Have had this for almost 2 years, and here is what I discovered!

[imawhosure]

I have a number 3 with dual probes, internet connection, most expensive they have at number 3.

So what should YOU know!

THE GOOD--The people are great servicing it, and any questions you have, they will answer.  If and when you need a question answered, or need a suggestion, call home office, and you will get what you desire.

Cooking a large piece of any kind of meat using probes, you are in!  You can't go wrong, unless you demand a smoke ring, or slightly burnt corners.  This smoker will satisfy your needs with less fuss then you ever had before, although at times you will look and wonder what it is you actually cooked.

The BAD---if you are into pork ribs, forget about it!  If this is your number 1 goal and reason for your purchase, you are.........in my opinion, ordering the wrong machine, unless you are a total novice at this.  Before you order this machine, look at the recipes their best cookers offer.  No peek? 3-2-1? 2-2-2?  These are total gimmicks, plain and simple.

When you do no peek, how do you gauge if your ribs are done?  Oh yes, they tell you to do the toothpick method, but you are still guessing on when to open the smoker and invoke their method, and if you open it to soon, you screwed the pooch.  They will insist it is up to you to guess when you should do this, 4, 5, maybe 6 hrs depending upon how you feel, lol.  Does that sound like an automatic, wi-fi connected cooker to you?  Even their most experienced cookers on this platform suggest you do not use the probes on ribs.  What does that tell you?  What it tells most logical people is------->there is absolutely no way to get pork ribs out of this machine consistently good without you guessing, and when you ask questions for which they have no answers for, go back to the recipe!

Therefore, if you are all into big cuts of meat, or maybe even medium.  Are willing to use the probes, and I suggest you should, then you have chosen a very, very, good machine.

If you want to wow your family with pork ribs, or this is the reason you are purchasing this machine, you are in for a letdown, and you will be extremely upset you paid this price for it.  Understand, for any producer, it is almost impossible to cover the gamut of everything they can do in every aspect of what they are trying to cover.  This is NOT a negative review on their machine, but rather an honest review on what it can, or can not do, without massive input and absolute guesswork from the person running it.

If you already know how to cook a rack of ribs on  any sort of charcoal or stick cooker, stay there, and use this smoker to smoke larger pieces of meat!  You will serve your family and friends, much better.

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[Lonzinomaker]

I could never get good ribs with my MES30.  Then I got a #3 and made the best ribs of my life.  And a lot of my friends agree.
Then I got a #1 and took it camping. Couldn't make enough ribs for my friends when camping.  They loved them.

[old sarge]

"The BAD---if you are into pork ribs, forget about it!  If this is your number 1 goal and reason for your purchase, you are.........in my opinion, ordering the wrong machine, unless you are a total novice at this.  Before you order this machine, look at the recipes their best cookers offer.  No peek? 3-2-1? 2-2-2?  These are total gimmicks, plain and simple."
Gimmicks? That sure is going to be disappointing to the folks at CookShack, SMF, SmokinTex, Lets Talk BBQ and a few other sites. I also had no idea I was doing ribs wrong.  I guess family and friends said they were good just to spare my feelings.

Welcome to the forum!

[barelfly]

Hmmmmm…

My ribs come out great every time…. Regardless if they are SLR, BB, spare. Depending on the type of rib I’m cooking, I open the door and check them after 3-4 hours to get a gauge as to where they are in the cook. And I do this by feel, if they are bending or if a bone is starting to loosen up. No toothpick. That is the same way I check ribs on my Weber kettle. Same way I’ve seen others check on their big ol’ off-set stick burners. Opening the door, just be quick. It’s not different than any other cooker.

Have you gone through the Pork channel - most of the rib posts are stating how they were great. Can we help you out with your rib cooks in any way? Let us know so you can get ribs dialed in. Lot of great people on the site that can help.

And, welcome to the forum.

[imawhosure]

I have 1 other friend who has this type of machine, and we both agree on this---------------> I/we are not saying the ribs come out bad, terrible, uneatable, or anything like that.  What we both agree on, is that we have never matched the taste or texture, that we get from his----------> charcoal burner, or my------->gas burning smoker.

