6 Common Types Of Smokers Along With Pros, Cons & Buying Guide

There are several types of smokers out there in the market and each of the smokers has its own capability. First of all, we would like you to know if you have not used a smoker before but looking forward to it. You will notice some major changes in your regular cooking sessions taste-wise and smoke-wise if you started cooking your food items with the best type of smoker.

But you might struggle in the beginning until you are fully aware of the tools and the way of using a smoker. Once you become a pro you will surely achieve all the beneficial goals and won’t show your interest in preparing your food without a smoker. 

Now the major question is what is the best type of smoker and which smoker should you buy. You will find different types of smokers with maximum cooking functionalities but you have to go through each of the types of smokers for smoker comparison.

This is how you can easily select the best kind of smoker for yourself. If this does not help you, you can study the reviews of the experts about types of bbq smokers to choose the best one. 

Best Types Of Smokers

We are going to talk about the different kinds of smokers in detail for your satisfaction so that you can answer this question ‘what kind of smoker should I buy?’ We will be enlightening 7 smoker types with pros and cons to make the buying session easier for you.

All you need to do is to study everything about the smoker and stick with the article till the end for beneficial results. At the end of the article go through your requirements and the features of each smoker to know which one will suit you the most among all. Here are the most ordinary types of meat smokers and others. 

1. Charcoal Smokers | Best For Smoking Food

Charcoal smokers are still among the leading choices of those who are smoking for a long time and the experts recommend this best type of smoker as well. Charcoal smokers come often in different sizes and shape every time.

People like to prepare their food items with wood pellets while using an offset smoker. The reason behind using the wood pellets is to get a delicious taste and more smoke flavors from the food. But if we compare the charcoal smokers with other types of smokers, you will find it difficult while cleaning and assembling. 

How To Use Charcoal Smokers

• When your woods are burning at maximum temperature, the non-carbon components inside your wood will be burned and it will result in the clean-burning of the left char that will help you in producing more smoke. In the end, this char will turn into the foam of little briquettes. This is what we call charcoal. 
• Charcoal becomes the major heating method for charcoal smokers. This will help you in producing the chemical which will let you add more smoke flavors to your food items. In case, you are looking forward to adding more smoke flavors to your food you will have to add more chips of the wood/ 
• Moreover, if you are trying to burn the charcoal as hot as possible. Make sure that the air is entering the firebox continuously. If you are allowing too much air to enter the firebox your food items will become dry. If you are allowing a little amount of the air to enter the firebox it will result in preparing bitter food. Now it completely depends on you what kind of food you would like to serve. 

What We Like

• When the target is to get smoker flavors in huge amounts from the food products, you should always show your interest in buying a charcoal smoker. 
• The shapes and the sizes of the charcoal smokers are satisfying. As you can easily purchase the smoker according to the area where you will place the smoker. 
• After contrasting the several types of smokers, we came to know that charcoal smokers are capable of providing a great taste and smoke flavors to the food. 

What We Don’t Like

• To begin the smoking session, you will have to wait a little more compared to the other different types of smokers. 
• With the other types of bbq smokers, you are allowed to burn the smoker and you don’t need to sit along with the smoker to see if it’s burning or not. But when you use a charcoal smoker you will have to stick with it till the end.
• The cleaning session of charcoal smokers is longer if we compare it with the other smoker types. 

2. Gas Smokers | Recommended For Camping & Cooking Outside

The most interesting fact about this best kind of smoker is that you use natural gas thoroughly while cooking your food. In case, you have no access to gas you comfortably use propane instead of gas.

It will furnish you with the same results you were going to achieve by using natural gas. That is to say, if you are cooking the food using natural gas from the beginning, this will help you while cooking your food using a gas smoker. Moreover, you won’t have to worry about the taste of the food as well. 

How To Use Gas Smokers

• First of all, we would like to talk about the structure of a propane smoker. Unlike Other different kinds of smokers, you will find the propane smokers in a cabinet shape. The vents and the burners of this smoker are placed at the bottom of the smoker. Furthermore, the dampers and the chimney are at the top of the structure. 
• The structure of this best type of smoker ensures that the gas will come from the cylinder through the manifold and will reach the cooking area with perfection. After the gas has reached the cooking area it will kindle out of the wolves of the burner. 
• When it comes to the smoke flavors, you will find eclectic smokers more beneficial. But there is a way you can produce smoke for your food. The easiest way to smoke your food while using a gas smoker is to add smoke wood chips. 

