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Nothing beats the taste of slow-cooked fish, pork, ribs, and chicken. With the help of a good quality portable smoker, you do not have to order takeout to enjoy the delicious smoky flavor. These amazing units allow you to smoke various meats and vegetables perfectly in your own backyard or porch.
Whether you are looking for a smoker for your weekly beach cook-up or to a tailgate, portable smokers add convenience and ease to the smoking process as they can be moved anywhere they are needed.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Portable Smoker
- OUR TOP PICK: Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker
- RUNNER-UP: Camerons Large Stovetop Smoker
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Char-Griller E06614 AKORN Jr
Comparison Chart of the Best Portable Smokers
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When Would a Portable Smoker Come in Handy?
A portable smoker is a great way to add a smoky flavor to your food. It is a unit that comes in handy in various situations:
Perfect For Smoking Both Vegetables and Meats
Portable smokers are available in various configurations that make them ideal for various situations. Vertical portable smokers allow more control overheat, thus making it easier to smoke seafood, poultry, meats, as well as vegetables to perfection. Offset smokers are designed horizontally and provide more space for food. Therefore, they are a better option if you entertain large groups frequently.
Ideal For Camping, Cook-Outs, and Family Get-Togethers
Portable smokers are very easy to use. They use different types of fuels, which makes cooking for large gatherings very easy. For instance, propane smokers are easy to light and can burn for a long time, thus eliminating the need to check on coals and wood.
People who love the authentic smoky flavor can invest in a wood or charcoal-burning portable smoker. Electric smokers, on the other hand, are the simplest to use. They require no filling of fuel or messy clean-up, thus making them ideal for camping, cook-outs, and family get-togethers.
Best For Preparing Juicy and Tender Food
Some portable smokers are designed with a removable water pan that you can fill prior to use. This added moisture promotes tender and juicier food by regulating the heat.
Willy's Top Picks - Best Portable Smokers
Here are the best portable smokers:
Review of the Best Portable Smokers
Getting a good quality smoker can be a bit troublesome for people as there are dozens of brands to consider. Therefore, a lot of people find themselves in a bind when choosing a smoker that is perfect for them. To make sure that you get the best smoker, we have selected some of the best products available.
In this guide, we have highlighted their main features and how they work to make it easy for you to choose the best one.
Best Overall:
Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is available in three different sizes- 14-inch, 18-inch, and 22-inch. Different buyers have bought these sizes recently, and they all attest to its exceptional performance. They also like the fact that it is a user-friendly product that is very easy to use, particularly for beginners.
The temperature inside the smoker is very consistent and doesn’t overheat, thus ensuring that your food tastes juicy and delicious.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This smoker is not only easy to use but is also a high-quality product that makes cooking in any environment simple and fun. Constructed from a porcelain-enameled shell and combined with a sturdy built-in stand and rust-resistant dampers, these smokers are sure to outlive their 10-year warranty. Its large removable fuel door, together with its easy to wipe down the interior, makes it very easy to clean.
Who Will Use This Most
The Weber smoker is available in three different sizes that make it ideal for commercial as well as home cooking. Its vertical design creates minimal footprint and speeds up the cooking time, thus ensuring that there is less waiting for your hungry guests. Its sturdy metal legs allow users to cook meat anywhere they are even on a mountain.
It is particularly popular among hiking and camping enthusiasts. Moreover, anglers have praised this smoker for portability and ease of use on their boats.
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a user-friendly and highly reliable product, then the Weber Smokey Mountain is the best option. This uniquely capsule-designed portable smoker is constructed with a built-in thermometer that makes it easy to monitor the temperature.
Moreover, it is compatible with the iGrill 2. This allows for real-time updates about the internal meat temperature to be sent directly to your smartphones, thus increasing convenience. It provides top value for money and will last you for many years.
