Best Electric Smoker (Nov. 2022) Reviews & Buyers Guide

I’d been searching for the perfect smoker grill for ages but didn’t know how. One day, as I delved into the depths of my inner peace out in the yard, my concentration was interrupted by the smell of smoke coming from the neighbor’s porch. They were happily grilling with an electric smoker, and that got me craving for one too.

You can rest assured that the first people I asked were my neighbors, but I did not want to get the same smoker that my neighbors had. So I asked some other friends and family and did some research online. It took a while, but I was hell-bent on getting the right smoker and in the end, I did that keeping some important things in my mind.

So, we put Grills Forever up to help you find the best electric smoker so you can get what you deserve, without the hassle of all the research I went through!

A Short Summary of Our Findings

Before we delve into the detailed buying guide, let’s first have a look at the summary of what we found from our research here at Grills Forever.

Our Top Pick deserves its spot for two main reasons: features and affordability. Priced under $250, this 721-square-inch electric smoker was built to give you quality dishes with a smoky flavor, all without the hassle of typical smoking. With 4 adjustable cooking racks, you can cook as much as you want, whether that’s a pack of ribs, two turkeys or even twenty-four burgers. Take your cooking convenience to another level; aside from its blue LED display, it comes with digital controls that monitor the temperature so that you don’t have to get up from your lounge chair. A true “set it and forget it” electric smoker, the Masterbuilt 20078715 is a bang for your buck.

Our Budget Pick landed its spot because of its surprisingly affordable price, but that’s not the only reason why we fell in love with it. The Masterbuilt 2007117 stands out because of its compact size yet superb performance. This 30-inch electric smoker comes with a convenient wood chip and water pan system which help you get the most tender and flavorful meats. For its price, it comes with a fully digital system which lets you set the temperature and allow it to smoke the meat for you. This affordable choice is also a great pick for beginners because it’s incredibly easy to use.

Just because it’s a Beginner’s Choice, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have pro-level performance. This electric smoker from Char-Broil actually has a massive cooking area of 725 square inches and can accommodate all kinds of food with its four adjustable cooking racks. One great feature of this smoker is its wide glass door, which allows you to monitor your cooking progress whenever you like. And, aside from its digital control system, it comes with a remote control which you can use to set and control the temperature at the comfort of your own chair.

With 721 square inches of cooking space and 4 chrome-coated racks, you can keep the food coming for your fun outdoor parties. But what really separates this smoker from the rest is its modern features. Wi-Fi enabled, this electric smoker from Masterbuilt takes electric smoking convenience and ease to a different level. While most electric smokers come with remotes, this one comes with an app designed specifically for this smoker. With it, you can turn your smoker on/off, control the heat, and monitor your cooking. Now, your smartphone is part of your smoking experience!

Why Should You Trust Us to Get the Best Electric Smoker?

Many of you may think to yourselves: Who is to say that these guys are experts? I mean, just because they say a grill is good, that doesn’t mean that they really know what they are talking about!

First off, we, yes, you and I, have a lot in common! We both love using smokers to cook up some of the most tender, succulent, and mouth-watering BBQ around (of course, we will probably clash when it comes to whose BBQ is the best, but that is what a cook-off is for)! And, we too, like many of you, were once novices. But through years of hard work, a lot of eating, and research, we have molded ourselves into what we consider “Genuine Kings of the Grill!” Experimentation has led us to some of our favorite products on the market.

Here at Grills Forever, we are not endorsed by any grilling company; we only promote the best of the best and give you the nitty-gritty on the worst of the worst.

The other cool thing about us is that we make recommendations, so if you are dying to know how a new smoker works and we have not yet reviewed it, drop a line and we will get it done for you!

Who Are Electric Smokers for?

There are various types of smokers available on the market, and you can smoke meat with almost any of them. However, each type of smokers has their unique characteristics which have been compared in the following infographic (Click on the image to enlarge it).

You could consider an electric smoker if:

You are Looking for an Upgrade:

For those of you who often find your meat black and charred, it might be time to think of an upgrade! After all, charred meat may have some health concerns. With the low prices, ease of use, and large rack sizes, the electric smoker is that upgrade. Just plug the bad boy in, slap your slabs of meat on the rack, set the temperature and start cooking!

You Don’t Have Much Storage Space:

These smokers may be good for people who do not have much space for storage for a large grill and bags of wood or charcoal pellets: they are relatively small smokers and only require the power chord for fuel!

