Masterbuilt MB20071117 Digital Electric Smoker, 30", Black review and price compare 2025
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Product overview
Brand
Masterbuilt
Model Name
Digital Electric
Power Source
Corded Electric
Color
Black
Item Weight
45.9 Pounds
Item Dimensions LxWxH
19.88 x 20.47 x 33.26 inches
Fuel Type
Electric
product features
This fits your .
by entering your model number.
Digital panel controls on/off, cooking temperature and time
Electric Smoker dimensions – 20.47" W x 19.88" L x 33.26" H | Max temperature setting – 275ᵒ F | Inside capacity – 2 Turkeys, 4 Pork Butts, 4 Racks of Ribs, 6 Chickens
Patented side wood chip loading system allows you to add wood chips without opening door
Thermostat-temperature control for even, consistent smoking
Fully-insulated body retains heat
From the manufacturer
DIGITAL CONTROL
Power on / off and control cooking temperature and time.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Thermostat control for even and consistent smoking.
PATENTED WOOD CHIP LOADING SYSTEM
Add wood chips without opening the smoker door.
Product Accessories
The Masterbuilt Smoker Leg Kit with Wheels gives mobility and increases the height for Masterbuilt digital electric smokers.
The Slow Smoker is perfect for smoking cheese, fish, bacon, and jerky, when longer smoke times at lower temperatures are ideal
The durable, polyurethane-coated cover protects your smoker from the elements year-round.
Smoke fish, jerky, veggies, and more on the Masterbuilt Fish and Vegetable Mat.
These comfortable, heat-resistant gloves are the perfect accessory for grilling, smoking, frying, and carving foods.
product description
Style:30" Smoker
The Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital Electric Smoker is perfect for the beginner or the pro. You’ll achieve competition-ready results in your own backyard, without the hassle of charcoal or propane. Simply plug this smoker in, set the digital controls, and it does the work! The patented side wood chip loader lets you experiment with flavor without opening the smoker door. Four chrome-coated racks provide plenty of room to smoke up to 6 chickens, 2 turkeys, 4 racks of ribs, or 4 pork butts. Master the art of smoking with Masterbuilt. Power on/off, control cooking temperature and time.
product details
important information
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Questions about Masterbuilt MB20071117 Digital Electric Smoker, 30", Black
Q:
How often do you add wood chips? And do you soak them?
Answer: i have time to use the unit twice, once with chips, soaked about 30 minutes, and once without. When I used chips, I added new ones about every 30-40 minutes.
Answer: I add more chips when the smoking has almost stopped. When smoking pork butts, it's usually every 90 mins to 2 hours between adding more. For fish or chicken breast that cook quicker, you don't have to add more.
Answer: 1/2 cup recommended of dry chips will last about 30 minutes.
Answer: Do NOT soak your chips in this smoker. You get them wet, the element drys them out and THEN they start to burn. Soaking chips is for when you drop them straight onto red hot charcoal. Putting in dry chip, you'll see approximately every 30 minutes you can add more chip. If this is annoying, buy the Masterbuilt cold smoking kit and put pellets in it.
Answer: Don't soak your chips. They just steam. Try a lighter wood and get a thermometer so you don't have to open the door. It will take some dialing in but you will be happy once you find the sweet spot and smoke flavor you like. You can get superexcited and get too much smoke for some peoples' tastes.
Answer: Adding wood chips depends on your heating temperature. Soaking your chips depends on their size. Smaller chips we'll soak, larger ones not so much.
Answer: You don't have to soak the chips but they last longer if you do. Just add chips every hour. You can cook several hours on a couple handfuls of chips
Answer: As a professional Chefi can tell you 100% soak. I soak with either water, apple juice or rootbeer depending on the flavor I'm looking for. The amount and intensity of smoke and flavor are much more enhanced with soaked chips. Dry chips burn up way too fast and a lesser flavor. You need the steam from the chips to get the process started.
Answer: I add them at the beginning startup ( when I turn smoker on) and again when the smoker is no longer emitting smoke I add more unless I am on the last hour of smoking
Answer: When it quits smoking and yes I soak them. You don't have to though.
Q:
How many years of use is realistic to expect from this smoker before it breaks? 3, 5, 10?
Answer:
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Answer: I had mine for 9 years and replaced the heating 3 times. But, that is not a bad thing: I PUT THIS THING TO USE! Briskets, ribs, chicken, steaks!! You name it! The only thing I found, all around the smoker is but if its very cold out, the temp is effected drastically...Similarly, hot out, the temp sours at times, especially in direct sun light. I still give it a 8-10 stars!!!
Answer: I've had mine 5 years and used it about 60 times (12 X a year). It is garage kept when not in use and I have never had an issue with it.
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Answer: Had mine about 2 years before the electrical control panel went out which you can replace for $50 on the Masterbuilt website. Used the smoker cover and under the roofline but sometimes it would get wet. Kept it out of the evening sun because here in Texas the summer sun would damage the cover and probably the smoker. Good news is I bought the extended warranty. Bad news is now extended warranty is only $12 versus the $23 I had to pay back then. I have a claim approved just pending what their offer is. You get what you pay for I guess. Loki g for the same smoker and will buy the extended warranty again.
Answer: I was given one of these a few years back. It maybe lasted 4 years with use 6 times a year and was stored on the covered back porch under the master built cover. The breaker (GFI) started tripping and I noticed the temperature was overrunning the set point. Set at 200 and it heated to 290. I expect the over temp had fried insulation causing the short. I considered replacing it, but went for a pellet smoker instead. See the customer comments about thermostat stopped working. Have not regretted that move.
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Answer: Less than 2 years. I used mine maybe 15 times in the 16 months that I had it and the controls stopped working. I contacted the company and the 1 year warranty has expired so if I am willing to spend more money, I can get a replacement control panel. I babied this thing. Took good care of it, cleaned it after using it, kept it out of the sun and covered. This is a cheap unit, I suggest you stay away from it.
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Q:
Does it have a pan to add water/juice etc. during cooking?
Answer: Yes. Water pan is large enough to smoke a long time.
Q:
What is the temperature range?
Answer: Max temp it can be set for is 275 degrees,will hold temp within a few degrees.
Answer: 100°F to 275°F
Q:
Can a 14” long brisket fit in there without touching sides?
Answer: Yes, it will fit in this smoker.
Answer: Yes I think it would. Trimming the ends would be a good idea. I love this smoker.
Answer: It will but you probably will not have much room on either side
Answer: Yes, no problem.
Answer: YES
Q:
Can the controller be removed easily?
Answer: Yes, the top controller is attached with two cables. In fact, it ships detached.
Q:
can i use it in the rain?
Answer: We would recommend using this digital electric smoker in the rain. Due to the electrical components of the smoker, you would risk permanent damage to the smoker. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to our Customer Service Department at 1.800.489.1581.
Answer: I would not use in a down pour due to being electric.
Answer: Should only if can keep control box and receptacle dry.
Answer: I use it in any weather condition under my porch
Answer: I did yesterday with no ill effect, but I made sure the plug stayed dry.
Q:
Is this the model with a replaceable heating element?
Answer: Yes
Q:
What is the return policy on this product?
Answer: Not sure. I should have checked that on my children but like the smoker, I failed to check. My smoker works just great and has been worth the cost (unlike the kids). Lol
Q:
Hi there, does this have a voltage range of 110-240 and frquency of 50/60HZ
Answer: 110 only rhat I know of
Q:
I need just the control panel
Answer: The control panel is faulty period. You will always need just the control panel. Considering there are YouTube videos on how to operate the smoker without the control panel, that shows the panel is trash
Answer: Mine came with a faulty control panel. I contacted Masterbuilt by email. They sent me a new one within 2 or 3 weeks.
Answer: I think if you go on there website. You can order parts you need.
Q:
does this have continuous feed for the wood chips? if not how long does it smoke for without adding more
Answer: It smokes for about 2 hours if you soak the wood chips in water. It is really easy to refill wood chip holder when it stops smoking. I usually put first wood chips in and drop it in tray, then I refill wood chip holder and when it stops smoking I just dump more chips in.
Answer: No, you will need to add wood chips approximately every 45 minutes.
Answer: No it does not have continuous feed .
Q:
How well will this smoker maintain temperature if it is cold outside? I live in Michigan and it is cold for a lot of the year.
Answer: I live in Wyoming and use this smoker to both slow cook or/and smoke year round, At -30F the steam-smoke rolls out the top vent and infuses the neighborhood with a delicious aroma, my go to fav is 11# pork picnic all rubbed up and overnighted at 225F for 11 hours with a full drip pan of water, 1cup apple and mesquite chip blend at beginning. Live life as large as it gets with this combo and U wont be disappointed. On today to get the cold smoker attachment to smoke cheese and bacon..YEEEEHAW!!!
Answer: I live in Wyoming and smoke or slow cook year round with this unit with thermometer and have NO ISSUES
Answer: My unit temperature gage said it struggled to keep up with cold outdoor temps. I did not confirm that with my secondary thermometer. I lengthened the time and 15lbs of chicken came out just fine.
Answer: We just used ours on a very cold night in Michigan and didn't have any problems. There was no snow, however.
Answer: Cook time
Q:
where is it made
Answer: Yes, our products are manufactured in China.
Answer: China- and not very well
Answer: Sad to say I believe made in China but headquarters in U.S.
Q:
Does this unit have the water pan and drip tray?
