# MES 20070610



## hawk2000x (Sep 4, 2015)

I am relatively a smoking novice - I have occasionally smoked salmon and venison in a propane smoker that's part of my grill (Brinkman I believe).  Found a MES 20070610 for $99.99 at a local wholesale outlet store.  Seems to be a good deal.  Was wondering what others think about this model and price - should I pull the trigger and get it?  Was wanting to get m ore into smoking other meats (beef and pork) as well as the salmon and venison. Is this a good middle of the road smoker?  Comments appreciated.


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## sb59 (Sep 5, 2015)

It's a Masterbuilt analog,which I have & goes on sale near that price quite often at many sites. Good basic meat smoker for higher end temps. as is but takes quite a bit of baby sitting to prevent temperature creep. For more versatility you will probably end up doing several modifications as I did (  smoke generator, extra racks, additional venting, PID ) etc. You will find many of the smokers on this site modify their smoke boxes  ( no matter the model )to better suit their needs anyway. But unless you're pressed for cash , or in a hurry or if you're not handy or comfortable modifying your smoker I think you could do better with one of the digital smokers.


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## hawk2000x (Sep 6, 2015)

SB59 - thanks for the reply.  Not in any rush for a smoker.  Just starting my research into them.  Will keep your comments in mind.


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## sb59 (Sep 6, 2015)

Best research is to check this site & see how these guys like their smokers. While I'm OK with my analog I could have gotten a digital model when I figure in the cost of the PID etc. On the plus side when something finally breaks I can replace individual components instead of whole smoker. My parts don't have to be OEM. Keep your eyes on sites like Cabela's,Gander Mtn., Sportsmans Guide etc. for sales. I got mine from Gander for $89. with free delivery ! I've seen some really good deals on the digital smokers at the Cabela's site. Their web prices are often better then their in store deals. Also Amazon flash deals & used like new deals with simply damaged shipping boxes.


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## sb59 (Sep 6, 2015)

Here is an example on Amazon>


I think this may be the prized gen 1 , but I could be wrong. Maybe one of the MES guys could tell you.


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## daricksta (Sep 8, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> I am relatively a smoking novice - I have occasionally smoked salmon and venison in a propane smoker that's part of my grill (Brinkman I believe). Found a MES 20070610 for $99.99 at a local wholesale outlet store. Seems to be a good deal. Was wondering what others think about this model and price - should I pull the trigger and get it? Was wanting to get m ore into smoking other meats (beef and pork) as well as the salmon and venison. Is this a good middle of the road smoker? Comments appreciated.


Stick with the Masterbuilt digital electric smokers. The temp controllers work differently and better than with the analogs. I think the interior designs are better too. You want to stick with Generation 1 or Generation 2.5 models. After you do some research just post a question with model numbers you're interested in and you'll get feedback on which are the best choices.

I own a MES 30 Generation 1, what I call the basic black model, no bells & whistles just a really good little smoker.


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## hawk2000x (Sep 17, 2015)

After doing some research and considering what my needs are, I have decided to go with the MES 20070910 with the AMNPS addition.  Currently see the 0910 for about $169 and the AMNPS for $35.  In no immediate rush to obtain - will be on the lookout for the next several weeks to see if any deals come about.  Thank you to those that posted comments to my original post !


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## daricksta (Sep 17, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> After doing some research and considering what my needs are, I have decided to go with the MES 20070910 with the AMNPS addition.  Currently see the 0910 for about $169 and the AMNPS for $35.  In no immediate rush to obtain - will be on the lookout for the next several weeks to see if any deals come about.  Thank you to those that posted comments to my original post !


You won't be sorry. It's the same setup I have and I've turned out really great Q with it. I also advise buying a dual probe therm like the Maverick ET-733. There are guys here who prefer the ET-732 but I've had great success with the 733.

Happy smoking!


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## brickguy221 (Sep 17, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> You won't be sorry. It's the same setup I have and I've turned out really great Q with it. I also advise buying a dual probe therm like the Maverick ET-733. There are guys here who prefer the ET-732 but I've had great success with the 733.
> 
> Happy smoking!


Rick, I have the ET-733 Maverick.

What is the difference between it and the ET-732, do you know?

Maybe I should have checked it out before buying the ET-733????


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## daricksta (Sep 18, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> Rick, I have the ET-733 Maverick.
> 
> What is the difference between it and the ET-732, do you know?
> 
> Maybe I should have checked it out before buying the ET-733????


