Choosing between an electric or gas smoker? Here are the 9 questions I used to make the right choice for me. They will probably work for you too. There are 9 areas where an electric smoker may Buying replacement grill grates is the mistake you're about to make So, you're grill gates are shot.
Flare-ups, uneven cooking, and you deserve better. What to get? Same ones you Skip to content. The lowest cost? It sounds fun at first but doing that every single time you want to use your smoker can lead to not using it at all.
Maintenance — they need to be cleaned after each use — not just the grates, but the firebox, etc. Some say they should be steam cleaned while hot each time. Find and buy cords of wood. As a result, that 10 hr. Buy pellets — 8 hr. Maintenance — virtually none — change out the aluminum foil, wipe it down and you are go to go. One box of wood chunks lasts 8 hr. Long story on the science here but the smoke ring is a visual element, not a flavor thing. Some claim you cannot get good bark, good heat, good crispiness — not true in my experience Capacity — some of these are pretty small — requiring you to cut racks of ribs and briskets down to size.
Some say you get better bark and flavor than with electric — not in my experience Portability — take it with you for tailgating , camping etc. Hassle — refiling and paying for propane gets old quick — imagine using your gas grill for 12 hr cooks a couple times a week. Gas smokers make use of a vertical, cabinet-style design with a gas bottle connected to a burner at the bottom of the cooking chamber.
Above that sits a tray or two trays; one for some water and the other for wood chips to add that smoky flavor to your food. Some newer models such as the Masterbuilt ThermoTemp Propane Smoker do regulate the temperature throughout the cook for you for a complete set and forget experience. The exception to this is the Camp Chef Smoke Vault which has an optional natural gas conversion kit you can use to tap into the mains. In addition to electric and propane smokers that have a vertical design, there are also these more basic vertical charcoal smokers that offer a true open fired smoking experience in a convenient upright design.
Vertical charcoal smokers are therefore a catch-all term for all of the other vertical smokers on the market. This includes ugly drum smokers UDS , charcoal cabinet smokers and water smokers. Get this going and hang or set your meat out above it on racks.
You could technically grill on a vertical charcoal smoker. After all, it is just a fire with a grate over it. But, because of their vertical design and placement of the fire well below the cooking racks to create that indirect heat needed for smoking, it is a bit tricky. Buying a simple kettle barbecue in addition to your dedicated vertical charcoal smoker would be a better solution for those who want to smoke and grill.
A kettle barbecue is a basic dome-shaped dish with a lid. The simple design of a kettle barbecue makes them inexpensive, easy to use, portable and versatile.
Learning to smoke on a kettle barbecue does take a bit of practice. For a complete run-down of how to smoke on a kettle barbecue , click on the link. Which Is Better? Best Type of Smoker? Skip Straight to Offset Smokers. What is an Offset Smoker? Grilling on an Offset Smoker. Pros of Using an Offset Smoker:.
Cons of Using an Offset Smoker:. Who Should Buy an Offset Smoker? A gas smoker is perfect for people who do not want to attend to their meat throughout the time they are being smoked. Moreover, there is no need to fiddle with the embers and coals to maintain the correct smoking temperature.
The functioning of a gas smoker is almost as simple as electric smokers. Easy to Use: The major advantage of using a gas smoker is it is extremely easy to use. Just set the temperature and wait for the food to be cooked.
The unit will maintain the temperature without needing any further adjustments. Portability: Another great advantage of a gas smoker is that it can be used anywhere. If you love camping, you can easily carry your gas smoker with you to enjoy delicious smoked meat at the camping site. High Temperature: Gas smokers can reach to optimum temperatures which other types of smokers cannot.
Some of the best gas smokers can reach up to degrees C and even more. As a result, they can also be used as an oven. Requires Fuel: Needless to say, these barbecue smokers run on fuel and you will always be required to have spare fuel cans to refill the smoker when the fuel runs out. An ideal solution to avoid running out of fuel in the middle of smoking is to use a gas meter. Parts Replacement: Gas smokers have small parts that break very frequently, especially if you have a cheap BBQ grill of this type.
However, unlike an electric smoker, the spare parts of a gas smoker are easily available. Moreover, they are cheaply priced. As you have read about different types of smokers available out there, you should now know what to consider before searching for any kind of quality smoker to buy. Let us have a detailed look at such factors right here on Grills Forever. Remember, the more you will spend, the better smoker you will get.
Temperature Control: One of the most important considerations when you look forward to buying grills is how easy it is to maintain the internal temperature of the smoker. Insulation, Thick Metal, and Seals: High-quality smoker grills are made of thick metal that is properly insulated and sealed at all the right places.
Thick metal distributes the heat evenly throughout the cooking chamber and radiates it back as well. This helps in reducing temperature fluctuations. Cheap BBQ grills are made of thin metal, making it extremely easy for the heat to escape, thus altering the temperature.
