Customer Reviews

Masterbuilt 30-Inch Electric Smokehouse Smoker with Window

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As National Master BBQ judges my wife and I have judged in hundreds of competitions throughout the US. We know what good BBQ tastes like and what it takes to create it. I was dared to buy an electric (or propane) smoker and create competition level BBQ on it by a few other judges who said it couldn't be done

We decided that for the price we would go with the Masterbuilt unit. I was looking for the basics in a smoker. We needed to create a temperature controlled "box" that would allow smoke to be introduced into meat. To add to that we needed to keep moisture under control since moisture loss (or gain) is a huge issue in creating excellent Q

The Masterbuilt did exactly what we wanted.

There is definitely a learning curve but since we only had ONE chance to impress our doubters. The unit came in, we cleaned it and cooked with it 2 days later with no chance to "experiment" We produced a very nice pork butt (Boston Butt) and a rack of ribs. We did the same cuts on our $3K professional smoker and NO ONE could tell which meats were from the $300 Masterbuilt an which from the charcoal/wood three thousand dollar cooker

We used the same rubs, same process, but we had to make a few changes in times since the meats in the Masterbuilt needed some extra time (which was to be expected since the heat source is not as rampageous as the charcoal burner and heat is lost when the door is opened) The time difference was not significant but worth noting for fairness.

I can tell you that anyone looking to make BBQ without the hassles of setup/cleanup of a charcoal/wood smoker or the cost of a professional type smoker this unit will do for you perfectly. WE were not interested in using pellets or biscuits we wanted the freedom to put what wood we wanted in and not get locked into a particular fuel source.

Kudos to Masterbuilt for producing a great unit at a great price. I love the glass window it really helps, an extra that is not available on any pro model I have ever seen

I wish that there was a way to empty the ashes during the cooking process without having to open the door other then that this is an ace of aces (and without it surely not a deal breaker and should not be an issue for anyone looking to buy a smoker)

Great product keep up the fine engineering and thanks to Amazon for a super price $[...] less then we could find at EBay or anywhere else online (when we needed it)

I really wanted to get a smoker, but didn't want to have to pay for charcoal or get firewood every time I wanted to smoke something. I looked at other electric smokers that had the a biscuit loader for wood chips, but the biscuits were pretty expensive (and I didn't see if you could put your own chips in or not). So I went with this smoker.

I liked:

* Glass front that you can see into the smoker (though it is sometimes too smokey/humid to see anything)

* Side Loader for your own wood chips (about a cups worth) without opening the front door

* Internal probe you can stick in your meat, then hit the Probe Temp button to top to see how done the food is

* Cook Timer & Temp Set all on a digital top panel

* Very easy to put together

* Everything cleaned up pretty easy (at least the first time used)

* Pretty low cost to use -- 5.5hrs @ ~220 degrees took 2.98Kwh which cost about 26cents (outside temp of 40-50degrees)

Didn't like:

* The wood chip loader sometimes sticks (may be because of woodchips catching)

* The Internal Wood Chip smoking area is hard to see through the side to see how much wood has been used

* Need to open up the front to removed burnt wood chips about every 3-4th time because they don't fully burn up

Other Notes:

* You need to "Season" the unit for 3hrs when you first get it before use

* It takes about 20-30min between loading of wood chips

Here are my notes from the first time I used it, it was about 40 degrees outside. I added wood chips about every 30min.

* 30min: Got the temp up to 240degrees inside (took 0.32Kwh). I added the ribs on 3 racks and added the water dish which dropped the temp down to 198.

