Smokers

A vertical smoker as it’s name describes is just that. The heat source is at the bottom, a distance from the food being cooked, and the heat rises directly up exiting through vents in the top.  These are typically differentiated from Drum smokers by a water pan above the heat.  They style smoker is one of our favorites for beginners.  The water pan stores and regulates the heat while adding moisture.  This makes it very forgiving in terms of maintaining a constant temperature.   In terms of starting out this are also typically reasonably priced.

Vertical smokers a bit more forgiving starting out with the water pan regulating the temerature.  There price points are also attractive but beware of not buying something to low cost as you may not be happy with the quality.  They are typically not that big, although make sure you look at the total grate area.  To cook enough for a typical family or at a BBQ with a few friends you should look for something with at least 350 sq inches.  Some of the units offered a small making it difficult to cook larger pieces such as brisket and they can be harder to hold temperature in with a small charcoal area.  Most models are offered as ‘charcoal’ but we recommend a 70/30 mix of charcoal/wood chunks to get great tasting smoked meats.  The most popular of these are probably the Weber Smokey Mountain, the Brinkman model and one we have tested yet but should soon is a 20″ diameter model offered by Cuisinart.   All of this makes a vertical water smoker the perfect starter smoker for the person who wants to give it a try but doesn’t want to make a big investment.

There are a few negatives such as access to the fire area and the ability to regulate it. We strongly recommend that your coals/wood is burning really well before the meat is put on the smoker keeping in mind that it will have to burn for a long time.  Many have an access door but this offers limited ability to add more fuel or to improve how well it is burning.  Smaller units especially seem to struggle to maintain temperature and in turn get the food cooked in a expected amount of time.

One of the biggest disadvantages of the vertical smoker is that every time you lift the lid or open the door you lose a lot  of the heat in the smoker. While the water pan can store heat, it does take time for the temperature to recover.

Pellet smokers took the basic design of an off-set smoker and truly simplified the whole process. One of the biggest challenges when it comes to smoking is maintaining the correct temperature over an extended period of time.  Folks, like Traeger, have found a way to simplify the process.  These smokers will include an automatic feed of pelletized wood, as well as, built in temperature control.  To put it simply when the temperature starts to drop, the unit automatically adds more fuel and increases the temperature.  All you need to really worry about is getting the meat prepared properly and filling the hopper with pellets.

The pros with this type of system are fairly obvious.  Instead of needing to watch the smoker all day, you can set it and forget it.  The integrated temperature management system will add more fuel as needed to ensure constant cooking temperatures all day.  Today there are a broad range of pellet options matching all of the natural woods and even more.  You can find pellets that  are enhanced with flavors such as Jack Daniels or wine barrel blends.  Most have a wide temperature range and can be used alternatively as a grill.  Some even have WiFi controls so you can use an App on your phone to set / or monitor the temperature.

Probably the biggest downside of a pellet smoker is the cost.  All of the additional technology certainly means a bigger price tag.  Related to this, it also increases the number of things that can break as there are moving parts.  When controls or augers go bad, the repair can be pricey.  We recommend the Traeger line as our favorite given their quality.  This type of smoker is not necessarily one where you want the lowest cost unit on the market. 

Pellet smokers also tend to be a bit larger and heavier which may not work for everyones available areas and require an electric power source.  

Box smokers are straight forward and easy to use.  In this section we are discussing the gas and electric models. They are simple to operate and like the pellet smokers are typically temperature regulated.  This put them in the set it and forget it category.  These type of units don’t really burn wood however although most allow the addition of a wood chip tray which can burn inside the unit adding smokey flavor.This group of smokers tend to be lower cost then a pellet model which makes sense since they don’t require the pellet feed system.  These are excellent units for those starting out who don’t want to worry about managing temperatures.  They are a great balance of cost and performance.  The Dyna-Glo recommended below doesn’t have temperature control but we love the size.