Answer: Yes. Water pan is separate and above drip pam. There is a collection tray on back of smoker that drip pan runs into
Answer: Yes, has both. Really like the smoker. Drip tray will even drain to an outside pan.
Answer: Yes. The unit is awesome.
Answer: yes
Q:
Can i use this inside the appartment or should I use the smoker only outside?
Answer: Outside ONLY please!
Answer: Outside only!!
Answer: Outside only
Answer: Wow.....
Answer: Lol
Answer: Really?
Q:
Can you use this indoors?
Answer: No not without proper ventilation but this is not recommended for indoor use!
Answer: With the smoke and the smell, I would not use indoors.
Answer: No If you are smoking and using chips, it will fill your house with smoke and potential other harmful gases.
Answer: No you cant, because of the smoke it puts out
Q:
Is the protection plan worth it?
Answer: I rarely buy these plans on such lower priced items. To each their own, I say.
Answer: Mine started to fall apart after 4 months so I’d recommend it.
Q:
does this unit have a temp probe for internal temp ?
Answer: Hi Brian, this unit does not have an internal meat probe. This unit is equipped with internal temperature probes to test the internal temp to ensure your smoker is at your set temperature.
Answer: No, temp is of interior/ambient. I use a 4 probe Ink Bird that I love, it has bluetooth connectivity.
Answer: It does not have a temperature probe for the meat.
Answer: I use a igrill 2 blue tooth connected thermometer can hook up 4 progs it's great. Made by iDevices.
Answer: No I just bought a cheap meat thermometer at the grocery store for 10 bucks
Answer: Yes and works beautifully!
Q:
Is the red light supposed to stay on during the entire cook time? It keeps turning off and I don’t know why .
Answer: The red light comes on if the current insidetemperature is below the set/programed. Once the inside temperature reaches the set temperature, the green light comes on. Only thing I can think of is that the outside temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or so. I first used it in about 46 degrees and windy and the red light was on for the three hours I programed it for. If this is not the case then it might be that you didn't hit the temperature button a second time to start the cooking cycle.
Answer: The red light indicates it is heating. When it reaches the set temperature, it will turn off and when it drops a few degrees it will come back on to maintain the set temperature.
Answer: The temp fluctuates and therefore causes the red light to turn on and off. The only reason I can think of it staying on is maybe you’re opening the door too often or your electric outlet isn’t supplying enough voltage to keep it at temp. Maybe move it to another outlet.
Answer: No just while heating
Answer: Get a hold of Masterbuilt with your problem
Q:
How do you know when its time to add more wood chips?
Answer: I monitor the volume of smoke escaping from the smoker. This model burns the wood chips slowly so a batch of wood chips provides good smoke for quit awhile. If you see the volume of escaping smoke start to taper off it is time to add more wood chips.
Answer: We recommend adding wood chips approximately every 30-45 minutes.
Answer: My rule of thumb has been to add the chips about every 4 hours of smoking. Works well for long smokes, and anything under that you don't want to use more than once. The smoke taste can overwhelm things if used too much.
Q:
What is the best cover to use to protect it from outdoor elements??
Answer: They sell a cover for around $45 usd Mine is not in those conditions
Answer: Sorry,I keep mine in the garage and didn't buy a cover
Q:
Can I return this?
Answer: How can I return this faulty, brand new product?
Answer: I haven’t needed to, mine works great. For the price I paid, when it does go, I will have gotten my money’s worth and wouldn’t consider returning it
Q:
Love the smoker - not liking the clean up! Is there an aluminum throw away pan available for purchase to catch the grease? If not, there should be!
Answer: Hi nattimom, we do not manufacture aluminum throw away pans to catch the grease drippings. You can always wrap components in aluminum foil for easy clean-up after a cook! I would not recommend wrapping the smoking racks though, to allow proper air flow throughout the unit.
Answer: My son did the research and bought this electric smoker for his small restaurant.
Answer: I use the disposable aluminum half steam table pans inside the smoker box. Usually just one but if meat spreads across whole rack, I use two turned short width on the rack. Sams Club has pans.
Answer: I use the disposable aluminum pans sold in the Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot grilling section.
Answer: You should be able to find a pack of cheap aluminum pans in any supermarket.
Q:
how are you suppose to move it without handles you can't tip it with food water or grease dipping in it or hot not a smart design without handles
Answer: The smoker does get hot and not cable of moving easily. I bought a moving cart from Amazon that has 3 shelves and mounted 2 shelves with the smoker on the second shelf and use the bottom shelf to store different flavored wood chips.
Answer: It's not made to be moved while cooking in it. If it has to be moved, remove anything which might spill, and slowly walk it where it needs to go or use a dolly. You should have known from the photos the smoker had no handles.
Answer: Not made for moving. Lightweight and situate where you’ll be using it before turning on. I’ve smoked nearly every kind of meat and veggies you normally smoke and never ever used any liquid, water, apple juice, etc. Why would you want to move it while it is on anyway?
Answer: I purchased a base unit that allows you to move the unit. However, you can not move the unit while you are cooking food. Be. sure to place your unit in the location you want it.
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Answer: I think you can get casters and just screw where the feet go. My son built me a cart and we bolted the smoker to it. I can move it anytime and don’t have to bend over to check the meat.
Q:
Can you fill the the box with the wood chips and it will automatically despence the wood it's self?
Answer: No.....requires addition of chips as it cooks.
Answer: No. As the wood is consumed you will continue to add wood till your finished smoking. The wood chamber is quite small. Probably sufficient for an hour or less of smoking. There are units with auto units and you may wish to consider such a unit. Also the electric unit is slow to heat. You may want to consider a propane unit. I used one with very good success. The Masterbuilt electric died after just one use. It now sits idle since warranty is expired.
Q:
Can you use pellets rather than wood chips?
Answer: even better than a tube smoker - get the masterbuilt cold smoker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KGP5BX/ . It allows you to burn chips and produces an amazing amount of smoke. I had relegated my masterbuilt to the shed because we have several pellet smokers, but the masterbuilt smoke attachment made the masterbuilt electric competitive with the pellet smokers for flavor.
Answer: I tried pellets and they caught fire in the smoker. No problems with wood chips.
Answer: Not recommended by manufacturer. Purchase separate metal tube pellet smoker - gives prolonged smoke even at low temp settings and eliminates frequent refilling of fuel tray.
Q:
What is the piece call that you load the wood chips into the smoker called
Answer: Wood chip loader
Answer: The manual calls it the "wood chip loader." Many users refer to it as the "chip tube."
Answer: "chip box" is what it is called, definitely called chip box on other brands. I got two of the, and both of them were defective, so they were returned to Amazon and I bought another brand from Amazon, even had a front window, and it worked really well, and even nicer looking. I don't know why the reviews for MB are so good, 2 out of 2 being bad is not good. Thankfully Amazon is really good with its customers.
Q:
can you do steaks and hamburgers in the smoker?
Answer: Not unless you like to cook the slow at max 275.
Answer: Yes. You can do anything you want. It’s the best appliance I’ve bought in years!
Answer: Yes and recipes can be found on our website.
Answer: i have not done this but i would think so. interesting. i would try burgers first.
Answer: Yes you can. That being said, I would strongly advise you to NOT buy it. Its not worth the money. Its junk.
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yep
Answer: Yes. It works really well
Q:
Can you substitute wood pellets for wood chips
Answer: The instructions for my 20071117 say not to use pellets, only chips.
Answer: It takes wood chips yes
Answer: The manual says not to use HEATING pellets. Heating pellets may be all softwood like pine and fir or may have a mix of soft and hardwood. Heating pellets are not food grade and may also contain binders that are toxic to ingest. Hardwood is probably fine. You just have to experiment how much to use.
Answer: I think so. the unit that you will fill with wood chips is about the size of a soda can so smaller pieces work best.
Answer: No
Q:
Can I connect "cold smoke attachment " ?
Answer: I have 2 of these units and one has the cold smoker unit on it. It is not too tall for this unit, and is the best thing that I have ever bought for BBQ. The smoked cheese, no matter what you desire, is awesome, and it is a must for smoking sausage.
Answer: No, the cold smoker is too tall for this model.
Answer: Yes. I have it and I recommend buying it.
Q:
We ordered the masterbuilt 2010113 digital electric smoker stand, 30 inch. not compatible the with this smoker. which stand is?
Answer: This one is sturdy and fits. Masterbuilt 20101113 Digital Electric Smoker Stand, 30-Inch
Answer: This one is sturdy. Masterbuilt 20101113 Digital Electric Smoker Stand, 30-Inch
Answer: This one is sturdy. Masterbuilt 20101113 Digital Electric Smoker Stand, 30-Inch
Answer: The same stand also comes in a 40 inch too you might want to try that o e instead
Answer: Not using a stand. On the patio (brick). If I wanted it higher I would put it on cinder blocks or make a table.
Q:
Do we need to wet the wood chips or is the water tray enough?
Answer: The chips go in dry. It has a water tray. With that being said, try it with wet. Probably won't hurt anything. Watch the master built videos on utube
Answer: We recommend dry wood chips for more smoke flavor.
Answer: I always soak the chips for up to 1 hr. Sometimes only for a few minutes. Seems to work better that way.
Answer: I would wet them
Q:
Can u smoke a 18-20lb Turkey in this?
Answer: I bought this for my son in law and have forwarded the question to him????
