I think we can all agree that one of life’s simple pleasures is successfully cooking a great meal. That can mean a lot of different things to different people, but whether that means cooking the perfect steak or crafting the perfect salad dressing, there is a palpable sense of pride that takes over when you know you’ve succeeded.
Some foods are easier to knock out of the park than others, however, and when you are able to nail a dish that requires some difficulty for the home cook then your pride may swell to even greater levels. Something, to us at least, that qualifies as “difficult” for the home cook is to smoke a perfect piece of meat. Whether it be chicken, beef, or pork, it takes a deft touch and a tremendous amount of patience and practice to get these things right.
Sure, you could always go out and buy smoked meat from a number of decent to great bbq joints, but there’s no real pride in that is there? No there is not. Once you’ve got that bbq bug in you it’s tough to shake. It’s tough to always find the right products to take on these sorts of challenges at home too. In the world of bbq you often see a lot of homemade rigs and massive custom jobs. While these look cool, they’re certainly not the most practical or affordable for someone who wants to cook meat as a hobby instead of a profession.
For that reason, we wanted to discuss what we have determined to be the best smokers for home use. There were a few criteria we wanted to fill here to make sure that these are actually useful for the home, not just to pay lip service to the idea. The three we have picked out are all upright type smokers that take up only a small parcel of your backyard. They should all be able to fit onto your patio and allow you to maneuver and still enjoy the space you have.
The three here vary in quality as well, ranging from one of the better smokers out there to something that’s fairly rudimentary. What they all will do for you, though, is smoke meat and do it deliciously. No matter the smoker you have, if you don’t know what you’re doing than your meat will taste like shoe leather. We always recommend getting some practice in with some cheaper cuts before you start to step up to the more expensive fare.
These smokers are all from brands we have discussed in the past and are labels we trust in terms of producing a quality product that won’t fall apart on you within six months. If you’re someone whose been at this thing awhile, you may want to step up to something a little more expensive and higher quality. If you’re someone who’s just looking to get their feet wet and this is your first foray into bbq’ing, then it may be better to try something lower in the cost category. You never know, you may end up hating it (you won’t, by the way) and you don’t want to be out a couple hundred bucks on something you never plan on doing again.
With all of that in mind, please read over our reviews of the three best smokers for home use. There will be something in here for any level of skill and interest. All of these are perfectly suited, size wise, for home use so there’s no need to worry there. Don’t forget to check out the best smoking accessories afterwards, to further your addiction!
Best Smokers for Home Use
Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-Inch Charcoal Smoker, Black
The first smoker we thought would be great for home use was this offering from Weber. They’ve been at this bbq thing for a long time and continually produce high quality products. This particular smoker is not exception as it provides everything you could possibly want for home use. It’s fairly small, but you can still get a good amount of meat on it while it will only leave a fairly small footprint on your property.
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On top of that, this is the highest quality of the three smokers we took a look at. Using porcelain enameled steel, it’s built from the best materials and truly will cook some of the best meat you’ve ever had. If you’re someone who’s quite into smoking and is looking for something to take your game to the next level, then we highly recommend this smoker. It’s got all the trappings of a top-quality rig and will assist you in getting to the next level of meat smoking, aka nirvana.
Masterbuilt 20060416 Charcoal Bullet Smoker
the next smoker we wanted to take a look at was this one from Masterbuilt. As you know, Masterbuilt has been around for a while and crafts products that we have trusted all along. They’re well built without being overly expensive, which is always a huge bonus in our eyes.
While this is a fairly bare bones rig, it is still is built with the materials necessary to keep an even temperature throughout the smoking process. Like any smoker, these require you to keep an eye on them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not doing their job.
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This is an inexpensive, but quality smoker that’s not going to take up more space than is necessary in your backyard. It’s pretty much all you can ask for if you’re someone who’s looking to get going with smoking but doesn’t want or need something terribly expensive. This is a great smoker to get started with.
Char-Griller 2-2424 Table Top Charcoal Grill and Side Fire Box
The last smoker we wanted to discuss is from Char-Griller. While this little guy doesn’t look like much, it’s a great smoker to get started with. It may be small, but if you’re looking to get started and don’t want to spend a ton of money and don’t have a ton of space to a lot to something like this then look no further. It’s a pretty fun little rig and we found that it maintains temperature excellently for something in this class.
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This is an easy, inexpensive, and fun way to dive into smoking if you have a few limitations. Don’t sleep on this; it’s the gateway drug to bigger and better things.
Conclusion
Considering the extensive research in getting the best list of top rated smoker for small spaces in the market, we, therefore, believe that this post will help you find the best small smoker for your own need.
Hoping you have found our small smoker buying guide helpful, we wish you happy smoking and bon appétit!