Masterbuilt smoker vent position?

redclaymud · Feb 28, 2012

I'm sorry. I'm looking and re-ran the video three times but just don't see it.

The sheet of metal from my old chip box was from the bottom of the chip box. Same goes for the new one and I didn't notice any differences in the video. If you find your bottom tray going in under the heat coils, you may have a problem. Make sure it inserts above the coils.

I swear. No parts left over. No extra piece of metal. Have you called customer support? 1-800-489-1581. They have been more than helpful for me.

DOMAPOI said:
The extra piece of metal was not on the tray itself, it was part of the smoke box that the tray slides into. If you look at the video at Masterbuilt that shows how to install the tray upgrade you can see as plain as day the sheet of metal that was between the heating element and the chip tray. If you watch the whole video you will notice that the new smoke box does not have that piece of sheet metal between the heating element and the chip tray.

So you don't have to go looking for the link to this video, here it is:

http://www.masterbuilt.com/video/sept2010/smokeretrokit.wmv

This piece of sheet metal that was between the old chip tray and the heating element prevented the chip tray from getting enough heat to effectively heat the tray enough to always get the chips smoking properly.

domapoi · Feb 29, 2012

redclaymud said:
I'm sorry. I'm looking and re-ran the video three times but just don't see it.

The sheet of metal from my old chip box was from the bottom of the chip box. Same goes for the new one and I didn't notice any differences in the video. If you find your bottom tray going in under the heat coils, you may have a problem. Make sure it inserts above the coils.

I swear. No parts left over. No extra piece of metal. Have you called customer support? 1-800-489-1581. They have been more than helpful for me.

The piece of metal is a spot welded on part of the smoke box. It is not a removable part and will not come apart from the old small smoke box. If you did not see the metal that would be between the heating element and the old chip tray, then you need glasses. Because as I said before, it is "AS PLAIN AS DAY" in the video.

hkeiner · Mar 1, 2012

The piece of metal is a welding on part of the smoke box. It is not a removable part and will not come apart from the old small smoke box.

The metal can be removed, it just takes a bit of unscrewing, prying, and cutting with a hacksaw. The modification is mentioned in a previous post on this thread (along with a link to the original mod thread). Not trying to talk anyone in to doing this mod, just pointing out to those reading this thread that it can be easily done if desired.

redclaymud · Mar 4, 2012

Sorry for your frustration.

DOMAPOI said:
The piece of metal is a spot welded on part of the smoke box. It is not a removable part and will not come apart from the old small smoke box. If you did not see the metal that would be between the heating element and the old chip tray, then you need glasses. Because as I said before, it is "AS PLAIN AS DAY" in the video.

stovebolt · Mar 4, 2012

This is the piece of metal DOMAPOI is referring to, the piece with the holes in it ( I put the holes there ).

This is the original smoke box. This piece of metal is the main reason the wood doesn't smoke well because it blocks too much heat from it. Several have removed this piece but I just modified it to let more heat through.

This actually worked better than the "retro-fit kit". With the AMNPS non of this matters much. It is nice though to

have a working smoke box for quick smokes.

Chuck

itzmeagain · May 21, 2012

[=Just for your amusement:][/]

:yahoo: I am new to smokers and just bought the MES. I have smoked a couple of times. I read this thread intently for a couple of hours and during that time the vent - or whatever else you might call it must have gone from zero open to 100% open a hundred times! I guess I'll find my own preference by t&e!

Good reading though - thanks to all. :grilling_smilie:

smokedhawk · May 21, 2012

I also have a master built and for my ribs I had the vent opened less than a quarter of the way open - I also set the temp at 225 and used the 3-2-1 method with a little variatiion - 3 smoke -2 wrapped with less liquid - 1 1/2 smoked 1/2 grill they turned out great good luck next time

smokesavor · Apr 19, 2013

Just got my first smoker, and I'm a bit confused.... sound familiar?! :-)

My new MES 30, model 20070210, only has a small 'vent' hole, maybe 1/2" round, in the upper right side of the back panel. I was looking to do a soup can or chimney mod as many have suggested, but it doesn't seem possible with this unit. Is this this the only venting I'll need? There is NO damper adjustment, just a hole, which is always open. Also, will one of the 'add on' smoker boxes work with what I expect will be fairly low air flow provided by the small hole?

Any help and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Bearcarver · Apr 19, 2013

SmokeSavor said:
Just got my first smoker, and I'm a bit confused.... sound familiar?! :-)

My new MES 30, model 20070210, only has a small 'vent' hole, maybe 1/2" round, in the upper right side of the back panel. I was looking to do a soup can or chimney mod as many have suggested, but it doesn't seem possible with this unit. Is this this the only venting I'll need? There is NO damper adjustment, just a hole, which is always open. Also, will one of the 'add on' smoker boxes work with what I expect will be fairly low air flow provided by the small hole?

Any help and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Maybe someone else can help you---I never saw an MES with only a half inch round vent in the top right side,

I know I tried to use a soup can over my exhaust vent, for a wind breaker, but the cold PA air caused it to form condensation in the can, and dripping in my smoker.