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yes
Q:
Will not turn on
Answer: Check the connector under the control panel. Also check heating element connection.
Q:
How many briskets can you smoke at one time?
Answer: ?? Are you saying you can fit 4 - full, lip on briskets in this smoker?? That's impressive!
Answer: 10
Answer: four
Q:
How often do I have to add water and do I jave to open the front to add water?
Answer: Well first off , don’t use water. Water adds no flavor, always add flavor when you can be it fruit juice or apple cider vinegar. But to answer you question I cooked a 12lb turkey to 165 and never had to add any more liquid. BTW I used apple cider Vinegar. But if you did need to add some, perhaps with a low ans slow pork butt (apple juice) or brisket (grape or orange juice) then you would need to open the door.
Answer: Water isn’t always needed for smoking. I smoked ribs for 4 hours without water but when I smoked my thxgving turkey for 10 hours I used water. The water doesn’t evaporate much so there is no need to open the door to refill during a smoking. You only use water to prevent whatever you’re smoking from drying out.
Answer: Yes, you will need to open the door to add water. I would recommend only keeping 1 cup of liquid in the water bowl throughout the smoker so it does not overfill.
Answer: after3 hours we still had plenty of water. Filled to the line on the pan. You have to open the door to fill water pan.
Answer: Unless you are doing an extraordinarily long smoke (I'd guess 8 hours or more, based on my experience), you won't need to replenish the water. In fact, if you're smoking something that will release a lot of fat, you should only use a minimal amount of water because the fat will drain into the water pan, possibly resulting in an overflow. Yes, you have to open the door to add more water. Tip: Always foil the water pan -- it makes cleanup so much easier.
Answer: Usually ive just soaked the woodchips in water. Never added water. But this smoker rarely lasted long enough to use it much.
Answer: I have never used liquid on anything I have smoked, butts, briskets, chickens, turkeys, bellies, hams, or cold smoked cheese, but if you did you would have to opened the door.
Answer: I don’t use water but beer or apple juice. Once I fill the tray I’ve never had to refill.
Answer: Mix apple cider vinegar and water. Change it after your done cooking lol don't leave it there for next time
Answer: Pan on the inside of unit. Holds enough to last severa! Hours. Always empty pan after unit is cooled off from using
Q:
I went on your website to purchase replacement grill grates and they weren't listed there. They only had them for 40 inch smokers not the 30 inch?
Answer: I have not seen them offered either. I would like a back up set to keep one clean at all times.
Q:
What is the model for the replacement water pan/bowl? Mine has some leaks in it and I want to replace with a water pan that will bit this size smoker
Answer: Be careful when ordering parts,they changed the configuration and all parts do not fit.I ordered a new chip holder and it not even close.
Q:
Using my own meat thermometer, is it okay to loop the cords through the top vent?
Answer: It will decrease the temperature as the heat escapes. In the summer this will not be as important. Depending on how long you have had the smoker, it will die before winter anyway. The cheaply made smoker will die after you have had it for under 18 months, but over the 12 months so that the warranty runs out. Customer NO Service (through email only) will reply to you saying you can BUY a replacement control panel. Enjoy using your smoker for the 10 to 15 times most people use it in this short period of time.
Answer: You can pull a meat probe through the air vent if desired.
Q:
Where is my order? Ordered this smoker on July 15.
Answer: either your credit did not go thru or never ordered properly it is Nov why on earth would you wait this long?
Q:
What is the difference between this model and the older one 20070910: http://amzn.to/2n4tG07 ?
Q:
How reliable in general is Masterbuilt? I bought one , despite a bad reputation. Mine failed after 5 months, and the manufacturer refused to remedy.
Answer: I had an older generation one for about 10 years and used 1or 2 times a month. When it finally crapped out got another.
Answer: we have only used ours once and it worked great
Q:
I am making salami and need to hang tubes is there a way to do this
Answer: We would recommend a sausage hanger in our accessory kit, 20100914.
Answer: There is nothing in the smoker to attach to. Only to lay on the racks
Q:
at 225 it will not make smoke what can i do/
Answer: I've had the same problem. I turn it up to 275 for 5-15 minutes to get the smoke going again, then back down to 225. On a long smoke I might have to do this 6-10 times. It's frustrating but, it's all I've found to overcome the "no-smoke" situation.
Answer: I get smoke at 225 with no problem. Makes sure your vent is at least partially open. If no air is moving inside the smoker, there wood chips won't smolder. I also made a mistake one time by not making sure the wood chips had been "dumped" in the chip tray. I added chips to the loading tray, but I forgot to turn it to get the chips to drop into the chip tray inside the smoker.
Answer: I just got it recently and smoked one brisket. Not a lot of smoke at 225, but the brisket came out perfect and had a strong smoky flavor.
Answer: Open the vent at the top and make sure your wood is "chips" NOT "chunks".
Answer: Try dry wood chips in the beginning, while brining your smoker to temp.
Answer: Send it back like I did
Q:
Does the digital feature keep the temperature in the smoker constantly within the target range?
Answer: yes it does. I had never bothered with thermometer before but do now....very spot on with digital feature. we have used this smoker for just about anything we could think to try. have not used our gas grill but twice since purchasing the smoker. all our friends have been quite impressed with food we have served from it. mary w
Answer: For me, it keeps the temperature fairly constant but it gets "off" when I open the door and then it takes time to get the temperature back to the setting. When it's really a windy day, it tries its best to keep the temperature constant. I really do like the machine; it's convenient and does a good job for me.
Answer: Yes. It keeps the temp at a constant, within a few degrees.
Answer: It was a gift so I don't know the answer............
Answer: Yes.
Q:
I can’t get the chips to smoke. i set the temp to 225 degrees. i soaked them for a while. what am i doing wrong?
Answer: 1st don't soak the chips. I found that if you push the chip tray all of the way in to the stops it actually raises the tray about 1/8". Pull the chip tray back about 1/2" and it will sit closer to the burner. Also I like to add the chips right at the beginning to get some smoldering. The temperature setting shouldn't matter as the burner is either on or off. The burner will be the same temperature wether you set it at 250 or 200 degrees, only the duration it is on/off will change.
Answer: I have the same problem this smoker sucks they say it smokes better at 240 deg or higher which sucks I do not soak the chips them try apple chips they a bit softer. The smoke tray is to small and sits up above heating element. I will not buy this product again or recommend it
Answer: First off soaking chips doesn't help them smoke. Sometimes it may appear so as the water in them turns to steam. Unless you want to steam your food do not use water on your wood
Answer: Guy, I don't soak the chips. After reading many and several barbeque/smoker cookbooks and perusing several online website forums from members, most of them recommend not soaking the chips when using an electric smoker (or for that matter, when grilling on a gas grill). I just preheat the smoker to 225F and then add the chips. I wait until I can smell/see smoke, and then I start cooking. You'll need to replenish the smoker box a little more often, but that's a minor issue.
Answer: I let the chips soak in water the night before. I usually put the chips in a ziplock bag and cover with water. Just drain prior to using. This has always worked for me.
Answer: Guy- I removed the screw that holds the wire that supports the chip pan. I then found a small frying pan that fits in the opening and rests on the heating element. It works great! U get all the smoke u want. Jack Schneider. P S- I asked the Masterbuilt person if the pan resting on the burner would cause any problems. The answer was "no". Good luck
Answer: I have used an electric for a few years. I've never been happy with the smoke production. I use the electric to maintain heat and I use the pellet tube (Amazon Best seller, under $15) and pellets to produce smoke. It has been a great combo thus far.
Answer: Make sure chips are getting in smoke pan, damp chips might not dumpoperly
Answer: I don't soak the chips, they just get water logged and don't smoke for me either.
Answer: Your heating element may be bad.
Q:
is this a good smoker?
Answer: I love this smoker. Easy to put together. Easy to use and clean. I bought 2 more as gifts after my first purchase.
Answer: Yes I use mine all the time holds the heat well! I did get a cold smoker for the side so I don’t have to keep adding chips!
Answer: I'm happy with it. I've never used a smoker before, I picked this up because I started making sausage and wanted to be able to smoke them and it does a fine job. Don't overcrowd it and smoke things slow. It seemed to be the highest rated smoker in its class.
Answer: Yes
Q:
What size woods chips work best in this smoker?
Answer: You should use small chips. It is not designed for large wood chunks or wood pellets. You can buy the wood chips from Amazon.
Answer: Standard approximately 1" chips.
Answer: Never got to use it. Had two of them and neither one worked. Sent them both back.
Q:
Why does the picture show 4 shelves . It only comes with three?
Answer: The unit is offered at multiple retailers and has a as featured items that will include an extra rack.
Product reviews of Masterbuilt MB20071117 Digital Electric Smoker, 30", Black
Doufé : Dents, scratches but a little hope...
For the price this smoker is beautiful, but for a new smoker you deserve better quality. When I pulled my smoker out of the intact shipping box I was highly impressed, untill I started looking closer. The corner was dented in, dents all over the sides and scratches. For a new product this is unacceptable, and I doubt it is from the shipper as much as it is manufactor due to how well it was package. Leveling it is a pain as well, could've had a little simpler system than what is given. Over all I will be using this smoker weekly and I hope it holds up, my first impressions were amazment to disappointment for the lack of care given from the manufacturer before shipping it. If it wasn't for the price point and the little hope I have that this smoker will be reliable I'd send it back in a heartbeat.
