Finding the a good smoker at an entry level price-point can be a daunting task. The market is saturated with cheap poorly designed smokers (like those offset smokers you see at your local Walmart). Whether you’re on the search for a smoker best for a beginner, or just an affordable smoker to replace your current one, we’ll explain where the value lies and why.
We’ve tested and report on each smoker to feature the units that deliver outstanding value, performance, ease of use, and quality.
Cheers!
Before we get into the smokers, it’s important to understand how we selected which smokers would be featured in this “Best of” list, and how we’ve ranked them. Below are the four areas we rated each smoker by, starting with what we felt was most important when creating our roundup of smokers for newbies, or someone looking for an entry level unit:
- Value– we work hard for our money and want the most bang for the buck.
- Performance– give us consistent delicious results, if it doesn’t work, don’t bother.
- Ease of use– one lesson we’ve learned is if it’s hard to use it doesn’t ever get used.
- Quality– a value calculation has to include build quality.
The results are ranked and detailed below, but here’s a quick summary:
Best Overall Smoker is the Pit Barrel Cooker aka ‘The Ugly Drum Smoker’. For depth of flavor, sturdiness and capacity the ugly drum is a thing of beauty.
The Top Performing Smoker is the Weber Smokey Mountain. This unit holds temperature all day with decent room for food. It is good enough that you will regularly see it used in top competitions.
Most Versatile Smoker is Char-Griller’s Akorn Kamado-style. From an all day steady 225 to a blazing 700 degrees, this kamado style grill covers a lot of cooking ground.
Easiest to use is Green Mountain Trek Prime 2.0. This unit does great with the set-and-forget ease that pellet stoves are known for.
Best Value (and biggest surprise to make our ‘Best of’ list) goes to Cuisinart’s Vertical charcoal smoker coming in under $100 and delivering excellent results for smoked cooking.
With these winners highlighted, you can confidently choose the smoker aligns with what you care about most. Keep in mind, all these smokers are under $1,000 with most of them coming in around $500. So while our roundup reporting may not feature competition level smokers, you’re at the right place to find your first smoker, or a replacement for that old offset smoker collecting rust in your backyard. See our main smoker page if you’re looking for our best rated smokers regardless of price or experience level.
Quick reference of the smokers that made our list.
| Brand | Price | Style |
| #1 PIT BARREL COOKER | See Now | Drum |
| #2 WEBER SMOKEY MOUNTAIN | See Now | Bullet |
Venturing into the world of meat smoking can be a costly affair, but it doesn’t have to be. Here at Smoking Meat Geeks, we understand the constraints of a tight budget. What we learned in working with all these smokers is you can find value in just about any price range under $1,000.
It comes down to what things you care about most; looking for ease of use, affordability, performance, authentic BBQ flavor profile?
If you’re looking to pick up something on the cheap, a $150 smoker will yield you a final product that taste like genuine BBQ.
If you’re looking for something that will last and will have you the talk of the town, $800 is the sweet spot.
None the less, as you run through our ultimate list, you can be confident you’re selecting the top backyard smoker perfiect for you. If you’re new to the world of BBQ, you may want to start out with our guide on the types of smokers, then jump back in here.
These tried-and-true contraptions are designed to cook meat while infusing it with smoky flavor, ideal for ribs, brisket, pulled pork, salmon and many other foods. Like grills, smokers come in many varieties, so it pays to carefully consider just what kind you need. –FamilyHandyMan.com
Our list features smokers you can rely on for quality low-and-slow BBQ. While electric smokers can be a great starting point for newbies, they often fall short on flavor, which is why they didn’t make the cut here. However, we do have some favorite electric smokers that you can see them here the most affordable being the Char-broil electric smoker. Also, you’ll notice that gas smokers aren’t included in this roundup.
OUR TOP SMOKERS FOR BEGINNERS
Enough Talk. Where’s the value to be had?
1. WINNER: PIT BARREL COOKER by Pit Barrel Cooker Co.
See Price @ Amazon
Our favorite smoker for the money is the Pit Barrel Cooker (AKA PBC). This pre-assembled Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) nails everything that Meat Geeks are looking for in a smoker:
- it’s easy to use
- holds a consistent smoking temperature for hours on end
- makes perfect juicy tender barbecue, faster
- and is super affordable smoker
- $349 shipped to your door
Sweet, Efficient Design and Build
As a UDS, the PBC known for simplicity and smooth heat. But at a 30-gallon drum size, it’s way smaller than the classic 55-gallon UDS; that’s because the narrower width and height are the perfect smoking environment. It’s compact size and effective design make it the best barrel smoker we’ve used. The Pit Barrel Cooker Co. refers to PBC as the “Original Vertical Smoker”. A vertical design allows for a convection style cook, with heat, smoke, and flavors evenly circling around the meat.
