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Benefits of Barbecue Smokers
Great Flavor
Simply put, smoke equals flavor. Smoke carries and caramelizes sugars produced by burning hardwood while imparting a particular taste depending on the wood.
Tender Barbecue
Connective tissue falls apart when cooked low and slow, making even tough cuts edible with only a fork and allowing you to turn any meat into barbecue magic.
It's Fun!
Gas grills get dinner done fast, but barbecue smoking is a hobby. Some even call it an art, and competitions are held every year to celebrate authentic barbecue.
Juicier Barbecue
Smoking slowly renders fat and breaks down gelatin and collagen in food, resulting in huge amounts of liquid that get trapped within your meat as juices.
Feed the Masses
Have you seen how big these things are? Competition-level smokers can feed an army, but a large one should still be enough to serve the entire extended family.
Diverse Flavors
With many different types of cooking woods, liquid injections, sauces, and rubs, you can create endless flavor profiles to grace just about any cut of meat.
Easy to Use
Though there is some trial and error involved at first, the advanced technology of pellet and electric smokers simplifies cooking.
Quick Learning Curve
Anyone can become a pitmaster! Electric, pellet, and gas smokers remove some guesswork, and learning the ways of charcoal requires only a bit of training.
How Do Barbecue Smokers Work?
While the term “barbecue smoker” covers a huge range of cooking appliances with different configurations and fuel types, there are a few things that are true of all smokers on the market. Understanding how these machines work will help you take full advantage of their benefits.
All Barbecue Smokers Need a Heat Source
This is where barbecue smoking starts. All smokers have a chamber where fuel is combusted. Vertical smokers place this area directly beneath the cooking chamber, while offset smoker brands arrange for combustion to occur in a totally separate compartment. Separating the combustion source from the nearby cooking chamber allows convective heat to move from one to the other, which is necessary for low-and-slow smoking.
All Barbecue Smokers Need a Source of Smoke
Smoke is created by burning hardwood chips or chunks, which transmit different flavors based on wood type. While chips generate quick, strong bursts of smoke to provide a hint of flavor, chunks give off a steady stream of smoke for longer cooks. Wood chips will start to smoke once they exceed 500°F, so we advise you to never soak any smoking woods so they can fully dehydrate in your smoking chamber.
All Barbecue Smokers Need a Source of Humidity
Because hot air passes over your food for hours inside the smoker, you need humidity to prevent meat from drying out and defeating the very purpose of low-and-slow cooking. Humidity in the cooking chamber usually comes by way of a pan filled with water, liquor, fruit juices, vinegar, or other liquids that act as both a humidifier and a flavor-enhancing aromatic. Water will condense on the surface of your meat, inviting flavorful smoke to stick. Water smokers are specially built with an included water pan to provide this humidity and balance temperature.
Choose Your Smoker’s Fuel Type
It’s not all just wood and charcoal with modern smokers. Part of the fun of smokers is their alternative fuel types, such as electricity, wood pellets, and even gas. Each fuel comes with its own benefits and considerations in terms of usability, so this is a natural place to start on your journey to buy a barbecue smoker.
Electric Barbecue Smokers
These set-it-and-forget it models do the work for you with thermostats that control temperature in your cooking chamber like in an indoor oven. Lower-end electric smokers rely on rheostats, which adjust electrical flow to the heat-source coil instead of turning power on and off. Either way, the coil creates smoke by burning wood chips in a nearby smoker box. With no temperature to manage or fuel to reload mid-cook, all you have to worry about is maintaining the proper amount of smoke and airflow. These factors are especially important in electric smokers because when you combine their large smoker boxes with a relatively low rate of airflow, it can be easy to overdo your food. Minimal airflow is a huge benefit for dishes like smoked chicken or turkey where moisture retention is necessary for juicy and tender results.
Charcoal Barbecue Smokers
Charcoal smokers behave similarly to their wood-burning counterparts, which is what most people are reminded of when they think of smokers. The main benefit of this live-fire combustion is smoky flavor, though charcoal models have a steeper learning curve than other smoker types. We consider the trade-off of effort for flavor to be well worth it, especially if you have a smoker temperature controller to adjust airflow. You’ll still need to constantly monitor your fuel and smoke levels, but getting a feel for tending charcoal generally takes only a few cooks and isn’t as intimidating as it seems. You can also add wood directly on top of your lump charcoal in the fire box, be it chips for quick bursts of smoke or chunks for sustained smoke over time. This category also includes kamados, which you can learn more about in our article detailing how to buy kamado grills.