WyomingTeacher : Happy
I dont give many 5 star reviews- this one made me think for a bit. You see I always see room for improvement and dont give 5 stars because there is always something.
However- I knew what I was getting when I bought this. I know it was an electric smoker and it is really a “manual” smoker. Lets face it, its an outdoor oven with smoker tray and vent.
Pros: It is lightweight, assembles easily, plugs in and works first time, produces smoke (with right chips), heats well, display easy to read, controls are self explanatory, lots of room with 4 racks, adjustable feet, latching door, water bowl, grease trap and - well it works with minimal effort
Cons: it is lightweight, you are suppose to use wood chips not pellets or chunks, digital display moves one degree at a time when setting, temperature fluctuates at about 15-20 degree difference as it heats and cools, lots of pieces to clean between uses, the wood chip tray is small, and for smoking you have to add more wood chips as you go a manually.
The results: if you know you arent getting wifi or blue tooth enabled temp, or auger/power pellet feeder, then you wont be dissapointed. You open the box, remove the packing and wraps. You skide in 4 racks, a water tray, a grease tray, a chip pan, a chip feeder, and exterior grease pan, hind legs, front legs and then screw in (2 phillips head screws) the display (plug and play) and it is ready.
I bought a blanket for smoking in the winter and $15 dollar cover that wont make the first wind storm. They fit great. You need to plug it in first and season it by letting it run at 225 for a few hours and then ending with smoke chips. I did that day one.
Day two I covered a rack in foil. I places two wild trout filets on that rack. On the other two racks I placed one home made venison brat (jal/ched for you enthusiasts) on each rack. I set it at 225 and added mesquite chips soaked in water. I set the timer for 4 hours, knowing I didnt need that long.
I pulled the fish out after about an hour and 45 minutes. Its ok. While I did add water, the mesquite doesnt pair well and the fish is a little dry.
The Brats took a bit longer to get to 160, about 3 hours. I flipped them when I took the fish out. They absorbed the awesome smoke flavor- and created such a savory flavor I will never cook my home made brats differently.
The racks need pulled out and washed. The interior had some grease splashes that once is cooled will be wiped down. The door as well. All removable trays and pans have to be pulled and washed between, as they will catch grease and drips.
I am glad i purchased this- lots of tasty treats coming soon.
Locutus65 : NOT sun resistent. Does make great smoke.
Set it up on our patio and started the seasoning process. Our home gets a lot of sun, Houston sun. The patio gets full sun all morning. After seasoning I see that the cover over the display and buttons is all curled up around the edges. Yes, the sun was hot but that should not have happened. I was able to stick it back down but now the power button is 'iffy' to use. Also, the control panel is actually coming apart. So far it still seems to be working but I'm contacting Masterbuilt hoping they will replace the control unit. While seasoning it did make a good amount of smoke. Seems like it will work great just like the last one I had.
*Update 08/16. Last week I sent an email to Masterbuild support and today received a reply that they are replacing the control unit for me. Of course, they also recommended keeping the smoker in a covered area. I've already purchased a large beach umbrella to use while I'm using the smoker to keep direct sunlight off of it. I still think they should use a better cover and plastic for the control using that will hold up to sun.
Judy2099 : DO NOT BUY
Waste of time and money. Ordered and even got the extended warranty through Amazon. It DID NOT work. It was getting power, as the digital controls were working, but absolutely NO HEAT. Amazon replaced it, but the second one -- same problem, controls lit, but no heat again. Amazon offered to replace the heating element, but I did not like the idea of buying a new product and having to repair it immediatly. Also, Masterbuilt has NO customer service, phone call says to contact their website and get an "repair Order Number" which does not work, must contact them on line, and they do not respond, waited a week for a response, none. Like, buy anew car and have to replace the engine before it will work??? No thanks. I got Masterbuilt because of the reviews, but they must be false news. Bought a different brand and it worked great. Would give them a NO STARS but there is not a place to do that.
Paul K : Fantastic results for a 1st time smoked foods cook!!!
I have had this now for 2 weeks. Impressed right away with build quality, locking door seal, good heat insulation, and side port for adding chips without opening the door (and losing heat). We have so far smoked a whole chicken (split in half no brine), pork spareribs (not baby back, but full ribs), and a Pork Butt (shoulder). Also some vegetables like Eggplant. It is fantastic and the chicken and ribs came out perfectly and looked like from a competition with the perfect color and juiciness. We used hand made rubs from recipes and it was amazing. The pork shoulder pulled-pork came out great (excellent bark, perfect flavor and texture) but took too long, but that appears to be from my getting a thick cut butt vs. the normal separated top from plate and also not letting it warm up after the fridge with brine - so the center took much longer to reach 195F. Also, I smoked the pork at 210F as the recipe state, but that meant the chips would not always smoke since the day was warm and the heating element almost never came on (these are well insulated). Masterbuilt responded to my inquiry with some good suggestions/options. So, that is something people should be aware of when using the lower temps - you can turn up the heat for 5 minutes when you add more chips so they start smoking, but it is more work. Their suggestion is to open it and empty the tray every so often so it (a) ensures the chips are touching the metal, and (b) cools a bit so that the element has to turn on to get them smoking. I am getting their $50 side port cold smoker unit since I like that I do not have to add chips for 6 hours vs. every 45 minutes or so.
My Eyes Are Up Here! : Would be a 5-star product if you could see the LED display
This is our first smoker so don't have a lot to compare it to, but it's very easy to use and makes efficient use of the chips, and the meat turns out great!
Unfortunately, the LED display is so dim you can only see it at night. Maybe we're crazy for smoking meat during the day, but I can't see the readout even if cup my hands over the display to try and block out the sunlight and strain to see it. This makes the unit extremely difficult and frustrating to program and use. Therefore, it's an "okay" product that is only one fixed design flaw away from being awesome.
Charles N. : Works well
OK first this is an electric smoker so it will have some limitations with respect to the heat range. That said I find the smoker worked well.
I have owned charcoal, gas and now this electric smoker so I’ve been around the block a few times. I have used it several times and I have smoked everything from fish to chicken to ribs they all came out well smoked and cooked through.
Because of the limited chip tray you will have to replenish the chips regularly likely every 30 minutes. Also because of it being an electric smoker it may take a little longer to smoke the items than you would expect with gas or propane.
Unlike others I found that this generated sufficient smoke without the need to modify the unit and move the the chip tray to sit on top of the heating element.
I did however find that when smoking a lot of meat for a long period of time the unit will leak from the door I had a significant leak from the corner of the door so if you are going to use the smoker on any surface you do not want to get stained, like a wood deck or concrete patio, it would be best to place a tray or other protective device under the unit to protect from spills. I use a tray from an automotive store designed to place under a car to protect the driveway from spills- I have used it with all the smokers I owned Such as Hopkins 11430 FloTool 25" x 36" Large Drip Tray(on Amazon)
One note of. Caution -when removing the water tray after smoking be very careful. It may be full and It has a tendency to tip over and spill its contents so be very careful-the design is poor and because of the long lip tends to be unstable when filled with water if you place it on a flat surface.
Other than that, for an electric smoker I think it does the job well.
William Merritt : Excellent Smoker for a Beginner
Although I like smoked meat as much as the next guy, I could never quite justify spending the money on a smoker. My wife surprised me with this for Christmas and we absolutely love it! I suspect that because it's smaller and less expensive than some of the other "big-name" smokers out there, it takes a little longer for the meat to reach the proper temperature. But we just plan in advance to add an hour or two to what most of the recipes out there say.
I give it 4 instead of 5 stars because when I first bought it, I only had to add wood chips to the tray once and it would produce copious amounts of smoke for up to 6 hours. But after four months it stopped doing that and even if I emptied the old chips out of the tray and added fresh chips in the middle of the process, they wouldn't smoke. I contacted customer service and they were excellent to help me trouble-shoot the problem. In the end, they sent me a new heating element, free of charge. Unfortunately it didn't solve the problem, but I discovered if I raised the temperature to 250, it smoked just great. I guess 225 degrees is not quite hot enough to produce continuous smoke.
All in all, I'm very happy with the product AND their customer service. Now I lie awake at night, dreaming of upgrading to something larger and more powerful. But for those wanting to see if smoking meat is something they could get into, this little unit is a great way to start.
Robert P Carmean : Broken Latch, Timer/Temp & Low Smoke
I used it once and the latch fell apart. I went to Lowes and bought a toolbox latch and installed it. The surface area for the wood chip tray is very small. I needed to get the temperature to 250 to get any smoke. I have used Apple, Mesquite and Hickory. We all need a lower temp to get a good smoke. A larger smoke tray would do the trick. The temperature control and timer is almost impossible to read outside in the sunlight and it stopped working after 5 uses. With the money I spent on the smoker and the Masterbuilt stand that didn't fit until I modified it, I feel ripped off. I would look elsewhere for a better smoker.
Locutus65 : NOT sun resistent. Does make great smoke.
Set it up on our patio and started the seasoning process. Our home gets a lot of sun, Houston sun. The patio gets full sun all morning. After seasoning I see that the cover over the display and buttons is all curled up around the edges. Yes, the sun was hot but that should not have happened. I was able to stick it back down but now the power button is 'iffy' to use. Also, the control panel is actually coming apart. So far it still seems to be working but I'm contacting Masterbuilt hoping they will replace the control unit. While seasoning it did make a good amount of smoke. Seems like it will work great just like the last one I had.
