What is an offset smoker?

If you are reading this guide on the best offset smokers in 2020, then you probably have an idea about what an offset smoker is. Simply put, an offset smoker is designed to cook food slowly at a low temperature indirectly. Not only do these smokers cook food, but they also incorporate the delicious smoky flavour generated by wood pellets or the cooking fire. Generally, an offset smoker has two separate chambers-one cooking chamber and one ‘offset’ chamber.

How does an offset smoker work?

Offset smokers consist of two individual chambers-a large cooking chamber and an 'offset' firebox. The large cooking chamber is where you place your food to cook. The smaller chamber, the firebox, is where you built the fire. The food cooks indirectly from the heat smokey that travels from the firebox into the cooking chamber. A chimney exits out of the top end of the cooking chamber. The side vent lets you control the temperature.

What is the best offset smoker?

The best offset smoker is constructed to be sturdy, give consistent results and highly durable. They are manufactured out of heavy-gauge materials to provide efficient heat retention. All types of meat should be cooked evenly and to perfection in the best offset smoker. According to us, the best offset smoker is the Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Smoker. Why is this our top recommended choice? In a nutshell, it stands out from all the other offset smokers. With this smoker, you have the option for four different cooking methods. Apart from this, it offers huge cooking capacity and storage space to store your kitchen utensils. And to top it all, it retails at a pretty reasonable price.

Is a vertical or horizontal smoker better?

Depending on what you want from your offset smoker, both the vertical and horizontal offset smoker have their merits. Vertical Offset smokers are constructed to only smoke or roast your food. They don't have the option to grill your meal. Comparatively, the horizontal offset smokers can smoke, grill, bake or broil your food. However, vertical smokers are designed to provide a superiors smoking experience and they don't take much space either.

Why is reverse flow smoker better?

The best reverse flow smoker pushes the hot air further inside the smoker to achieve a more uniform cooking environment. In short, as the hot air enters the cooking chamber, it circulates throughout the cooking chamber to eventually exit in the opposite direction via the side firebox. To put it in a box, a reverse flow smoker will help achieve a uniform smoke and heat level throughout the cooking chamber. You wouldn't have to turn the meat over for it to cook evenly. Plus, the temperature quickly reaches the optimal one after you open the door to the cooking chamber.

What brand is the best smoker?

While all the offset smokers brands on our list of the best offset smokers are some of the best in the business, Char-Griller has proved that it is the ultimate best offset smoker brand. With over 25 years of experience, they have time and again impressed us with manufacturing state-of-the-art offset smokers that ticks all the boxes. The best thing about Char-Griller is that they stick to their claims. We have included two of our favourite offset smokers by Char-Grill on our list-the Char-Griller E1224 and the Char-Griller 1624.

What is the best smoker for beginners?

When it comes to buying the best offset smokers for beginners, affordability and ease-of-use are the two most important factors to consider. For this very reason, the Char-Broil Oklahoma Smoker is the best-recommended offset smoker for beginners. Super easy to assemble, it will hardly take you 2 hours at most to put this beauty together. And the best thing about this offset smoker is that it won't break your bank.

Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker

You tried smoked meat at a restaurant or your friend’s home, and you loved the taste of smoky flavored meat. And now you wish you could make that delicious smoked meat at your home but you do not want to use a charcoal smoker or find it too time-consuming to set up a charcoal smoker. Well, if you want a smoker with which you can easily prepare that delicious smoked meat, then you should consider purchasing a digital electric smoker.

There are a lot of brands manufacturing digital electric smokers and while some of them produce very high-quality models, some brands do not provide good-quality digital electric smokers.

Masterbuilt is one of those brands that actually produce some high-quality models which are durable as well as easy to use, and the Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker is one of the best models offered by the brand.

This model is extremely easy to operate and provides a truly delicious smoked meal. Using this model, you can easily set the smoker to your desired levels and this smoker will take care of cooking the food.

Furthermore, you do not have to worry about dealing with charcoal or gas while using the Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker.