Jim, The ET-732 was the model previous to the ET-733. It has smaller display screens and I think it doesn't have the 15 preset programs (which I'm not sure what they really do since I manually set the FOOD and BARBECUE temps to be monitored. I'd read that transmitter/receiver range in the 733 was farther than that of the 732 but Maverick claims that temps can be monitored with either therm to up to 300 feet away. The 732 is also $10 cheaper than the 733.

Guys complain that it can be heard to see the receiver display screens on the 733. Well--that's what the MODE button with the light bulb icon is for! When you're not in SET mode, you push that button and an orange backlight illuminates the screens. Problem solved. The 732 has that same button.

What I don't know is if the 732 gives you a longer amount of time to push the buttons before locking you out than you get with the 733. @Bearcarver prefers the 732, I prefer the 733 because I like the larger receiver display screen. I bought it from Todd and have been using it for about 3 years now.


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## brickguy221 (Sep 18, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> Jim, The ET-732 was the model previous to the ET-733. It has smaller display screens and I think it doesn't have the 15 preset programs (which I'm not sure what they really do since I manually set the FOOD and BARBECUE temps to be monitored. I'd read that transmitter/receiver range in the 733 was farther than that of the 732 but Maverick claims that temps can be monitored with either therm to up to 300 feet away. The 732 is also $10 cheaper than the 733.
> 
> Guys complain that it can be heard to see the receiver display screens on the 733. Well--that's what the MODE button with the light bulb icon is for! When you're not in SET mode, you push that button and an orange backlight illuminates the screens. Problem solved. The 732 has that same button.
> 
> What I don't know is if the 732 gives you a longer amount of time to push the buttons before locking you out than you get with the 733. @Bearcarver prefers the 732, I prefer the 733 because I like the larger receiver display screen. I bought it from Todd and have been using it for about 3 years now.


The time thing is my only complaint with the 733. It doesn't give you any time to think, so you have to somehow program your brain thru practice and practice and etc so that you can automatically push buttons with out thinking. At 78+ years old, my "thinker" doesn't think nearly as fast as it once did....sigh Other than that, I like my 733...


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## daricksta (Sep 18, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> The time thing is my only complaint with the 733. It doesn't give you any time to think, so you have to somehow program your brain thru practice and practice and etc so that you can automatically push buttons with out thinking. At 78+ years old, my "thinker" doesn't think nearly as fast as it once did....sigh Other than that, I like my 733...


I agree about the short lock out time with the buttons and I can also sympathize with the mind slow down. I'm 63 and my brain doesn't work the way it did even 10 years ago. When my son visits during college breaks, we can hear him in his room playing his Xbox over the Microsoft Live network. He's 21 and has outstanding hand/eye coordination. That would make feel really older than I am except that I'm fully aware I never had hand/eye coordination like that in my life.


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## daricksta (Sep 18, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> The time thing is my only complaint with the 733. It doesn't give you any time to think, so you have to somehow program your brain thru practice and practice and etc so that you can automatically push buttons with out thinking. At 78+ years old, my "thinker" doesn't think nearly as fast as it once did....sigh Other than that, I like my 733...


Just thought over your comment again about how at 78+ years old your "thinker" is slowed-down.  Let's turn that around a bit. I hope that in 15+ years I'm still in good physical shape to use my smoker and my grill. I've got a bad lower back and some days I really pay for some of the physical stuff it takes to move both of those around or from bending down to move things into and out of the smoker.


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## brickguy221 (Sep 18, 2015)




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## brickguy221 (Sep 19, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> Just thought over your comment again about how at 78+ years old your "thinker" is slowed-down.  Let's turn that around a bit. I hope that in 15+ years I'm still in good physical shape to use my smoker and my grill. I've got a bad lower back and some days I really pay for some of the physical stuff it takes to move both of those around or from bending down to move things into and out of the smoker.


 I approach each day as if nothing is wrong.  A person can do a lot more than one would think if they simply put their mind to it and not think about their health condition.

You will do fine also in 15 years if you have good Doctors and approach each day with the attitude that you are normal and have nothing wrong with you..... Works for me and I know with you being the kind of person you are that you will make it work for you also.


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## daricksta (Sep 21, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> I approach each day as if nothing is wrong.  A person can do a lot more than one would think if they simply put their mind to it and not think about their health condition.
> 
> You will do fine also in 15 years if you have good Doctors and approach each day with the attitude that you are normal and have nothing wrong with you..... Works for me and I know with you being the kind of person you are that you will make it work for you also.