What We like 

• The way of using a gas smoker is what satisfies its user the most. If you compare smokers according to the way of using them, you will find an eclectic smoker and gas smoker evenly easily. 
• Another satisfying fact of the gas smoker is you can easily and accordingly control the temperature whenever you want during the cooking procedure. This helps you in preparing your food items the way you want to. Moreover, the temperature controlling system of gas smokers is much easier than charcoal and pellet smokers. 
• If we compare the charcoal grill and gas grill by the starting time. You will notice the gas grill staring up earlier than the charcoal one. So if you have to cook the food quickly the gas smokers will be more beneficial. 

What We Don’t Like

• Gas smokers are helpful in burning earlier and obtains an easy way of using it. But the users of these smokers complain about the taste of bacon. It does not matter what food you are cooking, the taste will remain the same. 
• To make the cooking session continuous, you will have to make sure that you have got at least bottles of gas as the gas can run out of range anytime. Most importantly, you will have to stay in touch with the amount of gas throughout the season of cooking to make it secure and continuous. 

4. Pellet Smokers | Multifunctional 

When the target is to purchase a combo of an oven and smoker, we suggest you show your interest in buying a pellet smoker. Besides the combo of oven and smoker, you will be able to obtain smoke flavors in a huge amount compared to other types of smokers.

Moreover, you will be provided with the comfort of using it as an eclectic smoker as well. That is to say, it is a versatile smoker that can be used as an oven, smoker, and grill with the same beneficial results. Here’s everything you need to know about this best kind of smoker. Stick to the article till the end to achieve all the benefits. 

How Pellet Smokers Work

• Most pellet smokers are capable of being transported easily from one place to the other. As they contain sturdy wheels inside their structure that make transportation effortless. Moreover, these types of meat smokers come up with compressed sawdust.
  
• If we discuss the structure of the pellet smokers, the pellets of this smoker are placed in a hopper to the other side of the smoker. Moreover, they are fed up with the firebox with the help of an auger drill. 
• For the creation of heat and smoke, you will find a rod manufactured with metal inside the firebox. Due to this rod, you can heat and smoke your food in the chamber of cooking placed above. 
• We all know how important it is to keep the temperature the same with the change of airflow and consistent heat till the end of the cooking session. All these needs will be fulfilled as the pellet smokers obtain a thermometer inside their structure which helps in keeping the temperature same and consistent. 

What We Like

• When it comes to merging the smoke flavors together from the smoking wood you are using, pellet smokers are more beneficial than any other type of smoker. 
• If you have purchased a pellet smoker to cook your food. You can use it as a smoker, grill, and oven as well. This shows it is a multifunctional smoker. 
• Like the other different types of smokers, you can clean the pellet smokers within no time. As it burns the wood pellets in such a small amount it will create little ash. The cleaning becomes easier as the firebox of these smokers is detachable. 

What We Don’t Like

• What we don’t like about the pellet smokers is they cost too much compared to the other types of bbq smokers. But we suggest you go through the features of each smoker and price as well to know if any smoker suits your budget.
• A few of the tools inside the pellet smokers work with the electricity. Such as, the rod of metal, the drill, and the fans. That is to say, you will have to pay for the electricity and you will need a PowerPoint as well near the smoking place.

5. Offset Smokers | Best For Huge Cooking At Once

If you ever buy an offset smoker, you will find them in the shape of a barrel. Because, in the beginning, they were manufactured by using a useless drum of oil. One of the interesting facts about offset smokers is you can cook a huge amount of your food at once. Because these smokers come up with a huge area of cooking.

Moreover, if we talk about the smoker flavors, you will be provided with great smoke for your food items. Most importantly, we notice that the professional barbecuer suggests using offset smokers for better results. 

How Offset Smokers Work

• The reason behind calling them the offset smokers is that the offset part of the smoker is the firebox of this smoker is offset down below and next to the chamber of cooking. You can use both wood and charcoal to prepare your food. 
• That is why, when the wood or charcoal is burning inside the firebox, this is where the smoke and heat are pinched to communicate with the food you are cooking. In this procedure, the chimney plays a key role as well. 
• If we discuss the placement of the chimney, you will find it in the opposite direction of the firebox for better communication. Most importantly, a few of the offset smokers come up with a system of reverse flow. This system helps the heat and smoke to move around the food all the time. 

What We Like

• Due to the huge cooking area of an offset, you are allowed to cook a huge amount of your food at once. Furthermore, if you cook food in huge amounts it will still provide you with the same delicious taste and smoke flavors. 
• You can use these different kinds of smokers as a grill as well. Because a few of these types of meat smokers provide its users with the plate grill. You simply need to place that plate grill over the firebox and it will become a grill. 
• What we like the most about these best smokers for brisket is that you can add more wood to the firebox without stopping the cooking procedure. The reason behind this feature is that the firebox and cooking chamber are unconnected. 

