The 4 Best Electric Smokers, According to Our Testing

Best Overall

Dyna-Glo 30-Inch Digital Bluetooth Electric Smoker

Ease of Use4.8/5
Performance5/5
Ease of Cleaning5/5
We found the Dyna-Glo is both intuitive and easy-to-use, producing tender proteins with a mild smokey flavor.

We found the Dyna-Glo is both intuitive and easy-to-use, producing tender proteins with a mild smokey flavor.

Adding more wood chips during the cooking process proved to be a little bit difficult.

Adding more wood chips during the cooking process proved to be a little bit difficult.

We were incredibly impressed with how easy the Dyna-Glo was to use, and that combined with its delicious results made it our pick for the top electric smoker. After assembly, which only took 10 minutes with a Phillips head screwdriver, it came up to a steady temperature in just under 45 minutes.

It did have some issues fitting all 20 chicken drumettes on one rack, so we had to split them up (15 on top and 5 on the bottom). The ones on the bottom cooked in just under two hours, while the ones on the top rack cooked in around two hours and 20 minutes.

Ribs finished cooking in three hours and 21 minutes, while salmon reached the correct internal temperature in 58 minutes. The chicken, likely because it was cooked on two racks, came out uneven on the bottom, but the top rack produced golden-brown, buttery chicken with a smokey red hue.

The ribs were evenly cooked, had a slight smoke ring around the outer edge, and were tender and fell off the bone. The ribs were also savory without being too smokey, while the salmon was evenly cooked despite the taper on the end; it came out flaky but held its shape, with well-done skin and a golden amber color.

It felt sturdy, and a handle on the back made it a breeze to move. The control panel could still be clearly seen in bright sunshine. There was a 10-12 degree difference between the internal temperature using the included probe vs the display panel, which may mean you should rely more on that internal probe for the last hour of cook time.

The temperature stayed fairly consistent the entire time, with no smoke leakage to note from the doors or the wood chip hatch. Although the manufacturer does not recommend using metal brushes or steel wool to clean, it was simple and effective to use warm water and a dishcloth.

Adding more wood chips during cooking proved challenging; removing the tray while hot was tricky and required caution. Additionally, the smaller wheels and shorter cord made it hard to place the smoker in rockier areas or areas farther from the house, so consider that if you plan on using it somewhere other than a patio.

There are a few nice features that make this well worth the price, like an included sausage rack, Bluetooth capability, and automatic shut-off when food reaches the programmed internal temperature. For the price and the results, it’s a great electric smoker, especially if you’re fine with batch cooking to ensure better results.

How it Performed After Three Months

The Dyna-Glo continued to perform wonderfully at home, impressing us with its ease of use and great cooking results. We especially loved to see how well it smoked vegetables such as broccoli, kohlrabi, and sweet potatoes (though tofu and skin-on butternut squash didn't get much smoked flavor).

One thing to note: we really wished there were handles on both sides of the smoker, and that the one helper handle it did have was more stable; it felt a bit loose. Even considering that, it wasn't too difficult to move around.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

Best Budget

Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker

Ease of Use4.8/5
Performance4.8/5
Ease of Cleaning5/5
It’s a solid, lightweight option that produces fairly good results on proteins like salmon and chicken, especially for the price.

It’s a solid, lightweight option that produces fairly good results on proteins like salmon and chicken, especially for the price.

The ribs came out drier than other items.

The ribs came out drier than other items.

The electric smoker’s specs explain its lower price; the outer core is made of thick plastic rather than steel, there is no glass window to see inside when cooking, and it holds significantly less capacity than our top overall pick. It also doesn’t have wheels, and likely needs two people to move it smoothly.

For the most part, we were pleased with the cooking results. The last chicken drumette cooked just under three hours, while the ribs were completed in around three hours and 15 minutes. Salmon was done in around one hour and 50 minutes.

Chicken results were somewhat uneven, with heat variations of up to 30 degrees for the internal temperature during the cooking process. This affected the final color and flavor; some pieces were blonde and lightly smoked with no crispy edges, while others were light caramel with some crispy bits and a smokier flavor.

Ribs had a mild smoke flavor and were evenly cooked, with a slightly darker crust than its interior. However, the ribs were also slightly dry, with an unappealing gray and white coloring, save for some scarlet coloring where it was more smoked.

Finally, the salmon came out rich and pink, evenly cooked, and moist, with a falling-apart texture. We concluded that the Char-Broil does better with more delicate proteins like fish. The chicken was another success, although it could be further improved by cooking in smaller batches for more even results.

As for its capabilities and ease of use, we found that it was easy to add wood chips both at the beginning and during the cooking process, and adding them during cooking didn’t destabilize the internal temperatures.

The analog dial is a bit of a learning curve: instead of temperatures, users move the dial from 1-5. During the preheating test, dialing up to a 4 brought the temperature to 250, while moving it down to a 2.5 brought it lower than 225 degrees. The dial should be easy to manage once you understand its settings.

The external temperature monitor read about 25 degrees off from the internal temperature probe, so keep that in mind. The temperature remained fairly consistent during cooking, and while some smoke escaped through the vents, it did not escape through the door to bring down the temperature in any significant manner.

