New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

[rhaugle]

 
I never measured mine.

I do the hand touch test:

At the top---------Ouch

Half-way down-------Ouch-Ouch

At the Chip Dumper--------Ouch-Ouch--Yowooo-Ouch!!!

If I think of it I'll shoot those places next time I use it. I hate to get my infra-red gun out-----When I pull the Velcro pouch open, Smokey comes running---Thinks I'm gonna let him chase the little red dot all over the place!!!

Bear

 
I have the Harbor Freight special IR therm as well.  I'll have to check the hotter right side.  The other two walls were in the 80's I believe.  I'll get back to you on my next smoke.

-Kurt

So I got my AMPS today, fired up the smoker to 275* to bake off the shipping oil on the AMPS, and also brought out my IR heat gun... The whole left side and back side were 85-90 degrees. The right side was a little hotter... top of right side was about 100-110 and, as we all know, the lower I went, the hotter it got. I found one spot near the chip dump that hit 155-160* (if you look at the chip dump as a clock, it would have been between 9 and 10 o'clock). Then, being curious, I checked the front window also. This was actually the hottest part of the whole thing. it was 160-170 and higher. Don't touch the glass. haha. I'll be doing a brisket once I get the OK from Masterbuilt... still waiting to hear back on the "crunchy" insulation. I made a video and posted to youtube for my customer service rep to check out. Heres the link if anyone else is curious what I'm talking about:       

Smoke on! 

Rhugs

 

[mori55]

Did you let it just stabilize for awhile ? Did you leave the drip pan in ? I never check my temps all over like that. I would think it would be hotter around the element or chip basket.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
So I got my AMPS today, fired up the smoker to 275* to bake off the shipping oil on the AMPS, and also brought out my IR heat gun... The whole left side and back side were 85-90 degrees. The right side was a little hotter... top of right side was about 100-110 and, as we all know, the lower I went, the hotter it got. I found one spot near the chip dump that hit 155-160* (if you look at the chip dump as a clock, it would have been between 9 and 10 o'clock). Then, being curious, I checked the front window also. This was actually the hottest part of the whole thing. it was 160-170 and higher. Don't touch the glass. haha. I'll be doing a brisket once I get the OK from Masterbuilt... still waiting to hear back on the "crunchy" insulation. I made a video and posted to youtube for my customer service rep to check out. Heres the link if anyone else is curious what I'm talking about:       

Smoke on! 

Rhugs

I'll have to check mine for crunching next time I open it.

Watched your video a few times. It seems like the loudest crunching comes from the right side of the back wall & the right wall behind the chip dumper. The least amount of crunching seems to be from in front of the dumper, where the darkest scorch mark is. Am I seeing & hearing this right??

Bear

 

[daricksta]

 
Thats a good idea.. I've got one in the garage... Harbor Freight Special!

What temp readings do you guys see on the outside of the unit? Middle of right side, and closer to chip loader? I will check mine tonight and let ya know some temps on a few different places. 

Just read this. I've got a Maverick Laser Infrared Gun thing and I shot the inside of my smoker some weeks ago as a test. Darn if I can remember what the results were. I'll try it again in 2-3 weeks the next time I smoke.

 

[plum crazy]

I just pick up my MES 40 from SAMS tonight they just got four of them in stock yesterday.
I will setup on Monday have to work this weekend.

 

[brickguy221]

 
Hey guys,

did my first real smoke tonight... 3 racks of baby backs, and a whole chicken. All of them turned out great. Unfortunately my Maverick has not showed up yet, so I was having to trust the MES thermometers, aided by my quick read probe thermo. Pic of some ribs below... This is the only pic I got this time around... new born baby was a little demanding today! This was after the first 2 hours, before foiling. I promise more pics next time!  

20150827_171253.jpg

• rhaugle
• Aug 27, 2015

This next pic I have a question about.. I noticed the big scorch mark when cleaning the unit. If I push on this area, it actually makes a "crunching" noise. Like the insulation on the inside got totally fried.. Does this happen to every MES in this area because its so close to the chip burner/heating element? Or is this a defect that I have in my unit? I got the 3 year warranty from Sam's club when I bought it, and I'm well within my 90 days from Masterbuilt still. 

20150827_212741.jpg

• rhaugle
• Aug 27, 2015

Happy smokin! 

Rhugs

I saw a scorch mark like that on my Bluetooth today, but when I push on it, it is still solid as if it wasn't scorched and different than the crunch you hear on yours.

Does anyone else have anything like this?

I also noticed the whole right side wall is 2-3 times blacker and almost as black as the scorched looking spot, than what the the left and back walls are. ... Does anyone have any explanation for this right side wall being way blacker than the left and back walls?.

 

[will75]

Getting my new  BT 40 incher on wednesday... for a full cabinet smoke thursday... probably 3 butts and corn + apple crisp deal i'm making (wait till you see what this looks like)

EXCITED!

 

[mummel]

Guys does anyone know the diameter of the top vent on the new MES 40 BT?  Im trying to calculate some airflow stuff.  Thanks!