You Don’t Want to Spend an Arm and a Leg:

While more expensive than your stereotypical charcoal grills, electric smokers can be comparatively affordable to high-end grills and smokers available on the market.
To be honest you will not get the richest taste of pork ribs, pulled pork or turkey when preparing it with an electric smoker. The taste is somehow inferior to gas, charcoal or wood fueled smokers. But you will find smoked fish, cheese, steaks, and bacon surprisingly awesome when done in an electric smoker. But this opinion does not stand on when you are using a high-end electric smoker.

You Are An Everyday User:

With the large rack sizes, smokers can cook any kind of meat: whether you plan on cooking pork ribs, turkey, beef briskets, or grilled vegetables, the electric smoker will get the job done!

One of the disadvantages of using an electric smoker, however, is that it is very hard to get that traditional smoke ring (that pink layer of meat on the outside), even if you use a couple of charcoals or wood pellets. Now, this is not going to affect the taste of your meat, but nothing screams Southern BBQ like a good ol’ smoke ring!

Another consideration is that electric smokers are not typically permitted in BBQ competitions for being too easy! So if you are after an easy-to-use smoker, pick the electric one without any hesitation.

Which Factors Make the Best Electric Smoker?

Electric smokers are relatively affordable but that doesn’t mean you won’t get quality. But still, making conscious choices are important. When you go for buying a grill or smoker, it indeed becomes difficult to choose from so many products. This is exactly why knowing what to buy beforehand is important. You just have to consider these five features:

Temperature Adjustment

The best electric smokers come with features that can be used for temperature control, such as rheostat and/or thermostat. These are important for maintaining an accurate meat temperature.

Installed Caveats

The caveats are the small ventilation systems in the combustion chamber of your smoker which allows for the release of heat and smoke. This is important to help maintain a stable smoker internal temperature, ensuring that your meats will not burn or char. Consequently, you will be left with a juicier, more tender after-product.

Heat Structure

When you want a new electric smoker, make sure you know how the heat flows within the smoker while your meat is cooking. More heat sources (such as convection at the smoker bottom and the sides) can mean shorter cooking times, but it may also mean overcooked meat.

Layer Structure

Here, the layer structure equates to the shape and racks set up in the smoker. Some smokers are more vertical, and some are horizontal. Also, some smokers have stainless steel racks or racks that are chrome-plated. However, the orientation of the racks, whether more vertical or horizontal, does not make much of a difference.

Addition of Woodchips or Charcoal

When you are buying an electric smoker, you also want to make sure that it includes a tray where you can burn some wood chips or coal. This may seem counter-intuitive, but being able to use charcoal or wood pellets will help you get a smokier, more traditional BBQ taste, and can also help with that smoke ring!

How We Picked And Tested

Hand-picked! To us, there is no other way.

If you could not tell by now, we are very passionate about what we do, and what we do is we grill! Our reviews are based first on our experiences cooking with the smokers: tasting the quality of the food, testing the durability of the smokers, and exploiting the features.

Additionally, we looked at the online reviews and also took the liberty to talk to BBQ experts and people who love to smoke and grill. We are also grilling maniacs, so nothing makes us more excited than testing new smokers.

The point is we have fun with what we do, and what we do is gain these first-hand experiences so that when you plan to buy a smoker, you know the superior from the mediocre. We do not have an endorsement, nor are we sponsored by any brand, so you can rest assured that our reviews are legitimate: from one griller to another.

Best Electric Smoker Overall: Masterbuilt 20077515 30-Inch

Why we chose this as our Top Pick?
Before we jump into the review, let me first tell you why this smoker is our top pick among all the elctric smokers including the other Masterbuilt smokers:

1. After looking at 30 features for each product, this product earned the most number of positive features according to our research. It has twenty-one positive features, including some of the very convenient ones like digital controls, the grease management system, a built-in meat thermometer, a wood chip loading system, an LED display that can be read even out in the sun, and more.
2. Most electric smokers range from $100 to around $600, but this smoker, despite its awesome features, came only at around $300 (Check its latest price here).
3. We reviewed user ratings along with online reviews and found that it received latest 10 reviews in just 5 days, previous 10 reviews during previous 5 days, and the earlier 10 reviews within 7 days. With such a fast review rate, it just shows how many people are using and loving it.
4. Masterbuilt 20077515 has a convenient and compact size with remote-control functions. Since it’s so easy to handle, it can be great for both experts and beginners.

