Best Electric Smoker For Beginners
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I used to be a beginner myself to understand your pain in finding how to smoke a perfect and delicious dish. Say goodbye to all the annoying charcoal and wood stuff. Welcome to the world of wonderful electric smokers.
Electric smokers are easy to use and help to smoke your food in a shorter time with the highest quality. I had over a decade switched among many kinds of electric smokers enough to know what the best to use.
Now I want to help all the beginners to save their time and money to purchase the most suitable electric smoker. Continue to read this article to find out my 6 best electric smokers for beginners.
Best Digital Electric Smoker For Beginners
Masterbuilt MB20071117Best Overall
Pros
- Extra-large cooking space
- Easy-to-use digital control
- Patented wood chip loading to add flavor without releasing the heat
- Durable and stylish
- Good at slow and low smoking
Cons
- Not waterproof, you may consider a cover
- Bigger chip tray needed
Masterbuilt MB20071117 is the perfect one-and-only smoker for both beginners and pros to get away with the charcoal hassle. This beautiful and sleek smoker has 4 racks that can smoke 2 turkeys, 4 pork butts, 4 racks of ribs, and 6 chickens at the same time. With this smoker, I bet you can host and serve any size party.
Smoking in this Masterbuilt brings the unique and appetizing flavor for your food by the patented wood chip loading. It helps to add more wood chips to boost the flavor without changing the heat inside.
The digital control with an on/off button and the temperature setting make it easy to use for beginners or even those who are not good at equipment usage. If you don’t have many experiences in smoking food before, don’t worry. Its built-in thermostat allows cooking the food evenly without smoke burns.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Racks | 4 |
| Cooking Space (sq.in) | 732 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 30 x 20 x 20 |
| Weight (lbs) | 45.9 |
| Highlight Features | Durable and stylish design, Extra-large cooking space, Chrome-coated smoking racks, Digital control |
To all beginners: This Masterbuilt MB20071117 smoker will amaze you for its easy-to-use functions.
Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker 725 DeluxeBest For Cold Weather
Pros
- Extra-large cooking place
- Full-view window lets you monitor the food with ease
- High-capacity greased tray to reduce fat
- Well insulated, perfect for winter
- The door comes with a tight secure latch, keeping all the smoke inside
- Digital control with a removable temperature gauge
- Warming feature to protect the food from getting cold
Cons
- The remote control feature can be improved
- The glass door gets dirty quickly
- You have to open the door to load wood chips, which causes the temperature to drop and takes a while to recover.
In winter, it is hard to set the internal temp of your smoker to your desired temp, since it is freezing outside. To solve this problem, I suggest using this Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker.
The insulation of this unit is exceptionally good, which means heat can’t escape from the smoker easily.
Smoke salmons or smoke ribs are delicious dishes to eat but in the winter, the food is getting cold faster. It has a warming mode to keep lots of food warm inside four racks and only take it out when you want.
If you’re into healthy lifestyles, you can feel relieved eating less fat food with this product. The high-capacity greased tray reduces the fat while easy to remove for cleaning later.
It’s difficult to cook the food perfectly the way you want, such as tender and soft inside. But with the digital control with a removable temperature gauge, you can monitor the heat through the process to ensure the right cooking level.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Racks | 4 |
| Cooking Space (sq.in) | 725 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 16.5 x 18.1 x 32.5 |
| Weight (lbs) | 50.2 |
| Highlight Features | Excellent insulation, Extra-large cooking place, High-capacity greased tray, Digital control, Warming feature, Removable temperature gauge |
Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker is the best product to cook and keep the food warm and delicious during cold seasons.
Americana 2-in-1 Electric Water SmokerBest Electric Grill Smoker Combo
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight and removable parts to carry on the go
- Allow to smoke, grill or slow-cook
- Large cooking places
- Works great even in cold weather
Cons
- Vague instructions
- The thermometer is not the best
I know many people out there don’t have a generous budget to buy different kitchen devices such as a smoker, grill, or food processor. Luckily I have good news for you. There’s a 2-in-1 product that allows you to use it as a smoker and a grill. It even adopts slow-cooking processes.
With a unique design, it features two chrome-plated grids that can separate to portable parts to carry on travel. The large 5.5-quart water pan helps to slow-cook soft and mouthwatering dishes.
