Masterbuilt won't Smoke
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KillerNoms said in Masterbuilt won't Smoke:
Like I said, I’m just in it for the smoking. I decided I wanted to go PID controilled. And decided I liked the 40" masterbuilt box up on a rolling pedestal. I have no desire to attack or defend the MB brand. The reality is that they are built to a price point and marketed to an audience that is price sensitive. Slaving the MB40 to my Auber has achieved all of my goals without spending way more than I thought made sense.
I do not question that your pellet burner has achieved your goals. I just happen to prefer electrics, now that I have control of the temp via the PID, and over the smoke via the mailbox mod. I’m just a happy smoker sharing my experience, not a brand or technique evangelist looking to save souls.
So you have a Electric MB40. How exactly are you controlling that with a PID controller? As far as i know, once you pull the plug on a MB it resets to zero. I don’t know of any models that keep heating up after power is lost.
mikemikemike Our posts are crossing. As I said, I modified it using simple instructions available via a quick google search. It bypassed all of the digital electronics. My MB40 is now just a nice box with a heating element completely controlled by my Auber.
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Thanks this is my third and I would venture to say my last. Very poor customer service!
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What other smoker do you have besides a Masterbuilt? Auber AFIAK only sells PID controllers. They might sell a controller and a blower for charcoal, but i am not aware of any Auber product that somehow magicly works with Electric smokers like Masterbuilt that is the topic of this thread. Seems like you and the other guy are barking up the wrong tree? I suggest both of you look into pellet smokers. I have wasted $$$ over the years with electric, gas/charcoal, charcoal smokers over the years. Pellet is the way to go.
mikemikemike Barking up the wrong tree? I’ve never used a PID controller on anything. Perhaps you quoted the wrong user? My experience is with Masterbuilt, Cookshack and one other brand I can’t remember off the top of my head.
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mikemikemike This average ‘Joe Hell’ has given Masterbuilt plenty of opportunities and I’ve been let down over and over again. I’m on my 5th smoker. When they work they work well…when the don’t the simply don’t. It took over a year to get my last issues resolved. The call center is nearly impossible to reach regardless of current pandemics. My current (replacement) smoker hasn’t had any issues but I’m not likely to invest in any products going forward. I didn’t contact warranty on the first 3 but the last 2 have been a nightmare.
Joe Hell
This Same kind of thing I experienced with my Bradley. Lots and lots of problems, no answers. Which is why I started looking at the PK100. Ended up getting a steal in a used one. -
mikemikemike Our posts are crossing. As I said, I modified it using simple instructions available via a quick google search. It bypassed all of the digital electronics. My MB40 is now just a nice box with a heating element completely controlled by my Auber.
KillerNoms said in Masterbuilt won't Smoke:
mikemikemike Our posts are crossing. As I said, I modified it using simple instructions available via a quick google search. It bypassed all of the digital electronics. My MB40 is now just a nice box with a heating element completely controlled by my Auber.
I understand what you did. Its not a easy task for the average joe though. I don’t think pid is needed for electric, but pellet is a whole other ball game. You should look into it, especially if you have the electronic knowledge to modify. You can get a Pit Boss on sale for cheap, and add a Rec Tec WiFi controller.
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I have no criticism to offer for the Pit Boss. I’m sure it works great. But I just can’t manufacture a reason to spend money to “solve” what is already working perfectly for me.
And, having done it myself, I believe an “average joe” with any wiring experience at all could follow the instructions to mod a digital MB box for PID control. I’m not an advanced or professional wiring guy, and it was simple for me. It was maybe an hour job, taking my time.
The now-defunct 340G gave me a box tall enough to handle the hanging sausage I process and wide enough to handle full racks of ribs without trimming. Nirvana. And the raised, wheeled platform made it mobile and ergonomically accessible. And the Auber makes it feel like an extension of my will.
It’s like motorcycles. I want a LOT of them. If I could have 10, I’m sure at least one would be a Harley. But I can only have 1 so it’s a BMW. I can’t have 10 smokers, so I don’t have a pellet burner.
NOW who have I annoyed???
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KillerNoms I am Annoyed you didn’t mention what brand Motorcycle.
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I also have struggled with this on electrics. This year I added the Mailbox Mod, which completely solves the problem. It is simple, cheap and effective - turning the unit into a true cold-smoker, completely eliminating the temperature variable from the “how much smoke” question. Just google “Mailbox mod for Masterbuilt”. Masterbuilt
KillerNoms
I did the mailbox mod several years ago on mine also and I love it.
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Hi does your MB Smoker still heat. If yes ok if not I would suspect a bad heating coil. I have changed mine 2 times in 5 years.
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Thanks to everyone for the conservative replies. Yes the heats and the product was a success, I used my cold smoke attachment for the smoke input. I believe the element was never on long enough to ignite the chips with the step smoke schedule in the hot ND day. Thanks again for the good input from everyone. Dewey
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KillerNoms said in Masterbuilt won't Smoke:
I’m no expert, but if it won’t hit 275 in anything approaching normal weather, it is either a problem with the element, the control, or the integrity of the box.
Whatever it is, I can tell you that by spending a couple of hundred bucks on a PID device (Auber WSD-1500H-W), and bypassing the internal controls to give the PID direct control of the element, for the first time in many years of smoking with electric smokers I am comfortable it will do what I say without drama.
Not only that, the PID works with any AC controlled analog heat source - for instance controlling a roaster oven to hold a big batch of stock at precisely 185º for 24 hours unattended. A powerful, flexible and accurate tool.
Thats more then an average Joe would do. I have plenty of PID controllers i built over the years, but if i was starting from scratch, with the knowledge i know, I would tell some one to go Pellet smoker. Rec Tec having the best WiFi PID controller for Pellet smokers.
You are either not informed on new technology, or you work for Auber. But if you want to debate, i am more then willing to mention better/cheaper products then Auber.
mikemikemike you say for pellet smoker Rec Tec is best. Yet he was talking for electric.
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The Auber requires no “magic” to work with any analog electric cooking device. They don’t work AT ALL with any digitally controlled cooking device.
The MB40 I bought needed to be modified (using simple instructions available on the web) to route around the controller and allow the heating element to be controlled by a PID - turning it into an analog cooking tool. Some electric smokers, including some MB smokers, are natively analog and will require no such modification.
And, as I’ve said before, the PID is great for other cooking tasks using tools that are already analog. Like most crock pots, or roaster ovens. I really like it. 22quarts of venison stock placidly processing in my garage at a precise 190° for 24 hours or so makes me kind of giddy.
I’ve used a couple of iterations of MB30’s over the years, and have smoked on a kamado joe using a partyQ. And caveman style using a Weber grill. And over a water smoker. If I had more budget, motivation and time, I’d probably be looking at a reverse flow stick burner. But this MB40/Auber/Mailbox is a combo that works better than any other setup I have used. If you got the impression I think it works better then setups I have NOT used, you are reading more in to my words than is actually there.
Whether Aubers that can be set up with a blower for charcoal is something I never researched. And it really has nothing to do with this thread. I never looked into it, because it had nothing to do with my setup.
I did buy the Auber circulation fan kit, for installation in the MB box - which handily prevents hot/cold spots. Really happy with it.
KillerNoms I have the MB40 also with the Auber PID WiFi controller. It works awesome. I thought about the fan also. Do you have pics of your fan inside the MB40?
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