The best smoker for beginners has got to be the Masterbuit 2007 Digital Electric Smoker. It’s easy to use since all you do is plug it in and wait for your meat to smoke. The cooking temperature setting is thermostatically controlled and remains steady for the entire cooking session.
I have been barbequing meat weekly for over thirteen years and in my experience, electric smokers edge out all others in terms of ease and convenience. However, charcoal-fuelled smokers like the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet Smoker take the trophy as far as flavor is concerned.
In this article, I will outline why the Masterbuilt electric smoker is the best smoker for a beginner. I will also review other options for beginners, why they would be ideal for novice barbecuers, and what factors you should consider before purchasing a smoker.
Electric Smoker
Whenever I have been asked to recommend the best smokers for beginners, electric smokers have always been top on my list, and with good reason. Cooking on the Masterbuilt electric smoker is a completely hands-free experience which is why I would recommend it.
Once you have input your desired settings, the temperature inside is controlled using a digital thermostat that holds it steady at 275 ᵒF throughout your cooking. You can also input the necessary time settings to turn off the smoker automatically when the meat is done.
Cleaning up after a cook is also rather simple since all you need to do is empty and wash the grease pan. A quick wash with warm water and regular dish soap should leave the cooking racks clean and ready to smoke more meat.
The Masterbuilt 30-inch digital electric smoker comes with four chrome-coated cooking racks which provide approximately 710 square inches of cooking space. This is enough room for four racks of ribs, four whole chickens, two hams, plus a few smoked sausages.
This smoker is made of stainless steel and is fully insulated for maximum heat retention. A patented wood loading system is built into the side of the smoker which allows you to load wood chips into the smoker without opening the door and losing heat unnecessarily.
I would also recommend checking out the following electric smokers:
Propane Smoker
The Maserbuilt 40-inch propane smoker has a temperature range of 150℉ – 400℉. It has an impressive 15,750 BTUs from the single burner both of which provide for a reliable grilling experience.
I consider the Masterbuilt 40″ Propane Smoker to be one of the best smokers for beginners because it comes with temperature control sensors to detect and control the burner keeping your desired temperature steady.
If you choose to go for a propane smoker without this feature as a beginner, you may have to chow down some rather lackluster barbeques before truly getting the hang of it. In addition, this smoker also has an inbuilt safety valve that automatically turns off the burner if the flame gets extinguished for some reason.
This way, the burner does not continue to leak gas into the air which can be hazardous. A fuel gauge keeps track of how much propane gas is in the tank. This gauge allows you to switch tanks promptly and keep your barbeque going.
The cooking space is also not to be frowned upon. Four chrome-coated cooking racks provide 961 sq inches of cooking space. This area can accommodate sixteen whole chickens, five pork butts, and possibly four whole hams. You will have no problem hosting a party of eight.
This smoker weighs only 92 lbs and comes with wheels which makes it easy to move around your patio or load onto a truck for a camping experience. It is made entirely of stainless steel giving it a decent shot at longevity.
I would also recommend;
Pellet Smoker
Pellet grills and smokers provide all the benefits of a perfectly done barbeque without the hassle of having to operate the smoker during the smoking process. The Camp Chef 24 is no exception and is right up there amongst the best smokers for beginners.
Its’ best feature is the comprehensive Wifi enabled digital controller. This detects, sets, and maintains the temperature within a narrow range of -5/+5 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the smoking process.
There are four stainless steel meat probes that connect via Bluetooth to your phone. This will allow you to keep an eye on the temperature of your barbeque remotely, throughout the cooking process.
On one side of the pellet grill is a hopper where you pour in your wood chips. The bottom of the hopper is fitted with an auger that will feed wood chips into the firebox located below the cooking chamber. All this is a fully automated process which is why this is an ideal smoker for beginners.
This smoker has a total cooking surface of a whopping 811 sq inches which means you can have three or four whole briskets smoking in there at any one time.
You can also roast, bake, grill, and sear on this smoker which means you do not need to buy yet another smoker or grill down the line once your skills have grown.
The stainless steel build on both the outer and inner parts of the smoker makes this piece of equipment reliably durable. For a beginner, the Camp Chef Woodwind Pellet Smoker is a great bet so go for it.
If you want a pellet smoker, go for a reliable model like:
Gravity Feed Smoker
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050 Charcoal Smoker embodies perfection. It is a great buy for beginners precisely because it runs itself and is fully automated. Additionally, you get to enjoy the superb smokey flavor achieved by the use of charcoal as fuel.
As the name suggests, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series employs gravity to feed charcoal or briquettes automatically into the fuel chamber at a pace controlled digitally from the control panel.