Masterbuilt 20077515 30-Inch Electric Smoker Review

Build Quality

Our Top Pick comes with a massive 721 square inches of cooking space which makes it perfect for large barbecue parties with friends and family. With its 4 adjustable chrome-coated racks, this electric smoker from Masterbuilt can cook twelve whole chickens, two whole turkeys, twenty-four burgers, or four huge packs of ribs! It also comes with a wood chip loading system on the side. Additionally, it features a drip deflector, front-access drip pan, and inside insulation to preserve the heat inside, making your meats tender and smoky.

It also comes in a 40-inch version with a massive viewing window, which has a cooking area of 975 square inches.

Sensor and Control

With a top-mounted digital control panel, monitoring and maintaining the temperature is as easy. Its temperature control feature only asks you to set the time, temperature, and you’re good to go. You can monitor your cooking remotely from the comfort of your lounge chair.

Ease of Use

We found setting this smoker up to be pretty easy. All we had to do was follow the instructions and assemble a few items from the box, including the handles and the feet. Its wheels give the unit added mobility, which is useful if you want a portable smoker. It also comes with a pan that collects all of the drippings to make the clean-up process a breeze.

Display

This product features a digital control system together with a blue LED display which can easily be viewed under daylight. No need for manual temperature reading with this unit — its internal thermometer reads the temperature for you and instantly displays it on the control panel.

Other Features

This product comes with a warranty of 90 days, which is useful especially if you notice that your unit is experiencing some issues with its build or its material. You may also prefer the windowless version of this smoker, but having a window lets you monitor your cooking much easier. It comes in three color variations: black, stainless and stainless steel.

Price factor

With a price tag of around $300, this electric smoker is priced quite lower than most advanced smokers in its category. Despite being averagely priced, it offers more than you could ever imagine.

Finally, this electric smoker takes the lead in its category. While its competitors boast similar features, this smoker still reigns because of its affordable price. With a massive cooking area, this is an investment that you need for all of your outdoor smoking needs.

Get it on Amazon!

Best Budget Electric Smoker: Masterbuilt 20071117 30″ Digital

What makes it our Budget Pick?
Our budget pick earned the highest rating of 4.4 as well as an impressive number of positive reviews from the community. This is because of its 16 positive features, including a digital control interface, a large cooking space, lightweight yet sturdy build and compact dimensions. It’s a bit unusual to find these many features in a smoker at less than $200. These are the main reasons for us choosing this as our budget pick.

Masterbuilt 20071117 Digital Electric Smoker Features

This 30-inch electric smoker is one of Amazon’s most popular choices as rated and reviewed by users. With four chrome-coated smoking racks that are easily adjustable, you can cook as much as six whole chickens or eight packs of ribs! It comes with a wood chip tray and its interiors are fully insulated, meaning you get the perfect amount of heat for whatever foods you are cooking.

Monitoring is made easy with the Masterbuild 20071117 Digital Electric Smoker. This product features a digital control panel which you can quickly set up to achieve your desired temperature. Monitor the temperature through the blue LED display that can be easily read even under direct sunlight. This electric smoker can be set to up to 275 degrees F.

This smoker is easy to use. Users, as well as our team, have had no problem setting this up. It came out of the box and had instructions, making assembly and set-up a breeze. Additionally, this product is a real set-it-and-forget-it kind of smoker. Cleanup is also less of a hassle — all you need to do is empty out the water pan after using.

Like I mentioned above, this electric smoker comes with a blue LED display for easy reading of temperature even under daylight.

It comes with an one-year warranty. Also at under $180, this electric smoker is a pretty affordable choice. It still offers everything you would need from an electric smoker, and its performance is quite above average, so you actually get more than what it is actually worth.

If you’re looking for an electric smoker that is within your budget, then you’ve found the right one. It’s affordable, well-built, and delivers succulent cooking all times. Bear in mind though that this isn’t a large-capacity smoker, so it might not be the best for parties.

Buy it on Amazon!

Best Electric Smoker For Beginners: Char-Broil Deluxe Digital

Why Is This Our Best Beginner’s Pick?
The Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Electric Smoker is perfect for first-time users of electric smokers. We highly recommend this for people who are just jumping into the electric smoker party. At a reasonable price range, this smoker comes with several great features such as an LED display and remote controls. In fact, its number of features matches up with the other products in this review. For something so easy and affordable, this product deserves its spot on our Top Picks list.