The difference is in the science. In a well designed barrel smoker, a vortex of heat circulates the meat evenly, even the meat closest to the coals cooks in unison with the meat at the top.
The newest model is made from an 18-gauge steel with a heavy-duty enamel coating. It feels solid and ready to go right out of the box, it doesn’t need seasoning. The enamel coating is the same type used on that old Weber grill sitting out on your back porch (or shown in the above image) and those can last practically forever. Assembly takes less than 5 minutes (see our video review below). Just unpack it, slide in the charcoal tray, hanging rods or grate, and screw the handle onto the lid, place it on the stand. You’re off to the barbecue races.
Hanging Slabs: Even Cooking All The Way Around
The ability to hang meat for cooking is one of the best parts of the PBC. It comes with stainless steel meat hooks that hang from the two metal rods, placing briskets, shoulders, ribs and or birds right in the center of the convection heat.
Beef Roast in Pit Barrel Smoker with a View of Charcoal Basket and Vent Below
This way, they cook evenly on all 4 sides – and the results are off-the-charts good. Hanging slabs of meat directly over the coals also means juices can drip directly on that hot fire, creating more smoke and an ultra-meaty flavor. The PBC also includes a grill grate for loading in meat without the need for hanging it. Additionally, they sell several addon accessories, our favorite is their hinged grate for hanging and grilling at the same time.
Grate w/ hinge is an upgrade accessory that can be purchased from Amazon.
Ease-of-Use and Consistency: Smoking in Action
The Pit Barrel Cooker is easy to fire up. Fill the charcoal tray up with high-quality charcoal and scatter in some wood chips, light some in a charcoal chimney, and dump it on top. Put the meat on and you’re ready to go; the charcoal and wood chips will burn slowly while keeping a steady temperature.
The PBC usually runs hotter than the classic 225˚F – usually about 255˚F for us. This could be due to how much air is coming into the vents or how much charcoal was lit. Either way, meat comes out finished much quicker than usual; a 16-pound brisket can take about 6 hours – that’s about half what it takes at 225˚F. Still, the high heat doesn’t effect the final product much; briskets come out just as juicy and delicious, and with the perfect amount of smoke flavor and nice smoke ring. The kind of BBQ Meat Geeks are after and beginners will appreciate.
Watch our video review of the Barrel Cooker on YouTube.
At $349, the Pit Barrel Smoker is well under $500 – and practically a steal. It also made our Best Gifts for Grillers list. It’s super simple and easy to set up and use, holds a consistent temperature for hours on end (even if it does burn a little hot) and creates juicy, tender barbecue every time. It can also cook a side of ribs or an entire brisket in no time.
In our #1 spot, we love it and recommend it as the Best Smoker for the Money.
2. WEBER SMOKEY MOUNTAIN SMOKER
See Price @ Amazon
The Weber Smokey Mountain is the bullet smoker counterpart to the Pit Barrel Cooker’s UDS design. Some consider it the perfect smoker — it’s also the oldest, and most well-known smokers on our list — Weber introduced the first model back in 1981, and they’ve garnered quite a loyal following in the meantime. We like the Smokey Mountain because it holds a steady temperature for hours on end, is easy to use, and is built like a tank. It’s among the most versatile smoker on the list. It makes some finger-licking good barbecue, too.
Build and Design: Rock Solid Weber Reliability
The Weber Smokey Mountain is a vertical (bullet) style smoker. It burns charcoal and has a cylindrical “bullet” shape and domed lid, which are perfect for even cooking – just like a UDS. Bullet smokers also have water pans in the middle; adding a layer of water helps regulate temperature and acts as a barrier between direct heat from the hot coals and the food. This helps keep temps low and steady by letting heat radiate instead of hitting food directly and adding moisture. The 18” Smokey Mountain has two grill grates with a combined 481 square inches of cooking area.
You can pour water into the pan from the top beforehand, or you can add more through the large access door in the front while smoking. There are two dampers – one at the bottom and one on the lid. The top damper is usually left open to let smoke vent, and the bottom is used to control how hot the fire burns.