Thank you very much for your wise words and kind comments.


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## daricksta (Sep 21, 2015)

Brickguy221 said:


> I approach each day as if nothing is wrong.  A person can do a lot more than one would think if they simply put their mind to it and not think about their health condition.
> 
> You will do fine also in 15 years if you have good Doctors and approach each day with the attitude that you are normal and have nothing wrong with you..... Works for me and I know with you being the kind of person you are that you will make it work for you also.


You're truly an inspiration to me, Jim. As for doctor's with my health insurance my PCP is a physician's assistant (PA-C) but he's excellent. I get referred to specialists when necessary. 

I guess what George Harrison said in "Yellow Submarine" is true: It's all in the mind, you know. And in a good doctor's hands.


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## hawk2000x (Sep 26, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> You won't be sorry. It's the same setup I have and I've turned out really great Q with it. I also advise buying a dual probe therm like the Maverick ET-733. There are guys here who prefer the ET-732 but I've had great success with the 733.
> 
> Happy smoking!


So my purchase is now complete:  MES 0910, AMNPS, Maverk ET-732 Thermometer, Cover and 40lbs Perfict Mix smoking pellets.  Took delivery of smoker today and just got done seasoning it.  Ready to do a first smoke later in the week.  The biggest next decision is the first meat to smoke - salmon, pork butt or ribs - decisions, decisions 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.

One question - when I added the chips to the smoker through the loader about 3 hours into the seasoning at 275deg with vent about 1/2 way closed, about 15-20 mins later I got some "blow back" through the loader access port where some whisps of smoke first came out of the access port, sucked back in and then I think the chips "flashed over" and blew the loader tray about 2 inches back out of the access port.  This happened 3 times in about 5 min (only blew the loader tray back once though).  I notced that the temperature climbed to 300deg - before it was only getting up to about mid 280's with the thermostart set at 275.  It was just like a scene out of the movie "Backdraft".  Looked and sounded pretty cool, but was wondering if this was normal?


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## hank2000 (Sep 26, 2015)

I've never had that to happen in my MES. I would not think that would normal


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## brickguy221 (Sep 26, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> So my purchase is now complete:  MES 0910, AMNPS, Maverk ET-732 Thermometer, Cover and 40lbs Perfict Mix smoking pellets.  Took delivery of smoker today and just got done seasoning it.  Ready to do a first smoke later in the week.  The biggest next decision is the first meat to smoke - salmon, pork butt or ribs - decisions, decisions
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I had some blow back thru the chip loader hole a few times on my former 40" Gen 2.0 Smoker like you described getting on yours, but didn't have a problem though with it blowing out the chip tray as you describe yours did. I never did figure out what caused it.


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## walta (Sep 27, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> One question - when I added the chips to the smoker through the loader about 3 hours into the seasoning at 275deg with vent about 1/2 way closed, about 15-20 mins later I got some "blow back" through the loader access port where some whisps of smoke first came out of the access port, sucked back in and then I think the chips "flashed over" and blew the loader tray about 2 inches back out of the access port.  This happened 3 times in about 5 min (only blew the loader tray back once though).  I notced that the temperature climbed to 300deg - before it was only getting up to about mid 280's with the thermostart set at 275.  It was just like a scene out of the movie "Backdraft".  Looked and sounded pretty cool, but was wondering if this was normal?


Had you soaked the chips of wood in water before to put then in the smoker?

Walta


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## Bearcarver (Sep 27, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> So my purchase is now complete:  MES 0910, AMNPS, Maverk ET-732 Thermometer, Cover and 40lbs Perfict Mix smoking pellets.  Took delivery of smoker today and just got done seasoning it.  Ready to do a first smoke later in the week.  The biggest next decision is the first meat to smoke - salmon, pork butt or ribs - decisions, decisions
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Normally that only happens when somebody has a rack covered in foil or filled too full with meat to allow heat to flow through the smoker properly.

So since you were only seasoning your new smoker, I would assume that wasn't the cause, so I'm thinking maybe your heat was a lot higher than 300°. Did you have another therm in your smoker, like a digital wireless Maverick? If not there could be a problem with your controller & it could be actually a lot higher temp in your smoker than you think.

