New MES clone

[Bearcarver]

No free shipping to Canada....

I'll check HD to see what they have. Often we cannot get the same products you folks south of the 49th can.

You really should put Canada in your profile.
Then it will come up next to your name.
Then I would have known that before I mentioned "Shipping" and "Altitude", etc.

Bear

 

[nanuk]

There we go

I thought I had added that when I first registered.

as for ASL, I am about 1540ASL

 

[nanuk]

Hmm.... I was looking at the Amazn pellet tray package.

$65USD shipping.....

think I'll hold off a bit, and check out other options!
That is silly expensive for USPS

 

[dr k]

I recently bought a "Master Chef" MES clone. I believe it to be MES130/B model.
It has the identical interior, with the vent in the right rear corner.

I have read all the tips and such, and have only a couple questions.

Has anyone cut a new vent in the LeftRear corner to improve the smoke distribution/heat?

is it worth the effort to get a PID and MOD the wiring to allow the PID to control the heat?

I'm going to be doing the prelim pre-seasoning/curing this week coming up.
Thanks.

ETA: this is the model, just rebranded: https://masterbuilt.com/product/mb20071117-digital-electric-smoker

You could screw a baking sheet pan to the ceiling for a false ceiling and drill a 3" hole in the center or whereever for even heating.

 

[SonnyE]

You could screw a baking sheet pan to the ceiling for a false ceiling and drill a 3" hole in the center or whereever for even heating.

Quite an interesting idea Kurt.
In my case, I wanted to control and condensation that occurs in my stack. So I have a little BBQ sauce pan up under the hole. I do suppose I could in fact move the pan to center, as I don't use the top rack anyway, so far.
But actually, I don't experience any problems for what I've been doing anyway.
I can sure see merit to the idea though.

 

[SonnyE]

Eat the Evidence!

Absolutely! Next time it's seen, you wouldn't recognize it anyway.
Generally nutritious, even if not delicious.

Except corn. Nope, hard to hide corn....

 

[nanuk]

Just an update, moreso to keep me updated.

doing my preseason/cure, and using my EasyBBQ 6 thermo. Set to 275 on the MES, temp spiked to 330F, now settled to 300F or so.... all probes within 8*F.

smell mostly gone, gonna let it cook for a couple more hours, then oil and smoke.

Bought some material to make a mailbox mod, just need a box.
Have the flex tube, 3" elbows and a 5ft stack.....

 

[Bearcarver]

Just an update, moreso to keep me updated.

doing my preseason/cure, and using my EasyBBQ 6 thermo. Set to 275 on the MES, temp spiked to 330F, now settled to 300F or so.... all probes within 8*F.

smell mostly gone, gonna let it cook for a couple more hours, then oil and smoke.

Bought some material to make a mailbox mod, just need a box.
Have the flex tube, 3" elbows and a 5ft stack.....

Borderline, but 330° is usually OK, but I'd keep an eye on that temp.
You don't want it any higher than 330°.

Bear

 

[nanuk]

Bear, that's why I bought the outboard thermometers.

Nice to know I can get some real heat, as I hear some folks cannot.
I can always turn it down!
And now thanks to you, I know how to watch for temp spikes, and a technique for sneaking up on targets.

My next check is to see how hot it gets at the low temp setting.

If it can maintain 110-130F at the lowest setting, I think I can work with that.

 

[Bearcarver]

Bear, that's why I bought the outboard thermometers.

Nice to know I can get some real heat, as I hear some folks cannot.
I can always turn it down!
And now thanks to you, I know how to watch for temp spikes, and a technique for sneaking up on targets.

My next check is to see how hot it gets at the low temp setting.

If it can maintain 110-130F at the lowest setting, I think I can work with that.

I had one that got up to 345° one time before I cut it back.
I heard a noise, so I put my ear against the side of the Smoker (Left side, because the right is too hot).
I could hear a Crinkling noise in between the walls. Sounded like the insulation smoldering.
As the Temp went down the noise gradually stopped, until it got below about 290°. Then it stopped.
Got a new control, and it hasn't gotten above 305° since & I never heard the noise since.
Anyway that's why I recommend they don't go above 325°-330°.

Bear

 

[nanuk]

Good to know.
I"ll keep an eye (ear?) on that!

 

[nanuk]

I'm tracking my MB Mod here: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/diy-tray-style-smoke-generator.276095/

 

[nanuk]

Well, I did a smoke.
I made up a 3lb loaf of BearCarver's logs.
my remote charting stopped a couple times, but it looks like I get about a 50* temp swing. It never changed at all... consistently up and down the same each time.
It DID cook the loaf, I did have to have a nap, and it shut down early, dropped to 110* with meat at 142* average of 4 probes.
I punched it up to 200* to finish it, and that it did!
I pulled it when the average temps were 161*.

my smoke generator gave me some trouble. Too much smoke, and wouldn't stay lit. Had to relight it 3 times.

I think I'll make another with a larger diameter barrel. thinking 2".

Another thing I did was take out the chip loader, and stick in a 5' piece of 3" alum dryer duct. That worked fine! It should provide enough air once I get a larger diameter tube going.
I have maple "dust" from a cabinet maker's planer. very fine shavings. Gonna do a test run in the next couple days.

I have a couple "dry meat" products to smoke, and want to get a less bitter smoke on them.

I have borrowed SonnyE's idea about the inkbird. found one reasonably priced. Shud be here by mid week next.
A quick mod with a switch and I should have better control over heat.