*Update 08/16. Last week I sent an email to Masterbuild support and today received a reply that they are replacing the control unit for me. Of course, they also recommended keeping the smoker in a covered area. I've already purchased a large beach umbrella to use while I'm using the smoker to keep direct sunlight off of it. I still think they should use a better cover and plastic for the control using that will hold up to sun.
Ashley : Makes Excellent Food
I’ve had many mixed feelings about this smoker and Masterbuilt since purchasing it 3 weeks ago, but I am finally satisfied. I had to return the first smoker I received because it looked like the packaging had been dropped multiple times and the front door was badly dented. I received the replacement 3 days later. It was easy to assemble, but when peeling the cardboard off the front of the unit, the paint tore right off. I had meat marinated and ready to go on, so I sucked it up and used it. I made wings. They were the best wings I’d ever had in my entire life! I smoked them at 250° with apple and pecan chips. The next day, I made ribs that were absolutely to die for. I did notice that while smoking at a lower temp (225°) I didn’t get much smoke. They still tasted perfect.
I was still upset about the paint chipping off, so I made sure I registered the smoker and contacted Masterbuilt. I gave them a simple explanation, and within a couple days, they sent me a brand new door. I was originally going to complain about how cheap the product is, but Masterbuilt took care of the problem right away. My only concern is not getting much smoke at a lower temp. My chicken wings smoked at 250° and it smoked like a chimney. The ribs went in at 225° and I had some smoke, but not much. That seems to be a common complaint.
Kathryn A. Woody : piece of crap smoker..!!!
If I could give this smoker a ZERO I would...I wrote the company to request a replacement panel for the Masterbuilt MB20071117 Digital Black Electric Smoker, (30 inch). I purchased this smoker on April 2, 2020 for our son for his birthday. The smoker was kept outside under a patio area with little to no sun exposure... During the recent heat wave a few weeks ago the electronic panel warped and started to peel up..it is illegible. My son was able to use the smoker for only about 4 months..He is not able to use the smoker because nothing on the panel is legible or works. The response from the company was basically "too bad, so sad" you're past 30 days...so pretty much I spent over $200.00 on a useless piece of equipment that lasted 4 months !! DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT IT IS A PIECE OF CRAP !!! AS I STATED TO THE COMPANY IN MY RETURN RESPONSE...LESSON LEARNED...ONLY BUY AMERICAN MADE !!!
Matt : Inconsistent temperature, poor at heating, ok at smoking.
I'm making poor man's burnt ends in the pic attached. I'm using the MEATER thermometer which is a well known and very accurate thermometer. I preheated the unit to 275 for an hour prior to putting the meat in. I'm waiting for the meat to get to 165, the smoker is set at 275 and has been since 11am this morning. As you can see, the ambient temp hasn't even reached 200. So it is almost 80 degrees less than what it is supposed to be.
You have to add chips hourly as the reservoir is small. I don't mind this as much but still can be annoying if you're try to take a sunday nap.
Overall for the price I suppose it makes sense. I've made beef and pork ribs which both came out alright. It comes in handy as a warmer for food when having a party. I think next year I'll spend some more money and buy a real smoker. This has been a decent first step and a relatively inexpensive one.
edit: turns out the MEATER sucks. I pulled the roast out of this smoker, used a normal probe thermo and it was at 212. My mistake. This smoker is great. Going to keep it for a while.
Michael Selby : A great smoker; everything you would want
I am not familiar with this brand, so I was hesitant to buy it. I am completely sold on it. I have used it about a dozen times in 2 months. I have done beef, pork, chicken and turkey. Everything has turned out great. It was easy to assemble. I really like the digital controls; just set the temperature and the time. It is easy to add chips for smoke; I really like that you don't have to open the smoker to add chips. I haven't cold smoked anything yet, but I am sure that will work just as well. I am completely satisfied; a great buy.
1numsum : Nice Little Unit
It's so simple . I went out for lunch the other day and saw beef ribs on the menu and thought what the heck I'll give them a try . I know they were bbq'd ribs but they were awful and pricey to boot .After that I had to have me some good ribs . I researched and saw this little gem . It's a little pricey but what isn't nowadays . Amazon shipped it super fast .Got home from work that night , unboxed and assembled took about 15mins tops . Plugged it in and was ready to season . I ran it for 3 hours at 275 and man did it stink ! The last hour with the chips didn't really have consistent smoke , I was watching the whole time of coarse .I wanted a smoker not a warmer with a hint of smoke ,so I did a little search . I found out the burner is too far away from the chip try . There is a few mods out there but I found the easiest one is to remove chip tray rack and set tray directly on burner . You can position it so your chip tube will still work . After that I just played with the amount of chips I add and it works great . Temperature seems to be a couple degrees low but easy to adjust (it fluctuates like 10 degrees anyways). Display is tough to see in the day light but not that big of deal . Back to the ribs , I used my fav. dry rub and sauced it up the last hour and I'll tell you what they're some of the best ribs I've ever eaten . So simple .
JJS : Can’t recommend this
I held off writing a review until after I had used it a few times. I am disappointed with this smoker and can not recommend. This is my 2nd Masterbuilt smoker. I loved my first one. I can never get this one to the correct temperature. If I want it at 225 I have to set it at least 10-15 degrees higher. I have to constantly babysit it so I can watch the temp. I also don’t feel it creates as much smoke as my older one. I’ve tried a couple different types of wood chips to see if that made a difference. Setting the time and temp is difficult because of placement. Can’t see it in the sunshine and have to cover it with something to see it. I suppose not a big deal but still a pain. So I am going to clean up my old one, order some new parts for it and go back to using it. Probably sell this one to recoup some of the money I spent on it.
Eric D. Sheldon : Great smoker for the price! - Just be aware...
I bought this smoker after the recommendations from my father and two friends. They were right, for the price, you can't beat this smoker. Here are a couple tips I've learned or been told that are extremely helpful: 1. The chip adding tube is great. You need to add new chips once an hour. Buy the cold smoker attachment (if you can find it). You can add six hours of chips to it. I use the cold smoker as the smoke source and the main until just to regulate heat. So much easier for smoking something like a pork shoulder for 20 hours. 2. The thermostat isn't very reliable. It basically reads the temp at the top of the smoker. Through trial an error, with other probes and thermometers, I've learned that there is a 40-50 degree difference between the top (what the thermostat reads) and the bottom shelf. It's about 10 degrees lost per shelf. This realization has saved much frustration between expectation and reality. *This issue is odd, since the sensor is in the middle of the smoker box. 3. If you don't have a place to keep and use the smoker in the same spot all the time, buy an all wood furniture dolly to keep it on. It makes moving it around much easier. 4. The paint they use looks nice, but doesn't stand up to the heat. It will melt and bubble in the areas that are heated. Not a huge deal, just not quite what I expected.
If this had been more expensive I probably would've given it 3 stars because of the thermostat issue. But for the price and after some trial and error, it's a great deal!
Sam : Update: I "DO NOT" recommend
UPDATE: I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT! After the 30 day Amazon return policy but within the 90-day manufacturers warranty, the controller stopped working properly. I've uploaded a video showing what is happening. It is now worthless to me after only 75 days. Amazon tried to contact Masterbuilt who is "not taking phone calls at this time due to COVID". After speaking with 4 departments at Amazon I finally had enough and demanded a refund. I don't want a replacement of a product that I don't trust and a company that won't support customers. Right now I'm on the line with the 'bulky return items' department for Amazon that has advised I will be getting a refund. Cya never Masterbuilt...
Previous review: This is a great smoker. I saw many reviews referencing a lack of smoke. So I took out the woodchip tray bracket that comes pre-assembled and set the tray directly on the coils underneath the chip loader. Works like a charm. The only reason for 4-star was some of the craftsmanship. There were a couple loose screws on the inner metal liner. Nothing major, but I need to keep some sort of integrity to five-stars. I would absolutely recommend this product.
John D Marinuzzi : Two dead control units in 9 months...
The unit itself is fine. It is nice to be able to set a temp and keep it there. However, the quality of this unit is questionable. I have had two control units stop working in 9 months of ownership. The smoker stays outside under a covered patio, so it does not get rained on. I bought it in February and it is September, so the weather has not been extremely cold. The only reason I gave it one star was because Masterbuilt was great about replacing the part, even though it took about 3 weeks to arrive. I have not contacted them about this current issue. I am writing this review a little bit annoyed as I was supposed to be smoking a brisket tonight for a party tomorrow and cannot. So, I have yet to find out how they will handle this second issue.
Sam : Update: I "DO NOT" recommend
UPDATE: I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT! After the 30 day Amazon return policy but within the 90-day manufacturers warranty, the controller stopped working properly. I've uploaded a video showing what is happening. It is now worthless to me after only 75 days. Amazon tried to contact Masterbuilt who is "not taking phone calls at this time due to COVID". After speaking with 4 departments at Amazon I finally had enough and demanded a refund. I don't want a replacement of a product that I don't trust and a company that won't support customers. Right now I'm on the line with the 'bulky return items' department for Amazon that has advised I will be getting a refund. Cya never Masterbuilt...
Previous review: This is a great smoker. I saw many reviews referencing a lack of smoke. So I took out the woodchip tray bracket that comes pre-assembled and set the tray directly on the coils underneath the chip loader. Works like a charm. The only reason for 4-star was some of the craftsmanship. There were a couple loose screws on the inner metal liner. Nothing major, but I need to keep some sort of integrity to five-stars. I would absolutely recommend this product.
