Electric vs Pellet Horizontal Smokers - help choose

[Go_Irish]

Hello -

I am a newbie to this board, but have been smoking for a few years. I currently have a very basic Masterbuilt propane smoker. It was a great starter smoker, but now that I am getting into it more, I see it's downfalls. It's tough to manage the temp, gets lots of flare ups, need to manage the wood chips, it's a little small for my family, etc.

So I'm looking to upgrade. I've decided to go with another vertical smoker as I have a very nice Weber grill and don't need a smoker/grill combo...just a dedicated smoker.

I have been focusing on a Pit Boss vertical pellet smoker as it ticks all the boxes I'm looking for. But I've also been intrigued by some of the Masterbuilt electric smokers. These seem to tick all the boxes except for the managing of the wood chips.

So I'm interested to here your thoughts on some of the Pros and Cons to each. I'm sure there are strong opinions on why one is better than the other. Or maybe there is not that much of a difference??

Key things for me....ease of use, consistent heat/smoke, size (would like around 1,000 sq in cooking space), price (want to stay in the $400-500 range if possible.

Thanks and looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[Fishawn]

Electric vs Pellet Horizontal Smokers - help choose

A couple of my buddies have Pit Boss pellet smokers. They both like them & have nothing bad to say about them that I’ve heard. I got to experiment with one last weekend smoking a pan of beans. Seems like a good unit for the price range. No Traeger horror stories like some other buddies.
Personally, I have nothing good to say about Masterbuilt, so I won’t.

That barrel cooker far left is a hoot. Built by my buddies neighbor like 30+ years ago. Total POS but we always have to cook/smoke TriTip on it in case his neighbor stops by. [emoji12]

[Mark R]

I have both (GMG pellet), if I had to choose it would be the pellet pooper. I only use the electric for sausage, and only cause it's controller will set to a much lower temp. Other than that it's kind of a PIA. The pellet pooper is much more like a live fire smoker.

[jwbtulsa]

My dad has a Pit Boss series 7. He likes it a lot. It is rather efficient and easy to maintain. The pellets don't provide a lot of smokiness so i supplement just for flavor. Otherwise its a good cooker. I think he bought it a Lowe's.

[L20A]

I have my second Masterbuilt electric smoker, the stainless 40" one. I don't use the provided side chip tray to make smoke. I use a pellet tube burner and it is excellent. I get about 4 hours of nice smoke from one load, about 2 cups, of pellets. It is about 5 years old and works as new.

[Doug S.]

I also own Masterbuilt, it was my first smoker all I use it
for now is bacon and jerky got lots of other options
now but that's where it started

[gmotoman]

Can I ask a moron ?

How many of these smokers are the same thing i.e. made on the same assembly line in China and then slapped with a different name?

[Doug S.]

Can I ask a moron ?

How many of these smokers are the same thing i.e. made on the same assembly line in China and then slapped with a different name?

Several I'm sure

[zueth]

Buy a pellet grill now and never look back.


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