The Top 11 Electric Smokers, Based on Reviews

There’s something about a brisket smoked just long enough that it falls apart in your mouth, melting in a sweet barbecue sauce. It doesn’t necessarily take a pitmaster to achieve that. Nor does it take an offset smoker that you’ll have to babysit for hours. More and more people nowadays are switching to electric smokers, believing that they are easier to use and far more eco-friendly.

That’s right. You can help the environment and still get that coveted pink smoke ring on your meat. These smokers produce heat with an electric-powered heat element. Many come with automated pellet loaders or allow wood chips to help you get the smoky flavor of your choice. They’re generally a good place to start for entry-level pitmasters because they often have easier-to-use controls — whether analog or digital — and you can set and forget them.

But how do you know which electric smoker is the right one for you? There are easily tons out of the market, and it can be tedious going through them all. This is why we’ve done all the work. We’ve researched the ratings and found the 11 best electric smokers on the market, according to reviews. Keep reading to find the smoker that’s perfect for you.

Electric smokers run the gamut of prices, but when it comes to getting great value, this Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital Electric Vertical Smoker got high marks. Ranging from $279 to $299, it has a large cooking space of 710 square inches with four removable racks, which can fit up to six chickens, two turkeys, four pork butts, or four racks of ribs. It also has a removable water bowl and grease tray, a digital control board, a side wood chip loader, an adjustable smoke damper, and it can heat up to 275 degrees.

The patented side wood chip loader means you don’t have to lose smoke when you need to replace the chips. After taking Rich Parente’s expert advice on selecting the right chips, you can load them up and go.

The smoker has an average rating of 4.1 stars out of five across over 16,500 ratings and reviews. Many reviews referenced the ease of use and said it produces good smoke. They also liked that it could connect to your phone so that you can keep an eye on things while inside the house. However, some things to look out for. Some reviewers complained about having to replace the wood chips too often — every 45 minutes to an hour. Others said the digital display can be tricky to read in the sun.

Just because many electric smokers come with all the bells and whistles doesn’t necessarily mean you need all of them. The Cuisinart 30-inch Electric Smoker has a simple design and easy-to-use functions. It’s in the middle with cooking space at 548 square inches, but that’s still big enough to fit a couple of turkeys or plenty of brisket to feed your family.

It has three removable racks and removable water and wood chip trays, with a temperature range of 100 to 400 degrees. It’s also on the lower end of the price point, ranging from $216 to $249.99.

Out of almost 3,000 ratings and reviews, it scored an average of 4.2 stars out of 5. Most people liked the simple controls — it has a built-in thermometer on the door and an adjustable dial for temperature. They also liked that it smokes consistently, though some people wanted it to smoke more while others liked that it didn’t smoke as much. They also said it was durable and easy to clean. Another point of contention was that you have to open the door to replace the wood chips.

Not everyone needs a large smoker to host block parties. If you’re in the market for a smaller unit for just the family, the KingChii Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker is a viable option. It has 456 square inches, which can fit about 12 burgers, four racks of ribs, or two whole chickens at a time. Temperature-wise, it goes from 180 to 425 degrees. As a wood pellet smoker/grill, it comes with an 11-pound hopper with D2 feeding technology, meaning you won’t have to go back and keep adding pellets and can cook longer. It’s a little bit pricier, though, ranging from $399.95 to $499.99

It did well with ratings, having an average of about 4.73 stars out of five based on the 4,200 we looked at. Many people like the versatility. The smoker can also barbecue, bake, roast, braise, grill, sear, and char-grill. And while it can take a while to assemble, they said it was still pretty easy to put together.

The indirect heat is great for smoking but could cause some issues with grilling, according to some reviews. It’s also on the short side, though some reviews said the quality of the smoker overcame this.

