Masterbuilt30-inch Digital Electric Vertical BBQ Smoker with Side Wood Chip Loader, Chrome Racks and 710 Cooking Square Inches in Black, Model MB20071117

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 bought this smoker because smoked foods is the way to my heart! But I was always intimidated by doing it myself, even with the nominal experienced I have been able to get over the years. I wanted something electric, as I am not excited about babysitting a fire anymore. This seemed to be about as simple and as 'entry level' as it gets. And I camped the price, and I am glad I did because it fell cheap so I took the chance and pulled the trigger.I got NO regrets! The few things I have tried so far have been fantastic. It holds its set temperature well. I fired it up when it was about 25* outside and it came up to temp in less than 25 minutes and was ready to go. It gives good smoke from the chips. The loading of the chips is convenient and easy. The operation of it is simple, and that was what I wanted. The capacity is fine for us. There is 4 of us, but we would never eat enough to justify filling it up every time we cook. I cooked a big spiral sliced ham and 2 turkey breasts for Christmas dinner and had more than enough space for something else if needed. I also like how the closure on the door is adjustable. I didn't have to adjust it because it was fine out of the box, but if you do find the door is not sealed as it should be, you can tighten it up.If I had to mention some Cons...May be too simple for some people. The control is digital but it sets time and temp and that is it. You will have to buy a monitoring setup to use with this. I knew this going in and was good with it. Just be aware. Clean up is, meh, like cleaning anything else really. Usually never fun, but seems to be easy enough and it does not need to be done after every single cook. The only other thing I can think of is I wish that maybe the temp would go up to 300*.Let me be clear again that you will need to purchase a wireless temperature probe setup to enjoy this the most. For my very first cook, I did not have one and it was not a good experience having to open the door each time to check temps. It is a no-frills, set it and forget it type of setup. It is meant to be entry-level and it plays this part very well.

Bought this smoker just before Thanksgiving 2024. I have used it twice and it will not turn on. the electronics for this smoker are a piece of crap. the only reason i am giving it 5 stars is so you can see this review, they bury the lower reviews.

The ambient temperature is not accurate. It runs about 25 degrees lower than the actual ambient temperature. Otherwise it’s a good box. The wood chip loader works great. A load of wood chips lasts about 35 - 40 minutes. But if you’re into bar-b-que, it’s fun to keep adding wood. Happy smoking.

This smoker is absolutely everything my husband was hoping for! It’s holds a lot of meat, and cooks everything to perfection! The temperature control is easy to use, and the smoke quality is amazing. We use it all the time. We don’t have any issues with the seal which was a concern for my husband but we have had it for a year and it’s still going great!