Bear


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## hawk2000x (Sep 27, 2015)

Had another thermometer (mechanicle) in the smoker that was through the top vent that was positioned about 3rd rack from the bottom.  Temperature was tracking pretty close to MES.  The only time Temperature spiked to 300+ was about 15 - 20min after adding chips - otherwise temp was between 270 and about 285 with MES set temp at 275.  Chips were dry and not soaked.


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## dr k (Sep 27, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> Had another thermometer (mechanicle) in the smoker that was through the top vent that was positioned about 3rd rack from the bottom.  Temperature was tracking pretty close to MES.  The only time Temperature spiked to 300+ was about 15 - 20min after adding chips - otherwise temp was between 270 and about 285 with MES set temp at 275.  Chips were dry and not soaked.


I wonder what temp the flat button safety sensor gets tripped at? Also, once the circuit opens on the safety sensor does it reset itself or does it have to be replaced. If the max the Mes controller goes to is 275*F, you may be pushing the limit on the safety sensor when your reliable therm is reading over 300*F. 
-Kurt


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## daricksta (Sep 27, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> So my purchase is now complete:  MES 0910, AMNPS, Maverk ET-732 Thermometer, Cover and 40lbs Perfict Mix smoking pellets.  Took delivery of smoker today and just got done seasoning it.  Ready to do a first smoke later in the week.  The biggest next decision is the first meat to smoke - salmon, pork butt or ribs - decisions, decisions
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I haven't used wood chips in my MES in years but when I did this never happened. But I keep the top vent wide open. Way do you keep it 1/2 way closed? I don't think that's what caused the blow back but I'm no expert. Call Masterbuilt and ask them about it. Option B would be to PM Todd Johnson. Bearcarver, or Chef JimmyJ since they're the MES 30 0910 experts.


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## Bearcarver (Sep 27, 2015)

Dr K said:


> I wonder what temp the flat button safety sensor gets tripped at? Also, once the circuit opens on the safety sensor does it reset itself or does it have to be replaced. If the max the Mes controller goes to is 275*F, you may be pushing the limit on the safety sensor when your reliable therm is reading over 300*F.
> -Kurt


That's a good question, but I would say it's quite a bit over 300° because many go over 300° on any start-up set at 275°. Some as much as 350° without tripping.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Sep 27, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> Had another thermometer (mechanicle) in the smoker that was through the top vent that was positioned about 3rd rack from the bottom. Temperature was tracking pretty close to MES. The only time Temperature spiked to 300+ was about 15 - 20min after adding chips - otherwise temp was between 270 and about 285 with MES set temp at 275. Chips were dry and not soaked.


Thanks for replying to my question.

In that case I would say it was just from the fact that your chip dumper was pulled out, allowing more air flow than normal, and the chips were igniting pretty good.

Like I said above the only time I ever had blow-back was when I blocked the air flow above the heating element, but I never used my MES Gen #1 with my Dumper out of place.

They warn us not to leave the door open, because the extra air flow could ignite the chips, so I would imagine that same thing can happen when the dumper is pulled out partly or fully. 

This is my theory anyway.

Bear


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## hawk2000x (Sep 27, 2015)

Blow back happened 20 - 30 min after chips added with chip tray fully seated.  Used the chips as only part of the seasoning process.  Vent / damper half way closed just to retain more smoke during seasoning


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## Bearcarver (Sep 27, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> Blow back happened 20 - 30 min after chips added with chip tray fully seated. Used the chips as only part of the seasoning process. Vent / damper half way closed just to retain more smoke during seasoning


Maybe I've been confused by your terms.

The chip tray is inside the smoker, above the element (Looks like a little drawer).

The Chip Dumper slides in and out on the right side & dumps your chips when you rotate it 180°.

Are you saying both your Chip tray and the Chip dumper were in place when this Puffing happened?

Bear


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## hank2000 (Sep 27, 2015)

That is what it sounds like.  What would make that happen?


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## siege (Sep 27, 2015)

In my gen 1, I use either the chip loader, OR the amazn peller smoker, but not both at the same time. I always keep the top draft control wide open. To increase draft, and promote better air flow, you can add a chimney. I just use an empty can that sits on top of the vent. If you don't count the cost of the beans, it's a free mod :-)


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## hawk2000x (Sep 28, 2015)

Bearcarver said:


> Maybe I've been confused by your terms.
> 
> The chip tray is inside the smoker, above the element (Looks like a little drawer).
> 
> ...


