Best Gas Smoker Under 300

A smoker is one of the most fantastic ways to improve your meat. This is because you can infuse it with flavorful smoke to make it taste delicious and juicy even when it is cold. 

For people who love to eat meat, they must invest in a decent smoker; however, this often becomes quite a challenge considering all the high-end choices available in the market. 

A decent smoker will give you perfect results every time you use it, but a high-end smoker can be quite expensive. 

If you have roughly $300 to spend, there are a number of options available. This is why we’ve put together a list of the finest smokes under $300.

Best Gas Smoker Under 300 Reviews

Cuisinart COS-244 Gas Smoker Review

Looking to give your chicken breasts, stuffed mushrooms, or a thick cut of meat a smokey flavour? Look no further than the Cuisinart COS-244 Propane Smoker! 

With four stainless steel racks and a whopping 784 square inches of cooking surface, this smoker can handle anything you throw at it. Moreover, the racks are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

With its built-in thermometer, you can easily keep track of the temperature and make sure your food is cooked perfectly every time. 

The smoker also features a propane tank connector, so you don’t have to worry about running out of fuel in the middle of your smoking session.

The twist-lock handle seals the door tightly so your food remains moist and delicious. 

The porcelain-enamelled steel tray holds wood and water, ensuring that your food smokes evenly. Plus, the included 40-inch propane hose and regulator make it easy to get started.

Dyna-Glo DGY784BDP Gas Smoker Review

The Dyna-Glo DGY784BDP Gas Smoker is perfect for the at-home cook who wants to take their smoking game to the next level. 

This smoker has 4 adjustable steel wire racks, giving you a total of 784 square inches of cooking space. The 15,000 BTU cast iron burner ensures that your food will reach the perfect smoking temperature every time.

The electronic push-button ignition ensures that you’ll be able to start your smoker quickly, and the large control dial will help you maintain a constant temperature so your food never overcooks. Plus, the easy-to-use design means that anyone can use this smoker with ease.

The porcelain-enamelled steel wood chip box and water bowl help to create the ideal smoking environment.

The double-door design and sliding air dampers allow you to control the heat and smoke, while the temperature gauge ensures perfect results every time. 

With CSA certification, you know this smoker is up to the highest standards. And with a 1-year limited warranty, you can’t go wrong.

Pit Boss Grills 2 Series Gas Smoker Review

Pit Boss knows how to make a smoker. This 2 Series Gas Smoker is perfect for anyone who loves the taste of smoked meats, fruits, and vegetables. 

With four porcelain-coated cooking grids, you have plenty of space to cook up a storm. The 13,500 BTU burners ensure that your food will be cooked evenly and perfectly every time. 

Plus, the dual valve/dual burner system makes it easy to control the temperature so that you can always get the perfect smokey flavour.

With a temperature range of 100-350, it’s easy to find the perfect setting for your food. The wood chip drawer and grease tray make cleanup a breeze, while the push-button piezo ignition ensures quick and easy starts every time. 

With its large glass viewing window, you can keep an eye on your food while it smokes, and the fully sealed high temp door seal keeps the heat in so your food cooks evenly. Plus, the stylish red semi-gloss finish will look great in your backyard.

Masterbuilt 20051311 Gas Smoker Review

With Masterbuilt’s Gas Smoker, you can take your outdoor cooking to the next level. 

This smoker has four smoking racks, plenty of cooking space, and a push-button ignition so you can start smoking right away. 

The stainless steel burner and type 1 regulator ensure consistent smoking. 

This smoker is equipped with a porcelain-coated wood chip tray and water pan, ensuring even heat distribution and flavorful smoked food every time. 

The locked door prevents heat loss, and the cool touch wire handle keeps your hands safe. The built-in temperature gauge ensures accurate cooking every time. In addition, the sleek black design will complement any backyard.

Char-Broil Gas Smoker Review

The Char-Broil Gas Smoker is a perfect fit for all of your smoking, roasting and grilling needs. With custom design and ample cooking space, this smoker lets you cook up delicious turkey, ribs, roast – and more – in one go!

This smoker comes with TRU-Infrared technology, which eliminates flare-ups and ensures your food is cooked evenly from top to bottom. 

It has a large cooking area, so you can easily roast up to 25 lbs of meat or grill up to 180 square inches at once. 

This smoker features temperature control from 9,000 to 18,000 BTUs, making it easy to get the perfect smoked meal every time. 

The side-mounted smoker box makes adding wood chips a breeze, and the portable design means you can take your smoker with you wherever you go. 

The smoker is equipped with a removable grease tray and steel legs, making it easy to keep clean and stable. The hose with a regulator ensures consistent heat distribution. The two half shelves provide ample storage for tools and ingredients.

With two side-mounted carrying handles and a metal thermometer, this smoker is easy to move around and keep track of your food’s temperature. 