Keith Falter : Yes- I had the control board failure after just two uses
As the manufacture stated when I called into customer service with my problem, "the bad reviews you read are only from dissatisfied customers." Well, that's true, and I am very dissatisfied. The unit arrived promptly (along with the cold smoker attachment) and I put it into service immediately. Easy assembly and all worked well except the temperature on the control panel was 20+ degrees cooler than what was indicated on the control panel (as measured by a precision remote thermometer. In less than 2 months the unit began to read 300 degrees constant, regardless of actually temp, meaning the heating elements would not start. A call to customer service was efficiently answered and a replacement control unit was COMMITTED to arrive in 5-7 days. No email confirmation was received. 2 weeks later I call customer service only to find out that Masterbuilt won't receive new control units until 24 October. Terrible. If you read online reviews you will find this is a huge problem with these units causing a lot of frustration. Theres a problem in the basic components and/or assembly if you have this high rate of failure- Masterbuilt should investigate and put a program in place to eliminate this problem. I work for a technology manufacture and can tell you if we had half this rate of failure in our components our customers would stop doing business with us. I would definitely consider buying a different manufactures smoker if I had it to do over again; very, very disappointed in the quality of the product and Masterbuilts efforts to correct this problem with the manufacture.
Keith Falter : Yes- I had the control board failure after just two uses
As the manufacture stated when I called into customer service with my problem, "the bad reviews you read are only from dissatisfied customers." Well, that's true, and I am very dissatisfied. The unit arrived promptly (along with the cold smoker attachment) and I put it into service immediately. Easy assembly and all worked well except the temperature on the control panel was 20+ degrees cooler than what was indicated on the control panel (as measured by a precision remote thermometer. In less than 2 months the unit began to read 300 degrees constant, regardless of actually temp, meaning the heating elements would not start. A call to customer service was efficiently answered and a replacement control unit was COMMITTED to arrive in 5-7 days. No email confirmation was received. 2 weeks later I call customer service only to find out that Masterbuilt won't receive new control units until 24 October. Terrible. If you read online reviews you will find this is a huge problem with these units causing a lot of frustration. Theres a problem in the basic components and/or assembly if you have this high rate of failure- Masterbuilt should investigate and put a program in place to eliminate this problem. I work for a technology manufacture and can tell you if we had half this rate of failure in our components our customers would stop doing business with us. I would definitely consider buying a different manufactures smoker if I had it to do over again; very, very disappointed in the quality of the product and Masterbuilts efforts to correct this problem with the manufacture.
Ashley : Makes Excellent Food
I’ve had many mixed feelings about this smoker and Masterbuilt since purchasing it 3 weeks ago, but I am finally satisfied. I had to return the first smoker I received because it looked like the packaging had been dropped multiple times and the front door was badly dented. I received the replacement 3 days later. It was easy to assemble, but when peeling the cardboard off the front of the unit, the paint tore right off. I had meat marinated and ready to go on, so I sucked it up and used it. I made wings. They were the best wings I’d ever had in my entire life! I smoked them at 250° with apple and pecan chips. The next day, I made ribs that were absolutely to die for. I did notice that while smoking at a lower temp (225°) I didn’t get much smoke. They still tasted perfect.
I was still upset about the paint chipping off, so I made sure I registered the smoker and contacted Masterbuilt. I gave them a simple explanation, and within a couple days, they sent me a brand new door. I was originally going to complain about how cheap the product is, but Masterbuilt took care of the problem right away. My only concern is not getting much smoke at a lower temp. My chicken wings smoked at 250° and it smoked like a chimney. The ribs went in at 225° and I had some smoke, but not much. That seems to be a common complaint.
Joseph A. Kijewski : Easy to use, fantastic results
My family loves smoked foods. I have had a 22" Weber Smokey Mountain bullet charcoal smoker for years, and while we love the results I get from it, I found myself hardly ever using it because of the need to be constantly tending the fire. Flipping through the television channels in January, I came upon an infomercial for a small, portable Masterbuilt electric smoker and the food that they were pulling out of it looked so good that I decided to do a bit of research. I ended up treating my family (and myself) to a new electric smoker and chose the Masterbuilt 30" (rather than the little one on the TV). I cannot be more pleased.
Since getting it, I have smoked food for my family every other weekend. The smoker could not be easier to use. Plug it in, set the temperature that you want and the timer, put some water in the water pan, add your food, and off you go. Wood chips (about a handful every hour or so) are easily added through the side mechanism without ever having to open the smoker door. I use a remote digital thermometer to make sure that I pull the food at the right temperature and the results have been fantastic. So far, I've made pork shoulders (three times), beef ribs, salmon, baby back pork ribs, St. Louis spareribs, turkey and chicken wings, whole chickens, a turkey breast and an eye round roast of beef. Every single thing I've smoked in the Masterbuilt has been delicious and thoroughly enjoyed by my family. While I saw that some reviews for the smoker criticized the need to cut full racks of St. Louis ribs in half to get them to fit, while true, this is not something I see as complaint worthy. Were I to need to make food for more than 10 people, or make multiple turkeys at once, I probably would haul out the Weber bullet; however, for cooking less than that, I can't imagine ever using anything but my Masterbuilt ever again.
PROS: Well built, super simple operation, fantastic results, easy to clean. CONS: None that I have been able to see. ADDED BONUS: Got mine with a nice discount as an Amazon Warehouse Deal. The only thing I saw that kept it from being full price was a dent and rip on the box -- the smoker, however, was in pristine condition wrapped in plastic and padded with styrofoam packing. Not a dent or scratch on the unit itself.
Great job, Masterbuilt!!!
UPDATE: Used the Masterbuilt on Thanksgiving Day as a warming oven. Had it in my 35 degree garage with no use of wood for smoke. Instead, just put water in the pan, set the temperature for 180, and was able to keep casseroles warm and moist as the came out of the oven, freeing up the oven for cooking other things. Everything made it to the table in perfect shape and ready to eat without needing to reheat. I continue to be thrilled with this smoker.
Manuel Lizardo : Very bad product
I place an order on November/2017. After a couple misunderstanding with the delivery I received the smoker on January. I used twice and stopped working. The problem was bad insulation for the electrical components. It was overheated and mealt. How was in warranty, the company send me a new component telling me that was the only solution they have and I installed. Today, after all this months, I bring it out to used, started smoking and half hour Iater stop working again. I paid 100 something dollars for an smoker that smoked one brisket and one pork shoulder. Now is in the thash.
Keith Falter : Yes- I had the control board failure after just two uses
As the manufacture stated when I called into customer service with my problem, "the bad reviews you read are only from dissatisfied customers." Well, that's true, and I am very dissatisfied. The unit arrived promptly (along with the cold smoker attachment) and I put it into service immediately. Easy assembly and all worked well except the temperature on the control panel was 20+ degrees cooler than what was indicated on the control panel (as measured by a precision remote thermometer. In less than 2 months the unit began to read 300 degrees constant, regardless of actually temp, meaning the heating elements would not start. A call to customer service was efficiently answered and a replacement control unit was COMMITTED to arrive in 5-7 days. No email confirmation was received. 2 weeks later I call customer service only to find out that Masterbuilt won't receive new control units until 24 October. Terrible. If you read online reviews you will find this is a huge problem with these units causing a lot of frustration. Theres a problem in the basic components and/or assembly if you have this high rate of failure- Masterbuilt should investigate and put a program in place to eliminate this problem. I work for a technology manufacture and can tell you if we had half this rate of failure in our components our customers would stop doing business with us. I would definitely consider buying a different manufactures smoker if I had it to do over again; very, very disappointed in the quality of the product and Masterbuilts efforts to correct this problem with the manufacture.
AustinGSmith : Go get a better model than this one! NOT FOR OUTDOOR STORAGE
I am an avid smoker! I am in my 40's and smoked all of my adult life. It was time to replace my old masterbuilt that lasted me 6 years - so I decided to spend what I did before and grab the latest model. It appeared they made some slight changes that made the overall design more practical. Boy, did I make a mistake! Bad: First of all, the top-mount digital read out is near impossible to read in direct sunlight. It appears when the top digital read out gets warm/hot - the digits fade even more. Not sure if this is a bad unit or if it is just cheap parts. Second, the vent is recessed into the top of the smoker. From my last model, the vent was located on the top right side. Due to the relocation to the top, it holds water if it rains. I even purchased the "weather proof cover" by masterbuilt. The cover is total trash and holds the water in more than it would ever repel it. Anyways, due to the cover being trash and water pooling on the vent - I am showing signs of rust after only 2 weeks! Third, on this model, while I thought it would be an improvement - it is very hard to get the chip tray out (more-so when it is hot) to empty ashes, poke at an ember or otherwise get to load it without using the exterior chip drop. I find this annoying because if you smoke anything for a long period of time, it is good clear the ashes from burnt chips so you can keep more smoke going. Fourth, the cabinet does not seem to want to seal. Every time I open it and close it back there it leaks the smoke somewhere random every time..
Good: - This sucker holds the temp within 5 degrees of where you set it. It does not seem to cycle much, either - which surprises me since the vent is on the top. - The grease catch was relocated to the back of the unit, opposed to underneath. I like the easy accessibility of that change - I made plenty of messes before when it was in the other location.