Build quality is rock-solid. The porcelain enamel finish is tough as nails and we think it will last decades of heavy use. The legs are solid steel and have an aluminum heat shield for protecting whatever you stand the smoker on.
Consistent Temps and Long Cooking Times.
The Smokey Mountain is a pro at keeping a low-and-steady temperature for hours on end. Temps run a bit lower than the Pit Barrel Cooker; while the PBC usually ran between 250˚F and 260˚F, we can easily keep the Smokey Mountain at right about 225˚F. With the right amount of water and fuel, you can keep that temperature all day–for 12 to 14 hours, which is long enough for most briskets or roasts. This is a key aspect for beginners—low and slow is the best approach for newbies looking to yield quality BBQ. Since the Smokey Mountain doesn’t run as hot as the Pit Barrel Cooker, it takes longer to smoke the same pieces of meat. But the food comes out just as good, which is the whole point.
Ease-of-Use
The Smokey Mountain is easy to get setup and maintain during cooking. To light, you simply add charcoal to the bottom portion before cooking and use a charcoal chimney to start it – just like the PBC. But it also has that large access door in the front, which makes adding more charcoal or water easy.
Cult of personality
One interesting aspect of this smoker is how devoted the fan base is to the unit. Sure, it bears a resemblance to R2D2 of movie fame, but it has to go deeper than that. When you see this piece of equipment showing up at competition barbecue and placing, in spite of the overwhelming number of choices in the market, there must be something going on.
We’ve already listed a variety of reasons to like the unit. But it has to go deeper to explain just how long this smoker has remained, not just relevant, but popular. It really comes down to a couple very important aspects of how this works. First off, very few moving parts. A cylinder, a bowl, a grate and some racks; very basic but very effective. Longevity is another reason for such a following. People have restored vintage WSM models from the eighties and get decades more use from them. With a very short learning curve, even newbies have the ability to consistently produce good results.
This all adds up to a special place in the market. This is the legacy of Weber in, their kettle grills are everywhere, it is no surprise to see the same staying power in the Smokey Mountain.
Other Things We Like/Don’t Like
- The door on the front doesn’t seal well, letting lots of heat and smoke escape. There are aftermarket doors available if that’s a problem.
- The bi-metal thermometer in the lid is unreliable and inaccurate. Weber put a silicone grommet on the side so you can easily place a thermometer probe for reading temps.
- You can’t always fit full racks of ribs on a single grate.
Our Take
We love the Weber Smokey Mountain. The 18” model maintains a perfect 225˚F all day long, there’s plenty of cooking space for smoking anything, and the quality and craftsmanship is pure Weber. Asking price is just a few bucks more than the Pit Barrel Cooker, but it’s still well under $500. A worthy competitor to the PBC, plus you can sear with the WSM where it’s much harder to do on the PBC. The Weber Smokey Mountain is by far, the Best Value Smoker.
3. DYNA-GLO VERTICAL OFFSET CHARCOAL SMOKER
See Price @ Amazon
This is our best budget smoker. This is the only offset smoker that is part of our value group. First off, this is not really an introductory product for smoking, you should know your way around smoking meat to move into this. If you do, this may be the good choice as it has great cooking capacity.
Tough Build, Simple Design
At 124 pounds this is no lightweight item. It is also very spacious, with over 1300 square inches of cooking space. Being that large, the steel is spread a little thinner instead of being built like a tank. Perhaps it won’t be an heirloom you pass along, but getting a decade of regular use seems likely. The details are part of what makes this a nice product; wire wrapped handles, large wheels for moving about, pre-installed hooks for sausage and such, along with other features. Seeing thoughtful design components in this price range is refreshing.
Quintuple layered Cooking Space
Five layers of cooking giving you the largest smoking surface space of all the smokers on our list. They are all removable so all that flat space is easily converted to vertical space, as in enough to smoke the entire carcass of some critters. At 17 inches in diameter, you could fit most whole briskets or racks of ribs on each shelf. Our view is if you are going to fire it up, you might as well cook a bunch.
How It Performs
The biggest trade off to this smoker is that it does require some attention during the smoking process. It has a good firebox for loading up fuel such as charcoal, wood, wood chunks or wood chips. This will also work as a small grill if needed.
However if you remove that grill, you now have a monster firebox. Obviously you can’t pack it for a 12 hours smoke, but for adding lump style charcoal or wood, it doesn’t get much easier. You do need to stoke the fire pot a bit higher than you may expect, as is the nature of offset smokers.
