# mes 140B



## willy appleseed (Dec 23, 2018)

just got a mes140B on sale at cabellas for 169.00 was this a good price ? also any tips on using this model i sort of remember something about the heating element and vent being on same side do i need some type of baffle? i will be using the mailbox mod with pellets thanks for any info. decided it was time to upgrade .


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## TomKnollRFV (Dec 23, 2018)

That's a good price, about half off the normal IIRC!


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## smokin pop-pop (Dec 23, 2018)

willy appleseed said:


> just got a mes140B on sale at cabellas for 169.00 was this a good price ? also any tips on using this model i sort of remember something about the heating element and vent being on same side do i need some type of baffle? i will be using the mailbox mod with pellets thanks for any info. decided it was time to upgrade .


I just got the same one, been using it for two days now and I love it. The element and vent are on the same side but I’ve been using my A-MAZE-N 12” tube placed on the other side with no problems at all. I am looking into the square version because the tube is a little too big


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 23, 2018)

That is a good price.  With the mailbox mod, you are good to go.


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## willy appleseed (Dec 23, 2018)

smokin pop-pop said:


> I just got the same one, been using it for two days now and I love it. The element and vent are on the same side but I’ve been using my A-MAZE-N 12” tube placed on the other side with no problems at all. I am looking into the square version because the tube is a little too big


i wasnt sure if the pellets would burn up if i put the tray inside thanks for info


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## californiashark (Dec 26, 2018)

Got mine at Bass Pro on Black Friday at $149, upgrading from my previous generation MES 30 sportsman elite.

Used for Christmas for the first time, so total ~5 hours including seasoning and the door is already showing some warping due to the heat, any one else experiencing the same?


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## willy appleseed (Dec 27, 2018)

i only had time to season it sofar but havent seen any warping


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## tallbm (Dec 27, 2018)

willy appleseed said:


> just got a mes140B on sale at cabellas for 169.00 was this a good price ? also any tips on using this model i sort of remember something about the heating element and vent being on same side do i need some type of baffle? i will be using the mailbox mod with pellets thanks for any info. decided it was time to upgrade .



Hi there and welcome!

You will love it, especially with a mailbox mod and the AMNPS.

Understand though that the MES smoker and meat probes are junk and not to be trusted.  Besides the AMNPS the other purchase that all MES owners (well most smokers in general) make is for a good 2 probe or more Wireless Thermometer.  I always recommend the ThermoPro TP-20 as a fantastic dual probe wireless thermometer but there are many thermometers out there that will do the trick and may have more than 2 probes.

You want a minimum of 2 probes so that 1 can be used at rack/meat level to measure the temp of the smoker and the other can be stabbed into the center of the meat to measure the meat's Internal Temp (IT).  Having 2 probes means you can now get an accurate smoker temp as well as meat IT temp.

Running more probes means you can check temps on various racks, various sides of the smoker racks (left, middle, right), and probe multiple pieces of meat or even a large piece of meat with multiple probes.  It takes me 3 probes placed into the flat of a brisket to get an accurate IT on the brisket.

I personally run 6 probes.  3 at rack level(s), usually left back, middle, right front, and the other 3 in pieces off meat on the rack (meat left, middle, right positions on rack).  This lets gives me plenty of info on how my smoker temp is behaving and how fast meat is cooking on the various areas of the rack.
In my setup the left back is the hotest spot in the smoker and the front right is the lowest temp at rack level.  I place bigger pieces of meat on left and rear most side and thinner pieces on the right and forward most sides of the rack.
You may not care to have this much info but at least with my example you know what your possibilities are :)

I hope this helps :)


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## smokin pop-pop (Dec 27, 2018)

californiashark said:


> Got mine at Bass Pro on Black Friday at $149, upgrading from my previous generation MES 30 sportsman elite.
> 
> Used for Christmas for the first time, so total ~5 hours including seasoning and the door is already showing some warping due to the heat, any one else experiencing the same?
> 
> ...


Hey CS I used mine 2 days straight for a total of about 13 hours and it looks like I just took it out of the box. If I were you I would contact either bass pro or masterbuilt and see what they will do.


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## willy appleseed (Dec 28, 2018)

tallbm said:


> Hi there and welcome!
> 
> You will love it, especially with a mailbox mod and the AMNPS.
> 
> ...


thanks for the info i already have a thermo pro 20  this smoker was an upgrade for me  had a smokey mtn 30"


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## tallbm (Dec 28, 2018)

willy appleseed said:


> thanks for the info i already have a thermo pro 20  this smoker was an upgrade for me  had a smokey mtn 30"



Awesome, you are well on your way!
Two other tips.  Don't add water to the water pan because the MES is great on keeping moisture and added moisture will likely/often be counter productive. 
Finally smoke with your top vent wide open unless you are trying to recover the temp more quickly.  After you recover the temp then completely open it again :)


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## Bearcarver (Dec 28, 2018)

willy appleseed said:


> just got a mes140B on sale at cabellas for 169.00 was this a good price ? also any tips on using this model i sort of remember something about the heating element and vent being on same side do i need some type of baffle? i will be using the mailbox mod with pellets thanks for any info. decided it was time to upgrade .