Log story short - Spend another 100 and go for the upgraded units. At least one with wheels and the bar on it - so you can take it in easier! :)
EDIT: UPDATE 9-30-2021 This unit ended up breaking upon my 3rd use. I even treated the cover with scotch guard. I had to open a ticket with MasterBuilt because the controller mounted on the top of the unit malfunctioned, causing the element not to heat up - I could not even get to the temperature setting by pressing the button. Masterbuilt replied within 1 day and sent me a replacement controller. The issue occurred on 9-16-2021. The replacement was not received until 9-30-2021. Some may consider this fast enough - but for me, it is not. I should not have had a unit malfunction so quickly~!
David C. : Easy setup, easy to use. Needs a longer power cord.
Very preliminary review of setup and first burn(seasoning). Stupid easy to assemble...2 screws and 4 bolts. Clean the racks with soap and water, let dry and your ready for a first burn. Only issue is the recommendation to have 10 feet of space between the smoker and combustible material...with the 5 foot(approx) power cord? Sure, just get an extension cord but make sure it's a heavy duty one.
I've just been smoking meats for about 20 years, usually using propane, and all I have to say is WOW, is this easy to use. I'll be putting it thru more rigorous tests over the next month and will update this review.
DTownsend : Belongs on the island of misfit smokers...
... it's the smoker that will not smoke!! Let me explain.
I purchased this same smoker more than five years ago and absolutely LOVED it. Great price, easy to use and nearly hands off. I was hooked and I smoked everything I could think of. As with most things purchased these days, eventually they wear out and need replaced.
Now, I could have gone with a more expensive make and model or from another manufacturer but I believe in customer loyalty and ordered the same smoker I purchased before. What a mistake that was!
In the past few year the company had re-engineered the heating element, wood tray, liquid tray and a few other things. The first thing I noticed was the cheap aluminum parts replacing the thicker, stronger metals found in my original unit. The second thing I noticed was the smaller wood bin where the chips are placed. DIsappointed but hopeful I ran a two-hour "seasoning" burn. No worries there. Now to put it to the test: a 7lb pork shoulder at 225 degs for 13 hours.
The smoker WILL NOT SMOKE! Sure, the initial burn takes place but reloading through the hopper scores zero additional smoke!! When I investigated the reason for this issue, I found about 50% of the original chips charred, the additional chips sitting on top of the originals and nothing smoking.
"Hey, man. You're doing it wrong". No I'm not. Remember, I had the same smoke for years without this issue!! So, what I'm left with is a $200 outdoor oven and nothing more.
The problem is the packaging has been thrown away and no way to return it for my money back!! This was another expensive lesson in corporate greed. "Let's cut corners, reduce the quality of the product and sell at a higher price for a larger profit margin!"
BUYER BEWARE!! DO NOT PURCHASE!!
Mark Moreimi : Not enough smoke @ 230 degrees
I'm not getting enough smoke at the ideal 225 - 240 temperature. I purchased this item because my Weber Kettle was smoking at higher and somewhat uncontrolled temps. I wanted a proper smoker that can cook/smoke at the classic 225 degrees. If I crank up my temp to 275, it smokes like a champ, but that's not typically the ideal temp for larger chunks of meat. I'm using Kingsford Hickory woodchips that aren't soaked. I've noticed that there is a significant gap between the heating element and the chip pan. At higher temps, this might not be a big deal, but at lower temps I think it makes a huge difference. I've also noticed that some of the chips burn, while others still retain their original wood color and remain unphased by the heat. Again...this is all at lower temps only. I've attached a photo of the gap between the heating element and the chip pan.
RTH : Excellent smoker and easy to use
This is my 3 smoker all same brand. 2nd this size. I've had the next size bigger too. The digital read out is straight forward and easy to use set temp and time and it starts. The last one the digital part has a few lines go out which made it hard to read but still worked. I tend to wear these smokers out. Even this small one you can put a lot of meat in. Upwards to 20-30 lbs. I've smoked beef,fish,turkey,ham and mule deer. Just FYI when outside temps is down below 30 degrees it will take slot longer. I just did a 11 lb ham and it took a good 8 hours at 235 degrees and outside temp was 20 degrees. Great ham tho.
Jerry Pryor : Good but
This seems like a nice box, sufficiently insulated, nice water dish, exit damper, etc. I have a perfectly good one just like it, almost, maybe the same maker, but I bought this one because of the digital heat control. Well that seems to work okay, but if you are outside; (where else would you smoke), it is nearly impossible to see the display. Perhaps if I were to smoke on some rainy cloudy day it would be visible, but I live in Florida. There's another annoying thing in that you must set a time limit before the thing will run; nothing about that in the buying info. I think that when they designed the unit they had barbecuers in mind. I smoke sausages and Pastrami and that usually requires cold smoking often followed by regulated heat. So the chip tray and the clever chip loader were if no use to me. At low temps it won't make smoke. But it was a good location to adapt my cold smoke unit. By the way they do sell a cold smoke attachment however I was able to build my own for only two or three times what they wanted. Now if I weren't electronically disadvantaged I might fix the control and its display!
Amazon Customer : Don't waste your time
Quit working within 10 minutes. Been over a month still trying to get a warranty claim from masterbuilt.
William Kramer : Smoking on A Budget
We are doing serious bbq on our own now. If you can afford to spend $400 to $800 for a "better" smoker, do it. If the principle of spending far less and achieving the same results appeals, buy this. I don't miss the glass door. Cover the drip/water pan and the bottom tray with foil. Use a cola/vinegar combo in a spray bottle to clean inside the box (no chemicals). Whole turkey at 225 for 6 hours was incredible. Whole bologna at 225 for 4 hours was awesome. Ribs at 225 for 3/2/1 method or at 275 for 4 hours both turned out spectacular. Hot links/dogs are a snap in 2 hours at 225. Everything has been of restaurant quality! Watch bbq experts on YouTube like Aaron Franklin, Myron Mixon and Johnny Trigg. Then go duplicate their rubs and techniques, and smile all the way to the market! "Bone" Appétit
Jeffrey : Electrical Gremlins (Update)
The electric circuit board went haywire during the first cook. Switching the temp cook and timer at random and unable to set the proper temperature and time without it going crazy. This smoker is GARBAGE! Spend the extra money and don't waste the $80 worth of meat and the disappointment of your guests. Update 06 719: I emailed Masterbuilt about the problem. After a bit of back and forth they mailed me a replacement control panel. So far it seems to be working.
Jean S. : Liked the first that I purchased. Not sure on the second one yet.
This is the second Masterbuilt smoker that we have purchased. We have only used it twice and it is stored under cover. The timer/thermostats control has quit working. I have until January 31 to return, unless you can send me a replacement for the thermostat.
Roger A. Kuhl II : Rather ineffective by itself
The smoker holds temperature well and, if you get the temp up, it will smoke. BUT, it doesn't smoke well at all. The main problem really is two-fold. First, the unit seals so well that the heating element under the wood chips doesn't come on for very long. The second issue is that the wood chip tray is to far from the element so it takes longer to heat up the wood chips enough than the unit is actually on.
So, in order to keep smoke flowing, you constantly have to turn the temperature up to get the unit to stay on long enough to get your smoke. Then you're good for maybe 20 minutes before you have to do it again.
I've also researched a number of fixes, but this newer model won't work for them.
The one fix that does work, and works very well, is to buy the additional cold smoking kit. THAT works exactly the way it's supposed and is convenient for longer smokes. I'm very much a "set-it and forget-it" kind of guy and I don't want to be running out to add chips every half hour.
In my case, I got the unit pretty cheap because of cosmetic damage, but then had to buy the cold-smoking kit which put me back up to the regular price.
Bottom line, if you already have it the smoker or you can find a cheap used one and you just want it to work, then buy the cold smoking kit (you'll have the bonus of being able to do cheeses and such). If you're looking for a good electric smoker that will smoke consistently without fuss...this isn't it.
Mike : Chip tray is kind of small but that problem can be easily fixed with a pellet tube
Can complain for the price, it does the trick. Chip tray is kind of small but that problem can be easily fixed with a pellet tube, which is all of $12 on amazon and gives you great smoke.
M. LeClair : My first smoker- not disappointed at ALL
I've wanted a smoker for a few years now and have never been able to get my wife on board. I bought this one night and just didn't tell her until it, my new grill, and all the other accessories arrived. It goes together very easily. Unlike some of the slightly cheaper models that use the plug similar to an electric skillet that is detachable, this one is permanently wired. It makes that connection a little more durable (my brother had a similar smoker with that style connection, and over time it got so hot during use that it damaged it beyond repair- I cannot see this one ever having that issue). The digital control is very handy. One thing to note with the controls is you MUST set a time for it to work. Even if you plan to just babysit it all day and do the timing yourself you still must set a time for it to function. I think that is probably a safety feature so you don't leave your smoker on for 3 weeks forgetting to turn it off when you're done cooking. I will strongly recommend getting the leg kit for it so you don't have to leave it sitting on the ground and bend over so far to use it. I've only used the built in chip loader a few times, as I bought one of the pellet mazes. So far I've made pork, ribs, chicken, and beef jerky. It all came out great and was super easy to make. This is a great (and small) investment if you like smoked food. I can't wait to try cold smoking in it.