Sorry Bear - meant to say Chip Dumper.  Yes both (tray and dumper) were in place when the puffing happened. On one occasion - the dumper was "blown out" about 2 inches from its fully seated positon about 20-25mins after adding chips into the tray.  Thats when I noticed that temperature had spiked to 300 (maybe more - since thermometer on MES maxes out at 300).  I did not have the secondary mechanical thermometer in place at the time - but as previously stated - the mechanical and MES thermometers tracked pretty close.  I only added one dump of chips for the seasoning process, so don't know if it will do it every time I dump in more chips.  I will likely be using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke, so I'm not too concerned about it.   I may fire it up again today in a test run to see if it happens again when I dump in more chips - just for curiosity's sake.  Thanks for your help.


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## brickguy221 (Sep 28, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> Sorry Bear - meant to say Chip Dumper.  Yes both (tray and dumper) were in place when the puffing happened. On one occasion - the dumper was "blown out" about 2 inches from its fully seated positon about 20-25mins after adding chips into the tray.  Thats when I noticed that temperature had spiked to 300 (maybe more - since thermometer on MES maxes out at 300).  I did not have the secondary mechanical thermometer in place at the time - but as previously stated - the mechanical and MES thermometers tracked pretty close.  I only added one dump of chips for the seasoning process, so don't know if it will do it every time I dump in more chips.  I will likely be using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke, so I'm not too concerned about it.   I may fire it up again today in a test run to see if it happens again when I dump in more chips - just for curiosity's sake.  Thanks for your help.


This interests me because my former 40" Gen. 2.0 blew my chip dumper out a couple of inches or so 2-3 different  times also when smoking something.


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## hoity toit (Sep 28, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> Stick with the Masterbuilt digital electric smokers. The temp controllers work differently and better than with the analogs. I think the interior designs are better too. You want to stick with Generation 1 or Generation 2.5 models. After you do some research just post a question with model numbers you're interested in and you'll get feedback on which are the best choices.
> 
> I own a MES 30 Generation 1, what I call the basic black model, no bells & whistles just a really good little smoker.


the little black one cooks a lot better than the 40 in my opinion, and I have both, both have their places on my patio.


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## Bearcarver (Sep 28, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> Sorry Bear - meant to say Chip Dumper.  Yes both (tray and dumper) were in place when the puffing happened. On one occasion - the dumper was "blown out" about 2 inches from its fully seated positon about 20-25mins after adding chips into the tray.  Thats when I noticed that temperature had spiked to 300 (maybe more - since thermometer on MES maxes out at 300).  I did not have the secondary mechanical thermometer in place at the time - but as previously stated - the mechanical and MES thermometers tracked pretty close.  I only added one dump of chips for the seasoning process, so don't know if it will do it every time I dump in more chips.  I will likely be using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke, so I'm not too concerned about it.   I may fire it up again today in a test run to see if it happens again when I dump in more chips - just for curiosity's sake.  Thanks for your help.


That's odd that it did that while the door was closed and the dumper was in place.

However you're doing the right things----Experiment for curiosity's sake, and when you want to smoke, get that AMNPS going.

Bear


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## daricksta (Sep 28, 2015)

Hoity Toit said:


> the little black one cooks a lot better than the 40 in my opinion, and I have both, both have their places on my patio.


You've got the best of both worlds. If my bank account allowed it I'd have the MES 40 as well.


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## hawk2000x (Oct 2, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> Sorry Bear - meant to say Chip Dumper.  Yes both (tray and dumper) were in place when the puffing happened. On one occasion - the dumper was "blown out" about 2 inches from its fully seated positon about 20-25mins after adding chips into the tray.  Thats when I noticed that temperature had spiked to 300 (maybe more - since thermometer on MES maxes out at 300).  I did not have the secondary mechanical thermometer in place at the time - but as previously stated - the mechanical and MES thermometers tracked pretty close.  I only added one dump of chips for the seasoning process, so don't know if it will do it every time I dump in more chips.  I will likely be using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke, so I'm not too concerned about it.  *  I may fire it up again today in a test run to see if it happens again when I dump in more chips - just for curiosity's sake.*   Thanks for your help.


I did another "seasoning" run yesterday to see if I could get the puffing and dumper to blow out again - I did not get it to happen !  I'm thinking that when this initially happened, the conditions inside and outside the smoker were just right to cause a backdraft and flash-over condition of the chips which resulted in the puffing and the dumper to blow out on the one occassion.  The conditions outside were a little cooler and more windy on the 2nd run.  As I said before, I'm not too worried about the puffing and blow out as I plan on using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke.

