Finding the best smoker can be a huge challenge whether you’re an experienced camp chef or a novice. This is because there are many models and brands in the market that come with different features. This can leave you puzzled as to how to go about choosing the best BBQ smoker.
This is why at BBQ Start Here we’ve taken the time to review the best smokers on the market.
In this article, we’ll go through the various types of smokers available, their features and how each smoker functions, so that you can make a much more informed decision.
Table of Contents
- 1 Our Favourite BBQ Smokers Picks
- 2 Best Charcoal Smokers
- 3 Types of BBQ Smokers
- 4 How to Choose a Smoker
- 5 FAQs
- 5.1 Do smokers come with a weatherproof cover?
- 5.2 What’s the recommended temperature range?
- 5.3 Do windowed smokers come with any advantage?
- 5.4 Do you have to season the grill or grates?
- 5.5 How can I clean the grill?
- 5.6 Are BBQ smokers portable?
- 5.7 Are temperature gauges accurate?
- 5.8 Do smokers come pre-assembled?
- 5.9 Can I use a BBQ Smoker for cold smoking?
- 6 Final Thoughts
Our Favourite BBQ Smokers Picks
You no longer have to guess what to go for when it comes to finding the best smoker on the market.
Here are the top BBQ Smokers we have picked. So without any further ado, let’s dive in.
Name | Image | Features | |
---|---|---|---|
Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Charcoal Smoker | - 1,890 square inches of cooking space - 6 cooking grates Comes in two sizes; standard and wide | Buy on Amazon | |
Masterbuilt 20070411 Electric Smoker | - 721 square inches of cooking space - 4 cooking grates Comes in two sizes; 30 inch and 40 inch | Buy on Amazon | |
Traeger Grills TFB65LZBC Wood Pellet Grill | - 646 square inches of cooking space - 1 cooking grate Comes in one size; 34 inch | Buy on Amazon | |
Cuisinart COS 244 Vertical Propane Smoker | - 785 square inches of cooking space - 4 cooking grates Comes in one size; 36 inch | Buy on Amazon | |
Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker | - 726 square inches of cooking space - 2 cooking grates Comes in three sizes; 14, 18 and 22 inch | Buy on Amazon | |
Z Grills ZPG-450A 2019 Upgrade Model Wood Pellet Grill | - 550 square inches of cooking space - 1 cooking grate Comes in two sizes; 450 and 550 square inch | Buy on Amazon | |
Char-Broil Smoker Roaster & Grill | - 180 square inches of cooking space - 1 cooking grate Comes in one size; 180 square inch | Buy on Amazon |
Dyna - Glo DGO1890BDC-D Charcoal Smoker
- Huge,1,890 square inches cooking area
- Efficient charcoal and ash management
- 6 grill grates
- Customized fit and mesh side
CHECK OUT MORE OFFSET SMOKERS REVIEWS
Best Electric BBQ Smoker
Masterbuilt 20070411 Electric Smoker
This Masterbuilt 20070411 Electric Smoker will make your barbecue experience much more efficient with its 4 cooking racks that are separately placed.
This allows you to cook different kinds of foods at the same time and mix up food flavors. For instance, you can barbecue meat, vegetables, and ham at the same time on its 721 inches of cooking space.
It has an easy-to-use control panel that makes it one of the best electric barbecue smokers. Temperature can go as high as 100 to 275 degrees F, which you can control using the thermostat.
The blue LED display makes it easy for you to control time and temperature when cooking. It can be easily read even under direct sunlight when you’re out cooking on a sunny day.
The Masterbuilt 20070411 30-inch best electric meat smoker has a wood chip loader on the side, making the wood chips adding process hassle-free. Some also use pellets although not recommended by Masterbuilt.
To add wood chips, you don’t need to open the main chamber. Just slide open the chamber from the side and add your wood chips.
This helps to control smoke within the smoker and infuse a smoke flavor onto your food.
The fact that it’s easy to clean makes this one of the best barbecue smokers on the market.