On one side of the cooking chamber are the controls which automatically regulate all functioning of the smoker. Once you have set up and lit your smoker you will have no further interaction with your cooker and all that is left is for the charcoal to ignite slowly as your meat gets smoked.
This set-it-and-forget-it cooking approach is why beginners should consider investing in the Masterbuit Gravity Series 1050 Charcoal smoker.
This smoker has cast iron grates ideal for low-temperature smoking as well as high-heat searing. It offers you a total cooking area of 1080 square inches. This is sufficient cooking space for four briskets. As a beginner, your skills may not be up to the task of smoking this much meat but with this smoker, you absolutely can hack this.
It can also grill, roast and bake making it a versatile smoker ideal for multiple cooking methods and dishes. You will have some extra workspace on the folding stainless steel shelf and a second stainless steel shelf attached to the side.
The gravity hopper or fuel chamber has a capacity of 10 lbs of lump charcoal which is equal to 16 pounds of briquettes. A full chamber cooks for approximately 8 hours without requiring a refill.
Cleanup is as simple as dumping the ash collected in the ash bucket and washing out the grates with warm water and dish soap.
This smoker is made of stainless steel which gives you durability and longevity. It also comes with a PVC cover to protect it from the elements when it is not in use. The control panel is particularly vulnerable and since the smoker is wholly dependent on this panel, it is advisable to keep the smoker covered whenever you are not using it.
The Masterbuilt Gravity 1050 Series gives you all the advantages of smoking meat using charcoal without the effort that comes with using charcoal and briquettes to smoke meat. It is a worthy investment for beginners and pros as well.
I would also consider:
Bullet Smoker
As I mentioned earlier, a charcoal smoker is expected to be more challenging to use for a novice and it is. That said, the most straightforward charcoal smoker for just about anybody is the Weber Smoky Mountain Bullet Smoker.
Weber Smokey Mountain is synonymous with grilling and barbequing. This bullet smoker has been around so long everyone can recognize it. Even if you have never used one, you will have no problem getting used to operating it.
The newer models come with a built-in thermometer that indicates the internal temperature of your cooking which will in turn determine whether you should open the dampers to increase the temperature or close them to reduce the temperature.
The door of the smoker is detachable which makes it easier to add charcoal or briquettes during a cook.
This interaction with the meat is a world of fun when learning the ropes at barbequing which is why this smoker is a great buy for beginners. With every barbeque, your skill will get better and so will your results.
That said, if you have no intention to put in the extra work, the previous models above are the better options since this smoker has a bit of a learning curve involved.
The interior is made of stainless steel for durability while the outer surface is made of aluminum which is both durable and an excellent conductor of heat. The smoker is coated with porcelain enamel to prevent corrosion or rusting.
It has a simplistic design; the bottom is a firebox that houses charcoal or briquettes. You can place your preferred wood chips along with the briquettes to flavor the meat. Above it is the cooking chamber that is comprised of two food racks.
The 18-inch model has a cooking area of 481 sq inches provided on two racks which is sufficient space for two briskets. This is just about the average size for most families even when hosting. The top portion is a lid that holds the thermometer and a vent.
This smoker is also ideal for camping and outdoor fun since it weighs a paltry 68 lbs.
You may also consider:
Kamado Grill
A Kamado Joe 22″ Charcoal Grill is an excellent smoker for a beginner. This Kamado model is designed as a grill but can be retrofitted to smoke meat.
For beginners, I recommend a grill that has features specifically for smoking meat. If it doesn’t, the grill is simply too much of a challenge to smoke meat in. For a beginner, the Kamado Joe is both effective and easy to use because of the Slo-Roller insert which turns it into a highly effective easy-to-use smoker.
A Kamado grill SloRoller chamber is pretty straightforward to use.
Simply remove the detachable cooking rack from the grill and replace it with the SloRoller. Rest it against the metal rim. It will sit perfectly above the firebox. Place the cooking grate in place and your Kamado grill is now ready for long and slow cooking. Easy peasy.
The Kamado Joe has a cooking area totaling 363 sq inches which can smoke a single brisket at a time. This smoker is therefore ideal for a party no larger than four people at a time.
It can smoke meat at perfect lows of 225℉ and roast or sear meat at highs of 750℉. This versatility is an added advantage allowing you to make a variety of recipes on this smoker alone.
The grill is made wholly of ceramic material which is highly efficient at maintaining temperatures within a steady range and retaining heat for maximum fuel efficiency. It is finished with a smooth red gloss layer for protection and top-notch aesthetic value.
The grill comes with folding side shelves which provide optimal or additional preparation space as well as effective storage since they can be retracted or folded away. The lid is hinged allowing you to open and operate the grill without having to remove the entire lid.
