Best Smokers for Beginners 2022

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Which Smoker Is Best For Me?

All of the smokers mentioned above would be great choices for any novice smoker as they will be very forgiving and allow you time to get to grips with smoking.

Traditional smoker fans would say go for the Weber Smokey Mountain, but if you don’t care about tradition these steps will help you decide.

Budget:

When looking at the budget for a first smoker you have two main options.

The first option is to opt for a cheap smoker to help you find your feet then you can upgrade once you know what you are doing. However, the problem with this is that cheap smokers are much harder to use and will give you a lot less satisfactory results.

This could put you off smoking before you’ve even tried your hand with a competent smoker.

Your other option is too put a little bit more money into your first smoker. This will be a lot more rewarding and you will thank yourself later when you aren’t constantly adjusting the temperature on a very cheap smoker.

Style of Smoker:

The main difference in a smoker is what fuel they use to cook the food. The different options are electric, charcoal, gas, and pellet.

All of these options will allow you to cook great tasting meat no matter how ‘traditional’ your chosen smoker is. What’s more, there is no specific style that’s best for a novice, they all have positives and negatives.

Charcoal Smokers

Cooking using charcoal smokers tends to be a much more interactive experience. You have to make sure that the oxygen flow is right so that your temperature is controlled which is something you might not be doing with the other smokers.

Pros:

• On balance, charcoal has the potential to cook the best tasting food.
• Enjoy being outside.
• Gives your meat the best smoke ring compared to other smokers.

Cons:

• Buying charcoal is expensive.
• You need to concentrate more during the cooking process.
• Lighting the charcoal at the beginning requires effort.

That being said a charcoal smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain will still allow you to relax most of the time due to its great temperature control.

Charcoal smokers are great for beginners to learn about barbecue.

Pellet Smokers

Pellet smokers have become a lot more popular recently and it seems like many people have just purchased their first pellet smoker. Pellet smokers require minimal effort and attention which is good or bad depending on what you want.

Pros:

• Using a thermostat you set the temperature and the smoker does the rest for you.
• No need to worry about temperature control as the correct amount of pellets will be fed in automatically. 
• You can put some meat on, go to bed, come back and it will be perfectly cooked.

Cons:

• As they are so easy to use they are more expensive than even the best charcoal smokers.
• You will have to spend a lot to get meat as tasty as you’d get from a charcoal smoker.

If you opt for a pellet smoker some people may tease you as it is seen as the ‘lazy mans’ barbecue. But, if you don’t mind and would rather just have your smoker cook some great tasty meat for you then this is the smoker for you!

Gas or Propane Smoker

Just like pellet smokers, gas smokers require minimal attention and minimal effort. They use propane tanks as fuel to cook the meat.

Pros:

• Easy to use.
• Only one tank of propane will last roughly 15 hours.
• Greater temperature control.

Cons:

• Sacrifice the smoke ring for ease of use.
• Cheaper smokers tend to leak smoke.
• Some smokers will be too narrow for certain cuts.

One thing to make sure is that you have a full tank before each smoke because running out halfway through is not fun!

Electric Smokers

These smokers making cooking meat a piece of cake. They are great for longer smokes as they are able to maintain stable temperatures over long periods of time.

Pros:

• They are versatile and can smoke fish, sausages, and bacon.
• They come under the ‘set and forget’ bracket, could be a pro or a con depending on you?
• Great for longer smokes when you don’t want to keep checking the temperature.

Cons:

• It can be expensive to repair due to electronic parts.
• Lose out on the smoke ring which adds flavor.
• Although your food will still taste great, not as much so as with a charcoal smoker.

These smokers are just a bit boring. If you are in it just for the end product then go ahead but if you enjoy all of the tinkering and adjusting then these may not be for you.

Offset Smokers

These smokers really aren’t suited to beginners, many people have tried smoking using these and after just one season have given up permanently. Therefore we really wouldn’t recommend these for your first smoker.

Do I want a Dedicated Smoker or a Grill Smoker Combo?

We understand that it is a big commitment to buy a dedicated smoker for your first smoker as there are lots of benefits to having the flexibility that comes with a grill smoker combo. 

However, if you really want to get into smoking then dedicated may be the way to go as they will give you more features and hold a low temperature better.

If you opt for a dedicated smoker then the Weber Smokey Mountain is probably your best option but if you would prefer a combo then the Landmann Smoker Tennessee is great.

What am I Looking for in a Smoker?

Above we have covered the most important things to think about but here are some other features to look for.

What foods do you want to cook?

If you are smoking larger foods such as rack of ribs or turkeys then you may find that electric and gas smokers are too narrow for these.

How many people are you cooking for?

It’s better to be safe than sorry which is why if you are not sure we’d always opt for one size up. Think about your typical usage than add a bit for if you have family or friends around.

Are you cold smoking?

Some smokers need a lot of work to convert them to cold smokers and some have one built-in. If you want to cold smoke salmon or cheese then this might be something to think about.

Smoking Basics

One thing that people always ask is the difference between smoking and grilling. The answer is that smoking is lower temperature and longer cooking time. Grilling is the opposite, you’ll be working with shorter time periods but higher temperatures.

Smoking works using fuel like charcoal, gas, etc that heat wood chips that produce smoke and add flavor to the food. You control the flow of oxygen to make sure that the temperature stays low.

Essential Accessories

• The built-in thermometers are very unreliable so you’ll need a dual probe thermometer set up.
• You also need fuel if you are cooking with charcoal, gas, or pellets.
• Barbecue gloves will be needed in order to move hot racks or charcoal.
• Wood chips are required as they provide the smoke and the flavor. There are many different types, apple and cherry work well with everything.

Last Minute Advice

Don’t feel disheartened if you make mistakes, then end result will still taste amazing. Smoking is all about experimenting and learning as you go so your first smoke will be by no means perfect.

The best meat to use at first is pork butt as it is both easy and forgiving if you make mistakes. Rubs and BBQ sauces are great for adding the finishing touches and make the meat taste even better!

To Conclude

One of the main joys of barbecue is the company, its great to spend a nice day in the sun with family and friends. You don’t need an expensive smoker or lots of gadgets for that.

Hopefully, we have helped to guide you in the tricky conundrum of picking your first smoker, and hopefully, it will bring you a lot of enjoyment! 

Last update on 2023-10-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API