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The best smokers help you achieve the sweet and savory flavor combinations that make smoked meat so tasty. Whether pulled pork, brisket, ribs, or chicken is on the menu, this type of specialized home grill brings a new dimension to your backyard barbecues all year long.
There isn’t just one type of smoker. Purists prefer the iconic offset or “barrel” smoker, which reflects an array of regional barbecue traditions found in Texas, Memphis, Kansas City, and the Carolinas. In the last decade or so, increased interest in the art of barbecue has led to an expanded range of more beginner-friendly alternatives, including hardwood charcoal smokers and low-maintenance wood pellet smokers.
Some models have made the cooking process even easier with WiFi-enabled smart features for monitoring and adjusting internal temperature via an app on your phone. That way, you don’t have to stand by for hours as you cook.
If you’re in the market for a new smoker, we have one for every setup and skill level. Continue reading for our choices of the best smokers and tips on what to consider before you buy.
Best Smokers
- Best Overall: Pit Boss Navigator 1600M Pellet Grill and Smoker
- Best Value: Oklahoma Joe’s Laredo Deluxe Grill and Smoker
- Best Pellet Smoker: Traeger Ironwood 885 Pellet Grill and Smoker
- Best Charcoal: Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Digital Charcoal Griddle, Grill, and Smoker
- Best Smart Smoker: Traeger Woodridge Pro Pellet Grill and Smoker
How We Tested and Selected
We’ve tested dozens of grills and smokers of all different shapes and sizes over the years. Tony Carrick, coauthor of this article, currently uses a Masterbuilt charcoal-fed gravity smoker and a Weber Smokey Joe at home. David Dritsas is a reviews editor at Popular Mechanics and is an amateur cook who has tested a variety of grills. Both drew on their combined experience with smokers, along with external research, to inform our recommendations.
We supplemented our own experience and criteria for smokers with extensive research into the various types that are available. We compared specifications of dozens of smokers and consulted user reviews to find trends or qualities that stand out (both positively and negatively) and might impact your ultimate choice. Our final recommendations span a range of designs and price points, and each offers solid performance, durable build quality, and great value.
Full Reviews
One of the first things you notice about the Pit Boss Navigator 1600M is how well-constructed it is. The metal frame is sturdy, the hardware is strong, and the main section is well-insulated, including a heavy hood that is lined all the way around the edges by a fireproof, padded seal that keeps the heat in. (The Navigator performed very well in that regard.)
It has a large hopper that holds up to 30 pounds of pellets, and the controls are easy to understand. There’s WiFi on board, and we experienced a one-time issue where the app disconnected and would not reconnect, but it otherwise worked well, and navigation was intuitive. The Navigator also has two wired thermometer probes, for which you can set temperature alerts, so you know when your meats are ready.
For our main cooking test, we smoked a flat iron steak, as well as a mix of garlic-marinated zucchini, onions, and red peppers (that was enclosed in aluminum foil, open at the top). We were impressed with how quickly the grill heated up and how efficiently it maintained the temperature (even as we grilled in cold weather).
The only feature we did not find exceptional was the flame broil setting, which allows you to expose food to the flames of the burner cup directly. While it technically works, the cooking area of this feature is only roughly 3 inches in diameter, so it’s not very effective for large pieces of meat or more than one burger. But that complaint is a minor one.
Full Pit Boss Navigator 1600M Review
$299.99
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get proficient at smoking food, and Oklahoma Joe’s Laredo Deluxe proves that point. It’s a very basic charcoal barrel-shaped model that requires you to stay near and mind the coals to maintain the temperature, but it offers a few nice extra features to help you do it.
The biggest is the three-position charcoal tray. Set it high to sear meat while grilling or set it low to help keep temperatures down around 250 degrees Fahrenheit when smoking low and slow. Of course, airflow is integral to smoking, and there are three control options here, including a side vent, a chimney, and a large front door that you can also open to gain access to the coals for adjustment without having to remove the cooking grates. We used it several times to spread out the charcoal when things were getting a bit too hot.