Jerry Pryor : Good but
This seems like a nice box, sufficiently insulated, nice water dish, exit damper, etc. I have a perfectly good one just like it, almost, maybe the same maker, but I bought this one because of the digital heat control. Well that seems to work okay, but if you are outside; (where else would you smoke), it is nearly impossible to see the display. Perhaps if I were to smoke on some rainy cloudy day it would be visible, but I live in Florida. There's another annoying thing in that you must set a time limit before the thing will run; nothing about that in the buying info. I think that when they designed the unit they had barbecuers in mind. I smoke sausages and Pastrami and that usually requires cold smoking often followed by regulated heat. So the chip tray and the clever chip loader were if no use to me. At low temps it won't make smoke. But it was a good location to adapt my cold smoke unit. By the way they do sell a cold smoke attachment however I was able to build my own for only two or three times what they wanted. Now if I weren't electronically disadvantaged I might fix the control and its display!
cindy Q : Quality
After first use, following directions,Paint peeled on the inside of smoker. Must not have used a good quality high temperature paint. Would never buy another Masterbuilt smoker. Must be seconds sold on Amazon. Also purchased a warranty. Will try to return it if they get back with me.
RTH : Excellent smoker and easy to use
This is my 3 smoker all same brand. 2nd this size. I've had the next size bigger too. The digital read out is straight forward and easy to use set temp and time and it starts. The last one the digital part has a few lines go out which made it hard to read but still worked. I tend to wear these smokers out. Even this small one you can put a lot of meat in. Upwards to 20-30 lbs. I've smoked beef,fish,turkey,ham and mule deer. Just FYI when outside temps is down below 30 degrees it will take slot longer. I just did a 11 lb ham and it took a good 8 hours at 235 degrees and outside temp was 20 degrees. Great ham tho.
Robert Kleinschmidt : Defective Electronic controller out of the box... Masterbuilt unresponsive
Don’t buy this electric smoker if you actually want to use the digital components (and without the digital components the smoker is unusable)! I never leave reviews but felt compelled to warn others. After years of wanting a smoker and lots of research, my wife bought me this unit for my birthday. Based on other reviews, I knew that the electronic controller could go bad but I thought I might be able to use it for a year or two before having to hack the electronics. Turns out the electronics were giving an error code on first use out of the box and I was never able to use it. I set the temperature to 250, it got to temperature and then would give an error code and shut down. The unit would stay on if I cranked the heat all the way up and it would eventually get to 450 but that’s not really why you buy a smoker (this worked fine for the pre-use seasoning procedure).
After multiple attempts to contact Masterbuilt, I’ve received no response (their call centers are closed due to COVID - so only email support right now. They said they would respond within 5 days, I’m still waiting after multiple emails)... it’s clear they don’t back up their products. Just know that if you buy any Masterbuilt product that they do not care about the quality of their products or their customers. I had also purchased the Masterbuilt stand (and added wheels like another Amazon reviewer suggested) and the separate Masterbuilt cold smoke box. Since I had purchase so many other accessories, I didn’t want to waste time and money on returning the unit to the seller so I had to figure out how to make the most of what I had on hand.
I hope to enjoy this set up for years, but I will never buy another Masterbuilt product. With all of the hacks and work arounds I would have been better off buying a used “non-digital” electric smoker box and using that unit with the PID controller.
I added a couple of photos of my set up before adding the plug in PID controller and running a 3” dryer vent hose from the Cold smoke box to the smoker unit. I wish I listened to others warning so buyer be warned!
Joe G : Set it and forget it... After making one mod.
I have had my smoker for about a year now. I like the quality of this smoker. I store my smoker outside with a high quality canvas cover on it. One problem I ran into was the seal on the back side of the smoker where the power comes into it let moisture into the unit and would trip my GCFI outlet. I had to remove that cover and seal it with red RTV silicone.
After i made those mods, the unit has worked very well. I have made everything from Summer Sausage to bacon on it. The results have been satisfactory. I wouldn't put it up there with my large traditional smoke house, but it's very easy to use. You can set it and forget it.
I also do use an external thermometer/ monitor. The thermometer in the unit reads a little low.
Amazon Customer : Timer/Temp control unit failed after 10 hours
I should have listened to the reviews that stated it had a bad temp control/timer unit. Mine failed on second use and right in the middle of a brisket cook. What a disappointment
Matt : Inconsistent temperature, poor at heating, ok at smoking.
I'm making poor man's burnt ends in the pic attached. I'm using the MEATER thermometer which is a well known and very accurate thermometer. I preheated the unit to 275 for an hour prior to putting the meat in. I'm waiting for the meat to get to 165, the smoker is set at 275 and has been since 11am this morning. As you can see, the ambient temp hasn't even reached 200. So it is almost 80 degrees less than what it is supposed to be.
You have to add chips hourly as the reservoir is small. I don't mind this as much but still can be annoying if you're try to take a sunday nap.
Overall for the price I suppose it makes sense. I've made beef and pork ribs which both came out alright. It comes in handy as a warmer for food when having a party. I think next year I'll spend some more money and buy a real smoker. This has been a decent first step and a relatively inexpensive one.
edit: turns out the MEATER sucks. I pulled the roast out of this smoker, used a normal probe thermo and it was at 212. My mistake. This smoker is great. Going to keep it for a while.
george b : Smokes well Good Value for the casual smoker but there are a few issues
There problems that others have hilighted. The display is very difficult to see in daylight. But once set it works. An alarm timer bell reminder would be a nice feature to remind you when to baste for example.
I like the way you can add chips without opening the smoker. However the chip holder is undersized. The chips lasts about 40 min. I tried adding a separate chip holder but because it is not over the heating element that doesn’t work. I may try to modify the chip holder cover to allow a larger chip holder while being able to use the existing setup.
If the liquid tray can be enlarged to be as wide as the case it would help keep the bottom clean. I may add a baking pan if I can find one that fits.
A built in digital thermometer probe would have been nicer instead of an add-on probe which I use to mentor the internal temperature of the meat.
In conclusion I would grade this unit as 3 stars because it does work and the price is reasonable. And I would recommend to the casual smoker which I am.
Eric D. Sheldon : Great smoker for the price! - Just be aware...
I bought this smoker after the recommendations from my father and two friends. They were right, for the price, you can't beat this smoker. Here are a couple tips I've learned or been told that are extremely helpful: 1. The chip adding tube is great. You need to add new chips once an hour. Buy the cold smoker attachment (if you can find it). You can add six hours of chips to it. I use the cold smoker as the smoke source and the main until just to regulate heat. So much easier for smoking something like a pork shoulder for 20 hours. 2. The thermostat isn't very reliable. It basically reads the temp at the top of the smoker. Through trial an error, with other probes and thermometers, I've learned that there is a 40-50 degree difference between the top (what the thermostat reads) and the bottom shelf. It's about 10 degrees lost per shelf. This realization has saved much frustration between expectation and reality. *This issue is odd, since the sensor is in the middle of the smoker box. 3. If you don't have a place to keep and use the smoker in the same spot all the time, buy an all wood furniture dolly to keep it on. It makes moving it around much easier. 4. The paint they use looks nice, but doesn't stand up to the heat. It will melt and bubble in the areas that are heated. Not a huge deal, just not quite what I expected.
If this had been more expensive I probably would've given it 3 stars because of the thermostat issue. But for the price and after some trial and error, it's a great deal!
Tod Poirier : Not for warm weather smoking
I've only used this a few times now; it works as described and is well made.
**update: I purchased this in the fall of the year when the weather was cool. It worked great the first dozen times I used it. The last couple times it just wasn't producing any smoke and I couldn't figure out why because the internal temps seemed to be high enough. After doing some reading online and reading many other reviews I think it's a design flaw - the way the chips are supposed to smoke is by sitting in a smoking tray close enough to the heating elements that they start to smolder, but when the weather is warm (above mid 70's) and the sun is beating down on the black unit the elements don't have to stay on long enough to smolder. It's 71 degrees out right now and I'm trying to smoke some fish. When I brought the unit outside and turned it on to bring it up to temp before putting the fish it it produced smoke, after getting it to temp, even after turning up the temp another 75 degrees. Heading out to open the door and turn up the temp - hoping to get the elements to stay on long enough to create smoke.
The other thing it REALLY needs is a cover for the display so you can read it outdoors. Especially with so many warnings in the manual about keeping it 10' away from anything flammable - that rules out setting it up in most people's garages.
So, while it does what it's supposed to, it takes a whole lot more messing around with during the summer than it should.
John Wilson : Great results with little practice
Edit: Control unit died at 1 year and 2 weeks. I felt it was worth fixing, so a $75 replacement is on the way. I might have felt differently had I lost that cabinet full of food, but I caught it in time and finished everything well-enough on the grill. Appliances ought to be more dependable, so I've dropped my rating to three stars.
First off, the smoker works well. Assembly was easy. Fit and finish is good. Learning how to use it to smoke an impressive brisket only took a few tries. Other foods have come out great on the first try. Temperature measurements from the middle of the cabinet were reasonably close to the temperatures reported on the control panel. Cook times have always been a little longer than suggested by the various recipes I've used so far. Little smoke was produced the first couple of times I used it, but then I learned to keep the vent open to lengthen the time the electric burner is on during each cycle, which then ensures that the wood chip gets hot enough to produce smoke. I plugged the smoker into an electricity usage meter to learn that an eight-hour run at 250˚F used less than a dollar of electricity. The control panel is very difficult to read on sunny days.
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