The Best Outdoor Kitchen Smokers of 2024

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While there are a wide range of ways for you to smoke food some will work more efficiently than others. Today, you can choose from options such as gas smokers, charcoal smokers, and electric smokers, but they all serve different purposes and will produce different results. In this article, we share the best outdoor kitchen smokers of 2024 where you’ll find the right choice for your price range.

Table of Contents

What are the Different Types of Smokers?

Before deciding on the right smoker for your home, it’s important to first understand the different kinds available in the market. Below are some of the options you can get your hands on.

Offset Smokers

These come with the traditional design for a smoker and are also known as “barrel” smokers which feature two parts; a large chamber for main cooking and a small box that contains fuel. Inside the box, your charcoal or wood can burn which will then heat the main chamber — this will then fill with smoke that slowly cooks your meat through indirect heat, infusing it with a smoky flavor. Because of this, barbecue aficionados love to work with offset smokers but they’re not the best option for beginners since learning how to control temperatures inside will take practice.

Vertical Smokers

Also known as “cabinet” smokers, vertical smokers feature a tall and closet-like design that has one door at the front with 3 to 5 racks for food. It has a heat source that sits at the base which allows the smoke and heat to fill the space inside. Being built high rather than wide makes it a more compact solution, so this can be a good option if your patio doesn’t have much space.

Bullet Smokers

Much like vertical smokers, bullet smokers are pill-shaped smokers that stand upright with a fuel area located at the bottom of the main cooking chamber. Vents by the bottom and top of the smoker allow for control over the temperature inside the chamber while the water pan that sits below the cooking area keeps the food moist. While bullet smokers will surely save space around the patio, some models can be so small that you won’t have much room to cook a lot of food.

Pellet Smokers

Pellet smokers are also known as pellet grills and are easily recognizable through the small pellets that they use as their fuel source. They will also look more like grills compared to smokers, they also come with wide cook boxes along with a clamshell lid that hides their generous cooking space. They can reach temperatures of 500 degrees, which means they can double as a grill.

Kamado Smokers

The Big Green Egg, just like all Kamado grills is a grill and smoker hybrid. These large ceramic cook boxes are built to maintain low temperatures over a few houses or to build up heat that can reach temperatures of up to 800 degrees. This can be a highly versatile option, which has opened a completely new outlet for beginners in the world of barbecue.

Best Outdoor Kitchen Smokers

If you’re looking for the top pick when it comes to the best BBQ smokers available, you can’t go wrong with the choices below.

1. Traeger Grills Pro 780 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

Highlights:

This wood-pellet grill produces a wood-fired taste without the need for charcoal or gas
Offers a maximum temperature of 500 °F and takes cooking to the next level thanks to precise temperature control
With WiFire Technology that allows the grill to connect to your home WiFi, so you can control the grill anywhere you go
Built to feed large families, it offers 780 sq inches of grilling space to accommodate 34 burgers, 6 rib racks, or 6 chickens
A 6-in-1 solution that’s versatile enough to help you braise, grill, roast, smoke, bake, and BBQ using just one tool

If you want to get the best for your outdoor kitchen, the Traeger Pro Series is one of the best-selling pellet grills available. This is the upgraded Pro 780 model which heats up quicker, starts faster, and produces better-quality smoke. The first wood pellet smoker was developed by founder Joe Traeger in 1988; the Traeger grill has since become a leader in the industry and is loved for its performance paired with fair prices.

With the Traeger Grills Pro 780 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker, you’ll get an auger-driven pellet hopper to help you regulate temperature and fuel levels. It also offers various connectivity options such as WiFi and Bluetooth; it can also be integrated with Alexa, apart from the proprietary app it comes with. It can be a wise solution for people looking for multiple-purpose appliances since it can also grill and bake — finally, this is a porcelain grill which makes cleaning up a breeze.

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2. Kamado Joe Classic Joe Series II 18-inch Ceramic Charcoal Grill

Highlights:

A premium-built ceramic grill that comes with a cart so you can enjoy smoking inside its 18” cooking surface
Designed using a multi-level, half-moon design that allows you to cook different meals freely at different temperatures all at the same time
Comes with an advanced multi-panel firebox that increases grill efficiency and eliminates breakage
With a rain-resistant top vent that maintains a consistent airflow as you open and close its doors
Offers temperatures starting from 225 °F to 750 °F for all kinds of cooking

This Kamado smoker is one of the best options available if you’re looking for a freestanding pellet grill. The Kamado Joe Classic Joe Series II 18-inch Ceramic Charcoal Grill comes with a wide range of features that make it a favorite during backyard celebrations. With the Kontrol Tower Top Vent, you can maintain a consistent airflow as you open and close it — its powder-coated cast aluminum construction as well as its dual-adjustment top vent can help it smoke at temperatures between 225 °F to 750 °F.

