mes vs big green egg

[b-one]

WSM way to easy to use. Get one and be happy:). I have the 18.5 it rocks!

 

[addertooth]

The charcoal vs. electric comparison has been looked at before.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...rcoal-vs-electric-and-pellet-with-pulled-pork

In this case, it was a mini-WSM vs the Masterbuilt 40.  The meat was pulled pork.  Cooked at the same time, with the same rub, at the same temperatures.

Egg-type (kamado) cookers can be tough to get dialed in.  On another site, there are multiple pages of techniques to optimally achieve an ideal temperature for smoking.  However, owners of the egg, who have them dialed in, rave about the temperature stability.  The weber smokey mountain models appear to be easier to get dialed in. 

Part of what makes an egg harder to get dialed in is it's excellent insulation and huge thermal mass.  It requires a smaller amount of heat (than a WSM) to maintain a temperature; at very low temperatures (fish) some struggle with choking their fire out.  However, the high thermal mass of an egg makes adjustments in air supply slower to show up.  This leads many users of the egg to initially do a lot of temperature chasing.  Every egg owner has a "sacred technique" to achieve low-and-slow on their egg. 

All that said, I have a Akorn kamado smoker in-transit as we speak.  I am also considering picking up a 13 inch ceramic egg for camping as well. 

 

[Bearcarver]

 
The charcoal vs. electric comparison has been looked at before.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...rcoal-vs-electric-and-pellet-with-pulled-pork

In this case, it was a mini-WSM vs the Masterbuilt 40.  The meat was pulled pork.  Cooked at the same time, with the same rub, at the same temperatures.

Egg-type (kamado) cookers can be tough to get dialed in.  On another site, there are multiple pages of techniques to optimally achieve an ideal temperature for smoking.  However, owners of the egg, who have them dialed in, rave about the temperature stability.  The weber smokey mountain models appear to be easier to get dialed in. 

Part of what makes an egg harder to get dialed in is it's excellent insulation and huge thermal mass.  It requires a smaller amount of heat (than a WSM) to maintain a temperature; at very low temperatures (fish) some struggle with choking their fire out.  However, the high thermal mass of an egg makes adjustments in air supply slower to show up.  This leads many users of the egg to initially do a lot of temperature chasing.  Every egg owner has a "sacred technique" to achieve low-and-slow on their egg. 

All that said, I have a Akorn kamado smoker in-transit as we speak.  I am also considering picking up a 13 inch ceramic egg for camping as well. 

If I'm not mistaken, the MES you used in that other comparison was a Generation #2 MES. Generally speaking, that smoker is not worthy of being compared to anything other than a cardboard box. IMHO

Bear

 

[addertooth]

BearCarver,

It is a Gen II.  It has had all the good mods done to it, such as the mailbox mod and the AmazeN product line goodies added to it.  If the comparison was stock, I would jump on your bandwagon.  It's competitor was a home-made mini-WSM.  The comparison was far from unfair.

A modified Gen II (and not a factory lemon) will go toe to toe with a Gen one MES.  If you have one of the buggy Gen II smokers, then a Gen I unit will stomp it into the dirt.  I got lucky, other than the built-in meat probe giving unreliable temperature, it works well (with the mods).  Before the mods, I didn't care for how well it smoked; being tethered to the unit and feeding the chip tray was a pain.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
BearCarver,

It is a Gen II.  It has had all the good mods done to it, such as the mailbox mod and the AmazeN product line goodies added to it.  If the comparison was stock, I would jump on your bandwagon.  It's competitor was a home-made mini-WSM.  The comparison was far from unfair.

A modified Gen II (and not a factory lemon) will go toe to toe with a Gen one MES.  If you have one of the buggy Gen II smokers, then a Gen I unit will stomp it into the dirt.  I got lucky, other than the built-in meat probe giving unreliable temperature, it works well (with the mods).  Before the mods, I didn't care for how well it smoked; being tethered to the unit and feeding the chip tray was a pain.

The first thing you mentioned was a 30* swing. I don't have that in mine. What mod fixes that?

The Gen #2 Has a ridiculous slanted drip plate that keeps the right side hotter than the left. That's Not in the Gen #1. What Mod fixes that?

All I'm saying is if you're going to compare the MES to the BGE or the WSM, please don't use the MES Gen #2 that most people, including me tells everybody not to buy. It's not a fair representation of the MES. 

No Gen #2 is going to go toe to toe with a Gen #1. No problems in 4 years. Awesome "Q".

This is not to say it's worse or better than the BGE or WSM, but 100% better than a Gen #2.

