Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Black Electric Digital Smoker, Top Controller review and price compare 2025
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Product overview
Brand | Masterbuilt |
Model Name | 20070910 |
Power Source | Corded Electric |
Color | 30” Black (Old Version) |
Item Weight | 45.86 Pounds |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 20 x 17 x 33.5 inches |
Fuel Type | Electric |
product features
- by entering your model number.
- 730 sq. inches of cooking space with 4 chrome-coated racks and 800 watt heating element
- Digital temperature and timer controls
- Thermostat temperature control for even cooking from 100 to 275 degrees F
- Convenient side loading wood chips, removable drip pan and top air damper
- Ideal smoker for all experience levels
From the manufacturer
Choose the right tool.
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Smoke Whether you’re a beginner or a competition-ready pro, we have the right tools to easily craft your backyard masterpiece. Pick your preferred fuel source and start the journey. | Accessorize Customize your product with a variety of accessories designed to enhance your smoking and frying experience. | Fry, Boil, or Steam Masterbuilt, who invented the world’s first indoor 3-in-1 fryer, steamer, and boiler now provides consumers the ability to fry, steam, and boil their favorite foods in a single product. |
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Check out our other products! | Simply plug the smoker in and it does the work. | Smoke your favorite foods at the touch of a button. | Taste of charcoal with the ease of an electric smoker. | Free the oven with innovation and safety. | Take it to the next level with Gravity Fed Charcoal Grilling.. | Protect your investment and make it last. |
product description
Color:30” Black (Old Version)
Known for quality and innovation, Masterbuilt's cooking products set the standard. With a powder-coated steel outer body, Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse comes with four smoking racks that allow ample room for turkey, sausage, chicken, ham, pork, fish, jerky, vegetables, and more. It is 100° to 275°F thermostatically controlled for a perfect temperature every time. It features a push-button precision digital control panel and an 0-24 hour digital timer with auto shut-off. It offers a safe and convenient side-loading wood tray. This Smoker has 100-percent insulation for energy-efficient cooking. For any further queries please contact Masterbuilt's Technical Support Number/ Customer Support Number @800-489-1581
product details
important information
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Questions about Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Black Electric Digital Smoker, Top Controller
Q:
Can you change out the heating element on this unit? And do you know how much money it is to buy?
Answer: Just after one year the element will go out. Buy a spare.
Answer: My heating element went out just over a year. Masterbuilt sells a replacement directly. The part number is 9907090033, is $14.99 plus $8 shipping. 800-489-1581 is the number for Masterbuilt.
Answer: My heating element just went out after 3 years of occasional use. I called Masterbuilt and they sold it to me (WITH shipping) for about $22.
Answer: Yes, All these new units sold are model 20070910. Its fairly easy to replace. Masterbuilt will replace it for you if it goes out, but if you have warranty issues, they are 48 bucks through appliance parts websites.
Answer: Can this element be replaced
Answer: Yes....that was one of the main improvements in the updated model.
Q:
Window vs. no window. Is there an advantage of a window since we cook to internal temp of food?
Answer: Though temp is the primary tool in smoking/cooking food, I occasionally use a visual reference when cooking certain things, so I open the door on occasion to make a visual inspection, but this may take place only two or three times during a 8 hour cook. Secondly, my experience with windows in any cooking appliance seems a waste to me. After the appliance is used a few times, the window becomes stained enough that you really don't get a good visual and I'm sure a smoker window would become useless after one or two smokings. Bottom line, I don't think a window would be worth any increased price.
Answer: In my experience no. The window hazes over quickly anyway from the smoke. I cook with a remote probe thermometer so seeing the meat is really no benefit anyway.
Answer: I have the window and so does my buddy. We have no problem keeping temp where it needs to be. It's gets hard to see threw it tho. Some people keep it clean some don't. I keep the thing seasoned so I don't clean it.
Answer: Windows are great for about the first ten mins of smoking. After that smoke covers the glass and you cant see anything. If you love cleaning, i guess its an advantage to gain the task of getting to clean it all the time.
Answer: I do just fine with no window. The window probably gets moist or foggy with the smoke anyways. As long as the the temp is good.
Answer: Window on a smoker is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
Answer: You tend to lose heat with a windowed unit. It works harder to keep temp.
Answer: I have a smoker with the window. I don't really have a problem with it. Yes it will get dirty, but at the end of the smoke it is very easy to wipe clean with a paper towel due to the moisture in smoker. Is it a necessity no, but I still like it.
Answer: I use a separate smoke generator and appreciate having a window to confirm that it's still producing that thin blue smoke. I don't find that the window really hazes over too quickly, and I am able to look in on the food now and then. The window will eventually haze over and will need to be cleaned before the next cook. There are disadvantages mentioned such as heat loss, but for the most part my MES-30 maintains a set temperature really well. It'll be a personal preference and cost a bit more up front, but I see no big disadvantages to having a window.
Answer: Window is a waste. Smoke will coat the window ultimately making it useless. Trust your temperature probe and experience.
Q:
Is the smoker insulated? If so, how thick and what is the material?
Answer: I am very impressed with the heat holding ability of the smoker. I used it in temps of around 40 degrees and it came up to temp quickly and held temp nicely as well. The outside of the cabinet is not hot to the touch at all. The sides are about 3/4" thick, the top is about 1 1/2" thick, the door looks to be almost 2" thick. It is insulated with a white insulating foam - you can see it where the top controller mounts.
Answer: It's definitely well insulated. Appears to be some type of expanding foam, probably 3/4" or more thick judging from wall thickness. I can say that if you run it at 195F for 14 hours with outdoor temp in the 60-70 range, it's hard to detect any surface heat with your hand on the door or sides.
Answer: The walls are only about 1 inch thick, but my smoker holds temperature well. Not sure what material is used to insulate the unit. With the damper open to release smoke most smokers release a lot of heat anyway.
Answer: Yes, it is insulated and holds heat very well. I use it in Minnesota in the winter cold. I would guess the walls are 5/8 to 3/4 inch thick. I don't know what the insulated packing is but it looks like insulation you would put in your attic. It does not appear to be foam. This unit is far better at holding heat that plain metal walled units.
Answer: My experience is that it is very well insulated. My unit maintains a set temperature quite well.
Answer: Yes, its insulated enough that I've actually picked it up and moved it while it was on.
Answer: One of the best I've seen at hold temp. I smoked last winter when it was -5F and it held temp within 5 degrees the whole 4 hours
Answer: I think so. How much and what it is, I don't know. Good question for Masterbuilt.
Q:
How much smoke is emitted from the smoker and will it disturb my neighbors?
Answer: My husband uses this smoker in our backyard every weekend. Though it admits more smoke than a BBQ, I doubt it would be enough to bother your neighbors. Maybe if you're talking about using it on a patio in an apartment complex it would. But if you're going to be using it in your backyard I dont see how the amount of smoke it admits could bother anyone.
Answer: It depends on how much wood chips you apply..if anything, the smoke is an aroma, not an odor. It is delicious. No neighbor will complain
Answer: There's not enough smoke to bother your neighbors, but the smell of the meat cooking will drive them nuts to join you. Converting vegetarians is easy with this smoker.
Answer: Not too much smoke, it won't disturb your neighbors may just make them hungry.
Answer: Not too much smoke, depends on how close your neighbors are I guess.
Answer: Not to much.but you will be able to smell it like a bbq
Q:
how should one clean and maintain this unit
Answer: I clean racks with wire brush, and I placed a disposable foil pan on the bottom rack to catch any drippings. I wipe the door seal with a damp cloth after every three or four uses. Great unit, Enjoy!!
Answer: I wash my racks in the sink. I have never cleaned the inside of the unit. I lined the bottom and anywhere fat would drip with foil and I just replace the foil. for heaven's sake don't clean the walls or door. that's where all the flavor comes from!
Answer: The instructions state to never wash it with a detergent. I use 1 part white vinegar and two parts water if the inside needs clean. All the pretty shiny metal comes out for dishwasher cleaning. The seal around the door are cleaned with a wet (water) towel, go around the seal and let it dry, and the window, just use water or the 1/2 white vinegar solution.
Answer: what to use to clean the glass window on the door
Answer: for cooking racks, water bowl and drip tray use a mild dish detergent. Rinse and dry thoroughly. For wood chip holder and wood chip loader, clean frequently to remove ash build up, reside and dust. For the interior and exterior of smoker simply wipe down with damp cloth. Do not use a cleaning agent. Make sure to dry thoroughly. Door seal and inside seam that seal attaches to MUST be cleaned after each use to keep seal in proper working condition.
Answer: Honestly, my boyfriend uses Clorox wipes and then wipes it down afterward with soap and water... very easy but he has the windowed edition, you may not even need the Clorox wipes... for the inside: he just brings them in the house and has me scrub down the wire racks like you would a grill.... get a girlfriend/wife is my suggestion ;)
Q:
Does the 20070910 require a 110 or 220 outlet?
Answer: Just your standard 100 outlet.
Answer: 110
Answer: 110 ac
Answer: 110V
Q:
does it include a temp probe?
Answer: Best smoker I have ever owned--Mine is model 20070511 & looks same but has built in temp meat probe--Harry
Answer: It has an internal temperature thermostat that monitors the temperature of the unit and is adjustable with the read out in the digital display mounted on the top of the unit. It DOES NOT have an independent remote temperature probe used to monitor the internal temperature of the product being "smoked". The independent "temp probe" must be purchased separately.
Answer: Yes, the updated version does have a plug-in internal temperature probe. It will display the temperature of the inside of the unit and then shortly after display the internal temperature of the meat or item you have the prob in.
Answer: Model #20071914 is the same smoker WITH a built in meat probe. I got mine from Cabelas, as Amazon doesn't sell it.
Answer: It does not come with a temp probe.
Answer: Per details section and video for this model it does offer a built in meat probe thermometer.
Answer: No it does not, i use a digital meat themometer
Answer: Just in case you didn't see the other 4 responses, it does NOT
Answer: No it does not.
Q:
Should I use Wood Chips or Wood Chunks?
Answer: I used both. I put some apple wood chips in the bottom of the tray and then put some chunks on top. To smoke a brisket I changed the wood 3 times. Everyone at the party said it was great. One guy that had been smoking meat for some time said he had never had any as good. Just the right amount of smoke and very tender.
Answer: Chips--- chunks will be too big to fit in the holder and thru the hole. I have used different wood chips ,I have purchased my best wood chips from Amazon.
Answer: I use chips and some pellets, usually soaking chips for 30 minutes for a slower steady smoke while adding a few dry pellets to get the smoke rolling quickly. All dry chips make a lot of smoke but burn out quicker. Small chunks should work also but they need to be smallish say 1.5" cubes or smaller to fit in the tray
Answer: Assuming that the chunks are larger I would ask if they are possibly too large for the physical size of the unit.
Answer: Wood Chips work just fine..The chunks are to big to use..I half dry and half of the soaked in water..works well
Answer: I've only used chips. Chunks should work as long as they will fit. I believe chips would smoke at faster rate. I haven't had any problems with the chips.
Answer: I use about a cup of wood chips. It doesn't take much to give you the flavor.
Answer: Wood chips are much easier. But I do recommend soaking them in water first.
Answer: I use small pieces and chips 1/2 an inch is about the thickest i have used.
Q:
Would this be a good smoker for a beginner?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: I'm a beginner and am very happy with this smoker. Talked to another person two weeks ago, he also is a newbie and likes this smoker.
