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As, you have made up your mind to purchase your very own first smoker but your mind is unable to decide which one to buy since there are a lot of options available.
This guide will assist you to find the best smoker for a beginner like you. With the help of this guide you will also gain knowledge regarding the various varieties of smokers available. Each and every smoker has its benefits and drawbacks so therefore read the entire guide in order to avoid the disappointment of purchasing a junky smoker.
The perfect charcoal smoker grill for beginners – Weber Smokey Mountain 18-Inch Safe Review
- Charcoal smoker grill for genuine smokehouse taste at home.
- Rust-proof aluminum heat guard
- Built with glass-lined steel; heat-proof nylon handle
- two nickel-plated 18.5 -inch-wide cooking grill grates which are 481 square inches in size.
In terms of price it is not possible to outdo the Weber Smokey Mountain for your very first smoker grill. The quality of this product is of superior standard. These products remain FOREVER.
You can select from three different sizes ranging from 14 inches to 18 and 22”.
The 18’’ smoker grill gets a thumps up from this guide as it is a little better to maintain a steady temperature. As the 22″ can get slightly hotter.
The bullet shape gives it a tiny footprint which also makes it appear pretty slim, you get a set of two cooking racks thereby doubling your area of cooking over 481 square inches. With this smoker you can feed a group of twelve people easily
These smoker grills have been there throughout. This particular design was introduced in the year 1981 and with each passing year numerous improvements have been made to it.
Reasons why the Smokey Mountain is the ultimate beginner smoker :
Temperature control becomes easier for beginners because of the design of the water smoker. – As the water vessel is placed in-between the cooking grates and the coals it plays the role of a heat sink. By way of which humidity is added to the smoke chamber thus helping in stabilizing the temperature.
This smoker is multi-functional –although it is a perfect beginner smoker, a number of highly experienced chefs prefer to upgrade to the Smokey Mountain smoker grill as they get fed up of screwing on a low-cost offset smoker.
Even the best use it –it is not a product that is generally used at the backyard by amateur cooks but it is one which is used by professional cooks. These professional cooks cook in barbecue teams at various competitions. They compete with smokers prices at $15,000+ and are very much capable of winning awards and a huge amount of prize money.
Third party modifications –there are a number of smart was to modify and improve your Webber Smokey Mountain.
You may be thinking whether charcoal is suitable for amateur cooks. It is a fact that initially it will be it will be difficult to get the right temperature and lighting the charcoal but as time passes you will master both.
The WSM makes learning less difficult (and it’s a lot of fun if you like being outdoors playing along with fire). It can keep the temperatures incredibly consistent for hours together with very less babysitting. Once I kept a brisket lit at midnight and woke up at 7 am and found the temperature exactly at 225°F.
The only problem which this smoker is likely to have is, is with its tacky aluminum door because of which smoke can leak out. This problem is not a major one, it can be easily sorted by fixing a gasket kit.
The ultimate affordable electric smoker grill :
- SALE of the Masterbuilt 30” Automated Electric Smoker
- Masterbuilt 30’’ Digital Electric Smoker grill
- Digital panel regulates on/off, controls temperature and the time
- It consists of Four chrome-coated smoking racks. An air damper which can be adjusted in order to control smoke.
- It has a patented wood chip loading system at the side. Wood chips can be added without the smoker door being opened, this Masterbuilt digital smoker grill is perfect for a person who is just beginning to learn to smoke meat.
The inbuilt digital thermometer makes it possible for you to choose the temperature you want without bothering about the charcoal or fire at a consistent temperature.
All you need to do is just plug it into an electrical switchboard once this is done you can start cooking.
You can get this smoker in a varied range of configurations. You can select from the 30 inches or the 40 inches with a window or without one.
The window which is in the front seems like it would be helpful, but as per our experience it just gets soiled. The window is not of much use the safest way to check if your food is well done is only with an excellent temperature probe system.
I’m sure your neighbor will possibly think that the window looks cool so we shall not knock you for buying it anyway.
Unlike some of the low-cost smoker grills the Masterbuilt is insulated fairly well and should give a fair performance if the weather is colder.
What we prefer :
A spacious cooking space –You get a huge 730 Sq. inches of cooking area along with the 30’’ model. This is nearly the same as the 22’’ Smokey Mountain which is the largest of its type. And you get this for a fraction of its cost.
Easy temperature controls –Meat can be smoked from 100 to 275°F, this is a preferable range which makes the Masterbuilt unit useful for a wide variety of smoking situations.
Accessorize your smoker –Masterbuilt sells a wide variety of selectable accessories’ which even includes a cold smoking accoutrement. Great if you would prefer to try out cold smoking.
You can purchase any type of wood chips from a hardware store in your locality, or order various types from online stores like Amazon including pecan, apple, maple, mulberry and oak. The effect of the various kinds of wood chips is debatable, but it’s amazing to see how tweaking tiny elements affect the flavor.
The main problem you may face is the imprecise temperature probe. These issues are pretty common as a lot of manufactures use low-cost probes, it will be better if you buy your own thermometer.
The electric smoker grill like this will have many parts that will give way as compared to the charcoal so smoker there is a great risk of encountering problems of brittle buttons or computation errors.
The Masterbuilt is not a flawless smoker, and it will certainly not impress a person who is traditional in nature. Nevertheless if you want to have a barbecue at ease the Masterbuilt is a good low-cost option to begin with.
The finest pellet smoker grill for beginners – Traeger Junior Elite Smoker Grill Review
- No need to use charcoal or Gas ever again: Food cooked with wood tastes delicious. Traeger developed the first wood pellet grill which is the best way to get wood-fire flavour
- Flexible Barbecue Cooking: Low and medium heat, hot, fast and high heat this Traeger Junior Elite pellet smoker grill provides six in one versatility to braise, bake, bbq food, smoke, roast and grill food to a luscious perfection.
