The Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is an extremely easy-to-use smoker, perfect for beginners and masters alike.

Contents

DESIGN + VERSATILITY | Well-Insulated

Masterbuilt is a family-started and family-owned company that focuses on producing high-quality backyard cooking equipment. This company was started in the backyard of the McLemore Family in 1973, and the story behind the company today is a good one! A common theme with family-owned companies is that they produce high-quality products with outstanding customer service; quality and service are their lifeblood. Masterbuilt is known for their all-famous backyard cookers and fryers, but also has a line of smokers and grills. The Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is one of their top smokers, and for many good reasons.

This electric smoker is…built with a stainless steel outer shell…

This electric smoker is a high-quality piece of equipment that is built with a stainless steel outer shell, as well as a viewing window so you can watch your smoking progress. Under the stainless steel exterior is a well-insulated wall that will help keep the heat and smoke in your unit while also making it easier to smoke in colder weather. The Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker has 975 square inches of cooking space, perfect for cooking large racks of ribs, whole birds, or large cuts of meat. A 1,200-watt heating element powers this electric smoker, so make sure you have an outlet that supports this wattage nearby.

Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker Review

Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker

Although the viewing window is a fun feature (something none of the other smokers we’ve reviewed had) of the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker, it does take some cleaning after each use to keep it viewable. Any meat that splatters while cooking might get on the window. Just take a cloth and a mixture of warm water and vinegar, then use that to wipe the window down after each use. It’s pretty simple, just an added maintenance feature with this smoker.

SAFETY + DURABILITY | Auto Shutoff Timer

Because Masterbuilt has quality in mind, the durability of the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is better than other smokers we’ve reviewed. It has a solid build with a stainless steel exterior and interior, good insulation, and a simple shape that makes maintenance simple without any extra parts or pieces to break. Every surface is wipeable and easy to clean.

A huge safety feature…is the fact that it’s electric.

A huge safety feature of the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is the fact that it’s electric. Many other smokers we’ve reviewed all involve fire as a heat source. This always creates the risk of a fire hazard. Also, with a fire heat source, you aren’t able to set your smoker and walk away without risk of starting a fire. With the Masterbuilt 40 Inch, you have the ability to set your time for the smoker and walk away while it cooks your feast. It includes an automatic shutoff timer that shuts the smoker down after a set time (which you program in). This allows you to smoke food while not having to hover over your smoker to make sure you shut it down at the perfect time, giving you a perfect option to mow your lawn or take a nice swim in the pool. Masterbuilt has your back.

PERFORMANCE | Easy Thoughtful Features

Ease-of-Use

There are a ton of thoughtful, but simple, features that come with the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker that will make your smoking experience a breeze. It comes equipped with a front control panel with a digital screen allowing you to set temperatures and times. A built-in meat probe thermometer helps cook with precision, allowing you to get an accurate read every time. Many smokers and grills come with a built-in lid thermometer, which isn’t as accurate as this built-in meat probe or grilling thermometers.

The front control panel design allows for more prepping space on top of the smoker…

A cool accessory that comes with the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is a remote control to access the control panel so you can monitor temperature, time, internal light, on/off, and meat temperature from inside your house (especially nice for chilly days when you don’t want to get bundled up to check on your smoker!) The front control panel design allows for more prepping space on top of the smoker, something you’ll always need. High output LED lights to illuminate the food in low light when the door is open for easy viewing.

Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker Review Top Control Panel

On the side of the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is a side-loading wood chip tray so that you don’t have to open the door (thus letting all the smoke and heat out) to reload wood chips when you’re running low. There is also a removable drip pan for easy cleaning and top dampers for easy heat and smoke control. A handle and rear wheels make moving this beast easy.

Best Features

Now the fun part. The Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is the middle child of Masterbuilt’s other electric smokers. It’s bigger than the 30 Inch Electric smoker with 200 more square inches of cooking space. We all know that more space is never anything to complain about. However, Masterbuilt has another 40 Inch Electric smoker with Bluetooth Smart technology, allowing you to control your smoker from your smartphone via Bluetooth. Yet, the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker still comes with a sweet remote control that monitors temperature, time, internal light, on and off, and meat temperature for this smoker.