Runner-up:
Camerons Large Stovetop Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers have found this product to be absolutely amazing. They have cooked salmon, wings, steaks, and other items and have found them to be very delicious and cooked to perfection. Moreover, cleaning up of this product is very simple. Some users also go on to say that even though they have sensitive smoke alarms in their homes, this smoker did not set them off.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Smoke-cooking is a healthy method to infuse flavor into your cooking without using salts, oil, or fats so that your food does not contain any added calories. The Camerons Large Stovetop Smoker allows you to hot-smoke your food, thus helping to retain the moisture and natural cooking flavors so that your food does not get tough or dry out.
Who Will Use This Most
The Camerons Stovetop Smoker is the perfect solution for bringing smoked food to your kitchen at home. Moreover, it can be used as an outdoor BBQ as well. Whether you want to cook poultry or seafood or just want to give an extraordinary taste to your ordinary vegetables, this smoker is the right option.
Bottom Line
The Camerons stovetop smoker comes at a very affordable price, which makes it a great option for people who want to smoke different kinds of food on their own stove. It is made from stainless steel, which is an ideal material for cooking appliances. Moreover, this durable product is dishwasher safe, which makes it very easy to clean.
Best for the Money:
Char-Griller E06614 AKORN Jr
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers have found this to be an amazing and fuel-efficient grill as it is able to reach 700 degrees with just ten coals.it is able to cook thin steak strips in just three minutes. Its high portability is another plus point that buyers greatly appreciate. Recent buyers are very happy with this product and plan on getting many more meals out of this.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The Akorn Jr. is an efficient and compact Char-Griller that packs some serious power. It offers precise temperature control that ensures that the food tastes great. It is the perfect size for four people, while its compact design is also highly suitable for people who are short on patio space.
Who Will Use This Most
This Char-griller from Akorn is constructed with a patent ceramic material. It is perfect for hiking, camping, or having a family get-together in your backyard. It is very easy to move this product from one place to another. The handles provided make it easy to transport this grill, thus ensuring that you enjoy smoked food wherever you are.
Bottom Line
The Char-griller Akorn Jr. is low maintenance and easy to use product. Its cast-iron grates help to distribute heat evenly, which in turn promotes a faster cooking time. Its two dampers are designed to regulate the airflow in order to ensure precise temperature control. It comes with a user manual that contains a handy temperature guide that makes it very easy to use this grill, even for beginners.
Best Portable Pellet Smoker:
Green Mountain Grill 2019 Davy Crockett
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
The best thing about this grill that recent buyers greatly appreciate is that they can control the temperature from inside the house, even though the meat is cooking outside. This grill fired up smoothly, and they were able to set the desired temperature accurately. The food that they cooked had a great smoky flavor and was perfectly cooked.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This Green Mountain Grill is designed with a Wi-Fi controller, which connects easily to an IOS or Android phone, making it easier to manage the grill remotely. The thermal sensor of this grill constantly monitors your grill’s temperature and displays it on your mobile phone. This grill is very lightweight, and its legs easily fold and work as handles. Therefore, you can take this grill anywhere you want to cook.
Who Will Use This Most
This grill is designed with a large cooking area and a peaked grill lid that allows users to cook rib racks, chicken, turkey, and other tall foods without the help of any utensils. Its body is made from durable materials and is very easy to maintain and clean.
This portable grill runs on 12V or 120AC, thus making it ideal for a day at the beach, camping, fishing, hunting, music festivals, house-boating, tailgating, or anywhere you want. It even allows users to monitor the grill while playing games on their PC or watching a sporting event.
Bottom Line
This Green Mountain model comes with a grill cover that protects it from natural elements such as the sun and rain. This grill is very popular among the younger people as it allows them to control their grill with their phone. With GMG Smart Control, they can easily monitor the temperature of this grill from their couch or while they are on-the-go.
Best Portable Propane Smoker:
Masterbuilt Compact Outdoor Propane BBQ Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
There are many things about the Masterbuilt Compact Outdoor Smoker that recent buyers like. It is ideal for use in motorhomes and has plenty of space to cook a five-pound pork butt. It is easy to assemble and uses minimal propane. It lights up quickly and heats up fine.
