Specifically the Masterbuilt electric models at Cabelas, but in a broader sense, electric smokers in general.

I'm a complete smoking novice. Pros seem to be ease-of-use and cleaning, cons seem to include a less "smoky" effect to the finished product compared with propane or-- gasp-- charcoal.

If it matters, it's generally just me & my wife, and a "big" group for dinner at our house would be four or five, max.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Can I get a "legitimate" smoke with an electric model?

Well I got a Masterbuilt a few years ago. 30" with with glass front. It was DOA, electric controls would shut off about 1 hour in. Seller replaced it. The second one did exactly the same thing... just after the warranty expired. So never again a Masterbuit for me.

I hated the tiny stupid wood chip tray. Either the chips wouldn't produce smoke or they cought fire and burnt up real quick. I added a pellet burner from this place and that worked much better for creating smoke mostly unattended for hours.
http://www.amazenproducts.com/Default.asp

I liked the glass front but it was not as useful as it would seem, it smoked over and you couldn't see through much and it was a PIA to clean.

You will also need a thermometer with a leave in probe.

I made mostly pulled pork ad jerky ad got rave reviews.

Here are two resources for info.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/
they have a review section. And you can lear a lot from reading the forums.

And here is a pretty active Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/9061322993/
(Smoking meat low and slow)

I have not replaced mine yet but will... I have the knowledge and ability to build one, but not the time just now. I am leaning toward a pellet smoker this time.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cparktd,

I have a Masterbuilt electric smoker and I love it. Like you, it's just the wife and I and it's perfect for us. I bought a wireless thermometer so I can monitor the temp of the meat and the temp of the smoker.

I started with a Weber grill and a smoker box for it. Then went to an egg. I bought a pellet smoker earlier this year and its fantastic. Smoke flavor is more mild but i think in a good way. I can use mesqite or hickory for 14 15 hours and it doesn't char the meat. 5-10 minutes from hitting the on button to being at your desired temp. Everything I have cooked so far has been amazing. It's much easier to clean and maintain than charcoal grills. There is an app for my grill and I can monitor and change grill temp from anywhere on my phone, also has a built in meat temp probe which has been spot on accurate.

Cons. Uses quite a bit of pellets, especially when its cold outside. I plan on buying the insulator they sell for it. You will always want to cook something on it.

https://greenmountaingrills.co...tBK8WR0aAmXyEALw_wcB

Electric smokers are for people that love themselves. Consistent temperatures, set it and forget temperature probe (for the most part), and easy cleanup. The fire box does an amazing job of using up the wood. You get 4-6 hours of smoke from one fill.

I got this model off the recommendation of a friend. I've been smoking in it regularly for 2 years. It lives on the back porch under a cover.

https://www.amazon.com/Char-Br...Smoker/dp/B00SMRXYCE

These are the last two I smoked.

OK, I still a rank amateur at this but maybe I can make ya'll hungry with some of my handy-work...

~10 lb pork butt. Coated with mustard then seasonings.


Rested over night in the fridge


Done! I Finished it wrapped in foil... wrapped at 160°, pulled out at 205° I don't care for a hard crust.


Pellet burner tray.


Pellets burning. The one and only time it was this clean!


Few hours later...


Hungry yet???


How bout now???


Jerky in the smoker


Finished Jerky... 3 slightly different flavors.

12 lbs of fajitas.


Breakfast fattys.



Smoked buffalo ranch chicken, i finished in a pan of butter (4 hours) and shredded up to stuff into pitas.

I have a maasterbuilt also. Works great. I don't have the space to deal with wood, etc.
I added a cold smoke adapter, it adds that capability, plus acts as a chip feeder; i can load it up and not touch it for twelve hours.

I would recommend smokin it electric smokers. I love mine.

quote:

Originally posted by Jaywendland1981:
I bought a pellet smoker earlier this year and its fantastic.

