10 Best Beginner Smokers for 2024

Smoking any kind of food may be confusing, but when you are a beginner, it can be scary. As a beginner, you don’t know how to smoke food and, above all, which smoker is best for you. Well, everyone starts at some point to become an expert. 

However, if you have the right smoker, smoking food perfectly can be convenient for you. There is a wide variety of smokers available on the market, including electric, gas, and charcoal, and pellet smokers. Choosing the best beginner smokers 2024 from so many options with less to no experience can be quite confusing. 

Well, don’t worry because we have created a list of the best beginner smoker for 2024 after analyzing the manufacturing quality, testing, features, and user convenience to help to make the right decision.

Comparison of the Best Beginner Smoker for 2024

Detailed List of the Top 10 Beginner Smokers for 2024 on the Market

1. Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 18 Inch Smoker

One of the best beginner smokers on the market, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is easy to use as a smoker with decent features. Specially designed for beginners in mind, the smoker ensures you smoke your food perfectly with convenient features.

The unit comes with two cooking grates to help to cook large sections of meat. The 22.5 Inches grates are nickel plated for additional durability and heat resistance.

Featuring a 40 lbs hopper capacity, it allows you to smoke the day away. The smoker also comes with a porcelain-coated water pan to keep the food moist. It has a heat deflector to ensure proper heat distribution.

Made from durable porcelain material, the smoker perfectly retains smoke and heat inside the smoker. There is a digital LED readout along with a meat probe to help you monitor the status of the food and enjoy your party without worrying about the internal temperature.

One of the most appealing features of this vertical pellet smoker is the range of temperature. It offers temperatures from 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Now this range is good enough to cook all kinds of food with ultra convenience. Last but not least, it also has a 300-watt power auto-start feature along with an auto-shut igniter to make operation super easy and comfortable for beginners.

2. Masterbuilt MB20071117 Digital Electric Smoker

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned smoker, this Masterbuilt 30-inch digital electric smoker is an excellent choice for you. Just plug it in, set the digital controls, and the smoker will perform its duty. You can easily smoke up to 4 racks of ribs, 6 chickens, or 2 turkeys in this best smoker for beginners.

The body of the smoker is fully insulated to retain maximum heat and provide more consistent temps with consistent cooking times.

This is an excellent choice for those who are living in colder regions. There is a built-in thermostat to help you maintain a consistent temperature for a perfect smoked flavour.

This electric smoker comes with a top-mounted digital control panel. You can easily set time and temperature with the easy to check on feature. The convenient chip loading system helps to access the wood chip pan without opening the door. In simple words, it will help to retain more heat and smoke. Last but not least, the latch mechanism tightly shut and locks the door in place.

3. Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18″ Charcoal Smoker

Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18 inch Charcoal smoker comes with an elegant design. Made from thick steel, it is enamelled with porcelain. The porcelain makes the smoker durable, and therefore, you can enjoy premium smoked flavour with this best beginner smoker for a long time. The vertical design is easy to manoeuvre around the backyard.

The smoker comes with two-tier steel smoking racks. Featuring 510 inches of cooking space, the smoker allows you to smoke a variety of dishes. One of the best features of this Charcoal smoker is its two air vents that allow controlling the heat and smoke amount according to your needs.

The vertical barrel design perfectly distributes heat throughout the cooking chamber. There is a vertically hinged door that helps inconvenient access to h water bowl and charcoal grate. The last and most important feature of the smoker is its three years warranty to boost your confidence.

4. Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill– Best Charcoal Grill for Beginners

Best known for their versatility and convenient use, Kamado grills are the best choice for grilling and smoking. Though the unit may look small at first glance, but offers a total cooking area of 34 square inches. There is a removable cooking rack that further extends the total cooking area to 447 square inches.

The smoker grill is equipped with two sturdy folding metal shelves on both sides, which makes food preparation convenient. There is a set o metal hook on the edges of shelves to help you hang grilling accessories. For convenient mobility, it has two durable wheels that help in convenient portability.

Another great aspect of the grill is 22 gauge thick steel manufacturing, which is ideal for improved heat retention. The triple wall insulation holds low temperatures for up least ten hours. It has a temperature range of 200-750 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thanks to the top and both dampers, you can set and control the temperature effortlessly. The exterior has powder-coated steel, whereas porcelain-coated steel. Other notable accessories include an easy dump ash pan, locking lid, and heat gauge.

5. Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker– Best offset charcoal smoker

If you are looking to prepare food for a large gathering, then his Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D vertical offset charcoal smoker is made for you. Featuring a large cooking surface of 1176 square inches, the smoker comes with six porcelain-coated cooking grates. Each grate has the ability to hold up to 25 lbs of food.

This best vertical charcoal smoker has a side firebox that is easy to use. The best and most important aspect of the unit is the heavy-duty steel construction along with the high-temperature powder finish. Such features make the smoker durable and resistant to rust and corrosion. Its vertical design is an ideal choice for achieving a perfectly smoked flavour.

Designed to handle a large amount of ash to allow hours of maintenance-free cooking, the smoker has a charcoal and ash management system along with the charcoal grate, chamber, and removable, sliding steel ash pan. There is also a built-in stainless steel thermometer for infusing smoke flavour at the ideal temperature.

6. EasyGo Products Big Bad Barrel Pit Charcoal Barbeque Smoker– Best BBQ smoker for beginners

Are you looking for a versatile smoker? This EasyGoProducts Big Bad Barrel Pit Charcoal Barbeque offers you both cooking options. Featuring a stackable design, this versatile smoker can be used in many ways. Besides smoker, you can also use it as an independent charcoal pit. There are two durable and adjustable cooking grates inside the pit that helps to hang meat and items such as sausage links.

The versatile grill smoker is equipped with six stainless steel tool hooks. Additionally, you can also use this best BBQ smoker for cooking meat and pizza. It comes with an adjustable rack and adjustable height barrel to prevent kids from injuries. As a meat smoker, this big bad barrel’s elegant design helps to maintain the temperature of 225 degrees for hours and enjoy the premium smoked flavour.

Whether you are an experienced griller or a beginner, this charcoal smoker has all the essential tools to help you get started. It comes with 6 stainless steel hooks, a standard steel grilling rack, an independent charcoal pit, and 3 utensils to hang on the grill for cooking convenience.

7. Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24” Smoke

Featuring a heavy gauge steel design, this Vault smoker by the Camp chef is another excellent option for beginners. The Smoke Vault is equipped with four legs for additional durability. There is a temperature gauge located in the middle of the door that allows you to set the temperature of your food conveniently.

The interior features two large cooking grids for food placing. It also has a smoking rack along with a removable base with a porcelain coating. When it comes to cooking space, this best beginner smoker offers 903 square inches of large surface to smoke food for a large gathering.

One of the best features of this Camp Chef smoker it has a range of recipes. All you need is to follow the provided guidelines to become a smoking master.

The smoker is equipped with three damper valves, adjustable control dials, and a door thermometer to help you control the internal temperature of the food. Other notable features include a heavy gauge steel wood chip tray and a water pan for creating smoke and maintaining moisture inside the smoker.

8. Z GRILLS ZPG-7002E 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker

This ultimate 66-in-1 grill and smoker comes with some exciting and easy to use features, which make it a perfect pick for both beginners and pros. Featuring advanced wood fire technology, the smoker gets wood fire flavour at the convenience of a gas or propane.

You can easily cook for about ten hours per 10 lbs of pellets. This super versatile smoker offers a wide temperature range from 180 degrees to 450 degrees to smoke, grill, BBQ, roast, or braise.

The smoker also has easy to use features for beginners, including electric auto-start ignition, real-time LED temperature display, and digital auto temperature control. Made from durable stainless steel, it is perfectly corrosion resistant, which means it can last for a long time without affecting the cooking performance.

The best thing about the digital temperature control is that it automatically adds pellets when needed to regulate the temperature. When it comes to perfectly smoked food, the unit has a convenient heat distribution technology. Other notable features include a foldable working shelf, 20 lbs hopper capacity, rustproof cover, and racks, along with the heavy-duty all-terrain wheels.

9. Dyna-Glo DGW1235BDP-D 36″ Wide Body LP Gas Smoker

This super convenient LP gas vertical smoker is an ideal solution for year-round backyard cooking. Just push the button, and the electronic ignition of the smoker emits a quick pulse for rapid and easy lighting. It comes with dual cast iron burners that offer 20,000 total BTUs for an excellent cooking performance even in colder climates.

