We all love barbecue, who doesn’t? Cooking a true barbecue without putting pressure on your pocket requires the best budget smokers. Generally, smokers come in various types in different ranges. We have tried to cover each type of smoker within a fixed budget in the article. Choosing the right smoker within your budget depends on many things like your food preferences, availability of particular fuel, designs suited for your backyard, etc. We will explain different kinds of smokers to you. Also, we will inform you of their pros and cons. Barbecuing is an art and it does require certain tools along with knowledge and experience.
Barbecuing is fun, a perfect barbecue station in your backyard is what you need need to recharge yourself. “Low and Slow” is the key of barbecuing. Since there are countless options and different preference of barbecue lovers, choosing the perfect smoker becomes a daunting task. There are different types of smokers in the market. Some are vertical while others are horizontal. They come in different shapes as well. Some are round, some are bullet shaped, while others are in form of boxes or barrels. Stacking of edible items is also different in different smokers. Whether you are a professional or just a starter having the best budget smokers in your backyard is going to give you the best barbecuing experience ever.
Best budget smokers
[table “” not found /]Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker
Weber Smokey Mountain is one of the best budget smokers in the market. It is designed brilliantly keeping the whole process of barbecuing in mind. Monitoring of internal temperature is done by a built-in lid thermometer. Heat is the most important thing which must be controlled and monitored while barbecuing. The high-temperature silicon grommet gives you easy access into the smoker with a temperature probe. You have to keep the edibles moist and tender while barbecuing as the first rule. The porcelain-enamelled water pan does you that job by adding steam in the smoking process.
Temperature monitoring is not enough while cooking, you have to control it as well. Controlling temperature in an electric or propane grill is easy, while in charcoal smoker it has its own challenges. Weber has overcome these challenges with rust-resistant fuel door and air dampers. The aluminium door makes the fuel control easy while air dampers control the airflow when smoking. To make things even better the porcelain-enamelled charcoal chamber keeps your fuel arranged in such a manner that the temperature is always under your control.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Beginner Friendly. | 👎 Have to get down on the ground to add new charcoal. |
| 👍 Portable. | |
| 👍 Easy Cleaning. |
Weber 741001 Original Kettle
If you are looking for high performance best budget smokers Weber 741001 is going to be your first choice. You shall not underestimate this smoker due to its compact design. With its compact design, the smoker gives you 363 square inches of total cooking space. However, this smoker requires a lot of charcoal to make it usable. It does come with a handy measuring cup to control charcoal consumption.
The charcoal grate lacks height adjustability. But it is compensated with zonal grilling which gives you a hotter and a cooler side to grill. The lid with Glass-Reinforced nylon handle adds a protective shield between your fingers and lid. The best feature of this smoker is “one touch cleaning system”. It is a little device in the bottom of the smoker which helps you in scooping out the ash. The device is made of high-quality aluminium making it long lasting and durable.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Adjustable damper. | 👎 Flimsy legs. |
| 👍 Easy to clean. | |
| 👍 363 square inches cooking space. |
Char-Griller 2-2424 Table Top Charcoal Grill
When you think about best budget smokers in the small size you can’t ignore Char-Griller 2-2424. The smoker is made of heavy steel and weighs only 39 pounds which is quite impressive. This cylinder-shaped portable smoker looks pretty old school. The only issue you will feel with the design is that legs are not foldable. But that doesn’t create any issue in storage due to its size and weight. The adjustable dampers take care of temperature control which is essential for any smoker. It comes with a removable ash pan which makes coal and ash cleaning very easy for you.
You can connect it to all char-griller barrel grills as a side firebox as well. But you must remember that you can go from a grill to a side firebox, but once done you cannot go back to the grill. The unit is ideal for serious and professional grillers along with new users. The stay-cool wood handle makes the operating easy without burning your fingers. The whole unit is porcelain-enamel coated making it easy for you to clean. You can take out all the debris in a single wipe.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Duel use as a grill or a smoker. | 👎 Limitations on the duel usage. |
| 👍 Very Durable. | |
| 👍 Easy to Clean. |
Masterbuilt 20071117 30″ Electric Smoker
Masterbuilt 2007117 is one of the best budget smokers for quality and performance. This digital smoker gives you high-quality professional level results in your backyard. Operating it is easy and free of any hassle. You just need to plug in the smoker and it is ready to use. The digital panel controls allow you to turn the smoker on and off, set the temperature and time. With its integrated thermostat temperature control, it gives you even consistent grilling and smoking.