Answer: Yes, but you have to baby sit it. The wood chip tray takes about 30 minutes worth of chips. If you are smoking something for 12 hours, you would have to load the chip tray frequently. Also there are some quality issues with this smoker, you might find another website that reviews smokers and decide that this should not be your first smoker.
Answer: Yes it would. This unit is very easy to maintain and program. I am a beginner and have found it a great unit.
Answer: The Masterbuilt smoker is really easy to use. Just fill water tray for moisture, set temperature and time, put wood chips in several times during smoking. Unlike charcoal, where it's hard to regulate the temperature, the Masterbuilt smoker can keep a steady low temp. You won't have to worry about burning the meat. Do use a digital meat probe to cook to the recommended temperature, There are plenty of uTube videos on using the smoker with recipes. No doubt you will adjust and experiment to suit your personal tastes.
Answer: Yes! Yes! Yes! I had never had a smoker before I bought this one. It is really easy to use, and almost foolproof. The price is incredibly reasonable, and you will have a great time smoking chicken, steak, fish, and everything else.
Answer: Yes beginner or advanced easy to use no problem with temperature control. I always preheat to the max before use and then set to desired temp after food added. Like being able to control the amount of smoke myself.
Answer: Whats nice about this smoker is that its a set-and-leave-it-alone smoker. No need to constantly watch it or check up on it. Perfect for a beginner. I'm an expert and love it more than my offset smoker cause I can set it at midnight, and by 4pm the next day its done. Just add wood chips at my convenience and go to sleep. Great product.
Answer: I'm a beginner and it's the one I bought. Pretty simple, like anything, takes practice.
Answer: Yes. You can get free recipes on the internet for rubs and sauces/marinades. This works great and holds a good steady temperature since you don't have to open the door to add wood chips while smoking. If you buy this, do NOT skip the break-in step, it seasons the unit for use and you only need do it once. We love ours and use it every week. Also, use a 55 gal contractor size trash bag to cover the unit when not in use they are cheaper than the factory-sold cover and last longer.
Q:
is there a rib rack? and operating manual. Also the lenght of the elecrical cord. Thank you
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: no rib rack, yes operating manual, 6' length. Very nice product for smaller jobs. Also, temp control not very accurate. You should put you own thermometer into vent and set temperature to that instead of probe used.
Answer: Ribrack is optional. Instructions are included and the cord is 5-6 feet long.
Q:
How low does it go? Will it produce smoke at 140 degrees for smoking fish?
Answer: Not sure how low, but yes it will go to 140. I think maybe it goes as low as 100 but not 100% sure.
Answer: yes, temperature can pretty much be adjusted up to 200 degrees I believe, and anything below that in denominations of 5 or 10, down to outside temp.
Answer: I have smoked salmon and trout at 140. It's fantastic.
Q:
do you need to soak the wood chips
Answer: Jeffrey, you need to smoke the wood chips for at least 30 minutes... longer if you can... that helps them smolder and cause the smoke instead of catching fire in the box.
Answer: I have not soaked them and it seems to work just fine. I don't remember where I read it, but I read that unlike coal burning smokers, you don't need to soak the wood since it doesn't get as hot as with coals.
Answer: DO NOT, EVER, SOAK WOOD CHIPS. IT CAUSES THE SMOKE TO BE BITTER AND WILL EFFECT THE FLAVOR OF THE MEAT IN A BAD WAY
Answer: follow the directions on what type of wood you will be using. the ones we used ALL said to soak the chips and that is what we did
Answer: I soaked the chips I used, they will smoke a little longer if you do
Answer: Yes!
Q:
How often do you have to add chips?
Answer: That depends on a lot of different variables... how big are the chips? How far open is the vent? How smoky do you want it to taste? Do you wet the chips to start with? At what temperature are you smoking? I like my stuff smoky and for like a 5 to 7 hour smoke I'll usually add chips maybe around 4 times.
Answer: A normal load for me runs about 45 minutes on average.
Q:
can you cold smoke with this smoker?
Answer: You need the cold smoker attachment (sold separately for under $60 on amazon). I cold smoke, with the attachment, (salmon and various cheeses, so far) and it does a wonderful job of imparting the smoky flavor.
Answer: Yes, if you buy the cold smoke attachment. Amazon sells it and it attaches to the chip loading opening for true cold smoking. You can get a very low temp. smoke with the base unit but it is not a true "Cold smoke"
Answer: Not unless you buy the cold smoker attachment or the A-MAZE-N smoking unit.
Answer: You have to buy the cold smoker attachment in order to cold smoke.
Answer: There's a way to viols smoke without buying a cold smoker it's intense but works.
Answer: Yes you can. Set your thermo to about 150 or below it will do fine what are you smoking
Answer: Not easily. The heat element is in the unit where the food also is. If you are careful about the temp, smoke could be started then the heat element stopped, I guess.
Answer: No, it is cofigured with a heating element to activate wood smoke.
Q:
Will using pellets rather than wood chips work with this smoker, and if so will they burn longer/require less filling?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: Have used both. Wetting them helps to make them last longer. Pellets expand and dissolve to saw dust. As far as lasting longer I would say no. Does not take long to burn up chips u just need to keep filling the small chip box. You do not need to have smoke the whole time you are cooking. There is such a thing as to much smoke.
Answer: FROM THE MANUAL:
Answer: it may depends on how big the wood chips are the tray that holds them is small in size but a great smoker for sure
Q:
Can you cover your food and foil and put it back in? The manual says "do not cover racks with foil, this will result in trapped heat and damage?
Answer: After about six hours, the smoking is complete. I will then wrap the meat, a roast for example, in foil and continue cooking for another couple of hours to tenderize. The manual will tell you not to put foil on the racks because that will interfere with the flow of the heat and the smoking process.
Answer: You can wrap you food, they don't want you to cover the racks due to blocking the heat distribution. The wrapped food isn't any different than cooking unwrapped food.
Answer: you can foil the meat after it hits a cooked temp such as 160 for pork butt. Then you wrap in foil but do not block the racks. If you block the racks you will get a inaccurate temp reading. Make sure you get the meat smoked good first. after you foil it it will just continue to cook and get hotter but will not get any more smoke
Answer: Don't cover racks, smoke don't pass thur bottom of meat well nor does temp control work as well.
Answer: After smoking meat ie brisket, ribs u can wrap it in foil to finish cooking. If it is wrapped 1st then u don't get smoke
Answer: No u can not. Pam spray on the racks before u begin.
Q:
How high does the temperature go?
Answer: I have not cooked anything over 300 degrees but I think it will go up to 350 or 400. I try to keep the temperature at 250 most of the time.
Answer: According to Masterbuilt the max temperature is 275.
Answer: The Control Panel will only go to 275 F, the actual in the box temp will often be 10 to 20 degrees higher (common Masterbuilt "Temp Accuracy Problem") , but... on the Gen two models, the Thermal Protect Sensor (KSD301) will trip at about 302 F.
Q:
Can I use on wood deck?
Answer: Yes, you can use on a wooden deck with no problems. Only concern from the smoker would be condensation from the water. Very minimal.
Answer: Yes, however, it uses an electronic heating element and is left on for many hours and it should be monitored if it's on something flammable, but it is highly unlikely to start a fire on that deck. It's insulated pretty well and the element is not exposed at all to any areas of the outside of the box. It's not even close to the bottom either.
Answer: yes, but its much easier to use if you get 12 cinder blocks and set 8 upright and four laying down on top . This makes it so you don't have to bend down, as well as gets your wires and electrical connections off the ground so they won't sit in water.
Answer: I would find and use a very large pan under it. There is no heat issue to the best of my knowledge but I am sure the bottom gets warm. The issue is dripping and cleaning of the greasy mess that ensues from cooking any form of meat. I have mine on a stand made of cement blocks to make it higher than foot level. The stand for this is way overpriced for it's value. Bring the smoker someplace that you can make a dirty greasy mess, once it has cooled, to clean it.
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yes
Q:
does it leak around th doors
Answer: No, there is no leaking from the door at all. It has a very nice latch system. They recommend you put foil on the ground under and in front of the unit for when you take meats out of the smoker. You will probably have some drippings.
Answer: No leaks.... that's not a problem. However, the electronics failed after a year and they can't be replaced or repaired. Take a pass on this unit.
Answer: yes! I highly recommend you look elsewhere. Mine has been nothing but trouble. It sits disassembled in my garage after we tried to replace like 5 different failed parts in it, but then all of the screws are basically baked on so we've not been able to even replace things I paid money to get replacement parts on since the product has such a lousy warranty. It leaks in the doors and I even have the Masterbuilt cover on top of it. It's lousy.
Answer: No! Make sure you wipe down the seal, and you can tighten the side latch to make it a tight fit. This is an awesome smoker and we use it frequently!
Answer: Nope. The electronics are bogus.
Q:
Can you smoke deer jerky and sausage in this? Do I need to buy certain racks for this?
Answer: I make all kinds of jerky in it. I found some grates from another smoker that are smaller if I have pieces that are too small for the regular racks. Run at 200 for about and hour to cook then open the vent to start the drying process. Takes anywhere from 1-2 hours to get the color and glaze I want.
Answer: I smoke sausage almost every weekend. I haven't smoked jerky yet, but I know it will work out fine. The temperature levels are such that you can do jerky easily. Since I bought this smoker, my brother-in-law and father-in-law both are chomping at the bit to get one too! But it. You'll love it!
Answer: yes, you can either lay on racks or you can put a tooth pick through the meat and hang from the racks which will give you a lot more room for smoking the meat.
Answer: Maybe, but mine broke in less than a year and the manufacturer is not responding to my emails. Mine is just junk.
Answer: yes you can, because you can control the temp,
Q:
how large of a turkey can you smoke on the 30" model ?
Answer: I have not smoked a whole turkey yet but you certainly can smoke a whole turkey - you would just have to remove some racks & it would take several hours. i highly recommend the book by Jeff Phillips -Smoking Meat - available through Amazon - great recipes & tips - I have also subscribed to Smoking-Meat.com I have the 30" Masterbuilt & think its the perfect size - i just ordered the Masterbuilt mats from Amazon - I've made smoked salmon several times & its awesome -
Answer: I have smoked a 33lb turkey. It was tight but I got her in and she did very well.
Q:
Can I smoke fresh caught, frozen Salmon and halibut filets?
Answer: Once they are thawed out should be no problem You might consider doing them on cedar planks.
Answer: Yes, you can cook just about anything
Q:
can a full rack of ribs fit
Answer: Many conflicting answers here but let me make it less complicated for you. On any of the 30 inch smokers, a normal to larger rack of ribs will not fit. You will have to cut them in half. The poeple saying they bit must be using smaller racks that I have never seen before (lol) so the answer is no. Cutting them in have works just fine. I have done four racks of ribs in mine. If you buy one of the 40 inch smokers, a full rack of ribs will fit with no issue and without having to cut them in half.
Answer: It would fit a full rack cut in half per shelf, X 3 shelves. 3 racks. Maybe more if you cut the racks smaller and fit them on each shelf.
Answer: If you use a rack that supports them upright they just fit diagonally. If you lay them flat on a shelf you'll have to cut the rack in half, which is no big deal.
Answer: no- just cut in half.
Answer: Yes, if it's not too big.
Q:
What are the primary differences between this and the prior version (30 inch analog)? Is it primarily the temperature range and digital temp readout?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: That is about it but it also has a heating element that can be replaced. The previous version was not replaceable and for $40 or so you can replace the heating element in this one yourself. We been using ours for about 1 year now and it works like a charm. We smoked chicken, brisket, sausage, etc. So far everything turns out great.