What We Don’t Like

• The offset smokers that do not cost too much are not good for cooking your food. You won’t be able to use them for a long time as they are not manufactured with the sturdy materials. Moreover, you can’t say if the food will be prepared perfectly or not. Therefore, we suggest buying an offset smoker that can last for too long.
• You will have to spend at least one hour to make the smoker ready for smoking. As it takes a lot of time to reach the desired cooking temperature.
• If you don’t know how to use an offset smoker you will face several difficulties in the beginning. You will have to sit along with the smoker to see if everything is working well or not. Once you have learned the whole procedure of using an offset smoker, you will be rewarded with a delicious taste of the food every time you cook. 

6. Electric Smokers | Best For The Beginners

If you are looking forward to buying a smoker that is capable of doing the cooking session itself, we advocate you go through the features of the vertical electric smokers. These types of best smokers for brisket furnish you with several benefits.

Such as you will not have to worry about adding the wood and burning it, controlling the temperature again and again. Moreover, the cleaning system is easier than the other smoker types. Most electric smokers are capable of being controlled through Bluetooth connectivity. You can easily control and change the temperature even if you are not sitting along with the smoker. 

How Electric Smokers Work

• The smoke you obtain for your food items from electric smokers comes directly from chips of the wood. The electric smokers come up with a heating element and the chips are placed over this element throughout the procedure of cooking. 
• To create more smoker flavors for the food, eclectic smokers have a water pan that produces the water vapor. This is how the smoke is generated for your food items. 
• There is another benefit of the water pan as well, it lets the smoker perform an indirect cooking procedure thoroughly. That is to say, it does not let the smoker burn the meat directly which results in a low and slow cooking method. 

What We Like

• When people ask what kind of smoker should I buy, we recommend studying the electric smoker. These types of smokers are easy to use and the best choice for beginners without a doubt. 
• While using an electric smoker, you won’t need to add extra fuel like charcoal, wood, and pellet. This is how you can save your money and the woods will remain safe even if you are not using the smoker. 
• Most electric smokers have the ability to cook their food with consistent heat. This ensures that you don’t need to sit along with the smoker until your food is prepared. You will just have to come back to fill the water again inside the water pan. 

What We Don’t Like

• We have compared several smokers by studying their smoke styles and we came to know that the smoke flavor you will get from an electric smoker will be different from the others. This happened due to the low and slow cooking temperature. 
• While you are smoking food items like fish, vegetables, and sausages, the atmosphere of an electric smoker will help you in all ways. But when it comes to ribs and chicken, you won’t be able to get the same taste and flavors. 

7. Kamado Grills | Versatile Product

When people are aiming to buy a high-quality smoker, they always study the Kamado grills and their features as well. We have gone through the properties of this smoker as well to know how it works. We discovered that the smokers built by Kamado grills take more time to understand how to use them properly compared to the other smokers. But once you know about these smokers completely, you will be able to use them as a multifunctional smokers. When it comes to preparing the food during the cold weather, Kamado grills are capable of cooking the food with excellence and perfection. Here’s how these smokers work,

How Kamado Grills Work

• These smokers are manufactured in an egg shape and obtain a heating system that can cook even when the weather is cold. At the bottom area of the cooking chamber of these grills, heat is produced. Moreover, the food you are preparing will be placed at the top of the grill. 
• When you are aiming to adjust the heat, you will be provided with the vents at the bottom and above part of the smoker. For a better heating system, you will be allowed to place the dish of water and wood chips in there. 
• The structure of the Kamado grills let the smoke and heat rise around your food and it will stick to it till the cooking session is over. This is how the Kamado grills work and heat up your food items. 

What We Like

• If you are targeting to get juicy food items after the cooking session, you should buy a Kamado grills smoker as it has an airflow system inside it. This helps food in not getting dry and keep the food as juicy as possible. 
• We find these smokers as a multifunctional product as they can be used as a grill and oven as well. That is to say, Kamado grills are multifunctional and can be used as a grill and oven as well. 
• As stated earlier, you don’t need to worry about the cold weather as the wide structure of the smoker does not allow the weather to affect the temperature. It will remain consistent till the end of the procedure of cooking the food. 

What We Don’t Like

• When we are answering the question of what is the best type of smoker, we suggest burning a smoker that is budget-friendly. But we don’t find Kamado grills as cheap as the other smokers. 
• You might struggle during the temperature control as it has only 2 vents out there in their structure. Moreover, the structure will remain hot for a long time due to the wide structure of the smoker. 
• Another fact that is going to annoy you is the cleaning system and the addition of more woods. Because you heat up the wood below the food items. This is how fuel addition and cleaning become difficult.