There aren’t many things as delicious and satisfying as smoked meat, which is why the world is going crazy about the best meat smoker. They want the best so that they could enjoy scrumptious delights day in and day out. With a large assortment of meat smokers available on the market, it definitely is a daunting task to get your hands on the best meat smoker. However, you don’t have to worry about this, as we are here to help you find out the smoker that will fulfill your desire to have smoked, juicy meat, the taste of which will remain on your tongue for a long-long time. We have shortlisted three products that we believe are excellent in all the necessary parameters a meat smoker needs to pass.
Reviews Of Best Meat Smokers
1. Masterbuilt 20075315 Front Controller Smoker with Viewing Window and RF Remote Control
Starting off with the construction of the unit, so you will see a stainless steel construction that doesn’t just make the machine beautiful but sturdy as well. There are four racks given in the machine for cooking a large quantity of food at a time, and all those racks are coated with chrome. To make cooking easier, the company has added a front faced viewing window along with digital controls. Moreover, you don’t have to babysit your food, as you can control the temperature and heat settings with the help of a remote control that comes along with the unit. A mammoth 975 square inches of cooking space is one of the main highlights of the product, as it allows users to cook literally anything in one go.
Fabulous Features:
- A solid stainless steel construction that makes the unit lasts for a long period of time.
- A huge cooking capacity of 975 square inches that makes it easy for you to cook multiple meals in one go.
- Four durable chrome coated cooking racks that will last for multiple years.
- Front viewing window, digital controls on the machine and inclusion of a remote control makes cooking a charm, as you don’t have to babysit the food.
- Easy to handle wood chip loading system.
- Cleaning the machine is easy with the inclusion of a drip-catching system.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- A sturdy and reliable unit.
- LED display coalesces with user-friendly remote controls.
- Massive cooking space.
- Incredible isolation.
Cons:
- Not easy to move the machine from one place to other, as it is heavy and takes up lots of space.
2. Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-Inch Charcoal Smoker
A renowned name in the field of meat smokers, Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-Inch Charcoal Smoker is a whole new ballgame. You are not going to face any issue smoking slabs, ribs, steaks and birds at once. Weber has designed a beautiful machine, which can be easily moved from one place to another, as it weighs just 39 lbs. The build quality of the smoker is incredible; the thermometer provided by the company is precise and clear. Although, the company is marketing the product as a complete grill, but in my opinion, the unit works best for cooking the food slow and at temperatures around 225 degrees Fahrenheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. To use it for grilling food, you will have to take off the upper grate.
Fabulous Features:
- A decent cooking space of 481 square inches, which will enable users to cook 2-3 different food items at once.
- It isn’t a bulky unit, so maneuvering is quite easy.
- The stainless steel body is given the coating of porcelain enamel, which makes the unit a lot more durable. Moreover, the handle is coated with heat-resistant nylon, so you can touch the unit from the handle without worrying about burns.
- This is a charcoal smoker, so if you were looking for an authentic smoked meat flavor, then this is the unit to invest in.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Easy to carry from one place to another.
- Build quality is far superior to many other smokers.
- Meat stays tender and moist with the inclusion of water pan, which is also porcelain enameled.
- A decent cooking space of 481 square inches.
Cons:
- Not enough area to accommodate a full rack of ribs.
3. Camp Chef SmokePro LUX Pellet Grill
This unit can provide you with a great open-air cooking experience. Loaded with a wide range of rich features, this unit is going to make your cooking experience easy and exciting. We really liked the construction of the unit, which consists of high-grade stainless steel. You can totally rely on this unit as it is not going anywhere for a multiple number of years. To keep the heat and temperature steady, a cutting-edge digital temperature chip has been incorporated into the machine, thereby offering a much-required consistency in cooking. Cleaning up the unit is also easy with ash can cleanout system. You don’t have to indulge yourself in cleaning stubborn stains and splashes because there won’t be any.
Fabulous Features:
- Smart smoke technology ensures the quality of smoked food.
- Auto-start ignition.
- Automatic auger for a uniform heat management.
- To keep the unit stable while you’re cooking food on it, the castor wheel can be locked.
- Dual temperature readout.
- The hopper capacity of the unit is quite large, so you don’t have to refill the hopper in between the cooking process. Moreover, the inclusion of a built-in pellet dispenser makes the task a whole lot easier.
- You can check the temperature at which the food is cooked through the measuring tools and a stainless steel probe that comes along with the unit.
