Best Smokers: 10 Electric, Charcoal, and Propane Picks Compared

The best smoker for most backyards is a vertical cabinet that holds a steady low temperature without constant tending, has room for a full cook on four racks, and lets you add wood without opening the main door. Our Best Overall pick, the Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker, does exactly that: Masterbuilt lists 710 square inches of cooking space, digital time and temperature control from 100 to 275°F, and a side wood chip loader. Because “smoker” covers several fuels, the other nine picks span electric cabinets, charcoal offsets, propane cabinets, one dual-fuel model, and a compact electric grill that burns wood pellets for flavor.

We compared all ten on fuel type, cooking area, heat output, temperature control, size, and weight. Every spec comes from the Amazon listing for that exact product or, where we say so, from the maker’s own US product page. Where a listing contradicts itself or the maker, we say which number we used and why.

This guide is general product information, not repair or electrical safety advice. Follow the safety instructions in your product’s manual, supervise children, and contact the manufacturer or an authorized service center if a product sparks, overheats, or has a damaged cord.

Propane and charcoal grills are for outdoor use only (NFPA), and no grill should be used inside a home, garage or camper because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning (CDC); for pellet and wood-fired models, follow your manual.

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Our Top Smoker Picks

• Best Overall: Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker. Digital controls, a side chip loader, and 710 square inches on four racks, per Masterbuilt.
• Most Rack Space in an Electric: EAST OAK Classic 30-Inch Electric Smoker. 725 square inches per the listing, the most of the four electric cabinets here.
• Most Cooking Space: Dyna-Glo Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker. 1,890 square inches across six adjustable grates, per the listing, the largest total in this guide.
• Most Compact: Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill and Smoker (OG301). At 28.8 lb and about 13.3 inches tall per the listing, the lightest and shortest unit here.
• Best Reverse-Flow Offset: Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Offset Smoker. The only smoker here that switches between reverse flow and traditional offset cooking, with 1,060 square inches per Oklahoma Joe’s.
• Best Dual-Fuel Smoker: Masterbuilt 30-Inch Dual Fuel Propane and Charcoal Smoker. The only model here built to burn either propane or charcoal, with 730 square inches per Masterbuilt.

Four smokers carry no title. The Royal Gourmet SE2805 and the Char-Broil Analog Electric are smaller analog electric cabinets with three racks each; nothing in their specs puts them ahead of the two digital cabinets above, though both run on a stronger heating element than the EAST OAK, per their listings. The two propane-only cabinets, the Masterbuilt Two Door 30-Inch Propane Smoker (sold on Amazon as the MPS 230S) and the Pit Boss 3-Series Gas Vertical Smoker, split the specs: the Masterbuilt has the stronger single burner and maker-confirmed numbers, while the Pit Boss listing claims more space and a higher top temperature but its own rack sizes do not add up to the area it states. We explain both below.

Smokers Compared

How We Chose

We started with Amazon US search results for smokers, BBQ smokers, meat smokers, electric smokers, offset smokers, and charcoal smokers, then removed what did not fit: indoor smokers, covers, stands, wood chips, and pellet grills, which we cover separately because they work differently. Each remaining smoker had to be sold new on Amazon US, clear our minimum average owner rating from a minimum number of owner ratings. We capped any one brand at three models, which is why Masterbuilt appears three times and no more.

We then read each listing for fuel and power. The electric models had to be standard US units: the Ninja listing states 120 V, and none of the electric listings mentions a 220 to 240 V or overseas plug. The gas models are all propane (LP) units. We also searched federal recall records for every brand and model number in this guide, and none of the ten models here matched a recall notice.

Next, we checked the makers’ US product pages. Masterbuilt’s pages confirm the cooking area, burner size, and dimensions we use for its three models; the propane cabinet appears there as the Two Door 30-inch Propane Smoker under the same model number as the Amazon listing. Oklahoma Joe’s confirms 1,060 square inches and a 2-year warranty on all parts for the Longhorn Reverse Flow, and Royal Gourmet confirms 454 square inches and 1,350 W for the SE2805. EAST OAK still sells the Classic 30-inch model on its own store. We could not find the Char-Broil or Pit Boss models on their makers’ sites, and Ninja’s product page did not load for us, so the specs for those three come from the listings alone.

Best Overall has to be a smoker that clears a higher owner-rating bar, backed by a large base of owner ratings of its own. On ratings alone, the EAST OAK Classic would have led. We moved it to second because its Amazon listing shares one pool of owner ratings with East Oak’s Ridgewood model, which adds a glass door and a meat probe and is sold as a separate product, so those ratings cannot be tied to the Classic alone. The Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric met every requirement with ratings that belong to it, and Masterbuilt’s page confirms its specs. The other eight follow our research order for this guide. The PelletSmokeLab Score on each card is a separate measure and does not decide that order; our method is explained on our How We Review page.

How to Choose the Best Smoker for Your Fuel and Space

There is no single best smoker for every cook. The right one depends on how much attention you want to give the fire, how much food you cook at once, and where the smoker will live. Start with fuel, because it decides most of the rest.