Answer: I think only the digital one has the air damper to control the smoke level. I don't think the analog one has any damper.
Answer: Don't know. I only have the current version. All I can say is I like the one I have and think controlling the temperature and time electronically is great.
Q:
can I use it with wood chunks as well as the small chips?
Answer: no small chips
Answer: I believe they recommend using the chips. wood chunks wouldn't produce the smoke that chips do.
Answer: chips work fine, chunks would be large to load on the load tube.
Answer: Just the smaller chips are advisable, the chunks won't fit in the sliding chamber
Answer: No they dont fit in as well I bought the chunks and had to buy a hatchet to chop them down
Answer: Small chips, really all you need.
Answer: No very small box holds 1 cup. Directions said no.
Q:
Smoke cheese?
Answer: I used the cold smoker attachment, left the bos temp off and smoked a terrific 5 pound block of aged chedder...
Answer: You'd probably want to use the optional cold smoker attachment for this.
Answer: don't know will have to try like the idea
Answer: mentioned to hubby I will let you know when he figures it out :) he loves this thing
Q:
Is there a way to insert an external temp probe into the meat thru door or wall or will I need to open to check?
Answer: Yes, you can feed the temp probe thru the top, smoke escape hole. I use it and it still works great and also the vent will "almost" close to keep smoke inside ...
Answer: I insert Maverick ET732 probes through the vent opening on top. No need to open the door.
Answer: The easiest is to run a long thermocouple in through the top vent. Alternatively, you could drill in through the side and seal the hole.
Q:
Can you add additional racks (more than 4)?
Answer: The smoker is built with 4 tracks on each side to slide the racks into. I suppose you could make more tracks to go between the ones that the smoker comes with so you could add more racks. From the factory the racks are 4 inches apart.
Answer: No there is only the capability for placing 4 racks
Answer: No. The interior is like an oven with slots for each rack. Three is no east and no room to add additional racks.
Answer: There is hangers for 4 wire shelves. Unless you rebuilt the inside it wouldn't be possible. However, you could probably use the top shelf and hang sausages or similar products from the top shelf for smoking.
Answer: This is a great unit it has a lot of room compared to other smokers on the market you don't want to over load this unit it will increase cooking time I also would like to see a 6 rack unit on the market we have a big family this unit holds up and we smoke a lot of great meals enjoy your family's
Answer: There is only room for the 3 racks for cooking. The 4th(bottom) is for the chip box and water bowl. Hope that helps..
Answer: No
Q:
how many racks of ribs can I cook at one time?
Answer: If you lay them flat on the racks four. If you get 2 racks to stand them on edge you can get 6. Each rack holds 6 half rib racks.
Answer: It is going to depend on how many racks that ONE has.I have the 40" and I have 4 racks.
Q:
does this make much smoke at low temps? i'd love to do some lower temp things, like fish. 135F
Answer: I use mine at the edge, inside my garage and it doesn't fill the garage with smoke. Use the amount of chips the manual calls for and you should be ok. This doesn't make as much smoke as a big wood smoker. But if you set it that low, it will take a long time. You have to replenish the chips every half hour or so.
Answer: Yes, it can. Would be great to cook fish when at low temp. Hope this helps.
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: I have not done anything that low yet. I can tell you the unit is very nice and works great. As far as the smoke is concerned it would be easy to control.
Q:
Can this unit sit on an uncovered patio using a stand and cover without damaging the controls?
Answer: If it is going to be exposed to the weather, I would
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: If you keep it covered with a waterproof cover, there shouldn't be a problem. A relative of mine keeps his covered and it it on his deck in the weather. No problems.
Answer: Should not be a problem at all. Though i can't speak directly to the longevity of exposure and type of exposure for the cover.
Answer: Should not be a problem at all. Though i can't speak directly to the longevity of exposure and type of exposure for the cover
Answer: not supposed to get wet
Q:
how hard is it to clean
Answer: Not hard at all. Just empty wood chip ashes, throw out water in water dish and wipe down grates. I don't clean sides unless there are bad splashes. I think it seasons the smoker by not cleaning sides.
Answer: Very easy. I clean it after ever use
Answer: I line the grease pan with foil and toss it. I pull out all racks that I won't need to handle meat. Washing used racks involves dish water and about 5 minutes each, though you could put them in the dishwasher. Occasionally I set the smoker to a 2 hour burn off to start fresh.
Answer: Not at all. Dump the ashes, spray from the drip cover and water pan
Answer: I just wipe it down with water. The more build up of smoke and spices, the better the meat gets.
Q:
While seasoning the smoker, should the top vent be open?
Answer: When I was seasoning my smoker I had the top closed
Answer: no top vent should be closed just like when your smoking a piece of meat
Answer: I closed mine for seasoning.
Q:
Does this come with a sausage rack that allows you to hang sausage links?
Answer: No, it just comes with flat racks. If you want sausage racks, you have to buy them...
Answer: No, it only has 4 regular removable racks.
Answer: Sorry I don't have the aswer to that. I purchased a 20070312.
Answer: There wasn't one included. Check the accessories they might have one for sale to go with this
Answer: No
Answer: No it does not :(
Q:
Will this work as a food dehydrator? Temp range, 100- 2plus range suggests yes
Answer: Yes....100-275 range....keeps great temp consistency.
Answer: I use mine to make beef jerky @185 degrees. Key is emptying the drip pan about an hour into the smoke... and opening the vent all of the way. I also let door open until temp drops to 170 or so. That kickc the heat element in to help dry the box. So, I'd say I think you can use as dehydrator, but need to assist with moisture removal. Hope that helps.
Answer: Absolutely, use mine to dehydrate all the time!
Answer: There is no internal fan. Other than that it should work. Will be doing jerky in it soon.
Answer: Sorry don't know as we have only used it as a smoker. Good question we will try it. check back soon
Answer: Have no idea...but u can contact them and they would be able to answer that question for u.
Q:
does outside of unit get hot
Answer: I would say most of the unit gets warm. The exhaust vent gets hot. I set a remote thermometer on top that is plastic and it's fine.
Answer: no it doesn't...I use my smoker year round, my previous smoker would be hot on the outside, which is a loss of heat, during the winter it was very difficult maintain internal temps (maximum heat setting using more energy) but Masterbuilt's are insulated very well and keep the heat inside, I've found outside temps don't really affect the cook temp or times
Answer: No, it is only warm to the touch. The Masterbuilt is very well insulated to keep the heat in and maintain a constant temperature.
Answer: No. But careful when you open the door. That first blast of heat will knock you down
Answer: It does not. Just where the is put in.
Answer: Not enough to make any difference. I would say it gets warm.
Answer: not at all. it's very well insulated.
Q:
Chips or chunks? Which are best suited for this smoker? Recommendations?
Answer: Chips, chunks are too big
Answer: Chips, chunks will not fit or burn well.... Ask me how I know - Yeah I tried it. ;-( Stick to the chips.
Answer: Have only used chips. The smoker has worked very well!!
Answer: Chips
Q:
To get chicken legs crispy. how long and what is the temp you could this?
Answer: Well that would be a hard thing to do. You could try taking the water pan out and then setting it at 275. The secret though is to spray skin with Pam. Don't ask me why it works but it does.
Q:
My wood chips don't burn down to ashes. ie. incomplete burn. Any suggestions?
Answer: I soak mine and they still burn to ash. Maybe your heating element isn't hot enough. Is the temperature where it's supposed to be? Or do you have big chunks?
Answer: Don't wet the chips, use only good quality dry chips. It won't totally burn all to ash, electric causes the chips to smolder not burn like fire.
Answer: I had that problem at first and then realized I was filling the chip box too full. Now no problem.
Answer: how much chips are you using ??
Answer: Chips no more then 1 cup.
Answer: Usually that doesnt happen unless you soak em in water . Other than that you need to warranty that because somthing isnt right. I had issues with my timer shutting mine off. They replaced it and even upgraded me for free. This company stands behind their products. Talk to them. You will be happy you did.
Q:
digital control panel problems?
Answer: The new control panel is set into the front of cabinet. The temperature control for the heating element works fine. The meat probe on mine reads 30 degrees high at 150 deg. The probe is NOT replaceable. However, Masterbuilt was willing to send me out a complete new smoker as a replacement which is stupid. I use a Ivation wireless thermometer to measure the meat accurately.
Answer: Have had the Smoker about 3 months, and no problems with the digital controls. Smoker is kept under a cover and under a roof, except when using. I would think that rain and/or extreme dampness may be a problem. Everything about the Smoker has worked great so far.
Answer: No, not at all, the digital heat setting and interior thermometer work great and are extremely accurate. I use a a digital meat thermometer so I can monitor the interior temp of the meat incase I need to adjust time settings. I hope this answers your question.
Answer: None, the controls work great!
Answer: None so far, but we've only used it twice so far. Both times for 2 full racks of ribs and they came out perfect each time.
Answer: Nope
Q:
Does this smoker put off a lot of smoke/odor? I live in a small apartment complex and don't want to offend the neighbors. :)
Answer: it does put off quite a bit of smoke but also depends on how much wood chips you put in it.but the smoke smells so good i doubt you'll offend your neighbors i believe you will be beating your neighbors away from your door with a stick.if they made cologne that smelt like masterbuilt smoke id buy it.
Answer: if you offend neighbors with the smell of this smoker they are not good neighbors anyway. who doesnt love the smell of this type of smoke?
Answer: I haven't noticed a lot of smoke and I have used all kinds of wood in my smoker.
Answer: I lived 2nd floor apartment just above the complex pool. The gals would yell up asking what I was smoking.....and I'd tell 'em the truth.....BAIT !!! The smell is great....
Answer: if your neighbors are offended by the smell of smoking food you don't want to be their friends anyway.
Answer: It isn't bad at all. I smoke in my garage with the doors closed and it doesn't bother me. It just adds a good smell.
Answer: It will smoke them out ,but the smell will be delicious,they won't mind. Lol
Answer: Not at all. it should not bother anyone
Q:
Can this smoker be plugged into a generator if camping with no electricity?
Answer: As long as you dont exceed the capacity of your generator. A household 20 amp is more than enough to run the smoker which your genny should have. It should work fine as long as youre not overtaxing the rated wattage of the generator on powering a number of other things all at once.
Answer: Really depends on the generator's abilities and what else it's running. Keep in mind, depending on what you're smoking it could be running for 10-20 hours at at time though, I'd recommend staying with shorter cooks like chicken thighs, for example.
Q:
What would be the advantage of a 40" unit over this one, i.e. would you normally need more cooking space than this one will provide?
Answer: The one pictured with your question, has a digital temp gauge. It doesn't have the flexibility to get as hot as the 40". Size wise, the 40" has plenty of room and I could get by on less space. Also, the 40" non- digital was less expensive.
Answer: You can cook enough for a large family or even a party on this size. Unless you are going to cook huge amounts of food, this one should be fine. My old propane smoker was 40" and I have never regretted going with this smaller size.
Answer: unless you're a big time jerky or sausage maker, I really don't see the need for the 40 inch unit.when I decide to smoke food for a family meal,I often go through my freezer to find additional meet to smokein order to justify the wood and clean up.unless I'm smoking jerky or sausage, I rarely use all four racks.
Answer: We don't need more cooking space. We can smoke 4 racks of ribs and a good sized brisket at the same time.
Answer: unless you're a big time jerky or sausage maker, I really don't see the need for the 40 inch unit.when I decide to smoke food for a family meal,I often go through my freezer to find additional meet to smokein order to justify the wood and clean up.unless I'm smoking jerky or sausage, I rarely use all four racks.
