# New MES40 Sportsman Bluetooth review



## skeeterbait (Mar 7, 2015)

New member but not new to smokers.  I am giving the Masterbuilt Electric Sportsman 40 Bluetooth its trial run this morning and thought I would give a few pictures and impressions so far.




I found the MES40 Sportsman and the optional base easy to unpackage and assemble. That is where I ran into trouble and I may can make things easier on the next purchaser. The instructions to attach the smoker to the base will not work as written. First there is reference to removing two screws on each side from the front bottom of the smoker. There is only one on each side that aligns with the holes in the base. But that is good enough. However neither the original or the ones that come with the base are long enough. You will need to purchase two 6mmx10 bolts 3 to 3.25" long to attach the front of the smoker to the base. In the back the instructions tell you to use the new leveler bolts that came with the base to attach the rear of the smoker. These are too short. However the levelers that came with the smoker itself are long enough. Thread the leveler bolt thru the hole in the base and screw on the adjuster. Then screw the bolt into the bottom of the smoker till the head of the bolt is about a quarter of an inch from being tight. Then using a level on top of the smoker adjust the adjuster down against the top of the base using a 1" open end wrench till the smoker is level. Then hold the adjuster with the wrench and tighten the bolt head into the smoker using a 15/16" socket till all is tight.





I then decided the smoker needed to be more maneuverable and decided to put it on casters. I ordered 3" angle casters from accesscasters.com. In hindsight these would have been much easier to install without the smoker on the base but I wasn't going to remove it again. So I laid it over against a padded work bench and proceeded to complete the install. You will need 1/4x20 1/2" screws and nuts to complete the install. The legs of the base have a foot on the bottom and it will require drilling a 1/2" hole in the bottom of the foot for the caster to mount flush with the foot.




The Bluetooth app on an Android phone works very well, though not quite the range I had hoped for. Inside the house it seems to have a range of about 40-45 feet from the smoker. Outside in line of sight it is 90 feet plus. This is with a Samsung S4 phone. The app is very simple and available on the Google Play Store for free. I understand it is also available for iPhone but have not tried that. Pairing the smoker with the phone was simple. Just start the app and it walks you thru the process. You can easily turn the smoker on and off, adjust temperature and time, and monitor both smoker and meat temperature as well as time remaining. Of course you can do all this from the front mounted controls also. The new electronics work very well cycling the heating coil to maintain the temperature within a 4 degree range.




The new coil, wood tray and water pan design works very well. It was 29 degrees this morning when I turned it on and it took 34 minutes to bring the smoker up to 230 degrees. Obviously my LP Smokevault can do that in about 4 minutes but that isn't necessary for this machine since you can add wood thru the loader without having to open the door and loose heat like the Smokevault. It readily lit the wood and has easily lit the wood each time I have added. There has been no problem maintaining smoke at 230 degree setting. However I do find the glass door a waste since you can not easily see thru it due to smoke and moisture on the glass. I would have preferred the machine have a all stainless insulated door.





So one quick open of the door to let you see the total interior in process. The larger water pan seems to be doing a much better job of catching drippings than the older design. Interior looks surprisingly clean so far.


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## gary s (Mar 7, 2015)

Nice,    keep us posted

Gary


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## tropics (Mar 8, 2015)

Looks nice did you check the CC with an additional probe also the meat probe did you verify that?


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## skeeterbait (Mar 8, 2015)

Yes, I did test the temps, forgot to add that.  The cooking temperature seemed to be spot on.  Best I could tell the meat probe seems to read a little low, maybe as much as 4 degrees.


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## tropics (Mar 8, 2015)

Skeeterbait said:


> Yes, I did test the temps, forgot to add that.  The cooking temperature seemed to be spot on.  Best I could tell the meat probe seems to read a little low, maybe as much as 4 degrees.


Skeeter Thanks I am sure that will help a lot of people, maybe MB finally got some better controls. I am stuck with MES 40 til it breaks.Post up the finish pics of that food cause it looks good in the box.


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## tjwheels (Mar 8, 2015)

I also upgraded to this model and so far I am enjoying it. I started a thread earlier about the amount of smoke this unit puts out with such a small amount of chips. Did you experience a heavy smoke flow during your first use. On a side note I use the iPhone/iPad app and do not get nearly the range you are.


