I have a Masterbuilt that's been a fantastic smoker for the last 5 years or so, I couldn't be happier with it. The remote control is extremely handy for monitoring smoker temp, meat temp and adjusting temperatures from inside so I don't have to go back and forth, which is handy when you're gimped up. I highly recommend the Masterbuilt.
I bought that one, it was a helluva deal. Now I have it and the Cookshack, interesting to run them side by side.
It was kind of funny, it's like the people cleaned the entire smoker after each use. Completely ruins the smoker when you do. My racks get cleaned, and the bottom/wood box get cleaned, but the sides have a nice smoke crust on them. I ran it empty with a lot of hickory in it yesterday, now it has a nice black coating on the inside.
Bought one at Sam's last night, over $4 a pound. Also was shocked that beef bologna at the store was over $6 a pound.
Not sure who said stay away from Masterbuilt, but I've had one thier Electric Smokehouses for several years now. It's on the back porch with only overhead cover and I've used the heck out of it. Works great.
When my buddy bought one a couple of years ago we did a lot of internet research. It was pretty easy at the time to find a LOT of negative posts about them, there was also a fair amount of praise too. He made the decision based on price to go ahead, figured if it lasted a couple of years he got his return on investment. He has been VERY happy with it so far, a mutual friend bought one due to their experience, they have been happy as well.
As others have pointed out, the Cookshack type smoker is a heavy, well insulated unit. It does a great job of holding a consistent heat under various conditions. So if you smoke year around like many of us do it will give you a consistent result. The Masterbuilt 40 inch weighs in at 54lbs, the Smaller Cookshack SM025 weighs in at 74lbs.
For me I would rather have a used Cookshack type smoker, I see them for $150-$250 on CL from time to time.
Yeah, that's the problem with internet research. You can find a lot of negative content on anything. According to the internet Glocks, 1911s, the M4 carbine, Chevy, Ford, BMW and Durant all suck. LOL.
Oh you Turkey, now I know why I have not heard back from them! LOL!! How does it go? Snooze you lose! I tried contacting them early this morning. You got a good deal, according to some members here say. Enjoy!
I saw it about 5 minutes after the ad went up, emailed them just to be first in line. Texted both of my buddies that have Masterbuilts that they should buy it, no response from either of them so I bought it myself.
I've honestly been looking for a bigger smoker, I'm getting more requests to cook for others and sometimes the Cookshack's size holds me up. The next step up in a Cookshack is way out of my budget so this will help me bolster my capacity. Now I am in the midst of designing a Smoker stand, going to be fun building a nice setup for the pair.
Sweet. I found a friend of mine a cookshack smokette on Craigslist a couple of years ago located in Afton for 125.00. I guess the location wasn't great because the lady said they were trying to sell it for a few months.