 

[tallbm]

Well, I did a smoke.
I made up a 3lb loaf of BearCarver's logs.
my remote charting stopped a couple times, but it looks like I get about a 50* temp swing. It never changed at all... consistently up and down the same each time.
It DID cook the loaf, I did have to have a nap, and it shut down early, dropped to 110* with meat at 142* average of 4 probes.
I punched it up to 200* to finish it, and that it did!
I pulled it when the average temps were 161*.

my smoke generator gave me some trouble. Too much smoke, and wouldn't stay lit. Had to relight it 3 times.

I think I'll make another with a larger diameter barrel. thinking 2".

Another thing I did was take out the chip loader, and stick in a 5' piece of 3" alum dryer duct. That worked fine! It should provide enough air once I get a larger diameter tube going.
I have maple "dust" from a cabinet maker's planer. very fine shavings. Gonna do a test run in the next couple days.

I have a couple "dry meat" products to smoke, and want to get a less bitter smoke on them.

I have borrowed SonnyE's idea about the inkbird. found one reasonably priced. Shud be here by mid week next.
A quick mod with a switch and I should have better control over heat.

Just a heads up. You will need to get a proper Solid State Relay (SSR, the 25 amp, 3-32vdc ones should cover it) unless you know enough to wire into the existing Relay and you can ensure that you can keep the Inkbird PID from hammering the built in Relay and breaking it. Oh you will need to house all of that in a box of some type as well.
If that all sounds like a mess then one of the Auber Plug and Play PID controllers would do well for you since it has the SSR, box, fuses, etc. etc. all built in a nice and neat package. You would only need to do a simple rewire of the smoker like the in the post here https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/mes-rewire-simple-guide-no-back-removal-needed.267069/ and you will be ready to rock!

 

[nanuk]

SonnyE jumpered over the onboard relay and that seems to work fine. It would appear to override the control box so no timer.
But that is not a problem.

 

[tallbm]

SonnyE jumpered over the onboard relay and that seems to work fine. It would appear to override the control box so no timer.
But that is not a problem.

Ah, ok I'm up to speed. I looked at the exact inkbird model and Sonny's post (I hadn't seen it before).
I was thinking it was an inkbird like the following:

You should be fine. If you decide to go with/upgrade to a PID that goes over 210F you might have to use something like the picture above along with an SSR but the rewire on the MES would still be the same job in Sonney's bypass job.

Let us know when you have it all completed! :)

 

[nanuk]

I do plan in going PID in the future. I have several projects where PID controllers would help!
I need to do more research.

But for now this will do!

I have followed your mod and will reference when I get to that point!

 

[nanuk]

I got the InkBird

I made up a Jumper

I am running it now, with some GF Beef/Pork bacon, and Beef Back Ribs.

 

[nanuk]

Except corn. Nope, hard to hide corn....

SonnyE, I have been running the INKBIRD for a bit, and I use the default settings.
I am still finding the temperature fluctuations of more than 10*F.

if I use a rheostat on the element to make it less hot when on.... that should slow the temperature rises, and allow a more stable temperature?

I have one on order like DaveOmak suggested.

 

[SonnyE]

SonnyE, I have been running the INKBIRD for a bit, and I use the default settings.
I am still finding the temperature fluctuations of more than 10*F.

if I use a rheostat on the element to make it less hot when on.... that should slow the temperature rises, and allow a more stable temperature?

I have one on order like DaveOmak suggested.

Edit In:
The Inkbird default settings have a 3 degree differential. I set mine to a 1 degree differential. I'm not home so I can't advise you better than to look in the booklet and find how to change that setting.
But once done, it will turn on at 1 degree below the set point, then off at set point.
That can help narrow the operating band for you.

Rheostat:
Not necessarily. It might reduce the drift tendencies a little.
It will slow the heat rise by restricting the wattage applied to the element. But there will be a bit of drop after the Inkbird turns on the heat, (in my case, about 2-3 degrees below set point), and about 7 degrees of upward coasting after the Inbird shuts off the heat at set-point. (~10 degrees total)
All of this was at a 65 degree set point. Cold smoking. My reason for adding any heat was to try and keep the smokers internal temperature somewhat even. And I was basically testing to see how snug the actual operational swing would be after things stabilized.
Because it has to be at operating temperature long enough to be fairly stable. And that takes time.

The Inkbird is not as finite as say an Auber Temperature Controller would be. An Auber controls by firing an SCR to raise the temperature and hold a set point. So it can be more finite in its control.
An Inkbird is more akin to a basic on/off.

Also, and I haven't done it yet, but I believe that the Inkbird's probe placement could have a lot of bearing on it's temperature control. My thought is to put the Inkbirds probe nearer the heating element so it can react faster to the heat being produced.
In my tests I had the probe nearer my meat being smoked. Thinking that was what I wanted to monitor. But I think next time I'm going to put it nearer the element so it is more closely reading the heat being produced, and use my ThermPro to monitor the products temperature.
I hope that makes sense.

Also, consider that by adding a rheostat, you will be affecting both sides of the temperature swing be reducing the wattage narrowing the bandwidth of the control.
In plain Engrish, you may find the difference widens, instead of narrows. Going to 20 degrees of swing, for example, instead of narrows.

It is my opinion that some variation isn't a bad thing. In this digital age we get too caught up in exactness.
Hells Bells, cooking over a campfire wasn't exactly a precise method. But we did survive.
I don't think 10 degrees is going to make or break culinary perfection. ;)