Masterbuilt® 30-inch Digital Electric Vertical BBQ Smoker with Side Wood Chip Loader, Chrome Racks and 710 Cooking Square Inches in Black, Model MB20071117

I have purchased this smoker twice. The first one ran great for 3 years, but finally the heating element burned out. It's now in my garage awaiting warm weather so I can install the replacement element that I ordered online and will serve as a backup when the heating element burns out in my current smoker. The elements will burn out after a time, particularly when you use a smoker as often as I do (3 or 4 times a week year-round). Unboxing and doing the minor assembly required for this smoker is quick and easy. It took me less than 30 minutes. Spending more on an electric smoker with a window is a waste, in my view, because the glass quickly gets fogged with steam and smoke residue. Besides, you should be cooking to internal temperature with a good remote temperature probe instead of opening the door periodically (letting heat and smoke escape) to check on progress. Speaking of not opening the door while cooking, I'm a huge fan of this smoker's external smokewood loading feature that allows you to add wood without opening the door. Pre-heating the smoker is important in cold weather. Up to a 30 minutes may be necessary. Pre-heating is not so necessary during the warm/hot spring/summer/fall months if the outside temperature is above 60̊ F. In fact, there is a good reason to skip pre-heating entirely on really warm days (over 80̊ F.), as explained in the next paragraph. Of course, the Masterbuilt electric smokers rely on a electric heating element for heat. The element automatically turns off when the smoker reaches the target temperature you set. It then turns back on when the temperature in the cabinet drops several degrees below the target temperature. While the Masterbuilt smokers are pretty well insulated, they are affected by the outdoor temperature. You will find that the element stays on much longer during colder weather, so there is hardly ever a problem getting enough smoke in such weather. However, particularly when the outdoor temperature is over 80̊ F. or so, the element will not stay on as much, which can decrease the smoke production. I have two approaches to this problem: (1) In hot weather, I never pre-heat the smoker. I just put the meat in the smoker and start it "cold." This maximizes the initial smoke until the smoker gets to the target temperature, which can takes as little as 10 minutes in really hot weather if you're cooking at, say, 225̊. (2) Every once in a while if not enough smoke is being produced, I open the door for 30 to 60 seconds and let the temperature in the cabinet come down, forcing the heating element to come back on. This hardly ever results in extended cooking time because the temperature recovers pretty quickly, and if not enough smoke is being produced anyway, you're not letting out a lot of smoke. A lot of my meat smoking projects are under 3-4 hours, and I always use the Masterbuilt for those. I'm only tempted to fire up my Weber bullet charcoal smoker for longer smokes such as ribs and brisket. Tips for easier cleanup: Line the bottom tray of the smoker with foil and be sure to poke a hole in the foil to match the hole in the tray. Also, foil the water pan before every use of the smoker, which makes it super easy to clean. Try it just once without foil, and you'll be a dedicated water-pan-foiler thereafter! Also, get a protective heat-resistant mat to go under the smoker and protect your patio or deck because there will be occasional spills of grease no matter how careful you are. The photo shows my smoker in operation on Christmas Day 2020 -- doing a twice-smoked ham. If you look closely, you can see the clean smoke coming out the vent on the top right of the smoker.

I bought this smoker because smoked foods is the way to my heart! But I was always intimidated by doing it myself, even with the nominal experienced I have been able to get over the years. I wanted something electric, as I am not excited about babysitting a fire anymore. This seemed to be about as simple and as 'entry level' as it gets. And I camped the price, and I am glad I did because it fell cheap so I took the chance and pulled the trigger. I got NO regrets! The few things I have tried so far have been fantastic. It holds its set temperature well. I fired it up when it was about 25* outside and it came up to temp in less than 25 minutes and was ready to go. It gives good smoke from the chips. The loading of the chips is convenient and easy. The operation of it is simple, and that was what I wanted. The capacity is fine for us. There is 4 of us, but we would never eat enough to justify filling it up every time we cook. I cooked a big spiral sliced ham and 2 turkey breasts for Christmas dinner and had more than enough space for something else if needed. I also like how the closure on the door is adjustable. I didn't have to adjust it because it was fine out of the box, but if you do find the door is not sealed as it should be, you can tighten it up. If I had to mention some Cons... May be too simple for some people. The control is digital but it sets time and temp and that is it. You will have to buy a monitoring setup to use with this. I knew this going in and was good with it. Just be aware. Clean up is, meh, like cleaning anything else really. Usually never fun, but seems to be easy enough and it does not need to be done after every single cook. The only other thing I can think of is I wish that maybe the temp would go up to 300*. Let me be clear again that you will need to purchase a wireless temperature probe setup to enjoy this the most. For my very first cook, I did not have one and it was not a good experience having to open the door each time to check temps. It is a no-frills, set it and forget it type of setup. It is meant to be entry-level and it plays this part very well.

I love how simple it is to assemble and the price is definitely worth it. The first time we cooked in it it was below freezing and it kept temperature once we figured out we're it should be. Perfect for starters.

Update : This unit finally stopped working (would beep when plugged in but control panel was dead) I used it at least twice a month for 2 1/2 years -it worked well despite the design issues mentioned below. Had to fix handle on chip drawer (weld broke) and paint was peeling along the and seals were warped but it smoked well up until the end It was kept in a covered patio. No real complaints. —- But Bought a different brand EAST OAK this time around. This new smoker appears to have better design for drip tray and smoker box I will review it review after some use. ——/// 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.

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.