Good to hear... Been casually looking at them to replace my 2nd failed Masterbuilt Electric.

Thing is, we just got a 36" flat top griddle, my fathers day present she said, but dang I'm ready for a new smoker too.

One thing to sell the wifey on at a time... and then I need to do some rehab on the grill.

New Blue Rhino Griddle.

Flat tops are awesome! I researched those pretty hard including the Blackstone, Camp Chef and the Blue Rhino you have. The Blue Rhino seemed to have the best portability of the 3 which is important to me. The Camp Chef got the best reviews and the Blackstone has a lot of accessories available with the surround table.

In the end I went with a Camp Chef 3 burner camp stove with separate griddles. Much more portable than any of the 3 dedicated flat tops and much more versatility as it can be a 36" or 24" flat top or a 3 burner stove for skillets or pots or any combination. You can do some great stuff on a flat top and I have a lot to learn about this kind of cooking. Burgers are like brand new to me now!

As far as electric smokers I've never used one. I hear better things about gas smokers but have never used one of those either. When it comes to smokers everything is made to imitate real wood fired cooking so I went with wood fired cookers from the start.

We've had our Coolkshack smoker for 18 years or so and all I have done to it is to clean the sensor electrode. We got the earlier version of this one:

http://www.cookshack.com/SM009-2_5

My next one will be a Cookshack as well, but will be larger like this one:

http://www.cookshack.com/SM066_6

Made in the USA, and a little expensive, but worth every penny.

Their Spicy BBQ sauce is a staple around here as well. Highly recommended.

Don’t forget to look at the Green egg and Kamado
Joe. Had mine for a year now. Best investment ever. Especially if you have a cool/cold season. I grill and smoke year around.

I’ve owned a Cookshack electric smoker for years. It is very well made and produces awesome bbq. But prices have gone up over the years and they are expensive now. But these smokers are in a different universe than the big box store ones.

I would get a kamado or a steel drum smoker before a Masterbuilt.

Thanks for all the recommendations (and for the food porn.) I'll have to pull the trigger... will report back!

I Have a cheap elect. They work just fine.

I had a master built electric, 30" without the window. it produced some great stuff, I soaked my chips overnight.

I bought a Masterbuilt electric smoker from Sam's Club. It last exactly 12 sessions!! Something inside (wiring) burned out. The company(Not Sam's) said it had only a 90 DAY warranty. I threw it away, and "bit the bullet" and purchased a COOKSHACK electric smoker.....made in USA(Ponca City, Okla). It is built like a stainless steel SAFE, and works flawlessly!! I will never need to buy another smoker, and I do a LOT of smoking.

quote:

Originally posted by GT-40DOC:
... and "bit the bullet" and purchased a COOKSHACK electric smoker.....made in USA(Ponca City, Okla). It is built like a stainless steel SAFE, and works flawlessly!! I will never need to buy another smoker, and I do a LOT of smoking.

You are correct in that the Cookshack is quality-built. Their cheapest one is about $700, while I bought my MES for $99 on sale. The MES does OK, but I don't use it every day. Suits my needs. You do not want/need the window version of the MES, as it gets so cloudy and covered in residual smoke that the glass is useless to look through.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGSense:

quote:

Originally posted by GT-40DOC:
... and "bit the bullet" and purchased a COOKSHACK electric smoker.....made in USA(Ponca City, Okla). It is built like a stainless steel SAFE, and works flawlessly!! I will never need to buy another smoker, and I do a LOT of smoking.

You are correct in that the Cookshack is quality-built. Their cheapest one is about $700, while I bought my MES for $99 on sale. The MES does OK, but I don't use it every day. Suits my needs. You do not want/need the window version of the MES, as it gets so cloudy and covered in residual smoke that the glass is useless to look through.

I bought the Masterbuilt Smoker because it was inexpensive, and I felt like it would do the job for me....it didn't last long enough to do much of anything. So I decided to "cry once" and be done with it.