Masterbuilt 20070210 30-Inch Electric Analog Smoker Reviews

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I have owned a number of of smokers. One was a Brinkman charcoal "bullet" type smoker. It worked well but had to be watched over a lot. Then I decided to get a Brinkman electric bullet smoker. It didn't have any adjustments for temp and it couldn't get warm enough during the winter months even though I live in the south. Then I bought a Charbroil vertical propane smoker. It was by far the worst smoker I have ever owned. The wood chips and water are in the same pan in the base. The poor design made you steam the meat as much as smoke it and adjusting the temp was almost impossible. I also owned a wood burning offset smoker. It worked great but you had to constantly adjust the fire to keep the temp where you wanted it. So I started looking for an electric unit without a glass door. I have no use for a glass door. You can't see inside when the smoke gets going and the glass needs to be cleaned constantly.

Not long ago I purchased the Masterbilt smoker and I love it. It was reasonably priced and did not have a glass door. It exceeds my expectations every time I use it. It heats up quickly and stays at the correct temp. The smoker is economical to run and requires very little tending. The water pan and the wood chip pan are both relatively small but once filled, they last for 5 to 6 hours. Once the temp is set, the water and wood chip trays are filled, and the meat is in you can close the door and forget about it for at least 5 hours. The meat comes out smoked but not steamed and not the least bit dried out.

Originally I wanted a smoker with a digital control but during the 3 hour burn in period recommended in the owners manual, I adjusted the controller until I got the temp to 225° and marked the controller with a Sharpie. Now I just plug it in and set it to the mark. The digital would have been nice but it certainly isn't needed.

All in all this smoker has been great.

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Now I've been happily married for 23 years and my wife, God Bless Her, is very thoughtful at Christmas for me, the kids and the entire family but this one takes the cake!!..I recieved this smoker last Chistmas and have used it for at least 40 meals. Brisket, Steaks, Meatloaf, Wings, Chicken Breast, Ribs, Pulled Pork Shoulder and even cooked skoked potatoes. maybe the other folk got a defective unit but mine is awesome...I have it in my shed near an open window and it smokes great. The thermometer in the front is good but my wife got an electronic thermometer that has 2 probes. 1 for the meat and 1 for the inside temp of the cooker. She also bought me these 12x12 cake pans 2 inches deep, work awesome....also get that cookbook from John McLemore "dadgum it's good" cookbook....but there's a ton of youtube videos on smoking and recipes. anyhow there ya have it, it's a great smoker. hope ya like it. Sal

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I left my el cheapo charcoal smoker for this. Many warned me I would miss the charcoal, but they were wrong! Don't miss stuffing newspaper into the chimney lighter and getting black dust all over me from the coal. Only complaint is getting temp up when cold and windy outside. But, if no wind and above 40*, heats up quickly and efficiently. I've since done (3) pork shoulders, (2) chickens and some potatoes, all with good results. Water and wood pans a little small, but sacrifice one shelf to put cheapy tin pans for water and then use water pan for chips also. Works great!

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The thermometer on the front, like all non-digital thermometers is trash. Mine was +50 degrees cold, which means, if you are trying to BBQ at 225, its really at 275 and you end up caramelizing any sugar you may have in your rub.

Get a digital thermometer.

Also the heat cannot stay consistent, you'll notice a 20-30 degree swing in the temperature, and if you are going for 225, it doesn't get hot enough at the bottom for the wood chips to smoke and the grease gets all over your water bowl and chip bowl.

THE FIX is to cover the bottom rack in tin foil, this makes the smoker ROCK SOLID. The temp variance is less that 2 degrees up top, and the bottom gets plenty hot for smoke production as well as keeping the inside items clean. Once you get a digital thermometer, and cover the bottom rack in foil, this is a great smoker.

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It's inexpensive and works well, not great. Construction is good for the money, but the door can stick when hot. Analog temperature control takes some getting used to and is not trustworthy for holding temps that steady (up to a 75 degree swing). If you can baby sit your smoke like you would a Weber, it works fine...I check the temps every 10-15 min for the first hour, then it settles in fine based upon outside temps, wind, shade/sun, etc. Since there is no inner thermostat (analog), you must manually control the temp with the dial control based upon your experience and what the included-door-thermometer is reading. It's much easier and cleaner to use than wood or charcoal Que's.

Meats come out very juicy with good smoke flavor, much less smoke ring than a charcoal or pellet BBQ. Fill the wood tray up with water-soaked wood chips and it lasts for 7+ hours of good smoke at 250. The water tray is very small and runs out in 4 hours; I add a cheap, foil-lined 9X13 baking pan on the lowest shelf for long smokes, filling it with beer or Coke for extra flavor on long smokes. (If you are unfamiliar with electric smokers, you will not get the same exterior texture as a coal or wood fire but you will get great smoke flavor.) Great for fish and fowl that are not too fatty.

It's the only electric I've ever owned (I like coal and pellets more). I'll buy another it this one ever breaks; it's a year old and going strong for now. Maybe it's overall a 3-star smoker, but it's a 4-5 star electric. Check the sales in the off-season at other online retailers.