Masterbuilt has nailed another product out of the park with the Smoke Hollow smoker line. If you've ever had second thoughts about buying an electric smoker, then stop right now and get one from Masterbuilt. Unlike other digital electric smokers, Smoke Hollow Electric smokers are a true masterpiece in precision, price, and performance.
I know about the common issues people tend to have when using an electric smoker, but let me tell you this. You will forget about all of them once you learn about the benefits of buying a Masterbuilt Smoke Hollow. The Smoke Hollow has given me countless perfectly smoked meals, and I can tell you it is an excellent product. I do not even notice the drawbacks of electric smokers anymore.
In this article, we'll focus on one type, which is the Smoke Hollow ES230B Digital Electric Smoker. However, all the points mentioned will be typical of all Smoke hollow devices. So you can choose any of the models listed below that suits your needs:
Note:
The Smoke Hollow ES230B is the same as the Smoke Hollow SH19079518 Digital Electric Smoker, which I review in this article.
Smoke Hollow ES230B Review - Best Smoke hollow Smoker
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Build and description - Is Smoke hollow a good brand?
It is essential to understand how a brand has built your products. This way, you can know if the product will fit your needs and preferences. It will also give you an idea about the durability, size, and overall quality of the smoker.
With the smoke hollow es230b, you get a smoker with internal dimensions of 26.2 inches in height, 14.8 inches in width, and 12.8 inches in length. Knowing these dimensions gives you an idea of how large even the basic Smoke hollow is regarding internal cooking space. The external dimensions are 33.5 inches and 18.2 inches in height and width. Lastly, the length of the Smoker Hollow es230b is 18.7 inches.
While it is one of the smallest Smoke hollow smokers, I found it sufficient to cook a meal for my little family of 6. But if you want something more substantial, you can opt for the Smoke Hollow 46" electric smoker. It offers near-identical features but a much larger size.
Smoke Hollow smokers have a body with insulated walls that help to keep the heat inside the smoking box that will trap the smoke inside. This feature also prevents random temperature spikes that you typically find on other electric smokers. And without it, you would find it hard to smoke meats evenly properly.
Moisture retention
One problem that many smokers face is that they cannot retain enough moisture inside the box, which produces a very dry, bland, and flavorless piece of meat. Maintaining the desired level of humidity inside the smoker is necessary at all times. And without an insulated body, it would be hard to achieve the desired taste in your smoked meat.
With the Smoke Hollow ES230B or SH19079518 Digital Electric Smoker, you get a smoker with top-class insulation. On top of this, the Smoke Hollow 30" comes with an air damper that makes sure the moisture level remains stable throughout the whole grilling session.
But where will the moisture come from? The removable water bowl will be your answer to this question. With this additional component, you can keep the environment inside the smoker moist and keep your meat moist too.
Temperature control
Keeping the temperature inside the smoker even is by far an essential part of smoking. If the heat increases and decreases too often, you will produce an under cooked or overcooked piece of meat.
Thankfully, the Smoke Hollow comes with an 800-watt heating element with an inbuilt integrated thermostat with which you can control the temperature and keep the heat consistent even if you do not adjust it manually from time to time. Moreover, it has a max temp of 275 degrees and a low of 170 degrees, which is sufficient for most use cases.
Additional features
Additional features like temperature control and the like will help a smoker to be more user-friendly. What this means is that the more features a smoker has, the easier it is for you to use the equipment.
On the top of the Smoke Hollow ES230B, there is a digital panel that displays the power and temperature. With the digital display, you will be able to tell what temps you are running and control it accurately. Moreover, the readings will show up in clear numbers and letters. All you have to do with the Smoke Hollow is to turn it on, add the wood, set the desired temperature, and you are good to go. The smoker will take care of everything else.
To sweeten the deal, Smoke Hollow has also included the ability to control the SH19079518 Digital Electric Smoker through a remote.
Cooking space
Cooking space means the surface on which you will place your meat or food item. For better understanding, we shall call it the capacity of the smoker. If you want to buy a smoker so that you can have big barbeque parties, you will want a large capacity smoker.
On the other hand, if you want it to serve your average-sized family, you can go for a smoker with a smaller capacity. In such cases, it will be a waste of both money and space to buy a large smoker with a large cooking area. I found the space in this model very sufficient to cook a variety of meats at the same time.
With this smoker, Masterbuilt says you can smoke up to 9 chickens, 36 sausages, two turkeys, three racks of ribs, or up to 24 burgers. So far, I've only smoked three chickens and a rack of ribs in it, and there was plenty of space left to add more meat.
The Smoke hollow ES230B comes with three smoking racks that have chrome coating. You can fit nine whole chickens or two turkeys into the smoker. As you can see, this smoker has a large capacity and will be perfect for your barbeque parties.
Types of meat you can smoke
You can smoke all types of meat in this smoker. Chicken, turkey, pork, and beef are the most common types of meat that people smoke. But in this device, you can smoke seafood too like fish, prawns, and even lobsters.
All the results you get from smoking these types of meat are excellent. The best part is that you do not need to put in a lot of effort to get it right. Set the smoker and forget it until it's time to eat.
Cleaning up
When it comes to smokers, there is one thing that will make a mess inside the smokebox. The drippings from meat and other food items! These drips make a huge mess and are not hygienic if you do not clean it after every use.
With the Smoke Hollow, you do not have to worry about cleaning the huge mess after every smoking session because all you have to do is slide the dripping pan without opening the smoker door, and clean it up.
The problem with some smokers is that you have to open the smoker door to get the drip pan. Opening this door releases all the Smoke and heat inside the chamber. If you release this heat, the temperature inside will fluctuate, and you will end up with a very dry and unevenly cooked cut of meat.
Vertical and space-saving design
The vertical design of the Smoke Hollow makes it compact and easy to fit even into small spaces. You will not need to make a lot of space for this smoker as it has a very compact footprint.
Price of the smoker
The Smoke Hollow es230b digital electric smoker used to cost a little less than one hundred and fifty bucks. However, since they've done some upgrades to it, it will now run a little over the two hundred dollar mark. Still, this price is quite reasonable if you compare it with similar products from other brands.
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Ease of refueling
The design of the door is a slight letdown as they could have done a better job at it. Every time you open the door, you will release the Smoke and heat from the smoking chamber. Which means it will need to take some time to reach back to the specified temperatures. This drawback is very annoying and a deal-breaking point for some buyers.
Customer reviews of the smoker
One important thing to consider about a product before buying it is the reviews from previous buyers. You would not want a product that users will not recommend.
With the Smoke hollow es230b (SH19079518) digital electric smoker, you mostly see positive reviews for its ease of use, price, build quality, storage ability, ease of assembly, and cleaning.
However, there are a few points where they fail to satisfy buyers. Some of these categories are lack of high-temperature heating above 275 degrees, the design and functionality of the door, and controls. Nevertheless, it has far more pros than cons and is well worth the money it costs.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
The Smoke hollow es230b digital electric smoker is an excellent electric smoker that you should consider if you want to care about the environment. It is reliable for the most part and produces true smoked meat, almost as identical as the charcoal grills.