- Get perfectly Grilled food every time : The combined Digital Elite Controller maintains the temperature between +/-20°F thus enabling to set the temperature of the grill as simple as rotating a dial.
- The Traeger Junior Elite pellet smoker grill has its place among the most costly variety of smokers. Most of its models are our amateur price category.
- Traeger Junior Elite pellet smoker comes with a promise of “set it and forget it” this is absolutely appealing to beginner smokers as this smoker does not have the some of the flaws that the electric or gas smokers have.
- Traeger Junior Elite pellet smoker give y’all end number of benefits at an affordable price.
- It is plenty portable though it is built tough.
The pellet smoker has a cooking surface of 300 Sq. inches and this is not the largest grill we offer. We also have larger smoker grills on our list, if you have to cook for a huge group it is apt to consider another option.
For a lot of people this smoker will be much larger than required. Portability gives you back what you give up in terms of space.
What we prefer :
Thermostatically controlled –This feature makes the smoker grill more precise, you can leave it without any harm to cook all night long without bothering about the temperature hike. As this smoker is well equipped with a inbuilt digital thermostat, this smoker provides precise temperature readings in actual time which is easily visible.
Highly Portable Design –it weighs only 60 pounds, and admeasures 36’’ x 18’’ x 37’’, this smoker is very convenient to store and carry from one place to another.
It comes with a warranty of 3 years –Traeger supports its product by providing a warranty of 3 years. Different parts of the grill all its aspects are secured under this warranty.
The construction of this smoker is done with heavy duty steel which should be capable of withstanding a lot wear and tear.
The main problem we found with the Traeger is that its legs need to be a little more stable, you should be careful if you plan on shifting it.
This is not a great disappointment against the Traeger, but at times it can be a little difficult to find smoker pellets. Unlike charcoal as it can be easily available at the hardware store next door or at the gas station.
Having said that, it’s a lot easy to shop online and stock up a wide variety of the different kinds of wood pellets available. You can select from a wide range of different kinds of wood if you prefer to experiment with various flavors.
You actually pay for the ease of use. You just have to plug it in an electric outlet, select the temperature you desire add the wood pellets and you’ll be smoking in some minutes.
The best gas smoker for amateurs – Smoke Hollow 36 Review
- Large, easy to cleanse, viewing window made of tempered glass
- Latest! Large quantity external-loading wood chip tray for Smokey flavor.
- Four chrome-plated shelves for cooking with adjustable height for grilling.
- The Smoke Hollow is available in different sizes (from a 26’’ compact right up to a gigantic 44’’)
- For the purpose of this we prefer the 36 inches model which has a window.
You can get excellent temperature control from a smoker of medium size. It is very important to be able to maintain a consistent temperature easily. If you are just beginning, inefficient temperature control can spoil a lot of grilled meals while you master the art of a woodchip smoker or a charcoal one.
The front window is not a necessary feature (no one would actually sit and watch over meat for like 8 hours), but checking the how the meat looks with the door closed can be handy.
What we appreciated :
Adjustable cooking arrangement –with Four flexible chrome-plated shelves for cooking you can make the best possible use of the 3 ft³ cooking space it does not matter what you are grilling. Supposing you are smoking a brisket or a turkey just move the shelves and place the sausage or spare ribs on the other shelves.
Maintains temperature well –temperature can be easily controlled but if there is a lot of wind the smoker will have to be positioned carefully or you may have to make a wind break.
The only thing we could complain about is the gas regulator, in case it is not connected to the tank in the right manner it can cause problems. It can result in the flame getting out.
This can be fixed easily if you make sure to assemble it correctly as per the instructions. The point at which the burner and the regulator meet a tiny screen and a screw is present which can be used to cut off the air supply.
Since 2005 the Smoke Hollow variety of gas smokers are in the market. It is more preferable to purchase from a company that is sure to be in the market.
The warranty period of a year is fairly basic if you apply your mind correctly nothing should actually go wrong.
Without a doubt, Weber is the elite when it comes to charcoal grills. Negative reviews about the unit are frivolous and talk nothing about its performance.
If you are looking for a long lasting grill then the Weber is the right one for you.
The bargainer’s budget gas smoker grill – The Char-Broil Vertical Gas Smoker Grill Review
- It consists of 595 square inches of cooking space along with three chrome plated grills.
- 7,566 in³ of cooking area.
- Heating the rack, above the smoker chamber.
- At the total cost a better value can be got with different other smoker grills, this Vertical Gas Smoker by Char-Broil usually goes on exclusive (dissimilar to the Webber)
- If you get a 20-40% discount on it then it is a decent beginner smoker.
This cabinet has a classic design with two doors one accessing the cooking chamber (three shelves + a heating shelf) and the other which leads to the wood tray and the water pan.
Char –Broil has its base in the United States and is very famous for manufacturing budget grills and smokers .
A few people have reported problems of the leakage of smoke and heat from the rifts in the cabinet door. This should not result in actual problems (other than costing you slightly more in terms of fuel). Fortunately the 16,500 British thermal unit propane burner is fairly efficient.
What we appreciated :
Large capacity –with a cooking surface of 595 square inches you can work in between the 18 inches Smokey Mountain and the 22 inches Smokey Mountain. That particular figure is slightly deceptive though. Width wise this is a comparatively compact smoker, you can find it difficult to place a full rack of ribs so you should certainly consider what you want to smoke.
In terms of price it is difficult to fault the Char-Broil smoker excessive though. Particularly if you can avail of it on special.