Best electric smoker under $300?

[CS1983]

Anyone have any good luck with more of a budget smoker?

Was looking at the Masterbuilt 40" available at Sam's club for 279 after rebate. Consistent reviews indicate heating element has two problems: 1) doesn't get hot enough to finish with crispy skin on chicken 2) tends to go out after ~2 years.

Not looking to do non-electric. Want a more set and forget experience.

Willing to bump budget IF consistent reviews indicate resilient design.

[SouthPaw]

I have been toying around with this as well so I would be curious to see what people use in this price range.

EDIT:

Not sure if this is the one you are referring to at Sam's but it has great reviews and is $202 on Amazon Prime:

https://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20070411-30-Inch-Controller-Electric/dp/B003XJGEGY/ref=sr_1_7?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1509034068&sr=1-7&keywords=smoker

[Gunner]

I have a Cabelas branded Masterbuilt. Its been great for me. Easy to use etc, only thing is it doesn't hold a lot of wood.

[buffalobo]

Set and forget is often dependant upon weather conditions.

If you're unarmed you are a victim

[StagLefty]

I know it's not electric but I've been super happy with this and if you follow the directions it's almost a light and forget it.https://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwj8bPBRBiEiwASlFLFd5PIaI1Y2d9yTI2O40 4XyQJgne9aFcauJerc4stN49EMMqs2qrfWhoC7Y0QAvD_BwE

[CS1983]

Set and forget is often dependant upon weather conditions.

If you're unarmed you are a victim

Is using in garage bad, since it would cut out the weather issue?

[buffalobo]

I have used mine in my shop several times when the wind was blowing 30mph+. No issues and shop smells good for months.

Using in garage is dependant on your risk tolerance(low IMO) and wether you mimd garage and house smelling like smoked food for a while.

I have also used the turkey frier just inside the overhead door of the garage. With appropriate fire extinguishers on hand just in case.

If you're unarmed you are a victim

[ferrum]

Agreed on both accounts for the masternuilt. Mine only goes to 275 degrees and the skin is not crispy , but i dont eat the skin. The connectors on the heating element went out at the 2 year mark, but it is an easy fix. Takes about 20 minutes.

[CS1983]

Agreed on both accounts for the masternuilt. Mine only goes to 275 degrees and the skin is not crispy , but i dont eat the skin. The connectors on the heating element went out at the 2 year mark, but it is an easy fix. Takes about 20 minutes.

How often did you use it prior to it going out?

[ferrum]

I use it 2-3 times a month in the summer and fall. Not much in the spring or winter. So figure 30 times , at most, before the connectors failed. Fixed it 2 years ago with heavy duty connectors and has worked fine since then

[Great-Kazoo]

Anyone have any good luck with more of a budget smoker?

Was looking at the Masterbuilt 40" available at Sam's club for 279 after rebate. Consistent reviews indicate heating element has two problems: 1) doesn't get hot enough to finish with crispy skin on chicken 2) tends to go out after ~2 years.

Not looking to do non-electric. Want a more set and forget experience.

Willing to bump budget IF consistent reviews indicate resilient design.

don't bother with the uprights. You open the door loosing most of the heat.. The ones with windows are nice for ability to see cooking. BUT The window gets dirty fast AND another weak link for heat retention.

Step up another $100 and buy this pellet grill. It's a set and forget unit like all pellet smokers are. PLUS at SW you get another 5% off for .mil discount It's on sale for $399

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Camp-Chef-SmokePro-STX-Pellet-Grill/productDetail/Pellet-Grills/prod99999049791/cat130905

or this for $200 more well worth the investment
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Camp-Chef-Pellet-Grill-and-Smoker/productDetail/Best-Sellers/prod999901367282/cat126115




I personally would not smoke in an attached garage, Or detached unless you didn't have an issue with the smoke smell, for a long time.

We use the larger camp chef year round, outside. It's lined with bricks wrapped in foil along the bottom, with a felt welding blanket over it on real cold & windy days
Buy this one and cut to a 3x3 for good coverage
https://store.cyberweld.com/panfelwelbla.html




Regarding rubbery skin on poultry. The key to getting crisp skin is a mayonnaise rub. The oils in the mayo when cooking really crisp the skin up.

[Grant H.]

I had the Masterbuilt 30, it worked well for 2 years, gave it to a friend and he is still using it.

I upgraded to a Masterbuilt 40, from Lowes, and it has been great for a while now. I don't honestly remember how long it's been, but it's been great.

[yz9890]

My brother uses his Cabelas Masterbuilt in his shed. It’s well ventilated and works well for him. It does smell like a smokehouse and so do some of the items in it (tent, picnic canopy etc).

While electric is more “set and forget” when it comes to fuel, you will spend more time adding wood for the smoke than you would with some other options.

Electric don’t get very hot either. Great for smoke but not great for grilling. I do poultry at 325-350 for at least 30min at the beginning or end of the cook to crisp up the skin. Poultry soaks up smoke pretty good so usually I do the entire cook at those temps even though not really “smoking” when at temps much hotter than 250.

If you can deal with periodically adding wood, don’t want a pellet, stick, or charcoal smoker, then I think the propane smokers are pretty “set and forget” and can get a bit hotter when you want it. Still going to be monitoring the wood until the meat gets through about 145-160 internal. Kind of a pain when doing a long smoke like a brisket.

Truly set and forget is pellet. They don’t get quite as much smoke flavor as some of the others but you can smoke at a little lower temp to compensate or add a pellet tube.

[crays]

A bit over you budget target, but:
https://www.woot.com/offers/camp-chef-deluxe-pellet-grill-and-smoker?utm_source=version2&utm_medium=json&utm_campaign=api.woot.com?utm_campaign=Daily+Diges t+27+10+17&utm_content=B_P_1&ref=eml&utm_source=Daily+Digest&utm_medium=email&ref_=pe_3185080_259098540

72371

There seems to have been some favorable chatter about these on here.

ETA: Same grill at Sportsmans
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Camp-Chef-Pellet-Grill-and-Smoker/productDetail/Best-Sellers/prod999901367282/cat126115

ETA: Didn't see Kazoo's post above...[beatdeadhorse]

[Bailey Guns]

I have a MasterBuilt 40" electric with glass door I picked up in town at Sportsman's Warehouse on sale for just over $200. We don't use it a lot, but when we do it works great. You do need to add wood fairly frequently...the wood tray is pretty small. But it's all digital controls and so far works fine for what we need.