Just because you can’t afford a large outdoor smoker doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a nice smoked pork shoulder. The Weston Brands 2-in-1 Indoor Electric Smoker also doubles as a slow cooker and is the cheapest on our list at $117.65 to $129.99. It has three smoke settings — hot smoke, cold smoke, and combo smoke — making it great for perfecting that pork shoulder or for smoking cheese. It’s big enough to fit a six-pound chicken or a four-pound roast.

Hitting an average of 4.3 stars out of five from over 600 ratings, many like that it’s small enough to use in an apartment setting and are happy with the taste of their meat after smoking. The smoker also has dishwasher-safe parts, making it easy to clean.

It’s recommended to put down foil at the bottom to catch the drippings since it sits on the heating element. Many users also recommend putting it next to or under the stove hood with the fan on since it can spread smoke in the house when opened. The gasket-sealed lid should keep it in while cooking.

If you’re the party house on the block, then you’ll want the Traeger Grills Pro 34 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker. With a whopping 884 square inches of cook space, it’s by far the largest smoker on our list. It has two tiers of porcelain-coated steel grates that can fit eight chickens, seven racks of ribs, or 40 burgers. It also has two meat probe ports, plus 20V AC voltage and 250 watts, meaning it heats fast and keeps your temp even as you smoke. The Digital Pro Controller helps you know the cook temp at all times, whether you’re doing low and slow at 180 degrees or getting that perfect sear at 450 degrees.

If you’re in charge of the next BBQ, having this smoker and following these prep tips will ensure that everything goes smoothly. With almost 6,500 ratings found, the Traeger Pro 34 hit an average of 4.4 stars out of 5. It’s also on the higher end of the price spectrum at around $699.99. However, reviews said that it’s worth price considering how much capacity it has. They also liked the solid materials it’s built with, the smoky taste it produces, and the ease of building and using it.

There have been some mentions of concerns with temperature accuracy, particularly at the higher settings. However, they said this mostly only affects grilling and not smoking.

Another indoor option on our list, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Pellet Smoker is our top choice for high-end countertop models. It’s slightly bigger than the Weston Brands model and has a higher price point at $749.99 to $999, but it comes with a lot more extras to make smoking meat easier. Safe for indoor use, the GE smoker has an active smoke filtration system, making sure that only warm air comes out of it. It also has six preset settings for brisket, pork ribs, pork butt, chicken wings, chicken breast, and salmon, taking out a lot of the guesswork.

There are also five adjustable smoke settings and precision smoke control, but the best part is that it has GE Profile Connect+, meaning you can monitor your brisket from your phone. You can easily change settings and get updates as your meal cooks. Definitely makes it easier to avoid these crucial mistakes you could make while smoking a brisket.

Out of over 700 ratings, this smoker scored an average of 4.67 stars out of 5, with most reviews commenting on how easy and intuitive it is to use. However, there were some mixed opinions on the smoke smell. Some said it wasn’t bad at all, while others disagreed. There is also the matter of the steep price. However, it’s a bit of a trade-off, considering all the extras it comes with.

While most think of smoking ribs or other meat as a backyard pastime, the Traeger Grills Tailgater proves that you can smoke on the go as well. Our top choice for the most portable grill, it comes with folding legs and is a smaller size, so it’ll fit in the back of your car for that next tailgate or camping trip. It has about 300 square inches of cook space, which could fit two chickens, three rib racks, or 12 burgers. With a temp range of 180 to 450 degrees, you can do a low and slow smoke or sear burgers.

This model comes in at about $479.99 to $615.97, putting it around the upper middle of the price range. Among the over 1,400 ratings we looked at, it came in at an average of 4.02 stars out of 5. Most people enjoyed that it was easy to pack up and take around, along with the smoky flavor it produces, thanks to its pellet system. They also liked that it’s easy to use. There was some back and forth on how easy it is to assemble and the heat retention, along with pellet feeding. But overall, most reviewers (about 50% to 70%) said they would recommend it.

Out of all the smokers on our list, the East Oak 30-in Electric Smoker had the highest average rating of 4.75 stars out of 5 after looking at over 1,100 ratings. The vertical smoker has a side wood chip loader, so you won’t need to open the door to reload. It also has a large cooking space of 725 square inches. Big enough for two turkeys, six chickens, 12 hamburgers, or four racks of ribs.

