New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Yes it does look like the handle to the dumper is too high to get the chips into the chip drawer, but it must work, as I haven't heard any complaints yet.
I haven't seen one of these #2.5 units in person yet, but maybe somebody who has one can enlighten us to how that actually works.

Bear
Has anyone bought the new Mes model from Cabelas?
 
Has anyone bought the new Mes model from Cabelas?
Yes a few guys have the Gen #2.5, and so far I haven't heard any complaints.

The Chip dumper runs in behind the angled plate we see in pictures. That's why it doesn't interfere. I couldn't see that until I went upstairs & looked at the pics on my iMac27.

Bear
 
I haven't used my new MES Bluetooth yet, but did get it seasoned today. Here is what I observed vs my Generation 2 Smoker while seasoning it.

1. It took 28 minutes to heat up to 275 degrees vs 45 minutes to get to 265 - 270 on my Generation 2 Smoker. Even when new, my Generation 2 Smoker never reached 275 in 28 minutes. More like 40 minutes when new.

2. The heat coil shut off at 275 degrees as it is supposed to do. Temp continued to climb to 283 degrees the first time before dropping back down to 273 degrees. After that it would heat to 275, shut off and stay at 275 for a bit, drop to 273, come back on, shut off at 275 and stay at 275 for a bit and drop to 273 and come back on, etc. etc. and cycled perfectly that way just like clock work for the whole time.

I don't know if when once I start smoking meats, if it will work that perfect or not, but it was perfect while seasoning it today. My Generation 2 never did even think about running that good, not even close.

3. My Generation 2 when new would go up 10 degrees or a bit more over the set temp, then drop 10 - 15 degrees below the set temp, come back on and repeat and etc. etc. etc. After approx 18 months, it would drop as much as 25-30 degrees, then go back up but never reach the set temp again, yet the oven thermometer I had on a shelf in it would say the temp went back up, sometimes as much as 25-35 degrees over set temp. For example, I could smoke at a set temp of 215 and it would drop to 180-185, then go back to 195-200 and never go any higher, yet the actual temp did go higher like up to 235 and on ocassion even 250, while controler would read 195-200.

A controller change and heat coil change never cured the problem. Masterbuilt then said that I needed a new box. Thus I now own a new Bluetooth ...       
drool.gif
       
biggrin.gif
 
 
Last edited:
I haven't used my new MES Bluetooth yet, but did get it seasoned today. Here is what I observed vs my Generation 2 Smoker while seasoning it.

1. It took 28 minutes to heat up to 275 degrees vs 45 minutes to get to 265 - 270 on my Generation 2 Smoker. Even when new, my Generation 2 Smoker never reached 275 in 28 minutes. More like 40 minutes when new.

2. The heat coil shut off at 275 degrees as it is supposed to do. Temp continued to climb to 283 degrees the first time before dropping back down to 273 degrees. After that it would heat to 275, shut off and stay at 275 for a bit, drop to 273, come back on, shut off at 275 and stay at 275 for a bit and drop to 273 and come back on, etc. etc. and cycled perfectly that way just like clock work for the whole time.

I don't know if when once I start smoking meats, if it will work that perfect or not, but it was perfect while seasoning it today. My Generation 2 never did even think about running that good, not even close.

3. My Generation 2 when new would go up 10 degrees or a bit more over the set temp, then drop 10 - 15 degrees below the set temp, come back on and repeat and etc. etc. etc. After approx 18 months, it would drop as much as 25-30 degrees, then go back up but never reach the set temp again, yet the oven thermometer I had on a shelf in it would say the temp went back up, sometimes as much as 25-35 degrees over set temp. For example, I could smoke at a set temp of 215 and it would drop to 180-185, then go back to 195-200 and never go any higher, yet the actual temp did go higher like up to 235 and on ocassion even 250, while controler would read 195-200.

A controller change and heat coil change never cured the problem. Masterbuilt then said that I needed a new box. Thus I now own a new Bluetooth ...       :drool        :biggrin:  
. I had 4 racks of Ribs in and it worked just as you described
 
 
I like the glass door. I can see the progress of the meat during the smoke. Cleaning it is no big deal. Since I foil the drip pan, water bowl, and top of the burner unit I have some clean up to do anyway. A little Easy Off No Fume and paper towels does it -- takes about three minutes.

Five String
I have found that simply cleaning the window with a wet paper towel while the smoker is still hot does the trick. I don't like using chemicals in my smoker so whenever I go to open the door I carry a paper towel with me. 15 seconds of cleaning and it is ready to go again. If I neglect to clean it for a while I have placed a pot of boiling water on one of the racks with the smoker running at 250 to fill it with steam. After 10 minutes of that everything comes pretty clean. 
 
