Master of the Pit

If you’re in the market for a new barbecue smoker and don’t know what to look for you’re in luck.  I’m going to go through the features to look for when you’re in the market for barbecue smokers.

Finding great barbecue smokers takes a bit more than just grabbing the cheapest one you can find.  The best barbecue smokers make smoking meat a true pleasure.  The worst barbecue smokers make the process a nightmare and seriously not enjoyable.

Barbecue smokers are available in just about every shape and size imaginable, not too mention price.  What makes one barbecue smoker better than another?  There’s a few factors that make a difference when it comes to barbecue smokers, let’s look at them..

Barbecue smokers can run on propane, charcoal or even electric, which is the best?

Well, each type has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.

• Propane:  Barbecue smokers fueled by propane start quickly and are really clean to use.  Barbecue smokers that use propane can also reach pretty high temps when you need to.  They are pretty good at getting a solid temperature as well.  There is a critical disadvantage though..  Fuel supply can be an issue, especially for long smoke sessions.
• Charcoal:  To the barbecue purist this is the only way to go when it comes to flavor.  Barbecue smokers that use charcoal take long to get to operating temperature.  You also need to be aware of how much charcoal you have left (for long smoke sessions).  They are difficult to set to a target temperature and are very succeptable to environment issues like wind.  They also need to be re-fueled every few hours.  They can however reach very high temps if you need to.
• Electric:  Electric barbecue smokers are relatively new on the bbq scene.  They start instantly, get to temp quickly and hold it rock solid (Bradley smoker).  They can not get to very high temps though, generally up to about 300 degrees.  They are very clean and have no fuel issues at all (unless you don’t pay your electric bill).

So really it depends on how much ‘hands on’ you want to be.  Charcoal requires the most attention while electric requires little to no attention.  Clean up can be extensive with charcoal as well, while electric has practically no clean up.  In both cases propane falls in the middle.

After you decide on the fuel type you need to decide on the size of barbecue smokers you’ll need.

The largest barbecue smokers aren’t necessarily the best ones to get

…in this case, size matters when it comes to barbecue smokers

Although it may seem logical to buy the biggest barbecue smoker that you can afford this is generally not the right thing to do.

The goal of barbecue is to cook slowly at low heat, having a big barbecue smoker with just one rack of ribs in it can be a problem as you still need to heat the entire barbecue smoker to the right temperature.

Consider how much food you’ll generally be smoking and shoot for a barbecue smoker that can hold that much food.

You should look for these features to find the best barbecue smokers

There are some features common to all barbecue smokers that’ll help you find the best one.  I’ll list them here.

• Good thick metal walls - This will help maintain the exact cooking temp that you want.  Thin walls will bleed off heat quickly.
• Good solid seals without air leaks - Again, a leaky smoker will allow too much air in which is a disaster when it comes to a charcoal smoker and terrible for the other types.  You want a good tight seal to maintain temperature.
• Big lid/door for easy loading - Not just for convenience here, easy loading will allow you to get in and do what you have to do without losing too much heat.
• Separate loading area for the wood chips/chunks - You should be able to add wood (for smoke) without having to open up the barbecue smoker, you don’t want to lose all that heat.

So there you have it, a quick guide to help you find the best barbecue smokers to fit your needs.  Remember, the fuel you use is the most important choice you’ll make.  Now, if you can’t decide there’s no reason not to have two barbecue smokers.  Personally I own both the Bradley electric smoker (for long cooks) and the Weber Smokey Mountain (for ribs/fish)  and it works out great.

Here’s a link to both barbecue smokers, I think they’re the best in their class.

Bradley Original Smoker, Black

Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/Smoker