The Best Electric Smokers of 2023

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.

Looking for the top electric smokers to buy online? Here are my top 6 picks! Continue reading to learn more about buying an electric smoker online without getting ripped off.

Have some temperature control issues? This digital grill would allow you to have hands-on control of your temperature. It is perfect as the most grill for temperature control. We all know that the key to perfect grilled meat is all in its temperature. If meat is set at a perfect temperature, then the meat will be, in turn, perfectly grilled as it is supposed to be.

All you just have to do is set the proper temperature, so it is also an issue for all sophisticated meat grillers because the key to having perfectly grilled meat lies in its temperatures. Aside from that, it is also made in the highest quality material, so if you’re looking for a grill that’s carefully done and picked because of quality, sure this one is for you. It has 6 cooking racks that allow you to grill more food and 8 hours of controlled cool smoke that won’t bother you. It can also be used to cook meat, chicken, pork, and fish and has 9 different hardwood flavors that help your meat’s texture and taste. 

Satisfied User Takeaway: “I purchased my Bradley smoker as a Christmas gift to my family. I had been looking for a good way to smoke meat and found this smoker highly recommended…This smoker is easy to use, well supported, and much appreciated. I am happy to give them my highest endorsement.” – Waif.

Pros

• The auto-off feature means that you’ll never have overcooked barbecue again.
• Auto-feed system makes this a true set and forgets electric smoker.
• Two smoking elements to control the heat and the smoke.
• Works with a compatible smart-phone app.

Cons

• You need to commit to buying the Bradley briquettes to run this electric smoker or learn how to make your own.
• The heating element is a bit under-powered for the 6 rack model, which means you may need to smoke at a lower and slower temperature.

What to Consider When Buying a Smokers (Pros and Cons)

Using the trendy electric smoker is so relevant these days as it has many cool features that could help you do the grilling at a new level. Grilling would never be a boring or tedious task anymore as it has an additional feature that could help you achieve the best-grilled meat you had ever imagined.

Given those circumstances, there will always be series of pros and cons as to why using them could be an advantage or a disadvantage. Knowing these are important and may help you realize, reflect, and understand if you would really like to have them or not. It would also allow you to know how you can use them in some situations or some circumstances.

Knowing about the pros and cons would help you understand, know and ask questions about which is really better and know if it’s better because our feelings won’t say that to us. Otherwise, we have these personal feelings toward things. Nevertheless, feelings can also be considered to know if you are comfortable using these electronic smokers, knowing their pros and cons.

The Pros

1. Convenience. Using electronic smokers are made for your own convenience. Using them, you don’t have to manually light up a barbecue grill because it works using electricity. It is important that you know that they are safe enough to use by checking their plugs, cable wires, how they are made of, and run multiple tests first before actually using them. Electronic gadgets are dangerous to use compared to manual objects because it is solely run by electricity. If the cable wires and plugs are not properly placed, it might cause fire and lead to accidents. They are convenient enough, but if you are not cautious enough, it might not get safe. Just make sure that the electronic smoker that you’re going to use is really made with quality. Making sure that it is made with quality is knowing how they work and testing them. You would never know how good a thing is unless you test them. Nevertheless, it will always be made for your convenience not to get dirty or do a lot of work other than manual grills. 
2. Trendy and cool to use. If you are that person who’s always wanting to be always on the trend of all things, then this one’s for you. Electric smokers are nowadays in the 21st century. If you want to be the person on your group who’s kicking up some barbecue party, it will make you a well-off and trendy person when you use automatic grills. Convenience is the trend nowadays, and most people would like things to set up automatically. Those things require no effort, and that is the trend nowadays. 
3. Ease To Use. Some smokers are easier to use than others. If you’re the type of person that doesn’t want to have to constantly watch on your grill or wants to be able to place your food on in the evening and get a night’s sleep while it’s cooking at a set temperature, you’ll want to consider a type of smoker that doesn’t require babysitting. If you think you’ll like the hands-on fun and experience of having to control a fire, and to tweak and manage temperatures manually, then look for charcoal or wood-burning option. If you want ‘set and forget’ hands-off precision, where you can start a cook, set a temperature, and then walk away for hours at a time, then go for an electric or pellet smoker. But if you want something in combination, then you might want to consider a gas.
4. Portability. If you’re someone who may sometimes be invited to friends’ homes and cabins and want to be able to take your smoker with you. Or you might want to take it camping or on vacation. To do this, you’re going to want a smoker that can easily be carried in the bed of a pickup or the trunk of a car. You must consider the limits on how you can transport it to take it with you.
5. Budget. Sometimes, we tend to settle for an appliance that catches our eyes and interests, but not our budget. Like anything we buy, typically, the more we spend, the higher the quality will be. But consider it to be realistic. Set a budget, stick to it, and don’t be swayed by higher priced models that you really cannot afford. You can create fantastic food on models costing just a couple of hundred dollars, so don’t feel pressured to overspend.