Gas Barbecue Smokers
Just like electric models, gas barbecue smokers are incredibly easy to use. They’re also similarly constructed: usually vertically, with a gas burner in place of an electric coil at the bottom of the smoking chamber. Gas burners generate stable heat to light wood chips or chunks, an efficient ignition method that also makes it easier to control temperature and smoke than what you’d experience with wood or charcoal smokers. With most of the guesswork out of the way, your only concerns are time and your food’s internal temperature (so pick up a good remote thermometer). Don’t worry, these models don’t sacrifice much in the way of flavor and you’ll still get tender and smoky meats with a perfect crust. If your gas smoker has air vents to control airflow, we highly recommend keeping them open while in use to prevent soot from building up inside the cooking chamber.
Pellet Barbecue Smokers
Pellet smokers are the simplest of all. They do everything for you, from managing fuel and heat levels to regulating smoke and airflow. Some, like Camp Chef with its Wi-Fi control, allow you to monitor and adjust cooking settings remotely, making the smoking process even more convenient. Because wood pellets create their own flavored smoke, you don’t even need to use wood chips or chunks! The resulting mild and subtle flavors make it very hard to overdo the smokiness of your food, adding to the beginner-friendliness of pellet smokers. It’s helpful to remember that the hotter your fire, the less smoke is produced; conversely, the lower the temperature, the more the fire will smolder. You can use this to your advantage with pellet smokers by selecting “smoke mode,” which lowers the heat to create a rush of mild smoke.
Choose Your Barbecue Smoker Type
The modern barbecue smoke selection offers a wide variety of types to choose from. Consider the classic offset build, space-saving vertical models, or eye-catching unconventional smokers. Each one has its own advantages and specialties that set them apart.
Offset Smokers
- The firebox, or heat source, in these smokers is separate from the main cooking chamber, typically positioned horizontally
- Feature barrel-shaped horizontal bodies and use charcoal or wood for heat and smoke
- Operates by smoke traveling from the firebox into the cooking area
- Great for smoking enthusiasts who want to tend the fire and be hands-on during the cook
Vertical Smokers
- These models have the heat source directly below the main, cabinet-shaped cooking chamber
- Arranged with the heat source on the bottom, then a wood shelf or smoker box above that, an optional water pan, and then cooking grates at the top
- Vertical design makes temperatures more even and easier to manage, since smoke naturally rises
- Most electric smokers are vertical, though many charcoal, pellet, and gas models also take this shape
Unconventional Smokers
- Unconventional smokers don’t neatly fit into the offset or vertical smoker category
- Often have a hybrid design, some that mimic the look of standard grills
- Unique features make them difficult to properly categorize
- Features specialized smokers like the Cajun Express Pressure Smoker
Choose Your Smoker’s Configuration
After determining your preferred fuel and smoker types, you’ll need to consider configuration. This is all about placement and mobility. Do you want something you can move around the backyard, or would you rather your smoker be built into your outdoor kitchen? Let’s dive into what you can expect from each configuration.The most common configuration in barbecue smokers
Freestanding Barbecue Smokers
- The most common configuration in barbecue smokers
- Its portable nature allows for easier cleaning of smoke, soot, ash, grease, and meat drippings
- Invest in a proper cover to keep it protected for long periods of time
Built-In Barbecue Smokers
- Adds versatility and an interesting aesthetic appeal to any outdoor kitchen
- Uses existing counter cutouts or island openings to make efficient use of available space
- Vertical electric smokers on wheels, like those from Cookshack, can slide directly into a counter cutout with proper ventilation
Choose Your Barbecue Smoker Class
We asked our experts, who have more than 20 years of experience testing and selling barbecue smokers, to separate our selection into 4 classifications: Luxury, Premium, Practical, and Entry-Level. We sorted each smoker according to its quality, performance, and features to give you a complete picture and simplify your shopping experience. Once you’ve identified which class best fits your lifestyle, most of the work is done!
