Masterbuilt MPS 340/G or Pit Boss 5 series?

[Mister C]

Also have a 340G, had it about 2 years now. Got it based on Max's excellent review on the free side of the site.

I'd been using a Weber kettle with an original SlowNSear forever and, though I love it for most applications, just wanted something that I could set for a super long cook or do 3x the food in that every once in a while. Mine holds temp perfectly, it was exactly what I needed. I also felt that, using wood chunks, the smoke was not far off from charcoal. My neighbor's got a Green Mountain Daniel Boone pellet - it's awfully nice but doesn't deliver as much smoke flavor as the 340G can.

Good luck! And enjoy the ride down the BBQ gear rabbit hole.

[crpeck]

I've had the 340G for a couple of years (I think). I've got the temperature dial so it's spot on, but, always use a temperature probe to verify & to alert me if the temp drops & I need to swap tanks. I'm gonna ditto what is said above, a tank lasts a long time. It keeps a consistent temp thru the cook. I also use chunks, with some chips to get her started. I'm playing with a smoke tube & pellets now just to see what happens.
I have no experience with a pellet grill/smoker.

[Dewesq55]

^^^What he said! I also use chunks, not chips.

For the sake of balance, there is at least one regular poster here who had a bad experience with his ThermoTemp and used to mention it every time someone asked a question about this smoker. For some reason he has not chimed in on this thread so far. It might have been Bkhuna . If interested you could probably find those posts by doing a search

[SmokingSteve]

I have had the Thermotemp XL MPS 340G for two years now. It does a great job. I have never had any issues with it. I use wood chunks, not chips and get great smoke from it. With 4 shelves it has great capacity.Propane tanks last a very long time, typically at least 1 or 2 months depending on how heavily I am using it. Usually at least twice a week. You will spend a lot less on propane fuel vs pellets for a pellet rig.

[Dewesq55]

I have the Masterbuilt and I think it delivers very good product. I would much rather cook with wood chunks than pellets. As for propane, there is no way you have to get a new tank of propane for every cook - even brisket or pork butt. I find the tanks last a very long time - many cooks. If you keep a spare on hand it is never a problem. Plus, propane tank exchanges are EVERYWHERE these days. If, by chance, you did run out unexpectedly, I suspect it would be way easier to run out and grab a full gas tank than to pick up 50 or 100 lbs of pellets. One more thing - propane is propane. It's fungible. Not so with pellets.

[jfmorris]

Those are some pretty different cookers there - pellet versus propane. I think you gotta decide whether its easier to be getting 20 pound tank refills every time you smoke a butt or brisket, or if its easier to pick up a new bag of pellets at the store. Then decide which cooker is best in that type.

I've seen both good and bad reviews of the Masterbuilt thermostatic propane smokers. My personal pick for propane would be the Camp Chef Smokevault 24 - mostly because it can be converted to natural gas, and I've got that available outside. On pellet rigs, I cannot comment on the Pit Boss. In BOTH cases, I think you will find the smoke profile is going to be lighter than you are used to from the Weber kettle. The propane smoker with wood chunks may offer more smoke flavor than the pellet cooker if I had to guess.

[bbqLuv]

Go pellet grill,
Traeger pellet grill.

[Redwng]

Welcome from St. Cloud, FL. I don't have any experience with those either but I did have a propane/vertical smoker many years ago and I learned to run a water pan inside as the fire sucked up any humidity in mine. Good luck whatever your choice and you must share pics.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit. Sorry, but I am not familiar with either of those cookers.

[Solishu]

I’ve been smoking with my Weber Kettle for a few years and am finally upgrading to a full featured smoker and I am just having a really hard time choosing between these two. Both seem to have pretty good temperature stability and seem to be pretty hands off once you get things going. They were both reviewed favorably here, but I wondered if anyone could help me think through which one would be better for me?