The 2nd run also gave me the chance to use the Maverick ET-732 thermometers (which I did not have for the initial seasoning) to see if there was a side to side temperature variation in the smoker and to see how close the MES indicated temperature was to the ET-732 thermometers.  At the 2nd rack down from the top - the side to side temperature was within 3 deg F on the ET-732 probes and the MES was 10-15 deg F lower than the ET-732 probes at lower smoker temps (below 150), but seemed to track pretty close at higher smoker temps (above 200).

I also played around with the AMNPS to make sure I could keep it lit and used the AMNPS inside the MES without the MES "on" to see what the temperature rise is to see if I could use it for cold smoking.  Lit and placed AMNPS inside the MES (only had pellets in the 1st row of AMNPS).  No problem keeping it lit.  The starting temperature was 65 deg F (ET-732 probes) and final temp was 145 deg F after 3.5 hours.  Fairly linear temperature rise during the test.  Of course, actual temps with meat on the racks may very from the test.  After the 3.5 hours I opened the smoker - I only had about 1 inch of unburnt pellets left (so it looks like I will get about 10+ hours of smoke off a full tray of pellets).  Will need to look into a mailbox mod as seen in other posts.

Anyway - enough with the testing !!!  I've got an 8.8 lb Pork Shoulder seasoned up in the fridge and will get to smoking it 1st thing in the morning using Bearcarver's Boston Butt directions (great instructions by the way).  Wish me luck.


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## Bearcarver (Oct 2, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> I did another "seasoning" run yesterday to see if I could get the puffing and dumper to blow out again - I did not get it to happen !  I'm thinking that when this initially happened, the conditions inside and outside the smoker were just right to cause a backdraft and flash-over condition of the chips which resulted in the puffing and the dumper to blow out on the one occassion.  The conditions outside were a little cooler and more windy on the 2nd run.  As I said before, I'm not too worried about the puffing and blow out as I plan on using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke.
> 
> The 2nd run also gave me the chance to use the Maverick ET-732 thermometers (which I did not have for the initial seasoning) to see if there was a side to side temperature variation in the smoker and to see how close the MES indicated temperature was to the ET-732 thermometers.  At the 2nd rack down from the top - the side to side temperature was within 3 deg F on the ET-732 probes and the MES was 10-15 deg F lower than the ET-732 probes at lower smoker temps (below 150), but seemed to track pretty close at higher smoker temps (above 200).
> 
> ...


Sounds like your AMNPS and your MES work good together. If that's the case, which it seems to be, there's no real reason to use a mailbox. I only recommend that to people who can't keep their AMNPS going without one. Don't fix what isn't broken. You'll thank me later.

Bear


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## daricksta (Oct 2, 2015)

hawk2000x said:


> I did another "seasoning" run yesterday to see if I could get the puffing and dumper to blow out again - I did not get it to happen !  I'm thinking that when this initially happened, the conditions inside and outside the smoker were just right to cause a backdraft and flash-over condition of the chips which resulted in the puffing and the dumper to blow out on the one occassion.  The conditions outside were a little cooler and more windy on the 2nd run.  As I said before, I'm not too worried about the puffing and blow out as I plan on using the AMNPS instead of the chip tray when I smoke.
> 
> The 2nd run also gave me the chance to use the Maverick ET-732 thermometers (which I did not have for the initial seasoning) to see if there was a side to side temperature variation in the smoker and to see how close the MES indicated temperature was to the ET-732 thermometers.  At the 2nd rack down from the top - the side to side temperature was within 3 deg F on the ET-732 probes and the MES was 10-15 deg F lower than the ET-732 probes at lower smoker temps (below 150), but seemed to track pretty close at higher smoker temps (above 200).
> 
> ...


Haven't read all your or Bear's posts in this thread. The AMNPS works great for cold smoking in my MES 30 Gen 1. In fact, tomorrow or Sunday I'll be cold smoking sockeye salmon fillets, cheeses, and salt. However, the only time I have problems keeping the AMNPS lit is during cold smokes. But, it produces so much smoke despite that everything still turns out great. I've cold smoked 3 times with the AMNPS. I prefer having it than buying some outside attachment I'd have to position next to my MES.


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