There’s also a built-in thermometer that’s easy to read, even from a short distance, two side tables, and a lower shelf. All said and done, even if you don’t use it as a smoker, we think this makes for a fantastic charcoal grill with plenty of cooking area (940 square inches) to make a ton of burgers for your next barbecue party.
The Laredo Deluxe is not as solidly constructed as some of the other selections on our list, but that’s to be expected for a grill that’s usually on sale for under $300. We smoked a delicious brisket with ease during our tests, and we’d happily do so again.
Full Oklahoma Joe’s Laredo Deluxe Grill and Smoker Review
Traeger’s top-of-the-line smoker has a huge 885-square-inch cooking surface—enough to fit 10 whole chickens, 9 pork butts, or 7 racks of ribs. With its digital thermostat and 20-pound pellet hopper, the Ironwood 885 can smoke for nearly a full day without the need for a refill. Add in the ability to monitor both the grill’s internal temperature and food temperatures using your phone, and you have a smoker that won’t tie you down for hours.
Other notable features include a “super smoke” mode that cranks up smoke output for extra flavor, a sensor that alerts you when the hopper is low on fuel, and double-walled insulation that helps the smoker maintain consistent temperatures. The Traeger Ironwood 885 is expensive, but it’s a serious smoker for those looking to feed a crowd. If you want the best of the best and are willing to splurge for it, we’d say it’s worth it.
Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series 800 gives you unique flavor from hardwood charcoal smoke in your barbecue without dealing with all the fuss of micromanaging your smoker. It pairs a large gravity-fed hopper for hardwood charcoal with a digital thermostat that controls the internal temperature. The hopper keeps your cooking fire fed, while an internal fan system regulates temperature to maintain consistency. Just load it up, light it, and let it cook for hours with minimal maintenance.
As with our top pick, the Gravity Series 800 features wireless-enabled smart controls, which allow you to monitor the temperature from your phone. It also includes a digital meat probe.
With 800 square inches of cooking surface, you’re getting a lot of space here. There’s plenty of room for ribs, whole chickens, and pork butts. But at nearly five feet wide, the Masterbuilt 800 is a big boy—possibly too big for some decks and patios. That said, it also functions as a standard charcoal grill and a flat-top griddle, so you could ditch your standard grill to make space for it.
This Woodridge Pro is a midrange model in Traeger’s line of pellet smokers, featuring some of the technology found in its higher-end models but at a lower price. When we unboxed the grill, we were impressed by how easy it was to put together, despite the large number of loose parts. Traeger’s assembly guide was one of the best we’ve seen, with clear directions and marked boxes with icons that corresponded to the instructions.
Some construction elements, such as light plastic wheels and thin grill grates, seemed lacking, and there’s no seal around the interior of the hood (which helps with heat retention). Once together, however, this grill is sturdy and not at all difficult to move around. We really appreciate that the top of the pellet hopper serves as an extra shelf, which is handy and something you don’t always get with other grills. There’s also a special pellet sensor that lets you know if pellets are running low.
The Woodridge Pro is extremely straightforward to operate. The rather retro display with large block numbers is readable from a distance, and basic temperature control is quick to adjust and set with a large push-button dial. You can also set a timer, check probe temperature, and with the press of a button, add extra smoky flavor for slow cooks under 225 degrees Fahrenheit. One thing we really liked was a motion graphic that shows whether the grill is heating up or lowering the temperature. During our tests, it was helpful to have that feature as a reminder as we multitasked. Wireless control is available with WiFi and Bluetooth, and the app, named WiFire, is easy to use.
The food we made turned out delicious, whether slow-cooked for a deeper smoky flavor or grilled at a higher temperature for just a hint. We used both the included wired probe to monitor temperature, as well as a Meater thermometer, and found some slight discrepancies between the grill’s temperature setting and the ambient temperature on the Meater. We found ourselves pushing the temperature up a few degrees to get it where we wanted it to be. This didn’t mar the experience too greatly, however. The Woodridge Pro is a reliable pellet grill that’s fun to use and a worthy addition to any back patio.