Recent buyers highly recommend this product and state that this smoker will bring a smile to your face every time you will use this unit.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The Masterbuilt Propane Smoker is what you need to have a memorable camping experience. This smoker will ensure that you have fun while smoking your meats to perfection. It is a great smoker while cooking on the go as it occupies minimal space. Designed with a removable woodchip tray and a water pan, this smoker gives your food an authentic smoky flavor.
Who Will Use This Most
This smoker is perfect for tailgating, camping, and other outdoor activities. Its legs fold easily, thus ensuring easy storage and transportation. Its small size, quick heating, and easy assembly allow users to start cooking within minutes. Its easy-to-read temperature gauge makes it ideal for beginners as well.
Bottom Line
Enjoy the unbeatable taste of smoked meats where ever you go, thanks to the Masterbuilt Compact Smoker. It is conveniently sized for smoking in small places but still has enough space to cook a whole pork butt or a whole turkey. This smoker is ideal for camping, tailgating, hunting, and other road trips.
Best Portable Electric Smoker:
Masterbuilt MB20073716 Patio-2-Portable Electric Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers love the size and portability of this smoker and are having fun smoking meat. Buyers who have limited storage space have also found this smoker to be an excellent option. They have tried ribs, chicken, and other food items in this smoker. And everything they cooked tasted delicious.
This smoker has also received thumbs up from recent buyers from an investment point of view. They are so excited about their purchase that they can’t wait for the summers to begin.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The Masterbuilt Company is renowned for being an excellent manufacturer of portable smokers, and this model is no exception. This compact and portable electrical smoker heats up quickly, thus ensuring evenly cooked food in very little time. It also comes with a wood chip tray to hold wood chunks or chips that helps to add an authentic smoky flavor to your meat.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit has various features that make it very simple and easy to use. It is designed with a simple control panel that makes it easy to keep an eye on the temperature. It does not need charcoal to provide heat, thus simplifying the clean-up process.
It is very easy to assemble, which makes it highly popular among beginners. Its foldable legs provide greater portability, so if you are looking for a smoker that is perfect for an RV lifestyle, then this smoker is for you.
Bottom Line
The Masterbuilt Patio-2 Portable Electric Smoker is a dependable and easy to use smoker that uses electric fuel. This solid smoker has 280- square inches of space, thus allowing you to cook fish, poultry, vegetables, and any other type of food with ease.
Designed with dual trays (one for wood chips and one for water) and a powerful 1,400-watt heating element, this smoker heats up quickly and is able to maintain its temperature in cooler environments. With the Masterbuilt Patio-2, you can easily enjoy smoking on the go. It provides great value for money, which makes it a solid investment.
Pros and Cons of Portable Smokers
Portable smokers are an essential product for people who love to barbecue and eat smoked food. They have the following advantages:
Portable
These units are designed while keeping high portability in mind. Some have carrying handles that allow you to lift them and move from location to location with considerable ease. Some models are mounted on wheels so you can easily roll them from one place to another. Others can be disassembled quickly, thus making transport easy.
Capacity
Portable smokers come in a variety of sizes. Whether you want to smoke a plate of wings or a whole turkey, you will find a suitable model.
Ease of Use
These products are very easy to use. Even beginners can operate them without facing any difficulty.
Masterbuilt Compact Outdoor Propane BBQ Smoker
Cons
Portable smokers also have a few disadvantages. These include:
Temperature Control May Be Difficult to Master
The temperature of these portable smokers can be quite difficult to master, particularly for novices.
Conclusion
Nothing compares to being able to barbecue on the go. Great times with exceptional people eating perfectly smoked food is a recipe for making unforgettable memories. However, it is best to research the various brands available beforehand. Read about the best portable smokers listed above so that you choose a product that meets your requirements perfectly.