The Cons

1. Inconsistent Quality. While the high-end units can be well assembled, the cheaper units found in your hardware store may not be as well constructed. Cheaper units might not hold heat well, leak smoke, making them hard to get consistent results.
2. Lots of Monitoring. Some smokers require a lot of babysitting and monitoring. You may have to add fuel every hour that overnight smoke will be out of the question unless you don’t mind not sleeping. You better switch to the “set it, forget it” trend.
3. Temperature Hostage. It is difficult for low-cost electric smokers to get to the correct temperature when it becomes cold outside. Heating elements on these smokers can only put out so much warmth. Specifically, these are constructed for Low and Slow. If all of a sudden, you need these electric smokers to generate high heat to reward for cold outside temperatures, you will be dissatisfied. Low-cost electric smokers will also suffer from very windy environments.  
4. Capacity. Many electric smokers are constructed to be cheap and easy but are not designed for larger capacity preparation. Some popular smokers are great for chicken and sausages but are not spacious enough for a full slab of ribs without cutting them in half. So make sure you get a 40-inch electric smoker if you want to smoke a full packer brisket or whole slabs of ribs, or else you’ll not manage to prepare for large scale cooks.
5. Rain. Rain is another dangerous enemy of electric smokers. Obviously, because water and electricity will not combine well, and most of the time, light rain will cause these smokers to throw a breaker or trip a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). You certainly don’t want that to happen, do you?

Electric Smoker Frequently Asked Questions

Are electric smokers as good as charcoal?

Decide what your top priority is. If you’re after convenience above all else, go with an electric smoker. If you want the best smoky flavor at all costs, then you’ll want a charcoal meat smoker. If you mainly want convenience, but you’d like better flavor than the electric offers, get a propane smoker.

How do electric smokers make smoke?

Electricity heats an element at the bottom of the smoker. Wood chips are placed above the heating element where they can smolder. 

How long should wood chips last?

According to Masterbuilt, you should only add chips once, and they should last for around an hour:

We recommend that you only put your smoking wood into the chip holder after the smoker has reached temperature and the heating light has turned off.

You only need to add wood chips once in most cases in the first 20 minutes or so; it should last for around 1 hour or so.

You will find that once the meat has started to cook, it will seal in the juices and the smoke flavor that will continue to be absorbed into your meat. If you keep adding smoke after that point, it will build upon the outside of the meat and make it very strong.

Can you use an electric smoker in the house?

Electric smokers can absolutely be used indoors, and any electric smoker will do, as long as it doesn’t use gas, charcoal, or wood for fuel. Using highly combustible fuel in indoor grilling is unsafe, so that’s why most people in small condo’s use an electric smoker grill.

Do you have to soak wood chips before using them?

According to Napoleon, soaking your wood chips and chunks is unnecessary, and here’s why: (1) It takes more than 24 hours for a significant amount of moisture to penetrate the wood. (2) Soaked wood is producing steam. (3) Soaked wood will lower the smoker’s temperature.

Wood chips and wood chunks that have been soaked need to remove any moisture before generating smoke. The water on the wood will need to heat to 212° F (water boiling point) until it has been evaporated. Only then will it begin to smoke.

How do you clean an electric smoker?

It’s vital to keep your electric smoker clean and dry after you use it. Do not use a strong cleaner or large amounts of water. You just need to wipe the surface after you use it and eliminate any burnt food. When you keep the inside surface as dry as possible, it will help you avoid mold.

Many smoker owners use magic eraser pads from Mr. Clean to clean their smokers without chemicals. Another best trick to consider is to use a homemade mix of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. You can also consider using alcohol.