It comes with a water bowl, a drip pan, and a user-friendly control panel. The temperature range is from 100 to 275 degrees, so this is a great low-and-slow model. The max cooking time comes in at 12 hours. With a price range of $269.99 to $299.99, it’s also one of the more affordable smokers.

Many reviewers said it’s easy to use and heats up quickly. They commented on the good flavor and said it even works well in cold weather. It also fits comfortably on a balcony if you live in an apartment. While most are happy with the performance, there were some mixed thoughts on the temperature control if you open the door too much during cooking.

If you’re new to the smoking game and want something easy to get you started, the Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker is going to be your best option. It has a simple setup and is easy to use. Electric smoker aficionados like to debate analog versus digital, but this analog model makes it easy to track the temperature with a door-mounted gauge. It’s also on the lower end of the price range, sitting at $219.99 to $301.91. It has 544 square inches of cooking space and a dual-door latch to keep the smoke and flavor inside. It also has a water pan to keep meat from getting too dry, along with a wood chip tray and grease tray. Its top temperature is 350 degrees.

The Char-Broil smoker got an average of 4.3 stars out of 5 across the more than 1,400 ratings we looked at. It got positive reviews on durability and how easy it is to season. Many found it to be good value for the money and called it a great starter smoker. There were some mixed views on the temperature control and smoke output. This could be because you do have to open the door to replace wood chips.

For those who really like to take it nice and slow with smoking meat, you’ll appreciate the Z Grills ZPG-450A Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker. With a 20-pound pellet hopper and an automatic electric feed system, you can cook for up to 20 hours without having to restock. Even with a large brisket, it’s more than enough time to smoke it to perfection. It also comes with an LCD control panel and a temperature range of 180 to 450 degrees. Add in the 450 square-inch, double-deck cooking space, and you’re set for the next family cookout.

According to over 7,100 ratings, this Z GRILLS smoker got an average of 4.72 stars out of 5. The functionality is popular, with eight options (barbecue, bake, roast, braise, smoke, grill, sear, and char-grill). They also approved of the smoke level and flavor, as well as the value. Many liked the user-friendly features, such as the smart digital control, which means less monitoring.

There were some mentions of occasional fluctuations in temperature. Others recommended watching the pellet feed, though it burns through fewer pellets than other similar grills.

Most electric smokers are great for beginners, but if you’re a pro and looking for a quality smoker, the Original Bradley Smoker BS611 is the model to get. It is capable of hot and cold food smoking, has an insulated double-wall steel construction, and up to nine hours of smoke without refilling the briquettes. It uses Bradley’s signature briquette loading system. With a maximum temperature of 280 degrees, it’s perfect for following Rich Parente’s advice on over-smoking your meat. It’s also got 572 square inches of cooking space and four removable racks.

This Bradley smoker received an average of 4.55 stars out of 5, looking at more than 1,300 ratings across several retailers. Many liked that the wood briquette system was easy to set up. They also liked the flavor, smoke quality, and that it was simple to use. There were some issues with the temperature control, saying that it was a challenge to maintain heat with a dial.

How did all of these smokers make our list? Ratings, of course. We first looked at the number of ratings each smoker had, making sure there were more than 500 at minimum. We then looked at the average rating each received, making sure that every smoker scored 4 stars or higher and had at least 50% to 60% of reviewers recommending them to other buyers.

After that, we dug deep into the reviews, seeing what buyers liked and didn’t like about each smoker, plus what they were looking for. Across all the smokers and reviews, it appears that most wanted something easy to use, durable, and that had a good amount of smoke and flavor.

We worked to include smokers of varying sizes and price points, as well as varying features. Buyers were split on whether they wanted a more basic smoker or something with more features, such as a digital display or Wifi connectivity. We made sure to include both to help you find the right smoker for your needs.