Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Review: Best Budget Smoker? (2026)

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Masterbuilt's MB20071117 is the electric smoker to buy if you want the most cooking for the least electronics: a 30-inch, fully insulated cabinet with 710 square inches of rack space, four racks, digital temperature control to 275°F, and a side chip loader you can refill without opening the door. Our Masterbuilt vs Traeger breakdown covers where plug-in smoking ends and pellet smoking begins if you are still weighing the two approaches.

What actually separates the eight current models is not size. It is how much of the cook you want to hand over. Every cabinet in the range holds 100-275°F automatically and carries a one-year limited warranty, and not one of them rises above 275°F, which makes the whole family a smoker rather than a grill. Heat is automated. Smoke is not: chips need attention, they do not smolder reliably at low chamber temperatures, and most long-term owners end up adding a tray, a tube or Masterbuilt's own Slow Smoker to fix it.

That leaves two questions worth answering before you buy. How much food do you need to fit, and do you want the connected controller or the bigger box?

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MB20071117 is the pick for most buyers: the largest 30-inch interior, four racks, digital control and the external chip loader, with no window or legs to pay for. MB20072918 is the pick when capacity decides, doubling the rack count for four turkeys or eight pork butts at once. MB20070924 is the pick only if you will genuinely use remote monitoring and probe channels, because it gives up 260 square inches of cabinet to get them.

Masterbuilt Electric Smokers: Overview

Masterbuilt sells its electric smokers as a family rather than one appliance, and the model number is the only reliable way to tell them apart. The shared architecture is consistent across the current range: a fully insulated, lockable cabinet, chrome-coated smoking racks, a removable water bowl, a rear grease tray and an adjustable air damper, all inside a 100-275°F window.

There are two live electronics platforms. The standard models (MB20071117, MB20071322, MB20070421, MB20072918, MB20070122) use a local digital panel for time and temperature. The 710 WiFi MB20070924 runs Masterbuilt's app-connected controller with probes and remote monitoring. Both are distinct from the Bluetooth-era hardware, which used a different connectivity stack, and treating the two as the same thing is the single most common error in writing about these smokers.

Masterbuilt itself used the labels Generation 1, Generation 2 and Generation 2.5 in accessory documentation as far back as 2014, and later Bluetooth families carried model prefixes like 20072115, 130P, 140P, 430 and 440. The company has never published a consumer-facing chronology tying every SKU to those labels. What that means in practice: anchor every spec to an exact model number, because Bluetooth pairing complaints from that era say nothing about the current WiFi controller, and the 40-inch digital does not carry the window or the supplied probe that gets attributed to it in passing.

One reality check before anything else. The ceiling is 275°F across the line. If you want a sear, a 400°F chicken-skin finish, or bark built at high heat, an electric cabinet is the wrong tool, and our pellet grill vs electric smoker comparison works through that tradeoff properly.

The 30-Inch Lineup: 710 Square Inches, Four Ways

Three digital 30-inch cabinets share the same 710-square-inch, four-rack interior and the same temperature range. What changes between them is the door and the legs, not the cooking.

MB20071117: The Budget Pick

A 710-square-inch cabinet with four chrome-coated racks, digital time and temperature control, a patented side wood-chip loader, a removable water bowl, a rear grease tray and an adjustable air damper, in a lockable, fully insulated body measuring 20.5 by 33.3 by 19.9 inches. The verified replacement heating element is an 800W kit, part 9907120011, and the stated capacity is six chickens, two turkeys, four pork butts or four racks of ribs.

Nothing important is compromised to hit this tier. It holds temperature automatically, it holds more food than the analog model, and it takes chips without a door opening. What it does not have is a viewing window, factory legs, WiFi or any probe integration.

