How Many Mes Owners Here?

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Which One Do You Have?

  • 40'

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 40' with window

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 40' 800 watt

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I like it a lot

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Where did you buy it?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sams Club

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other please list where in a post

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    2
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It's not as bad as it sounds. The right side of the smoker is a little bit hotter but you will not notice this unless you put the meat on the bottom rack directly over the heating element. I don't take the electronic gauge off. Ever. I keep the smoker in my garage and move it outside when I use it. I use it a lot in the winter. The temp gauge on my MES30 is 25 degrees off. 225 degrees on my smoker is actually 250 degrees. Buy a Maverick ET-732. It has probe that monitors smoker temp. An ET-732 is worth its weight in gold for smoking. My MES30 is super easy to use, dependable, and predictable. If mine konked out tomorrow I would buy another one in a second. I have had mine for 18 months and I have smoked something in almost every weekend since I have owned it.   
 
Oh, man. I am so totally lost here. I just ordered a Masterbuilt 30" with window and remote. It's stainless steel front was something I didn't really want, but the black-front one didn't have the meat temperature probe, which I did want. So, I'm waiting for it to arrive next week. I got it from Sears for $289.99 (plus tax) with free delivery. I did some shopping around and, with shipping included, that seemed like a pretty fair price. I put it on my Sears card and they gave me 12 months with no interest, so that helped make my decision, too.

And now I'm in the process of trying to learn everything I can about it. Some of these posts have been very informative. I didn't know the right side was hotter. I didn't know there seems to be an inherent issue with the thermostat maintaining correct temp. I also ordered a cover for it from Amazon for $24.97 with free shipping. I have read that some people take the electronic guage off in the winter. Not sure how to do that, but I'm thinking I'll just leave it and that way I can still smoke stuff during the winter months. I can always wheel it into the garage if we're expecting a big snowstorm. So much to figure out. But I'm really looking forward to my first smoke fest.

One thing that has kind of thrown me is the mention of smoking cheeses. I thought they would melt in a smoker. I need to learn more about that aspect.
G & C,

Like Whistlepig said. It's not as bad as it sounds.

As for the right side being hotter, you can fix that by putting a deflector in (see below). Mine is just a piece of aluminum, covered with foil, and raised a little higher on the left, to divert the heat over to the middle of the smoker----Works Great !!!

I never remove my control box either, and I wouldn't trust ANY temp gage that comes with a smoker----Get a remote digital, like the Maverick ET 732.

Also: You don't say where you're from, but You can cold smoke cheese in the Winter easily, but if you want to smoke Cheese in the Summer, you can put a jug of frozen water in your water pan to keep it cool, but you should get an AMNPS or an AMNS for cold smoking.

Bear

 
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I got the 40 inch, 1500 Watt, MES from QVC, and gave my larger Camp Chef Smoke Vault (propane) to my Son. So far, absolutely no issues that some have reported, but did order the AMNPS as recommended by so many others.  Smoked the most amazing Hot Wings today using my own dry and wet rubs.  Haven't tried Jim's yet, but bought them and will soon.  

 
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my little ol' 30" analog MES still going fine after 2 years, smoking some st. Louis style ribs today, just waiting for football to start. have become a semi-legend around this little zip code thanks to tips and advice from this page and jeff's.hope this site goes on for years more
 
I got the 40 inch, 1500 Watt, MES from QVC, and gave my larger Camp Chef Smoke Vault (propane) to my Son. So far, absolutely no issues that some have reported, but did order the AMNPS as recommended by so many others.  Smoked the most amazing Hot Wings today using my own dry and wet rubs.  Haven't tried Jim's yet, but bought them and will soon.  
Welcome to the forum!! You will LOVE the AMNPS with the MES. Smokes will be on cruise control for ya. Here's a wing recipe you might want to try. They're absolutely amazing!! http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/119306/scarbelly-wings-buffalo-style

Steve
 
thanks....I just checked out bearcarvers xtra smokey bacon and now I have to go look for pork bellies!
 
I have had my MES for a little over a month now. I got rid of my propane smoker as I had too much trouble holding temps down. I really like this smoker, however it burns up the wood quickly on the heat cycle, so I invested in A-Maze-N pellet smoker to insert in the bottom. This has worked well except for the thing going out quite a few times. I have to work on my air flow I guess.

This past weekend we had smoked baked-beans with bacon and a brisket....yum.

I know its not a purist kind of smoker, but it works well for the busy person.
 
I have had my MES for a little over a month now. I got rid of my propane smoker as I had too much trouble holding temps down. I really like this smoker, however it burns up the wood quickly on the heat cycle, so I invested in A-Maze-N pellet smoker to insert in the bottom. This has worked well except for the thing going out quite a few times. I have to work on my air flow I guess.

This past weekend we had smoked baked-beans with bacon and a brisket....yum.

I know its not a purist kind of smoker, but it works well for the busy person.
Make sure you get the AMNPS going real good before you put it in. Also dry pellets. Chip loader pulled out.

see how that works for you.

Happy smoken.

David
 
David,

I had the loader just slightly pulled out. I will try removing it altogether and see how that goes. I thought that might be too much air....Thanks

Ryan
What pellets were you using---Cherry??

If so try Hickory, or mix some Hickory with your Cherry.

Bear
 
I had the maple in it this time. It was a fresh bag, but maybe I should microwave first just to be safe. I had trouble with the pellets that filled the unit when I got it as well. I think it must be my air-flow.

Ryan
 
Like Whistlepig, I keep my MES 30 in the garage (inside its cover) and only bring it out into the backyard to smoke something. I wish I could have afforded the 40" model but this was $190 off Amazon. For my small family it serves the purpose.

I love this thing--it's a great budget smoker. I've used wood chips but I now I use wood pellets exclusively after buying Todd Johnson's A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker along with his wood pellets. Using a pellet smoker is almost like a set-it-and-forget-it method of cooking unless you choose to use mops and such while smoking.

Cold smoking is slightly tricky and it works best with a pellet smoker. I smoked cheese last year and it turned out great for the most part except the cheeses were slightly melted and stuck to the cooking grates. This was due to my ignoring Todd's advice to stick a couple of jugs filled with ice water inside the smoker to keep the temp low. Even with the heating element off the pellet smoker still produced too much heat for real cold smoking. I won't make that mistake this year.

I haven't done any mods to my MES and don't plan to. The only extra I plan to buy this year is the Maverick ET-732 therm. I already have another therm I use for meat temp which I've calibrated with the MES therm sensor and they both work well. When my MES 30 is warming up there's 30-40 degree difference between its temp sensor and the Taylor that I use but after the cooking starts they're both within 2-3 degrees of each other, which is acceptable. Even when I lose interior heat by opening the door both therms pretty much match each other again within about 10 minutes.
 
I have found that positioning the loader too far out will create too much oxygen in the 30" MES gen 1, for my AMNPS. It simply ignites, and a flame races across the top of the pellets, creating a white, acrid smelling smoke. I now pull it out no more than an inch or two.
 
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Just curious, bobplumber, did you trim the ribs St. Louis style yourself or did you buy them that way? I'm asking because I bought two racks of spareribs and my plan is to trim them STL fashion myself.
 
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