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Guys does anyone know the diameter of the top vent on the new MES 40 BT?  Im trying to calculate some airflow stuff.  Thanks!

The outer Rim is 3 1/4", and the unit that fits inside is 3".

Bear

 

[mummel]

Sweet thanks Bear.

 

[glenn7103]

Hey everyone,

Just started using my MES Bluetooth 30".  I've used it twice and had a good bit of success and of course some failures (DRY Brisket).  Babyback ribs have come out great and my family LOVED the chicken legs and corn I smoke this past weekend.  

I am pretty new to this whole thing.  What should I know from the start?  Whats an AMNPS?  

Thanks guys?  Sorry to be "that guy" but genuinely interested in making some consistently good food. 

 

[mummel]

No keep asking questions.  There are a lot of guys that will help you.  The site is great.

AMPS = the Amazen pellet smoker.  https://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNPS5X8

Definitely get one.  Makes long smokes a breeze (if you can get it lit properly).

What happened with your brisket?

 

[glenn7103]

Not too sure.  I started smoking around 5:30am and finished up around 6:30pm.  It was simply very dry.  I even injected it with beef broth.  I know there are probably 100's of variables that caused this so I'll spare everyone the effort of the trouble shooting.  Not to mention it was on the lower shelf for most of the time so it was definitely over cooked.  The ribs though, I was very happy with.  I just need to tinker and work on my brisket technique.  What I am most interested in though is the proper setup.  

I have been simply turning it on to 225, putting a good amount of wood in the feeder and checking every 45 minutes to an hour ot make sure I still see smoke.  If not, I reload.  I am sure one of you gents has figured out the best way to get it going correctly.  Also, how does everyone feel about the digital meat and smoker thermometers? Accurate?

 

[mummel]

Get a Maverick 733 or equivalent.  Allows you to monitor temps remotely and its pretty much essential.  You need a probe to check your meat and your smoker temps at the same time (your Masterbuilt temps could be off and you need a way to check it).

Did you foil your brisket?

Definitely look into a AMPS too.

 

[glenn7103]

Just ordered a couple of Mavericks to make sure I am getting the right story from this unit.  I figured that there was little chance the built in thermometers would be accurate.  It's a shame really... 

No foil, I went commando.  That will be part of my next attempt at a brisket.  

 

[daricksta]

 
Get a Maverick 733 or equivalent.  Allows you to monitor temps remotely and its pretty much essential.  You need a probe to check your meat and your smoker temps at the same time (your Masterbuilt temps could be off and you need a way to check it).

Did you foil your brisket?

Definitely look into a AMPS too.

Mummel, While smoking two racks of baby back ribs last night I came up with a problem with my ET-733 I've never seen before. Probe 2 displayed 216 229° while Probe 1 got up to 289° and then up to 304°! Was there a problem with the ET-733????? Kind of. I had Probe 1 clipped the left side of Rack 2. Probe 2 was clipped to the right side of Rack 3 with the probe tip facing toward the left side. When I looked at both probes, I saw the tip of Probe 2 was pressed up against the wire of Probe 1 which was hanging down below the upper rack. The tip of the probe was really hot. At the time I thought that the material covering the wire had melted into a molten ball over the wire and probe. Now I think somehow a big grease blob dropped down onto both because the wires on both probes look fine. What I did find was a large, dark thick grease globule in the rear grease tray after the smoke. That was the culprit.

 

[old sarge]

I'm kind of interested to know how Rhaugle made out with his "crunchy insulation".. Anyone know?

 

[mummel]

I havent heard.  He's been quiet.

 

[dr k]

I'm kind of interested to know how Rhaugle made out with his "crunchy insulation".. Anyone know?

I noticed slight crunchiness low around the chip loader tunnel where it connects to the inside right wall. I've never used chips just charcoal briquettes for a smoke ring. I'm not concerned at all about it with what I experienced but I haven't had a fire from wood chips anything like that. Some degree of crunchiness is probably acceptable due to the proximity of the heating element and conductive heat from the chip loader tunnel.
-Kurt

 

[test engineer]

New here!  Never had a smoker, but really want to get started.

Here is my question after reading this very lengthy thread.  If price wasn't a deciding factor, would you go for the Bass Pro model with 6 racks, or the Sam's club model with 4 racks?  

By the way, the Bass Pro model is now a combo package that comes with a stand and cover, so it is sort of similar to the Sam's Club version now, except for the number of racks, well and the price, but I don't care about price.  I  guess my thinking is that I will never use all 6 racks, but I think the option of where I place the racks I am using would be a really nice option to have. My guess is the bottom rack slot is almost useless, so that leaves 5 positions or 3 positions. I also could see myself doing some large batches of cold smoked fish near the holidays, so more racks might be nice.  95% of the time, I assume I will only be using one or maybe two racks, but I just think the option of where they go would be nice.  Anyone modify their 4 rack version, or add racks?

Thanks for your input in advance everyone!