 
I haven't used my new MES Bluetooth yet, but did get it seasoned today. Here is what I observed vs my Generation 2 Smoker while seasoning it.

2. The heat coil shut off at 275 degrees as it is supposed to do. Temp continued to climb to 283 degrees the first time before dropping back down to 273 degrees. After that it would heat to 275, shut off and stay at 275 for a bit, drop to 273, come back on, shut off at 275 and stay at 275 for a bit and drop to 273 and come back on, etc. etc. and cycled perfectly that way just like clock work for the whole time.
Wow!!!

Can't ask for more than that !!!

That's Perfect !!

Bear
 
 
I agree with the 3 answers you got above:

It is a matter of Personal preference.

It's easy to keep clean.

The heat loss is not enough to worry about.

And after over 5 years with a window in my MES Door, I would never buy one without it. So call me Spoiled!!

Bear
So you're changing your nick from Bearcarver to Spoiled? I must ponder this...
 
Hi All,

I am new to the forum but I have been following this thread about the new MES bluetooth smoker since last year when they announced it.  I just picked up the MES 30in Bluetooth smoker at my local Home Depot in Santa Barbara for $299, this model included the leg extension kit.  The Model # is 20072415.  It is actually my second one - the first I brought home was a dud, it didn't power up at all.

link:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Masterbu...th-Electric-Digital-Smoker-20072415/205515767

I am looking forward to trying it out along with my AMPS.  I am coming from the mini Bradley Portable 4 Rack Propane Smoker with the disposable covers, so I am looking forward to any sort of temp control and easy access to chips.

I will post the results as soon as I get it fired up.

Cheers,

Mark
 
 
Hi All,

I am new to the forum but I have been following this thread about the new MES bluetooth smoker since last year when they announced it.  I just picked up the MES 30in Bluetooth smoker at my local Home Depot in Santa Barbara for $299, this model included the leg extension kit.  The Model # is 20072415.  It is actually my second one - the first I brought home was a dud, it didn't power up at all.

link:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Masterbu...th-Electric-Digital-Smoker-20072415/205515767

I am looking forward to trying it out along with my AMPS.  I am coming from the mini Bradley Portable 4 Rack Propane Smoker with the disposable covers, so I am looking forward to any sort of temp control and easy access to chips.

I will post the results as soon as I get it fired up.

Cheers,

Mark
Please let us know how you like it after your first use. We're starting to get more Bluetooth owners on SMF. I've got the MES 30 Gen 1--which I refer to as yer basic black model--which I use with the AMNPS and it's been turning out great Q for the past 2 years. I've actually owned it for 3 years but in that first year I didn't know what I was doing and didn't smoke that much.
 
 
I haven't used my new MES Bluetooth yet, but did get it seasoned today. Here is what I observed vs my Generation 2 Smoker while seasoning it.

1. It took 28 minutes to heat up to 275 degrees vs 45 minutes to get to 265 - 270 on my Generation 2 Smoker. Even when new, my Generation 2 Smoker never reached 275 in 28 minutes. More like 40 minutes when new.

2. The heat coil shut off at 275 degrees as it is supposed to do. Temp continued to climb to 283 degrees the first time before dropping back down to 273 degrees. After that it would heat to 275, shut off and stay at 275 for a bit, drop to 273, come back on, shut off at 275 and stay at 275 for a bit and drop to 273 and come back on, etc. etc. and cycled perfectly that way just like clock work for the whole time.

I don't know if when once I start smoking meats, if it will work that perfect or not, but it was perfect while seasoning it today. My Generation 2 never did even think about running that good, not even close.

3. My Generation 2 when new would go up 10 degrees or a bit more over the set temp, then drop 10 - 15 degrees below the set temp, come back on and repeat and etc. etc. etc. After approx 18 months, it would drop as much as 25-30 degrees, then go back up but never reach the set temp again, yet the oven thermometer I had on a shelf in it would say the temp went back up, sometimes as much as 25-35 degrees over set temp. For example, I could smoke at a set temp of 215 and it would drop to 180-185, then go back to 195-200 and never go any higher, yet the actual temp did go higher like up to 235 and on ocassion even 250, while controler would read 195-200.

A controller change and heat coil change never cured the problem. Masterbuilt then said that I needed a new box. Thus I now own a new Bluetooth ...       
drool.gif
       
biggrin.gif
 
Generally speaking, my MES 30 Gen 1 has performed the same way as far as temp swings. But since I've been cleaning the rear wall sensors the controller has been more stable. The temp swings, after the controller has finished heating up to my set point, seem to be about 2-6 degrees and the temp remains at my set point for a good percentage of the time. But I'm not going off the display screen; I monitor the temps with my ET-733 which is fast and extremely accurate.
 
