By
James
Updated on
There are many ways to cook meat, and one of the all-time favorites is smoking with charcoal. But what’s the best charcoal smoker for you?
In this roundup, we review 6 smokers to find the best charcoal smoker on the market for you.
Find out what smoker is best for home use?
Is charcoal smoke healthy?
What is the healthiest charcoal to use?
Keep reading…
Our Top Picks
Below is a summary of the top picks from our SummerBaron.com team. To help you understand where each pick ranked, we have included “badges” next to each pick’s key findings. “Best Overall” is a combination of price and value. “Best Budget” is great for summer lovers who want a top-quality product but are on a tighter budget. “High End” is for people who just want the best, and price is no object.
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Product
Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker
Folds compactly for storage and offers three different height adjustments
Easy to clean with a cup holder for baby
Folds compactly for storage and offers three different height adjustments
Easy to clean with a cup holder for baby
Folds compactly for storage and offers three different height adjustments
Easy to clean with a cup holder for baby
Reviews of Each Pick
Looking for the best charcoal smokers to buy online? Here are my top 6 picks! Continue reading to learn more about buying a charcoal smoker online without getting ripped off.
Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker
Popular upgrades to make the smoker custom to your needs
Very well-known
Easy to use and to assemble – very beginner friendly
Mentions of door sometimes leaking heat
This Weber smokey mountain is our best overall pick.
Why?
First off, it’s perfect for slow-grilling your meat cuts (particularly roasts) into a delicious, tender heap of meat that falls off from the bones. Because you can cook your meat at the recommended temperature with precision with the built-in thermometer.
Plus, you have dampers to conveniently have precise control of the heat, to go along with your thermometer readings.
Aside from being easy to use, it’s easy to assemble with straightforward instructions in the user’s guide.
All in all, it’s an amazing smoker, that’s user friendly with one load of charcoal let’s you smoke for 6 hours without reloading. Plus, the water bowl makes it effortless to sustain 225-250°F all day with very little complaint.
Advice:
You can get this smoker in 3 different sizes the 14,18, and 22-inch making it great for most BBQ occasions. However, for the average backyard enthusiast the 22 might be a little to large and I woul recommend the 18 or 14inch.
Weber is a manufacturer of all kinds of grills, from charcoal to gas and electricity. The designs of their products are all based on their extensive, 65-year culinary experience of grilling. It is a household name company when it comes to BBQ grills and accessories.
Weber Original Kettle
Portable and easy to move
Does the job and you save some money
Larger grilling space that holds up-to 13 burgers at one time
The use of electrical components means you should keep it away from coolers or other electrical equipment.
Another Weber product is taking up the top spots on this list. It’s straightforward to use and effortless to clean for a good reason, and affordable.
The original kettle has a built-in one-touch charcoal removal system, which you can clean the charcoal ashes by dumping them into an ash catcher.
Moreover, you can refill the charcoals without disturbing your grill and adjust the temperature by adjusting the dampers without moving the lid. You can also choose the grilling method (direct or indirect) by merely arranging the principal’s position on the grate.
A cool feature is that the lid has a stopper, preventing heat from transferring, so when you close the top, you won’t get burnt from the hot metal.
This Weber charcoal grill is made for the weekend enthusiast. You have hooks to hang your grilling tools and durable wheels for mobility. Overall, for the price it’s an excellent smoker and it’s our best budget charcoal smoker.
Satisfied User Takeaway: “I chose to go old school and get a Weber charcoal grill. When I ordered it I worried I would regret it instead of getting another propane grill. Not the case! I love my Weber charcoal grill! Also, I bought the Weber chimney, which I highly recommend.”
Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D
Cooking area is 1,176 sq. in.
Get an incredible smokey flavor
Great heat efficiency with the basket and firebox design, you can achieve 4.5 hours with charcoal lumps.
Can be heavy and awkward if you need to move it
The vertical offset charcoal smoker by Dyna-Glo has a heavy-gauge porcelain enamel with a high-temp powder coat finish for increased durability, and the burner is a 15,000 BTU heavy-duty cast iron.
We love the double opening doors to minimize heat loss when you add wood chips, and the large temperature gauge making temperature control easier after a few BBQ beers.
The offset style of heat distribution is ideal for slow cooking and smoky flavor infusion. There are 6 racks for your food, so you can choose your smoke zone depending on your desired final taste and aroma.
With this durable, high-quality, and multifunctional box smoker, you will undoubtedly be getting the most out of your purchase. Plus you can make some interesting mods to this product.
Customer Review: “Impressed with this smoker. For the past 15 years i’ve been in the meat business and i’ve smoked thousands pounds of sausage and meats. This little smoker retained the temperature in freezing weather and smoked great. I would recommend this to my friends.”
Char-Griller E16620
314 square inches of primary cooking space
Has wheels so it can be moved around
Some reviews say the bolts and hingers are weak
The main feature of this charcoal grill is that it utilizes a kamado-style of cooking. “Kamado” is a Japanese term for stove or cooking within a range. Americans adopted a movable “kamado” (stove) during World War II. The design has been modified but is still alive as a Kamado-style BBQ grill, like this Char-Griller charcoal grill.
It has a triple-walled 22 gauge steel with the exterior coated with a powder finish. The steel is built to be durable and to last a long time. There is a built-in temperature gauge for precision while cooking, 314-inch cast iron cooking surface, 133-inch warming rack that is removable, and an easy-to-remove ash pan.
Top and bottom dampers can be adjusted to allow the passage of oxygen into the grill system. The Char-Griller charcoal grill’s triple walling is also meant to keep temperatures within 200 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
The versatile design is also further reinforced by the folding side shelves that can temporarily hold your grilling tools for you and large, 8-inch lock-in wheels for mobility and convenience.
Char-Griller E22424 Table Top
Portable and great for camping
Can be converted to a firebox
250 square inches grill space
Can be too small for a lot of people
Another grill from Char-Griller, but this one is unique. The grill’s main feature is the tabletop style that can be laid down and used as a horizontal Texas style smoker.
Plus, you can use the grill as a side firebox. However, the main drawback is that you cannot go back to using the grill. The side firebox can fit multiple smokers, like the Chargriller Pro Deluxe, Wrangler, Outlaw, and Duo.
Moreover, It has cast-iron cooking gates, 250-square inch cooking space, and it’s portable. This smoker is great for camping or cooking in remote locations.
Even though it’s small, you still get great features like two adjustable dampers to make temperature control manageable. Also, a pull-out ash pan can be dumped for a fast and easy cleaning process.
Customer Review: “Nice little grill! I was a bit concerned when reading the reviews about the paint. I also have the Char-Griller 5050 unit, and in the directions on the 5050, it says to put a lite coat of cooking oil on it before use. I used Crisco. I also used it on the 2-2424 and have not had a problem at all. ”
Kamado Joe is a leading company for Kamado-style grills so expect all the bells and whistles when it comes to this smoker. You get a built-in gauge thermometer, adjustable top vents for airflow and temperature control, and a grilling system that can sustain and keep temperatures from 225 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
So you don’t lose any heat when cooking, there is a felt gasket, so the lid rests tightly while cooking, and the premium firebox stops any breakage and keeps the constant temperatures.
If you want more information on this, check out our Kamado smoker review
Review: “Expensive but worth every cent. This grill/oven/smoker takes barbecuing to a whole new level. So far, I’ve cooked delicious pulled pork an 18-hour low smoke. Tender brisket; the moistest, most delicate roast chicken ever; and superb pizza. Even relatively mundane dishes like pork chops and steak are elevated by the Kamado’s fierce but controllable charcoal grill.”
Pros
- Well known brand
- Full range of cooking styles
- 2-Tier Divide & Conquer
Cons
- On the expensive side
What to consider when buying a charcoal smoker
Before you set out on your journey scouring the internet and your local stores of the best charcoal smoker of your life, it is best first to take a look at the things to consider when deciding on this purchase.
Invest in a high-quality smoker
Smokers aren’t cheap, but they are meant to be used over a long time. That’s why it’s best to invest in a high-quality smoker that will certainly last you for a very long time, instead of low-quality ones that only last you for a few months before you have to repurchase a new one.
Another plus for buying long-lasting smoker grills is that you have a long time to get used to them, instead of adjusting to new ones every time.
Buy a smoker that has built-in temperature gauges
While charcoal (and other wood-burning) smokers are the classic choice for backyard BBQs, there are quite a few disadvantages. Charcoal smokers make use of direct, uncontrolled fire, unlike electric and gas smokers. In which case, the fire is easily influenced by other outside factors, and if you are not watching carefully, your meat might get undercooked or overcooked over different areas.
An excellent way to combat this is to buy a smoker that already has a built-in temperature gauge/thermometer. Also, make sure that your smoker has easily adjustable dampers for a more straightforward way of controlling the temperature.
Consider buying according to your lifestyle
The capacity and size of your smoker depend on how you plan to use it. Do you have a relatively large family, and BBQ Fridays are always big? Do you ever have your friends over for a BBQ? Do you just BBQ for your small family of five?
These are all matters that should be considered. Obviously, with larger families and parties, it warrants a larger grill with high capacity so that you can do multiple batches at a time without standing in front of the grill waiting for the burgers to cook in small quantities.
Consider the features of the smoker
Different smokers have different features and use. When it comes to smoker features, your preference is what matters. If you have a set grilling station in your home, with ample shade and accessibility, it would be okay for you to ditch movable wheeled smokers for the more heavy-duty sets.
Or do you want multifunctional ones that can serve as different types of grills for an other method and result of cooking?
Also, consider your skills when working with charcoal grills. If you’re more experienced, you can get away with more technical and more challenging to use grills. Otherwise, it’s best to stick with more user-friendly grills with more straightforward features.
However, the features that you should never compromise on are the ones that control the temperature and airflow, as previously discussed above.
About The Author
Reviewed by
James
James is a writer who is a self-confessed kitchenware and coffee nerd and a strong advocate of Sundays, good butter, and warm sourdough.
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