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Identifying the Best Smoker for Beginners

Last Updated: June 20, 2019

Identifying the Best Smoker for Beginners

Your guide for this review today is by product expert James Hoffman

You just can’t beat the taste of a well-smoked brisket, but they can require a bit of effort to make. A quality smoker can help make the process easier and ensure that your meal comes out tasting great. As we continue our reviews post, today we will tackle what is the best smoker for beginners.

Although if you are truly new to dealing with smokers, we advise you to also read our smokers 101 in conjunction with this post.

When buying the best smoker for beginners, a budget constraint is totally normal.

Hence, you may not want to spend the big bucks on a huge smoker just yet.

There are plenty of smaller options that will help you get the hang of the smoking process as well as save money over the larger, more expensive options.

This article will go over three popular beginner’s smoker options so that you can make an informed decision on which is the best for you.

Char-Broil 30 Offset – Smoker Barbecue

It has a cooking surface of 477 square inches in the main chamber, and the firebox chamber has around 140 square inches of space for cooking.

It’s designed to be heavy duty with square legs and steel construction. You’ll also get the benefit of adjustable heat control that will help you to get just the right temperature.

It’s also made to allow you to be able to clean out as well as replenish wood chips and water easily.

This is a lightweight, highly budget-friendly smoker that provides a great opportunity for those who are just starting out.

You’ll be able to try out smoking without having to sink a lot of money into it.

Furthermore, if you find you aren’t a fan of smoking food, then you’ll still be able to use it as a grill or barbecue.

Customers have experienced issues with putting it together on occasion but largely have enjoyed this smoker.

It is hands down a top choice for the best smoker for beginners.

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Specification:

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REC TEC Grills RT-700 Bundle WiFi Enabled Portable Wood Pellet Grill

While this option is a bit more expensive than the others on this list, at around the $1500.00 range, it does come with a larger cooking space.

The REC TEC Grills RT-700 Bundle WiFi Enabled Portable Wood Pellet Grill provides a large cooking area. Meaning you’ll be able to cook quite a bit at one time.

This grill also has the ability to set the temperature between 200 and 500 ºF in 5-degree increments.

This is a very useful smoker that you can pack up and use just about anywhere. It’s great for keeping a constant temperature and is easy to set up.

It does have a relatively expensive shipping cost for the benefit of having it delivered through Amazon, but it definitely one of the best smoker for beginners options on the market.

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Specification:

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Char-Griller Akorn Jr. Kamado Kooker Charcoal Grill

CharGriller-Akorn-Jr-Kamado-Kooker-Charcoal-Grill-1

The Kamado Kooker comes in at under $150.00, setting it right in between the two other options on this list.

It’s not highly expensive, but it does have a lot to offer. With this grill, you’ll be able to get 153 square inches of cooking area, even heating and an easy dump ash pan to make cleanup simple.

It offers air dampers both on the top and bottom so that you can easily control the temperature. It’s known to hold heat well and provide a high level of portability so that you can take it camping, to the park, or even tailgating.

While the cooking surface is relatively small, this smoker can get incredibly hot. It’s also very easy to keep clean and can save you money on fuel, helping it to more than pay for itself.

It can be difficult to assemble, but there are a number of how-to videos on the internet that can help you out.

Key Features:

Specification:

Pros

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Recap

Each of these three smokers can offer you a lot in the way of benefits. They all come with advantages and disadvantages all their own, which can help you when deciding what features are going to be most important to you.

The one you choose will largely depend on the amount of cooking space you want as well as the amount you’re willing to spend to get started.

It’s also a good idea to keep in mind whether or not you may want to be able to use it in places other than your home.

No matter which you choose, you’ll be sure to get a great cooking tool that can help you cook delicious meals.

We hope you enjoyed this post on the best smoker for beginners.

And, please read our reviews section for other posts such as this one!

Also make sure you take a look at our buying guide for more.