The 7 Best Smokers That’ll Make Chicken and Ribs You’ll Be Dreaming About

Beautifully burnished ribs, brisket that’s fall-apart tender, pork shoulder just begging to be shredded: with a smoker, all of these—and more—are just some smoldering and slow-cooking away.

There’s no shortage of smokers out there. Charcoal and pellet smokers are arguably the most prolific, with many options available from notable brands like Weber, Masterbuilt, and Traeger. And we can’t forget about propane, kamado, and electric smokers. There are vertical smokers, barrel or drum smokers, bullet, and cabinet or box smokers—all in a variety of price points, be it budget-conscious or costing thousands of dollars. 

This is all to say: Shopping for a smoker is no walk in the park. To make things easier, we tested 16 smokers. Below, you’ll find our seven top picks—ready to make your barbecuing dreams come to fruition.

The Winners, at a Glance 

The Best Smoker

Weber 18-Inch Smokey Mountain Cooker

$519

$419 at Amazon $419 at Home Depot $419 at Lowe's

This bullet smoker offers a lot of cooking space. Instead of having a door, the smoker’s grates stack, maximizing space vertically but allowing for an overall compact footprint. In our tests, it made smoky, moist, downright delicious steak and chicken. Of course, you get Weber’s excellent customer service and warranty.

The Best Splurge Smoker

Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker

$1,100 at Home Depot $1,100 at Ace Hardware

If a fancy smoker that looks more like a gas or pellet grill seems up your alley, then check out this option from Masterbuilt. It even has a side table, wheels, and a hinged lid. Similar to pellet grills, the Masterbuilt is what they call gravity fed, which means the charcoal is automatically fed from the smoker’s offset hopper, and the grill regulates the temperature for you. In our tests, we found the smoker rarely strayed from its set temperature and delivered crowd-pleasing, moderately smoky results.

The Best Gas Smoker

Cuisinart COS-244 Vertical 36-inch Propane Smoker

$400

$260 at Amazon $350 at Sur La Table $260 at Home Depot

A vertical, propane-powered smoker with a hinged door and four movable racks, this model impressed us with its consistency. It rarely wavered from its set temperature. While we don’t think the Cuisinart makes the smokiest-tasting food, it’s a good option for beginners or those who favor gas grills.

The Best Drum Smoker

Pit Barrel Cooker Co. Classic Pit Barrel Cooker Package

$436 at Amazon $436 at Home Depot View on Pitbarrelcooker.com

This looks like an oil drum and, at nearly 60 pounds, is supremely stable. Chicken and ribs emerged juicy and smoky, though we do think that this model is best for those with prior smoking experience. There’s a single damper and no dedicated charcoal compartment, so you have to monitor the temperature carefully and move the rack and food to access the charcoal basket. Unlike models with digital control panels or electronic features, the Pit Boss has no parts that could break.

The Best Electric Smoker

Masterbuilt MB20072918 40-Inch Digital Electric Smoker

$350 at Amazon View on Walmart

Plug this electric smoker in, add wood chips, and use the digital control panel to set the temperature and time—that’s how easy it is to use. It comes with four racks, and we could easily fit 20 chicken wings on each one. We liked its cylindrical wood chamber, which can be pulled out mid-cook to add fuel without opening the smoker’s door. 

The Best Pellet Smoker

Traeger Ironwood XL

$2,200

$1,999 at Amazon

$2,200

$1,999 at Home Depot View on Walmart

Pellet smokers are some of the easiest to use: Add pellets and set the temperature, and the thermostatically controlled smoker does the rest of the work. While we have nine favorite pellet smokers, we chose to highlight only our top pick in this review. That said, if you’re looking for a cheaper or smaller smoker, we probably have that recommendation. So, why did we name the Traeger Ironwood XL our favorite? That’s thanks to its huge cooking surface, simple digital control panel and app, and smoky food we swooned over. Traeger invented pellet smokers, and they’re still hard to beat.  

The Best Kamado Smoker

Kamado Joe Classic II Charcoal Grill

$1,500

$1,250 at Amazon $1,499 at Home Depot View on Walmart

Ceramic kamado smokers offer excellent heat retention, which leads to superior browning. Once we hit our target temperature with the Kamado Joe, it didn’t waver. Unlike other, equally pricey kamados, this smoker comes with a wheelable cart and two side tables. 

The Tests

• Chicken Wings Test: To evaluate the smokers’ performance in a short smoke, we arranged as many chicken wings as we could fit on the smoker’s grates. We recorded how long it took for the wings to cook, and evaluated them on tenderness and flavor.
• Chicken Thighs Test: For our second short smoke test, we smoked chicken thighs until they reached 165ºF, per an instant-read thermometer. 
• Ribs Test: We used bone-in, seasoned spare ribs to evaluate how the smokers fared with a longer cook, noting how often we had to add additional coals to the fuel chamber (and how easy it was to do so) to maintain a consistent temperature of 225˚F.
• Smoked Tri-Tip Test: We set the smokers to 250ºF and timed how long it took for them to reach that temperature. We smoked the steak to 135ºF—it took about 30 minutes per pound—then evaluated its flavor and texture. 
• Ease of Use and Cleanup Tests: Throughout testing, we evaluated how easy the smokers were to use and add fuel to. We also noted what it was like to assemble and clean them.

What We Learned

We Favored Smokers with Accessible Fuel Boxes and Dampers

Too high temperatures can dry out meat, and too low won’t give you the burnished, distinctive flavor that good barbecue’s known for. This is to say: Maintaining a desired, consistent temperature is crucial when using smokers. With thermostatically controlled smokers, this is less of an issue, and even with shorter smokes, like chicken wings or thighs, we didn’t have a temperature problem with many of the models we tested. For longer smoking sessions, like ribs, temperatures will fluctuate as the charcoal or wood loses heat. To maintain a steady temperature, you can either adjust the dampers to control airflow or add more fuel. We favored smokers with easy-to-adjust dampers and accessible fuel boxes. Models like the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker had doors or slots for adding charcoal or wood mid-cook, eliminating the need to rearrange food or remove the cooking racks. 

How Big of a Smoker Should You Get? 

Most of our favorite charcoal, gas, and electric smokers have two to four cooking grates, which is plenty of room for making a large brisket and a couple of racks of ribs at once. One of the exceptions is the Masterbuilt Charcoal Smoker. Like a gas grill, it has a single cooking surface, as well as a warming rack. According to Masterbuilt, this grill’s expansive 1,150 square inches of cooking space can accommodate 19 chickens, 12 racks of ribs, or 51 burgers. In our tests, we didn’t make this much food on it, but crowding was certainly never an issue. 

Go with a Tight-Sealing Door or Lid

Regardless of fuel type, a smoker’s door or lid should seal tightly, trapping heat. This will also help smoke penetrate food. We found this especially important with gas and electric smokers, where the best models benefited from every last wisp of smoke and flavor from the wood chips staying inside.

Should You Buy a Gas or Electric Smoker Instead of a Charcoal One? 

When it comes to smoky flavor, charcoal is king. If you’re new to smoking, though, charcoal can be intimidating, since it requires more vigilance to reach and maintain a desired temperature. Gas smokers use propane tanks, and electric smokers work anywhere there’s an outlet. They also feature temperature dials or digital temperature controls, which make them easier for beginners to use. However, their smokiness comes from burning wood chips, and we found the resulting food to have a kissed-by-smoke flavor at best.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Smoker

We recommend smokers that have easily accessible fuel boxes and high-quality dampers, especially if you’re getting a charcoal model, which will need more temperature monitoring and adjustment. Whether they have a single cooking grate, like pellet smokers, or multiple ones, as with most charcoal, gas, or electric smokers, the cooking surface should be expansive and the chamber roomy, allowing for plenty of air and smoke circulation. In terms of smoky flavor, smokers vary depending on fuel type, but we looked for models that made indisputably well-cooked food.

Our Favorite Smokers

The Best Smoker

Weber 18-Inch Smokey Mountain Cooker

$519

$419 at Amazon $419 at Home Depot $419 at Lowe's

What we liked: While this smoker is on the smaller side, it makes smart use of space with its vertical construction, so there’s actually plenty of room for cooking. Opening and closing its multiple dampers was easy, and we had no problems with consistent heating during our short and long smoke tests. The Smokey Mountain also has a door for easily adding charcoal mid-cook, and it made the most flavorful tri-tip in all of our testing, with a distinctly smoky flavor and a tender texture that sliced like butter. Weber offers excellent customer service and warranty on its smokers and grills, too. Unlike smokers with gadgets and gizmos, there’s not a lot that can go wrong with the Weber.

