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The 10 Best Electric Smokers to Get Your Barbecue Season Started
The fun of smoking without the mess of charcoal or the need to buy and store propane.
Electric smokers, which monitor and regulate temperature, take the guesswork out of the long process of smoking veggies or fish, and break the stereotype that smoking meat requires you to spend many solitary hours with a watchful eye.
Smoking is different than grilling in a few distinct ways. You’re cooking at a lower temperature and for a longer period of time to add the flavor of smoke. You're also using indirect heat—food is next to the heat instead of directly over the flame. To get it right may take some practice. You’re likely to overpower delicate cheese or fresh fruit with smoke in the same way you might singe a few burgers before you get the hang of your charcoal grill.
Grills and smokers each have their benefits, so lots of barbecue fans end up owning both types, with the former getting the most work during backyard get-togethers and the latter offering smoked salmon for a late Sunday brunch or heaps of pulled pork for a taco bar.
A smoker is powered by charcoal, wood, wood pellets, or propane, similar to grills, but an electric smoker has an automatic igniter. Smoke is created by heating wood chips or chunks. You’ll want to match the wood with what you want to cook. Oak, for instance, provides more robust smoke—and a stronger flavor that enhance a generous dry rub on brisket. Lighter fruit woods—peach, apple, or cherry—can add a delicate bit of smoke to chicken thighs and pork loins. Thick cut bacon smoked over apple wood is the kind of showstopper that’s talked about long after breakfast.
Smokers vary in design; some are squat, square chambers, while others are sleek upright rectangles. Smoker doors, which can either be solid or include a viewing window, swing outwards to make it easy to load slabs of gouda and cheddar. Electric smokers get their smoke from wood chips, and some models have side loaders which allow you to add more chips without opening the primary door and losing heat. A set of removable racks, usually two or four, are slotted above the heating element. At the bottom of the smoker, there’s usually a water pan that provides moisture, along with a grease pan to catch drippings.
A number of electric smokers, at different price points, come with digital control panels and temperature probes to monitor the internal temperature of your pork shoulder. If you’re going to be moving it around your patio or placing it in storage between uses, you may want to look for a smoker with wheels or a handle.
Note: Before you cook your first meal, you should season/perform an initial burn-in—the process of cleaning and curing—your smoker. Clean the grates and inside with mild dish soap before rinsing and air drying. Rub down the interior or spray on a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil. Then, run a full cooking cycle at a high temperature for several hours (your smoker’s manual should have some recommendations on temperature and time).
So what will it cost to get started? A number of electric smokers are between $200 and $400, but you can easily spend over $1,000. I’ve recommended electric smokers that offer convenient features like built-in meat probes or digital temperature displays, as well as viewing windows and decent temperature control. I also factored in the temperature range, materials used to insulate the smoke box, and the overall amount of cooking surface. These are the best electric smokers to buy now.
Best Electric Smokers
- Best Overall: Cuisinart Vertical Electric Smoker
- Best Value: Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker
- Easy-to-Access Design: Pit Boss 3-Series Digital Electric Smoker
- Large Smoke Box: Masterbuilt 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker With Window and Legs
- Works With Bluetooth: Masterbuilt Bluetooth 40-Inch Digital Electric Smoker
The Expert: I’m a cookbook author (Cookies & Beer, Stock, Broth & Bowl), food writer, and I frequently review appliances for national publications. I’m a Kansas Citian too, which means I grill, eat barbecue, and interview pitmasters at a rate that may concern my cardiologist. I have been a certified judge at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue and co-created a barbecue documentary. I’ve also owned a series of smokers and grills over the past two decades.
What to Consider in an Electric Smoker
Electric smokers are simple to start—if you can turn on an electric blanket, you’ve got it down. These smokers are effective at holding temperatures, which is important for producing consistently tasty barbecue. There are a number of things to look for when purchasing an electric smoker. The criteria below will help you find the right model for you.
Cooking Surface
The smallest electric smoker featured here (the Old Smokey Products Electric Smoker at just over 200 square inches) is ideal if you’re cooking for yourself or you and a guest. If you’re feeding five or six people, you likely want to look at the models with at least 500 square inches (the Cuisinart Vertical Electric Smoker and the Pit Boss 3-Series are good places to start). Hosting a larger party? At least 900 square inches allows you cook several large cuts of meat like whole briskets and multiple racks of ribs.
More to Get Fired Up About: Best Grilling Accessories • Best Portable Grills • Best Charcoal Grills • Best Pellet Grills
Heating Element
The strength of the heating element is measured in Watts. You may want a higher wattage if you’re attempting to use an electric smoker for multiple seasons of the year. The stronger heating element will typically correspond with a higher temperature range and should help when your smoker is warming up.
Temperature Range
Electric smokers don’t get as hot as charcoal or pellet grills. Most electric smokers top out under 300 F. So, we’re talking about the low and slow technique where you’re cooking a rack of ribs at a low temperature for a long time – something to keep in mind if you’ve got a hungry crowd waiting.
Temperature Controllers
Analog controllers mean you’re in charge of adjusting the temperature (by adjusting the power to the heat element) versus digital controllers which use sensors to adjust the temperature inside of your smoker. Electric smokers with digital controllers are usually more expensive but require less babysitting.
How We Selected These Electric Smokers
To determine the best electric smokers here, I relied on my years of experience as an avid cook who enjoys grilling and barbecuing regularly, and with a variety of different kinds of foods including meat, cheese, and fruit. Smoking is somewhat of an art, a different technique than grilling, so these options reflect a broad scope suitable for those who are new to smoking and those who are more experienced.
My familiarity with the top brands helped me narrow my choices to the most reputable and reliable smokers. Some of the top considerations with each grill came down to the amount of cooking surface, the temperature range, and any special features like built-in meat probes or unique design elements. I also factored in budget to ensure a range of options at different price points. To further complement my experience, research, and analysis, I tapped into the groundwork established by Brad Ford, test editor for Popular Mechanics. Read on to discover the best electric smokers to get you set for summer and beyond.
Jonathan Bender is a food writer who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. He regularly tests kitchen appliances for national publications and recipes on his children. He's also the author of a pair of cookbooks: Stock, Broth & Bowland Cookies & Beer.
Brad Ford has spent most of his life using tools to fix, build, or make things. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. From the farm he went to work at a classic car dealer, repairing and servicing Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars. Today, when he's not testing tools or writing for Popular Mechanics, he's busy keeping up with the projects at his old farmhouse in eastern Pennsylvania.
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