Electric: the least tending

An electric cabinet heats with an element at the bottom and smolders wood chips in a tray above it. You set a temperature and the controller holds it. That is why four of the ten picks are electric, and why our Best Overall is one. The Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric and the EAST OAK Classic both use digital controls that top out at 275°F, which covers low-and-slow smoking but not hot grilling. Both have a side chip loader, so you can add wood without opening the main door and losing heat. EAST OAK’s listing says a load of chips lasts 2 to 3 hours in its loader.

The two analog electrics trade digital convenience for simpler controls. The Royal Gourmet SE2805 uses an adjustable analog controller with a built-in thermometer, and the Char-Broil Analog Electric relies on a door-mounted gauge, per their listings. With an analog dial you set a heat level rather than a number, then watch the gauge and nudge it. Heating element size varies a lot here: 800 W in the EAST OAK, 1,200 W in the Char-Broil, and 1,350 W in the Royal Gourmet, per the listings and Royal Gourmet. Masterbuilt sells an 800 W replacement element for its digital model. Wattage alone does not tell you how well a cabinet holds heat, since insulation matters too; EAST OAK’s listing credits double-layer steel with foam insulation for keeping its 800 W model steady in cold weather.

Electric smokers need a reachable outlet, so follow the maker’s manual on how to plug the unit in. If your patio has no outlet, choose propane or charcoal.

Charcoal and wood: the most fire management

Charcoal smokers give you live-fire cooking and ask more of you in return. You light the fuel, then control heat with the air intake, the flue, and how much charcoal and wood you add. The two charcoal picks here are both offsets, meaning the fire burns in a separate firebox and heat and smoke travel through the cooking chamber.

The Dyna-Glo Wide Body is a vertical offset: according to the listing, the offset design keeps direct heat away from the food, and heat rises through six grates in a tall cabinet. The listing also describes a porcelain-enameled charcoal chamber that keeps briquettes stacked, a sliding ash pan, an adjustable flue, and a thermometer marked with a “Smoke Zone.” The Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow is a horizontal offset. According to the listing, four baffles under the grates spread heat and smoke across the chamber, and you can move the smokestack to switch between reverse flow and traditional offset cooking. Oklahoma Joe’s says reverse flow mode gives more even heat distribution than traditional offset smoking. Both burn charcoal and wood chunks; the Longhorn listing also names hardwood splits.

Propane: steady heat without an outlet

Propane cabinets light with a push button and hold temperature with a gas valve, so they sit between electric and charcoal in how much tending they need. Masterbuilt’s Two Door 30-inch Propane Smoker uses a single 15,400 BTU burner and a porcelain-coated flame disk bowl that lets the flame reach the wood chips while shielding the burner from grease, per Masterbuilt. The Pit Boss 3-Series Gas Vertical uses two burners totaling 12,500 BTU, one for the wood chips and one for the cabinet, both run from one knob, according to the listing. Pit Boss also lists a range of 100 to 320°F, a large viewing window, and external wood chip and ash removal.

All three gas-capable models here run on propane (LP). None of the listings mentions a natural gas version, so if you want to run a smoker off a home gas line, look for a model the maker sells for natural gas.

Dual fuel and pellet-flavored electric: the in-between options

The Masterbuilt 30-Inch Dual Fuel is built to burn propane or charcoal in the same cabinet, which lets you use gas on busy days and charcoal when you want to manage a fire. Masterbuilt lists the same 15,400 BTU burner and 730 square inches as its propane-only model, and the listing includes a type 1 regulator and hose.

The Ninja Woodfire OG301 is a different kind of machine. It is an electric outdoor grill that also smokes, bakes, and roasts. According to the listing, it is powered by electricity and flavored by burning real wood pellets, and its BBQ smoker setting needs about half a cup of pellets. It is not a pellet grill, where pellets are the fuel, and it is not a smoker cabinet: its single grill grate measures 141 square inches, per the listing, far less than any cabinet here. The listing says it can smoke a 9 lb whole brisket.

Match cooking area to what you cook

Cooking area is the easiest spec to compare and the easiest to misread, because makers add up every rack, including shelves too close together for a tall cut. Use it as a rough guide, then look at rack count and spacing. For a household that smokes a few racks of ribs or a pork butt on weekends, the 454 to 730 square inch cabinets cover it. Masterbuilt’s listing says its 30-inch digital model fits up to 6 chickens, 2 turkeys, 4 racks of ribs, or 4 pork butts, and Masterbuilt gives its propane model room for up to 8 chickens, 2 turkeys, 4 pork butts, or 4 racks of ribs.

If you cook for a crowd, the two charcoal offsets lead on space: 1,060 square inches on the Longhorn and 1,890 on the Dyna-Glo, with 25 lb per grate on the Dyna-Glo, per the listing. Note that the Pit Boss listing states 880 square inches while also giving four racks of 14.75 by 12.25 inches, which works out to about 723 square inches, so treat its larger figure with caution.