Plus, the included cover will help keep things clean and protected when you’re not using the smoker. 

So why wait? Get started on some finger-licking good smoked food with the Char-Broil Gas Smoker.

Masterbuilt MB20052318 Propane Smoker Review

Looking to take your smoking game up a notch? This Masterbuilt smoker is perfect for the job. 

With four chrome-coated smoking racks, a built-in temperature gauge, and a push-button ignition, you’ll be able to create delicious smoked meats and veggies with ease. 

The patented porcelain-coated flame disk bowl ensures even heat distribution and allows you to add wood chips without having to worry about them catching on fire. 

The 15,400 BTU stainless-steel burner provides more than enough power to get the job done.

Plus, the smoker’s compact size makes it perfect for any backyard barbecue.

Masterbuilt’s Smoke Hollow PS40B Propane Smoker Review

The Smoke Hollow PS40B is perfect for the smoker enthusiast who wants an easy-to-use smoker that delivers delicious, smoked meats every time. 

This smoker features 4 chrome-coated smoking racks, plenty of room to smoke up to four turkeys, twenty chickens, sixteen pork butts or eight racks of ribs. 

The 15,400 BTU stainless steel burner ensures that your food will come out perfectly smoked every time.

The smoker has push-button ignition and an adjustable air damper, making it easy to get your food just the way you like it. Plus, the legs add height for easy access, so you can easily cook large items.

With its compact size, the PS40B is ideal for small patios or balconies.

Features to Consider while Buying a Gas Smoker

If it is your first time buying a smoker, you would be overwhelmed by the number of options available. 

To assist you, we’ve created a list of features to think about when purchasing your smoker. These considerations will help you in narrowing down your options and selecting the best gas smoker for your money.

Size

What kind of party or event will you be preparing food for? If you are planning to cater a small get-together with friends, you will need a smoker with less cooking space. 

If you are planning to feed an entire family or a big group of people, you should buy a gas smoker with a big cooking capacity. Take note, however, that it is better to get a model with adjustable racks so you can increase or decrease the space inside the smoker.

BTUs or Burning Rate Per Hour

The British Thermal Unit (BTU) is a measurement of the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of one lb of liquid by one degree Fahrenheit.

You should check how many BTUs your smoker’s burner puts out. This measurement is an indicator of just how hot your smoker’s cooking chamber will be and on how fast it will heat up. 

Temperature Control

Temperature control is essential when smoking food. It ensures that the correct amount of heat is generated, which results in good quality meat. 

Choose a smoker that has accurate and simple-to-use temperature controls. Moreover, the temperature controls should be located in easy reach so you can adjust them while you are cooking.

Cooking Area Size

The cooking area size is also an important point to consider. A large cooking area allows you to cook a big batch of meat. It will also allow you to cook different types of meat at the same time. This is very convenient if you are preparing food for a party or event.

Number and Quality of Grates

You will need to check the number and quality of your smoker’s grates. The more numerous the grates are, the more you can cook at a time. You should also check the quality of the grates. It is vital that they are durable and rust-resistant as these will be exposed to heat and smoke.

Material Used for Construction

Check the material used for the construction of your smoker’s body. It has to be durable and rust-resistant, so it can hold up well even when exposed to heat and smoke.

Portability

You should check if your smoker is portable or not. If you are planning to take your smoker with you when you go camping, fishing, hunting, or tailgating, you should buy a lightweight and easy-to-transport smoker.

Easy to Use and Maintain

It is also important that you choose a smoker that is easy to use. You should check if the smoker has easy-to-read and understand controls. The smoker’s design should be straightforward, so it will be easy to figure out how it works. You should also look for a gas smoker that is easy to maintain and one that is free of crevices, seams, and cracks. 

Additional Features

There are smokers that offer more features than others. There are models that have water pans, nickel-plated grills, electronic ignition, and even built-in thermometers. Other smokers come with a side fire box for smoking more meat at the same time.

Warranty

Check the warranty on your smoker. It is usually preferable to get a product with a longer warranty. This gives you an assurance that the manufacturer has enough trust in their product.

Online Reviews 

One other thing that you might want to consider is online reviews. The majority of people post their reviews on the internet these days, which should give you an idea of whether the smoker you are planning to buy is good or bad. Reading online reviews will let you know if your desired model has any flaws or downsides. 

Price

Finally, check the price of your smoker. Remember that an expensive product does not necessarily guarantee high quality. 

Despite the hefty price tag of certain brands, they might not be able to deliver the performance you are looking for. If you want a product that works well and is reasonably priced, look for a well-priced smoker that has excellent reviews from previous buyers.

Some Tips on Using a Gas Smoker

Exhaust or vent the smoker

If your smoker is not vented, you need to create a means for excess fuel and combustion air to be exhausted through the smoker. This keeps the temperature down and reduces the risk of fire.

