# Newbie from the frozen tundra



## MNBrownie (Dec 29, 2018)

Brand new to using electric smokers. I bought a used Big Chief a while back and now for Christmas/Anniversary I got a  Masterbuilt 30”! I have been doing a little bit of smoking on my Akorn kamado, but the electric smoking seems to be a little different. 
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!


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## dcecil (Dec 29, 2018)

Welcome from California.  There are plenty of people on the site that use that cooker.  If you don’t get any help or advice open a new thread with with a question about your cooker in the title.


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## WaterRat (Dec 29, 2018)

Welcome! Just flew back east from MN last night after spending Christmas with the family.


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## Preacher Man (Dec 29, 2018)

Welcome 
M
 MNBrownie
! I'm a fellow MES 30 user in the northern country. 

First things first: get one of the Amazen Pellet Maze 6x8. It's a game changer. Beyond that, I smoke practically everything I want to smoke. I think you, too, will enjoy your MES.


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## SonnyE (Dec 29, 2018)

Hi MNBrownie!
Welcome to:






Yeah, there is a learning curve to everything, and it is so with electric smokers, too.
Most have to do some adjustments, modifications, and downright corrections to get the results.

One of the best is to get an AMNPS for your MES 30. That allows you to separate the smoke generation, from the heating of your new smoker/oven. The AMNPS is nice because it will use Pellets for long hours of smoke, but can also be used to smolder sawdust for a cooler smoke.
Once the inadequacies of smoke production are corrected, you can get good results. Like a few hours of smoke, and 6 total hours of cooking. These things are really electric ovens, that can have smoke induced into them.

Many find they need an external thermometer to get better accuracy of the item they are Smoking/Cooking. Me Too! The OEM controller is rather iffy about accuracy. So separate monitoring helps a lot.
I found with mine that letting it warm up a long time actually helped get a better temperature control. That as a session progressed, the temperature would tend to settle in and become more stable.
But I like to smoke Salmon. I don't necessarily want it cooked, yet. Just smoked good. Then I cook it other ways. I also want to cold smoke things, Nuts, Bacon's of lately, So I personally needed control below the MES controls 100° lower ability. So I modified my electric controls to allow sub-100° temperature control. I dubbed it my By-pass Mode. Flip a switch and the MES 30 becomes cord controlled so an external temperature controller can be plugged into the wall, and the smoker plugged into the temperature control. Many use an Auber Brand for this, I used an Inkbird at first, and now use an Inkbird PID I built into a controller box for easy portability.

Once you decide to get an AMNPS for your smoker, it makes the chip feeder obsolete. Some use the chip feed as an air inlet control, and just set the AMNPS inside their MES.
I prefer to use what is lovingly called a "Mailbox Mod" around here. Mine is a bit different in that I have an old Sears Craftsman steel router storage box I chose to use as my "Mailbox". Now I use my mailbox mod all the time and it is my smoke generator for all my smoking. Cooled, cleaned smoke goes through 96" of 3" diameter tubing from my "mailbox" to my MES 30 (and will be also used for my newly acquired MES 40). So the smoke is always cool and any creosote is condensed out of it before it enters my Smoker.
But the idea behind the Mailbox Mod is to give a better separation between the MES and the smoke generation. You don't have to disturb the oven during the cooking/smoking session because the smoke part is outside the MES. (As you are probably aware, opening an oven upsets the actual cooking while the oven reheats and stabilizes again.)
One Member sez it best, "If you're lookin, you're not cookin." Holds true for purty near any cooker with a lid, or door.

So there are some ideas to make your MES 30 perfect. An AMNPS, and External Meat and Pit monitoring device, and if you want it, a Mailbox Mod.


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## MNBrownie (Dec 29, 2018)

Preacher Man said:


> Welcome
> M
> MNBrownie
> ! I'm a fellow MES 30 user in the northern country.
> ...


