Product · MasterBuilt
Masterbuilt MES 35B Analog: simple dial control
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The MES 35B is Masterbuilt's analogue cabinet smoker: a dial for heat, a gauge to read it and three racks inside. It is meant for beginners and for people who want smoked food without a digital panel. What sets it apart in our comparison is that simplicity. There is very little to go wrong and nothing to set up beyond plugging it in and loading chips.
- Cooking area
- Not stated
- Racks
- 3 chrome-coated
- Controls
- Analogue dial, built-in gauge
- Wood chips
- Slide-out chip tray
- Weight
- 22.6 kg
In its favour
- The dial control is simple to use, with no screen or app to learn.
- A slide-out wood chip tray makes ash removal easier between cooks.
- A removable water bowl adds moisture during long smokes.
Good to know
- The listing does not state the cooking area, the temperature range or the plug type.
- There is no timer, so you need to keep an eye on the clock yourself.
Our take
What you get
The listing names a built-in temperature gauge, three chrome-coated smoking racks, variable temperature control with a dial, a removable water bowl and a wood chip tray that slides out for ash removal. That is the full list. Cooking area, temperature range and plug type are not stated.
The cabinet is roughly 56 cm wide, 51 cm deep and 102 cm tall and weighs 22.6 kg, so it is similar in size to the digital 30-inch models.
How an analogue smoker behaves
With a dial, you choose a heat level rather than a target temperature. The gauge tells you what the cabinet is doing, and you nudge the dial if it runs hot or cool. That needs a bit more attention on a windy day, but it is easy to learn.
The chip tray sits inside, so topping up wood means sliding it out. That lets some heat escape, unlike the side loader on the digital Masterbuilts, though the slide-out design does make emptying ash quick.
Compared with the Char-Broil and the digital models
The Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker is the direct rival. It states a 544 square inch cooking area, a double-wall insulated body and a 1,000 W element, which gives you more to compare on paper. The Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital with legs adds a timer, a window, a damper and a side loader, at the cost of more electronics.
If you are not sure you will use a smoker often, the MES 35B is the lower-commitment way in.
Who should look elsewhere
Anyone who wants to set a cook and leave the house should look at a digital or app-controlled model, because there is no timer here. Check with the seller that the version supplied is for UK 230 V mains, as the listing does not say.
Verdict
The MES 35B is a fair first smoker for someone who likes manual control and short, supervised cooks. If you want stated insulation and cooking area, compare the Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker, and if a timer and side chip loader matter, the Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital with legs is worth the step up.
Compared with alternatives in: Best electric smokers in the UK
Amazon listing title: Masterbuilt MB20070210 MES 35B Analog Electric Smoker, Black