The only way people know, is if they formerly used charcoal and or gas, then go to this machine as far as ribs.  Yes, I agree it is way easier.  Yes, I agree as far as wood input it is much cheaper.  Yes, I agree, they are actually decent ribs, but in actuality, they do not compare if you are willing to invest the time using either of the other 2 methods of cooking them.

In all honesty, during the late fall, winter, or early spring because of the climate I live in, I use this machine to cook ribs because of the weather.  But on the 4th of July, when I want the very best ribs I can make for family and friends, nope; and yes it is a lot more work....sadly.  Same with my friend who owns a number 2.

That is not to say this is not a great machine.  It does what it does exceptionally well, and that is larger pieces of meat and poultry.  No muss, no fuss, and enjoy your own BB party far more than you ever could before.

Let me finish with the rib thing one more time---------------> If your deal is doing the 3-2-1 method, you can do that on virtually any grill.  But, if you cook your ribs bare with just seasoning, you will get decent ribs out of this machine.  I have cooked ribs 20 times in this thing, and since my friend has had his number 2 longer than I have had my number 3, we have never come close to matching the taste and texture of my gas, or his charcoal.  Honest fact!

But I will tell you this that both my friend and I have discovered, and many people have also posted on this, but neither of us knew it made such a huge impact on our smoking with these machines, maybe it is just ours, but we doubt it-------------> The interior sensor of the machines, for whatever reason, when you set your cook temp, over shoot by a lot, then slowly come down.  EXAMPLE-------------> Set at 225, machine goes to 270, maybe 275, then slowly decreases to your cook temp.  We discovered this by using both cook probes.  We both thought it had to be wrong, so we purchased thermometers that were wireless, and yep, that was what was going on.

The solution, is to start the machine, no matter the cook temp you want at 150, let it run for an hr and equalize.  Go back, and raise the cook temp to your desired cook temperature, and the machine will then slowly rise to the temp you set, and stay within a degree of that until your food is done, never over shooting it by much at all, maybe 1 degree or 2.  Yes, it adds time to the cook, but you get absolutely consistent outcomes which you can adjust off of, if you are not satisfied.

[old sarge]

I used my weber kettle for years, grilling and sort of smoking.  Always enjoyed the results.  Moved up to an offset stick burner.  Great move and really good results.  Somewhat different from the weber, not better or worse, just different.  Then electric.  As with the move from the kettle to the stick burner, results were no better and no worse.  Just different. Although I initially nitpicked during the transitions from one cooker to the next, I long since stopped caring about the difference. Life is too short. Tenderness and flavor is all I care about. And not having to feed the smoker for a long overnight smoke is a real plus. But that is just my personal opinion, not that it matters to anyone outside of my family.

When you have time, maybe you can hit the Intro section and give us a name and say howdy the old fashioned way!

[tpcdelisle]

“ When you do no peek, how do you gauge if your ribs are done?  Oh yes, they tell you to do the toothpick method, but you are still guessing on when to open the smoker and invoke their method, and if you open it to soon, you screwed the pooch.”

I’m not sure that I completely understand that checking the ribs for doneness screws it up. I must be doing something wrong, but no matter what grill or smoker that I have ever cooked ribs on, I’ve opened it at some point to check for doneness. Are you saying that because you lose some heat and that it takes to long to get back to temperature is the problem or something else? Thanks.

[old sarge]

I do baby backs, 225 (I do everything at 225). Depending upon the meatiness and number of racks, I will check at the 4 hour or 4.5 hour mark. Fpor St Louis, I check at the 5 or 5.5 hour mark. You sort of have to be your own best judge. Better to check too early then too late. As for doneness (not a real word), some like fall off the bone while others like a little chew. As for opening the smoker frequently, you let out moisture, smoke and heat.  Not a deal breaker for some folks, but a cardinal sin for others. Pretty much an edible experiment to get the result that works best for you and your family.