The four-legged cart with wheels at the bottom allows you to move the grill from one spot to another quite easily. The slide-out ash drawer can be removed at the end of your cooking. Simply dump the ash and replace the drawer making the cleanup process quick and easy.
You may also consider the Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Grill
Drum Smoker
This Pit Barrel Cooker 18.5″ Drum Smoker is an aesthetically pleasant variation of the ugly drum smoker even though it still looks just like a drum. This smoker is the embodiment of ‘looks can be deceiving’.
The Pit Barrel Cooker has gone up against some pretty high-tech gadgetry in barbecue competitions and won. It has a simple design framework and the reason it is such an excellent choice for beginners is that this simplicity makes it easy to use.
You have the bottom compartment where the charcoal and your preferred wood pellets go, a smoke chamber where the meat is hung on eight hooks, and two hanging rods as it smokes. You also have a standard grill grate and a lid.
This easy design relies on airflow dynamics to manage heat levels so you do not have to open and close vents to use it.
The Pit Barrel Cooker has a cooking grate that offers a cooking area of 240 sq inches. The meat hooks and rods hold more meat which means it cooks more meat than the cooking grate can handle.
The barrel is made of stainless steel for utmost durability and coated in porcelain enamel to protect the cavity from rust.
At 57 pounds, this smoker is easy to cart around for sumptuous outdoor fun with friends and family. While there may be a learning curve involved in using the Pit Barrel Cooker, it is a fun and interesting way to cut your teeth and learn how to smoke a mean barbeque.
Kettle Grill
Kettle grills and specifically the Weber Original Kettle Premium 22″ Charcoal Grill is a household staple and just about every home has one. This is why it is a great place to start practicing your meat-smoking skills.
A Weber kettle grill is a simple dish-like dome in which you place charcoal, light it and cook the food on top of the cooking grates. By improvising it you can turn a Weber kettle grill into a smoker. You will need to use the charcoal snake method to get this done.
The built-in thermometer should guide you which means you have to man the grill as you smoke your meat. You adjust the temperature by opening and closing the dampers to maintain a steady smoking temperature while cooking.
You can comfortably smoke a whole brisket on the 363 sq inches of cooking space available on this grill.
The Weber Kettle Grill is made of stainless steel and coated in a porcelain enamel layer for rust protection. The lid handle has a protective cover to protect your hands from burns and the ash collector is easy and quick to clean out after you are done with your cooking.
At a measly 32 lbs on wheels, this grill is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts which makes learning how to smoke meat a fun collaborative effort for beginners.
If you do not have one already, I would not recommend buying one for smoking meat.
Before settling on a smoker, weigh the following factors carefully.
Smokers fall into five wide categories based on their fuel sources. I’ve talked more about the different types of smokers and their characteristics here. They are;
Naturally, the cost of a commodity is an important factor to consider before purchasing it. Don’t go breaking the bank to buy a smoker. Moreover, some of the best smokers for beginners in terms of function are rather cheap.
I keep coming back to the Weber smokey mountain bullet smoker. The Weber smokey mountain bullet smoker hardly goes over $500 for the 18-inch model. The fact that this smoker will outlive you while remaining in stellar condition means you get full value for your money.
For the pellet grill, however, sparing a few bucks may cost you in the long run. Pellet grills are generally expensive and any cheap ones are likely knock offs so be cautious of that fact if you settle on a pellet grill.
Smokers are largely outdoor appliances and barbeques are outdoor activities often involving quite a number of people. If you have plenty of space, then your only concern might be whether to buy a smoker that must always be connected to an electrical outlet restricting its placement.
If you are short on space, a pellet grill, for instance, will overwhelm most midsized patios. Kamado grills, kettle grills, vertical propane smokers, and electric smokers are more practical purchases for you.
There is an array of sizes to choose from so don’t let the size of your home curtail your barbequing journey.
This is a big one for me and I feel like you should always go for items that can do more than one thing as opposed to having many appliances each providing a separate utility. That said, for a beginner, I have always held that electric smokers score the highest on the list.
The fact that electric smokers are not versatile does not change my mind on this point. They still deliver the best results relative to the effort you put in and the fuel they consume. If you must go for versatility then a pellet grill or the Weber bullet are great alternatives.
Three smokers top this list. Gravity-feed smokers, pellet grills, and electric smokers. These three provide you with the hands-free ‘set it and forget it’ experience.
If you are interested in making a mean barbeque worthy of your friends’ envy but have no interest in becoming a seasoned hands-on pitmaster, pick your first smoker from these three and fire up a brisket.
As the barbequing culture continues to expand, companies will sprout everywhere trying to cash in on the need for smokers.
Many of them will be willing to cut corners to capture market share and in the process, a lot of smokers will hit stores near you and they will be substandard in quality. They will likely be cheaper and will sport all manner of accessories to entice you into a purchase.
