Question about my new MBES 30

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backporch

Newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2012
4
10
My wife bought me a new 30 inch MBES for christmas. It's the one with a dial on the plug not a digital. It doesn't have an adjustable vent.Just a 1 inch hole in the top corner.  I have smoked chicken quarters and country style ribs on it but I'm not getting a good smoke flavor. I have used mesquite wood for the ribs and apple for the chicken. The meat looks like it was cooked in the oven not on a smoker. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.  The chips seem to be smoldering it has a small amount of smoke coming out of the hole.
 
If you're soaking the chips maybe try not smoking them.  Also, depending with how many chips you're putting in at the beginning, you might experiment with fewer.  I have the same model and got tired of messing with/reloading and getting inconsistent smoke.  I got an AMNPS and my inconsistent smoke issue is gone.  I'm still trying to fine tune the arrangement of it since it's burning through too fast, but still a great improvement over the chip tray. 
 
 I'm still trying to fine tune the arrangement of it since it's burning through too fast
I had a similar problem until I started placing the AMNPS inside a baking pan that was slightly larger than the AMNPS. The pan works great as a heat shield so that the heat from the element does not make the pellets burn up faster than optimal. I also drilled a few holes along the sides of the baking pan to ensure that enough air circulated around the AMNPS. Works great...

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Ok I have fooled with this thing all day. Here is what I have tried. First I put just a tiny bit of dry hickory in chip pan. It would smoke a little but just turn black no ash. After an hour or so of this I took the lid completely off the chip pan. It would smoke some with door open. Close the door and in about 10 min no smoke coming out the tiny vent. So I opened the door blew on the chips until they caught on fire. Let burn for a min. Then snuffed out the fire with the chip pan lid. Took the chip pan lid back off. It was smoking pretty good. Adjusted the hinge on the door to where a little smoke is coming out around the door. Still after 5 min or so no smoke. I went by Lowe's in the middle of all this to replenish my hickory wood chips. While I was there I went to the plumbing isle. Here is my plan. Drill a hole in the side of the smoker, take a 3/4 in nipple put it in the hole, and put a brass ball valve with a lever on the nipple to regulate the air flow. If this works I have about $20 in the set up. What do you think? Where is the best location to let the air come in?
 
Here is a link to a picture of a mes 30 "ANALOG" with a a mod .. Look at lower left .. Looks like a galvanized elbow..

You can only get as much air in as you can get out .. Note the vent mod on the top of the unit in the picture .. A larger elbow.....

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/ga...mokingmeatforums.com/6/6d/6da849ee_smoke.jpeg

Search the forms for ... mes 30 analog ..... Read it all

Do those units get air in from the grease trap vent? .. If so is your vent clear .. I looked at the schematic on the user manual and did not see a place for air to get in the unit, unless it is missing a piece of gasket on the bottom of the door .. So I was wondering where the air gets in.

In this pic the unit is moded for an amnps (pellet burner) but to use an amps one woud not have to go to the lengts of removing the existing fire box .. That poster was committed to the amnps .. And if you pick one up you will be also.

Not a lot of posts on the analog .. But do a search .. You will see when posters start to talk about digital units on analog threads as they start referring to chip loaders etc, that unit my have a 650 watt element .. Some digitals have 650 others have 800 .. So be sure all the posts are talking about apples and not oranges ..

That mod was pretty drastic .. Exposing the element .. But the poster is not smoking outside a pan.. Also Todd ( member of this site and amnps developer ) would most likely advise you to avoid having the amnps sitting over the element like that .. But looking at the pic and the units use ..it works for him :-). Adding vents is one option you may find others here ..

Ross
 
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Rocor has you covered with the picture of the mod....  Air in and air out.... very important....  LarryM did a nice job with the vents on his smoker....
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 ... Dave
 
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