YOU ARE HERE >> AmazingRibs » Ratings & Reviews » Camping RV And Outdoor Cooking » Cabela’s 7 in 1 Cooker/Smoker Review
Cabelas’s 7 in 1 Cooker/Smoker is made by Masterbuilt and is a Cabela’s branded version of the Masterbuilt 7 in 1 Smoker and Grill. It can use either gas or charcoal as fuel. It converts into a brazier or a tripod for boiling water or deep frying and it comes with a 10.5 quart aluminum pot and basket. Like most bullets, it uses an enamel water/drip pan to put moisture into the cooking chamber. It has a small door at the bottom so you can add wood chips or fill the water pan. There’s a damper at the top, but none on the bottom so air flow control is limited. When using this with charcoal, we predict you’ll be glad there’s a gas burner to keep the coal from going out on the low end and goose up the heat for grilling.
Made of thin enamel coated metal with a cast iron burner, like all Masterbuilt equipment, this BBQ cooker is built cheap to sell cheap and give you a lot of bang for your buck with some clever features. In addition to being able to roast, grill, smoke, fry and boil/simmer, this is one of the only bullets we’ve seen with a side shelf for trays or tools.
If you buy this smoker, immediately go get yourself a good thermometer. As usual the thermometer that comes with it stinks. The two 15.5″ cooking grates are just a bit too small for some large slabs. You can smoke about eight slabs if you cut them in half. You can also smoke about six slabs by rolling them up. Read more about setups for Charcoal Bullet Smokers.
It’s nice to have this much versatility, but don’t hesitate to use the gas even when cooking with charcoal and don’t plan on handing this down to your children: it ain’t built to last.
Some of our readers offered insightful comments about their Masterbuilt 7 in 1 Cookers. Click here then scroll down to the comments section.
Manufacturer:
Cabela’s is Internationally known as a source of affordable, high-quality outdoor equipment. Cabela’s catalogs are shipped to all 50 states and 125 countries.
Published On: 12/5/2014 Last Modified: 6/22/2023
All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.
Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.
When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first then the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
From TBoneJack, the unofficial Poet Laureate of The Pitmaster Club:
AmazingRibs is where you go,
To get the best advice,
You’ll find out how, to smoke a cow,
And it will turn out nice.
Smokers, gadgets, recipes,
Charcoal, gas, or wood?
The how, the why, and what to try,
When things arn’t going good.
Selection, prep, and cook techniques,
Marinades and such,
Rubs and brines and temps and times,
And how to use the Crutch.
Brisket secrets are revealed,
For moist and tender meat,
The point, the flat, the rendered fat,
The proper mix of heat.
I found out how to smoke spare ribs,
Great bark and taste and worth,
I want some more, I’ll have them for,
My last meal on this Earth.
Memphis Dust did suit them well,
I served them without sauce,
Not 3-2-1, not overdone,
No precious flavor loss.
Jambo, Lang, or Meadow Creek,
It’s hard to make the call,
Almost a crime, so little time,
I’d like to try them all.
I’m not ashamed, I’m not alone,
‘Cause many have this lot,
But I’ll admit, here in the Pit,
My wife said Not! Not! Not!
Weber, Brinkman, PBC,
No need for budget breach,
They cook great food, just ask me dude,
‘Cause I have one of each.
Obsessed I am, I know it’s true,
They call it MCS,
I saw the doc, he was in shock,
He too is in this mess.
Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg,
Cool Smoke’s Tuffy Stone,
Harry Soo, Chris Lilly too,
And Moe who cooks alone.
They’re all good, I like them fine,
I’m sure they cook good Q,
They’ve earned the right, I see the light,
I’ll give them their fair due,
But I have learned, thru many cooks,
This web site is da bomb,
For what to do, browse over to,
AmazingRibs dot com.
Tired of seeing popup ads?
No need to throw a fit,
Don’t you know, just spend some dough,
And join us in the Pit.
And if you travel, don’t despair,
No further should you look,
The answer’s clear, put down your beer,
And order Meathead’s book.
High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!
Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.
Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.
Post comments and questions below
1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.
3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.
4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.
5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.
Moderators