Most people who enjoy barbequing also tend to enjoy hosting which is why even the smaller smoker can still feed parties of ten in one go comfortably. If you like to host larger crowds quite often you definitely should consider models with a large cooking surface.
Pellet grills offer the best experience in terms of cooking flavorful large meals in a hands-free way. Do not buy one if you tend to cook for a family of four even if you plan to store leftovers. An electric smoker or a Weber bullet would be a far better choice.
For a hands-free experience, electric smokers, pellet grills, and gravity-feed smokers are the best for you. For a more involved cooking experience, go for the Weber bullet, the pit barrel smoker, the propane smoker, and even the Kamado grill.
Any smoker that is dependent on electricity must be used near a power outlet. I have seen people try to extend the distance from power outlets by using extension cords and often it works just fine if the cords are the right size and can take the current.
The reason that the power cords of smokers are often short is to protect against tripping hazards by keeping your smoker close to the power cord. By increasing the length of this cord, you will naturally encourage people to go back and forth over the cord.
Tripping on power cords and the resultant mishaps with hot food and hot surfaces is so easy and could occasion devastating injuries. Avoid this at all costs.
The most challenging fuel source to work with is charcoal so if you do settle for a charcoal-fuelled smoker, keep this in mind. Electricity is simple and all you get to do is plug it in and let the smoker work.
Propane gas is the easiest fuel to cart around which makes gas smokers ideal for camping and outdoor fun.
For the most part even in apartment buildings, you are pretty much left to do as you wish in your space. Smoking meat tends to test those boundaries, particularly with smoke production.
Regardless of how much we would like to, it is understandable that smokers are restricted in certain buildings because of the smoke production and the discomfort this will bring to other tenants.
Damage to the floors is also a factor that has seen many landlords place restrictions on the use of smokers on their premises. Even though smoking meat is a cold cooking method, the length of time that floors and ceilings are exposed to the heat, smoke, and moisture produced can cause incremental damage over time.
Charcoal smokers mean that charcoal may be stored somewhere in the home and charcoal is a fairly dirty fuel that crumbles and leaves charcoal dust all over. Avoid buying any smoker before confirming what the regulations are in your building.
For a beginner, a pellet grill does outdo a charcoal smoker. Even the best charcoal smoker must be manned and requires some manual input to operate effectively. Pellet grills require no such involvement.
Electric.
Again, for a beginner, I would say the electric smoker offers great results with no work. The full automation makes it a great resource for someone who is just learning how to barbeque and smoke meat.
If you can get yourself a thermo-regulated propane smoker then you will achieve the best of both worlds. With an automated propane smoker, you get the superior flavor that is the product of a real flame tied with the convenience of automated temperature control. This combination is fire!
As I have explained above a combo would be a more practical idea. Pellet grills, gravity feed smokers, kamado grills, Weber bullet smokers, and the big green egg all offer the grill and smoker combo.
That said as a beginner you are probably more concerned with mastering one thing at a time since you cannot be adept at all matters barbeque at one go. If mastering the smoking of meat is your goal you should keep doing so and an electric smoker is your best friend.
You can upgrade to the combo option later when you have had enough time to get really good at preparing and smoking large and multiple cuts of meat.
An offset smoker does not make it to the list of best smokers for beginners.
Offset smokers are designed specifically for barbeque pitmasters and the expertise required to operate one of these gadgets perfectly is a real notch on the belt. As a beginner, an offset smoker should not be a consideration before you have tried barbequing on any one of the others.
If you buy an offset smoker as a beginner, chances are you will frustrate yourself and fall into the habit of using the smoker very rarely. This is the opposite of what you want. Practice makes perfect but practicing your unformed skills on this machine is a bad idea.
Instead, buy something simple like a Weber smokey mountain bullet smoker and hone your skills. Once you have acquired some mastery at barbequing, then you can upgrade to offset smokers.
As a beginner, the best smoker for you is one that allows you to smoke your meat to perfection without demanding much or any manual input once the barbeque gets going. Additionally, go for a smoker that offers you easy fuel management and quick cleanup.
The Masterbuit 2007 Digital Electric Smoker is the overall best smoker for a beginner because you get to set up your barbeque and let the smoker cook gradually under thermostatically controlled temperatures. The use of electricity means there is no fuel management required on your part.
There is basically no ash cleanup after cooking and cleaning up the cavity and the grates require a simple wash in water and regular dish soap. It does not get any easier.
The runner-up is the Masterbuilt 40'' Propane Smoker which has all the attributes mentioned above but requires some fuel management on your part. Propane tanks may need to be switched out as you cook since the average duration of smoking meat can be eight hours or more.
