I only smoke meats 5 or 6 times a year.  I started with a very inexpensive Brinkman charcoal smoker that really did the job for me at the time.  However, I wanted longer smoke times without having to change the charcoal out.  Eventually after a few years I purchased a Masterbuilt propane smoker which did a real nice job and had more room.  One thing I was always struggling with was temperature control.  It seemed hard to maintain the ideal temp through the smoke.  Still it did a nice job and I was really able to smoke some awesome ribs and steaks.   Now I am on my third smoker, a Masterbuilt Thermo Temp XL propane smoker with a thermostat that my wife bought for me.    So I thought I would share my thought on the unit.  I am not going to go into how fast I got it, how assembly went etc.  I am going to tell you what I like about the smoker and what it does well.  Here is my review after almost 2 years with the smoker.

The main reason I bought the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp was the thermostat.  I know you can get a thermostat on an electric smoker but I wanted propane.  I think propane gives a better bark than electric.  There are smaller versions of the Thermo Temp, I went with the XL.  I am glad I did.  Just this last weekend we had some guests over and I was able to fit 6 full racks of ribs and a pork shoulder in at once.   I read a little trick to get the temp dialed in on the smoker.  Bring the temp up higher than you want and then bring it back down to where you would like.   You can use the dial to adjust the temperature but I really didn’t rely on it but it was a good reference and starting point.  Once the door is shut you may have to spend a little time monitoring the temperature and fine tuning but once you get it set, it really holds pretty close.  I used an external thermometer with an app on my phone to keep an eye on it.  I got it set at 225 degrees and it really held within a few degrees most of the smoke.  When I opened the door to add wood or add water to the pan, I would have to spend a little time dialing the temp back in but then I was good to go.  The smoker lit and stayed lit no problem.  We had a little rain come through and the temp stayed right on.

I only have a couple of things that I would change.  The pan that holds the wood chips is really clever.  It is mounted with a bracket to the lower door so when you open it the pan swings out which makes it very easy to add wood chips.  I just think it is too small for my taste.  I actually took it off and placed a small pan on the cover over the flame and loaded my chips there.  Not as convenient but I wanted to be able to place more wood in the smoker.  The second thing that I didn’t like and it’s not just unique to the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp Smoker is the water tray.   In particular, it doesn’t slide out that smooth to add more water.  I have it happen on this smoker and others when I slide the tray out to top off the water it catches and splashes water on the fire and the grease and it can flare up.  Again neither of these things is a big deal but something I noted.  I have heard others adding gaskets around the doors for a tighter seal, I just don’t think that is an issue, the smoke is going to vent out though the vent and some may slip out the doors but the smoke needs to keep moving.

I would recommend the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp.  I think it is a good value and for me solved one of my biggest issues with smoking meat.  With the thermostat control, I was even able to take a little nap during my last smoke!