I have one of those, but it’s at our camper!


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## kawboy (Dec 29, 2018)

Welcome from a fellow Minnesotan!


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## Fueling Around (Jan 4, 2019)

Fingers finally thawed out to type hello from another Minnesotan!
Also new to forum, but I've been grilling, smoking, and Q'ng for many years.
My electric experience ends at the Big Chief which has served me well, but has limitations.
My advice is to not attempt smoking on any outdoor equipment on the conditions we had to end last year and start the new year.


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## gmc2003 (Jan 4, 2019)

Welcome to the site, happy to have ya join.

Chris


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## Fueling Around (Feb 17, 2019)

This is a memorable winter. 
Spent way too much time moving snow this last month.
The snow and frigid temps really put a damper on the smoking and even grilling for me.

Have you checked into the AMNPS or other smoker box options for your unit?
If you get up to Fargo (no wood chipper comments), stop at Scheels Home and Hardware on 13th Ave.  They have bulk bins of many wood pellet so you can sample without getting a bag of something you don't appreciate the flavor in your smoking.

If you have a Costco membership, they always stock Traeger Gourmet Blend pellets (currently behind the dairy cooler) for a reasonable price.
Last time Costco had a Traeger promotion, they not only had the gourmet blend but also cherry and hickory pellets (also very reasonably priced).
Stupid me, I picked up cherry pellets for a friend that has a Traeger.  I should have gotten a sack for me.  My cherry wood pile (currently under 4' of snow) is getting low besides unabtanium until late spring.

What have you learned?

-JE


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## MNBrownie (Feb 18, 2019)

I think I’m figuring out the smoke. No matter what I find that the vent needs to be wide open. Too many things I’ve smoked have been too smoky. 
I’m using the mailbox method, it’s helping but still have a lot to learn!


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## MNBrownie (Feb 18, 2019)

I bought another amazen pellet tube. (12”)


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## fivetricks (Feb 18, 2019)

If you're finding your food too smokey, try burning a more mild pellet, or better yet, burn sawdust instead.


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## MNBrownie (Feb 18, 2019)

Apple? The smoky flavor has come from my hickory chips I think. Could my chips be spoiled or something like that?
Now that I’ve got the mailbox set up I don’t think I’ll be using the hickory chips much. Just wondering if it’s possible for the chips to spoil or maybe run out of fizz?


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## fivetricks (Feb 18, 2019)

Wait.. you're using chips with the mail box? I'm going to assume you meant pellets.

Anyways, hickory is sort of a medium to medium- heavy smoke profile. If you want something more mild, then it's going to be apple, pecan or cherry for you.

Before tossing the hickory pellets, look up how to make them into sawdust first. You might like the hickory flavor with a more mild attack which you would get with dust.

Edit: if you're using chips in the mailbox/amnps that's your problem. MBM and tray/tube are meant to consume pellets or sawdust, not chips.

However theres still use for those chips if that's the case. Let me know :-)


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## Fueling Around (Feb 19, 2019)

Apple, oak, cherry, and maple is my favorites and lots of local sources which is what regional taste is all about for smoking and slow cooking.
I use hickory and mesquite when the (flavor) need arises as they are not native to Minnesota. 

If you let the wood get punky (soft and crumbly) I found it gives an off flavor. I'm guilty about not storing my (local sourced) wood properly and letting it go punky. But I have lots of resources so normally don't care.  I'm short on cherry so back to the pellet wish.
I make my own sawdust and chips on the table saw.

Using the mailbox (cold) smoke generator method with chips and chunks, it reads as you're applying way to much smoke for long cook items. No billowing plume of smoke required unless you're kissing a pork shoulder, brisket or another large cut of meat.


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## MNBrownie (Feb 20, 2019)

I used chips in my tube. Packed them real tight in the tube and it works just like pellets. I guess I hadn’t read anywhere that pellets wouldn’t work in the mailbox.


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