If you like rich-flavor food, this Americana smoker and grill can satisfy you. Its vented lid and doors create a gap to let the smoke flow consistently. So you will have full-of-flavor smoked or grilled dishes.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Racks | 2 |
| Cooking Space (sq.in) | 351 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 27 x 21.5 x 37 |
| Weight (lbs) | 23 |
| Highlight Features | Lightweight, 2in1 Smoker and Grill, Portable and durable, Affordable |
Americana 2 in 1 Electric Smoker is a convenient food processor that serves many kinds of food while saving your budget (Under $85).
Best Analog Electric Smoker For Beginners
Masterbuilt MB20070210Best Overall
Pros
- Impressive and sleek design
- Large cooking places
- Easy-to-use analog dial
- Built-in temperature control
- Removable grease tray and wood chip pan
Cons
- Heavy
- The thermometer is not accurate, you will need to buy a good meat thermometer
No smoker in the market can look impressive and stylish like the Masterbuilt’s products. It’s also a powerful and productive smoker with the large cooking places to cook lots of food at the same time. Throwing parties or gatherings now seem easy and stress-free with this product.
You can decrease the fat while keeping your smoker clean with the removable greased tray at the bottom. It has a woodchip slide to front-insert into the smoker to maximize the flavor for the highest quality dishes.
If you don’t like complex starting processes, this smoker is ideal for you. It has a simple-to-use temperature control with a gauge and an analog dial. After cooking, you only need to remove all the cooking grates and trays out to clean.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Racks | 3 |
| Cooking Space (sq.in) | 549 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 20 x 21.69 x 40.15 |
| Weight (lbs) | 57.1 |
| Highlight Features | Easy-to-use analog dial, Woodchip stray to boost flavor, Built-in temperature gauge, Impressive design |
If you’re finding a professional and durable analog smoker to serve a large group of people, consider the Masterbuilt MB20070210 smoker.
Char-Broil 18202077Best For Cold Smoking
Pros
- Be able to keep constant 100-150°F for cold smoking
- High-quality material and construction
- Holds heat perfect even in cold weather thanks to double-insulated construction
- Easy to use
- Suitable for small places
Cons
- You have to open the door to load wood chips
- Maybe not wide enough for St. Louis style ribs
Are you a fan of watching TV on the sofa while enjoying a dish of mouthwatering smoked cheese, salmon, or nuts? If yes, you come to the right place. The Char-Broil 18202077 smoker is made for both hot smoking and cold smoking. With 3 large cooking grates, you allow cooking various dishes to enjoy with your family.
It features a huge wood chip tray to enhance the flavor through many hours so you don’t have to waste your time checking and refilling. The water pan can prevent the dryness to cook your food softer and juicier.
All parts of the smoker are made from premium materials that ensure its durability to last many years of cooking at high temperatures. The best thing about this smoker is it’s not complex to use! You can hot smoke, cold smoke, or keep your food warm with only a few simple steps.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Racks | 3 |
| Cooking Space (sq.in) | 544 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 15 x 20.7 x 33.5 |
| Weight (lbs) | 49.5 |
| Highlight Features | Good for cold smoking, High-quality materials, Easy-to-use temperature gauge |
Char-Broil 18202077 is a sturdy, powerful, and affordable smoker for both hot and cold smoking food. What are you waiting for?
LANDMANN MCO 32954Best With Viewing Window
Pros
- The transparent window offers a clear view to watch
- Compact and portable with handles
- Convenient 3-in-1 combo tray
- Suitable for small places
Cons
- Not suitable for cold weather
- Poor door latch
Not all the analog smokers in the market have a window to watch while cooking and not all of us are master chefs to cook without looking to the inside. That’s why I will introduce this LANDMANN MCO 32954 smoker to you. It has a large window to provide a clear view to watch your food throughout the cooking process.
Electric smokers are usually seen as heavy machines except for this one. This product is lightweight (only 33lbs) while featuring a door handle and a side handle. You can easily move the product around when needed with little effort.
With the 3-in-1 combo trays (wood chip box, water pan and grease pan) and an easy-to-use analog temperature gauge, you can cook lots of appetizing dishes even when you’re an amateur in cooking. Its water pan and wood chip tray add more steam so your food will always be juicy and delicious.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Racks | 3 |
| Cooking Space (sq.in) | 443 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 26.7 x 16.6 x 13.2 |
| Weight (lbs) | 33 |
| Highlight Features | Window to watch while cooking, Compact with an iron door handle, Convenient 3-in-1 combo tray |
Looking for a smoker for the amateurs? LANDMANN MCO 32954 smoker is the perfect product to help you cook like a pro.