It also comes with an airlift hinge that significantly reduces the dome’s weight; as such, you can lift it using just one finger and can give a much more comfortable grilling experience. Thanks to its ceramic construction, this great smoker can maintain a steady temperature on top of delivering a wide low and high range, making it the ideal choice for people in need of a grill and smoker combo. The only thing you will need to consider is the limited cooking space since these come with only 250 sq inches of cooking space; even so, this will last longer compared to steel grills.

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3. Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker

Highlights:

This charcoal smoker can bring authentic flavors you’d find at a smokehouse in your home
Spacious enough to accommodate a whole turkey along with a whole ham at the same time
Made using porcelain-enameled steel; it also comes with 2 nickel-plated cooking grates
Comes from the legendary grill brand, Weber, so you can expect their 10-year warranty
Includes a thermometer, water pan, heat-resistant nylon handle, and individual vents on the lid and bowl

Those who have been cooking for a while will surely have heard of Weber grills; the Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker is another reason why this brand continues to be legendary. Offering 481 square inches of cooking space divided between two racks, you will be able to cook 4 full racks of ribs — while this is a basic model, it is highly intuitive. It has vents at the top and bottom that allow for precise temperature control, while the removable door lets you add fuel when necessary.

This top lid can also be taken off to turn it into a more versatile option as a charcoal grill when you want to indulge in hotdogs and burgers. Apart from this 18-inch model, you can also choose from the smaller 11-inch and the larger 22-inch models, so you can get the right smoker for your needs and budget. But no matter what you choose, you’ll get a gorgeous porcelain enameled finish that’s standard for all of Weber’s charcoal grills, which means it will be free from rust for a long time.

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4. Camp Chef Smoke Vault

Highlights:

With adjustable heat-control dials, a door thermometer, and 3 damper levels, allowing you to control temperature easily
Boasts a stainless steel construction with a heavy-gauge steel wood chip water pan and tray
Comes with vertical smoker tips so you can become a master outdoor chef in an instant
Makes outdoor cooking simpler, so you can make turkey, ribs, pies, burgers, and more
Offers easy cleaning which means that both experienced cooks and beginners will appreciate this great tool

The Camp Chef Smoke Vault is one of the more unique smokers available in the market since it resembles a real vault, but you can expect great results from its solid and stable construction. It can seal more smoke in while the dampers at the top and bottom can be used for releasing — this can produce well-smoked salmon, chicken wings, as well as ribs. For its price range, it’s one of the best smokers and will produce consistent results throughout a wide variety of meats, and will even create a bark around ribs.

Many users appreciate how smoothly this model cooks; many appreciate how long both the wood chips and water inside the pan last, which means you can be less hands-on. Moreover, the drip pan will catch all of the tasty drippings from your food while the removable bottom makes it so easy to clean. Because it allows you to control temperatures between 150°F to 350°F, you’ll surely appreciate the precision and lack of mess it offers.

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5. Traeger Grills Ironwood 650 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

Highlights:

As the original creator of the wood-pellet grill, you will never have to use charcoal or gas again for the ultimate wood-fired taste
With WiFire Technology that connects to your WiFi, while the Traeger app lets you control the grill no matter where you are
Allows for versatile BBQ cooking; this pellet grill offers 6-in-1 capabilities to help you bake, smoke, grill, braise, roast, and BBQ all in one
Comes with the upgraded D2 drivetrain that starts faster while creating better smoke quality
Offers 650 sq inches of cooking space that can accommodate 6 pork butts, 5 rib racks, or 8 chickens effortlessly

This premium smoker from Traeger offers 650 sq inches of space for you to cook in, which can fit a wide range of meats and other food items. The Traeger Grills Ironwood 650 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker comes with a built-in meat thermometer to help you cook everything to perfection. It also comes with a huge 20 lb. pellet hopper, so you can smoke for a whole day without having to go for a refill; when combined with the ability to monitor your temperatures using the digital control panel, it can make cooking a breeze.

Moreover, you can link it to your phone so you can check temperatures without the need to supervise for hours as it cooks. Other great features include the “super smoke” mode where you can crack up more smoke for extra flavor, along with a sensor that lets you know when the hopper is running low on fuel. Finally, its double-walled insulation allows this smoker to keep consistent temperatures — while it is more expensive, this is a smoker that can feed large families.

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Conclusion

Whether you use a gas, electric, or charcoal smoker, there will always be a bit of a learning curve especially if you’re a beginner. But no matter your personal preference, be sure to choose an option with a good heat source that will provide consistent heat. Luckily, the choices above all come with great features and can be great to use for all occasions.

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