Bear

smoke slinger · Apr 19, 2013

I have the 30" and I leave my top vent full open at all times and works great

smokesavor · Apr 19, 2013

Thanks for the info... Great group!

Quick update on my "ventless" MEB 30 I went ahead and fired it up to season the smoker. During the final 45 minutes (per the enclosed instructions) I added wood chips, and lo and behold, I've got smoke! Smoke comes out thru the tiny vent hole, as well as around the door, so I THINK I'm ok. Still, I wonder about the lack of a real vent, with some sort of baffle. I really thought SOME sort of baffle was desireable to regulate the amount of air passing thru the smoker-? But.. Since this model doesn't have any way to adjust the air-flow, guess I'll get some meat and give it a try tomorrow.

If anyone has a similar model, I'd love to hear from you. I'm really interested in some sort of smoker box (opposed to the standard chip tray) but I'm worried there won't be enough air flowing thru this thing-?? If anyone has any experience, let me know. And I'll post again after I actually smoke something tomorrow & will report back with the results! (I'm guessing I'll need to add wood chips periodically?)

Thanks again,
Tony

smoke slinger · Apr 19, 2013

I had smoke coming out from around the door and I tighten the latch on the door and it stopped. Just need to keep a tight seal around the door.

irishpride114 · Apr 20, 2013

I have the 40" s/s gen 2 model. This is how I do my vent in regards to brisket and pork shoulders.

When I first turn it on, usually I go ahead and stick the meat in it at the same time. But I keep the vent wide open till the first smoking cycle is complete. Then I keep it at half open for the rest of the following smoke cycles. After I smoke for 6 hours I stop using wood chips completely, then go wide open for the remaining cook time.

But I will mention next time I smoke anything, I am going to smoke with wood chips for the entire cook time. I have heard that with controlled heat and smoke, you can smoke the whole time. But me and my family love the taste of smoke. Hope that helps.

Bearcarver · Apr 20, 2013

irishpride114 said:
I have the 40" s/s gen 2 model. This is how I do my vent in regards to brisket and pork shoulders.

When I first turn it on, usually I go ahead and stick the meat in it at the same time. But I keep the vent wide open till the first smoking cycle is complete. Then I keep it at half open for the rest of the following smoke cycles. After I smoke for 6 hours I stop using wood chips completely, then go wide open for the remaining cook time.

But I will mention next time I smoke anything, I am going to smoke with wood chips for the entire cook time. I have heard that with controlled heat and smoke, you can smoke the whole time. But me and my family love the taste of smoke. Hope that helps.

If you can keep that "light" smoke for that whole time, it sounds like a great plan to me. Just keep the smoke light.

Bear

smokesavor · Apr 24, 2013

SmokeSavor said:
Thanks for the info... Great group!

Quick update on my "ventless" MEB 30 I went ahead and fired it up to season the smoker. During the final 45 minutes (per the enclosed instructions) I added wood chips, and lo and behold, I've got smoke! Smoke comes out thru the tiny vent hole, as well as around the door, so I THINK I'm ok. Still, I wonder about the lack of a real vent, with some sort of baffle. I really thought SOME sort of baffle was desireable to regulate the amount of air passing thru the smoker-? But.. Since this model doesn't have any way to adjust the air-flow, guess I'll get some meat and give it a try tomorrow.

If anyone has a similar model, I'd love to hear from you. I'm really interested in some sort of smoker box (opposed to the standard chip tray) but I'm worried there won't be enough air flowing thru this thing-?? If anyone has any experience, let me know. And I'll post again after I actually smoke something tomorrow & will report back with the results! (I'm guessing I'll need to add wood chips periodically?)

Thanks again,
Tony

Another update on my 'ventless' smoker.

I used it over the weekend to smoke a rack of ribs. Used the recommended 3-2-1 method, and had to cut the time a little short, but they came out GREAT! The time was cut short due to the temp being higher than indicated on the dial (I've since 'calibrated' it with an oven thermometer... yeah, I know - shoulda done it BEFORE smoking the 1st time - I was anxious to SMOKE something!) :-) BUT... I think the slightly higher temps (in the 235-250 range) allowed the chips in my MES 30 to burn better, and give me good smoke.

Then, on Sunday, I smoked a pork shoulder. I smoked it at 225, and the chips lasted a good 3 hours, which seemed long compared to the previous days session. This time, there was very little smoke, and when I pulled the chip tray (to empty & re-fill it) I had what looked like charcoal in the tray! Once I took the the 'charcoal' OUT of the smoker, they REALLY started smoking. So, I figure I am NOT getting enough air into the unit for the chips to burn/smoke effectively. The bad news is there is NO way to allow more air-flow, other than to start drilling holes in my smoker. Now, while I'm not adverse to that, it really seems like MB messed up by NOT putting a vent on the recent edition of their smoker! (Pork shoulder came out fine, by the way... not _quite_ as 'smokey' as I would have liked, but cooked perfectly!)