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## skeeterbait (Mar 8, 2015)

Each time I added hickory chips I got strong smoke for around 25 minutes followed by lighter smoke for a total of around an hour per load.  I withdrew the loader a couple times and saw the wood was well lit with red embers but not in flames.  I used dry chips, unsoaked.  I was surprised when completed how through the burn of the chips was leaving nothing but light gray ash.  My Smokevault with its cast iron chip tray has never burned chips as cleanly and is hard to keep generating smoke.


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## Bearcarver (Mar 8, 2015)

Another good report on this new instrument !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Thank You, Skeeter!!!

Did you put water in your pan???  Maybe that's why you can't see through the glass???

Still waiting for an MES 40 Gen #2.5 owner with multiple smoker probes to compare heat variance in all areas of smoker.

Bear


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## daricksta (Mar 8, 2015)

Was that two racks of pork ribs (sitting in two rib racks) over a whole chicken you were smoking? There's a lot of room in that thing--enough room for 6 smoking racks. If my MES 30 Gen 1 goes out someday I'll be taking a real hard look at this new model as a possible replacement.


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## skeeterbait (Mar 8, 2015)

No, that is a single rack of St. Louis style pork ribs cut in half.  It isn't deep enough to cook a whole rack running front to back but you could fit a whole rack left to right.


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## daricksta (Mar 9, 2015)

Skeeterbait said:


> No, that is a single rack of St. Louis style pork ribs cut in half.  It isn't deep enough to cook a whole rack running front to back but you could fit a whole rack left to right.


That's interesting. I think with the smaller cooking area in the MES 30 I'm not even sure if cutting a rack of ribs in half would still fit depthwise. I typically don't like cutting meat in half before roasting or smoking because I'm concerned the cut ends will bleed juice resulting in dry meat. I have no idea if this is true or not; I figure it sounds logical.


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## gary s (Mar 9, 2015)

Nice Ribs and bird looked good

Gary


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## lightsandsirens (Apr 21, 2015)

Skeeterbait said:


> New member but not new to smokers.  I am giving the Masterbuilt Electric Sportsman 40 Bluetooth its trial run this morning and thought I would give a few pictures and impressions so far.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey Skeeter, here is the final product of your great advice!













Image.jpg



__ lightsandsirens
__ Apr 21, 2015


















Image 1.jpg



__ lightsandsirens
__ Apr 21, 2015


















Image 2.jpg



__ lightsandsirens
__ Apr 21, 2015


















Image 3.jpg



__ lightsandsirens
__ Apr 21, 2015


















Image 4.jpg



__ lightsandsirens
__ Apr 21, 2015


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## gary s (Apr 21, 2015)

Nice Ribs and bird looked good

Gary


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## skeeterbait (Apr 21, 2015)

Glad it worked for you.  Kinda wish mine had a all metal black door.  Better insulation and I wouldn't feel like I had to clean it every time I used it.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 22, 2015)

Skeeterbait said:


> Glad it worked for you.  Kinda wish mine had a all metal black door.  Better insulation and I wouldn't feel like I had to clean it every time I used it.


The glass stays clear longer if you don't put water in the pan.

Bear


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## daricksta (Apr 22, 2015)

Lightsandsirens said:


> Hey Skeeter, here is the final product of your great advice!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My initial reaction was that it sure looks...spacious inside. I love my MES 30 Gen 1 but I don't like how cramped it is when you're cooking big hunks o' meat or several cuts of meat. The new MES 40" models look very nice.


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## mummel (Apr 22, 2015)

Thanks for the review.  I'm probably going to buy one of these.  The only thing holding me back is the glass door and it seems like 2 opinions confirm my suspicions that it's not necessary.  If Masterbuilt made this exact model without the door & bluetooth, it would be at my house already :)


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## Bearcarver (Apr 22, 2015)

mummel said:


> Thanks for the review.  I'm probably going to buy one of these.  The only thing holding me back is the glass door and it seems like 2 opinions confirm my suspicions that it's not necessary.  If Masterbuilt made this exact model without the door & bluetooth, it would be at my house already :)


I heard a number of guys say they didn't want the glass in the door.

Personally I wouldn't want one without it, but that's probably because I'm spoiled by having it for 5 years.

I Love It !!

Bear


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## lightsandsirens (Apr 22, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> My initial reaction was that it sure looks...spacious inside. I love my MES 30 Gen 1 but I don't like how cramped it is when you're cooking big hunks o' meat or several cuts of meat. The new MES 40" models look very nice.



Yeah, it's a good size. A lot bigger than my old brinkman propane from Home Depot.


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## krooz (Apr 23, 2015)

Curious as to any updates on how y'all are liking this smoker? I was all set to get a MES30 until I went to Lowes to see one in person and it seemed a bit small. Since this will be my second smoker I feel I need to upgrade and go bigger to give me more options. The link I pasted is for one I'm looking at from Cabelas - mostly since I have a good many "Cabela Bucks" to use up. I believe this is a 2.5 version - correct?

Thanks

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...ssories/_/N-1101316/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104582880


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## bmaddox (Apr 23, 2015)

Bearcarver said:


> I heard a number of guys say they didn't want the glass in the door.
> 
> Personally I wouldn't want one without it, but that's probably because I'm spoiled by having it for 5 years.
> 
> ...


I completely agree. How are you going to stare at the food and drool while it is cooking if you don't have a window?


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## Bearcarver (Apr 23, 2015)

Krooz said:


> Curious as to any updates on how y'all are liking this smoker? I was all set to get a MES30 until I went to Lowes to see one in person and it seemed a bit small. Since this will be my second smoker I feel I need to upgrade and go bigger to give me more options. The link I pasted is for one I'm looking at from Cabelas - mostly since I have a good many "Cabela Bucks" to use up. I believe this is a 2.5 version - correct?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...ssories/_/N-1101316/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104582880


Yup--That pic is of a Gen #2.5. Are you going to see it in person to actually see that it is the one you'll be getting?

Bear


bmaddox said:


> I completely agree. How are you going to stare at the food and drool while it is cooking if you don't have a window?


Exactly!!   No window is Kinda like sitting in the closet on a Sunny Day.

When I used to go to the mountains fishing, my favorite place for breakfast had a big griddle right on the other side of the counter where we'd sit, and I could watch them making Bacon, Sausage, Eggs, and Home Fries right in front of my eyes. Boy was I hungry when I was served!!!

Bear


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## lightsandsirens (Apr 23, 2015)

Krooz said:


> Curious as to any updates on how y'all are liking this smoker? I was all set to get a MES30 until I went to Lowes to see one in person and it seemed a bit small. Since this will be my second smoker I feel I need to upgrade and go bigger to give me more options. The link I pasted is for one I'm looking at from Cabelas - mostly since I have a good many "Cabela Bucks" to use up. I believe this is a 2.5 version - correct?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> ...


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## krooz (Apr 23, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. I don't live near a Cabela's so I have to trust that it is what they say... it sounds like the right one then. Can't wait to step things up a notch!


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## mummel (May 12, 2015)

Skeeter any updates?  How have things been going?


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## skeeterbait (May 12, 2015)

Hey guys, glad to see my efforts have helped some people out.  Been really busy lately.  Takes a lot of time to go fishing three or four times a week, work in the garden, work in the yard etc.  The electric smoker has been everything I had hoped allowing a set and forget approach so I have time to do other things without having to monitor it.  Just put some wood in once in a while.  I'm still hanging on to my propane smoker though.  There are just some things the electric can't get hot enough for like smoking pizza and cheese bread, and other baking.


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## mummel (May 12, 2015)

Skeeter what cover did you get?


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## skeeterbait (May 12, 2015)

mummel said:


> Skeeter what cover did you get?


It's the one sold by Bass Pro.  I ordered it on-line.  Pretty light weight but seems tough enough material.


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## brickguy221 (May 27, 2015)

I've read that some Bluetooth models have a stainless steel interior. However, the ones that Sams Club has for $329 and legs and rollers are included with this smoker appear to be aluminim interiors. Is it true that some are stainless steel interiors and others aluminum interiors and if so, how can a person tell if ordering on line when it doesn't say anything about the interiors?


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## mummel (May 28, 2015)

I tried to contact Masterbuilt over email 3 times asking this exact question.  I got no response.  I made a table on the main MES BT thread that has some info about partial SS components.  Take a look.


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## mummel (May 28, 2015)

Here:













MES table.png



__ mummel
__ May 28, 2015


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## daricksta (May 28, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> I've read that some Bluetooth models have a stainless steel interior. However, the ones that Sams Club has for $329 and legs and rollers are included with this smoker appear to be aluminim interiors. Is it true that some are stainless steel interiors and others aluminum interiors and if so, how can a person tell if ordering on line when it doesn't say anything about the interiors?


From what I've read on SMF, stay away from all MES models sold by Sam's Club. There's been a history of Sam's selling substandard smokers that for some reason Masterbuilt agreed to build for them. If you prefer buying from a retailer, stick with Cabela's or Bass Pro; otherwise there are some great sellers on Amazon.


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## daricksta (May 28, 2015)

Lightsandsirens said:


> Yeah, it's a good size. A lot bigger than my old brinkman propane from Home Depot.


I'm going to look forward to reading how it and the AMNPS work for you. We haven't had a lot of performance reviews on these newer models.


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## mummel (May 28, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> From what I've read on SMF, stay away from all MES models sold by Sam's Club. There's been a history of Sam's selling substandard smokers that for some reason Masterbuilt agreed to build for them. If you prefer buying from a retailer, stick with Cabela's or Bass Pro; otherwise there are some great sellers on Amazon.


Well, Sams is actually the best place to grab one because you can get a 3 year Squaretrade warranty for $30.  It's also the cheapest overall at $360 + tax with a 3 year warrranty.  I would have gone with the Sams version if it wasnt for getting some Cabelas gift cards and the glass window.


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## mrflufalufagus (May 28, 2015)

mummel said:


> Well, Sams is actually the best place to grab one because you can get a 3 year Squaretrade warranty for $30.  It's also the cheapest overall at $360 + tax with a 3 year warrranty.  I would have gone with the Sams version if it wasnt for getting some Cabelas gift cards and the glass window.


I just got the floor model from Sam's for $300 out the door. It's my first smoker so I'm excited to see what it can do. Are new ones supposed to come with a cover or any of the temperature probes?

Also, should I look into the mesh dust/pellet container?


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## brickguy221 (May 28, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> From what I've read on SMF, stay away from all MES models sold by Sam's Club. There's been a history of Sam's selling substandard smokers that for some reason Masterbuilt agreed to build for them. If you prefer buying from a retailer, stick with Cabela's or Bass Pro; otherwise there are some great sellers on Amazon.


If Sam's Smokers are sub-standard, I am wondering why Masterbuilt would make them that way? Surely they should know that it would hurt their reputation to make bad smokers for one retailer and better for others??? To sum it up, it puzzles me why they would make 2 identical Smokers, making one good and the other sub-standard such as they have a Generation 2 Smoker model no 20070512 for what appears to be most all retailers except Sams and have a Generation 2 model no 20072612 just for Sams, yeet both Smokers have the same design and parts.

My Generation 2 Smoker came from Sams. It worked good for one season and then began messing up. Temp would drop 25-30 degrees down to 180 degrrees, yet it would say the coil was heating and per controller The temperature would never rise above 195. Masterbuilt said it was the controller and sent me a new one. The new one got the same results. They then said it was the coil and sent me a new one ... still same results. They then said I needed a new box and to send them a copy of my reciept and they would replace it. I never kept the reciept so they said go to Sams and get one. I went to Sams and they told me unless I could give them a specific month and day/week, that they couldn't help me. I couldn't remember what month/day/week, so I told Masterbuilt and they said they couldn't help me any further. Meanwhile, I started putting a oven thermometer on a shelf and found when the Smoker would say 195-200, the temp would be as high as 235-250, so I have been trying to regulate it using an oven thermometer.... Thus I want to get a Bluetooth if they are better.

 I recently contacted Masterbuilt about the different model nos. from different sellers being different but yet the Smokers appear to be the same. For example the Generation 2 Smoker model no of 20070512 vs Sams model no. of 20072612. Masterbuilt said ... "The models 20072612 and 20070512 are the exact same model smoker but, for different retailers they have different model numbers. But, there is absolutely no difference between these two smokers. The model 20075315 at Amazon is also exactly the same design as the other models but, all of the part are replaceable on this model as they are not on the other models. The mother board, wiring and all is now replaceable on this uni-body smoker. Other than the parts being replaceable there is no difference! Also, our Bluetooth smoker is also very similar to these smokers but it has the Bluetooth control panel and can be controlled by your cellular device instead of the remote for the other smokers"


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## mummel (May 29, 2015)

The new BT ones are different to the remote ones, just check the water pan.


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## daricksta (May 29, 2015)

mummel said:


> Well, Sams is actually the best place to grab one because you can get a 3 year Squaretrade warranty for $30.  It's also the cheapest overall at $360 + tax with a 3 year warrranty.  I would have gone with the Sams version if it wasnt for getting some Cabelas gift cards and the glass window.