* 1hr: Internal temp got back up to 218 (total 0.67Kwh)

* 2hr: Internal temp 240, (total 1.34Kwh)

* 3hr: Internal temp 230 (reduced), (total 1.91Kwh)

* 4hr: Internal temp 210 (reduced), (total 2.38Kwh)

* 5hr: Internal temp 220 (increased), (total 2.81Kwh)

* 5.5hr: Internal temp 220, (total 2.98Kwh)

TO THE LADY THAT CAN'T GET SMOKE.. YOU NEED TO UP DATE YOUR REVIEW..JUST BEND THE BOTTOM PLATE DOWN A VERY LITTLE ON THE CHIP TRAY, SO IT WILL GO UNDER THE HEATING ELEMENT, WHEN SLID IN PLACE..... THIS SMOKER IS THE BOMB... VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT AND MADE... TRY TO FIND ANOTHER ONE THATS FULLY INSULATED.. FOR THAT PRICE..WAY TO GO MASTERBUILT.. THANKS AMAZON FOR THE SMOKIN HOT PRICE TOO..I LOVE MINE, AN ALL MY FRIENDS WONT IT,IF YOUR INTO SMOKEY MELT IN YOUR MOUTH.FINGERLIC'N GOOD....ITS MASTERBUILT !!!TUCSONBOB

I read the previous review about no smoke,I can only say, mine it produce so much smoke at times it was hard to see anything but smoke. I put my chips in water for the time I needed to smoke. When they went into the smoker they were damp.I used about 2-3 cups to smoke a 10lb brisket at 230 for about 10 hours. The meat was fork tender and delicious.

We did a lot of research and talked with many people about which smoker to buy. We decided on this one and are very happy. It is so easy to use. If you want to be able to put in your food and pretty much walk away, you can. I highly recommend the smoker with the meat probe. It really is needed. I wish this one had a remote control to turn it on and off but it really isn't necessary. Clean up is easy. Shelves and rest of parts go in the dishwasher. We wipe down the inside of the unit. It is very easy to add the chips as they are needed as well. We smoked a brisket, fish, chicken and are now going to try ribs. There are many websites for recipes out there. We have had no problems with this unit. Shop around. We found this on amazon.com. It was the least expensive and we paid no tax or shipping. We got it within 7-10 days.

I read all the reviews and decided that Masterbuilt was the best smoker for the money. I ordered it on Monday and received it on Thursday using standard shipping. I followed directions on seasoning the smoker after which I loaded it with a couple of chickens and pork roasts. The results were fantastic. The meat was tender, juicy with just the right amount of smoke taste. Cleanup was easy.

My unit heated up quickly and worked great just as advertised. I could have spent more money but I would not have gotten the same value as the my 30" Masterbuilt. I am a happy camper!!!

This is my first smoker, and it has been great so far. Only used it a couple times, but the digital controls, front window, internal light, and side chip loader make it easy to use, and easy to monitor what's in the smoker. Would definitely recommend it.

This thing is truly a marvel. I've had mine for about a year now and it has been awesome! I even smoked our Thanksgiving turkey in it last year. It was so tender, juicy, and flavorful that everyone loved it. It's large enough for a turkey with room to spare. Smoked macaroni & cheese is excellent in it too.

You literally just put a little water in the water pan, put some wood chips in the hopper (buy these chips at home depot or anywhere, I prefer mesquite chips), place your food on the pull-out racks and set the cook time and temperature. That's it! It even has a built-in digital thermometer you can push into your meat so you can see the internal temperature of the meat directly on the digital display without opening the door and letting all the heat and smoke out.

(tip: On the inside, cover the floor and the top of the smoker box with some tin foil. When done smoking, just throw the tin foil away and your cleanup is done! Super easy.)

The one big problem with the smoker is that it doesn't have wheels on the back. I had to buy a $30 luggage cart to slide under it, and tilt it back for when I want to wheel it from the deck, through the house and out to the truck to take it to a party. Some wheels and a handle would make this the perfect electric smoker.

Bought a little over a year ago. I'm very pleased with the unit so far. I've cooked several chickens and 2 turkeys in it so far (17lbs. being biggest).

I enjoy the laziness of this compared to a traditional smoker. Temp is always spot on, no tending to the fire. Also prefer this over the biscuit models as you cut out the expensive of buying bisquittes and use wood chips.

I've smoked several pre-cooked hams, sausages and a couple of turkeys. The smoker has done great. As one reviewer said, do not soak the chips prior to use. I've used dry chips and had plenty of smoke.

The unit heats up fairly quickly and the controls are easy to use. I haven't used the temp probe yet, prefering to use my own meat therm. (gives a chance to open the door and smell the meat cooking).

I've enjoyed the unit and will be smoking a turkey today for new years.