Masterbuilt Electric vs Propane Smoker

Which one, in one line

There is an outlet where the smoker will live. The electric. Set the control board and there is no fire and no tank to think about.

There is no outlet where you smoke. The propane. A tank works at a tailgate, a campsite, or the corner of a yard a cord will not reach.

One machine has to smoke and sear. Neither. These are vertical smoke cabinets, and the electric's published range stops at 275°F.

The size gap comes first, because it complicates everything else on this page.

Why compare a 30 inch to a 40 inch?

Because the question buyers actually type is which fuel, and these are the two Masterbuilt smokers covered on this site, one electric and one propane. They are not the same size. The electric is a 30-inch cabinet with 710 square inches of cooking space. The propane is a 40-inch cabinet with 960.

So the capacity gap is a size gap, not a fuel gap. Nothing about a propane burner makes a smoker roomier. Masterbuilt simply sells these fuels in different cabinets, and if you buy the propane you are buying extra room even if you did not want it.

Both figures are totals across four racks. Masterbuilt does not publish a per-rack figure for either, so there is no honest way to say how much of each total sits on any one shelf. Read them as whole-cabinet numbers.

Is an electric or propane smoker better?

Neither fuel is better. Each one solves a different supply problem. The electric needs an outlet, and in return you set a number on a digital control board and there is no fire to manage at all. The propane needs a tank, and in return it works anywhere, power or not.

That is the entire decision, and it is about where you smoke rather than what you cook. On a patio with power, the electric is the simpler machine to own. A brisket day starts by pressing buttons. Away from power, the electric is a cabinet-shaped paperweight and the propane is the only one of the two that lights.

Running cost would be the natural tiebreaker, and it is not available. Masterbuilt publishes no wattage for the electric and no BTU rating for the propane on these product pages, so any per-cook cost figure you see quoted for these models is coming from somewhere other than the manufacturer. The propane model's published plumbing detail is a Type 1 regulator with a fuel gauge.

How hot does each one get?

The electric's control board sets anywhere from 100 to 275°F. For the propane, Masterbuilt publishes only a ceiling: the dial is rated up to 375°F, with no stated minimum. Those are two different kinds of number, so do not lay them side by side and read off a gap.

A settable 100 to 275°F range covers low and slow, which is what a cabinet like this is for. The propane's 375°F ceiling leaves room for hotter poultry cooks, where low smoking temperatures are known for rubbery skin. But because Masterbuilt states no minimum for the propane, its behavior at the bottom of the dial is not on the page, and I will not guess at it.

Neither number is a grilling number. If part of the plan is putting a crust on a steak, that is a different machine, and the answer lives in the pellet grills and smokers category rather than in either of these.

How much space do they take up?

The electric stands 42.1 inches tall, 23.6 wide and 22.8 front to back. The propane stands 53 inches tall, 28.7 wide and the same 22.8 front to back. Masterbuilt labels that last dimension length. Both are four-rack cabinets with chrome-coated racks, and each carries a 1 year warranty.

The vertical layout is the quiet win on both. Each one holds its whole cooking area in a footprint smaller than a doormat, which is why cabinet smokers suit tight patios. The propane asks for roughly a foot more height and a few more inches of width, and that is the whole difference in floor space.

Past the fuel systems, the hardware reads the same on both pages. Four racks each. Chrome-coated racks on both. The same 1 year warranty on both. Neither page publishes a weight, so I cannot tell you which is heavier to move.

What do they cost?

Masterbuilt lists the 30-inch electric at $299.99 and the 40-inch propane at $399.99, both list prices read from masterbuilt.com on 26 July 2026. Retail prices drift, so check the live number before you commit. Keep in mind that the price gap is buying a bigger cabinet as well as a different fuel.

That second point matters. This is not a clean price on fuel type, because the propane brings 960 square inches to the electric's 710. If Masterbuilt sold both fuels in the same cabinet the comparison would be cleaner. It does not, so the extra money buys a bundle: the tank-powered burner and the larger box, together.

Who should buy which

Get the electric if:

• There is an outlet within reach of where the smoker will stand
• You want to set a temperature and go back inside
• 710 square inches across four racks covers the people you feed

Get the propane if:

• You smoke where there is no power: tailgates, campsites, a cabin
• You feed a crowd and will use the 960 square inch cabinet
• You want dial headroom above the electric's 275°F top end

Common questions

Which is cheaper to run? No honest answer exists from the published pages. Masterbuilt states no wattage for the electric and no BTU rating for the propane, so there is nothing to compute. Decide on supply instead: an outlet you already have against a tank you have to keep filled.

Is the propane smoker bigger because it burns propane? No. It is bigger because it is the 40-inch cabinet and the electric is the 30-inch one. The fuel does not create the room. If 710 square inches is enough for your table, the electric's smaller size is a feature, not a compromise.

Does the propane hold a set temperature like the electric? The electric takes a number on its digital control board. The propane takes a dial setting, and Masterbuilt publishes a 375°F ceiling for it rather than a settable range. What the valve does between the dial and the burner is not on the published page, so I will not guess at it here.

Can either one replace a grill? No. Both are vertical cabinets built to hold smoking temperatures. The electric's published range stops at 275°F and the propane's dial is rated up to 375°F. Neither is a searing temperature, and neither cabinet puts food over a direct flame the way a grill does.