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

So far this has been an amazing smoker. I’ve only used it twice so far in the two weeks I’ve had it but I plan on using it often! It was easy to set up and it held the temperature well. It fits perfectly on my patio with tons of room inside for a lot of food. It’s already paid for itself in my opinion.

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 was a little skeptical at first, but this item turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It arrived on time and in good condition. The quality is solid, and it works just as described. Setup was straightforward, and I’ve had no issues so far. Definitely worth the price. I would recommend this to anyone considering it!

Not too bad. Good temperature control but a small complaint, the heating element just doesn't really get hot enough for a deep smoke infusion. But even with a weak element, it technically does still infuse some smoke flavor. I'd almost say it's best to consider this a small oven with a smoke infusion rather than a full-on proper smoker.That said, I've found that with the cold smoke attachment rippin full time while you smoke, you can usually get great flavor. I've cooked a lot of good food in this, even did a brisket to great effect running it for about 16 hours (even though there wasn't a true bark, it was juicy and tender throughout). I think the thermometer on this isn't as good as it should be, so supplement with a food thermometer for better results.

Update: After using this smoker only twice I went to go use it again just now and the controls were fried. When I unscrewed the control panel from the smoker I noticed the fabric wrapping the wires was damp, so I opened it up to let it dry out, hoping that would help. Upon opening this cheaply made control panel I found all of the screws were rusted already and everything was smoky and greasy. The internal buttons were covered in the same smoky meat grease that was on the inside of the smoker and were not functioning. There is a hole from the top of the smoker to the control panel to let the power cable through, but it looks like smoke and steam from the smoker was getting into the panel and causing buildup and condensation. The smoker was stored under a covered porch with a cover, so it was not exposed to rain. This is really disappointing. We planned to use this smoker for Easter and now we have to change our whole menu plans because we can’t even turn it on. :(Can’t believe this was made with such poor quality and design.Original review: I’m super impressed with this smoker and would definitely suggest it to anyone trying to get into smoking. We started out making some chickens and steaks, which turned out very moist and delicious, so I then tried a whole brisket. It did great! The info about the smoker doesn’t say anything about brisket, but I tried it anyway and was not disappointed. It smoked it evenly and made a really nice bark. The automatic temp control and timer made it very easy to do while I was working from home. I put the brisket in in the morning and it was done by evening and all I had to do was top off the wood chips every once in a while and mop the meat with a sop. With smoked brisket being $30/lb at bbq joints this smoker has paid for itself already! I’m going to try smoking some homemade sausages in it soon.If you’re looking for an all purpose, economical smoker that will fit in even the smallest backyards, this is it!