Add enough fuel before you start your fire

Pour in a full tank of propane. This should be more than enough to last through your cook.

Start the fuel

Use your smoker’s ignition method to start the fuel (the igniter). Many smokers have a piezo-electric igniter, but if the igniter is a flint lighter, be sure to have a lighter ready to use if the piezo-electric fails.

Light the fire

If you have a smoker with a separate firebox, wait for it to reach your desired temperature. For stoves with a fire grate, you can light the fuel from underneath by simply lighting it from below as if making a campfire.

Keep the fire small and hot

Allowing the fire to grow or go out is not a good idea. The smoker will lose all of its heat if it fails to light. This means that after opening the smoker door for inspection or adding fuel, it will take much longer to regain temperature.

Add more fuel when necessary

You can tell if your fire is getting too big or weak by looking at your flame and temperature reading. If you see a strong, roiling flame and the temperature is not rising to your desired setting, add more fuel. If the flame is weak or nonexistent, it is time to add more fuel.

Keep the fire tamed

If you see your fire is too strong, open the access door on the smoker just enough to let oxygen in. This will reduce the temperature and strength of the fire.

Do not open the access door more than necessary

Opening the access door lets out heat and oxygen. This increases the cooking time and leaves your fire exposed.

Keep an eye on your temperature 

Running low on fuel? No problem, just shut off the valve to kill the flow of gas. If you are using a smoker with electronic controls, you may need to reset some settings before continuing. You can still leave it open to examine the fire, but be careful not to let your fire get too hot.

Clean it up

When done cooking, shut off the fuel and leave the door open until all heat has left the smoker.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a gas smoker?

It’s an excellent choice for adding smoke flavour to foods without the hassle of getting the fire going. A lot of gas smokers take the form of offset smokers. They usually include two sections or chambers – one for food and one to hold the heat source (propane tank). 

What differentiates them from other smokers is that they don’t need charcoal or wood to generate smoke. They save you the hassle of lighting a fire and tending to it for several hours.

How does a gas smoker work?

The heat source used here is a propane tank, which burns longer and more evenly than charcoal. You control the heat output by regulating the propane flow. Some gas smokers also use electricity to power the heating element.

Are gas smokers safe to use?

Gas smokers are generally safer than other types of smokers since they don’t use fire to generate smoke. Although, you should always double-check the instructions of the smoker before using it since there might be additional safety features that you need to familiarize yourself with. 

Which is better: a Gas Smoker or a Pellet Smoker?

Each type of smoker has its advantages and disadvantages. Gas smokers are usually less expensive than pellet smokers but tend to be heavier and bulkier. 

Pellet smokers are usually easier to light and keep the temperature steady but tend to be more expensive. You should evaluate your needs and then decide which smoker is best for your particular situation.

What are the benefits of a gas smoker?

Gas smokers are fast, easy and convenient. Not to mention they are cheap compared to other smokers – charcoal and wood pellet ones. With the money you save on fuel cost, you can buy more food for your family.

What are the disadvantages of a gas smoker?

One drawback to this type of smoker is that it can never produce an authentic smoky flavour that you get from a charcoal or wood pellet smoker. 

Gas smokers also only offer the most basic of features – not much control over the temperature. On the other hand, burners that are not exactly level can cause significant temperature fluctuations in your smoker.

What can you cook on a gas smoker?

Just about everything! Gas smokers are especially good for adding smoke flavour to meat, fish and poultry. They can also be used as a grill or oven for roasting vegetables, baking bread and smoking cheese.

Are gas smokers easy to maintain?

To keep your gas smoker in good condition, wash the cooking grates with a wire brush after every use. Some models come with water pans, and these should be emptied after each use. 

Always remember to check that the gas level of your propane tank is between 1/4 and 1/2. Never overfill it.

Is it necessary to season the smoker before use?

Yes, you should always read your user manual and follow its instructions on how to prepare your smoker before its first use.

What are the best things to cook in a gas smoker?

Turkey, brisket, beef ribs and salmon fillets are some of the most popular foods that you can cook using a gas smoker.

Conclusion

All in all, a gas smoker is a great investment if you want a fun and simple way to add smoke flavour to your foods. It is a perfect choice for those who don’t want to fuss too much with coals and wood chips.

It lets you enjoy delicious smoked food, such as ribs and pulled pork, to mouth-watering salmon fillets. It’s also ideal for individuals looking for a less expensive and more economical unit.

And having this smoker by your side allows you to experiment with various flavors and tastes, letting you find your perfect match.

It’s also simple to use and clean, so any beginner should have no problem controlling and monitoring this unit. 

Before purchasing a gas smoker, always do your research and become familiar with all of the features. You can also check our article on the Best Gas Smoker Under 200.