Workmanship, Materials, and Durability: Does the smoker have sharp edges? What is the quality of welding? Does it have sturdy wheels and legs? Or Latches and hinges? Is the paintwork rust-and water-proof?
How good are the moving parts? While stainless steel smokers look pretty cool, they are not always the best choice. Make sure that you answer all the above-mentioned questions before choosing a particular smoker grill. Thermometer: Make sure that you buy a good-quality thermometer along with your smoker, which can be placed at the grate level.
While some of the best smokers come with a thermometer, the majority of them are cheap and unreliable. So, it is better to purchase a good one that is reliable and allows you to maintain the required temperature.
Temperature Range: Also check the temperature range of the smoker. Make sure that the unit you have chosen is able to keep up with your smoking requirements. Even Heat: Often, the temperature difference within the unit can be very large. Dampers: If you are planning to buy either a charcoal or a wood smoker, remember that the heat in these smokers is controlled by cutting oxygen supply.
For this reason, your smoker is required to have a damper on the chimney and another damper on the firebox. Here, check out our selection of the best smokers. When it comes to smokers, this one has everything you need for easy smoking at an affordable price.
The Masterbuilt smoker has four chrome-plated racks that can handle up to 16 chickens, four turkeys, or eight racks of ribs. If smoking continues after dark, an interior light turns on when the door is open for easy visibility. While it's easy to use and delivers tasty results, this smoker can be finicky in cold weather, and its blue display screen is tough to read in direct sunlight.
If this smoker is a littler larger than you need, Masterbuilt has the inch Digital Electric Smoker , which is similar in terms of features. It has four racks with a shorter clearance between each, and it offers the same Bluetooth functionality. Fuel: Electric Racks: 4 Weight: 66 lbs. Heat and smoke are controlled by adjusting the vents, but the grill has another "sneaky trick up its sleeve" that impressed our product tester: A water pan that collects drips and keeps the interior humid for juicy results.
This uses charcoal for the heat source and has two cooking grates so you can fit plenty of food for the family or for a backyard party. A thermometer on the top lets you monitor the interior temperature, while a silicone plug in the side allows standard remote meat thermometers to slide through into the meat for perfect cooking every time. For additional versatility, this smoker can be configured to be used as a standard grill, as well.
Fuel: Charcoal Cooking area: sq. Racks: 2 Weight: 39 lbs. This uses pellets as a heat source, so all you need to do is fill the hopper and let the grill do the rest.
The legs fold to make it more compact for storage, or to tuck it into the trunk or the back of a pickup for a tailgate party. Reviewers love that it doesn't draw on much power and that it's perfect for tailgating and camping, though some warn that one side of the heating surface gets hotter than the other. Fuel: Wood pellets Cooking area: sq.
Racks: 1 Weight: 57 lbs. Hopper capacity: 9 lbs. It has two porcelain-coated cooking grates that offer a total of square inches of cooking space.
The dampers are numbered to make it easy to remember the best settings for heat and smoke, and the ash pan is removable for easy cleanup when cooking is done and the fire is out. Many customers were pleasantly surprised to find that this smoker is sturdily constructed and keeps consistent temperature, considering its price.
A few people advise, however, to be careful when putting the lid back on because it won't always seal properly otherwise. Racks: 2 Weight: You want to see a thin blue smoke, not a thick white or gray smoke. The wrong smoke will taint the flavor of your food. Many smoking aficionados will tell you that pellets are superior to charcoal. The pellets are made from hardwood and burn cleanly while still providing the perfect wood-fired smoky flavor to foods.
This pellet smoker has digital controls that are easy to use, an electric auto-start ignition, and an auger system that feeds pellets into the fire, so all you have to do is make sure the hopper is full and the grill will do the rest. If you need to store the smoker indoors, the legs fold flat for a more compact profile. Racks: 1 Weight: 62 lbs. Hopper capacity: 8 lbs.
Offset smokers look like traditional grills with a small firebox on the side, but they work much differently since the heat comes from the firebox rather than from below the food. Controlled heat and smoke enter the cooking chamber for perfectly smoked meats every time.
A thermometer mounted in the lid, along with multiple dampers, makes controlling the heat and smoke easy. Made from heavy-gauge black-coated steel, this sturdy smoker is built to last and will look good for years. The stay-cool handles on the cookbox and firebox lids let you open the lids safely, even when the grill is hot.
This has square inches of cooking space in the main chamber, but if you need a little extra space, a rack in the firebox gives you extra space right over the fire. Racks: 2 Weight: lbs. The word "kamado" is the Japanese word for "stove" or "cooking range," although today it's a generic term for a ceramic grill that's especially excellent for smoking.
Compared to metal charcoal grills, kamado grills take barbecue to a whole new level with superior heat retention that traps moisture and smoke inside, locking primo flavor deep inside the meat.
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