Answer: In my opinion the size of this one is more than adequate. With a rib rack I can get 4 slabs of ribs, a pork loin and a chicken in it to cook all at once.
Q:
A number of reviewers indicated that this smoker comes with a replaceable element and the elements go making it a throw away unit....is this the one
Answer: We smoke briskets about twice a month for the past year. Plus jerky, a couple turkeys, some ribs here and there. I had more than 100 hours (probably close to 200+ hours) and mine just went out. Masterbuilt did send me a new element and they are replaceable with model 20070910 (bought here on amazon in 2012)
Answer: No. No replacement element. I have probably 100 hours on mine maybe more. No issues.
Answer: I've had mine for years 7 or 8 and probably have 1000+ hours on it. Never had an issue.
Q:
Is the smoker waterproof? What if it rains while using it?
Answer: It actually rained while we used it monday! Nothing happened. Just continued to smoke the meat like normal. Unless its a huge puddle that its sitting in, im pretty sure its not going to hurt it.
Answer: is not technically waterproof. the theremostat is electronic and would not let it get wet. A little drizzle prob wouldn't hurt it but you could cover it to protect it.
Answer: I kink so.
Q:
I intend to use this at camp where we only have 20amp electric service. Will this unit work with that?
Answer: Well since i am not an electrician i can only offer an unprofessional opinion. I have my unit plugged i to a regular household plug that is on a 20 amp breaker. I have had it up to 250 degrees for up to 7 hours. Great unit have had nany compliments on the meat i have smoked. Hope this helps
Answer: Yes it should work fine
Answer: Yes if you don't put allot more load on the circuit.
Q:
can this actually hold 275 degrees in cooler climates?
Answer: I have not used it at 275 degrees, but I have used it several times at 225-240 degrees, once during an ice storm a couple of weeks ago, and it held the temperature well, (within 5 degrees).
Answer: 275 is this smokers max setting and yes it can hold the temp in cold weather. I seasoned mine on a day that the high was 26 degrees and it had no problem holding 275 +/- 5 degrees empty. I did some bacon the next day and preheated it to 225 at 6:00 and 23 degrees out. It had no problem holding temp and it was a bit windy that day. I was really surprised as I have a propane smoker that would have had difficulty maintaining the temp. This unit is really well insulated.
Answer: Yes. Mine, the 40" model, has no problem holding its temp below freezing. Our temp has only gotten down to about 8 degree F. So I can't speak to lower temps than that.
Answer: Yes, i used my smoker in 30 degree weather and it maintained the correct temps.
Answer: yes it can. i used it in cold weather and it held up nicely.
Q:
Can you store outside?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: We have ours outside, but it's under a shelter that has a cement floor. We actually have it sitting on a small table for easier access.
Answer: Personally, I do not. If you store anything that collects water, that would not be good for the heating element, i.e. wood. Hope this helps.
Answer: I suppose you can, but it will almost certainly take a toll eventually. I left mine out once and it was rained on pretty heavily, but to no ill effect. A cover - similar to a BBQ grill cover - would seem a good option.
Answer: I would get a cover for the elements and keep dry but ours is in the garage
Q:
Is there a port for an internal thermometer
Answer: No I use a thermometer that has the heat proof wire on it and just close the door on the wire.
Answer: The only hole in the smoker is the one on the top right. To control the temp/ smoke. I use my thermometer an I just run it between the door of the smoker. It has a rubber gasket on the door and so far my thermometer still works used it well over a dozen times already if this helps at all.
Answer: There is no port. You can drop your wire down through the top vent.
Answer: No there isn't
Q:
how long does it take to get to 275 before cooking
Answer: Never timed it. I've done all my cooking at 225 (slow Smoking). Doesn't take a great deal of time to reach 235 which is what I preheat to, then turn down.
Answer: It's taken me 15-20 min but it depends on the weather, I'm in TX so sooner than my family in CO which takes them 20-30 min.
Answer: Takes about 30 minutes, depending on how cold it is outside.
Product reviews of Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Black Electric Digital Smoker, Top Controller
T. Miller : Smoker that needs a smoke generator.
Assembly was quick and painless. Unit thermometer is 25-30 degrees off. Temp is HIGHER than whats displayed. I gave this unit a few go's and I am very disappointed with it's ability to generate smoke. When you first go, the chips smoke perfectly. Once the smoke fades, you start dumping more chips in. The smokes picks up but again fades, faster this time. More chips. Soon, no smoke and the chips are piled up inside. So basically, you have to crank this thing up past 250 for it to really burn up all the chips or you are opening and dumping which defeats the purpose of the side loader. There is a Masterbuilt 20070112 Cold Smoking Kit you can buy for $70 that will fix this, but yeah no thanks. I bought the extension kit to raise it up off the ground so the kit wont work without either mounting it or putting something underneath it. This is too complicated and beyond what I should i have to do IMO to get this thing to smoke. Shame. 2nd Masterbuilt Smoker I tried. The first never worked out of the box. This one doesn't do its job. Masterbuilt doesnt seem like a good brand.
JKK in Georgia : Love it, even with temperature readout problems
I'm pretty happy with this smoker, with a couple of exceptions (mentioned later). But first, I will say that this thing is really easy to use. The setup was easy and I have smoked some great food so far. I have never used a smoker before, and this makes the process very easy. (FYI: I also joined a great Masterbuilt electric smoker group on Facebook, and reading through the posts there has been incredibly helpful when deciding on recipes, cooking temps, etc.) My family loves it when I make dinner, and we've had great turkey, pulled pork, and chicken. This thing makes GREAT food!
I learned the hard way, however, that my temperature sensor is not correct. (Not a meat probe, but the cooking temperature. This model doesn't come with a meat probe). I purchased a digital thermometer and meat probe unit so that I can monitor the meat temperature and the cooking temperature. The smoker temp is routinely off by about 30 degrees. For example, if I set the smoker at 225, the actual temp is 195. I first noticed this because my digital thermometer read a cooler temp than the smoker readout. I purchased an oven thermometer so that I would have one more source for comparison. The oven thermometer and the digital thermometer matched, and both were 30 degrees colder than the smoker temp readout. I have not contacted Masterbuilt about this yet, but I'm hoping that they will have a solution. In the meantime, I know to follow the temp reading on my digital thermometer instead.
This isn't a complaint against the smoker, but want to mention it. I purchased a smoker stand that is for "Masterbuilt 30" smokers", which was recommended as an attachment for this product. Although I made it work, the stand that was recommended didn't actually fit my smoker. The holes on the stand don't match the feet on my smoker. I was able to get two of them to match up, so it works well enough. So if you buy a stand, make sure it fits your model.
This isn't a complaint agains the smoker, either. But now that I have used this 30" smoker a few times, I think I wish I had gotten the 40". This one isn't small. It can certainly hold most of what you want to smoke. But now that I have the smoking bug, I can see that I might want a bigger space inside. I smoked a 10 pound turkey at Christmas and it fit just fine. I'm not sure a 13+ pound would fit, though.
All in all, I'm loving this smoker and the food I can make with it.
Rhick : best smoker ever
very good, arrived on time, the insulated walls, digital timer & ease of use is excellent. when I smoke chicken with pecan wood it takes 3 hours at 275* F with one cup of water in pan, then you only need to add wood chips I bought from Walmart for $2.99 every hour to keep it smoking. It really works perfect. remember 3 hours of smoking means you add 3 of the side fill chute 3 times, just fill it stick it in and turn it upside down in the CLOCKWISE DIRECTION ONLY-then leave it upside-down until an hour has ended, thats it. keeps temps very close to set point. I smoked some bluegill-brim fish with pecan wood also for 2 hours at 225* F it taste great . just remember the most important thing with cooking any food especially in a smoker is to temp the internal temp of your food for safe cooking requirements. read on-line for that.
George Gest : DON'T buy, WON'T last and CAN'T get PARTS
Update. Masterbuilt DEFEATED! I'm declaring victory in my encounter with Masterbuilt. I e-maild them to purchase a replacement heater element for this smoker using a part number from a current model. As noted, the element for my older model was discontinued and all MB could offer was for me to by a new smoker. I called to order the part and they would not sell it to me without my giving them a SN from a current model. We went to an appliance store and bought a standard 8" replacement electric stove burner. Running it on 110 volts it will produce about 1000 watts of heat. About three hours of fitting and modification and I now have a smoker that uses a standard stove heating element! Take that MB!
Update. DO NOT BUY ANY MASTER BUILT PRODUCT. They don't intend to support them and they won't last!
I can't possibly recommend buying any product built by Masterbuilt. Look for something built by someone else. If I could give it a lower rating than ONE star I would. You can't even get a part with a part number. They are running a scam to sell these things with planned obsolescence. Make it with parts that won't last then tell you the part for that SN series is not available. They are on to the idea of replacing their parts with parts from another series and have decided to block that action by the consumer.
Dadgum that's a piece of junk!
Update. Didn't last. The element burned out after about a dozen good uses. Masterbuilt no longer supports this model and you can't get a replacement heater element. Masterbuilt simply offers to sell you another one. Supposedly, if you know the part number you can retrofit with a higher power element from a later model but Masterbuilt won't sell it to you if they think that is what you are doing. Product registration is the means they use to find out what you are doing.
Kristi Rowe : Easy for beginners like me!
Very pleased with this smoker. I've never smoked anything before I purchased this for my husband as a Christmas present. It came in a clearly marked box with an identifying picture, and my husband saw it, so it became an early present! We've made Boston butts and even did our Thanksgiving turkey in it, and it was amazing. Easy to use and easy to keep clean. The drip pan is substantial and cleans up easily. Can't wait to use it more!
josh tintner : smoker newbie
I'm not sure that I have really anything bad to say about this smoker. I did purchase this as a gift for someone last year and from then I knew that I had to jump into the party and get one of my own. My wife purchased this for me for Christmas this past year 2015 and I got to use it yesterday for the second time.
The packaging this came it was top notch, all of the racks were taped up very nicely to prevent any wiggle or damage to the internal heating element. I actually read the instructions which I’m glad I did it because there is a “seasoning” process which should be done to burn off any traces of machine oil and prepare the smoker for its maiden voyage.
The first attempt to use this was 4 boneless chicken breasts. Needless to say it was a fail and pretty bad, but I honestly think this is because smokers are really designed for bone in meat. The chicken we purchased had zero fat on it so it got dried up and I got a little discouraged. I did a substantial amount of reading on endless blogs out there and decided to give it another go around yesterday which was Easter 2016.
Now, I do a lot of grilling in the summer time at least 3 or 4 nights a week so I know my way around a BBQ using natural gas. One Item that has always been a little daunting is ribs, I have never made ribs before as I’ve just always thought it to be a harder item to prepare and cook and cook them right.
So in my efforts to step up on my man game a bit, I decided that yesterday I would venture into making ribs on the smoker. Now, you can read all the recipes in the world out there and they will all tell you different things and methods so just find one and go for it. I ended up modifying the one I found online so to each their own.
The end result IMHO was that of a competition worthy result, maybe not first place but at least in the top 5. I’m now even more eager to give this another go and it brightened my spirits up a bit knowing that it actually is possible.
I will say that cleaning this is not the most fun part at all, but if you take care of this product it will withstand lots and lots of cooked meals. You cannot use any abrasive chemicals or rough sponge so my recommendation is to grab yourself a few beers, grab some tunes and a roll of paper town with some water and clean away. I also recommend wearing gloves while cleaning as it will get quite messy, take your time and it will be well worth the time spent to keep it clean.