The fully insulated system locks the heat and smoke inside. Four chrome-coated smoking racks give you enough space for cooking and smoking all your favourite recipes. It also has a water bowl which can add moisture and flavour to the edible. Along with controlling moisture it also catches excess dripping and transfers it to a removable drip pan. The best feature of this unit is its wood chip loader. You don’t need to open the smoker to load smoking chips anymore. You can control the amount of smoke with air damper according to your need.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Patented wood-chip loading system. | 👎 Fairly expensive. |
| 👍 Higher food capacity. | |
| 👍 Great for beginners and experts. |
Dyna-Glo DGX780BDC-D Charcoal Smoker
Dyna-Glo DGX780BDC-D is one of the best budget smokers in a vertical box design. You can use it both for smoking and grilling. The unit provides you with 784 square inches of total cooking area. There are 4 cooking grates which properly utilizes the provided cooking area. The unit is separated into two parts. One part contains cooking grates and temperature gauge. Another part is the charcoal chamber having the charcoal grate and removable ash pan creating the perfect charcoal and ash management system.
The unit is beautifully designed with steel constructions which ensures durability. The removable ash pan is capable of handling a large amount of ash which gives you the minimum trouble of removing ash. Heat and smoke control is taken care of in the design. The stainless temperature gauge comes with smoke zone indicator which gives you the ideal temperature for a smokey flavour. Minimum loss of heat is something unique which this smoker has achieved with its classy double door design.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Easy to use and maintain. | 👎 Not advised to be used in poorly ventilated place. |
| 👍 Long-lasting equipment. | |
| 👍 Minimal heat loss. |
Best budget smokers buyer’s guide
There is a lot of information and suggestion on smokers on the internet. When you are planning to buy the smoker the excess information about the product and its features often confuse you. In this guide we will discuss smokers, their types, pros and cons of each type, and some important factors to consider while buying.
Types of smokers based on fuel
Based on fuel there are four types of smokers. Each type of smoker has its own benefits and losses. Before going into details, if you are looking for taste no other smoker can beat the taste of charcoal and wood smokers.
Charcoal and Wood Smoker
These are simplest, most authentic taste producing smoker grills. They use charcoal or wood as fuel. They produce the most authentic tasting BBQ which is only matched by pallet smokers. You can also experiment with different types of woods for a different taste in them. These smokers are simple in design hence easy to clean and maintain. Due to their simplicity in design they rarely break down, thus rarely requires repairs. Controlling the flame and temperature is also very easy. The only disadvantage to them is since they produce a lot of smoke, they need open space to operate.
Electric Smoker
Electric smokers are powered by electricity. These smokers are the easiest to use and control the temperature. Though they require some wood or charcoal to produce smoke for the smokey flavour. The taste produced by them can’t be compared with charcoal or even gas smokers. These smokers are quite expensive.
Gas Smoker
Gas smokers generally use propane as fuel. They work on the set and forget principle. You don’t have to worry much about temperature control and they produce better taste than electric smokers. They are more expensive than wood smokers and less expensive than electric smokers. You can easily achieve a high temperature in gas smokers. The only major disadvantage to them is they require regular repairs since they have many small parts.
Pellet Smoker
Pellet smokers are the hybrid version of wood and electric smokers. These smokers are high tech smokers. They use wood as fuel which is ignited by an electric oven. These are pretty complex units and are quite expensive. Pellet smokers are digitally controlled, with automatic pellet feed, igniter and circulation fan. With these smokers, you can grill and smoke for a certain time at a certain temperature. Then raise or lower the heat for another period. The whole system is basically an indirect convection oven.
Important Factors for Best Budget Smokers
Every smoker has its own properties. But there are some factors which you must not forget while choosing the best budget smokers.
Price
Price is the first thing you must check. If it’s not in your budget move for next. Generally, you will get you perfect smoker ranging from 100$ to 200$.
Temperature Control
Temperature control is the key while smoking your BBQ. Most smokers come with a temperature gauge to inform you about internal temperature and smoke.
Storage and Size
Before purchasing a smoker you should think about where you are going to use it. Whether you need portability or not.
Capacity
You also need to think about how much you are going to cook. For how many people you are going to cook. Can it take the whole chicken or turkey at once?
Drip pan
Generally, meat drips fat as they cook. Sometimes water bowl act as drip pans as well in absence of a proper drip pan.
Cleaning
Cleaning is essential for a smoker. You must choose a smoker which is easy to clean.
Conclusion
Best10lab has explained almost everything which you may need to buy your best budget smokers. Although choosing a smoker completely depends on personal preferences the guide has pointed out important things which you need to know before making the purchase. Don’t buy based on looks. Buy based on ease of handling and produced taste.