BBQ Smokers Compared
Every smoker does the same basic job: cook meat slowly with indirect heat and wood smoke. How each one makes that heat and smoke is what sets them apart. Here are the main types and how to choose.
What a smoker does
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service describes smoking as slowly cooking food indirectly over a fire, in a cooker designed for the purpose. The two jobs are holding a low, steady cooking temperature for hours (FSIS recommends keeping the air in the smoker between 225 and 300 °F) and producing clean, flavorful smoke. Different designs balance convenience, flavor, capacity and cost in different ways.
The main types
Offset smokers
A horizontal cook chamber with a firebox attached to one end. You burn wood splits in the firebox, and heat and smoke flow across the meat and out a chimney at the other end. Offsets are the classic Texas-style smoker and give some of the deepest wood-smoke flavor, but they need the most attention: you add wood regularly and manage airflow. See offset smokers.
Pellet smokers
An electric controller feeds compressed hardwood pellets from a hopper into a small fire pot, where an igniter and fan keep them burning. You set a temperature, and the controller does the rest. Pellet smokers are the most "set it and forget it" wood-fired option, with a lighter smoke flavor than a stick-burner. See pellet smokers.
Kamado cookers
Thick-walled ceramic (or insulated) egg-shaped cookers that burn lump charcoal with wood chunks for smoke. With a heat deflector in place they smoke low and slow; with it removed they become very hot grills. Their insulation makes them efficient and steady. See kamado smokers.
Drum smokers
A steel drum with a charcoal basket at the bottom and the meat hanging or on a grate at the top. Simple, efficient and inexpensive, with the drippings hitting the coals for extra flavor.
Vertical water smokers
A charcoal fire at the bottom, a water pan in the middle and grates above, in a tall, narrow body. The water pan stabilizes the temperature and catches drippings, the approach FSIS describes for smoking with charcoal. A popular, affordable starting point.
Electric and gas smokers
Cabinets heated by an electric element or a gas burner, with wood chips in a tray for smoke. They hold temperature easily and suit people who cannot have a live wood fire, though most pitmasters find the smoke flavor milder.
Kettle grills
A covered charcoal kettle can smoke by banking the coals to one side, putting a pan of water beside them, and setting the meat over the pan, as FSIS describes. It is a great way to learn before buying a dedicated smoker.
Comparison at a glance
| Type | Fuel | Attention needed | Smoke flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offset | Wood splits (sometimes charcoal base) | High | Strong |
| Pellet | Wood pellets + electricity | Low | Mild to medium |
| Kamado | Lump charcoal + wood chunks | Low to medium | Medium |
| Drum | Charcoal + wood chunks | Low to medium | Medium |
| Vertical water | Charcoal + wood chunks | Medium | Medium |
| Electric / gas | Electricity or gas + chips | Low | Mild |
How to choose
- How much do you want to tend the fire? If you love fire management, an offset is rewarding. If you want to sleep through an overnight cook, look at pellet or kamado.
- What will you cook? Whole briskets and multiple shoulders need space. Racks of ribs need width. A whole hog needs a pit.
- Where will you cook? Pellet smokers need power. Wood and charcoal smokers need distance from buildings and good ventilation. Check rules if you rent or live in a condo.
- Build quality. Thick steel or good insulation holds temperature better in wind and cold. Tight-sealing doors and lids help too.
- Grilling too? Kamados and many pellet grills do both.
Safety basics for any smoker
- FSIS advises using cookers made of materials approved for contact with food, never makeshift containers such as galvanized cans.
- Set up in a well-lit, well-ventilated area away from trees, shrubs and buildings.
- Use only approved fire starters, never gasoline or paint thinner.
- Use two thermometers: one for the cooker and one for the food.
- Never use a charcoal or wood smoker indoors or in a garage; burning fuel produces carbon monoxide.
Next steps
Learn each type in depth: offset, pellet, kamado. Then choose your wood, gather your gear, and cook your first pork shoulder.
Getting to know your smoker
Every smoker has its own personality: hot spots, how it reacts to wind, how long a load of fuel lasts. Before your first big cook, do a test run with no meat, or with an inexpensive cut like chicken thighs. Watch how long it takes to come up to temperature, where the hot and cool zones are, and how the temperature responds to vent changes or controller settings. A thermometer at grate level on each side tells you a lot.
Sources
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