Bear

 

[addertooth]

If I can find a gen one, I will characterize it as well.  All electrical smokers, unless they have an external heat control unit (which provides a continuously varying voltage), have some swing in temperature.  You just have to look for it.  If you look at the posting that number was based upon, it was with no water pan, and no meat in the cabinet.  I wanted to see the worst-case maximum swing, which was measured under the least desirable conditions.  I am with you on your admiration of Gen One MES, it typically does not need mods to work well.  A properly modified Gen II is not a bad box, but it certainly has a bad reputation.  People who get a bad one, scream loudly.  Those which have a good functioning one, spend their time smoking with it, instead of screaming.  As such, you will see more sad postings than happy postings.  This is normal on any product.  You seem to have very strong feelings about this; did you have some bad experiences with a Gen II?

 

[Bearcarver]

 
If I can find a gen one, I will characterize it as well.  All electrical smokers, unless they have an external heat control unit (which provides a continuously varying voltage), have some swing in temperature.  You just have to look for it.  If you look at the posting that number was based upon, it was with no water pan, and no meat in the cabinet.  I wanted to see the worst-case maximum swing, which was measured under the least desirable conditions.  I am with you on your admiration of Gen One MES, it typically does not need mods to work well.  A properly modified Gen II is not a bad box, but it certainly has a bad reputation.  People who get a bad one, scream loudly.  Those which have a good functioning one, spend their time smoking with it, instead of screaming.  As such, you will see more sad postings than happy postings.  This is normal on any product.  You seem to have very strong feelings about this; did you have some bad experiences with a Gen II?

I tested one with nothing but problems, but that's not my problem.

My problem is the Gen #2 giving the whole company a bad name. 

It's because of the Gen #2 that people think because of all the complaints about the Gen #2, that means that other electrics are better than MES.

That's why I don't like to see the Gen #2 used in any comparison tests, and then noting problems that are pretty much Ge #2 Specific.

The other thing is that I try to help as many MES owners as I can (especially Newbies), and I have no problem helping Gen #1 owners.

However the problems the Gen #2 has are not as easy to deal with, and I didn't see any Gen #2 owners jumping in to help them.

That's why I direct as many people as possible to buy the Gen #1, instead of the Gen #2. Less problems = Easier to help = Everybody Happy.

Bear

 

[flebag]

How do ya know if you have a gen 1 or 2 I've had a few mes's they have always worked good for me with no issues only reason I've gotten rid of them is because mold would start to grow out of control before I would catch it I like them I've looked at the ones that take the pucks and self feed them but I just can see paying that

 

[addertooth]

The easy way to spot a Gen II:

Door hinges on the left (not the right) AND Control unit on the top front (not top back) AND the upper vent is on the side (not the top). 

I have seen some odd units which didn't exactly match either description, they had a mix of features.  But these are good general descriptions.

I have gotten decent service out of my MES 40 Gen II; it got my foot in the door on smoking meat.  Like many people who smoke, I have collected other

smokers since getting the electric.  It is still one of the easiest ways to smoke meat.  It makes great low and slow corn and potatoes too!

It's massive interior space allows the user to do an entire meal in one smoker, you just stagger the time you add food to it. 

 

[daricksta]

 
Does anybody have a big green egg or grill dome and either a smokey mountain cooker a or a MES?  I have the last two and am wondering if a BGE or GD cooks better 'Q than the other two.  I know you can do baking, grilling and the like on the BGE, but is it worth the money to cook better 'Q?  They sure look nice, but I can't decide if I really want or need one. What do you think?

I took a BBQ class and two things I learned about the BGE taught me one wouldn't work for me. 1. It won't go below 275*. 2. After you light it, you have to "burp" before fully taking the cover off or you'll get a headful of high temp flames shooting up out of the top. I know guys who love their BGE but I'm very happy with my MES 30.

 

[addertooth]

I have a Kingsford grill, modified for low temp smoking, a mini-WSM, a WSM-14.5, a MES 40 and as of today, an Egg style (kamado) cooker/smoker.  They are like old girlfriends; each loved for separate reasons.  No excessive favorites, each has unique strengths, and things they do well.  Any Kamado cooker/smoker can "do it all" on paper (Sear, Grill, Bake, Smoke), the trick for most is getting it to actually do it.  The MES 40 has a massive amount of smoking space.  The Kingsford has a large amount of grilling space.  The mini-WSM and the WSM-14.5 are small, but perfect for long slow smokes when the meat quantity isn't huge.  Each of them have their quirks.  Modifications tend to make them less quirky.  I would hate to answer the "desert island" question, as it applies to which ONE would I pick.