - I have only used it with my iPad 2 so maybe that is my problem (old technology). I have a Lumia 1520 phone that is Windows based and have great success with Bluetooth connections. But with that being said Masterbuilt does not offer an app for the Windows platform. I'll install the app on the kids iPhone 6 and see if I can have a little better success.   

I just loaded the app to the kids iPhone 6 and the range is not any better for me. I don't know if you are part of the fortunate majority or the fortunate minority but either way good for you. Even with this issue I'm still liking my smoker a lot. 

 

[tjwheels]

 
It just seems something is inheritly wrong with running your smoker by telephones......LOL

You need a Star-Trek badge, just touch it and say, cook the pork butt. Then Scotty would come back and say, BUT captain the dilithium crystals! Damn it Mr Scott I said low and slow!

Now that's funny, but Mr Spock will remain silent, RIP Leonard Nimoy.

 

[gotalotgoingon]

 
I just loaded the app to the kids iPhone 6 and the range is not any better for me. I don't know if you are part of the fortunate majority or the fortunate minority but either way good for you. Even with this issue I'm still liking my smoker a lot. 

Sorry to hear that. It may be the fact that I live is a small town, a Village to be exact, and there is not a lot of other signal interference. 

 

[dennispfaff]

I received a reply email today 3/12/15 from Masterbuilt's Customer Service that Sam's Club now carries their Bluetooth 40 in smoker, although in checking Sam's website and they do not show it yet. Guess I will check it out at a Sam's Club store.
Dennis

 

[mab007]

That's great news.  My Sams club still has the same 4, 40 in MES Gen2 (RF, non-bluetooth) that they have had prior to Xmas.  (3 in a box, one on display) They have not marked them down from the xcellent price of $299.  I hope they swap out the stock and bring in the new BT model.   I have not seen the BT ones on Amazon yet, anyone else notice them anywhere other than Bass or Cabelas - both of those companies not local to me.

My Lowes is discounting their 30 in MES (not sure which Gen, but not BT) to $179...tempting

 

[Bearcarver]

I received a reply email today 3/12/15 from Masterbuilt's Customer Service that Sam's Club now carries their Bluetooth 40 in smoker, although in checking Sam's website and they do not show it yet. Guess I will check it out at a Sam's Club store.
Dennis

That's good to check in person, because many times they don't list what they have, and sometimes you can call them & they don't know either, because their paperwork is not up to date.

Bear

 

[gary s]

I agree with checking in person.  I get a s Sam's bulletin about one a week but you have to check in person here  Now in saying that here recently what I started doing with NT  but Walmart and Sam's do the same  Order on line and have it shipped to the store at no charge.

Gary

 

[foamheart]

Get one of the large floor dollies, and ram it into the opem MES, then come back and offer 'em 50% as a damaged and dented unit.....ROFL....

 

[brianlamb41]

 
Get one of the large floor dollies, and ram it into the opem MES, then come back and offer 'em 50% as a damaged and dented unit.....ROFL....

That's not the worst idea in the world.

 

[dgb1962]

Well it looks like I may have to eat crow on this one.  After reading your post I decided to go to Cabelas and Bass Pro to see if i could determine what is what.  I hit Cabelas at 4:00pm local time and they had the new 40-inch smoker on the floor.  I searched high and low and finally found one in the box and it does say 1200 watt.  I questioned the gentleman working the floor if he know why the box says it is a 1200 watt element when their website says 800 watt.  He assured me that the mistake was on Masterbuilt's end and Cabelas had posted the correct information.  He suggested that I call Masterbuilt and see if I could get a clarification.  Seem I missed closing time by about ten minutes.  So I spent yesterday driving back and forth between Cabelas and Bass Pro trying to come up with an answer.  As far as I can tell the heating elements in the two units are identical.  Having exhausted most of the day coming to that conclusion.  I decided to take a chance and get the 40-incher from Cabelas.  That solid insulated door was no mach for the huge heat loss from the big glass viewing window in the Bass Pro model.  I put it together this morning and found several stickers on the back stating that it was a 1200 watt element also.  It is going through it's curing cycle right now.  I will be calling Masterbuilt tomorrow to see what they have to say.  I was hoping the wattage would be stamped on the heating element bracket, but I couldn't find anything.  I hope this helps anyone who is still on the fence about which version to get.  Three pros about the Cabelas version; 1 - solid, insulated door, 2 - comes with a cover, 3 - comes with a CD of 40+ kickbutt smoker recipes. 

