Sorry for the long post... been thinking this through for a bit now :)
Hoping to get a smoker setup up and running again and looking for some guidance. I had a masterbuilt propane model last, but it was not the thermo-controlled unit and honestly was a massive pain to maintain temps and smoke with. I'd like to go with something much more "set and forget" so thinking electric is going to be my best bet, with some adjustments/modifications expected.
I'm planning on a-maze-n from the start so that i don't have to worry about constantly adding chips/chunks - only one model i found seemed to have an even decent sized wood pan (char broil?). Also, with what i'm seeing here and in reviews regarding getting consistent temperature regulation, i'm pretty much sure i'd be adding a PID to the mix - unless i find things magically work (well) on setting up. My eye is currently on the auber plug-n-play model with wifi. If i'm spending this much on a controller it seems worthwhile to invest the extra $75 on the wifi and get an additional 2 probes all viewable in the same app. Also, and this is perhaps the biggest piece - i like the idea of not having to do an real electrical modding of the smoker. I don't doubt that I _could_ do it - and i've seen the great guides on these forums - but i just need to be realistic about finding the time and keeping things simple.
The final piece is getting the actual smoker unit. This is where i'm a little stuck between what i'd "like" and what i can find or feels realistic. Ideally, i'd like a 40" or at least 4 rack smoker with an analog element that could give me temps to 350/400 - bonus points for stainless steel cabinet for longevity. I know that for smoking i don't need 400 - this would be more for having an outdoor oven when entertaining - definitely an "extra" but not sure really what's attainable. As for the analog part - i'm hoping to keep all of the electronics limited to the PID and so analog seems to be the easiest integration. Masterbuilt's latest models 340/440 seem to show a "set temp" of 400 on some photos on their product page, but it seems that most of the reviews don't show this as possible. The old analog 30" models though seem to have a 1500w element which feels more than sufficient for the task with that size cabinet.
So, the question for you experts: what model am i missing, or, do i just give up on one of the wish list items? I'm leaning toward a 30" analog but maybe i'm missing something simple? Am i going to have problems with the losing cooking space to the a-maze-n in this model? Or, go with a digital 40" and have to fight the electronics battle and probably be more temp limited.
Bonus points: looks like a 1500w 3 shelf analog ($75) as well as an MES230g ($150) are available on local marketplace... should i pull the trigger or wait?
Hoping to get a smoker setup up and running again and looking for some guidance. I had a masterbuilt propane model last, but it was not the thermo-controlled unit and honestly was a massive pain to maintain temps and smoke with. I'd like to go with something much more "set and forget" so thinking electric is going to be my best bet, with some adjustments/modifications expected.
I'm planning on a-maze-n from the start so that i don't have to worry about constantly adding chips/chunks - only one model i found seemed to have an even decent sized wood pan (char broil?). Also, with what i'm seeing here and in reviews regarding getting consistent temperature regulation, i'm pretty much sure i'd be adding a PID to the mix - unless i find things magically work (well) on setting up. My eye is currently on the auber plug-n-play model with wifi. If i'm spending this much on a controller it seems worthwhile to invest the extra $75 on the wifi and get an additional 2 probes all viewable in the same app. Also, and this is perhaps the biggest piece - i like the idea of not having to do an real electrical modding of the smoker. I don't doubt that I _could_ do it - and i've seen the great guides on these forums - but i just need to be realistic about finding the time and keeping things simple.
The final piece is getting the actual smoker unit. This is where i'm a little stuck between what i'd "like" and what i can find or feels realistic. Ideally, i'd like a 40" or at least 4 rack smoker with an analog element that could give me temps to 350/400 - bonus points for stainless steel cabinet for longevity. I know that for smoking i don't need 400 - this would be more for having an outdoor oven when entertaining - definitely an "extra" but not sure really what's attainable. As for the analog part - i'm hoping to keep all of the electronics limited to the PID and so analog seems to be the easiest integration. Masterbuilt's latest models 340/440 seem to show a "set temp" of 400 on some photos on their product page, but it seems that most of the reviews don't show this as possible. The old analog 30" models though seem to have a 1500w element which feels more than sufficient for the task with that size cabinet.
So, the question for you experts: what model am i missing, or, do i just give up on one of the wish list items? I'm leaning toward a 30" analog but maybe i'm missing something simple? Am i going to have problems with the losing cooking space to the a-maze-n in this model? Or, go with a digital 40" and have to fight the electronics battle and probably be more temp limited.
Bonus points: looks like a 1500w 3 shelf analog ($75) as well as an MES230g ($150) are available on local marketplace... should i pull the trigger or wait?