Other Things We Like/Don’t Like
- A number of folks didn’t think it sealed well, and they are not really wrong. You can buy a gasket kit that will seal it up tight, or just understand that it may add to cook times and fuel usage.
- The slide out fuel drawer also makes clean up and ash removal easier
- Offset style allows for easy low temperature smoking
Our Take
If you are ready for the next step in pit smoking, this is a great product. If you already have that skill level, this will allow you to show off, and do it with a large amount of cooked food in one session. It is still a value product, only time will tell if that shows up to diminish longevity, but it seems to deliver for the price point.
4. CHAR-GRILLER AKORN KAMADO CHARCOAL GRILL
See Price @ Amazon
About Kamado cooking
Kamado-style cooking, originating in Asia and popularized in the US after WWII, features ceramic smokers known for their exceptional heat retention and even cooking.
A prominent example is The Big Green Egg, a heavy-duty Kamado grill that provides excellent airflow and heat control for versatile cooking. However, its significant price tag may limit accessibility for some. So, the Green Egg does not fulfill the value equation we are seeking here. That doesn’t mean we are eliminating the egg category entirely.
Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, let’s continue with our review of the Akorn smoker.
Value Buy
Char-Griller’s Akorn Kamado-Style smoker offers excellent value.
While the Akorn Kamado by Char-Griller may not have the ancient pedigree of traditional Kamado cookers, Char-Griller has been in the game for nearly seventy years. They’ve leveraged this experience to create a product that offers fantastic value for money. Here’s why we can give it a “Recommended” Rating as a quality purchase option when it comes to smokers:
Build and Design
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Akorn is its build quality. At just under 100 pounds, it’s heavier than many other smokers but significantly lighter than ceramic Kamados.The Akorn achieves this by using double-wall steel construction instead of ceramics. Think of it as a thermos for your food—it provides excellent insulation without the risk of cracking if it takes a tumble.
The Akorn has around 447 square inches of cooking space, although this includes the removable and roating upper warming rack. The main cooking area is just over 300 square inches.
While the Akorn isn’t designed to be a portable device, its three-wheeled rack makes it easy to move around your backyard. Just be cautious on uneven terrain due to its top-heavy design. The side racks are a handy addition for holding tools and plates, although the warming rack could use some improvement in terms of weight capacity.
Heat & Temperature
In our hands-on testing, the Akorn’s ability to maintain consistent temperatures for long periods was impressive.
The Akorn has a bit of a learning curve. The top and bottom vents allow for control over airflow, but small changes make big differences in ambient temperatures. It is much more volatile than the Green Egg when it comes to fluctuating in temps based on changes to fuel, air flow, and surrounding ambient weather. Another thing worth mentioning, the smoker heats up quickly, so it’s easier to raise the temperature than to bring it down. All in all, you’ll need to get the hang of adjusting the airflow and finding the right temperature settings, once you do it becomes almost a set-it-and-forget-it device.
The charcoal basket is spacious enough to support 8-to-10-hour cooks at 225°F.
Decent Cooking Space
They rate this at 447 square inches, which is technically true, if you include that upper rack, which they do call a warming rack. The real number is just over 300 square inches. Combined with the high dome you can do pork butts, briskets and whole turkeys pretty easily. Ribs will fill it up pretty quickly however.
Why We Like the Akorn
The Char-Griller Akorn is a gem for anyone looking to dive headfirst into the Kamado game without needing to re-mortgage the house. It’s sturdy, light enough to shuffle around the yard (albeit with a bit of a wobble), and packs a punch in performance. While it might not have the street cred of its ceramic cousins, it’s the underdog that gets the job done.
5. MASTERBUILT GRAVITY SERIES 560
See Price @ Amazon
This is in the realm of a chicken or the egg joke. Pellet smokers are great with their ability to keep a regulated flow of fuel moving to keep your cook going. These guys treat charcoal briquets like big ol’ wood pellets moving into position. Cool. Which came first? Who cares, it works. Compared to the popular Treager pellet smoker, the Masterbuilt give you the best of both worlds with it’s ability to load up charcoal.
Build and Design: Fairly solid
At nearly 150 pounds dry weight, this is not a featherweight piece of equipment. Sure, some may quibble about certain aspects of the build being lighter duty, but the overall quality is pretty high. Certainly it is strong enough to have a long life as a backyard piece of cooking equipment. It also has a couple nice touches like a silicone opening for thermometer cords and fittings to add the rotisserie if desired.
