Thanks for the kind words Rick! I don't want to take myself too seriously and while your taking the video nerves cause you to say things you don't catch until you review it. You watch and then roll your eyes not believing you just said that! lol My favorite "goof" was when I said, "the materials are the same size!" I was like did I really say that? lol Now that it has had its seasoning cook it has a nice amber color throughout the inside so I think the silver color is lost to history. I'll be ordering my MB Cold Smoke Generator within the week and weather permitting I hope to do a video on its operation and how it connects to the MES. To show how bad I got the "smoking bug" I just called a local meat processor and ordered a whole hog! The owner asked it I wanted the hams and sides as they would not be cured and then gave the option of grinding them into sausage. I quickly replied that I just purchased a smoker and he laughed and said he know how I wanted my hog cut based on that comment! lol The MES 30 GEN II put out a good amount of smoke "as is." I've seen some reviews stating that owners have had a hard time getting them to produce an acceptable amount of smoke but my did fine. I wasn't overly concern since I'm getting the smoke generator but it does make one feel better when their new purchase preforms as expected.
Joe, I was really impressed by the production qualities of the video. You put some work into it. Did you use any special program for the rolling graphics? I've never tried making a You Tube video and now I just might try one.
You've found out that when you buy a smoker you join a club and suddenly in meat departments and other places you're meeting other smokers. That local guy is a find--I wish I had a local butcher who offered service like that. And it looks like you've gone "whole hog"! Jeez, a whole pork shoulder is a lot of meat; I can imagine what having a whole cutup hog is like. What's the size of your freezer?
I'm salivating thinking of all the ribs you're going to be smoking. Since you'll have an abundance, you should look up You Tube videos which demonstrate how to trim ribs St. Louis style and how to pull the membranes off the backs of any ribs you're going to smoke. It's all great fun.
Yes, I've read a number of bad reviews about the Gen 2. However, I've read a couple of reviews from guys who claim the MES is a piece of junk. Every product has its justified critics and critics who don't know what they're talking about. I've had my MES 30 Gen 1 and the only time I had a problem with it was from user (me) error. I think I told you I use the
A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker and wood pellets because together the give outstanding smoking results. However, the
AMNPS was designed for the MES 30 Gen 1 but Todd, the inventor and company owner, has other smokers that work with the Gen 2. I also like the
AMNPS because I can both hot and cold smoke with it.