Only minor complaints I have which are nitpicky is the controller for the temp and time. It does not feel super stable and is only held on by two screws in the back of the plastic board and held center by a screw on the top of the unit. It does not sit flush but then again you don’t mess with it while cooking so it is only a minor one.
The other complaint I have is I’m a tall guy and this thing sits pretty low to the ground; I will build my own stand for this over the summer to raise this up a bit without compromising the center of gravity. Overall I couldn’t be happier with this item and again, cleaning should prolong the life of the unit.
KO Jim : They Don't make them like they used TOO!
This was my second Masterbuilt - the first one lasted me nearly 15 years - I used it 15 - 20 times per summer. (Almost 300 uses) This one didn't make it to 15 uses over the 3 years! I am really disappointed in the customer service department also. They first they sold me the digital control board $42.00 that did not fix my issue of run away temperature control - they would not allow return of it. Their second suggestion was to replace the main unit for $199.99 - before freight - This would bring total cost of repair to nearly $90.00 more than I paid for the unit new. Made in China junk. I recommend looking elsewhere for electric smoker.
Johnny Fudpucker : Buy it
If you want to smoke Meats this is your machine keeps a very accurate temperature very easy to operate and the food is delicious
TomP : Great as a first smoker or someone that doesn't want to babysit
I did hours of research and talked to many people before choosing what would be my first smoker. I thought about charcoal and gas smokers but they just seemed like more of a hassle than electric. This seemed to be the most favorably reviewed electric smoker on numerous websites and for the price I figured it was worth a shot...I have no regrets. This constantly turns out perfect brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. Have yet to do sausage, chicken or turkey.
Setup took about 20 minutes as there is a lot of plastic wrap and packaging to remove. The smoker also requires a 3 hour 'seasoning' run - no big deal.
One thing that is very important to know about electric smokers is that they do not give as pronounced of a smoke ring as other smokers. It is important to remember that the smoke ring is not any indication of taste or flavor. To me, having the smoke ring is not as important as being able to "set it and forget it" while guaranteeing a delicious product after 12 hours of smoking.
I highly recommend this smoker - especially to beginners or to people that don't want to babysit their smoker.
David E. Wilson : Perfect Review
I was mixed on the this purchase when I bought it only due to the dichotomy of reviews associated with this item but I absolutely love mine. I have cooked 10-15 times with it already. Took a little figuring out at first but it works like a champ.
Take quite a while 30-45 min to hit your mark on the temp you want but hold that temp perfect.
Love the features and sturdy construction. Would highly recommend to anyone. Made 8 racks of baby back in this puppy my first shot out. Had to cut them in 1/2 to make them all fit but worked like a champ.
I always baste meat about every 30 minutes the first time I followed the instructions with unit and my ribs were dryer than I wanted. I have always used a homemade smoker in the past, but after going back to my regular routine it works like a charm. I was skeptical anyways about just filling the evap pan and letting them roll.
Works with chips 1" and .25" perfect. That's what I typically use. Zero complaints works like a charm.
amanda eric : Initial review - very nice unit well built no problems
Initial review (will update after multiple uses) arrived quickly, packaged very well with no damage or parts missing. Everything was well packaged inside the smoker. Very easy instructions from start to seasoning. Very easy to use controls, bright sun a little hard to read led. It came up to 275 degrees in less than 15 min and it's 50 degrees outside (live in wisconsin, I plan on smoking throughout winter so we will see how it does in -20) I am smoking a brisket and a butt this weekend so I am going to go at this unit right off the start. Will update within six months.
Update: absolutely love this smoker. It's easy to use, and keeps its temperature. The side compartment is great for adding woodchips, you don't have to open the door and loose all your heat. We had a large party at work and this smoker was on for 3 days straight smoking brisket, 75 pounds was smoked. It never gave us one problem.
Trees For Life : Nice Start For A Newbie
We were advised to purchase this as a "prerequisite" to moving back down south. It is pretty much plug and play. The packaging was nice and protective, only one minor scratch on the side. Remove all of the styrofoam, and once you think you've got it all, check again. We found a few pieces behind the burner toward the bottom that you wouldn't normally see. Had we turned it on, they would have melted and caused quite the mess. Our first meal was country style ribs, and you set the temp, add the chips, and wait. We soaked our chips in a gallon zip lock for about an hour before adding them. They smoke a little better and also last a little longer. Ribs turned out amazing after 6 hours of slow heat. Next were bone in chicken thighs. We soaked them for about two hours in a shallow pan with half water and a dry rub, tossed them in the smoker and about 4 hours later they turned into the best chicken we've ever tasted. Couldn't ask for a better all in one unit. No need for the window model, you honestly don't need it. Would suggest this to any smoker newbie in a heart beat.
EJ Johnson : Taste just as good as charcoal without the hassle
I purchased this unit when it was on sale for just under $140 and man I can honestly say I would pay $250 or more for this unit. First of all I am not new to smoking, I actually have a horizontal charcoal smoker that I have been using for the past 3 or 4 years.
The charcoal smoker is great and I love it but I wanted something that I could cold smoke cheese and salmon in so when I saw this bad boy on sale for $139 I bit the bullet and bought it along with the cold smoke attachment. I figured I was just going to use this for cold smoking and the charcoal for hot smoking, but one day I found myself wanting to smoke some ribs and forgot to pick up some charcoal when I was at the store so I decided to use the masterbuilt instead. Turns out the electric smoker is SO MUCH easier to maintain a constant temperature, no more lighting more charcoal and dumping it into the smoke box every few hours. All I had to do is turn it on and set a temp and thats it. The only thing I have to do is feed wood chips into it when i start seeing the smoke die down and thats it!
I have not touched the charcoal smoker since because the electric masterbuilt is some much less of a hassle to work with and the outcome taste just as good as charcoal. The only downside to electric is when you cook chicken I cant seem to get it as crispy as I like it with just the smoker alone. Its not a big deal because what I end up doing is after I'm done cooking the chicken in the smoker I fire up my small propane grill and crisp up the chicken and its good as gold.
The build quality of this unit is great and if you are on the edge and thinking of pulling the trigger, I would urge you to bite the bullet and add this sucker to your cart and checkout. Nothing beats the taste of smoked ribs or chicken or brisket and this smoker will give you that satisfying taste you are craving with you meats (and cheese if you buy the cold smoke attachment).
StuE : What I Expected and What I needed
I would consider myself a beginner to intermediate when it comes to smoking. I've owned Brinkmann water smokers in the past and they are OK for small loads of meat. I wanted an insulated electric smoker so that I could still smoke meats during an Iowa winter. This unit satisfies that need.
When it arrived very little assembly was required, I had it up and ready for seasoning in 15 minutes.
The first thing I smoked was a 12 pound pork butt. It was a snowy day, but the smoker got up to temp inside of 20 minutes. At 12 pounds this roast was huge as a first try on a new smoker, but it was what i had. It took over 14 hours for the roast to hit 200+ degrees. Given the humidity and the size of the roast I'm not surprised.
The first butt was a success as were both of the next roasts that I've smoked. While the smoker can handle almost any size, I prefer to keep the starting weight at around 7 to 9 pounds in order to keep the cooking time reasonable.
The smoker's digital thermostat isn't particularly accurate since it is located at the top of the box rather than beside the smoking rack. I found it to be reading about 12 to 15 degrees high compared to a digital thermometer probe right of the rack. I strongly recommend a remote digital like the Maverick ET-733 ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P2RDIFK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ).
I also purchased the smoker stand to get the unit up off the ground and at a more convenient height.
<January 2019 - two years later and still working well. Finding replacement racks has been a challenge. While pork butt is still the predominant meat smoked, I've also had great luck with chicken wings, salmon, and of course pork ribs. But what has become everyone's favorite is smoked potato salad!>
Martin Lebl : Great electric smoker
Given this as a gift, and it works very well. Produces great smoked meats, and it is easy to use.
PROS:
- Insulated construction allows touching outside when running without burning yourself
- Well sealing doors to keep the smoke in
- Multitude of shelves accommodates large number of meats, or they can be removed to fit larger piece
- Two drip trays and a drain
- Water tray to generate steam
- Outside loading port to reload wood chips without needing to let out heat and smoke
- Great electronics control
CONS:
- None really
Great smoker to feed a reasonable size party. Whether it is a small family dinner, or bigger party this accommodates variety of meats on the multiple shelves, which can be removed for larger pieces of meat.
Bill : Controller went to high temperature
I have had this for four years and two months, worked very well. I found that the stainless steel drip pan was a poor quality stainless, it developed a rust hole in it within six months. To me that wasn't a big deal. It worked very well for another three and half years. On thanksgiving it was exactly four wears old I was smoking a turkey. I checked on it a few times and after about an hour into smoking I noticed the temperature went way over what I had set it. I also found that I could not turn it off or reset it, I opened the door and the turkey was burned up on the outer part.
I found out the part that went out is in the bottom on the smoker and is not replaceable. This is a shame, mechanically it's well built but I can't believe they put the hart of the thing in the bottom and filled it with glue so it can't be replaced.
Amazon Customer : Great!
Simple to use and setup. The instructions are easy to follow and the system is pretty much idiot proof.
I have never smoked anything before this unit and now I have smoked pork and turkey with fantastic results. After living in Texas for a while, I have started to miss BBQ and this was a great way to try my hand at smoking without a crazy monetary or time investment.
Amazon shipping was great as usual and the unit came well packed and undamaged. Unpacked it (which did take a while) and then was up an running in 30 min. Just read the instructions, get some receipes from your favorite cooking site, and you are in business.
The unit is about the size of a small dorm room/hotel fridge and fits anywhere. I do suggest getting a cover if you want to store it outside.
DaffyD : Just What I Wanted
It's been a dream of mine to smoke my own meats and cheeses. I wanted an electric smoker because I didn't want to hassle with refilling the charcoal grate all the time. I did my research and saw that, for the economically-minded, the best unit out there was this one. Delivery was fast and setup was easy. My only complaint is that there were cosmetic flaws on the exterior--white streaks and such where it looked like the black enamel or powder coating had been abraded off by poor handling at the factory in China. Someday I might spray over those areas with black enamel paint, too lazy to it so far.
I've smoked brisket and then spareribs in this thing and the results were amazing. Nice smoky flavors and really good bark. The one thing I learned is that you can't get a smoke ring with an electric water smoker, which was disappointing but I'll live with it for the price I paid for the MES. Clean up is fairly easy, too. General opinion is to clean the parts that food rests or drips on, but to leave the interior alone unless it gets moldy. A lot of guys cover the areas that can be dripped on with foil.
The digital thermos, is inaccurate--dislaying anywhere from a couple of degrees to 40 degrees higher than actual temp. I use a separate therm that's been calibrated which solved the problem. I can now compensate for that inaccuracy by adjusting the smoker target temp.
I learned that Masterbuilt offers a free, larger wood chip tray upgrade. I called customer service and it was delivered within two weeks. I haven't installed it yet but it looks pretty easy. I've read some complaints about Masterbuilt's poor customer service and unavailability of parts. All I can say is that I contacted them once for a part and I quickly got what I wanted.
I joined a smoking meat forum and found out about a wood pellet smoker that many people prefer to wood chips since it gives better smoke and you can cold smoke with it. I bought it and highly advise anyone buying this smokehouse get the wood pellet smoker and wood pellets too. With this little thing, I can experiment smoking meats and cheese using either wood chips or wood pellets to find out the difference in flavors they lend to what I'm smoking and which I prefer. It just gives you more flexibility and makes smoking all the more fun.
