Outdoor barbecue season is upon us with Spring and experts have come up with a list of their seven best BBQ smokers to cook your meat. Unlike gas or charcoal grills, smokers are the equivalent of outdoor slow cookers and are able to cook large, thick cuts of meat with indirect heat exposure. Here are their favorites to consider if you’re considering grabbing one.
- Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 18" - $419 – author of the Barbecue Bible cookbook series and host of Project Fire and Project Smoke, Steven Raichlen, says “This is the smoker I use for testing. Affordably priced, widely available, and easy to use. It burns charcoal with wood chips or chunks added to generate smoke.”
- Woodwind WIFI 36 - $1,199.99 - CEO of Gary The BBQ Chef, Gary Marandola, Jr., says, “I love it because it’s a massive grill with tons of cooking space and adjustable top racks. It’s a great unit, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking!”
- 5" Classic Pit Barrel Cooker - $399.99 – founder of Girl Carnivore Kita Roberts says, “my personal favorite is going old school with the simplicity of the Pit Barrel Cooker in their 18.5” Original drum. You simply add your charcoal to the bottom of the barrel, make sure your air vent is set properly, and either hang the meat from the rods or lay it on the grate. It’s easy if you love the art of low and slow smoking.”
- Gravity Series 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker - $499.99 – Kita Roberts also comments on this choice, saying, “If you love the convenience of a pellet smoker but want more classic grilled flavor, check out the Gravity Series 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker. I love it because I can fill it with my favorite charcoal, set the time and temp, and smoke meat without having to check the grill to make sure it’s holding and maintaining heat.”
- Vault Smoker - $4,495.00 – the co-owner and pitmaster of Blood Bros. BBQ in Bellaire, TX, is Quy Hoang, who says, “I like the Pitmaker Vault because it’s an insulated smoker. You can set it and forget it. It can also burn several types of fuel from charcoal with wood chunks, lump charcoal, or even small splits of wood.”
- Traeger Ironwood Series 885 Pellet Grill - $1,499.99 – Danielle Bennett, pitmaster at Diva Q BBQ, is also a chef, culinary instructor, and BBQ ambassador at Traeger Grills. She says “I’ve owned 65 grills in the past from charcoal to wood offsets; cast iron, ceramic, reverse flow gravity, gas, and electric smokers. I love the versatility of the indirect heat and consistency of the wood pellets that give the user the ability to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ, and overall is so attractive to me as an outdoor cooking appliance.
- PG500: Fast Eddy's by Cookshack Pellet Grill – $3,570.00 - Megan Day is the co-owner and pitmaster of Burnt Finger BBQ, and she says, “There is no other unit on the market that can both smoke and grill food the way the PG 500 can. Worth every penny. I’ve been loyally using mine for more than five years.”
If you’re ready to grab a smoker, these expert recommendations may make your decision a little more informed.
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