Masterbuilt Smokehouse: Large and In Charge!
I love some smoked meat. I grew up in the Midwest, and it’s a sore point for me that it’s nearly impossible to get properly done meat on the West Coast. So, like any enterprising foodie would do, I decided to make it myself. Smoking meat isn’t quite as easy as it perhaps sounds, and having good equipment makes all the difference in the world. You want a smoker that is well insulated, and can maintain a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit, you need enough room for the air and smoke to circulate around the meat. You need a way to control the temperature, so things don’t overheat and become dry, and it should go without saying that you need a good thermometer to make sure all of these things are actually happening.
Masterbuilt has created a four-rack electric smoker that is absolutely up to this task. Their 30” electric smoker (we tried the black one, but are always pleased with shiny stainless steel options) is a substantial piece of equipment. We found the temperature to be accurate in many different weather situations, and the thermometer to give consistent and reasonably precise temperature information. There is plenty of room for everything we wanted to smoke, though we did find it was easier to smoke meats and veggies in separate batches. Our results were good enough to please this Kansas girl, done all the way through, nice smoke ring, tender and juicy and wonderful flavor.
Because it’s electric there is a relatively low amount of wood required (and thus a fairly small wood tray), compared to a charcoal smoker; however the fact that it is electric is the only true drawback as well. Using this outside in wet weather may give some people pause, and because you’re not controlling a fire directly you may find it’s slightly difficult to get the temp up and keep it up if there is a lot of meat in the smoker. They do offer propane smokers as well as a 7-in-1 smoker/grill combo that we didn’t get a chance to try but is quite well priced. Overall, it’s a very worthwhile investment if you are interested in smoking your own meat, whether it be poultry, lamb, or various parts of bovines. Well-insulated and sizable enough to smoke a very large quantity of anything, the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse might not offer high enough temperatures for everyone and everything.
This smoker comes in three different finishes and varies in price from $240 to $400. It’s available directly from Masterbuilt, online from retailers like Amazon, or widely through stores like Wal-Mart or Target. It’s a great price on a substantial, and pretty durable, piece of equipment.