The owners manual is woefully inadequate, though. You'll need to join the forum I mentioned, buy at least 1 or 2 smoking books, and find some good recipes and tips online to decide what you want to make. Using the MES30 is trial and error, you'll learn each time you use it. Some people insist on using the water bowl while others advise not to use it. I personally use it. Some people have complained there are poor door seals that allow smoke to leak out; haven't had that problem with mine.
So, I don't know if my MES30 will last more than two years. I do know that sometimes people just get a trouble-prone model of anything they might buy, whether it's a smoker, a car, a fridge, a color TV, or whatever. But so far so good.
Like I said, I did my research and if you're looking for an affordable electric water smoker this is the one to buy. They also make it in a 40-inch model, which is more expensive. My 30-inch suits my needs just fine. Also, this and the MES40 both come with glass window in the door options so you can visually monitor what you're cooking. I didn't need that since the time and temp displays are more than adequate for me.
Digital Ancient : I cannot say enough good things about this unit
I cannot say enough good things about this unit. It is consistent, it is simple, it is easy to use, and practically worry free. This is not even mentioning the glorious smoked foods it can produce.
This in mind, there is a small learning curve involved. Electric Smokers are like Convective Crock Pots, so getting foods to 'bark' (That crust we all think about when doing barbecue) properly can be a little bit of a challenge. The key to it is the Vent and Water Pan. With the vent fully open, it allows full heat, airflow, and smoke to create the charring; it creates a delicate smoke flavor that is earmarked by that earmark red smoke ring about a 1/16th of an inch below the surface of the food. This also means the water evaporates a little more quickly. This also necessitates one to pre-soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes, then drain and pat dry before using. Doing this extends the time it takes between loads to roughly one hopper-full (which equates to about a cup!) every 2 hours. Also, do not fill the water pan with too much water - about half full beneath particularly savory meats will do. Add more for meats that may dry out quickly. Less for extremely fatty meats.
It is efficient, consistent, and simple to upkeep - a good machine for the novice smoker to start with, or for old pros looking to not spend every hour or two peeking under the hood. :>
StuE : What I Expected and What I needed
I would consider myself a beginner to intermediate when it comes to smoking. I've owned Brinkmann water smokers in the past and they are OK for small loads of meat. I wanted an insulated electric smoker so that I could still smoke meats during an Iowa winter. This unit satisfies that need.
When it arrived very little assembly was required, I had it up and ready for seasoning in 15 minutes.
The first thing I smoked was a 12 pound pork butt. It was a snowy day, but the smoker got up to temp inside of 20 minutes. At 12 pounds this roast was huge as a first try on a new smoker, but it was what i had. It took over 14 hours for the roast to hit 200+ degrees. Given the humidity and the size of the roast I'm not surprised.
The first butt was a success as were both of the next roasts that I've smoked. While the smoker can handle almost any size, I prefer to keep the starting weight at around 7 to 9 pounds in order to keep the cooking time reasonable.
The smoker's digital thermostat isn't particularly accurate since it is located at the top of the box rather than beside the smoking rack. I found it to be reading about 12 to 15 degrees high compared to a digital thermometer probe right of the rack. I strongly recommend a remote digital like the Maverick ET-733 ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P2RDIFK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ).
I also purchased the smoker stand to get the unit up off the ground and at a more convenient height.
<January 2019 - two years later and still working well. Finding replacement racks has been a challenge. While pork butt is still the predominant meat smoked, I've also had great luck with chicken wings, salmon, and of course pork ribs. But what has become everyone's favorite is smoked potato salad!>
SVandy : Magic smoker at a low price? Check!
I love this smoker! I was looking for something easy, as in I set it up and walk away for six hours and magically meat comes out delicious. I also didn't want to spend over $200 for a smoker that I needed to alter in order for it to work well. This smoker showed up on my doorstep, packaged perfectly and was set up within about 2 minutes. I seasoned it according to the directions, immediately put some salmon in and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to delicious smoked salmon. The smoker is sturdy looking and clearly well insulated, it takes care of the temperature on its' own and is super easy to operate. All of the features I liked are on this smoker (side loading, uses wood chips, insulated and self controlled).
Jim Haynes : Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Electric Digital Smokehouse Smoker
This was a great experience, the first time out with my new smoker I hit a home run on my brisket. With a little research I was able to cook perfectly a 4 LB. brisket. The meat was tender and tasted great. This is definitely a good smoker to begin cooking with. For most this will fill about all of your low heat needs since it only goes up to 275 degrees, but for most that is sufficient. I would highly recommend this unit for the average family but do a little homework on the Internet for smoking, woods, rubs and sauces as these are a large part of the barbeque process. Tip: if you buy a book on smoking I would suggest you examine it closely before you buy as many of the publications are more about the authors and competitions than the process barbequing for the family of 4, and many others include recopies of the world, instead of good old fashion western barbeque. Of course if you want exotic recopies from far away places, or you want to enter a Texas Grilling cook-off, go for it there are plenty of those publications around for under 20 dollars.
Chief Systems Engineer (Ret) : High quality materials, sloppy build
Ordered on a Wednesday night, received it Friday afternoon with standard free shipping. That's terrific.
Unpacked it and found that the backplate had been damaged during installation, but it's cosmetic (some crumpling between rivets). Also found that the screws to hold the control unit were missing, so I had to dig around in my fastener bin to find some with correct thread/diameter/length.
It's seasoning now, will post again after actually smoking some meat.
First cooking update:
Did a six pound chicken on Sunday while I was off to golf. Preheated for about 20 minutes with a small handful of chips in the tray. When I started getting smoke it was at about 150F. Put in the bird, gave it another 10 minutes, then dumped the cup of chips in the loader. Six hours at 195F yielded a bird with plenty of smoke flavor, but still firm and juicy. I'm thinking that either another ten degrees or another hour, or both, might turn out a tenderer but still juicy product, although this one was quite good.
Ray98 : Awesome
I bought this to supplement my wood smokers when I couldn't dedicate as much time to maintaining the fire during a long cook. I am pleased as this smoker is super easy. Set the temp, let it pre-heat and then throw the meat on. I find a load of wood chips which is about 1/2 a coffee cups worth will smoke for about 30 minutes. Usually 4 loads give me the perfect amount of smoke flavor on a Boston Butt.
For capacity, I have easily cooked 4 6lb butts at a time on it and you could probably squeeze 8 of that size if you wanted. If you go much heavier you will be limited to using only 2 of the racks because it wont fit between them. It will also hold 4 spatchcock chickens or a large amount of chicken cuts if you utilize all 4 racks. I also like the manufacturer redesigned it so the heating coil is replaceable if it goes out in the future. This thing is so simple it feels like cheating.
Jeff Capron : Great Smoker
I have had this smoker for over a year now and have smoked just about everything I can think of in it. I was worried by some of the reviews, but after years of shopping at Amazon, I am able to pick out the "nuts" in the reviews and thought I would give this smoker a try. Great choice! I am smoking a prime rib roast in it right now and was just thinking about all the good dishes this thing has made for me and figured I would finally write up my own review:
I keep my machine outside on my covered (but not enclosed) porch. I have had no issues doing so. I have had an occasional issue where there is some leakage, but that is usually just my fault for not paying attention. The smoker does cook faster than you think. Definitely use a thermometer. We smoke our Thanksgiving 20 pound turkey in this in about 4 hours, which is MUCH faster than all the guides. It is very economical on the chips, you rarely have to load it up more than twice.
If I could wish for more of this product, it would be that it were bigger. I can smoke two full racks of prime rib, but it is a tight squeeze and I have to cut them in half to get it to work. This is a great smoker if you don't want to fuss with charcoal and hawking over your temperature.
josh tintner : smoker newbie
I'm not sure that I have really anything bad to say about this smoker. I did purchase this as a gift for someone last year and from then I knew that I had to jump into the party and get one of my own. My wife purchased this for me for Christmas this past year 2015 and I got to use it yesterday for the second time.
The packaging this came it was top notch, all of the racks were taped up very nicely to prevent any wiggle or damage to the internal heating element. I actually read the instructions which I’m glad I did it because there is a “seasoning” process which should be done to burn off any traces of machine oil and prepare the smoker for its maiden voyage.
The first attempt to use this was 4 boneless chicken breasts. Needless to say it was a fail and pretty bad, but I honestly think this is because smokers are really designed for bone in meat. The chicken we purchased had zero fat on it so it got dried up and I got a little discouraged. I did a substantial amount of reading on endless blogs out there and decided to give it another go around yesterday which was Easter 2016.
Now, I do a lot of grilling in the summer time at least 3 or 4 nights a week so I know my way around a BBQ using natural gas. One Item that has always been a little daunting is ribs, I have never made ribs before as I’ve just always thought it to be a harder item to prepare and cook and cook them right.
So in my efforts to step up on my man game a bit, I decided that yesterday I would venture into making ribs on the smoker. Now, you can read all the recipes in the world out there and they will all tell you different things and methods so just find one and go for it. I ended up modifying the one I found online so to each their own.
The end result IMHO was that of a competition worthy result, maybe not first place but at least in the top 5. I’m now even more eager to give this another go and it brightened my spirits up a bit knowing that it actually is possible.
I will say that cleaning this is not the most fun part at all, but if you take care of this product it will withstand lots and lots of cooked meals. You cannot use any abrasive chemicals or rough sponge so my recommendation is to grab yourself a few beers, grab some tunes and a roll of paper town with some water and clean away. I also recommend wearing gloves while cleaning as it will get quite messy, take your time and it will be well worth the time spent to keep it clean.
Only minor complaints I have which are nitpicky is the controller for the temp and time. It does not feel super stable and is only held on by two screws in the back of the plastic board and held center by a screw on the top of the unit. It does not sit flush but then again you don’t mess with it while cooking so it is only a minor one.
The other complaint I have is I’m a tall guy and this thing sits pretty low to the ground; I will build my own stand for this over the summer to raise this up a bit without compromising the center of gravity. Overall I couldn’t be happier with this item and again, cleaning should prolong the life of the unit.
Billabongpro : OUTSTANDING, BRAIN-DEAD SIMPLE/EASY TO USE SMOKER!!!
Best smoker I've ever had! Dealt with a Little Chief for years and never could "get it right". This smoker makes it an absolute breeze to make amazing pork shoulder and duck!! So easy, just set the temperature and time (LOW and SLOW) for incredible results. Forget the glass units as they block-out after first use anyway and unless you want to scrub that off every use, be my guest. Think of this like a formidable dorm frisge that has been designed into a smoker...just as easy to use as placing beer in a fridge ;-) Be sure to follow the direction and add smoke on the hour - no need to ruin the meat with too much smoke. Use the pan provided by filling with water to keep the interior moise throughout the cooking process. If you remove and your meat is still tough, toss it in a crock pot to finish it off for four hours on high...will pull apart easily without being mushy. Have fun!!!
TomP : Great as a first smoker or someone that doesn't want to babysit
I did hours of research and talked to many people before choosing what would be my first smoker. I thought about charcoal and gas smokers but they just seemed like more of a hassle than electric. This seemed to be the most favorably reviewed electric smoker on numerous websites and for the price I figured it was worth a shot...I have no regrets. This constantly turns out perfect brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. Have yet to do sausage, chicken or turkey.
Setup took about 20 minutes as there is a lot of plastic wrap and packaging to remove. The smoker also requires a 3 hour 'seasoning' run - no big deal.
One thing that is very important to know about electric smokers is that they do not give as pronounced of a smoke ring as other smokers. It is important to remember that the smoke ring is not any indication of taste or flavor. To me, having the smoke ring is not as important as being able to "set it and forget it" while guaranteeing a delicious product after 12 hours of smoking.
