Smokers are also a great way to make meats juicy and tender. Leaner cuts might dry out quickly on a grill, but a smoker’s low temperature and prolonged cook time keeps moisture in to make meats perfect. Ready to add a smoker to your outdoor cooking arsenal? Here are our top picks.
Weather resistant
This model from Weber is the classic version of the charcoal smoker. It features everything you need to control temperature, humidity and smoke, including a water pan, thermometer and vents. Inside are two cooking grates that provide plenty of room for poultry and larger cuts of meat. It’s meant to handle life outdoors, too, with rust resistant metal legs and a porcelain enameled finish that will stand up to the elements.
Skip the charcoal
For a smoker that allows complete control, check out this number from Masterbuilt. It’s a digital model that gives you a control panel where you can adjust temperature and time. Inside are four chrome racks, which gives you plenty of room for poultry and large cuts of meat, or adjustment to accommodate lots of smaller things. It’s an electric smoker, too, which means charcoal won’t be a concern. With that, this model features a side wood chip loading system. This means that when you need to top up wood chips, you can load them into the side without opening the door and letting out the smoke and warmth.
Double duty option
The innovative smoker and grill from Z Grills relies on wood pellets rather than a more conventional fuel source. Efficiency is the name of the game with wood pellets. Twenty pounds of pellets will let you cook for about 20 hours, which costs much less than the fuel needed for a gas or charcoal grill. With that, this smoker does double duty as both a smoker and a grill. A digital controller lets you set temperature and airflow so that you get the perfect result every time.
Tons of cooking space
For the big jobs, this Dyna-Glo model is ideal. This one gives you 47 inches of vertical space and six racks, totaling 1,176 square inches of cooking space, which is ideal when you need to smoke a variety of food items. It features an offset charcoal and wood chip management system, too, which means there is no need to open the smoker’s main door in order to dump ash or replenish wood chips. Simply open the charcoal chamber as needed for emptying or refilling.
All-day worker
With both a large grill and an offset smoker, this Royal Gourmet option is perfect for cooks who want a versatile grill and smoker. Inside, the main grill chamber provides 438 square inches of cooking surface while the offset smoker offers 183 square inches. The large charcoal pan holds up to five pounds of charcoal, which is ideal for when you want to smoke all day.