If it’s so great, then why it isn’t our Top Pick? Despite its great features, it just couldn’t match up with some of the items because of its review rating. We take user reviews pretty seriously at Grills Forever because we know that the best judge of a product’s performance is its users.

Despite that, we still think this is the choice of an electric smoker for beginners. They won’t have to spend too much time trying to figure out and put this thing together. It’s already factory assembled, which takes away a lot of hassle — even pro chefs will appreciate not having to waste time setting it up. Cook all you want, whether it’s beef, pork, vegetables, or even a whole turkey!

Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Smoker Key Points

With an impressive cooking area of 725 square inches, our Beginner’s Pick is something that will make even the beginners feel like long-time cooks! With an insulated, double-wall construction, you are assured that your temperature is always kept constant, making sure that you get thoroughly-cooked meats and vegetables each time. It has four adjustable cooking racks that can accommodate a variety of meats. The smoker itself comes with a removable food thermometer which you don’t have to use. One of the great features about this product is its control panel which easily reads out the internal temperature. In addition, its stainless steel build features a locking latch to make sure your foods are locked in and sealed tight. It also has a large-capacity smoke box that you can leave to run on its own for up to seven hours.

The electric smoker comes with a temperature gauge which allows you to easily monitor the heat and make the necessary adjustments through the advanced digital control system.

This product comes with wheels and integrates handles for mobility. Additionally, it has an 8.5-cup grease tray which makes cleaning hassle-free. For added accessibility, it features an easy-to-refill, porcelain-coated water pan. The Deluxe Char-Broil also comes with a remote control so you can adjust the temperature from your chair.

It has a blue LED light display which is readable even under direct daylight.

The Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Electric Smoker features a wide glass door that enables you to view your cooking without opening the door, ensuring that heat is kept inside. In addition, the product comes with a warranty that is valid for one year after purchase.

A little below $190, this product is appropriately priced. It does come with several modern features which you’d find in even the most high-end products. It isn’t the cheapest on our list, but it’s definitely a worthy investment. If you’re a beginner, you need to use only the most trustworthy products and this is one of them.

Beginners will have no trouble using this product. Although it lacks some modern features, it does the job, but if you’re just starting out, it’s probably best to just stick with the basic functions first. This is perfect if you’re just starting to learn how to smoke foods.

Check Price on Amazon!

Smart Electric Smoker: Masterbuilt 20072115 30-Inch

Why Is This The Most Advanced Electric Smoker?
It was a tough call. The Masterbuilt 20072115 Bluetooth Smart Digital Electric Smoker surpassed our Beginner’s Pick by an only narrow margin. It had twenty-one great features, which is more than the nineteen positive features of the previous pick, but part of what made us decide to rank it lower was its price. In the $300 range, this unit is a lot more expensive, which to some people may be a problem. Regardless, lots of people have favored this product, including smoking enthusiasts and beginner cooks. It gained an average rating frequency of 4.1 from over 278 user reviews. With such a high review frequency, it just shows that this product is one “fan favorite” despite its price.

As mentioned, it has an impressive number of positive features. But, what makes it truly stand out is its Bluetooth connectivity which is useful for its remote control feature. This heightens the “set it and forget it” feature because you can monitor your device from your lounge chair. In addition, it features a smart device notification sending system with LED lights, which is a good enough reason to bring it to our Advanced Pick category.

This product is perfect for anyone who loves using high-tech products that have all the latest features. We recommend this to users who have a bit more experience using smokers because it can be a bit overwhelming for first-time users. But, experienced users will have a great time maximizing this great product’s efficiency, convenience, and technology.

Masterbuilt 20072115 Smoker Grill Review

This product features a large cooking space of 721 square inches. It has four chrome-coated racks which you can adjust and remove at your convenience. With a steel build, it comes with a control panel on the front, as well as some space on the top so you can cook and prepare at the same place. In addition, it features a removable drip pan and tray for wood chips which are all accessible in a way that doesn’t interfere with the cooking process. Its adjustable door locks in heat, ensuring that your foods are cooked to perfection.