How To Choose The Best Electric Smoker For Beginners (Buying Guide)
To the beginners out there, I can understand how you have to struggle to choose a great electric smoker among an ocean of smokers in the market. If you choose a fine product, you can use it continuously for many years ahead. So I want to share all my experiences and knowledge to help you choose the best electric smoker.Type of temperature control
Electric smokers have two kinds of control, including digital and analog control systems. You will need an overview of those two to decide what the most suitable product is.
Digital vs Analog
- Analog controls: Are easy to use. Most analog units feature one temperature control and one for timer. However, most of the time, they allow you to choose among a few preset temperature settings. Analog electric smokers are often cheaper than digital models.
- Digital controls: Super user-friendly with better control over temperature and time. With most digital units you can set them at any temp within its temperature range. Some even provide you with some cooking modes with preset temperature and timer for some specific kinds of food.
Number of racks
Electric smokers usually have four racks while the others have three or only two racks. The 2-rack and 3-rack smokers can cook less food but it’s compact and smaller to store at tiny apartments. Similarly, the 4-rack smokers offer large cooking spaces (Up to 732 sq.in) to smoke lots of food although it’s heavy and big to store indoors.
Windows to watch
To be honest, not all of us are professionals or chefs to smoke a perfect dish without looking at it. That’s why the window is an important thing to consider before you buy a smoker.
When you have little or no experience, you won’t want to burn or cook raw food. So the best solution is to buy a smoker that features a transparent window!
Water pan
If you like juicy steaks or tender ribs, buy those smokers that have a water pan. The water pan will add more steam so you don’t have to eat dry meats.
Handles
The handles can be very helpful when you have to move the heavy smokers around to protect it from the weather.
FAQs
Many professional smoke cookers have told me they only like charcoal or gas smokers because of the original smoky flavor it brings. But if you’re a beginner, there are a lot of reasons to prove an electric smoker is more suitable for you. Let’s find out 4 main reasons below.
Electric smokers are easy to use
Imagining you rarely cooked anything and now you want to host a small, warm gathering at home with delicious BBQ dishes. Is there any chance for you to cook all the dishes to be perfect? The answer is Yes if you use an electric smoker.What you have to do is simple. You add the woodchip in the tray, water (If it has a water pan), and your favorite food into the trays inside. Close the door and adjust to the right temperature. Then just having fun with people while waiting for the food to be done. Say goodbye to the hassle of lighting the fire, filling more charcoal, or checking the air direction.
Price
Most of the electric smokers are cheaper than the other smokes. A great thing is many electric smokers have an extra-large cooking place with four racks so you can smoke lots of food while saving your budget. And if you can realize, a few electric smokers are crazily cheap (Only $79) such as the Americana 2-in-1 smoker that I mentioned above.Can use in fire-ban areas
Does organizing a BBQ party in the deck with beers and champagne sound exciting to you? But it’s almost impossible for charcoal and gas smokers because of the fire ban. An electric smoker is the only solution for smoking in fire-ban areas, including apartments and decks.Allow to cold smoke
You still can do cold smoking by charcoal or gas smokers, but you have to prepare and adjust something in your device. It’s easier with electric smokers. No need to do anything, it’s always ready for cold smoking.No. You can feel relieved using an electric smoker without worrying about the high electric bills. Most of the electric smokers often use 800 watts per hour.
Don’t flip your meat! You will have to open the door to flip your meat and by doing that, you’ll release the low heat inside.
With indirect smoking processes, add up 2 cups of wood chips to the tray box every 45 minutes.
No, you can use an electric smoker directly in the rain. If you want to use it outdoors, use it under a patio cover. Using in the rain can cause heavy damage to many parts of smokers.
The truth is you can use an electric smoker in the garage. But with me, I won’t do it. Because you have to be very careful and stick with some safety instructions throughout the process.
Yes, you should clean your smoker after every use. Cleaning out all the ashes, greases, and build-up food to maintain a long lifespan for your smoker.
Conclusion
Electric smokers are the greatest products to use for every beginner. It’s cheaper and easier to use while saving your electricity bills. You can even hot smoke or cold smoke delicious food right in your deck or in the apartment’s balconies during the fire ban.
I can’t find any bad reasons to not purchase an electric smoker. How about you? Have you already chosen your favorite one? Share it with me!