re: Electric smokers -- anybody got one?

I have the 40 inch masterbuilt electric as well. To touch on a few things me tinned in here...

1. I don't cut ribs in half and can fit 2 racks of ribs on each level with room to spare

2. I dont split brisket either. One side may start off touching but it tightens up great. I get a better bark on my brisket than anything else, but I usually smoke them for 18-20 hours.

3. Others mentioned the Amazen pellet smoker. Get one. It'll burn for 12 hours and let you sleep through the night.

4. If you want a drier bark then pull the water pan for the last 30-60 minutes. Be careful though, meat can dry out quicker than you think. I usually don't bother doing it.

5. You won't get a deep smoke ring like you do from charcoal smokers. The meat still tastes great. I learned on charcoal and was gifted the masterbuilt. I prefer the convenience. Think of it like learning to drive a standard but buying an automatic.

6. I clean mine by wrapping the heating element area with several grocery store bags. Spray the whole thing with oven cleaner then spray it out with a water hose. Mine is almost 2 years old and still kicking. I only clean it this way every other month or so. Otherwise I just pull the racks, throw them in the dishwasher, and wipe the inside down with a warm rag. Protect the heating element from getting wet and the the masterbuilt model will last. I usually make sure my drip pan is over the element while cooking, just to be safe.

I hope this helps OP. Make the most of whatever style you buy and enjoy

FWIW, I have never used an electric smoker, but will say as another possible option, look into a UDS (ugly drum smoker). They require minimal effort, and turn out some really good bbq. I built one, and used it for about 5 years, ended up building one for my BIL and father, both of them love theirs.

There is a thread on BBQ Brethren (link below) with an easy to follow photo by photo instruction on how to build one. All you do is control air flow to maintain temps and it is surprisingly easy to use, and does not need a lot of attention once "dialed in"

LINK

I really enjoyed my UDS, and its relatively small footprint. I wanted to expand my cooking abilities and just recently got into a custom built offset / stick burner, but I love "tending the pit" and nothing tastes better to me than all wood smokin'

Either way you go, enjoy it.

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While electrics are easy, they don't smoke the best and are about even with BGE type smokers. They are no where near stick burner quality, pellets fall between stick and BGE/electrics and just as easy as electrics.

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A question to you guys with masterbuilt electrics. How often do you refill the chip tray? Ive only used mine a few times. I cant seem to find a balance between not enough smoke or way too much smoke.