# New Masterbuilt 30" Electric Smoker



## timetosmoke (May 15, 2012)

Just got delivered. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






The MES model #: 20070312 came packaged very well and in my opinion, so well that if you see a dented box from shipping, the unit is most likely fine. Took me about 45 minutes from unpackaging to finishing the assembly.

*Outside*

All the parts lined up well and almost all the screw holes were threaded nutserts which is great. The only holes that did not have nutserts were for the bottom left and right plastic trim pieces which is not a problem because if they fall off, some double sided tape to affix them would do very well (read that masterbuilt). No dents or dings on the unit and it was pretty clean for rolling down a metal fabrication assembly line in the far east.  The buttons on the dash control give great tactile feedback when pressed so you can be assured you pressed the button. The wheels are medium duty which surprised me as I thought they would be cheap light duty wheels. The pull bar is held on with 4 screws and while the instructions warn against using it to pick the unit up, I feel confident using it as a lifting aid because of the 4 threaded nutserts used. There is an external drip tray in the center bottom of the unit that slides out for easy cleanup. The door is held firmly closed with an adjustable latch which is nice as you can adjust it to pull the door closed tighter when the door gasket compresses from wear. The air vent is on the left side wall about 1-2" from the top.

Nice blue LED display for the dash control.

Very bright LED light that shines down the door so at night when you open it, you will easily be able to handle your smoked food.

*Inside*

4 chromed steel racks seemingly of good quality chrome

the water bowl is kind of oval and about 4 inches deep

the chip tray is about 6"x8"

internal meat thermometer probe with long enough cord to reach any part of the 4 racks

drip shelf which also catches drippings and sends them to the water bowl.

drip pan that is angle bent so the drippings go to the center of it where there is a hole that allows the drippings to go into the external drip tray. This drip pan is the full width/length of the interior of the unit but I would still put something underneath the unit just in case it should leak anywhere or if the external drip tray overfills.

*Overall*

overall quality on a scale of 1 to 10 and taking my expectations into account, I give this unit a 8 but would have given a 9 if the racks were stainless and the side trim pieces had a better fastening system. I will add an extra point if the temps on this unit are accurate +/-  5-8 degrees

Now I may have given my grade a little to early since it is raining out and I cannot even season the unit but I did turn it on (in the house) just to make sure at least it does that. Once I season it tomorrow I will post back as to how well the dash thermostat does against my laser temp gauge and my highly accurate ;D oven temp gauge.

Can't wait for the weekend when I break it in and FWIW, it will be the first time I am using a real smoker so wish me luck!

~ T.T. Smoke


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## timetosmoke (May 16, 2012)

*Update:*

Measurements of smoker fully assembled with all accessories attached is a safe 20"x20"x32". I am looking for a cover that can fit the unit based on those measurements

The light was surprising as it is outside the unit and with the door shut, it shines down the door but when you open the door, the light (LED) is angled and lights up the interior as if it was daytime with no dark corners!

Rack sizes are 12.5"d x 15w" with an estimated usable space to give 720" of cooking area.


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## driedstick (May 16, 2012)

Good luck lets see a pic of this bad boy and then a pic of if in action.


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## smokinhusker (May 16, 2012)

driedstick said:


> Good luck lets see a pic of this bad boy and then a pic of if in action.


X2


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## deltadude (May 16, 2012)

Congrats TimetoSmoke on your new MES, and welcome to SMF's MES owner's club.  You are at the right place if you have questions or want to share your smoking adventures. 

BTW thanks for a good writeup on you uncrating and initial impressions of your new MES.  Looking forward to some pics and first cook impressions.

_*SMOKE ON DUDE!*_


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## timetosmoke (May 16, 2012)

I will take some pics tonight especially the new lighting design and post em up. Some more  good news is that I found a square smoker cover which is 23x23x36 and will easily cover my MES 30". I will report on that as well when I receive it.


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## timetosmoke (May 16, 2012)

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

#1 Full on frontal







#2 external drip tray







#3 Additional door drip guide







#4 Inside with the light on (super bright)







#5 Door latch, handle and chip loader (full length)







#6 Adjustable air vent







#7 Digital control panel with wireless remote control that controls all functions.


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## da maxx (May 16, 2012)

Thanks for the great pictures. Love the redesign of the drip tray system. Looks like plenty of room to place the AMNPS below the chip trap, without fear of being dripped on. Very impressive looking unit. Jealous now. Let us know of the smoking outcome.


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## timetosmoke (May 17, 2012)

I am seasoning my new smoker and I have some good news

The oven temp via digital control panel says 279

The meat probe says 276

My pretty accurate regular oven thermometer says 280

I think I am good to go with a very minimal temp variation

Also took exactly 30 minutes to heat to 275 when teh element shut off however the temp climbed to 279/280 and has been sitting there for 10 minutes with the element off. I think the insulation is doing pretty good along with a 72 degree ambient temperature to help things out.

After 30 minutes it is holding 272-276 per the digital control panel nicely and my oven thermometer shows 275.


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## timetosmoke (May 17, 2012)

after 3 hours of seasoning all is well. Temps held real tight and the element would kick on at 272 and turn off at 276. At 45 minutes left I added a cup of mesquite chips to really season the smoker. No leaks of smoke what so ever except at the wood chip chute and the air vent. The seems and door are air tight which is very nice and is why the heat regulated so nicely. Looking forward to my first smoke Saturday. Spare Ribs with a dry home made rub. Hope it turns out good and before Saturday, I will be looking for tips on the site concerning smoking.

~ T.T. Smoke


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## timetosmoke (May 18, 2012)

Now that the seasoning is done, my poor smoker is not shiny anymore (inside) and the glass has this patina of smoke that was a little hard to get off but I did. I did to clean the rest of the unit inside as I feel there was no need to wipe it down since nothing was cooked in it.

I want to give an update on the 2012 MES 30" which is:

1. When using the remote, a beep (for each button press) emanates from the smoker which is real nice

2. sometimes the remote seems to sleep and while it may show the heat on (or off) you need to press a button (such as light on/off) so it i will then reflect what is happening with the.

3. When I opened the vent after I added the wood chips, the smoker box temperature and the meat probe temperature were within 1 degree of each other. The smoker box temp unit is low in the box while the meat probe is in the middle. Makes sense with no air movement that the higher element would be warmer (about 5-7 degrees) but when I created airflow, the temps evened out nicely.

~ T.T.Smoke


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## tromaron (May 18, 2012)

A little rubbing alcohol and a paper towel will clean the window & light right up.  Works best if you do it when it's still warm.


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## timetosmoke (May 18, 2012)

TromaRon said:


> A little rubbing alcohol and a paper towel will clean the window & light right up.  Works best if you do it when it's still warm.


 Thanks Troma!

I came up with an idea of using baking soda and water and use a scotch pad. Either way there are no chemicals used which is the way I want to go.


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