What truly makes this our Advanced Pick is its Bluetooth connectivity. It’s not often that you find electric smokers that you can control from your own mobile device. With the Masterbuilt 20072115, you can turn on/off, control the temperature as well as monitor your cooking from your smartphone. Additionally, it has blue LED digital controls that can be viewed ever under the sun. The digital panel on the product itself allows you to set the time, temperature and light.

Our team, as well as other users, had no trouble setting this unit up. Its box comes with an instruction manual that’s easy to follow, even for beginners. Also, clean up is made more quick and convenient — it comes with a front access grease pan that you can easily slide out and empty before your next smoking session.

A blue LED digital display makes reading the temperature and other settings easy even under bright sunlight. If users want more convenience, they can always choose to control and monitor everything through their phones.

For those who want a bigger unit, they can choose to buy this product’s 40-inch version which comes at a slightly higher price. In addition, users can purchase the Masterbuilt 20072115 Bluetooth Smart Digital Electric Smoker with a cover and a grilling set if they want additional accessories.

This is the most expensive product on our list, but only rightfully so. It’s actually surprising that this product only cost that much. Typically, products with these features would cost more. At under $300, you get high-tech features, especially Bluetooth connectivity which instantly elevate the electric smoking experience.

For an advanced electric smoking experience, this is the ultimate pick. It may be expensive, but if you get excellent performance, convenience, and great tasting food each time, then it’s worth the splurge.

Order it on Amazon!

6 Other Electric Smokers We Found Good

No.5: Masterbuilt 20070210 30-Inch Black Electric Analog Smoker

This Masterbuilt smoker has a fairly generous smoking area of 428 square inches for cooking space, which is perfect for large gatherings. It has three racks that come in handy when slow smoking. With dual-wall insulation, heat is kept and maintained throughout the cooking process. The front-loading wood pellet tray makes it easy to replenish the wood chips without losing any heat. This electric smoker does not come with wheels for portability, but it does weight only fifty pounds, which isn’t too heavy as compared to other units. Additionally, it comes with a drip pan and tray for wood chips, which add smokiness and tenderness to your cooking.

This product uses a thermometer to make sure that you maintain your desired temperature at all times, avoiding overcooking of meat and vegetables. In addition, it has a temperature gauge at the front of the door for convenient viewing. The Masterbuilt 30-Inch Analog Smoker can reach temperature ranges of 100 degrees F – 400 degrees F.

The removable drip pan makes cleanup extremely easy. You can simply slide it out and empty it, ready for the next use. The product comes with an instruction manual that makes it very easy to set-up without the help of a professional. Many users have said that they had no problem using it for the first time.

For users that want additional accessories with their purchase, they can opt to buy the version that comes with a 30-inch electric smoker cover and a pack of hickory BBQ smoking chips. It’s slightly more expensive at around 20 dollars more, but the cover helps protect the unit from external elements. For its warranty, the product comes with a 90-day warranty that covers factory and material defects.

Being priced below $190, this product is relatively cheaper compared to the rest of the products on our list.

At a relatively cheap price, you can already get your hands on an electric smoker that does its job. While it doesn’t have extra features that make the cooking experience a lot more convenient and enjoyable, it’s a good choice if you just want an efficient smoker for basic, homestyle cooking.

Grab it on Amazon!

No.6: Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker

This 505-square inch electric smoker maintains your temperature and lets you cook large amounts of food at once — it can even fit a 20-pound turkey. It has three adjustable cast iron cooking grates just in case you’re cooking foods of various sizes. With insulated and double-walled interior construction, you can be assured that the ideal temperature is maintained throughout the cooking process. It also comes with trays for your wood chips and a pan for your water, which both make your foods succulent, tender and smoky. For your safety, its manufacturers have added a chrome-plated handle so you won’t have to wear a glove for cooking all the time!

While this unit does not come with a high-tech display, it does come with a temperature gauge embedded into the lid. Its internal temperature control makes reading the temperature easy. The electric smoker comes with 1,500 Watt heating element that is used to heat your wood chips.

The Char-Broil smoker was easy to set up; all we did was follow the instructions that came with the box. In addition, we had no problem cleaning it up after using it several times. The product comes with a grease cup and porcelain ash pan, which speed up the cleaning process, so you won’t make any mess as you empty it out for the next use.

For users who want the additional smoker cover, they can purchase the set, which is a bit more expensive, but well worth the higher price because it means protecting your smoker from rain and dirt. It also comes with a warranty that is valid for one year.

