New to Smoking MES

[PAS]

You can always just set a pan of hot water in it for a few minutes prior to turning it on.

 

[HalfSmoked]

NewGuyNJ Thanks for the like it is greatly appreciated.

Warren

 

[Braz]

That one in the BJ's ad is a Hybrid MES, with a Gen #1 exterior, and a Gen #2.5 interior.

Bear

Bear is right (as usual). I have both the AMNPS tray and the Masterbuilt cold smoker attachment. I NEVER use the attachment since I got the tray.

 

[tallbm]

Well i am new here today and have searched through a bit. Santa was night enough to bring me a smoker this yr and now after reading online and on here i am a little worried. I have this model https://www.bjs.com/product/masterb...ic-stainless-steel-smoker/3000000000000975108

I have never done any type of smoking before but wanted to give it a go, but also wanted to get something small enough i can take camping with us so i thought this would fit the bill. different sites have different reviews. I wanted to come to the people who use smokers and get good reviews. Am i going to have a problem getting this smoker to put out smoke with wood chips?

Any advise, or thoughts on what i should be doing? Thanks a head of time.

Hi there and welcome!
The digital Masterbuilt Electric Smoker (MES) is a good unit but as with all smokers it has it's own set of quirks.

Know that with basically any smoker you buy you will want to have a good wireless dual probe (or more probes) thermometer to use with it. You use one probe to measure the smoker temperature at rack/meat level and the other to measure the Internal Temp (IT) of the meat. This is why you need a minimum of 2 probes. The wireless feature lets you sit inside and get notified when a temperature limit is hit.

The MES (like most smokers) is notorious for the smoker probe and the meat probe being just plain off or wrong.

Secondly, the MES will burn wood chips, it is designed for that. HOWEVER, most of us MES owners use the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) tray or tube and we burn wood pellets rather than using the built in MES mechanism. The AMNPS tray or tube gives you great, continuous and PERFECT smoke without having to babysit the smoker.
You are eyeballing the MES 30 (30 inch version) so you would likely have to go with the AMNPS tube or build what we call the Mailbox Mod to use with the AMNPS tray (this would be my recommendation, the tray makes smoke for up to 12 hours unattended! The tube about 3 or so). In short MES30 = AMPNS tube unless you go the mailbox mod route.

Now comes the Bluetooth discussion. With the MES it seems to have never worked and still does not work and people get completely pissed off about the money they spend for a feature that doesn't work! Avoid an bluetooth model at all costs.

So is the unit you are looking at good? Sure when you manage the MES quirks... and ALL smokers have their quirks.

I would highly recommend you check your local Academy Sports or Walmart for much better prices on an MES30 unit. ALSO, I would highly recommend you buy the simplest and least expensive version, least bells and whistles, and NO BLUETOOTH unit you can find for an MES30. Why?
Well with the money you save you can turn around and buy the mandatory wireless dual probe (or more probes) thermometer (like $50 or more) and the AMNPS in tube form or in tray form ($25 or more) if you plan to build a mailbox mod. (FYI, the MES40, 40 inch, does not need a mailbox mod to use the AMNPS tray but many of us go the mailbox mod route anyway with it).

I own an MES40 and I have heavily modded it into an electric smoker that is hard pressed to be beat by anything you can buy off the shelf anywhere, especially for what super expensive ones cost!

I hope this info helps and best of luck!

 

[Bearcarver]

I would not avoid the best smoker Masterbuilt makes just because it is Bluetooth.
There are worse things than having to go out to your smoker a couple times to adjust the temp, if your Wireless Therm tells you to.
The Bluetooth MES 40 Gen #2.5 is the best of them all. That is the one I have now, and I just don't use the Bluetooth, because I don't have a Phone to go with it. However it is an Awesome Smoker!! I would never part with it!!
I would imagine the Gen #2.5 MES 30 would be the best MES 30 also.


Bear