 
Generally speaking, my MES 30 Gen 1 has performed the same way as far as temp swings. But since I've been cleaning the rear wall sensors the controller has been more stable. The temp swings, after the controller has finished heating up to my set point, seem to be about 2-6 degrees and the temp remains at my set point for a good percentage of the time. But I'm not going off the display screen; I monitor the temps with my ET-733 which is fast and extremely accurate.
I have an ET-733 on the way also in addition to pellets, 5 x 8 tray, etc... 

I cleaned my sensors on my 40" Gen 2 after recently reading something like what you said here about cleaning them and it didn't seem to matter. Still had a wide range of temp fluctuations. One of my Sons has the same problem with his 40" Gen 2.
 
 
I have an ET-733 on the way also in addition to pellets, 5 x 8 tray, etc... 

I cleaned my sensors on my 40" Gen 2 after recently reading something like what you said here about cleaning them and it didn't seem to matter. Still had a wide range of temp fluctuations. One of my Sons has the same problem with his 40" Gen 2.
As you now know, the Gen 2 is a different aminal [sic; I just like saying it that way] than the Gen 1 and the 2.5. My experience has been wide temp fluctuations with the Gen 1 with the temp more or less stabilized over the past few smokes. I clean the sensors regularly as a preventative measure.
 
Yes, page 16, 316 I believe.
Dennis
I finally had time to look at it. I've been joined SMF about 3 years ago and you've just taught me I can find posts by looking up page and post numbers. It never occurred to me to notice the post numbers before. Thanks, Dennis!

Man, those birds and that roast look gorgeous. What did you use to monitor the I/T of the meats? The roast looks textbook perfect.

What did you mean by "I found the Apple pellets burned a little better than the hickory."? I've filled two rows of the AMNPS with hickory and still had some left unburnt after the end of a 6-hour smoke. So far, I've only used apple with pecan when I experimented with using those woods instead of hickory to smoke baby backs but I think I also had some left unburnt after 6 hours.
 
 
I finally had time to look at it. I've been joined SMF about 3 years ago and you've just taught me I can find posts by looking up page and post numbers. It never occurred to me to notice the post numbers before. Thanks, Dennis!

Man, those birds and that roast look gorgeous. What did you use to monitor the I/T of the meats? The roast looks textbook perfect.

What did you mean by "I found the Apple pellets burned a little better than the hickory."? I've filled two rows of the AMNPS with hickory and still had some left unburnt after the end of a 6-hour smoke. So far, I've only used apple with pecan when I experimented with using those woods instead of hickory to smoke baby backs but I think I also had some left unburnt after 6 hours.
Rick, should you feel like experimenting sometime, try smoking ribs with some Jack Daniels pellets. I don't know how well the pellets will smoke and taste, but with JD chips, the flavor is great. My family prefers that over Hickory, and also over Hickory mixed with Apple or Cherry. I have some Jack Daniels Pellets coming tomorrow along with some other kinds of pellets and will try them approx. June 25th if not before.
 
For the prime rib temp I used the built-in MES probe and a hand held thermometer to check. I'm out of town now and can't check my notes. As far as the pellets, they all burn fine since I raised the AMNPS uo about 5 inched on that basket I posted.

I saw a follow up post about Jack Daniels chips or pellets. That sounds like something I would try.
Dennis
 
 
Rick, should you feel like experimenting sometime, try smoking ribs with some Jack Daniels pellets. I don't know how well the pellets will smoke and taste, but with JD chips, the flavor is great. My family prefers that over Hickory, and also over Hickory mixed with Apple or Cherry. I have some Jack Daniels Pellets coming tomorrow along with some other kinds of pellets and will try them approx. June 25th if not before.
Did you buy the JD pellets from Todd? I might give them a try. You've used them in chip form so can you describe the flavor? Can you actually discern the tastes of the whiskey, char, and the oak? If so, it would be impressive if those flavors could be retrieved from sawdust compressed into pellet form. Todd sells them in 1 lb. bags so after I receive your full and detailed report complete with photos I'll order them sometime. Todd's my exclusive source for wood pellets.

Hickory and the fruitwoods are a tasty combo. I've never ordered cherry pellets because they're included in PItmaster's Choice along with hickory and maple.
 
For the prime rib temp I used the built-in MES probe and a hand held thermometer to check. I'm out of town now and can't check my notes. As far as the pellets, they all burn fine since I raised the AMNPS uo about 5 inched on that basket I posted.

I saw a follow up post about Jack Daniels chips or pellets. That sounds like something I would try.
Dennis
You won't be sorry, I promise. I have used JD only on pork. Never tried it on beef or chicken, but on pork it is great and even better yet if pork is rubbed with Butt Rub or Jeff Phillips "Texas Rub" ( not his advertised rub he sells recipes to, but another rub of his called "Texas Rub" of which we like much better than the recipe rub he sells )
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky