Outdoor cooking has evolved to be an activity that can be carried out by different categories of people including hobbyists and homeowners. After the entire day's stress, it is normal for the body to demand something edible, and outdoor cooking might be required. It is also essential for occasions like picnics, birthdays, and other outdoor gatherings.
Charcoal smokers remain one of the vital equipment for outdoor cooking. Charcoal smoker, which is otherwise known as a smoker grill or water smoker is an equipment that smokes food for a long period. It uses low and indirect heat that originates from burning charcoal.
A good charcoal smoker has several benefits, including traditionally cooking food and infusing the flavor of smoke. The best charcoal smoker will allow comfortable use, ensure reliability, and offer a solution to various outdoor cooking problems.
It is not enough to understand the need to use the best charcoal smoker; knowing the type to get is also of paramount importance. Below is a review of some of the best charcoal smokers that can meet your outdoor cooking needs. It includes specifications, features, strengths, and the weakness of each product.
Masterbuilt MB20041220 Gravity Series Charcoal Smoker
The Masterbuilt MB20041220 is regarded as one of the best charcoal smokers because of its impressive features and ease of usage. This charcoal smoker can reach 225℉ in just 10 minutes and 700℉ in about 15 minutes. This feature allows for rapid food preparation and provides you with a rapid temperature increase. It also has an enormous cooking space of 1050 square inches.
This Masterbuilt charcoal smoker will help you reduce costs while still maximizing output. The GravityFed hopper feature of the model holds 10lbs of lump charcoal and 16lbs of briquettes and let it burn for up to 8 hours. Besides limiting the cost, you spend on charcoal and briquettes, it also saves you the stress of refilling frequently.
The DigitalFan feature of this Masterbuilt charcoal smoker allows easy temperature regulation. It has folding shelves and foldaway racks for space conservation and easy storage.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Easy temperature control | Heavyweight and difficult to move around |
Easy storage and space conservation | |
Extensive usage and fuel efficiency | |
Large cooking space | |
Less stressful to maintain |
Weber Smokey Mountain 18" charcoal cooker is another impressive charcoal smoker model. It has porcelain-enameled steel buildup to ensure durability and longevity. It has a rust-resistant leg that prevents rust even when exposed to little moisture.
It has two nickel-plated 18-1/2" wide cooking plates that can accommodate a whole turkey and a complete ham at the same time. Weber Smokey Mountain is lightweight and compact. It weighs only 39.1 pounds for easy mobility.
Weber Smokey Mountain has a built-in lid thermometer that allows you to monitor and regulate the cooking temperature easily. It includes components like a water pan, individual vents on the bowl and lid, and a heat-resistant nylon handle.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Allows multiple cooking at the same time | Requires frequent refilling of charcoal |
Relatively affordable | |
Compact and lightweight | |
The sturdy buildup for increased durability | |
Built-in thermometer for easy temperature control |
Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D has a vertical design that allows it to give off rising heat for better efficiency and versatility. The offset design also keeps your food away from direct heat, thus, allowing slow but efficient cooking.
The dimension of the Dyna-Glo offset smoker makes it suitable even for a large number of people. It is also flexible because it includes six height-adjustable cooking grates that accommodate varieties of food sizes. It has a 784 square inch smoking area and an 1176 square inch total cooking area, and the capacity of each grate is 25 pounds.
Dyna-Glo smoker has a sturdy and well-designed buildup. The Porcelain-enamel steel buildup ensures durability and the compact buildup ensures that the charcoal and briquettes are tightly packed.
It has an in-built thermometer for easy temperature control and follow-up. Dyna-Glo offset smoker includes several components such as a removable steel ash pan for easy ash management and cleanup.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Easy charcoal and ash management system | The firebox is a bit small |
Flexibility to allow you to customize your cooking | It is not easy to move it around |
Large smoking and cooking area | |
It allows you to cook with precision | |
Inbuilt thermometer for easy temperature control |
Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D is another Dyna-Glo offset smoker model with loads of impressive features and efficient performance. It is suitable for heavy-duty cooking because its body construction is from heavy-gauge steel. The cool touch spring lid provides you safe access to food while the cool to touch handles offers easy access to fuel and food safety.
It has a massive cooking space of 1382 square inches. It also features five chrome-plated cooking grates for extensive and heavy-duty cooking tasks. The temperature control and follow-up of this Dyna-Glo offset smoker model is quite easy with the inclusion of a stainless temperature gauge with a "smoke zone" that indicates the ideal temperature for perfect food smoking.
The mobility of this Dyna-Glo smoker is enhanced with the inclusion of oversized sturdy wheels that allow you to move the charcoal smoker without stress. It also includes a removable offset charcoal ash pan for easy cleanup and ash management.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Analog temperature gauge for precise cooking | Not easily adjustable |
Cool touch spring handle and lid for easy access | Heavyweight and requires large space |
Large cooking space | |
Easy mobility with the sturdy wheels | |
Suitable for heavy-duty tasks |
Masterbuilt MB20040220 Gravity Series 560 is a charcoal smoker grill with innovative digital features. This Masterbuilt charcoal smoker has a rapid temperature rise optimized for your cooking. It can reach 2250F in 7 minutes and 7000F in 13 minutes.
