The Best Charcoal Smokers for 2020

The charcoal smoker is my favorite type of smoker, which I use the most often, so I do have quite an experience on the topic.

It requires some skills and time, but the results are definitely worth it. Of course the modern models are so perfected at this point that there is no reason to be afraid of this type of smoker if you’re a beginner.

Depending on the type, it comes with plenty of upsides as well as downsides, which is why I decided to prepare a list of several best charcoal smokers in order to make it easier for you to choose the right model.

A well built charcoal smoker makes it possible to easily maintain a fixed temperature over many hours without much effort. Since there are many different types of charcoal smokers out there, I have also prepared a short guide to each of them.

This relatively inexpensive smoker allows to compete with much more expensive models. A proof of that is WSM’s presence among many competition barbecue teams where the participants usually have much more expensive equipment.

Weber Smokey Mountain can be divided into three parts. At the very bottom you will find the charcoal bowl and right above it is the water bowl. Located above it is the cooking area which consists of grill grates and the front door access located in the middle part of the smoker.

Above it all, there’s only the characteristic dome lid which has a built-in thermometer on it, allowing you to monitor the temperature inside the smoker.

For precise temperature monitoring, I recommend a solid and proven thermometer for smoker, this is a must if you are thinking about smoking.

The most significant difference, however, is the way you cook on both smokers.

WSM was designed with smoking meat on grill grates in mind, whereas PBC utilizes the much more popular method of smoking meat on a system of hooks.

When it comes to all the others most significant aspects of both models, however, everything is at a similarly high level. I’m mostly talking about effectiveness, quality of workmanship and most of all durability, and all of that is available at a similarly affordable to everyone price.

Therefore, which one of them you choose mostly depends on your cooking style. Both models are popular enough to offer a lot of interesting accessories as well as plenty of guides on the Internet.

You can buy a few times cheaper kamado made of steel that offers effectiveness and insulation close to the ceramic versions. However, in a long term it is not a good investment due to the risk of corrosion, which occurs as early as during the first few years of use, which is why I recommend models made of ceramics.

Since this is a versatile device, you need to know that a kamado works much better as a grill, being able to reach the highest temperatures among all the types of grills.

However, for now let’s focus on smoking since this is why I placed Kamado Joe Classic II on my list.

Thanks to its great insulation, it easily maintains a fixed temperature ( over many hours ) and gives the food a wonderful, intense flavor. Temperature control consists of adjusting the air vents located at the bottom of the smoker and on top of the lid.

It’s not a joke, when the right techniques are used, a weber kettle allows to get smoking results equal to those from a dedicated smoker. Of course it does require some skills but you can learn all of that from one of the many videos or guides available online.

Let me repeat, if you mostly care about smoking then it would be a much better solution to save enough money to buy a typical charcoal smoker such as PBC or WSM.

Weber kettle premium is a very well-made high-quality grill covered with whole 10 years of manufacturer’s warranty. It is lightweight and portable plus it doesn’t take much space in the backyard. Depending on your needs, you have three different sizes to choose from.

I value Weber Kettle a lot for its very huge offer of separately sold accessories as well as different modifications that only increase the versatility of this grill.

A very good charcoal smoker is something necessary in real BBQ. There is no point wasting time and bothering with smoking on a badly designed and poor-quality device. Luckily for you, the offer of charcoal smokers these days is very large which makes it possible to find something great at a low price.

If you have no idea where to start then start by reading all of my tips that you will find below.

First and foremost, you will learn what was my point of reference when creating my list of the best charcoal smokers and what to pay attention to when buying your first charcoal smoker.

I have a lot of experience with every type of smoker, in the past I have conducted tests on all types of charcoal smokers. This allowed me to collect a lot of information on each type, which made writing this guide much easier.

I made a list of the best models for each type, then I only picked the ones that met my expectations 100%. As I have already mentioned before, I know each type of smoker very well, which is why I know exactly what to pay attention to.

When selecting, however, I also took the price to quality, functionality and effectiveness ratio into account. That way you can find brilliant models here that really don’t cost a lot while working great for smoking.

I actually already knew that every smoker taking part in my tests is great, but I really wanted to compare them in practical tests. As you can see, my list includes representatives of different types of smokers, which made this very important to me.

I decided to prepare the most popular types of meat such as ribs or even a whole chicken.

I started by getting the fire burning, I measured and evaluated how fast each of the models can reach the right temperature and estimated whether this process goes smoothly, quickly and conveniently.

After reaching the right temperature I started smoking and I monitored the whole process while keeping the conditions perfect ( fixed temperature ). Once I was done smoking I moved on to rating the results and obviously cleaning up.

All of the above activities made it clear to me which of the models is the most convenient, which is the fastest, which is the easiest to use etc. That way I made the final selection and chose what I believed to be the best models both for beginners as well as advanced users.

Choosing a new charcoal smoker mostly depends heavily on your style of cooking and budget. These two aspects alone, however, won’t make you sure when shopping, which is why I prepared a short list of things to pay attention to when shopping.

Budget – If you have a very limited budget then a good solution will be buying a versatile Weber Kettle. If you only care about smoking, though I advise you to save up enough money to buy a PBC or WSM. You should definitely forget about a ceramic kamado if you don’t have a thick wallet.

Size – Remember that size has a huge impact on the final price of a smoker. On top of that, the bigger the model the heavier it is, as well as less mobile and more fuel-consuming. Typical charcoal smokers tend to take more space, although there are models available in several sizes ( even small ones ).

Cooking Style – It is crucial when choosing a charcoal smoker. For example, WSM was mostly designed with smoking on grill grates in mind, whereas PBC for example was designed with smoking meat on hooks in mind. Of course both models will work well in both cases but it’s a good idea to pay attention to what was the main purpose they were built for. Depending on the type, certain models are great for “slow and low” smoking, whereas others for hot & fast smoking.

Cooking area – You smoke a whole lot of meat including whole chickens for example? You’re going to need something bigger, a regular kettle grill or kamado won’t cut it. Choose a dedicated charcoal smoker if you need a lot of space for a low price, such as WSM or PBC.

Convenience – If you want convenient smoking then go for a dedicated smoker that was designed with smoking and nothing else in mind. Because of that, the construction of such smoker allows for a very effective air flow control and in turn easy temperature control. Certain models are so well made that they can maintain a fixed temperature over many hours without much contribution.

Versatility and gadgets – You expect something more than just a regular charcoal smoker? Every model on my list is versatile and comes with many interesting gadgets. All the popular models have the upside of plenty of interesting gadgets and modifications being available for them ( sold separately ).

Quality and warranty – If you can’t see for yourself and touch the smoker that interests you then the best indicator of quality is the manufacturer’s warranty. When buying online, pay attention to the manufacturer’s warranty period, the longer it is the better for you. On top of that, you should really check out other people’s reviews for a particular model and manufacturer.