I personally don't spend my money at any Walton Family-owned business.


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## daricksta (May 29, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> If Sam's Smokers are sub-standard, I am wondering why Masterbuilt would make them that way? Surely they should know that it would hurt their reputation to make bad smokers for one retailer and better for others??? To sum it up, it puzzles me why they would make 2 identical Smokers, making one good and the other sub-standard such as they have a Generation 2 Smoker model no 20070512 for what appears to be most all retailers except Sams and have a Generation 2 model no 20072612 just for Sams, yeet both Smokers have the same design and parts.
> 
> My Generation 2 Smoker came from Sams. It worked good for one season and then began messing up. Temp would drop 25-30 degrees down to 180 degrrees, yet it would say the coil was heating and per controller The temperature would never rise above 195. Masterbuilt said it was the controller and sent me a new one. The new one got the same results. They then said it was the coil and sent me a new one ... still same results. They then said I needed a new box and to send them a copy of my reciept and they would replace it. I never kept the reciept so they said go to Sams and get one. I went to Sams and they told me unless I could give them a specific month and day/week, that they couldn't help me. I couldn't remember what month/day/week, so I told Masterbuilt and they said they couldn't help me any further. Meanwhile, I started putting a oven thermometer on a shelf and found when the Smoker would say 195-200, the temp would be as high as 235-250, so I have been trying to regulate it using an oven thermometer.... Thus I want to get a Bluetooth if they are better.
> 
> I recently contacted Masterbuilt about the different model nos. from different sellers being different but yet the Smokers appear to be the same. For example the Generation 2 Smoker model no of 20070512 vs Sams model no. of 20072612. Masterbuilt said ... "The models 20072612 and 20070512 are the exact same model smoker but, for different retailers they have different model numbers. But, there is absolutely no difference between these two smokers. The model 20075315 at Amazon is also exactly the same design as the other models but, all of the part are replaceable on this model as they are not on the other models. The mother board, wiring and all is now replaceable on this uni-body smoker. Other than the parts being replaceable there is no difference! Also, our Bluetooth smoker is also very similar to these smokers but it has the Bluetooth control panel and can be controlled by your cellular device instead of the remote for the other smokers"


Thank you for this, Brickguy. Now, I only have Bearcarver's observation that most of the problematic MES smokers came from Sam's Club and those had (my words) inadequate wiring). I have no personal knowledge of this. I wrote in another post that it's a common practice for manufacturers to assign different model numbers to retailers so customers can't do price matching for the same model between different sellers. I first came across this when I used to sell innerspring matresses: the names and fabrics would vary among retailers although they were the same exact mattresses by construction and materials.

My MES 30 Gen 1 controller temp display will greatly vary from my Maverick ET-733 during its heating up phase but once it's at the set point it's typically not that far off from the therm. I also noticed in my last smoke I wasn't getting the wide temp swings I've seen before. Don't know if there's a connection but after every smoke I clean both the temperature sensor and the hi-temp cutoff switch, both on the inside back wall of the smoker.


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## krooz (Jun 23, 2015)

Well, I missed the first sale but caught the latest at 349.99 and had enough Cabela bucks to buy the 40" 2.5 BT. Arrived today (yay!) and plan to assemble and season on Friday.

So, looking for tips/recommendation from other purchasers as to what to plan for.....

1) Foil drip pan for ease of clean up or drain into catch pan below?

2) Foil water pan or fill with sand or salt and then foil?

3) Future - Purchase Maverick temp probe - on wish list (but managed great smokes using cheapy meat probe in an old entry level Brinkman).

4) Future - Purchase AMZN 5x8 tray (or tube?). Again on wish list but won't have from the get go.

5) Get new phone - neither my Android phone nor my wife's iPad are current enough to use the bluetooth app - aaagh! Dinosaurs we are!

5) Something else to consider?

Thanks to all at SMF!!


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## Bearcarver (Jun 23, 2015)

Krooz said:


> Well, I missed the first sale but caught the latest at 349.99 and had enough Cabela bucks to buy the 40" 2.5 BT. Arrived today (yay!) and plan to assemble and season on Friday.
> 
> So, looking for tips/recommendation from other purchasers as to what to plan for.....
> 
> ...


Congrats on the new MES 40 !!

Sounds like you got good ideas already.

If I were you I'd just foil the water pan empty. Then if you have slow recovery, which I doubt, then try the sand.