The good news is that you don't have to worry about your food getting burnt with the massive and rapid temperature increase. Masterbuilt MB20040220 Gravity Series 560 allows you to control temperature and cook time with the included digital control panel or smart device control with wifi or Bluetooth.
Another impressive feature of this masterbuilt charcoal smoker is its ability to efficiently and judiciously utilize fuel. This charcoal smoker allows you to use 10lbs of lump coal and 16lbs of briquettes for 12-15 hours. It has a total of 560 square inch cooking area, and the inclusion of reversible smoke and sear cast iron grates allows high heat searing, as well as low and slow cooking.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
DigitalFan for precise heat and cook time control | Heavyweight |
Efficient fuel utilization | |
Rapid heat production | |
Easy maintenance |
Lightweight Charcoal Smoker: Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker
Aside from the fact that Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker is a vertical smoker, it is one of the lightest weight charcoal smokers available. It has a cooking area of 370 square inches across its two porcelain-coated cooking grates. This coating ensures durability and prevents rusting.
This vertical charcoal smoker's design allows an innovative airflow control system that enhances heat sustainability, regulation, and optimization. It is also made easier with the inclusion of numbered damper settings. It has a removable ash pan that enhances easy cleanup.
The height of Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker is conveniently accessible with the tubular steel legs. It also includes tow chamber-lift handles and a temperature gauge also mounted on the lid of the product. The inclusion of a high-quality fire access door also enhances effective smoke management throughout the entire cooking activity.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Effective smoke management | Limited cooking space |
Quick and easy temperature monitoring | Limited temperature level |
Innovative airflow control | |
Durable construction | |
Portable and lightweight |
Broil King 923610 is another vertical charcoal smoker with ample cooking space and a unique construction design. It has a 770 square inches cooking space and overall four cubic feet cooking capacity that allows its utilization for many people.
Broil King 923610 is quite flexible because it features four fully adjustable 5mm stainless steel cooking grids. This feature allows flexibility during cooking and allows multiple cooking at the same time. It also includes 16 stainless steel meat hooks for easy storage of meat after cooking.
This charcoal smoker features one multi-purpose roast/rib crack and a root-daft damper technology for easy utilization. It has double walls for heat retention and a secondary door to grant you easy access to the included smoker box and extra-large stainless steel.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Double-walled construction for heat retention | Relatively heavyweight |
Flexible adjustment for improved versatility | |
Ace-Temp thermometer for accurate temperature monitoring | |
Innovative technology for improved efficiency | |
Large cooking space |
Realcook Vertical Charcoal Smoker is primarily equipped with quality cooking space. It has a quality two-piece cooking grid that offers 453 square inches of cooking space. It comes with four hangers and crossbars inside the lid. This feature allows you to smoke different types and different sizes of meats.
It has a built-in thermometer that gives you an exact and accurate temperature reading to ensure proper temperature control. The inclusion of adjustable air supply on the lid allows heat sustainability and allows you to control the temperature.
Another selling point of this charcoal smoker is its ability to cook multiple types of food. It is suitable for smoking, grilling, baking, roasting, braising, and steaming to give you greater flexibility. The charcoal smoker's two-layered system allows proper heat retention, and regardless, it is easy to assemble.
The stability of this model is enhanced with the inclusion of a latch locking system. The two doors provide easy access to your food and add charcoal to reimburse the charcoal fuel.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Two doors for easy access | Difficulty in maintaining the temperature |
Multifunctional cooking ability | Lacks a suitable handle |
Latch locking system for stability | |
Detailed temperature monitor | |
Lightweight and portable |
When purchasing a charcoal smoker, there will be need for other essential materials to make your cooking session easier, faster, and hazard-free. These materials are:
Kamado Joe Big Block XL Charcoal
Bear Mountain Pellets - Cherry Flavor
RAPICCA BBQ Gloves Heat Resistant
Weber 7429 Rapidfire Chimney Starter
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050 Cover
Buddeez 03701B Charcoal Kaddy
Frequently Asked Questions
The duration charcoal burns in a smoker is not precise. It varies with the charcoal quantity that will fit into the charcoal box, the burning temperature of the smoker, and the burn efficiency.
White smokes from smokers are a sign of incomplete combustion. To reduce the amount of white smoke coming from a smoker, you should remove all the wood components or particles hidden within the charcoal. Likewise, you can create a coal bed before adding charcoal to the smoker.
The best charcoal to use for smokers is the cleanest version of briquettes. This type of charcoal uses a sugar-based natural binding agent that burns clean.
The best step to take if your smoker is too hot is to regulate the temperature. You should work with the temperature regulator of your smoker if it has a temperature regulation feature. Alternatively, you can limit the airflow or reduce the amount of burning charcoal.
Definitely! The smoked meat is one of the best delivered products when using a charcoal smoker.
You can use wood chips in a charcoal smoker but you must ensure that you follow the right process.
Conclusion
Charcoal smokers are useful for a variety of outdoor cooking. It can be used by anyone with little cooking experience. However, you can only derive your desired satisfaction and a pleasant outdoor cooking experience if you use the best outdoor cooking tools. The list above contains some of the best charcoal smokers that can guarantee an impressive and efficient outdoor cooking experience.