Full Traeger Woodridge Pro Review
In many ways, the 18-Inch Smokey Mountain from Weber is a standard water smoker. Like similar models, it has a bottom rack and retaining ring for the charcoal, a large bowl for water, and two racks for smoking food. But it stands out because it’s made from heavier porcelain-enameled steel, which helps retain heat and maintain a consistent temperature, as well as a heat shield on the bottom to protect your deck or lawn. It also comes with a cover.
When we first fired it up to season the smoker, we took the opportunity to get familiar with how to use the three air vents around the bottom, as well as the top vent, to help hold a desired temperature. To help you gauge this, there’s a thermometer in the lid that shows a highlighted smoking zone from 200 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and we found it was relatively easy to keep it in that range.
We put this to the real-world test when smoking some beef jerky. To do this, we wanted to keep the temperature on the lower side at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This proved a little challenging; the temperature kept creeping up, so we watched it closely and adjusted the vents as needed. In the end, the jerky smoked a bit faster than we intended. In hindsight, we used a little too much charcoal, which generated more heat than we needed. While this was our mistake, it shows just how well this smoker can retain heat.
When smoking a smaller-sized brisket, we more successfully managed the temperature and were able to hold close to 225 degrees Fahrenheit for the 5 hours it took to smoke it. One thing we really appreciated during longer smoking sessions was the large door, which made it easy to add fuel and wood chips. The Smokey Mountain is a basic smoker that will require a little experience to use effectively, but will ultimately be worth the time and produce great results. — tested by Bradley Ford
This small electric smoker from GE lets you take your smoking indoors. It uses two heat sources—one to cook food and the other to burn pellets—along with a filtration device to prevent the smoke from filling your kitchen. Its modest 293 square inches of cooking surface is enough to smoke three half racks of ribs or a small pork butt.
There’s a bevy of controls for setting smoke levels and adjusting temperatures. There are also preset food settings, including brisket, ribs, pork butt, and chicken wings. Built-in probes and WiFi connectivity let you monitor meat temperatures remotely, and this smoker is compatible with voice controls via Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
Full GE Indoor Electric Smoker Review
Though they are frowned upon by traditionalists, electric smokers like this one from East Oak are the quickest way for new barbecuers to enter the world of smoking. Its digital controls make it easy to maintain specific temperatures, and the combination of a side wood chip loader and glass door means you can check on your cook without opening the door, which could impact your cooking temperature.
The 725-square-inch cooking surface gives you plenty of room to experiment with various types of food in a single session, but the smoker itself is quite slim, measuring nearly 19 inches wide and 18 inches deep, so it won’t take up a lot of space on your deck or patio. Bottom line: This is a straightforward and, above all, convenient way to try smoking barbecue at home.
If a grill could be a pop-culture icon, the Big Green Egg is it. The brand has a whole group of fans—known as Eggheads—who gather at grilling events called EGGfests held all across the country. And it’s not just home enthusiasts. According to the company, nearly 1,800 restaurants use this extremely popular kamado grill. Their excellent heat retention and temperature range, enabled by their shape and porcelain-coated ceramic enclosures, make them an instant upgrade over your average gas or charcoal grill.
That thick ceramic body is also very effective at retaining heat, making it very effective for cooking low and slow. Just add some smoking wood, and you can smoke a brisket overnight. This grill can get as hot as 750 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re grilling, but smokers will want to maintain a stable 225 to 300 degrees using the air vents at the top and the bottom of the egg. And it’s large enough to feed a crowd—we’re talking about smoking a 20-pound turkey for Thanksgiving.
What to Consider
Types of Smokers
Offset
Traditional offset or “barrel” smokers feature two parts: A large main cooking chamber for your food and a smaller cook box for the fuel. The wood or charcoal burns, heating the main chamber and filling it with smoke, which slowly cooks the meat with indirect heat and infuses it with smoky flavor. Offset smokers, like the Royal Gourmet model we recommend as our Best Value pick, are beloved by barbecue aficionados, but are also the most challenging to use. Learning how to control the temperature in an offset smoker takes practice.
Vertical
Vertical or “cabinet” smokers have a tall, closet-like design with a single door on the front and three to five racks for food inside. The heat source sits in the base, allowing the heat and smoke to waft upward and fill the space. Going high instead of wide makes a vertical smoker more compact, so it’s a good option if you don’t have much room on your patio. That said, the narrow profile may limit your ability to cook large pieces of meat, such as a full rack of ribs.