This is all you could want or expect from an electric smoker. I've been extremely pleased with the results. So far, I've done ribs, brisket, whole chickens, chicken legs, chicken wings, peppers and corn in this thing, all with great results. The amount you can fit is pretty impressive, but beware that you usually have to cut larger racks of ribs in half to fit (so that's one full rack per tray, a total of four racks). You could easily fit 4 whole chickens or Boston butts though. For my purposes (family of four and occasional guests), the capacity is fine. If you aren't familiar with any of these food items, you can fit five or six teacup chihuahuas inside. Those were the dogs made popular as a mascot for Taco Bell in the early 90s. The seal on the door is great, and the absence of a window actually helps the seal. Plus, why bother with a window that will smoke up in the first hour and be another thing to clean? Operation is a breeze, although the electric readout is impossible to see in direct sunlight. If you're in a covered area or come equipped with a parasol then it's no problem. The wood chip replacement slot is genius, although it can be hard to insert if over filled. The amount you can easily fit into this cylinder is surprisingly all you need to get some good smoke. The usual 225 degrees does take a while to get chips smoking, but I usually smoke at 240 anyway, and this seems to be the sweet spot for quickly blazing chips. Make sure there is no more smoke coming out of the unit before adding a second cylinder of chips. I can't say enough about how much I like the wood chip insert. I went from using a quart container full of soaked chips on my grill to a cup and a half of dry chips in this. A bag of chips now seems bottomless. Tip: boil some water and pour into the water pan when starting a smoke. The chip tray is between the heating element and the water pan, so it takes hours to get cold water steaming. Steam helps smoke adhere to meat, so boiled, steaming water right out of the gate is your friend. It makes a huge difference in the final product. I do wish it had wheels because I lug it in and out of a shed where it is stored, but this is a small complaint. When it's empty, the unit is very easy to lift and carry a short distance. As for taste, I honestly can't tell much of a difference between this smoker and my friend's Weber bullet kettle unit that runs charcoal. He's even complimented my results and he's a slow cooking BBQ snob. As long as you're minding your temp, pulling at the appropriate time and using a quality rub, you're going to get good results. Three rounds of chips was more than enough for excellent flavor and penatration in a 12-hour, 6 pound brisket flat smoke. The unit's sealed environment really traps smoke like a champ, arguably better than traditional units. I was honestly torn between this and a kettle unit, but I took the leap because I figured after 50 smokes or so, this unit pays for itself in the propane and charcoal you're NOT buying and the small dent in an electric bill (which is negligible). Highly recommended. Even if the heating element burns out (it eventually will) I would spend the extra money to keep this thing going. It's incredibly convenient, a good size and produces near-pit quality results. For the money it can't be beat.

Unit is great at maintaining desired temperature, though its internal thermometer's accuracy leaves something to be desired. Use your own and adjust the unit's temp so your thermometer matches your desired level. This will also help you, as the digital display is very difficult to read during daylight hours. One might think that having great temperature control would be a benefit, but not in this case. This "smoker" is designed to function by heating wood chips placed over its heating element. Due to its ability to retain heat so well, the heating element does not cycle often enough to create smoke. If you somehow manage to create embers (I have done so by putting my chips in as I start up the heating process), you will need to refill the chips as often as every 30 minutes to keep that alive (You could be babysitting this device all day depending on what you're smoking). If the embers go out, you will find it very difficult to restart them to create smoke once again. You will likely need to open the main door, empty the chip tray and hope you lowered the temp enough to give it enough heating time to start the smoke again before the element turns off. This, of course, extends your overall cooking time as well. But wait, you may have seen the cold smoker attachment that promises 12 hours of uninterrupted smoke. I am sorry, but this unit, despite being digitial, will not fit as is with that attachment. I know. I tried and was very disappointed. You may have also heard about pellet smoking trays that you can place inside the unit. By this point, you may begin to wonder why you even bought this thing in the first place. Oh yeah, electric smokers were supposed to be more user-friendly. Unfortunately, again, for you, this device is sealed so well it does not get enough air flow to easily keep those pellet trays lit when placed inside. You could circumvent this by creating a separate box that you could place the tray inside then use duct to connect it to the smoker. Is this starting to sound like more trouble than it is worth? If convenience and ease are what you were looking for in a smoker, save up and buy a pellet smoker. If you're handy and like tinkering, by all means, buy this. It is great at maintaining temperatures. On a side-note, if you're thinking of making poultry in this and you like crispy skin, again give it a hard pass. It will not happen. The unit's highest temperature of 275 will not get you what you are looking for. You will end up with rubbery, tough and inedible skin. It will also not produce smoke at temperatures under 200ish (the element will almost never turn on), so lox or smoked cheeses are also out.

This is My Second one, 1st one lasted 6 years and something happened to the internal thermostat, so I had to get a new one.

I have had no issues with this smoker ,especially with temperatures. I used my own thermocouple to verify the temp and found it within 1° of accuracy. Some reviewers bitched about temperature and I swear the review was for another product. For some reason reviews are getting bunched together, same name just different model. Anyhow use this correctly and you will be fine. Like any thing if you open the door you take a measurement of the meats internal temp its going to drop obviously.

It's really good item, just what we wanted and expected, to be able to use it as we want we still need to learn more about the smoked food, but the product is really good and easy if use and does the job very well, would definitely recommend, a lot of space for products, just as described by the seller,easy to assembly, light weight for transportation or move the place if needed. Heat is good, smell is perfect depends on pellets used,smoke locked in.

Received in good condition and yet to try it out.

We use this smoker regularly for smoking salmon as well as smoking herbs such as jalapeños and paprika. We get consistent results and for a couple years now. Easy to use and clean. Very happy with this product.

No funicionó. Solicite ayuda y me dieron unos pasos de diagnostico. Los hice. Concluyeron que había que reemplazar dos piezas. Pero no mandan piezas por garantía a México. Acabe devolviendo el equipo. Todo mal.