Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Black Electric Digital Smoker, Top Controller

It's been a dream of mine to smoke my own meats and cheeses. I wanted an electric smoker because I didn't want to hassle with refilling the charcoal grate all the time. I did my research and saw that, for the economically-minded, the best unit out there was this one. Delivery was fast and setup was easy. My only complaint is that there were cosmetic flaws on the exterior--white streaks and such where it looked like the black enamel or powder coating had been abraded off by poor handling at the factory in China. Someday I might spray over those areas with black enamel paint, too lazy to it so far.I've smoked brisket and then spareribs in this thing and the results were amazing. Nice smoky flavors and really good bark. The one thing I learned is that you can't get a smoke ring with an electric water smoker, which was disappointing but I'll live with it for the price I paid for the MES. Clean up is fairly easy, too. General opinion is to clean the parts that food rests or drips on, but to leave the interior alone unless it gets moldy. A lot of guys cover the areas that can be dripped on with foil.The digital thermos, is inaccurate--dislaying anywhere from a couple of degrees to 40 degrees higher than actual temp. I use a separate therm that's been calibrated which solved the problem. I can now compensate for that inaccuracy by adjusting the smoker target temp.I learned that Masterbuilt offers a free, larger wood chip tray upgrade. I called customer service and it was delivered within two weeks. I haven't installed it yet but it looks pretty easy. I've read some complaints about Masterbuilt's poor customer service and unavailability of parts. All I can say is that I contacted them once for a part and I quickly got what I wanted.I joined a smoking meat forum and found out about a wood pellet smoker that many people prefer to wood chips since it gives better smoke and you can cold smoke with it. I bought it and highly advise anyone buying this smokehouse get the wood pellet smoker and wood pellets too. With this little thing, I can experiment smoking meats and cheese using either wood chips or wood pellets to find out the difference in flavors they lend to what I'm smoking and which I prefer. It just gives you more flexibility and makes smoking all the more fun.The owners manual is woefully inadequate, though. You'll need to join the forum I mentioned, buy at least 1 or 2 smoking books, and find some good recipes and tips online to decide what you want to make. Using the MES30 is trial and error, you'll learn each time you use it. Some people insist on using the water bowl while others advise not to use it. I personally use it. Some people have complained there are poor door seals that allow smoke to leak out; haven't had that problem with mine.So, I don't know if my MES30 will last more than two years. I do know that sometimes people just get a trouble-prone model of anything they might buy, whether it's a smoker, a car, a fridge, a color TV, or whatever. But so far so good.Like I said, I did my research and if you're looking for an affordable electric water smoker this is the one to buy. They also make it in a 40-inch model, which is more expensive. My 30-inch suits my needs just fine. Also, this and the MES40 both come with glass window in the door options so you can visually monitor what you're cooking. I didn't need that since the time and temp displays are more than adequate for me.

So far, I absolutely love this smoker. My wife was miffed with me for buying it, but after the first use, she was on the band wagon. Now, I have a weekly chore to smoke something. I love the way that I can set the temp, set the time, load it, load the chips, and never have to touch it again until it is ready. I found an un-smoked sausage(Nettles) that is fantastic and have been smoking them weekly for breakfast on the run each morning. Home smoked sausage is unbelievable! The taste is nothing like I have ever tasted. Most meats are better in the smoker than on the grill. As to the grill. No leaking. The seal does a great job and smoke permeates the meat. It is hot enough for even chiken skin to chrispen up (if you don't keep opening the doors). The side feed for the wood chips is a fantastic idea and really works well for me because in the old days, I had to wire the top shut on the charcoal grill to keep my father-in-law from repeatedly peeking. Love this smoker and highly reccomend it. Absolutely the best ribs I have ever cooked and also the least amount of work cooking them. They are so soft the just slip off the bone. Yum!2nd review: I have now used this smoker 5 months. Several folks have asked questions (through Amazon) and I have answered them as best as I can. I'm still in love with the smoker. It is still doing a great job and I am now, counting the days until my mesquite smoked turkey is on the Thanksgiving table! If you are using this smoker,(30" no window digital read-out and controls), do yourself a favor and put a 3/8" board under the front legs of the smoker. This will eliminate any buildup of grease or fluids on the front legs and insure that it all flows through the unit and accumulates in the grease collector outside the smoker. Additionally, you don't need to buy the bulk bags of chips, you don't need but a handful for most cookings. I occasionally put a second round of chips during the smoking; however, it is usually less than half a cup. I have quit soaking my chips. They seem to start smoking better that way and they still last over 3 hours. I would reccomend that you put the chips in when you start the smoker, (even before it comes to the temperature that you want to cook at). That way, you'll have plenty of smoke throughout the whole cook time. Just be sure to stand back when you open the door to put your meat in, or your eyes will be bloodshot for several minutes from the smoke. I'm still very happy with the unit and expect to come back several months from now to let ya'll know how it's going. Oh, some one asked about the size of the racks. I haven't measured them, but, from the top down, I had about 6 lbs of link sausage on the top rack, a couple of Boston butts on the next rack, about 20 chicken thighs on the 3rd rack, and 3 whole chickens on the bottom rack. That's a lot of meat, plus the drippings from the sausage and pork butts dripping on the chicken is fantastic! Me, my family and my friends are sold on this method of cooking and I'm loving this smoker!