This best beginner smoker is equipped with a pre-installed door seal to retain heat and reduce smoke loss for ideal cooking efficiency. It also has four height-adjustable cooking grates to provide 1,235 square inches of cooking space to smoke your favourite food effortlessly. You can easily adjust each grate to facilitate whatever type and size of food your heart wants.

Another excellent feature of this smoker is the removable rib rack that provides extra cooking flexibility. There is a pre-installed sausage hook along with the large capacity water bowl for ideal moisture inside the smoker.

The wood chip box is manufactured with heavy-gauge, porcelain-enamelled steel for a long time without any maintenance. Last but not least, there is a temperature gauge with a “smoke zone” to indicate the best temperature for infusing smoke flavour.

10. PIT BOSS 77435 Vertical Lp Gas Smoker

This digital gas vertical smoker by Pit Boss is well packed and easy to assemble. The parts of the smoker are durable and made from reliable material. Featuring two legs on the rear, this lightweight smoker is easy to transport for smoking your favourite foods. One excellent feature of this best beginner smoker is that it can quickly and consistently maintain temperature.

The unique dual value burner system includes a 3500 BTU burner for wood chips along with the 10,000 BTU burners for the cabinet. This dual system helps to adjust the wood burner temperature and the cabinet for a more consistent temperature. You can easily achieve a temperature range of 100-350 degrees Fahrenheit by using a single knob control. There are side dampeners to maintain a consistent temperature of about 225 Fahrenheit, which is best for smoking meat.

With a large cooking space of 884 square inches, you easily smoke a variety of dishes. There are four porcelain cooking grates that can be cleaned effortlessly using soap and water. The water tray has a decent size and can hold water for about 3 hours before another refill. The smoker also has a front loading slide-out tray that helps for convenient loading and refuelling without any burning issues. Last but not least, there is a large view window to monitor the status of your foods.

Important Things to Consider While Buying Best Beginner Smokers

As a beginner, it is difficult to decide which smoker is best for you. However, if you consider the following essential things before buying a smoker, you will surely end up buying the right smoker for your needs.

1. Budget
The most important thing is to decide your budget before looking for a smoker. The price of a quality smoker starts from $100 to $30,000. Being a beginner, you should not invest in an expensive smoker because you are about to start your journey. Try to choose the budget-friendly smoker that suits your needs and skill level. You can easily change it in the future after getting used to smokers.

2. Size
Size is another important aspect of a smoker that depends on your needs. For instance, you are a gathering buddy and love to cook for your friends, and then you should choose a large-sized smoker. However, the size of the smoker depends on your backyard, terrace, or kitchen. If you are looking to buy a smoker for a small space, a vertical smoker can be your best choice.

3. Temperature control
Controlling temperature for a beginner can be a real problem. However, there are smokers with a digital thermostat, which makes it easy to control and adjust the temperature according to the food. Make sure your smoker comes with a digital thermostat or meat probe thermometer.

4. Capacity
It depends on how much food you will be cooking and for how many people want to smoke food. If you have a small family or gathering, there is no need to invest in smokers with a bigger capacity. However, if you have friends, family, and neighbours at your home, it is wise to choose the large capacity smoker.

5. Easy to Clean
Whether you are an expert or a beginner, cleaning a smoker after-party is one of the toughest tasks. A lot of juices and grease make a mess on the grate and interior. Cleaning is very important for the best smoking experience. Make sure your smoker has easy to clean parts with a waterproof surface and detachable parts.

6. Versatility
A smoker with versatile features is always handy. Besides smoking, some smokers allow for grilling, baking, or braising. Many units are cookers, which mean you smoke and grill in the unit. Just remove the water pan and put on some grates, and enjoy the versatile features of a smoker.

Conclusion
Enjoying perfectly smoked food is easy if you choose the right smoker. It can be quite confusing at the beginning, but after some time, you will be able to smoke delicious food with perfection. All you need is to consider your skill level and budget and choose the best beginner smoker for your needs. Don’t forget to consider the manufacturing quality, features, and ease of use while selecting a quality smoker.