If you’re looking for a large and sturdy smoker that has excellent cooking features without any unnecessary embellishments, then the the Masterbuilt 40 Inch Black Propane Smoker could be the perfect model for you.
Made to the exacting quality standards of a company that is renowned in outdoor grilling and smoking, this model will offer a long lifetime and excellent cooking abilities for all your favorite smoked food.
While some modern smokers come with advanced features, gadgets, and complex electronics, the Masterbuilt 200050211 keeps things simple with just a propane gas system, four racks, and a large interior cooking chamber.
If you want nothing but the best possible smoking for a reasonable price, this is the review that you’ll want to look at.
Key Product Features of the Masterbuilt 40” Smoker
This is one of the best propane smokers thanks to its simplicity and excellent cooking abilities.
The features are sparse, but it includes everything that matters for simple and effective smoking.
- Steel construction.
- Large single door design.
- Four adjustable cooking racks
- Propane gas powered.
- Large wood and water trays.
- Simple design that is easy to clean.
- 15,400 BTU from a single gas burner.
- 1,300 square inches of total cooking space.
- Built-in temperature gauge.
First Impressions and Quality of Construction and Design
This smoker won’t stand out for the same reasons as some of the more modern-styled smokers on the market.
There’s no glass door, the unit is monolithic and large, and it features basic steel stands and only a single gas control on the front.
The first thing that you will notice about this smoker is its unapologetic minimalism.
It looks like it means business, and for many people that is the perfect type of aesthetic.
If you know what you’re doing and simply want the best results for a good price, then this smoker is hard to beat.
The unit itself is made from high-quality steel with all parts feeling sturdy and long-lasting.
The smoker is not insulated, but the gas delivery system is powerful enough that this won’t be a problem.
One minor issue is that there are no seals on the door, so this smoker is not 100% airtight with the vent closed.
In practice, this doesn’t make a difference to the cooking abilities, but the omission of any seals will stand out if you have recently considered an insulated smoker.
The size of this unit is immense, and it offers ample cooking space from four high-quality chromed cooking racks.
These racks are sturdy enough to hold heavy birds and BBQ cuts, so you won’t have any concerns when loading this smoker with your favorite foods.
Overall, the design is basic, but the construction quality is of a high standard.
If you’re looking for something flashy that would complement a designer patio area, then this is probably not the smoker for you.
If you are looking for a large smoker that gets the job done with no-nonsense, then this will be perfectly suited to your needs.
The Masterbuilt 40” smoker feels like a real cooking tool rather than a modern luxury accessory.
If you’re more partial towards the classic smokers that were functional rather than beautiful appliances, then this one will stand out and is one of the most obvious choices and one of the best propane smokers on the market today.
Size of the Best Propane Smoker
One of the things that makes the Masterbuilt 40” smoker one of the best propane smokers is the fact that it has such a huge internal volume.
The large size allows for a cooking area of 1,300 square inches, which is more than double that of which the average smoker can provide today.
This vastly extends your cooking options and overall makes this a more versatile smoker than most.
Consider turkey as an example.
On some smaller smokers, you would only be able to fit a single turkey inside, and you may need to remove the remaining racks, which limits the versatility of the smoker.
If you are using all of your fuel and wood chips for a single turkey, then you could find that smoking sessions become prohibitively expensive.
Because there’s so much room offered inside this smoker, you can cook a large turkey, a BBQ brisket, and two medium-sized chickens, all at the same time.
Simply removing one rack will give you plenty of clearance, and this would even be a suitable smoker for cooking duck and other types of game.
Whatever meat you love to cook, whether that is beef, pork butt, venison, or even specialty sausages and jerky, you will rarely run into size limitations when you choose the best propane smoker.
Cooking Results When Using the Masterbuilt Smoker
With size covered, you’ll want to know about the flavor of the food that is possible with this smoker.
There are a few different factors that go into quality smoked meats.
Choosing the right wood chips is one thing, and you also need to have the right heat and moisture ratio.
With a BTU rating of 15,400 per hour, this smoker can achieve the perfect temperatures for low and slow cooking.
The wood chip and water trays are perfectly sized to ensure that you can get as much smoke as you need for the style of food that you love to cook.
For longer sessions, you may need to open the door and add water or smoker chips, but this unit can produce smoke quickly and heat up fast, so opening the door won’t have any huge impact on cooking conditions.
One thing to consider is that the cooking chamber and heating element/wood chips are all accessed through the same door, so you wouldn’t want to go opening it regularly during a smoking session.
Meat probes are recommended so that you can check the interior temperature of your ingredients without opening the door.
The final results from your food will be excellent, even if you have little or no experience with a smoker.
There aren’t too many steps to achieving quality smoked meat, and you can follow some recipes to get the right marinade or rub.
If you want something simple that produces consistent results with as much smoke flavor as you could want, then this is one of the best propane smokers to do it.
Ease of Use
Gas smokers are very easy to use, particularly when compared to solid wood burning or charcoal smokers.
Electric is currently the most convenient method, but gas is not far behind.
With propane, you won’t have to worry about using a mains hookup, which means that you can operate this smoker anywhere in your yard or on your patio without worrying about looking for a power outlet.
As long as you have a full propane tank, you will be ready to go.
The controls on the front of the unit are dead simple with just a gas valve control and an ignition switch.
There is a temperature gauge on the front door of the smoker, which will help as you adjust the gas to get the perfect temperature inside.
Once you’ve got the right temperature, you can essentially leave the smoker to do its thing.
The only time you will need to interact with it is for longer cooking sessions where you need to top up wood chips or water.
Having a glass door on this smoker would have made it easier to monitor your food, water, and wood chips, but it would also add to the price.
Experienced smokers probably won’t mind the omission of a glass door, and first-time smokers will quickly get used to the process without one.
If you think that a glass door would be beneficial to your cooking, then you could consider the larger 44” model from Masterbuilt.
It is another one of the best propane smokers on the market today, but you will pay a significant premium for the added size and the integration of a tempered glass door.
Overall, this is an easy smoker to use and it is also simple to clean.
There are very few parts, so maintenance is minimal, and the gas burner heats up quickly and provides excellent low and medium temperatures for smoking any ingredient that you could want to work with.
Top Pros and Cons of the Masterbuilt 40” Propane Smoker
These are the reasons we found this to be the best propane smoker available today, along with some downsides that you will need to consider before you buy.
Pros
- Huge interior volume with plenty of cooking space for large cuts of meat and big smoking sessions.
- Heats up quickly thanks to the propane fuel source.
- Perfect temperature range for low and slow smoking.
- Solid construction with steel parts that are made to last.
- No-fuss design perfect for experienced smokers and new users alike.
- Competitively priced, offering more space than other smokers in the same price range.
Cons
- No glass viewing door could take some time to get used to for first-time smokers. Meat probes are recommended.
- Single door design means the smoker needs to be completely opened to top-up wood chips and water.
- The basic monolithic design may not be loved by all potential buyers.
- No insulation or door seals.
Final Thoughts and Recommendation
None of the cons are real deal-breakers, and you still get a lot of smokers here for your money.
This is not only one of the best propane smokers in terms of quality and ability, it’s also one of the best in terms of value.
If you simply want a large smoker that will perform without trouble, then this is the model for you.
It will be invaluable during holidays and family gatherings, and we highly recommend it for both experienced users and first-time smokers.
There is a Newer Model of This Item.