I highly recommend this smoker - especially to beginners or to people that don't want to babysit their smoker.
Eric M. Schloegel Jr. : Don't waste your money it doesn't last long
It didn't even last 16 months, I had family over for some smoked chicken, I go to start the smoking and it trips the breaker. I kept resetting and the breaker keeps tripping. I moved to another section of my house and plug into a different side of the breaker panel and the same thing. I checked for loose connections and nothing. I cleaned everything top to bottom and nothing all you hear is a beep then the breaker trip. This POS is dead and I have only used it less than 10 times in the 16 months I had it. It was covered the entire time, and you can't find replacement parts, the only ones I can find cost more than replacing the entire smoker. The warranty is only 90 days
Linda N : Water pan did not hold up
Enjoyed using my new smoker until today. Smoked a batch of jerky and saw a puddle of liquid under the right lower corner of the unit,discovered that the water pan had a tiny hole in it. It looked like someone had seen it before and tried to patch it. Being stainless steel it didn't hold. I bought the unit in July 2017 and there is no way this should have happened. I've only done about 6 or 7 batches of meat in it. I feel this should be replaced by the company!
Jeff Capron : Great Smoker
I have had this smoker for over a year now and have smoked just about everything I can think of in it. I was worried by some of the reviews, but after years of shopping at Amazon, I am able to pick out the "nuts" in the reviews and thought I would give this smoker a try. Great choice! I am smoking a prime rib roast in it right now and was just thinking about all the good dishes this thing has made for me and figured I would finally write up my own review:
I keep my machine outside on my covered (but not enclosed) porch. I have had no issues doing so. I have had an occasional issue where there is some leakage, but that is usually just my fault for not paying attention. The smoker does cook faster than you think. Definitely use a thermometer. We smoke our Thanksgiving 20 pound turkey in this in about 4 hours, which is MUCH faster than all the guides. It is very economical on the chips, you rarely have to load it up more than twice.
If I could wish for more of this product, it would be that it were bigger. I can smoke two full racks of prime rib, but it is a tight squeeze and I have to cut them in half to get it to work. This is a great smoker if you don't want to fuss with charcoal and hawking over your temperature.
Dee Loe : Very disappointed
Really enjoyed this unit when it worked. Problem is it didnt make it to 2 years in age. We didnt even use the smoker every week. The unit is stored indoors and kept in excellent condition. This doesnt seem to matter though. It is triggering the GFI outlet.
George Gest : DON'T buy, WON'T last and CAN'T get PARTS
Update. Masterbuilt DEFEATED! I'm declaring victory in my encounter with Masterbuilt. I e-maild them to purchase a replacement heater element for this smoker using a part number from a current model. As noted, the element for my older model was discontinued and all MB could offer was for me to by a new smoker. I called to order the part and they would not sell it to me without my giving them a SN from a current model. We went to an appliance store and bought a standard 8" replacement electric stove burner. Running it on 110 volts it will produce about 1000 watts of heat. About three hours of fitting and modification and I now have a smoker that uses a standard stove heating element! Take that MB!
Update. DO NOT BUY ANY MASTER BUILT PRODUCT. They don't intend to support them and they won't last!
I can't possibly recommend buying any product built by Masterbuilt. Look for something built by someone else. If I could give it a lower rating than ONE star I would. You can't even get a part with a part number. They are running a scam to sell these things with planned obsolescence. Make it with parts that won't last then tell you the part for that SN series is not available. They are on to the idea of replacing their parts with parts from another series and have decided to block that action by the consumer.
Dadgum that's a piece of junk!
Update. Didn't last. The element burned out after about a dozen good uses. Masterbuilt no longer supports this model and you can't get a replacement heater element. Masterbuilt simply offers to sell you another one. Supposedly, if you know the part number you can retrofit with a higher power element from a later model but Masterbuilt won't sell it to you if they think that is what you are doing. Product registration is the means they use to find out what you are doing.
Jamie : Worth it, but not worth it!
It’s works just good enough to say that I have used it for 3 years. Thermostat is off by 30 degrees. So had to modify with another thermometer to keep temp. System does work well to keep heat, and the chip tray is still the best feature. Clean up is still pretty easy and drip tray could be a tad better. Still have smoked some good meats though. It seems like the thermostat controller was the last thing on their minds when they designed the smoker!
mattyd : Good value, has a few problems though...
The 4-star rating should be understood as a VALUE rating. The product gets 3 stars as a smoker, then it gets an extra star for the price. I make my own sausage, and a unit with the same feature set costs around $700 at sausagemaker dot com. I bought it in Novemer for $149. At the time of this review, the price has gone up to $179, and I think that is still a great price.
The best news is: it works!!! Smokes my sausages right up.
The cons are several. Although I'm glad I have it and this is a 4-star review, most of the rest of this review will be focused on the problems...
TEMPERATURE CONTROL --
For one thing, some other reviews have complained about low cooking temperatures. I have the opposite problem. The manual says it may swing +/- 10 degrees during cooking, and I understand the need for this: it heats up, makes some smoke, then turns off, cools down to a point, then heats up again. Thing is, mine goes 15-20 degrees high before it stops, according to the built-in digital temp display. However, I have an oven thermometer that has been verified accurate against several other oven thermometers and more than one oven, and according to that thermometer, when the smoker's temp display says 285(a high swing on a 275 setting), the temperature in the oven was actually 309. I took that reading during the "burn-in" process, but the same phenomenon happens at lower temps with sausages smoking.
I have not had it extremely full of meat yet, and it that case I might expect the swings to be more moderate, as the meat will act as a heat sink.
Anyway, one problem is the inconsistent temperature.
Some folks have wished it would go to a higher temp so fat would render and chicken skin would crisp up. If you want that, you should not look at smoker ovens, you should look for a rotisserie that you can put on your grill with wood chips for smoke. Smoker ovens are generally NOT FOR cooking supper, they're for smoking meat, which you generally then store and cook later. The manufacturer gets no sympathy from me in this regard, as they seem to pander to this misconception among uninformed consumers.
I've seen reviews saying that the manufacturer told them the problem was the use of an extension cord. I'm an EE by degree, and let me say that this is absurd. This device uses nowhere near the power that would involve significant line loss over 20 feet of cord -- if it did, it would be constantly tripping breakers and causing electrical fires all. The problem is a slow-responding heating element and an inaccurate control system, probably involving the housing of the thermistor. The people who heard that the problem was the cord probably spoke to a customer relations rep who thought it was his job just to shift blame away from the oven and onto the consumer.
The easy solution is to get an oven thermometer, check the temp (at long intervals so that opening the door doesn't skew things too much), and compare it to the oven's reading, and adjust your temperature setting accordingly. For me, this means setting the oven about 10 degrees cooler that I actually want, and the temperature fluctuations will center around something close to the correct temperature.
NO WHEELS OR HANDLES --
This thing is not that heavy, but it is unwieldy, and since it is not safe to leave it in the rain, and you can't smoke indoors, that means you have to move it around before and after use. The bottom has only "feet" -- wide ones in front and smaller ones in back -- so, you have to carry it. But it does not have any handles anywhere. For myself, I'm 6'1" and fairly strong, so I can get a friction grip on the sides and take it where I need to go. Most folks will want to get a hand truck or something, or else work in pairs. Really just a handle on each side, or make the back feet rollers and put one handle on the back would make this much more convenient.
BURN IN PROCESS("SEASONING") --
Okay, they tell you four hours at 275. I gave it eight hours at 275. Twice. It makes a lot of foul, chemically smoke. You must do this, or you will be smoking your first batch of food with who-knows-what chemical byproducts and residues from the manufacture process.
SO, ANYWAY ---
I'm glad I have it. I will probably try to mod it at some point in the future to make it more accurate and responsive. The price is great for what it does. Be prepared to work around some issues.
StephenH : Almost perfect
I purchased this electric smokehouse after seeing one a friend had and noticing that this one looked like an improved model. It is in some respects, but the changes introduced one minor problem which I will address.
First, the improvements:
The door latch is a great improvement since the original models relied on the magnetic strip to keep it closed. As it was used, the door would not stay shut. On this one, there is an adjustable latch, which should allow for adjusting the door to tighten it up if the seal shrinks.
The second major improvement is that there is now an access panel on the back for the electrical connections to the heating element. The earlier model that my friend has does not have this, so to get to the connectors, he has to take the back off, which is a major undertaking. Since the connectors are one of the items that seem to have the most problems, this should help greatly.
Now for the one flaw: In an attempt to minimize the possibility that the smoke chips would flare up when the door is opened, the tray that holds the chips was redesigned in such a way that it generates adequate smoke when it is used at higher heat, but when smoking at lower heat, it does not generate enough smoke. This has been a point of discussion in some forums. I am considering making or purchasing a smoke generating device to supplement this so that I can do more low-temperature smoking such as for cheese or cold-smoked salmon.
Overall, I have given the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse four stars. It would have been five stars had the low-temperature smoke generation been adequate. However, I would certainly purchase this item again. I do like the way it performs, and am looking forward to doing a smoked turkey at thanksgiving time.
Edit November 20, 2011:
I did purchase a smoke generator for cold smoking. It is necessary when one wishes to do cold smoking. The heating element would generate too much heat and melt cheese or heat other cold-smoked items too much.
Also, thanks to participation in a forum which discusses smoking, I found out about a modification by Masterbuilt. It involves replacing the chip tray with a full-width model, making room for more wood and greater smoke generation. However, it still only works when one is using the element for heat, meaning that for cold smoking, it makes no difference and an alternative method of generating smoke is still needed.
I have found that the ambient temperature has much to do with smoke generation as well. When the temperatures are cooler, the element is on for longer which means that the chips/chunks of wood are heated longer and more smoke is generated. When it is hot, the elements is not on as much which makes for a lower quantity of smoke being generated. One therefore has to take the ambient temperature into account when considering how much and how often to add wood chips/chunks. I stick with my rating and summation of this smoker as "almost perfect."
JKN : I have an excellent experience with this smoker.
I have been using this smoker for 3 years 2x per month. Other users seem to have had quality problems with it, but I have not. In fact, I have had any problems with it. The door seals well and the thermostat works fine. Because its an electrical appliance I would recommend users store it in a covered dry area, and not exposed to the weather.
Eric M. Schloegel Jr. : Don't waste your money it doesn't last long
It didn't even last 16 months, I had family over for some smoked chicken, I go to start the smoking and it trips the breaker. I kept resetting and the breaker keeps tripping. I moved to another section of my house and plug into a different side of the breaker panel and the same thing. I checked for loose connections and nothing. I cleaned everything top to bottom and nothing all you hear is a beep then the breaker trip. This POS is dead and I have only used it less than 10 times in the 16 months I had it. It was covered the entire time, and you can't find replacement parts, the only ones I can find cost more than replacing the entire smoker. The warranty is only 90 days
kvrntr : Decent smoker
For the price I couldn't ask for more. Smoking used to be more of a chore, more hands on. I can set the time and temp and check every hour or so.
You can spend hours smoking a bigger cut of meat, or even just an hour for something lile sausage or chicken breast. Finishing on the grill is the way to go!
I built a wood platform with wheels to make it move around a lot eaiser. Well worth the extra $15 in wheels from home depot.
I expect the element to go out at some point, hope the replacement cost is reasonable.