I sent an email to MB, but the upshot of this is I will probably need to do some 'modifying' of my smoker box to allow more air to flow thru it. The 'drain' hole in the bottom + the 1/2" vent in the top/back of the box does NOT allow sufficient air to flow through it. If anyone has done any mods to their (similar) smoker, Id' love to hear what you did & how it went! I'll post again when (if) I get info from MB... or if I decide to just start drilling & 'experimenting'!

Cheers,

Tony

smokesavor · Apr 24, 2013

Replying to my own post, great. :-) Hopefully, this can help anyone else with the same smoker/issues.

I just heard from MB - actually ended up calling them. They were quick to answer, and very friendly, so A+ for that. They tell me that this particular model (20070210) does NOT have a 'real' vent, and they also mentioned that it was designed to work best at 235 & above, which I can confirm since the first time I used it, it was running at 235-250. At lower temps, they suggest that I (ready for this?!) open the door occasionally to get more air into the box! Really?!? When I asked about drilling, they (of course) do NOT recommend it, but frankly, I think that's what I'll do. The other suggestion from MB was to limit the amount of liquid in the 'water' pan - they suggested only a cup or so of liquid, which would (supposedly) allow the wood chips to burn more effectively. I'm not convinced that will help much, but hey... I'll try it & report back.

In addition, I had a few emails back/forth w/Todd at A-Maze-N, and (as I've read on this forum) he was VERY cordial & helpful. He also thought a small hole should help to keep things smoking. So, if anyone has any suggestions, or any experience with 'modifying' this model, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm ready to lead the charge and start drilling! :-)

Thanks,
Tony

Bearcarver · Apr 24, 2013

SmokeSavor said:
Replying to my own post, great. :-) Hopefully, this can help anyone else with the same smoker/issues.

I just heard from MB - actually ended up calling them. They were quick to answer, and very friendly, so A+ for that. They tell me that this particular model (20070210) does NOT have a 'real' vent, and they also mentioned that it was designed to work best at 235 & above, which I can confirm since the first time I used it, it was running at 235-250. At lower temps, they suggest that I (ready for this?!) open the door occasionally to get more air into the box! Really?!? When I asked about drilling, they (of course) do NOT recommend it, but frankly, I think that's what I'll do. The other suggestion from MB was to limit the amount of liquid in the 'water' pan - they suggested only a cup or so of liquid, which would (supposedly) allow the wood chips to burn more effectively. I'm not convinced that will help much, but hey... I'll try it & report back.

In addition, I had a few emails back/forth w/Todd at A-Maze-N, and (as I've read on this forum) he was VERY cordial & helpful. He also thought a small hole should help to keep things smoking. So, if anyone has any suggestions, or any experience with 'modifying' this model, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm ready to lead the charge and start drilling! :-)

Thanks,
Tony

You could drill a small hole or two near where you put the AMNPS, to allow air flow by the AMNPS.

As for the top exhaust, I would try to find something you can open & close, similar to the one in the newer MES.

Hopefully someone who has a smoker just like yours can be of more help.

Bear

daveomak · Apr 24, 2013

Smokesaver, evening.... sounds like Masterbuilt cut down on the air flow to keep the chips from bursting into flame..... They had a problem with that...... Soooooo, black chips means you are making charcoal due to the lack of oxygen for a complete burn...... Just one more manufacturer making a poor designed smoker to compensate for a lack of good engineering..... There's my 2 cents..... Dave

migraine · Apr 24, 2013

I think he has the analog version, that is what I have.

I drilled the top. back, left corner with a 3" hole saw and a 3" elbow fitting from Home Depot. I also drilled a 2) 5/8" holes on the bottom, right, middle underneath the chip tray(where I use an amzn pellet tray. I use the piece of round sheet metal from the 3" home to block one of the 5/8" holes and I've had good success with lower temp smoking, but I just finished a tri tip and 1/3 of the pellets turned to charcoa(250* cooking temp for 1 3/4hrs+/-)and the meat seems a little bitter when I licked my fingers after taking the meat out. So I think I need a little more air intake on higher temp smoking or do a mail box mod.

I'm resting the meat as "we speak" so we will see in 1/2 hr

migraine · Apr 24, 2013

see my post #159. I should have sent it to you.

before I drilled the holes, lower temp smoking left too much moisture in the cabinet. I also used a reasonable inexpensive silicone weather stripping from Home depot $13-17. enough for two units.

I drilled out the back, top hole a little bit to get my temp probe though the hole. The probe has a large threaded end with a nut. This contols the PIDI bought on ebay that regulates the heating element down to below 100* and I monitor it when cold smokingcheese with no heat. Works muy bueno

Just finished dinner on the tri tip. pulled at 140 and rested for 15-20 min with almost no bleed-out and med/med-rare

no bitterness on the meat that I was fearing. A little too mush salt on the rub, but it's still a learning process

btw, the blackened pellets burned out to grey powder after I took the meat out

if I can find the digital camera, I'll sent pics of the simple mods and the PID

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