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Choosing an electric smoker for the food you actually cook

By the Plain Prepper editors. Updated 2026-10-17.

We research products from makers' specs, manuals and safety agencies; we do not run hands-on tests. Links to Amazon may earn us a commission at no cost to you. How this works.

Quick answer

Choose Masterbuilt MB20071117 for digital time and temperature controls and a side wood chip loader. Choose SmokinTex Lil' Tex 1100 for its smaller cabinet, or The OG 1400 for larger published rack dimensions. These use electric heat and wood for smoke; they are different purchases from an automatic pellet grill. Measure the food and the outdoor site first. Smoking cooks food but does not make cooked meat suitable for pantry storage.

Start with the food, not the cabinet height

A tall cabinet can hold several shelves without providing a long shelf. Before ordering, measure the cuts you expect to cook and compare their length and width with the usable rack dimensions. The number of chickens in a description is an estimate, not a dimensioned drawing of your turkey or brisket. This matters especially if cutting a slab of ribs would defeat the reason you want a smoker.

Masterbuilt publishes total cooking area across its racks. SmokinTex publishes individual rack dimensions and rack positions. Those are different measures. We do not divide total area to invent a Masterbuilt shelf size or convert approximate food weight into a promise about a whole cut. Ask the maker for missing usable dimensions before committing to a large meal.

Compare these three documented choices

Model	Main reason	Check first
MB20071117	Digital control	Cut dimensions
1100	Small cabinet	Lifting and fit
1400	Larger racks	Rack dimensions

Masterbuilt is the choice here if entering cooking time and temperature on a digital panel and loading chips through the side are priorities. The SmokinTex models provide another maker's cabinet approach with published rack measurements. Neither choice is ranked by smoke flavor, tenderness, temperature accuracy or reliability: we have no comparative cooking evidence for those claims.

The Cuisinart COS-330 was researched but is not a pick because its exact Amazon listing did not show a qualifying current offer at our check. An accessory cover or a similarly named replacement heating element is not a substitute for the complete smoker. Keep model identity separate from the brand name when searching.

Plan outdoor placement and electrical power

Masterbuilt's manual prohibits enclosed locations, overhead coverings and wooden or flammable surfaces. It calls for a minimum 10 foot separation from structures and combustible materials and says the smoker must stand on the ground. An open garage door does not turn a garage into a suitable location. Read the full manual before deciding where it will go.

The SmokinTex residential manual specifies a grounded 120 V receptacle protected by a 15 amp breaker or fuse and warns about extension cord connections. Its product listing language about moving a smoker from kitchen to patio is not an indoor installation approval. Our shortlist is for outdoor cooking with the exact maker directions. If you need a new circuit or a changed outlet, use a licensed electrician.

Use food and chamber thermometers

USDA's Smoking Meat and Poultry guidance calls for monitoring both the chamber and the food. It gives a chamber range of 225 to 300 F during smoking. A cabinet's maximum temperature or a dial setting does not establish the temperature at the food, and a chamber thermometer does not tell you the internal temperature of poultry.

The SmokinTex guide says to avoid temperatures above 250 F, so these models are for the portion of USDA's chamber range they can maintain, not for a recipe needing a higher chamber temperature. Masterbuilt lists a 275 F ceiling. Choose a different appliance if the recipe requires more. Keep raw and cooked food handling separate and follow USDA's full guidance rather than treating elapsed cooking time as proof of doneness.

Keep smoking separate from shelf storage

USDA directs refrigerating meat and poultry within 2 hours after removal from a smoker, using shallow containers, and using it within 4 days or freezing it. Smoke flavor is not a pantry preservation process. A smoker belongs in a cooking plan with the required cold storage, not in a plan to put moist cooked meat on a shelf.

For preparedness, account for the electricity needed to cook and the refrigeration or freezing needed afterward. If your actual purchase is equipment for suitable preserved foods, compare the pressure canner and dehydrator guides under their separate food safety instructions. These methods are not interchangeable merely because they all change food's appearance.

Check the complete model and warranty

The searches below name the exact complete smoker. Match that model, its condition, included racks and the seller before ordering. SmokinTex's comparison table distinguishes rack positions from the standard and seafood racks included in the box. Do not assume that every possible shelf position comes with a rack, or that a cart shown in a photograph is included.

Masterbuilt's current U.S. limited warranty describes a year of coverage for material and workmanship defects, with proof of purchase, registration requirements and exclusions including paint and rust. SmokinTex's warranty page advertises five years for the named residential models, but full exclusions and claim terms were not verified. Confirm those terms before treating the stated period as a deciding advantage.

What to look for when you buy

Questions people ask

Is an electric smoker a pellet smoker?

Not necessarily. These picks use electric heating and wood for smoke. Check the exact fuel system rather than assuming a cabinet has an automatic pellet hopper.

Will a whole brisket fit?

Cabinet height and total rack area cannot answer that. Compare the cut with usable rack dimensions, and ask the maker when a dimension is missing.

Can I use one in a garage?

This guide is for outdoor cooking. Masterbuilt expressly prohibits garages and other enclosed spaces, including use beneath overhead coverings.

Does smoked meat become shelf stable?

No pantry storage recommendation follows from smoking alone. USDA directs prompt refrigeration and using the cooked food within 4 days or freezing it.

Sources

• MB20071117 product specifications (masterbuilt.com), Masterbuilt
• Digital electric smoker manual naming MB20071117 (manuals-cdn.masterbuilt.com), Masterbuilt
• Limited warranty and exclusions (masterbuilt.com), Masterbuilt
• Lil' Tex, formerly Pro 1100 (smokintex.com), SmokinTex
• The OG, formerly Pro 1400 (smokintex.com), SmokinTex
• Residential manual naming Lil' Tex and The OG (cdn.shopify.com), SmokinTex
• Residential warranty periods (smokintex.com), SmokinTex
• Smoking Meat and Poultry, USDA FSIS (maker page: www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/smoking-meat-and-poultry)

Sources checked 2026-10-17.