The Masterbuilt 40 Inch…comes with a whopping 975 square inches of cooking space…

The Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker also comes with a whopping 975 square inches of cooking space with 4 chrome-coated racks and a 1,200-watt heating element. Almost 1,000 square inches of cooking space, something other smokers we’ve reviewed DIDN’T have, is pretty high in the meat smoking world. With this much space, Masterbuilt estimates you can cook either:

  • 12 Whole Chickens or
  • 2 Whole Turkeys or
  • 4 Racks of Ribs or
  • 48 Sausages or
  • 24 Burgers or
  • 4 Pork Butts

…and a partridge in a pear tree. Seriously, the ability to cook over 100 pounds of food at one time is pretty amazing. The capacity of this smoker allows for bulk-cooking or cooking for large crowds. This is super useful if you’re a hunter or fisher and want to smoke up a huge batch of meat for preserving. While you’re waiting for your feast to cook, think about taking a nap in one of the best hammocks or cool off in the pool.

Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker Review Inside

Large capacity

Thermostat temperature control helps with precise cooking, allowing you to go as low as 100 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, great for low and slow smoking. It also comes with a built-in meat temperature probe for precise cooking and monitors the internal temperature. The digital design allows for automatic temperature adjustments without you having to lift a finger. A convenient side-loading wood chip system allows you to add chips without opening the smoker door and letting all the heat out. Also, it comes with an adjustable door latch to hold the door tightly shut without letting any heat escape. Let’s not forget the removable drip pan for easy cleaning and mess control and the top air damper for heat and smoke control.

Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker Review Side Tray for Loading wood

Side-loading wood chip tray and door latch for tight seal

A couple important points to note. The “timer” included in the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is not a real timer that rings an alarm when your time runs out. This timer actually shuts the smoker down and turns it off, a great safety feature, but one that you have to keep an eye on if you don’t think your meat has cooked all the way. Also, some users have said that smoking below 200 can be difficult at times, so smoking at low levels in cold weather might be a little more difficult, although this is the case with many smokers we’ve reviewed.

PRICE + LONGEVITY | Built to Last

Longevity

Because of the sturdy design with a stainless steel exterior, this smoker made to stand up to the elements. Still, it’s important to find a good cover that will protect the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker from wear and tear over time. It will help keep your smoker in tip-top condition and help it last much longer. Also, because of the simple design, it’s less likely that something will get broken.

Price

It’s important to remember that with this smoker, you’re buying quality and outstanding customer service.

The price for the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker might seem a little on the high side, but it’s important to remember that with this smoker, you’re buying quality and outstanding customer service. Because Masterbuilt is a family-owned company, they thrive on producing and upholding quality standards as well as providing exceptional customer service. The warranty on their products isn’t as good as bigger brands (like PK Grills or Weber). However, their online manuals are exceptional and way more detailed than many other big-brand items available.

Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker Review Large Capacity

PROS

  • Built-in meat probe and thermostat temperature control
  • Remote control to access the control panel
  • 975 square inches for tons of cooking space
  • Side-loading wood chip system
  • Automatic timer shut off

CONS

  • Pricey
  • Glass door needs to be cleaned after each use

THE BOTTOM LINE | High-Quality Smoker

The Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker is an extremely easy-to-use smoker, perfect for beginners and masters alike. It has many thoughtful features that make it a good choice, including a glass door for keeping an eye on your cooking. The digital control panel includes a thermostat thermometer for automatic temperature adjustments and comes with a remote control that monitors temperature, time, internal light, on and off, and meat temperature.

Other great features make smoking with the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Digital Electric Smoker an easy experience. It comes with a side-loading wood chip system that allows you to load wood chips without opening the door and letting all the heat and smoke out. Also, one of the greatest features of this smoker is its large capacity for food. It has over 975 square inches of cooking space, perfect for large cuts of meat, racks of ribs, or multiple whole birds. You’ll get the most amount of cooking space compared to other smokers we’ve reviewed. This makes it perfect for bulk-cooking or cooking for large crowds.