Electric Smoker Suggestions

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cdchris1

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Apr 28, 2016
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SW Chicago/IL
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We were thinking of getting an electric smoker and I wanted to get some suggestions. We will use it occasionally and not for large groups, so we do not need anything very large. I liked the idea of the built in temp sensor as well as the digital controls. I was looking at the Masterbuilt 30" digital (20072115 30 Masterbuilt). I just wanted to see if anyone had one of these and liked it, or if anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks!
 
Should be a sweet one. I don't have the Bluetooth version. If it works as advertised it should be nice. I wish they would go wifi so I could check it when I'm out mowing or something. I will say that the window is worthless. It soots up quickly and needs cleaning constantly.

We use ours a lot. It's great to cook food while out working around the farm or relaxing by the pool. Pork shoulder, pork loin, turkey breast or chicken breasts, fatties, pork chops or even bratwurst. All good and easy to cook.
 
I saw that Char-broil makes a wifi one, but the reviews said that it drops the connection frequently and if the wifi drops, it resets itself and turns off. So I ruled that one out. Thanks for the info.
 
So stay away from anything with a window. First it's bad insullation and second after your first smoke it will be black and not worth cleaning.

I have a smokin tex 1400. I posted ribs a while back #823 https://www.troublefreepool.com/thr...-Beer-thread?p=1330514&viewfull=1#post1330514.

They sell a smaller model as well. If you are serious about smokin then spend a little more for a quality unit and it's almost impossible to not get good que from it

http://www.smokintex.com

another company I've heard good things about is smokin-it. https://www.smokin-it.com
 
I have the Smokin-It #1 which is their smallest unit - it works really well, but doesn't have digital controls. I think you have to spend over double the cost of the #1 to get a digital one - plus move up a size.

I have toyed with the idea of converting mine to digital, but have learned a bit how my unit behaves and for the dozen or so times a year I use the smoker it has been just fine.
 
I have owned these 30'' Masterbuilt smokers for ten or fifteen years now and love them. Never get the ones with a window as the smoke would quickly make them onseeable .I just bought a new one to replace my older one although old one still worked it was starting to show it's age and I had borrowed it to a friend and was having a hard time getting it back. So I just let him have it and got the newer version which has the meat temp thermometer built into the smoker. Highly recommend them, as I used to drink alot of beer and sitting around stoking the fire of my old conventional wood and briquet smoker was fun,this has sure made it a lot easier. And I don't drink as much anyway and don't need an excuse to drink anymore.
 
I'm just going to chime in here and agree that the window is useless. We have the remote controlled unit, and I used it a few times until the novelty wore off. Now I just set it and let it cook. Most of the time it's cooking while I'm sleeping, so I really don't have a need to look at a remote to see how it's doing.

When we buy a new one, it'll most likely be this one. Masterbuilt 30" Digital Smoker. Without a window! :shock:
 
I have a 40" masterbuilt with a window -- only because there wasn't a model without a window at the store I was in at the time. It is useless. Back then, it was cheaper without the windows. Oh well. It is certainly blacked out!

I love the digital temperature control. But, I didn't like the lack of smoke at the lower temperatures. I believe this to not be an issue specific to the brand. I attached a Smoke Daddy to the electric smoker. Well worth it. Still have digital temperature control, with smoke supplied externally. In cooler temperatures, I can cold smoke by using the Smoke Daddy.

http://smokedaddyinc.com/products/cold-smokers/smoke-generators.html

Cheers!
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Seems unanimous to skip anything with a window. That will rule out the blue tooth one I had originally looked at. I think I will just get a stand alone remote thermometer and that will give me more options on the smoker. Thanks again.
 
Enjoy the journey. I decided to order the add on cold smoker for my 30 in. Master Built last week and am smoking some ribs as we speak. So far it is really smoking nicely, have never achieved this much smoke or quality of smoke with the stand alone smoker in 10 or so years of useing this brand. Read reviews and they said to keep creosote from building up and not allow the chips to self feed, so time will tell.
 

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I agree skip the window since you can't really see anything. Remote is not very useful, you can replace it with a remote controlled meat thermometer.
You should know though electric smoker is not as good as a real coal/wood smoker. Its just way convenient to use.