Clean-up was fairly easy, although some fat did drip onto the base of the smoker, missing the drip tray. For the price, however, this was a workable smoker that produced fairly consistent, tasty results.

How it Performed After Three Months

This proved to be a great option for a beginner as it was tested at home by someone who had never used a smoker before. When using it to smoke pork shoulders, we found that it held heat consistently and produced tasty results. Our one complaint is the lack of a see-through door to visually monitor for doneness.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

Best Large

Masterbuilt 40-Inch Digital Electric Smoker

Ease of Use4.8/5
Performance5/5
Ease of Cleaning4.8/5
This large-capacity smoker makes incredibly hearty meats such as moist chicken wings and light, flaky ribs.

This large-capacity smoker makes incredibly hearty meats such as moist chicken wings and light, flaky ribs.

It doesn’t come with an internal temperature probe.

It doesn’t come with an internal temperature probe.

The most unique part of this Masterbuilt is its whopping capacity of 970 square inches, making it the best choice for larger cuts of meat, big families, or parties. Of course, the most important question lies in how the smoker performs when cooking the proteins.

Chicken took approximately two hours (although there were some power outages during the cooking of the chicken and ribs that could have extended its cooking time), ribs took approximately two hours and 50 minutes, and salmon took around one hour and 27 minutes.

The smoker fared best with sturdier meats, and would likely do better with chicken, pork, and beef. The chicken was moist with a lingering smoke taste. Ribs were light and delicious and fell off the bone when pulled. Salmon, however, had a dry skin and top, with excessive flaking and a drier texture.

This smoker is relatively lightweight at 58 pounds, with a secure door and sturdier wheels than some of the other models tested. It has one of the shortest cords at only 3 feet, so it would likely need to be used with an extension cord.

Another unique feature makes it a great electric smoker: the ability to add more wood chips without having to open the door. Instead, there’s a small cylinder on the side that you can twist and pull out. This has the added benefit of letting you add chips without affecting the internal temperature.

But it is on the smaller side, so it does need to be refilled more often. If you’re cooking up the capacity this holds, for instance, consider that you’ll be adding chips at least once an hour.

A digital pad has easy on and off buttons and can be programmed to temperature and time in increments of 5. We loved how easy it was to use and master, with no learning curve needed. However, there’s no internal temperature probe, so purists who want to ensure an accurate cook will want to purchase one separately.

How it Performed After Three Months

After using it consistently during the testing period, an experienced smoker declared that the Masterbuilt "has taken over as the leader of my smokers." This is primarily because of how simple it is to use, though we were pleased with the results. The smoke flavor was pretty subtle, so we would have loved to see a larger wood tray.

We absolutely loved the refrigerator-style doors, which completely seal in the smoke and help the temperature remain consistent. The vertical shelves also make it simple to smoke different food items at the same time.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

Best Briquette

Bradley Smoker 4-Rack Stainless Smoker

Ease of Use5/5
Performance4/5
Ease of Cleaning4.5/5
This produced clean tasting, well-cooked salmon, making it a great choice for cabins or campsites where fish might be at the top of your menu.

This produced clean tasting, well-cooked salmon, making it a great choice for cabins or campsites where fish might be at the top of your menu.

Briquettes will need to be cleaned out of the water bowl after use.

Briquettes will need to be cleaned out of the water bowl after use.

This smoker from Bradley uses wood briquettes, which are compressed patties of wood, rather than chips. They can be easier to use but do limit where and how you can purchase fuel for your smoker. For this model, you drop the briquettes into a cylinder, which automatically fuels the smoker every 20 minutes or so.

This means less work for the user and no need to worry about losing heat during cooking time, and you can clearly see how many briquettes are left so you’ll know when and if you need to refill it. The Bradley can hold enough briquettes for up to 9 hours of smoke time.

As for the flavor and texture of the results, the chicken turned out juicy, but with a strong aftertaste and a rubbery skin. The ribs had a noticeable smoky aroma, with a nice internal smoky flavor and no visible ring. There was a slight aftertaste of smoke that dissipated quickly, and no crust but a heavily roasted outside.

Finally, the salmon had a clean taste and a reddish tinge from smoke on the outside and flaked well with a juicy interior. Because we were so impressed with the flavor of the fish, we think this would make a great option for a cabin or camping location where fresh fish might be on the menu.

We compared the Bradley smoker to the construction and feel of a mini fridge, with a magnet on the inside of the door to hold it shut, well-insulated sides, and a flimsier top. There aren’t any wheels, but it feels both sturdy and stable, albeit difficult to move from place to place.

The dial is just a knob with six different modes from low to high, which does require some monitoring when adding more food. The smoker does not come with an internal probe thermometer, but using one is recommended as we did find some discrepancies between the internal temp and the one on the display.

Still, temperature fluctuations only seemed to happen when food was added or the door was open, so it doesn’t need constant attention. Another quirk of this model is the water bowl: because the briquettes fall into the water bowl when they’ve been used up, users will have to clean the bowl before adding more water.

How it Performed After Three Months

This smoker delivered perfect results every time we used it (typically for shorter term smoking of ribs, chicken, and bacon). It delivered delicious smoke flavor, better than any other personal smoker the tester had previously tried. We also love the wood puck feeder, which takes most of the guesswork out of the smoking process.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / WILL DICKEY