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MB20070421 and MB20071322: Window, Legs, or Both

Both are 710-square-inch, four-rack digital cabinets. MB20071322 adds a viewing window and stays low, at 20.9 by 33.3 by 19.3 inches. MB20070421 adds the window and factory legs, standing 23.6 by 42.1 by 22.8 inches. Masterbuilt's own compatibility matrix separates the two on exactly that leg difference, and the current digital controller kit 9907160014 lists MB20071322 among its compatible models, which anchors it to the same local control family as the MB20071117 rather than the WiFi platform.

The window is the one genuinely divisive feature. Smoke film coats the glass quickly, so unless it gets cleaned often it stops being useful, and it is one more surface to maintain. Cooks who like it value checking a cook without dumping cabinet temperature. The legs are the more defensible upgrade, since a cabinet at knee height is far easier to load and probe than one sitting on the ground. Neither version gains cooking area, a fourth rack or a higher temperature ceiling over the MB20071117.

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Check the MB20070421 on Amazon

MB20070210: The Analog Entry Tier

Three chrome-coated racks instead of four, 530 square inches of cooking area (Masterbuilt also cites 535 in one piece of copy), an analog temperature dial with a built-in temperature gauge, and an internal chip tray rather than the external side loader. Dimensions are 21.7 by 40.2 by 20 inches. It does ship with factory legs, which the MB20071117 does not. The verified analog replacement element is a 1,500W kit, part 9907150018, and the stated capacity is three chickens, two turkeys, three pork butts or three racks of ribs.

The dial removes the digital timer and thermostat interface, not the insulation or the temperature range. Yet this is where the value argument in the whole range is decided: one tier up buys roughly 180 more square inches, a fourth rack, digital set-temperature control and chips you can add without opening the door. Lower purchase tier does not automatically mean better value here.

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The 40-Inch Lineup: 970 Square Inches and a Capacity Decision

MB20072918: Maximum Food, Minimum Features

970 square inches over four racks, a 1,200W replacement element (kit 9907120027), and a stated capacity of 16 chickens, four turkeys, eight pork butts or eight racks of ribs. It is the no-window, no-legs 40-inch configuration, measuring 25.6 by 41.3 by 19.9 inches.

Two things to know before buying. First, it ships without a meat probe, which Masterbuilt's technical support confirms, and the controller has no probe integration either, so plan on a standalone thermometer. Second, this model sits in roughly the same purchase tier as the 710 WiFi, which makes the sharpest choice in the range: 970 square inches of cooking area, or app control and supplied probes on a 710-square-inch cabinet.

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MB20070122: The Same Interior, Raised

Identical 970-square-inch, four-rack cooking area and identical temperature range, with a viewing window and factory legs on a 28.1 by 50.4 by 23-inch frame. Capacity is quoted the same as the MB20072918: 16 chickens, four turkeys, eight pork butts or eight racks of ribs.

You are paying for ergonomics and glass, and there is no verified basis for claiming it cooks better. On a cabinet this tall packed with four turkeys, though, the legs matter more than they do on a 30-inch model: reaching the bottom rack of a floor-level 40-inch box is genuinely awkward, and the window debate plays out the same as it does on the 30-inch versions.

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MB20073924: The Costco Model Is Not a Clone

Masterbuilt identifies MB20073924 as a 40-inch electric smoker built for Costco. The only specification the company's public documentation confirms is that it takes the Slow Smoker attachment, MB20100112. Cooking area, window and leg configuration, controller type and element wattage are not published.

That matters, because the Costco SKU looks like any other 40-inch Masterbuilt and is not necessarily configured like either of the retail 40s. If you are comparing a warehouse model against the MB20072918 or MB20070122, read the spec panel on the box instead of assuming the numbers carry across.

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The 710 WiFi MB20070924: Connectivity Costs Cabinet Space

Masterbuilt's connected model keeps the 30-inch interior (company material varies between 710 and 711 square inches) and adds a WiFi controller, app control for time and temperature, status monitoring, alerts and recipe access, plus support for up to four meat probes with one in the box. Dimensions are 22.3 by 40.6 by 22.9 inches, and the stated capacity matches the rest of the 710 class: six chickens, two turkeys, four pork butts or four racks of ribs. The current manual for the platform carries a September 2023 revision, and the regional versions are MB20072024 for the EU, MB20072124 for the UK and MB20072224 for Australia and New Zealand.