That's a Great Smoker.
The only weakness it has is the top vent & the Heating element being on the same (Right) side.
Some of them seem to not need help, but if your right side is noticeably hotter than the left, let me know & I'll tell you some things that can fix that.
Other than that, it looks like you're covered by others.

Bear


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## willy appleseed (Jan 3, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> That's a Great Smoker.
> The only weakness it has is the top vent & the Heating element being on the same (Right) side.
> Some of them seem to not need help, but if your right side is noticeably hotter than the left, let me know & I'll tell you some things that can fix that.
> Other than that, it looks like you're covered by others.
> ...


thanks Bear finally got time to get back on here plan on doing bacon and pork shoulder soon as i get time 1st project is 2 wild boar roasts for pulled pork if i run into trouble ill give you a yell thanks again


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## tallbm (Jan 3, 2019)

willy appleseed said:


> thanks Bear finally got time to get back on here plan on doing bacon and pork shoulder soon as i get time 1st project is 2 wild boar roasts for pulled pork if i run into trouble ill give you a yell thanks again



Hi there and welcome!
Keep an eye on those wild boar roasts as you are trying to do them as pulled pork.  Since the wild pigs are usually quite lean you may want to be ready to wrap with foil and add a little liquid once you get to a certain point so they don't dry out.

I've yet to do pulled pork from a wild pig mainly because I have done sausage out of the back leg roasts (and some hams once mmmm).  What I do recommend is that when you get a chance to break down the wild pig you save as much fat and fatty belly/flank/skirt tissue as you can to drape over the meat or patches of meat from other parts of the pig that have little to no fat on them (ribs, front legs, back legs, etc.).  This helps out quite a bit on front shoulders though I have yet to take a front shoulder to pulling temps since they have been so small.  

The last few wild hogs I've messed with were no more than 70 pounds so they were super tender to begin with and didn't take much cooking of the front legs over about 175F Internal Temp (IT) for me to easily eat using a fork and knife.  Your experience may vary but again keep an eye on them and be ready to foil with some sort of liquid (I use old wine from the fridge) so they don't dry out on you.

Best of luck!


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## willy appleseed (Jan 3, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Hi there and welcome!
> Keep an eye on those wild boar roasts as you are trying to do them as pulled pork.  Since the wild pigs are usually quite lean you may want to be ready to wrap with foil and add a little liquid once you get to a certain point so they don't dry out.
> 
> I've yet to do pulled pork from a wild pig mainly because I have done sausage out of the back leg roasts (and some hams once mmmm).  What I do recommend is that when you get a chance to break down the wild pig you save as much fat and fatty belly/flank/skirt tissue as you can to drape over the meat or patches of meat from other parts of the pig that have little to no fat on them (ribs, front legs, back legs, etc.).  This helps out quite a bit on front shoulders though I have yet to take a front shoulder to pulling temps since they have been so small.
> ...





tallbm said:


> Hi there and welcome!
> Keep an eye on those wild boar roasts as you are trying to do them as pulled pork.  Since the wild pigs are usually quite lean you may want to be ready to wrap with foil and add a little liquid once you get to a certain point so they don't dry out.
> 
> I've yet to do pulled pork from a wild pig mainly because I have done sausage out of the back leg roasts (and some hams once mmmm).  What I do recommend is that when you get a chance to break down the wild pig you save as much fat and fatty belly/flank/skirt tissue as you can to drape over the meat or patches of meat from other parts of the pig that have little to no fat on them (ribs, front legs, back legs, etc.).  This helps out quite a bit on front shoulders though I have yet to take a front shoulder to pulling temps since they have been so small.
> ...


thanks ill see how it goes a guy at work gave me 2 roasts to try


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## donaltman3 (Jan 3, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> That's a Great Smoker.
> The only weakness it has is the top vent & the Heating element being on the same side



I was just thinking about this, could you just run an internal 90 degree elbow and have an 8 or 10 inch pipe going towards the left side against the top back inside thus eliminating the need for a baffle or cutting any holes for a new vent?


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## dr k (Jan 3, 2019)

donaltman3 said:


> I was just thinking about this, could you just run an internal 90 degree elbow and have an 8 or 10 inch pipe going towards the left side against the top back inside thus eliminating the need for a baffle or cutting any holes for a new vent?


In the past I thought about an aluminum baking sheet held to the ceiling. A 3" hole cut in the middle of the baking sheet. It's a false ceiling with an inch or so air gap and an exhaust hole wherever you want it. I was just thinking of saving space to use the top rack. Something not permanent that can be held up from the corners on the top rack to test. Maybe difficult to thread probes down through the new ceiling though unless its easy to remove/put up. Never got that far since I got the PID and flipped the element.


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## Bearcarver (Jan 4, 2019)

donaltman3 said:


> I was just thinking about this, could you just run an internal 90 degree elbow and have an 8 or 10 inch pipe going towards the left side against the top back inside thus eliminating the need for a baffle or cutting any holes for a new vent?



That's been done, & I'm sure it helps, but IMO it's better to direct the heat from right to left at the bottom, so it runs up the middle of the smoker, through the Meat, instead of after it gets above the meat.

Bear


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