Best Electric Smoker price/performance wise??

[Nickshu]

I have used a charcoal smoker in the past but I am considering an electric smoker. Seems much easier to use and I can put everything in, turn it on, and walk away instead of constantly watching coals and temperature.

There seems to be a big price spread for electric smokers. Everything from $150 basic black model to $1000 with an auto-wood-feeder. I am just looking for a small 4 shelf smoker, this is just for home use and I'm not planning to smoke stuff for more than small get togethers.

For those who have one, what do you have and what works well?

[id10t]

Alton did one with an old filing cabinet, a hot plate, and some wire racking

[gr8fl4porsche]

I use the Masterbuilt 30".

Amazon for $177.00 to your door.

Haven't used the Weber since the smoker showed up on my porch.

It's a basic box with digitally controlled heating element.
Smokes well. We love it.

[porsche4life]

Masterbilt is lame!! .

Check out the smokin tex, yes more money but they are built to last and smoke some kick ass food! I'm looking at picking one up in the next few months. My dad has been using his almost weekly for 10 years now with no flaws.

They are all variants on the CookShack design. Which is awesome and US made, but they are seriously spendy. The smokintex is the same design, but made over seas.


Makes some damn fine food too!

[Nickshu]

Thanks guys, I am looking at the Smokin Tex model 1100, but also considering the masterbuilt one above too.

I also have looked at Bradley smokers, anyone seen/used these? They used wood "briquettes" that are auto fed into the unit. I guess that marries you to having to buy them, but it seems to have some cool options for hot vs cold smoking and controlling flavor.

Smokers, Meat Smokers, BBQ Smokers, Electric Smokers | Bradley Smoker

[porsche4life]

I'd be worried about the auto feed breaking, and having to buy the briquettes. Nice thing about the smokin tex is you just toss wood in the box. Dad smoked with pecan and apple a lot, get a decent sized limb and slice it into discs about 1/4" thick works perfect.

[gr8fl4porsche]

If you decide on the Masterbuilt, I found that the larger size (40") is not necessary unless smoking for a very large group and you can pass on the glass door option that turns black quickly.

My buddy has the options above and likes my small one better. Heat seems to be more evenly distributed.

[Steve Viegas]

Another fan of Masterbuilt here. Have been using it for about 3 years. It has been great. Masterbuilt has provided wonderful support when I had questions about smoke flow. I have the 30". I came from a charcoal smoker and this is about as set it and forget it as I can imagine.

[T77911S]

i have an old one from my neighbors that the legs rusted off. i looked at the new ones like it and they feel like they are made of plastic. if i want to move mine i have to tilt it up on one end then get my hand truck to lift it and move it.
its one of those with the smoker box on the side. i have done some big meat in there and even though i turned them, one side was not as done as the other. not good when you do a turkey.
i think the ones with the smoker onthe side but the meat box is upright are much better.
also, controlling the heat is a pain. maybe an electric smoker that you put wood chips in would work well too.

[cstreit]

I LOVE my Bradley... ...but spring for the digital...

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Steve Viegas

Another fan of Masterbuilt here. Have been using it for about 3 years. It has been great. Masterbuilt has provided wonderful support when I had questions about smoke flow. I have the 30". I came from a charcoal smoker and this is about as set it and forget it as I can imagine.

+3

Caveat....keep box covered when not in use and unplug the control panel and store iout of elements. Seem to fail if the control box gets wet. For the money a good deal.

[Paul_Heery]

My wife gave me a 30" Masterbuilt for Christmas. I have yet to actually smoke something. The first two units have been returned.

When I opened the first one, I found damage to the main part of the unit that had to have taken place during the manufacturing process. When I opened the front door, there was a big dent on the unit itself that was not visible when the door was closed. There was no way this happened during shipping. We processed a replacement with Amazon (important note - if you have Amazon Prime and need to return something, return it for a refund then buy another unit. As we processed it for replacement, the new unit was shipped via standard ground. It took a week, not two days.)

The second unit came in on New Year's Eve and I set it up and started the three-hour process to season the unit on New Year's Day. Before I started it up, I put my Maverick ET732 temperature probe inside. The seasoning process calls for the temperature of the smoker to be set at the highest for the unit, 275°. I plugged that number into the control panel and walked away for a few minutes. When I came back, the control panel was reading 272°, but the ET732 was reading 310°. I then went and got a standard oven thermometer and put that inside. A few minutes later, I rechecked. The smoker indicated 275°, but the two other thermometers read 312° and 311°. I knew something must be wrong and shut everything down and waited until the next day to call Masterbuilt.

The next day, I got around to calling Masterbuilt Customer Service late morning. The woman that I spoke with agreed that there was something wrong and the unit would need to be replaced. She gave me an RMA number. So far I was OK until she got to the next part. She wanted me to cut off the end of the power cord and pry the plate with the serial number off of the back of the unit and send them back to Masterbuilt at my cost. Only after receipt of these items would they begin to process a new unit for me. But, she then told me that I would need to remove the front door from the defective unit and hang on to it as the new unit that they would be shipping to me would come without a door. I would need to install the old door on the new unit. I politely thanked her for her time, hung up the phone and processed a refund with Amazon.

So far, my experience with Masterbuilt makes me question their manufacturing process, quality control and the viability of their devices. According to the Customer Service rep, I was the eighth RMA that she had processed for a replacement on that day and it was only 10:30 AM. Maybe they used to be better built.

[Ummi]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

I have used a charcoal smoker in the past but I am considering an electric smoker. Seems much easier to use and I can put everything in, turn it on, and walk away instead of constantly watching coals and temperature.

There seems to be a big price spread for electric smokers. Everything from $150 basic black model to $1000 with an auto-wood-feeder. I am just looking for a small 4 shelf smoker, this is just for home use and I'm not planning to smoke stuff for more than small get-togethers.

For those who have one, what do you have and what works well?

=However, there is no better option than buying the best electric smokers for your home or barbecue food corner if you are willing to enjoy the natural taste of meat and fish. Find your barbecue buddy from the best electric smokers of the year 2021 and enjoy a quality meal with your family and friends.

[janetmit.ms19]

Hey there!

Bes Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Electric Smoker is $240.

Virtually identical to the Masterbuilt in size and with 4 cooking racks, the Char-Broil has more “smart” smoker features.

The unit comes with a remote control that lets you view and adjust your temperature from the comfort of your home, as well as turn the smoker off if you need to.

You can also control the internal temperature and cooking time via the digital control panel on the tp of the smoker.

This unit comes with a glass door which lets you see every rack in the smoker. While watching your food smoke isn’t the most exciting past-time, being able to check the appearance without opening the door is a useful feature.
The Char-Broil Deluxe is very sturdy and well constructed. The exterior walls are made of stainless steel and provide decent heat retention. The glass door is durable but you should note that some heat does radiate out so be careful if you have kids around.

[berettafan]

I would buy whatever is cheap and not pay $1 extra for 'features'. Smoking doesn't require ultra precise temps or wifi.

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by gr8fl4porsche

I use the Masterbuilt 30".

Amazon for $177.00 to your door.

Haven't used the Weber since the smoker showed up on my porch.

It's a basic box with digitally controlled heating element.
Smokes well. We love it.

I have one - works well.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by berettafan

I would buy whatever is cheap and not pay $1 extra for 'features'. Smoking doesn't require ultra precise temps or wifi.

WHAT?!? But Ummi and Janet said so, and you can believe them. They seem trustworthy!

Thank goodness Ummi and Janet were around to set Marie on the right path!