It comes with a drip pan that’s located at the bottom of the gadget, where grease and oil drip during the cooking process. The oil and grease then drain into a tiny hole that leads to a storage pot below the smoker.
CHECK OUT MORE ELECTRIC SMOKERS REVIEWS
- Drip pan at the front
- Easy-to-read blue LED display
- 4 cooking racks
- Thermostat power control
- 800-watt heating component
- Large cooking area
- Flexibility when cooking with the hot and fast or low and slow options
- Precise temperature adjustment
CHECK OUT MORE PELLET SMOKERS REVIEWS
Cuisinart COS 244 Vertical Propane Smoker
- Easy-to-read thermometer
- Lasts a long time
- Good value for money
Best Charcoal Smokers
Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker
- Retains most of its heat due to the porcelain-enameled coating on bowl and lid
- Doesn't corrode or peel
- Comes with two racks
- Silicone rubber grommets
- Easy temperature control using dampers
CHECK OUT MORE CHARCOAL SMOKERS REVIEWS
Z Grills ZPG-450A 2019 Upgrade Model Wood Pellet Grill
If you like smoke-flavored food, then the Z GRILLS ZPG-450A wood pellet grill is the one for you. This 7-in-1 model is ideal for cooking wood smoked recipes.
You can use Z Grills to roast, smoke, braise, bake, barbecue or sear up to 20 pounds of meat within 20 hours. This best pellet smoker has a temperature range between 180 degrees and 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
The grill uses advanced wood fire technology that’ll leave your food with a rich, smoked flavor. It’s can be used to cook for small groups or large groups of people. This smoker uses either gas or propane.
This is one of the best barbecue smokers for first-time buyers or users of grills due to its easy-to-use nature. The ignition automatically starts and you can easily keep an eye on various controls, such as the temperature through the LED Display.
You can use it to cook different types of meat, such as pork, tenderloin, steak, chicken wings and chops as you connect and have fun with your family and friends.
The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A doesn’t rust easily and it’s quite durable. It has a smooth design and a contemporary look that’s emphasized by its fine finishing. Once you buy it, expect to use this stainless-steel grill for a long time to cook your favorite smoke flavored recipes.
It’s easy to control the temperature of this best meat smoker as wood chips can be automatically added as required. Once you set the temperature, it’ll stay within 10 degrees of the temperature that you have set. This will make sure your food is evenly cooked for the best dining experience.
- Large cooking area
- Automatically started
- 3 years guarantee
- Electric feed process that has been automated
- Fan forced natural cooking process
Char-Broil Smoker Roaster & Grill
The Char-Broil Infrared Smoker looks like a barrel and you can use it to smoke, grill and roast. This grill has an inner stainless-steel inner layer and an outer layer.
These two layers are separated by an air gap that’s in between them and is opened from the top.
You’d expect that the smoker gets really hot due to the fact that it uses infrared. However, this isn’t true as the temperature never gets that high. It’s heated by a propane burner set that’s found at the bottom of the air gap. This radiates energy that heats up the inner layer.
To get smoke, you can put the wood in a stainless-steel gadget, which you can hang inside the grill. You can place the rack on top of the cooking chamber. This rack can have up to four shelves. This is where the food stays.
Even though this grill has a modern design, we really wouldn’t classify it as one of the best barbecue smokers. It doesn’t hold a lot of food and can hardly support two chickens being cooked simultaneously or even a medium-sized pork shoulder.
If you want to cook rib slabs on it, it’ll be best that you first cut them in half. In addition, if you want to baste or mop meat that’s on a lower rack, you first have to remove the racks on top of it or at least take off the meat that’s on the upper shelves.
The meat cooked on this grill won’t darken, mainly due to the fact that the grill never really heats up.
Moreover, the smoke produced by the wood chips isn’t enough to leave your food with that tasty smoky flavor.
This smoker is rather a light-duty smoker. An important thing to note is that it’s a little challenging to put together.
For best results, you should use this grill in a well-covered place, as the flames can be easily blown out if it’s placed in a windy place.