===============
(UPDATE)
Well as of August, 2016 this thing is toast. The control panel has warped and failed on me. I take some responsibility as I covered it with a black construction garbage bag to "protect" it from rain. I guess the garbage bag trapped too much heat in the summer and damaged the control panel in the display. Bummer.
J.W. George : Yowza
When a product has 1400+ 5 star reviews it probably doesn't need another one, but....yowza. These things are so cool I suspect within 3 years they will be as common in the American home as microwave ovens.
PACKAGING AND SETUP: It is so nice to get a grill/cooking device that doesn't require 2 hours of assembly. Unwrap all the packaging, screw on the control panel, and you are good. Remember you have to "pre-treat" this thing for 3 hours before you are supposed to cook with it.
RESULTS: I was so anxious to use it I just threw a bunch of seasoning on some bb ribs, kielbasa. and turkey breast and threw them all into the smoker for 4 hours. Wow I was the hero of the family.
COMPLAINTS/IMPROVEMENTS: It is absolutely baffling to me this thing doesn't come with wheels and a handle. The book tells you to store it in a dry place but you can't use it indoors. I've been picking it up and moving it from my sun room to the deck, but considering it weighs 50#s it is not the most convenient thing. LED readouts are difficult to read and take some getting used to. I was surprised the manual doesn't give any advice on what to do with the water dish; I just filled it halfway and hoped for the best and everything worked out
SYNOPSIS: Buy one right now!
SVandy : Magic smoker at a low price? Check!
I love this smoker! I was looking for something easy, as in I set it up and walk away for six hours and magically meat comes out delicious. I also didn't want to spend over $200 for a smoker that I needed to alter in order for it to work well. This smoker showed up on my doorstep, packaged perfectly and was set up within about 2 minutes. I seasoned it according to the directions, immediately put some salmon in and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to delicious smoked salmon. The smoker is sturdy looking and clearly well insulated, it takes care of the temperature on its' own and is super easy to operate. All of the features I liked are on this smoker (side loading, uses wood chips, insulated and self controlled).
mattyd : Good value, has a few problems though...
The 4-star rating should be understood as a VALUE rating. The product gets 3 stars as a smoker, then it gets an extra star for the price. I make my own sausage, and a unit with the same feature set costs around $700 at sausagemaker dot com. I bought it in Novemer for $149. At the time of this review, the price has gone up to $179, and I think that is still a great price.
The best news is: it works!!! Smokes my sausages right up.
The cons are several. Although I'm glad I have it and this is a 4-star review, most of the rest of this review will be focused on the problems...
TEMPERATURE CONTROL --
For one thing, some other reviews have complained about low cooking temperatures. I have the opposite problem. The manual says it may swing +/- 10 degrees during cooking, and I understand the need for this: it heats up, makes some smoke, then turns off, cools down to a point, then heats up again. Thing is, mine goes 15-20 degrees high before it stops, according to the built-in digital temp display. However, I have an oven thermometer that has been verified accurate against several other oven thermometers and more than one oven, and according to that thermometer, when the smoker's temp display says 285(a high swing on a 275 setting), the temperature in the oven was actually 309. I took that reading during the "burn-in" process, but the same phenomenon happens at lower temps with sausages smoking.
I have not had it extremely full of meat yet, and it that case I might expect the swings to be more moderate, as the meat will act as a heat sink.
Anyway, one problem is the inconsistent temperature.
Some folks have wished it would go to a higher temp so fat would render and chicken skin would crisp up. If you want that, you should not look at smoker ovens, you should look for a rotisserie that you can put on your grill with wood chips for smoke. Smoker ovens are generally NOT FOR cooking supper, they're for smoking meat, which you generally then store and cook later. The manufacturer gets no sympathy from me in this regard, as they seem to pander to this misconception among uninformed consumers.
I've seen reviews saying that the manufacturer told them the problem was the use of an extension cord. I'm an EE by degree, and let me say that this is absurd. This device uses nowhere near the power that would involve significant line loss over 20 feet of cord -- if it did, it would be constantly tripping breakers and causing electrical fires all. The problem is a slow-responding heating element and an inaccurate control system, probably involving the housing of the thermistor. The people who heard that the problem was the cord probably spoke to a customer relations rep who thought it was his job just to shift blame away from the oven and onto the consumer.
The easy solution is to get an oven thermometer, check the temp (at long intervals so that opening the door doesn't skew things too much), and compare it to the oven's reading, and adjust your temperature setting accordingly. For me, this means setting the oven about 10 degrees cooler that I actually want, and the temperature fluctuations will center around something close to the correct temperature.
NO WHEELS OR HANDLES --
This thing is not that heavy, but it is unwieldy, and since it is not safe to leave it in the rain, and you can't smoke indoors, that means you have to move it around before and after use. The bottom has only "feet" -- wide ones in front and smaller ones in back -- so, you have to carry it. But it does not have any handles anywhere. For myself, I'm 6'1" and fairly strong, so I can get a friction grip on the sides and take it where I need to go. Most folks will want to get a hand truck or something, or else work in pairs. Really just a handle on each side, or make the back feet rollers and put one handle on the back would make this much more convenient.
BURN IN PROCESS("SEASONING") --
Okay, they tell you four hours at 275. I gave it eight hours at 275. Twice. It makes a lot of foul, chemically smoke. You must do this, or you will be smoking your first batch of food with who-knows-what chemical byproducts and residues from the manufacture process.
SO, ANYWAY ---
I'm glad I have it. I will probably try to mod it at some point in the future to make it more accurate and responsive. The price is great for what it does. Be prepared to work around some issues.
Stuart Pieper : Terrible customer support, better off buying a nicer smoker
I love this smoker! Really simple and easy to use. Wish I would have sprung for the one with the window because I'm too tempted to open it all the time. ****Update***** Well, after 2 years of mild use, the heating element went out. After doing a lot of looking on forums and such, seems as though I am not the only person with this issue. Well, the only place that seems to have the parts is Masterbuilt themselves. So I called customer service, and was on hold waiting for an initial contact for 40 minutes, also seems to be a constant issue in all reviews that I have seen. I did really love this smoker, but their customer service is terrible, and for the price, 2 years is not a very long time. My smoker was stored in a dry shed when not in use, and covered from weather when in use.
George Gest : DON'T buy, WON'T last and CAN'T get PARTS
Update. Masterbuilt DEFEATED! I'm declaring victory in my encounter with Masterbuilt. I e-maild them to purchase a replacement heater element for this smoker using a part number from a current model. As noted, the element for my older model was discontinued and all MB could offer was for me to by a new smoker. I called to order the part and they would not sell it to me without my giving them a SN from a current model. We went to an appliance store and bought a standard 8" replacement electric stove burner. Running it on 110 volts it will produce about 1000 watts of heat. About three hours of fitting and modification and I now have a smoker that uses a standard stove heating element! Take that MB!
Update. DO NOT BUY ANY MASTER BUILT PRODUCT. They don't intend to support them and they won't last!
I can't possibly recommend buying any product built by Masterbuilt. Look for something built by someone else. If I could give it a lower rating than ONE star I would. You can't even get a part with a part number. They are running a scam to sell these things with planned obsolescence. Make it with parts that won't last then tell you the part for that SN series is not available. They are on to the idea of replacing their parts with parts from another series and have decided to block that action by the consumer.
Dadgum that's a piece of junk!
Update. Didn't last. The element burned out after about a dozen good uses. Masterbuilt no longer supports this model and you can't get a replacement heater element. Masterbuilt simply offers to sell you another one. Supposedly, if you know the part number you can retrofit with a higher power element from a later model but Masterbuilt won't sell it to you if they think that is what you are doing. Product registration is the means they use to find out what you are doing.
Amazon Customer : Great!
Simple to use and setup. The instructions are easy to follow and the system is pretty much idiot proof.
I have never smoked anything before this unit and now I have smoked pork and turkey with fantastic results. After living in Texas for a while, I have started to miss BBQ and this was a great way to try my hand at smoking without a crazy monetary or time investment.
Amazon shipping was great as usual and the unit came well packed and undamaged. Unpacked it (which did take a while) and then was up an running in 30 min. Just read the instructions, get some receipes from your favorite cooking site, and you are in business.
The unit is about the size of a small dorm room/hotel fridge and fits anywhere. I do suggest getting a cover if you want to store it outside.
EJ Johnson : Taste just as good as charcoal without the hassle
I purchased this unit when it was on sale for just under $140 and man I can honestly say I would pay $250 or more for this unit. First of all I am not new to smoking, I actually have a horizontal charcoal smoker that I have been using for the past 3 or 4 years.
The charcoal smoker is great and I love it but I wanted something that I could cold smoke cheese and salmon in so when I saw this bad boy on sale for $139 I bit the bullet and bought it along with the cold smoke attachment. I figured I was just going to use this for cold smoking and the charcoal for hot smoking, but one day I found myself wanting to smoke some ribs and forgot to pick up some charcoal when I was at the store so I decided to use the masterbuilt instead. Turns out the electric smoker is SO MUCH easier to maintain a constant temperature, no more lighting more charcoal and dumping it into the smoke box every few hours. All I had to do is turn it on and set a temp and thats it. The only thing I have to do is feed wood chips into it when i start seeing the smoke die down and thats it!
I have not touched the charcoal smoker since because the electric masterbuilt is some much less of a hassle to work with and the outcome taste just as good as charcoal. The only downside to electric is when you cook chicken I cant seem to get it as crispy as I like it with just the smoker alone. Its not a big deal because what I end up doing is after I'm done cooking the chicken in the smoker I fire up my small propane grill and crisp up the chicken and its good as gold.
The build quality of this unit is great and if you are on the edge and thinking of pulling the trigger, I would urge you to bite the bullet and add this sucker to your cart and checkout. Nothing beats the taste of smoked ribs or chicken or brisket and this smoker will give you that satisfying taste you are craving with you meats (and cheese if you buy the cold smoke attachment).
Eric M. Schloegel Jr. : Don't waste your money it doesn't last long
It didn't even last 16 months, I had family over for some smoked chicken, I go to start the smoking and it trips the breaker. I kept resetting and the breaker keeps tripping. I moved to another section of my house and plug into a different side of the breaker panel and the same thing. I checked for loose connections and nothing. I cleaned everything top to bottom and nothing all you hear is a beep then the breaker trip. This POS is dead and I have only used it less than 10 times in the 16 months I had it. It was covered the entire time, and you can't find replacement parts, the only ones I can find cost more than replacing the entire smoker. The warranty is only 90 days
B Christensen : Worked great for a year, then started blowing the breakers
This smoker is reasonably well built and a good value for the money. Over the course of about 15 months, I did probably ten smokes with it before it started blowing the circuit (whichever circuit) it was plugged into . This happened at my house and my neighbor's house, so I know its not an issue with my wiring.
Apparently these are plagued by electrical demons, and the most likely culprit is the element going bad from liquid dripping on it. Luckily they are fairly easy an inexpensive to replace (about $35) but having to do that every year is not really something I'm looking forward to doing...
Johnny Fudpucker : Buy it
If you want to smoke Meats this is your machine keeps a very accurate temperature very easy to operate and the food is delicious
Miriam E Fairchild : Expensive When You Calculate Per Use Cost Before It Malfunctions
We LOVED this until the digital controls stopped working. At first parts of the digital numbers stopped lighting up and we had to guess what time and temperature we were setting. Now we are having trouble making the buttons work at all. It's just a gamble now. This is terribly sad because we love the ease of use and smoking capabilities of this unit and even bought a second one as a wedding gift for friends. After enjoying the most amazing hot wings and other meats and vegetables, we can no longer be sure when/if it will work.
you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you
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