Since you aren't at a high altitude, I'd go with the AMNPS Tray.

If you want ideas, check out my Step by Steps at the bottom of each of my posts.

Bear


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## mummel (Jun 23, 2015)

I love my MES 40 BT.  Very happy.  Hardly uses any electricity.  Great recovery times.  You will be happy.


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## krooz (Jun 24, 2015)

Yeah, can't wait to use it!

I appreciate the ideas link. I've typically only smoked butts but want to expand to other meats/cuts. (Tried a tri tip once but it didn't come out so great). Let the adventure begin!


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## Bearcarver (Jun 24, 2015)

Krooz said:


> Yeah, can't wait to use it!
> 
> I appreciate the ideas link. I've typically only smoked butts but want to expand to other meats/cuts. (Tried a tri tip once but it didn't come out so great). Let the adventure begin!


Just so you know---That link isn't just ideas. There's about 50 smokes on there that will take you through the whole process from prepping to completion. I designed them for anybody who never smoked anything before.

Just click on *"Bear's Step by Steps"*.

Bear


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## krooz (Jun 24, 2015)

I saw that. You put in a lot of effort compiling all that info! Great stuff.....


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## daricksta (Jun 25, 2015)

mummel said:


> I love my MES 40 BT.  Very happy.  Hardly uses any electricity.  Great recovery times.  You will be happy.


Very glad your smoker has worked out for you. My simple little MES 30 has performed really well. I can imagine how much better your MES 40 BT is.


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## mummel (Jun 25, 2015)

Yeah there isnt much bad to say about this smoker.  I still need to do a complete review, but I really really like it.


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## larry3d (Jun 28, 2015)

Krooz,

Did you get the Cabela 40" MES?  I'm looking to order one today.  Interested to know your opinion if you did get it.


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## krooz (Jun 28, 2015)

Larry - yeah that's the one I got. I'm impressed with the quality. I have a rack of baby backs going right now and some corn on the cob. As of now I'm relying on the MES itself for the temps. The firebox temp and meat probe in it's holder are reading almost exactly the same so I'm pretty confident in the temp.

I will say I see the need for the AMZNPS because adding a small hand full of chips every 45 minutes to an hour is a bit of a nuisance. Not so bad for the ribs but when doing a butt for a long smoke it would be a hassle.

Unfortunately I don't have any electronics current enough to test out the bluetooth. My Android is old and it requires 4.3 or better and my wife's iPad is the 1st generation and that won't work for it either....


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## basheirt (Jul 28, 2015)

Lightsandsirens, I am looking to buy this exact model from Cabelas this weekend. Are you happy with their model? Any pros/cons you can share?

I had the Masterbuilt 30" w/remote for 6 months and it crapped out on me this week. The whole electronics thing just stopped working. Fortunately, the retailer took it back for a full refund (thanks QVC!), but I am hesitant to get another Masterbuilt, even though the whole world seems to think their electric smokers are the best things since sliced ribs!

Thanks...


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## lightsandsirens (Jul 30, 2015)

I've used it 3 times since I got it. I really like it! The Bluetooth doesn't work very well. You have to be in almost direct site of the smoker for it to work. I bought the amazen smoker tray that is awesome! Smokes for 11 hrs without having to add chips. I think you will be happy with your purchase.


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## mummel (Jul 30, 2015)

What phone do you have?  I have the newest iPhone and the BT isnt too bad.  I think the older iPhone 4 will have issues.


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## lightsandsirens (Jul 30, 2015)

I have an IPhone 5. I can't go inside the house without it dropping. I can stand 5 ft from the smoker, by a window inside and nothing.


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## krooz (Jul 30, 2015)

I recently picked up a Droid Turbo - I can get about 25' or so into the house. This allows me to monitor from our home office but was hoping to be able to follow from in the living room or kitchen but it just won't reach that far.....


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## greatcarman (Aug 4, 2015)

I just picked up my bt 40 from cabelas today. I picked it up online on sale so I'm going to put it together tonight and have plans to use it on Thursday so I'll post what I think of it.


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## dcrosby007 (Aug 7, 2015)

I had the 40MES 2nd gen with glass door. Which for the record was purchased from Sams club in July of 2014. Had multiple issues in the beginning but MB helped resolve them. 2 weekends ago it bit the dust lost heating element or something. Was about 4 hrs into a butt smoke when temp dropped off & never would recover. I tossed it & sought info from Bearcarver & after reading the post I may take another chance on another MES. I'm going to get one from Bass Pro I think this time but before I do I would like to follow up & see if y'all still feel it's a brand to go back with after all the issues prior units have had??? If the Sportsman is not available will any vouch for the regular model???