- It grills meat evenly
- Can roast up to 25 lbs of food
- Uses TRU infrared technology
- Has 180 inches of cooking space
Types of BBQ Smokers
Vertical Water Smokers
Vertical water smokers are budget-friendly. This could be one of the contributing reasons as to why they’re quite popular on the market.
Vertical water smokers have a compact design. Since they’re small in size, it means that they don’t use a lot of fuel when cooking. This makes them a much better option compared to large smokers.
Box Smokers
Box smokers can also be referred to as cabinet smokers, vault smokers or block smokers. These best barbecue smokers are pretty simple as they have a basic design. The cooking chamber is at the top, while the fireplace is at the bottom of the grill.
Since the fireplace is directly under the cooking chamber, there’s efficient use of fuel. What makes some box grills better than others is the quality of insulation.
Offset Smokers
An offset smoker usually has two sections; the cooking chamber and the firebox. The cooking chamber of the offset smoker consists of a barrel-shaped or box-shaped metal that has a lift door and a smokestack. The firebox is usually connected to the cooking chamber, it has vents that can be adjusted and a door either on the top or on the sides.
The heat and smoke are conducted into the cooking chamber through a tiny hole that’s found between the two sections. The smoke then moves through the smokestack, which is usually on the opposite end of the chamber.
Smoker Ovens
Drum Smokers
Pellet Grills
These barbecue smokers use wood pellets for fuel. This is actually hardwood sawdust that has been made into quarter-inch round pellets. The best pellet smokers are known for being used for cooking, and heating indoor areas.
In the 1980s, Joe Traeger started, and Traeger Grills popularized the idea of these grills being used outdoors. The grills produce constant heat and have a clean burn that produce a light smoky flavor.
Kamado Grills
Kamado grills can cook food at very high temperatures that can go as high as 750 F (400 C). Also, they’re versatile enough to allow slow cooking at low temperatures.
This makes them quite ideal to be used outdoors. They have an attractive design and can last for a long time, especially if they’re well taken care of.
When compared to other types of smokers, Kamado grills are worth every penny you spend on them, especially if you’re planning on using it often.
How to Choose a Smoker
Temperature Range
If you want your food to have that smoky flavor, then you have to cook it on low heat over a long period of time.
When choosing a grill that allows you to adjust the temperature settings, go for a smoker that can reach up to 500 degrees. You can use the high temperature to caramelize your food.
Pellet smokers give you the flexibility to control the temperature the way you want. This will give you the freedom to just set the temperature and leave it to cook until it’s done, without you having to do anything else.
Features
Price
The price of the smokers vary widely. They can be as low as $100 or as expensive as $10,000.
If you’re going to be using the smoker only once in a while, then go for the best basic model like a vertical water smoker.
This is a cheap smoker and you can barbecue various kinds of food on it. It works for most people, as they don’t have any extraordinary needs. Here are also some of the best entry level smokers that won’t break the bank. However, you can get a lot more from smokers than just the basic necessities.
Size
Versatility
FAQs
Do smokers come with a weatherproof cover?
What’s the recommended temperature range?
Do windowed smokers come with any advantage?
Do you have to season the grill or grates?
How can I clean the grill?
To clean your grill, turn the temperature on high for around 15 minutes. That way, anything sticky on the grill will burn off and will become much easier to scrape.
You can then clean the grill with hot soapy water and a grill brush.
Don’t forget to give the exterior of your grill a quick wash too.
Are BBQ smokers portable?
Are temperature gauges accurate?
You’re better off using another way to gauge the temperature in your grill rather than using the built-in temperature gauge. The gauge tends to stop working after some time due to the exposure to high heat. There are many thermometers that are more accurate.
Do smokers come pre-assembled?
Most of them come fully assembled. However, you’ll need to assemble the larger units on your own.
Can I use a BBQ Smoker for cold smoking?
No. Cold smoking is a completely different technique to smoke food. With cold smoking you add to the food a unique smoke flavor. There are specific cold smokers on the market.