What we didn’t like: Because of its layered design, with one of the cooking grates closer to the charcoal than the other, we wouldn’t say this is the most beginner-friendly smoker. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 41.7 x 19.7 x 19.7 inches
• Cooking surface: 481 square inches
• Weight: 39.1 pounds
• Warranty: 10 years
• Fuel type: Charcoal
  

The Best Splurge Smoker

Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker

$1,100 at Home Depot $1,100 at Ace Hardware

What we liked: We think this fancy charcoal smoker would be a great option for beginners, since it does the charcoal monitoring and temperature regulation for you. If you’ve used a pellet smoker before, its look and operation will feel familiar—and it even has an app. The Masterbuilt’s offset hopper allowed us to easily add charcoal, and we thought its thermostatic controls and built-in fan did a great job with temperature regulation. (You can set this smoker’s temperature anywhere from ​​225-700°F.) Moderately smoky chicken and steak were crowd-pleasing, too. All in all, we think this smoker does a great job of pairing convenience with performance. 

What we didn’t like: This smoker’s front folding metal shelf was flimsy. During testing, the smoker’s right door easily smacked into the charcoal hopper’s ash catcher, causing it to pop open.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 58 x 32 x 52 inches
• Cooking surface: 1,150 square inches
• Weight: 262.6 pounds
• Warranty: 1 year
• Fuel type: Charcoal

The Best Gas Smoker

Cuisinart COS-244 Vertical 36-inch Propane Smoker

$400

$260 at Amazon $350 at Sur La Table $260 at Home Depot

What we liked:  If a convenient smoking experience is what you’re after, you may like this gas model from Cuisinart. It has four movable racks, about 300 square inches more cooking space than the Weber Smokey Mountain, and a temperature dial. It had impressive heat consistency, though the food wasn’t the smokiest. The wood chips are housed in a separate chamber, which makes refilling less stressful.

What we didn’t like: If you’re looking for seriously smoky flavor, go with a charcoal smoker instead. In our tests, ribs looked fine, but tasted eh. Its control knob doesn’t have temperature markings—just a high to low scale—and we found ourselves wanting more precision. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 18.1 x 19.3 x 38.6 inches
• Cooking surface: 785 square inches
• Weight: 40 pounds
• Warranty: 3 years 
• Fuel type: Gas/wood chips

The Best Drum Smoker

Pit Barrel Cooker Co. Classic Pit Barrel Cooker Package

$436 at Amazon $436 at Home Depot View on Pitbarrelcooker.com

What we liked: With a classic barrel shape, this lightweight smoker was easy to put together, and we assembled it in under five minutes. Once we identified a problem area in the smoker (a defective damper), we were able to configure the charcoal grate for an efficient burn. Both the chicken and the ribs were superior: juicy, with adequate smoke flavor and an attractive quarter-inch smoke ring. In fact, they were some of the best we tested across the board. Although this model does require more knowledge than most, its smoking abilities make it a good choice for the barbecue enthusiast. 

What we didn’t like: The damper was poorly constructed and did not fully close during testing. The design was arguably too minimal, as there was no option to use a second grate or water pan. Adding fuel mid-smoke requires you to remove the cooking grate.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 21 x 21 x 32 inches
• Cooking surface: 240.5 square inches
• Weight: 57 pounds
• Warranty: 1 year
• Fuel type: Charcoal
  

The Best Electric Smoker

Masterbuilt MB20072918 40-Inch Digital Electric Smoker

$350 at Amazon View on Walmart

What we liked: With a simple control panel, this electric smoker is pretty “plug and play,” if you will. We liked how spacious its four racks were and found we could easily fit 20 chicken wings on each one. It has a cylindrical chamber that can be pulled out for adding wood chips mid-cook, and a large drip tray that catches and contains gunk well.

What we didn’t like: This isn’t the smoker for maximum smoky flavor. You’ll need to add chips every 30-ish minutes to maintain its temperature, which is a lot, and its power cord is short.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 19.9 x 25.6 x 41.3 inches
• Cooking surface: 970 square inches
• Weight: 58.32 pounds
• Warranty: 1 year
• Fuel type: Electric/wood chips

The Best Pellet Smoker

Traeger Ironwood XL

$2,200

$1,999 at Amazon

$2,200

$1,999 at Home Depot View on Walmart

What we liked: This pellet smoker has an impressively large, 924 square-inch cooking surface—enough to throw the meatiest of backyard bashes. In our tests, we were just short of being floored by the succulent, juicy, nicely smoky ribs and chicken it made. As with most Traegers, you just have to add pellets and use either the smoker’s onboard controls or connected app to set and monitor the temperature. We liked the intuitive app’s real-time notifications, too, alerting us to things like the meat’s temperature and the smoker’s pellet level. 