Bullet
Like vertical smokers, the pill-shaped bullet smoker has a fuel area at the bottom with the main cooking chamber above. Vents on the bottom and top of the smoker allow you to control the temperature inside the chamber, and a water pan sits just below the cook area to keep food moist. Bullet smokers are compact, however, and some models are stacked so tightly that you may have trouble accessing the food on the middle racks mid-cook.
Pellet
Most pellet smokers, including the Traeger Ironwood 885, look more like a grill than a smoker, with a wide cook box and a clamshell lid that opens up to reveal a broad cooking surface. To generate smoke and heat, an electric auger feeds small hardwood pellets from a hopper on the back or side into a fire inside the cook box. The auger automatically adds fuel to the fire based on the temperature you dial in on the smoker’s digital thermostat, so you don’t need to babysit the smoker to maintain the proper temperature. However, they require a power source and tend to be the most expensive.
Kamado
Kamado grills, like the famous Big Green Egg, are hybrid grill-smokers. These large, acorn-shaped ceramic cook boxes can maintain low temperatures for many hours or build up scorching heat with temperatures that eclipse 800 degrees. It’s an incredibly versatile option, which has made it a gateway device for new barbecuers.
Fuel Type
Smokers can use a variety of fuel types, including hardwood, charcoal, gas, electricity, or wood pellets. Hardwood and charcoal are the fuels of choice for smoking purists. This combination creates a lot of smoke, maximizing that flavor. Maintaining a consistent low temperature takes time to learn, though, and it makes more of a mess with leftover ash.
Electric and gas smokers are convenient because they require little to no maintenance, but they don’t inherently produce smoke. Instead, they rely on wood chip trays that aren’t as effective as wood, charcoal, or pellets at instilling flavor into food. However, they still can produce decent results.
Pellet smokers use compressed wood pellets that generate real smoke for instilling flavor into food, while minimizing maintenance with automatic temperature regulation. Pellet grills offer excellent heat retention and temperature control, but don’t need as much constant attention as charcoal or wood grills.
Cooking Area
Smoking meat can take eight hours or more, depending on the cut, so you’ll probably want to cook as much as you can in one session. It’s important to look for a smoker with an efficient interior design that has space for everything you want to cook. The average cooking surface size for a smoker is around 550 square inches, which is enough to fit five full racks of ribs, four whole chickens, or five pork butts. That said, I’ve seen cooking surfaces range in size from 250 square inches to more than 800.
Smart Controls
Some modern smokers can connect to your smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you to track their internal temperature, change temperature settings, and monitor meat probes remotely through an app. They can also send you alerts if the smoker’s internal temperature rises or falls, the food reaches a target temperature, or if it’s low on fuel, allowing you to keep tabs on your smoker without having to hover over it.
Smoker FAQs
What’s the best temperature for smoking meat?
With a smoker, you want to keep the temperature low and cook for a long time. Depending on what you’re cooking, I’d recommend maintaining your heat between 190 and 225 degrees. In that range, you will cook your meat slowly enough to make it incredibly tender and infuse it with smoky flavor.
How long does it take to smoke meat?
It depends on what you’re cooking. Smoking a rack of ribs typically takes between four and five hours, but a pork butt may need 8 to 10 hours. Brisket is well-known for needing an especially long smoke—around 12 to 18 hours.
Can I use my gas grill as a smoker?
Technically, yes. You can add a smoker box to a gas grill, which holds wood chips to generate smoke. So long as you keep the top of the grill closed, that’s a smoker. Make sure to set up the grill so that the food is not sitting directly above the heat source, and set the burners so that the grill only heats to a maximum of 225 degrees with the lid closed.
That said, it’s far from ideal. It’s more difficult to maintain the consistently low temperatures needed for smoking with a gas grill than it is with a dedicated smoker. On top of that, flames from a gas grill will not impart the same distinctive taste as a proper smoker burning charcoal or hardwood. (Purists don’t even like gas as a fuel for dedicated smokers.)