The tradeoff is straightforward. For a similar outlay you can have app monitoring and two extra probe channels on 710 square inches, or 260 more square inches of cooking area with no connectivity at all. Taken on its own, the connectivity is real and useful: remote temperature and time adjustment, status alerts, and recipe access while the cabinet runs. It does not make the smoke more automatic, and it does not raise the 275°F ceiling.

The platform is also not the Bluetooth hardware behind the older MES complaints. Reconnecting the app after a router or network change has been the recurring nuisance reported on the WiFi model, and that is a different problem from a controller that stops working. A power cycle usually settles it.

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Build Quality and Controller Longevity

Two things decide how long one of these smokers lasts: the cabinet, which is simple, and the electronics, which are the recurring complaint.

The cabinet is fully insulated and lockable on every current model, digital and analog. The outer panels are the part that ages least. The pieces that actually affect performance over time are the door gasket, the latch and the damper: a gap at the door shows up as slow temperature recovery and uneven racks long before anything electrical fails, and a warped or misaligned door is worth fixing early rather than compensating for with longer cooks.

The electronics are the known weak point. Masterbuilt's own parts catalogue sells digital controller kit 9907160014 and a separate analog control-and-power-cord assembly, 9007170394, and long-running owner threads cover controller, wiring and error-code troubleshooting that often ends in a replacement part. There is no population-level failure rate available, so the honest framing is that controller failures are a documented pattern rather than something predictable for a specific unit. Keeping the control panel dry is the cheapest insurance; at least one reported board failure followed rain exposure, and Masterbuilt requires these smokers to run outdoors with clearance from structures and combustible materials.

When something does go wrong, the error codes are readable. Err 1 points at the cabinet temperature-probe connection, Err 2 at the meat probe, Err 3 at overheating, Err 4 at the smoker failing to reach temperature, Err 5 at a meat probe reading above 225°F, and a door indicator means the door switch is not closing. On the heating side, an unplugged element should read roughly 18 ohms at 800W, 12 ohms at 1,200W and 9.6 ohms at 1,500W, and infinite resistance means an open element. A lit display proves nothing about the circuit downstream of it, which is why checking the element, the high-limit thermostat and the spade connectors comes before condemning the controller.

Every current Masterbuilt electric smoker carries a one-year limited warranty, and parts are cheap and named rather than proprietary guesswork.

Performance: Set-and-Forget Heat, Not Set-and-Forget Smoke

Electric heat is easy to automate, and that is the genuine strength here. Set 225°F, walk away, and the cabinet holds it with no charcoal to feed and no fire to manage. The analog model does the same job through a dial instead of a thermostat interface, with slightly less precision and one fewer rack.

Smoke generation stays manual. The side chip loader on the digital models is a real convenience, since chips go in without opening the door and dumping cabinet temperature, but chips do not smolder reliably at low chamber temperatures. Owners consistently report the stock system struggling below roughly 200°F, which is exactly the range where more smoke is desirable. Refill intervals vary too much with temperature, chip load and desired smoke intensity to quote a schedule, so plan on watching the first cook rather than following one.

The smoke itself is milder than live fire. An electric cabinet burns cleanly at a controlled rate, so you get a gentler profile and less of the aggressive smoke ring and bark a stick burner or a pellet grill produces. Combined with the 275°F ceiling, that positions this range for pork butt, brisket, ribs, turkey, jerky and, with the right attachment, cold-smoked cheese and fish. It is not positioned for searing or for crisp chicken skin: a 180-225°F cabinet cannot deliver the 350-400°F finish that skin needs, so that job goes to a second appliance.

Verify the temperature yourself. Cabinet-level controller readings and grate-level reality are not the same measurement, and the placement gap is legitimate rather than a defect. Internal target temperatures for each cut are the same here as anywhere else, and our pellet grill temperature guide lays them out by protein.