I would suggest getting a 40 inch one, if you plan on entertaining a crowd most of the time. I have 30 inch one and its trouble when making ribs, or smoking multiple meats at the same time.

Also keep all the racks of the smoker so they will remain clean. I found out easiest way to clean the smoker is right when its done cooking while hot. I wrap the drip tray in foil so I can just remove and throw it away after every smoke.
 
erhanuyar said:
You should know though electric smoker is not as good as a real coal/wood smoker.
Click to expand...

I don't want to get into a debate but this is very subejective. I throw a few pieces of lumped charcoal into my smoke box to get the "smoke ring" in the meat and if I didn't tell anyone it's an electric smoker they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

As for clean up the smokin tex has a small hole in the bottom so the drip pan is outside the smoker. I do line the bottom with foil but the rest of the box gets a light wipe with a damp paper towel so as not to rub the seasoning off (think cast iron pan).
 
So my cold smoker add on to my 30 in. Masterbuilt worked so well for the ribs on Saturday that I decided to smoke a bunch of chiles withit on Sunday. Everything came out perfect except some of the paint started to bubble on the inside of the lid of the cold smoke add on. Have they not heard of high temp paint or some type of powdercoat or maybe not put any paint on it. Kind of concerning but works well.
 
I have a small SM009 stainless steel Cookshack smoker and love it. It has sat out in all weather with a cover for 10 years. Mine just has a rheostat knob to control the temperature but the newer ones have the control boxes.
 
They look like nice smokers, but a little on the pricey side. They also make commercial smokers, nice. I just think 15o dollar smoker versus 600 dollar smoker I would rather purchase the less expensive version. Most of the time you get what you pay for for sure but I am not sure about smokers after having the cheap Masterbuilts.
 
+1 on the green mountain pellet smokers.

I have the Davy Crockett model, it also works as a BBQ though you won't get flames from it
but it can cook a chicken breast with BBQ/smoky flavor in no time quick.

The digital control is awesome on this thing. I did not get the wifi version
as that was just coming out at the time, it cost $ 350
which I thought was a good deal for what it does.

This model also has foldable legs with spring feet, so you can tailgate it
and power with a cig lighter or 12 volt battery prongs if A/C power isn't available.

These do have a tendency to be a bit hotter on the left side fyi but they work great.
I can BBQ meats quick or slow smoke all day long.
 
I bought the 30" master built no window for my son for Christmas. He loves it. We have the 40" but had to get the window which I hate.

Amazon had a great price on the Masterbuilt:

Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Black Electric Digital Smoker, Top Controller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00104WRCY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_HEdXzbHQFA85K

I also have an acorn smoker (BGE knockoff) but I use the electric one almost exclusively for smoking now and can't tell the difference. I use the wedgie in the electric smoker for extra smoke:

https://www.amazon.com/Smokin-Wedgies-Stainless-Steel/dp/B014I51RKE?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ipad-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B014I51RKE
 
We have the Masterbuilt 30 inch with a window and blue tooth. We love it and it works very well. You do have to clean the window which we use vinegar and paper towels. The Blue tooth works very well connected to an ipad or iphone. It has wheels, very convenient as I store it in a different location when not using it.
 
SpringPool said:
I don't want to get into a debate but this is very subejective. I throw a few pieces of lumped charcoal into my smoke box to get the "smoke ring" in the meat and if I didn't tell anyone it's an electric smoker they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. .
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip I should try it next time, so far I only used dry wood chips.

- - - Updated - - -

cdchris1 said:
We were thinking of getting an electric smoker and I wanted to get some suggestions. We will use it occasionally and not for large groups, so we do not need anything very large. I liked the idea of the built in temp sensor as well as the digital controls. I was looking at the Masterbuilt 30" digital (20072115 30 Masterbuilt). I just wanted to see if anyone had one of these and liked it, or if anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you are still looking to buy there is a deal on Jet.com for the 30" version for $139. I have not tried it but got the deal email

30 Electric Meat Smoker $139 Shipped

Jet.com - Prices Drop As You Shop
 

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