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## brickguy221 (Aug 7, 2015)

Dcrosby007 said:


> I had the 40MES 2nd gen with glass door. Which for the record was purchased from Sams club in July of 2014. Had multiple issues in the beginning but MB helped resolve them. 2 weekends ago it bit the dust lost heating element or something. Was about 4 hrs into a butt smoke when temp dropped off & never would recover. I tossed it & sought info from Bearcarver & after reading the post I may take another chance on another MES. I'm going to get one from Bass Pro I think this time but before I do I would like to follow up & see if y'all still feel it's a brand to go back with after all the issues prior units have had??? If the Sportsman is not available will any vouch for the regular model???


Dcrosby007, many people myself included had one problem or another with the Gen 2.0 regardless of where it was purchased. So far, most everyone is having good success with the new Bluetooth purchased at Sams as well as purchased elsewhere plus Sams includes legs with rollers and is $100 cheaper than Bass Pro. Sams also offers a 3 year warranty for $30

Like you, I had a problem with My Gen 2.0, but still stayed with Masterbuilt and purchased the 40" Bluetooth at Sams and so far (knock on wood ...lol ) my BT has been perfect with no problems to date.


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## dcrosby007 (Aug 8, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> Dcrosby007, many people myself included had one problem or another with the Gen 2.0 regardless of where it was purchased. So far, most everyone is having good success with the new Bluetooth purchased at Sams as well as purchased elsewhere plus Sams includes legs with rollers and is $100 cheaper than Bass Pro. Sams also offers a 3 year warranty for $30
> 
> Like you, I had a problem with My Gen 2.0, but still stayed with Masterbuilt and purchased the 40" Bluetooth at Sams and so far (knock on wood ...lol ) my BT has been perfect with no problems to date.



Thanks for the insight. After reading the other similar chat until I couldn't read anymore I think I'm in agreement that the newer model could be prone to issues but overall is better than the unit I just had. I've also seen SAMs club could be the best place to buy for warranty issues. Hoping they stand by there warranty we've all had that issue before I'm sure on extended warranties. Any thoughts on the Sportsman vs Regular. I've read there the same size just more racks which just shortens the space between the regular racks? But same thought we all know the bottom rack is pointless since it stays so much hotter than other areas so would having the extra racks give you more room in the safer areas???


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## brickguy221 (Aug 8, 2015)

Dcrosby007 said:


> Thanks for the insight. After reading the other similar chat until I couldn't read anymore I think I'm in agreement that the newer model could be prone to issues but overall is better than the unit I just had. I've also seen SAMs club could be the best place to buy for warranty issues. Hoping they stand by there warranty we've all had that issue before I'm sure on extended warranties. Any thoughts on the Sportsman vs Regular. I've read there the same size just more racks which just shortens the space between the regular racks? But same thought we all know the bottom rack is pointless since it stays so much hotter than other areas so would having the extra racks give you more room in the safer areas???


Four racks vs six racks is the only difference. Everything else is identical on them


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## mori55 (Aug 8, 2015)

I got mine at Basspro. Six racks and it works great. Even the meat probe is accurate.


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## daricksta (Aug 8, 2015)

Dcrosby007 said:


> I had the 40MES 2nd gen with glass door. Which for the record was purchased from Sams club in July of 2014. Had multiple issues in the beginning but MB helped resolve them. 2 weekends ago it bit the dust lost heating element or something. Was about 4 hrs into a butt smoke when temp dropped off & never would recover. I tossed it & sought info from Bearcarver & after reading the post I may take another chance on another MES. I'm going to get one from Bass Pro I think this time but before I do I would like to follow up & see if y'all still feel it's a brand to go back with after all the issues prior units have had??? If the Sportsman is not available will any vouch for the regular model???


If you want to hang onto your smoker a little longer instead of shelling out money for a new MES now, you could call customer service. If they know that your model has been prone to premature heating element failures they'll send you out a new one. You might have to be a little assertive but I've read multiple posts where CS came through for owners who experienced this same problem. If Masterbuilt wants to keep selling smokers, I don't see how they won't make good on replacing a heating element that lasted only one year, regardless of the warranty limitations.


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