Consistent Temps and Long Cooking Times
This unit excels at both aspects of making barbecue. The hopper seems big enough to accommodate a lifetime of cooking. The insulation factor is enough to hold temps, and the fan controls keep the temps in range quite well. It really is one of the first charcoal set and forget feeding units. Plus, it comes up to speed quite quickly.
Ease-of-Use
The unit itself rates very highly in our book for ease of use. The only negative is assembly, plan well over an hour, just shy of two realistically. Once that is through you are off to the races.
The digital controls are very intuitive and work well. It offers Bluetooth compatibility, and some may argue that the app is not ready for prime time. Yes, there is a learning curve with the app, but it is not insurmountable by any means.
Good Cooking Space
At 560 square inches of cooking space, this unit is above average. This space is with the porcelain clad steel racks, reversible if you choose for smoking or searing. Uniquely, Masterbuilt offers the warming racks as an add-on, or with specific packages. These racks are secure, and certainly usable if you want to smoke extra racks of ribs or such, adding 240 square inches of usable space.
Other Things We Like/Don’t Like
The speed with which this unit comes up to temp is impressive. It is rated for grilling at temperatures up to 700 degrees, and if you have it running at smoke temp it will fire up that high in mere minutes. However, if you are grilling with the lid open, as you should for steaks, you will get a temperature variance from the end closest to the coals to the other end. You can integrate small wood chunks and lump charcoal to enhance the flavors of your food which we appreciated.
Our Take
It’s hard to make fun of the guy using an electric smoker when you dump in loads of coal.
While we’re all for the manual process of smoking and lean towards traditional pellet smokers, like the Pit Barrel and Weber Smokey Mountain, you can’t deny the value with this electric style smoker. You’re getting a hands-off smoke, but not having to sacrifice on flavor like you do with pellet smokers. This is a great smoker for experienced pit bosses but it makes an even better smoker for beginners – if you can spend a little extra cash than some of the others in our list. If you are less concerned about a budget, the 1050 XL is certainly worth the look with nearly double the cooking surfaces and a couple other nice features. You can see the Masterbuilt 1050 XL on Amazon here. Whichever you choose, a smoker from the Gravity series is well worth the money spent and earns a place in our list as the best overall smoker for beginner.
6. CUISINART VERTICAL CHARCOAL SMOKER
See Price @ Amazon
Like the WSM, this is a vertical bullet style smoker with a water pan. The water helps control ambient temperatures which helps to maintain target temperatures. If you’re new to smoking, keeping ambient temperature around 225°F makes it harder to make mistakes. Not only that, water helps adhear smoke to your meat.
Design and Features
Two 16″ stainless steel racks, make up about 400 square inches of cooking space. But if we’re being practical, the usable cooking space is closer to 350 square inches. It’s still enough room for two racks of ribs, or say a whole chicken (if you remove the bottom rack).
The design bullet design works due to the placement of the two air vents. One vent is located at the bottom and the other at the top. This allows for ideal heat control while allowing all the heat, moisture, and smoke to circulate around your meat. While the WMS and Pit Barrel Cooker master the art of convection style cooking, the Cuisinart is a smoker anyone can afford.
It’s Cheap, So It’s Not Perfect
This is not a smoker you’ll have for years to come, but its a great entry level start without an real investment. You’ll also be getting a box with several parts to assemble (made in China). Also, insulation is an issue. For your first few smokes avoid using it without water or in the cold; at least till you get use to it.
All in all…
Overall, this smoker is a solid choice if you’re just starting out and don’t want to invest a lot of money upfront. While it has some limitations, it performs admirably for its price range, making it reasonable choice for anyone on a budget.
7. TREK PRIME By Green Mountain Grills
See Price @ Amazon
The Trek Prime from Green Mountain Grills is a compact, WiFi-capable pellet smoker. It’s portable, so you can smoke (and kind-of grill) meats at home, tailgate, or the campsite.
Compact, Lightweight Design
This the first thing you’ll notice is the size; it’s only 31” high, weighs 64 pounds (roughly half that of the PitBoss). The short peg legs are a welcomed upgrade over the previous model (Davey Crockett) that had sketchy foldout aluminum legs.
The Trek’s dimensions come in at 24.5″ x 33″ x 16″.
The only downside to the compact size is the lack of cooking space – only 274 sq. in. But it’s a trade-off; there’s enough room for about 1 1/2 racks of ribs, 2 medium roasts, or say, 4 or 5 steaks.
