What to Look for When Choosing Your Meat Smoker — Smoke Justis (2024)

FAQs

How to decide what smoker to buy? ›

If you're not sure how to choose a smoker that will fit your needs, consider your budgetary restrictions, what level of convenience you're looking for, what size smoker you want, how versatile you want your smoker to be and, finally, what level of quality and durability you're looking for.

The easiest type of smoker to operate is an electric smoker. As was mentioned above, these are more of a “set it” and “forget it” model, making them ideal for those who either don't care to learn the ins and outs of traditional smoking or don't want to bother with a whole-day chore.

The color of your smoke will tell you a lot about your fire. A cleaning burning fire will produce an exhaust that is either a light thin blue or even totally clear. That's the smoke you want. Watch your fire and you'll see it go through phases.

The best type of smoker comes down to preference, but we named a charcoal model as our overall top pick for a few reasons. First, a charcoal grill gives you the smokiness you're likely looking for, and the Dyna-Glo's ventilation helps prevent the acrid flavor that comes with excessive smoke.

I'd suggest $800-$1200 will get you a good smoker with handy features like an inbuilt thermometer and an electric fan to maintain temperature. At this point, you're also getting around 600 square inches of grill, which is enough for smoking large cuts of meat and whole fish.

A pellet grill might be your best bet if you favor convenience and consistency over strong, smoky flavor. However, if you're a traditionalist looking for an authentic BBQ experience and don't mind the additional effort, a wood smoker is likely the way to go.

Simple, quick, and easy-to-cook foods like beef ribs, pork chops, turkey, duck, and salmon are the finest meats to smoke for a beginner. This will give you a solid foundation on food smoking before moving on to more luscious and flavorful meats like brisket, lamb, pork butt, and tri-tip.

The most popular Lang BBQ Smoker cookers used for competitions are the 48, 60 and 84 series. Each of these series have smoker cooker models built into mobile trailer frames and can easily be hitched to a truck to get to barbecue competition events.

Best Cuts of Meat for Smoking

Our top choices are brisket, pork shoulder (for pulled pork), pork chops, and ribs.

Brisket is BBQ royalty and one of the hardest and toughest meats to smoke. It takes many hours, dedication and each brisket has a journey and a story to tell.

What is the best choice a smoker can make? ›

The best choice any smoker can make is to quit cigarettes and nicotine use altogether. Smoke-free alternatives are only for adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking. They are not risk-free and contain nicotine, which is addictive.

Beef, pork, and chicken all work well in the smoker, but beginners should choose carefully to avoid wasting an expensive cut of meat. The most forgiving pieces of meat are pork, especially pork butt. Start here, making sure to garner as much information as possible on smoking any piece of meat.

Over-smoked meat typically has been exposed to too much smoke for too long. Over-smoked meat isn't usually bitter but has a strong, pungent smoke flavor that is unpleasant. Badly smoked meat has a bitter taste. It might even make the tip of your tongue tingle from the creosote.

Simple, quick, and easy-to-cook foods like beef ribs, pork chops, turkey, duck, and salmon are the finest meats to smoke for a beginner. This will give you a solid foundation on food smoking before moving on to more luscious and flavorful meats like brisket, lamb, pork butt, and tri-tip.

Which One to Prefer – Pellet Smoker Vs Lump Wood Smoker. If you're considering a pellet smoker, it's important to keep in mind the difference between how much control you will have over your output. A wood-fired smoker offers more versatility and control over your finished product than a pellet-fired one does.

900 square inches (and above) gives you plenty of room to cook a few different large cuts of meat at the same time, including whole briskets, pork shoulders, multiple racks of ribs, and more. It's the perfect size if you're hosting a big event at your home and want to feed a fair number of guests.