The smoker offers a large cooking surface area and its racks are coated with chrome which helps to provide the best results every time you cook your food using this model. You can even fit up to 4 pork butts in this model at the same time.

Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker Detail Review

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One thing that people consider while purchasing a digital electric smoker is that whether the smoker can maintain a steady temperature or not. This model is one of those smokers that can do this, and even newbies can use it easily.

You can easily operate this product while the cleaning process is also easy. So, the first question is what you will receive inside the box. Well, the company offers the following items in this package.

One completely-insulated smoking unit.
Four pieces of smoking racks that are chrome-plated.
One wood chip tray, one water pan, and one drip pan.

When the package is shipped to customers, it comes packed in Styrofoam, and to prevent the product from being damaged while shipping, the racks are also wrapped and they are tied into place. When you will take the unit out of its box, it will look like a small fridge.

This black unit is small and sturdy, and you might need a stand to avoid a lot of stooping and squatting while using this smoker. The overall appearance of this small digital electric smoker is very basic and you will see no unnecessary design element.

The build quality of the Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker is reliable and if you properly maintain this smoker, it can last longer.

The company has made the panel as well as the door of this smoker from good-quality materials. Furthermore, there are small openings available on the sideways of this model which you can use to put in the chips.

Cleaning the smoker is not very challenging and the two trays available inside the smoker make the cleaning process easier. The company has installed one tray for collecting grease dripping as well as oil, while the other one is for keeping ash.

Clean these trays and you are ready to use the smoker again. This small smoker offers a large cooking surface area of 721 square inches which is enough for preparing food for up to 5 or 6 individuals at the same time. Using this smoker, you can put four trays at once and you can even customize the positioning of the trays for preparing a whole chicken.

Discussing the performance of this smoker, its excellent insulation, and the built-in temperature control will allow you to perfectly cook your meal. The performance of any smoker depends on the insulation of the model because if the smoker is well insulated, it will keep the heat from escaping the smoker throughout the cooking process.

Furthermore, the latch mechanism of this model tightly shut the door which makes a tight seal. Eventually, the heat and smoke are trapped inside the smoker. The digital control panel which is installed on top of this model will help you to set the temperature as well as the time, while the built-in thermostat allows you to control the temperature.

Lastly, the company offers a three-month warranty on defects. Although repair, as well as replacement costs, are covered during this 90 days period, you will have to pay the shipping costs.

Product Key Features

The following are the features of this lightweight and user-friendly digital electric smoker.

The dimensions of the Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital Electric Smoker measures 30 x 20 x 20 inches, and it weighs only 45.9 pounds.
The material used is steel.
Its four smoking racks offer a large cooking capacity and you can prepare 2 turkeys or even 6 whole chickens at the same time.
A chrome coating has been applied on all the smoking racks while the body of this smoker is completely insulated which keeps the heat from escaping the smoker.
It comes with a water bowl that adds moisture as well as flavor to your food while the air damper helps to control smoke within the smoker.
You can easily remove ash with the help of its wood chip tray.

Pros

✔️ The digital controls of this digital electric smoker allow you to conveniently control the temperature inside the smoker.
✔️ You do not need to open the door while adding wood chips.
✔️ The four racks of this smoker offer a large cooking surface area.
✔️ The seal of its door doesn’t let smoke escape the smoker.

Cons

🚫This digital electric smoker does not produce enough smoke to perfectly cook your meal if you use it at a lower temperature.

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Final Verdict:

So, the most important question is whether you should purchase this product or you should for some other smoker. Well, this model is available at an affordable price range as well as it is efficient. However, this digital electric smoker is not the most solidly manufactured. On the other hand, it is well insulated.

Overall, the built-in quality and other features make it one of the best digital electric smokers available in this price range, and if you are new to smoking and do not want to purchase an expensive model, then this product can be the best choice for you.

Masterbuilt MB20071117 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker Detail Review

Final Verdict:

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