Luxury Barbecue Smokers
- Most are constructed entirely from 304-grade stainless steel for maximum durability
- Well-designed, long-lasting machines make for a great investment
- Packed with convenient, luxury features like digital control panels and Wi-Fi connectivity to make smoking easier than ever
- Sealed cooking chambers and thick insulation hold in heat for efficient smoke sessions
- Unique cooking systems provide tons of unexpected cooking versatility
Premium Barbecue Smokers
- Sturdily constructed from stainless steel or powder-coated steel
- Most have solid warranties of up to 10 years
- Premium electric smokers feature digital control centers that make smoking simple
- Thick insulation and tight seals help stabilize temperature for efficient cooks
- Dependable cooking systems provide consistent results
Practical Barbecue Smokers
- Made from lower-grade stainless steel, powder-coated steel, and painted steel
- Built of mixed but moderately thick steels that still retain heat decently
- Fun cooking systems and helpful features separate these smokers from the Entry-level class
- Some have digital controllers, but most use analog thermometers and simple controls
- Cooking systems differ greatly from smoker to smoker
Entry-Level Barbecue Smokers
- Designed mostly to meet a certain price point rather than a standard of performance
- Generally built from thin stainless steel, powder-coated steel, painted steel, and plated steel
- Most have limited warranties
- Lacks features that make smoking easy and increase versatility
- Thin materials of lower quality will break down sooner
Final Considerations When Buying a Smoker
Barbecue smoking is a science, so there are plenty of considerations that factor into the tender and juicy results everyone craves. We’ll cover the most pressing topics below so you can have a head start when you finally unbox your new smoker.
Construction & Insulation
Heat and smoke retention are some of the most important parts of low-and-slow smoking, which makes great insulation a must. Well-designed fiberglass mesh or felt gaskets, along with flanged lips, are features that contribute to insulation, especially when smoking in cold climates. Thick-gauge metal also helps because it’s better equipped to absorb and reradiate heat back toward your food, while the ceramics used in kamado smokers are the best insulators around. It’s a good idea to pay attention to any seals or gaskets in the smoker body where smoke can escape. Not only will your food miss out on all that flavor, but a leaky smoker also uses more fuel than one with tighter seals. This is why it’s important to choose a barbecue smoker constructed from quality materials and that comes with a good warranty.
Airflow & Temperature
Getting those anticipated smoky results is next to impossible if you can’t easily regulate the temperature of your smoker, so take the time to understand your grill’s temperature control system. Charcoal and kamado smokers rely solely on dampers (or vents) to adjust airflow through the cooking chamber, which in turn influences the fire and internal temperature. Even electric and gas smokers may have a damper system to more accurately dial in temperature. This means that you need to be sure that the dampers are easily accessible, easy to operate, and made from durable materials that won’t rust. Barbecue Temperature Controllers can help you regulate your temperature more accurately, while remote thermometers will let you monitor the temperature of your food so you can pull it off the heat at the perfect time!
Wood Chips & Chunks
In many models, wood chips and chunks will be your main source of smoke. Using different species of hardwood produces varied flavors in your food, so don’t hesitate to experiment with multiple types. As for when wood chips versus chunks should be used, it depends on a few factors. For heavy smoke flavor during a relatively short cook, use wood chips. For a steady stream of smoke flavor over a longer cook, use wood chunks. A mixture of both can also be used, depending on what you’re smoking. We also advise against soaking your wood chips or chunks, since they need to be dry to ignite.
Water Pans
Even though they’re called “water pans,” they can actually hold other liquids like apple juice, cider vinegar, or beer that will add distinct flavors into your food. The choice is yours, but you only need water to fulfill the function of a water pan. That function is to create high levels of humidity inside your smoker and help keep temperatures steady. Humidity is important because it keeps your food moist even in the hot, dry air typically generated by smokers. Temperature stabilization is a result of your water pan acting as a deflector that absorbs and radiates heat upward to even everything out. They’re not necessary for operating a smoker, but they can make the process much easier. Water smokers come equipped with a larger water tray so you don’t need to worry about refilling it during your cook.
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