Plan for size, weight, and moving it

The range here is wide. The Ninja weighs 28.8 lb and stands about 13.3 inches tall, per the listing, far smaller than anything else here. The electric cabinets run from 42.1 lb to 56.4 lb and stand roughly 32 to 37 inches tall. The propane cabinets weigh 59 to 66.5 lb and stand 43.5 to 46.9 inches tall. At the other end, the Longhorn Reverse Flow weighs 268.3 lb, per Oklahoma Joe’s (the listing says 226 lb), and measures about 64 inches wide, though it rolls on large wagon-style wheels. Measure the spot where the smoker will sit, including clearance from your house and anything that can burn, before you order.

Check the warranty and parts

Masterbuilt lists a 1-year warranty on its three models, and the Char-Broil listing gives 1 year on the lid, grates, and other parts. Oklahoma Joe’s says the Longhorn Reverse Flow carries a 2-year warranty on all parts, even though one field on the Amazon listing says 90 days; we go with the maker. Masterbuilt sells replacement parts by model number on its own site, which matters for a smoker you plan to keep for years.

Use a thermometer, whatever you buy

Every smoker here has a built-in gauge or display, but it reads the air in the cabinet, not the meat. Use a meat thermometer to judge doneness, and check the USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature chart for the cut you are cooking. Tender, pull-apart barbecue often cooks past that minimum, but the safe number is the floor.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

Skip the electric cabinets if you want to sear or grill hot: the two digital models top out at 275°F, per Masterbuilt and the EAST OAK listing, and the analog models do not list a top temperature. Skip all of the cabinets if you have no outlet and no wish to handle propane or charcoal. Skip the charcoal offsets if you want to set a temperature and walk away; holding steady heat in an offset means managing the fire through the cook. Skip the Longhorn Reverse Flow if you need to move it often or store it in a small space, given its 268.3 lb weight, per Oklahoma Joe’s.

Skip the Ninja Woodfire if you want to smoke several large cuts at once; its 141 square inch grate is a fraction of any cabinet here. Skip the propane models if you need natural gas, since all of them are listed as propane. Skip the Pit Boss 3-Series if you want maker-confirmed specs before you buy: we could not find this model on Pit Boss’s site, and its listed cooking area does not match its rack sizes. And if app control matters to you, none of these ten listings mentions Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Smoker FAQ

What is the best smoker for most people?

For most first-time and casual smokers, a digital electric cabinet is the easiest place to start, because the controller holds the temperature for you. That is why our Best Overall is the Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric, with digital controls up to 275°F, a side chip loader, and 710 square inches, per Masterbuilt. If you want live-fire flavor and do not mind tending a fire, a charcoal offset is the better fit.

What is the best meat smoker for large cooks?

For volume, look at the charcoal offsets. The Dyna-Glo Wide Body lists 1,890 square inches over six adjustable grates, and Oklahoma Joe’s gives the Longhorn Reverse Flow 1,060 square inches. Among cabinets that need less tending, the Masterbuilt propane and dual-fuel models each offer 730 square inches, per Masterbuilt.

Is an electric, charcoal, or propane BBQ smoker better?

None is better in every way. Electric is the most hands-off but needs an outlet and runs at lower top temperatures on the models here. Propane needs no outlet and lights with a button, but you manage tanks. Charcoal and wood ask the most of you and give you the most control over the fire. The best BBQ smoker for you is the one whose fuel fits how you want to spend the cook.

Which smoker brands are in this guide?

Eight brands made the final list: Masterbuilt (three models: digital electric, propane, and dual fuel), EAST OAK, Dyna-Glo, Ninja, Royal Gourmet, Oklahoma Joe’s, Char-Broil, and Pit Boss. When people look for the best smoker brands, the model usually matters more than the badge, since most of these brands sell several fuel types at very different sizes. Check the model number against the maker’s site before you buy.

Is a pellet grill the same as a smoker?

A pellet grill burns wood pellets as its fuel and uses a controller to feed them, so it can smoke and also grill at higher heat. It is a separate category with its own trade-offs, which is why we left pellet grills out of this list. The Ninja Woodfire here burns a small amount of pellets for flavor, but its heat comes from electricity.

Final Thoughts

Pick the fuel first, then the size. Our picks by need:

• Best Overall: Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker. For hands-off weekend smoking with digital controls.
• Most Rack Space in an Electric: EAST OAK Classic 30-Inch Electric Smoker. For electric smoking with a little more rack area and a 12-hour timer.
• Most Cooking Space: Dyna-Glo Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker. For charcoal cooks feeding a crowd.
• Most Compact: Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill and Smoker (OG301). For small spaces and cooks who also want to grill.
• Best Reverse-Flow Offset: Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Offset Smoker. For live-fire smoking with room to grill.
• Best Dual-Fuel Smoker: Masterbuilt 30-Inch Dual Fuel Propane and Charcoal Smoker. For cooks who want both propane and charcoal in one cabinet.

No smoker makes up for a spot that is too small or a fuel you will not enjoy using. Measure the space, decide how much you want to tend the fire, and the shortlist gets short quickly.

Related Picks

• Best Electric Smokers: 6 Analog and Digital Picks Compared
• Best Offset Smokers: 5 Reverse Flow, Classic, and Vertical Picks
• Best Smokers for Turkey: 8 Cabinets, Pellet Grills and a Drum Compared

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