- A highly efficient ash cup cleanout system to make ash cleaning effortless.
- The inclusion of a grease management system ensures that the grease doesn’t accumulate in the unit and can be cleaned easily.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- A cooking space of 875 square inches is sufficient to cook multiple meals at once.
- The ability to measure internal food temperature through stainless steel probe gets you a perfect idea as to how much time will it take to get the food ready.
- Additional warming rack to ensure that the food that is made at the start doesn’t stay cold by the time you are done cooking other meals.
- Auto-start ignition removes the hassle of starting the fire.
- The unit is capable of slow smoking to grilling food.
Cons:
- Some users have complained of paint chipping.
Types of Meat Smokers
When you want to buy a meat smoker, you can’t just go out into the market and demand one. You need to decide as to which type of gas smoker you really want. The market is flooded with different meat smokers that operate on gas and electricity. Where gas smokers are extremely efficient and affordable, they can’t beat the indoor electric meat smokers when it comes to versatility. Then comes the charcoal smokers, which can be used for injecting the best natural flavors to the food. But, it is only advisable to get a charcoal smoker when you are sure about how to control the temperature, as this can be a hard thing to do for newbies.
There are stovetop smokers as well, which aren’t as popular as the gas operated smokers or the electric meat smokers, but you will have to connect the smoker with an external heating source. You need to figure out yourself as to which smoker works out the best for you because nobody else can.
Crucial Aspects To Keep In Mind While Buying A Meat Smoker
Size: Meat smokers can be quite large with an exception of stovetop smokers. Therefore, if you are looking for a smoker that you can easily move from one place to another, then you may have to opt for the one with the lowest weight. If you are looking for a versatile unit that is capable of performing its duty in the kitchen and backyard, then you should probably opt for a small smoker.
Capacity: You must not confuse the capacity of the smoker with the size because, at times, the large smokers can have a lackluster capacity. The capacity of the smoker shouldn’t be ignored because a smoker needs a proper airflow to operate. On top of that, you need to make sure whether the capacity of the smoker you have shortlisted is sufficient to get you the quantity of food you wished for in the first place or not.
Construction & Durability: How well the material of the smoker is going to decide how far it will go down the road with you. Poorly made smokers won’t last for more than a couple years, so only invest in a branded and top quality smoker even if it costs a few more dollars. Check how good the build quality of the smoker is, how well the insulation is done on the smoker and how tight the seals are. These things will help you get the most delicious food every single time without consuming any extra fuel.
Temperature Range: The majority of smoked dishes are prepared over the extended period at low temperatures. But, some recipes are cooked for shorter periods and higher temperatures. If you want to buy a smoker that can cook food slowly on low temperatures and fast on high temperatures, then you need to choose a branded smoker because only that can get you the best of both worlds.
Even Heating: In some smokers, the difference in the temperature between opposite sides can be as wide as 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. You may not be able to find this difference while checking the unit for the first time, but if you could go through the reviews of the meat smoker online or ask the retailer, then you will have a better clarity about the functioning of the unit.
Thermometer: While most meat smokers consist of a thermometer, so you need to make sure that the thermometer is placed at the grate level rather than on the lid. While you may find most built-in thermometers to be quite accurate, but there are some cheaper units as well, which can show inaccurate readings for as much as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Versatility: If you are one of those who just want a smoker who can properly smoker, then you can skip the ‘versatility’ aspect. However, if you want your smoker to perform a host of other tasks other than just smoking food, then you will have to go through the options that are available on the market and find a smoker that can grill and smoke simultaneously.
Indoor or Outdoor Unit: You must be thinking why this parameter is important, as it is easy to take an indoor unit outside and cook food in the open. But, you are missing a crucial point here, i.e., the outdoor units are made of materials that are resistant to harmful elements that roam in the open. An indoor unit may or may not be immune to those elements, so the danger to succumbing to those elements becomes higher in indoor units.
Accessories: The inclusion of certain accessories by the company can completely change the mindset of people. A few accessories can be incredibly useful such as tool hooks, racks, wheels grill add-ons, and removable interior shelves, etc.
Conclusion
The meat smokers we have discussed above are being sold like hot cakes in the market all over the world. It is not easy to pick a winner, so the best thing for you to do is go through the smokers and see as to which smoker fits your requirements in the best way. Only then, you will be able to find the best meat smoker for your day-to-day smoking requirements.