 

[tjohnson]

Looks like this new Bluetooth Model MES still has the same "Hot Spot Issues" and the Old Model MES

The Right Rear Corner is extremely HOT, and should be avoided

IMHO: If Masterbuilt centered the element, rather than making it offset to the right, the temperature should be somewhat even on both sides of the smoker.

There's a reason the element in your oven is centered

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Well it looks like I may have to eat crow on this one.  After reading your post I decided to go to Cabelas and Bass Pro to see if i could determine what is what.  I hit Cabelas at 4:00pm local time and they had the new 40-inch smoker on the floor.  I searched high and low and finally found one in the box and it does say 1200 watt.  I questioned the gentleman working the floor if he know why the box says it is a 1200 watt element when their website says 800 watt.  He assured me that the mistake was on Masterbuilt's end and Cabelas had posted the correct information.  He suggested that I call Masterbuilt and see if I could get a clarification.  Seem I missed closing time by about ten minutes.  So I spent yesterday driving back and forth between Cabelas and Bass Pro trying to come up with an answer.  As far as I can tell the heating elements in the two units are identical.  Having exhausted most of the day coming to that conclusion.  I decided to take a chance and get the 40-incher from Cabelas.  That solid insulated door was no mach for the huge heat loss from the big glass viewing window in the Bass Pro model.  I put it together this morning and found several stickers on the back stating that it was a 1200 watt element also.  It is going through it's curing cycle right now.  I will be calling Masterbuilt tomorrow to see what they have to say.  I was hoping the wattage would be stamped on the heating element bracket, but I couldn't find anything.  I hope this helps anyone who is still on the fence about which version to get.  Three pros about the Cabelas version; 1 - solid, insulated door, 2 - comes with a cover, 3 - comes with a CD of 40+ kickbutt smoker recipes. 

Yup---The best way to tell is on the plate on the back of the MES. It includes the wattage.

As for your 3 Pros about the version---That's a matter of opinion:

#1  I wouldn't want the one without the window in the door---Not after having one with a window & one without a window.

#2  Comes with a cover is a real good thing.

#3  That CD of 40 Smokes is only good if the smokes are done right on the CD. I haven't seen their CD, but if it's anything like their written recipes, it's not much help. Things like using water in the pan & soaking the chips, you will find out are not good things to do.

Bear

 

[dgb1962]

So noted and yes, I should have said IMHO

 

[dennispfaff]

I wish there were a Cabelas near me (So. Calif) because I would prefer one with a solid door vs. the glass window model that BPS carries.

 

[daricksta]

My MES 30 Gen 1 doesn't have a window and I'm OK with it.

Great investigative work on your part, DGB.

 

[chuckerg]

OK so I got one from Cabelas to replace the MES30 that got destroyed by an Ice slide. seasoned and one use for 4 racks and beans so far. heres what I can say the blue tooth bit is great if withing feet of my sliding glass doors and the smoker is right next to those so kinda pointless unless VERY cold. Biggest problem so far is cannot keep the Amazen try lit have moved it all over the place and no luck with the loader pulled completely out and vent wide open. this is a fixable ( I hope ) problem and have yet to find any solid answer on it yet for positioning. other than that it is everything my 30 was only bigger

 

[Bearcarver]

 
OK so I got one from Cabelas to replace the MES30 that got destroyed by an Ice slide. seasoned and one use for 4 racks and beans so far. heres what I can say the blue tooth bit is great if withing feet of my sliding glass doors and the smoker is right next to those so kinda pointless unless VERY cold. Biggest problem so far is cannot keep the Amazen try lit have moved it all over the place and no luck with the loader pulled completely out and vent wide open. this is a fixable ( I hope ) problem and have yet to find any solid answer on it yet for positioning. other than that it is everything my 30 was only bigger

I'm just going by pictures of the Gen # 2.5:

Have you tried the AMNPS on the floor on the left, under the water pan?---It would need some kind of bars under it to allow air to get under it.

Or on the left on the bottom smoking rack, just above the water Pan?  

NO WATER in water Pan !!!

Does your AMNPS keep smoking for hours if you let it go outside of the smoker??

Bear

 

[gary s]

Bear gives lots of good advice , If you look at the way his Step by Step's turn out he knows what he is talking about on setting up a watt burner.   And he is a pretty nice guy 

Gary

 

[old sarge]

 
You need a Star-Trek badge, just touch it and say, cook the pork butt. Then Scotty would come back and say, BUT captain the dilithium crystals! Damn it Mr Scott I said low and slow!

Well, my wife has no star trek badge, and my name is not Scotty, but when she says "cook the pork butt", it gets done.

Dave