The biggest benefit is the ease of use.  These units require little more than running an electric cord or connecting a propane tank.  The temperature can be set and the units will operate all day without a great amount of attention.  The better the insulation is in the unit the more heat is retained and the less fuel is required.  This class of smoker also as a whole are very affordable.  For the budget conscious these units have grown in popularity.  Like the pellet smokers some have WiFi based controls so you can use an App on your phone to set / or monitor the temperature.

A drawback of these units from our perspective is the heat source.  You really aren’t burning a significant amount of wood especially in the electric models that have no combustion at all.  While these types of smokers put out some excellent finished products you may sacrifice a bit of the smoke flavor.   Like other temperature controlled units when something breaks it can be costly and difficult to repair.  Feedback from some owners is that these units can start to fail after 2 to 3 years.

Now we don’t have this type of smoker lower on the list because we don’t like them.  Quite the opposite, in fact if you go to most well respected BBQ restaurants this is what you will see them cooking on to get that outstanding flavor.  We have them a litter further down on recommendations for beginners because they do require much more oversight and interaction then some of the other smokers.  These units are usually fairly basic, and cost effective but will require more of your time during the cooking process.  Many will give you sizable cooking areas and obviously, burning wood, they can give outstanding flavor.  The smokers shown below are our recommendations for beginners.  There are certainly more terrific options from folks like Yoder and Lang.  These are typically higher end units many used for competition cooking.

The best part is this style of smoker can produce some of the absolute best finished meats and smoked products.  These units are also simple in their construction without temperature regulation or feed systems.  These units if maintained properly will last a very long time.  Most offer sizable cooking surface and easy access to the fire box separate from the cooking area.  While you need to invest a bit in external temperature measurement tools, if you have the time and patience to master this style of grill you will certainly be rewarded with the outcome.

The biggest drawback as mentioned above is the challenge of maintaining temperature.  In addition to the issue of unregulated heat source, on lower priced units you will also have to contend with poor seals on the door and other areas.  Poorly sealed units will lose heat on windy days adding to the complexity.  Poor seals can also cause’hot spots’ around the firebox.  This can translate in to uneven cooking of the food near that end of the smoker.  There are seal tapes that can be added to these units to improve there performance.

Drum smokers, like Offset smokers can make some incredible food with great smoke taste.  You can burn wood as well as charcoal in a drum smoker ensuring authentic flavor .  But like Offset smokers they do  require more oversight and interaction.  Drum smokers originated from some creative folks who decided they could create a smoker themselves without spending a bunch of money on a store bought unit.  Today, for the most part they are as sophisticated as many other types of smokers with air flow controls and temperature monitoring.  Drum smokers offer the ability to cook a large amount of food.  For beginners, the challenge is mostly access to the fire/heat source.  In most design the charcoal/wood basket is set into the drum from the top and there is limited access if it needs adjustment.  Many have some interesting designs such as moving the heat source higher to be used as a grill.

Drum smokers can produce some great tasting food.  Most are robust and there is not very much to break. Like Offset smokers these units if maintained properly will last a very long time.  With the ability to hang meats they permit users to cook a significant amount of meat without needing to cut anything in sections.  Drum smokers are also very compact in size and easy to move and even travel with.  If set up correctly these type of devices can go a long time with a reasonable amount of charcoal.  Folks we talk with who use them swear by them and use them frequently.

While the design offers simplicity and minimal maintenance the fire basket at the bottom doesn’t allow easy access to modify the fire or add more fuel.  If the charcoal isn’t burning well and you are not reaching temperature it can be difficult to adjust.  Drum smokers are also usually not insulated and can lose heat on cool windy days.  If you live in an area that sees a lot of cold and windy days you may find these units a struggle to work with.  While hanging food permits a large amount of food to be cooked it also take some additional handling which new smokers don’t want to deal with.  They can certainly be more work setting up than the Box smokers described above.