Smart, WiFi-Ready Digital Temp Control
The app is easy to setup and overall pretty good. You’re able to monitor and adjust cooking settings from your phone. The ability to save and replicate cooking sessions is a nice upgrade to GMG’s software. The only knock is the app is a little clunky.
Cooking
The ribs and the pork butt we smoked turned out like real BBQ. Impressive. While the tempetures seemed to fluctiate by about 50F +/- from our test temp probe, in the end, it didn’t really seem to matter on the overall quaility of our final product. Keep in mind, you really won’t be able to get a good sear with Trek as it’s not designed for it with it’s max temp only reaching 513F.
Other Things We Like/Don’t Like
- Easy to connect the app with the smoker
- GMG is known for honoring their warrinties, which you’ll want for the Trek as it’s always on the move
- Cleanup isn’t exactly easy, not sure the best approach to cleaning this other than tipping it over and shaking it out…
Our Take
If you’re needing something protable, it’s hard to beat the technology and travel ability of the Trek at it’s entry-level price point. Like most entry level pellet grills, the Trek is straight forward to operate and thus a solid choice for a newbie. However, if you don’t need portability, I’d opt for one of the smokers with a larger cooking surface and an ability to sear. GMG also has several other models with larger cooking space which likely still offer value.
8. PIT BOSS 700
See Price @ Amazon
Pit Boss has done a great job of building a recognizable and quality brand. They also deliver a lot of features and size at attractive price points. They’ve been making pellet grills since 1999, so they have experience with the products. In this case a fully functional pellet grill that gets you smoking right out of the box.
Build and Design
The 700 series is built to an appropriate weight and sturdiness for your backyard smoking and cooking. The advertised 700 square inches includes about two hundred inches of upper rack.
The powder coated metals will endure the elements just fine. The only negative we hear being reported is that the electronics may have an issue wearing out, but the structure is sound.
Consistent Temps and Long Cooking Times
Like all pellet grills, it could use some insulating factors, but with the constant supply of wood pellets it holds temperature through fuel consumption, which also brings more smoke flavor to the cooking process. They do offer an insulated blanket if you are working in colder climates. Otherwise, you get the benefit of set and forget cooking that has made pellet grills so popular. The hopper will hold pretty close to the 21 pounds stated, and that is more than enough for the longest cook times.
Other Things We Like/Don’t Like
Like all pellet grills, the manufacturer will say it sears at high temp. Typically none of them do this very well. But it does what it was designed to do; low and slow smoking.
Our Take
The Pit Boss 700 meets the grade to be included in this list of best smokers as the value is evident. It is straightforward and performance oriented; which is the long way to say it works, it does the job. As an introductory unit for the beginning pit boss, this is a great value way to get started.
9. REALCOOK BULLET CHARCOAL SMOKER
See Price @ Amazon
If you’re searching for the a value buy, take a close look here. This smoker is versatile; smoke, grill, steam, bake, braise, and roast. As you know, we’re a fan of the vertical style smoker design. Put a fire in the base and use it as a fire pit. Add the lower grate and you can grill at high temps. Damp those coals, add the center section and the lid and you’re smoking.
Design
The legs are sturdy, but come straight down from the base. Other models flare the legs for a wider stance, and that would be an asset. We felt this could be knocked over too easily as a result. It does have functional access doors make it easy to check on your food or add charcoal without disrupting the cooking process. The adjustable air vents and porcelain-enameled water pan help find the right balance between smoke and moisture, infusing a rich smoky flavor into your meats.
Cooking
Assembly is straight forward and takes about 20 minutes. During our cooking session we noticed that the Realcook doesn’t maintain ambient temps as well as the other vertical smokers we’ve used. You end up with hot spots towards the back of the unit. But on the upside, you can run a two-zone cook to get a nice sear on your meat once you’re done smoking it.
Our Take
In the world of smokers, finding a model that combines versatility, durability, and performance at an affordable price is a rare gem. Realcook offers real value and is a great starter smoker. All this, makes it a worthy contender in the quest for a smoker that won’t put a dent in you pocketbook.
Note from the TopGeek
If you’re an experienced BBQ enthusiast and have a favorite smoker that you believe deserves a spot on our ‘Best of Smoker’ list, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below, sharing your experiences and perspectives. We value our readers’ input and have been known to purchase and test smokers based on your feedback and manufacturers’ recommendations. Your insights could influence the next update of this list.