What we didn’t like: Of course, $2,000 is no small amount for a pellet smoker. If that’s too much, check out our review for cheaper options. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 34 x 70 x 40 inches
• Cooking surface: 924 square inches
• Weight: 243 pounds
• Warranty: 10 years
• Fuel type: Electric/wood pellets

The Best Kamado Smoker

Kamado Joe Classic II Charcoal Grill

$1,500

$1,250 at Amazon $1,499 at Home Depot View on Walmart

What we liked: If you want excellent heat retention and smoking and grilling capabilities, consider a kamado. Not only were we impressed by its performance, but liked that its cart had four wheels, two side tables, and tool hooks. The Kamado Joe’s hinged lid smoothly opens 90 degrees, allowing you to add, flip, and remove food and maneuver the cooking grates and heat deflector without fuss.

What we didn’t like: This smoker takes longer to heat up and about 10 minutes to adjust to temperature changes, though this is common for a ceramic kamado.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 46.5 x 46.5 x 48.5 inches
• Cooking surface: 250 square inches
• Weight: 23.5 pounds
• Warranty: Variable, depending on the part, though the ceramic components have lifetime warranties 
• Fuel type: Charcoal

The Competition

• Oklahoma Joe’s Tahoma Auto-Feed Charcoal Smoker: Like the Masterbuilt, this is a gravity-fed, auto-temperature-regulating smoker. While the Oklahoma Joe was fine and easy to use, we thought the Masterbuilt delivered smokier results.
• Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker, 20-Inch: Although we appreciated the supremely responsible dampers on this smoker, the awkward water basin placement made adding fuel mid-burn dangerous and overly complicated. It’s currently unavailable, too.
• Oklahoma Joe’s Bandera Vertical Offset Smoker and Grill: The dampers were responsive, and it was easy to add fuel to this smoker. Unfortunately, the burn was too efficient, and we noted that an excessive amount of charcoal needed to be added to maintain its temperature. 
• Broil King 28” Vertical Charcoal Smoker (923610): Responsive dampers and an accessible firebox earned this smoker points. But we were unimpressed with both the chicken and the ribs, which tasted bitter, dry, and had a rubbery texture.
• Cuisinart Vertical 18-Inch Charcoal Smoker (COS-118): Assembling this smoker was frustrating due to misaligned parts. Charcoal burned very quickly, and the constant opening and closing of the fuel door caused undesirable temperature swings.
• Meco Americana Charcoal Vertical Water Smoker, Stainless (5025): This smoker is tiny. Buy something bigger.
• Orion Cooker Large Bullet Smoker: The design of this smoker was lacking. In our tests, we noted that smoke hovered stubbornly at the top of the cooking chamber, which resulted in overly smoked, bitter, and borderline inedible chicken and wings. 
• Realcook Vertical 20-Inch Steel Charcoal Smoker: Maintaining a steady temperature was unnecessarily difficult to do with this budget smoker; we had to add fuel nearly every 20 minutes. The firebox was annoying to fill, and without tongs, would result in burnt forearms.
• Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker: This smoker required almost constant damper adjustment to maintain the desired temperature, and there was no door to allow for easy access to the fuel source. It appears to be discontinued.

FAQs

Can you use wood in a charcoal smoker?

Yes, you can. In fact, it’s common to use both wood and charcoal, as wood produces flavorful smoke.

Are charcoal smokers good for beginners?

Some might say electric or gas smokers are best for beginners, but all types can be good for beginners. It depends on the model. Generally speaking, any smoker that can maintain a consistent temperature with minimal adjustments is a good choice for beginners. Overwhelmingly, pellet smokers are ideal for beginners for this reason. But we found some beginner-friendly charcoal smokers, too: namely, the thermostatically controlled option from Masterbuilt.

Can you smoke on a gas grill?

You can, but it’s going to be a bit of a hassle and require a specialized setup, since gas grills don’t have a compartment for charcoal or wood chips. If you’re serious about smoking, we recommend getting a dedicated smoker or even a charcoal grill.

Why We’re the Experts

• For this review, we tested 16 smokers in various styles. We also pulled in winners from our reviews of other smokers, including pellet and kamado options. 
• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director for Serious Eats. She’s been with the site since 2021 and has been testing gear professionally for nearly seven years. 
• Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats with 15 years of food writing experience. She’s written extensively about grills and smokers.