Masterbuilt Electric vs the Alternatives

Bradley is the closest conceptual rival, because its proprietary bisquette feed automates smoke generation in a way a chip loader does not. If the thing that bothers you about a chip smoker is the tending, that is the design difference to weigh before anything else.

EAST OAK's 30-inch electric smoker targets the same shopper with a 725-square-inch cabinet, an 800W element, four racks, a 100-275°F range, a built-in meat probe and a three-year stated warranty. Set that against the MB20071117's 710 square inches and note what Masterbuilt holds: a fully insulated, lockable cabinet and an external chip loader. The slightly larger interior, the built-in probe and the longer stated warranty are fair arguments in the other direction, and we ranked the whole category in our best electric smokers guide.

Inside Masterbuilt's own range the comparisons get cleaner. Analog versus MB20071117 favors the digital model on rack count, cooking area, control interface and chip loading. MB20072918 versus MB20070924 is capacity versus connectivity. MB20070421 versus MB20071322 is legs, and nothing more.

Upgrades That Actually Change the Cook

1. Independent multi-probe thermometer. Cabinet readings and grate-level readings are two different measurements, and this is the cheapest accuracy upgrade in barbecue. It is also generation-agnostic, which is why it sits at the top of the list. Our best BBQ thermometers roundup covers the current picks.

2. A fitted weather cover. The control panel is the most expensive part of the smoker and the least tolerant of water, and at least one reported board failure traced back to rain exposure. Our pellet grill cover guide covers sizing and materials if you want the dimensions and construction notes before ordering.

3. Masterbuilt Slow Smoker, MB20100112. The manufacturer-supported fix for weak low-temperature smoke: Masterbuilt states up to six hours of continuous smoke, supports hot and cold smoking up to 275°F, and lists every current 30-inch, 40-inch and WiFi electric model as compatible. If you buy one accessory with the smoker, this is the one.

4. A pellet tray, a tube or a mailbox modification. The enthusiast route decouples smoke generation from the heating element's cycling, which makes long cooks and cold smoking far easier. A tube runs roughly four to five hours of smoke per fill on an otherwise healthy smoker, and our pellet smoker tube guide covers the method.

5. A stand or cart for the no-leg models. The MB20071117 and MB20071322 sit at ground level, and a 33-inch cabinet on the floor means loading the bottom rack from your knees. This is an ergonomic upgrade rather than a thermal one, but it is the one you will notice on every cook.

6. PID controller conversion. Enthusiasts swap the factory controller for an aftermarket PID, usually while repairing an older unit or adding a mailbox smoke generator. It involves rewiring the cabinet and it is not a beginner accessory. Nothing about a new Masterbuilt requires it.

Everything above except the PID conversion is plug-in, and only the thermometer and the smoke source change what comes off the racks.

Conclusion

The MB20071117 is the model to buy. It carries the same 710-square-inch, four-rack, fully insulated cabinet as the window and window-plus-legs versions of the same size, holds 100-275°F digitally, and adds the external chip loader the analog model lacks. The only arguments against it are a window or a set of legs, and neither changes what comes off the racks.

Step up to the MB20072918 if food volume is the binding constraint: 970 square inches, four racks and a 1,200W element, at the cost of the window, the legs and any probe integration. Step sideways to the MB20070924 if you will actually use app monitoring and extra probe channels, and accept 710 square inches to get them. Buy the MB20070210 only if the absolute entry tier is the priority, because one tier up buys meaningfully more smoker.

Whichever you pick, plan the smoke source on day one. A tray, a tube or the Slow Smoker attachment is what turns a well-insulated electric cabinet into a smoker you do not have to babysit, and an independent thermometer is what tells you the truth about the cook. The electric smoker buying guide covers the wider category, the best electric smokers roundup ranks it, and the Masterbuilt vs Traeger comparison and pellet grill vs electric smoker breakdown settle the fuel question if you are still on the fence.

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