At 136 dollars, this electric smoker leans toward the cheaper end of our electric smokers list. It’s a lot cheaper compared to other units, even if it offers similar features.

You might be wondering why this product is listed seventh even when it offers great features at a of the products have, it lacks in terms of convenience, technology, and portability.

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No.7: Masterbuilt 20073716 Portable Electric Smoker

This 1400-Watt Masterbuilt Portable Electric Smoker can accommodate one whole turkey and you can even cook a couple of hamburgers with it. Lightweight at 21 pounds, this small electric smoker is ideally built for outdoor activities such as camping and tailgating. Its build is fuss-free and solid, which makes sure it endures numerous outdoor conditions such as wetness and humidity. The racks can be removed at your convenience so that you can cook more food. In addition, its door has a very tight seal which locks in heat and makes sure your foods are cooked thoroughly and consistently.

Compared to our other products which have digital controls, this is the kind of electric smoker which you have to set manually in order to reach the desired temperature. Setting it up even in outdoor conditions is fairly easy. It’s very portable, as well, since it comes with folding legs which are useful when transporting the smoker.

This product does not come with a digital display, however, it does feature a conveniently placed temperature gauge, which means you can monitor the heat consistently.

At under $80, this is one cheap electric smoker. Keep in mind, though, that it’s priced low for a reason — it’s a portable pick, which means you just get the basics. Still, for a portable option, it’s durable, well-powered and well worth its price.

For campers and people who like going on outdoor adventures, this should be the go-to product for them. Affordable and portable, you’ll have no trouble using this wherever you are.

Get Masterbuilt 20073716 on Amazon!

No.8: Smoke Hollow 30162E Electric Smoker, 30 Inch with Adjustable Temperature Control

The 30-inch electric smoker comes with four cooking racks that can easily accommodate a turkey and around two whole chickens. The cooking grids can be adjusted and removed to accommodate larger meats. In addition, it features a strong magnetic door that latches in and locks in the heat, making sure that your foods are cooked thoroughly. It also comes with a painted steel wood chip box as well as a water pan that can be easily emptied.

Many users have reported that they found difficulty in setting the temperature. Although the product does come with a temperature control panel that lets you choose from multiple temperature settings, trying to reach the ideal temperature takes quite a bit of time. However, when the temperature is finally reached, the product can maintain it easily. It just lacks that “set it and forget it” feature because you’ll need to babysit it during the first few minutes.

This product doesn’t come with a digital LED display, but it does have a temperature gauge embedded into the door for easy reading.

This product comes with side handles on both sides for portability. The product does not state that it has a warranty, but a warranty can be requested through a customer service representative.

For something with a price around $160, this is an electric smoker that’s good for basic use. There’s a reason why we ranked it lower than the rest, and it’s mostly because of the price. However, it’s worth mentioning that Smoke Hollow products are usually priced reasonably, which we noticed when we reviewed grilling units from this popular brand. For a similar price range, you can get better smokers that have more impressive features. Still, its price is affordable and it does feature everything you would need for basic, everyday cooking.

For basic, home-style cooking, this product may serve you well. However, for its price, you should know that you can get better features with other products. Still, if you just want something that can smoke your meats and vegetables decently, then it’s a worthy purchase.

Get Smoke Hollow 30162E now on Amazon!

No.9: Smokehouse Products Little Chief Front Load Smoker

This 450-Watt electric smoker lets you smoke as much as 50 pounds of meat or fish without having to use any burning material — it relies on a powerful heating element that can reach levels of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Durably built using embossed aluminum, this electric smoker comes with multiple easy-slide grills that are chrome-coated. In addition, it features a flavor fuel pan at the bottom, as well as a drip pan.

This self-contained electric smoke relies on a non-adjustable heating element that can reach 165 degrees. It doesn’t have digital controls for temperature variation, which means it will heat your foods at a constant temperature of around 160 to 165 degrees.

This electric smoker comes assembled, which is a major bonus. It’s perfect for low-capacity home usage and is good as a “first electric smoker” for beginners. Users reported that they had no problem with the temperature maintaining itself, and only complained that it had a hard time reaching 165 degrees while in cold environments.

If the Little Chief is too little for your liking, you can choose to buy the Big Chief, which has more easy-slide grills, but with the same features.

One of the cheapest items in our review list, this product is priced cheaply at under $99, which is almost half the price of most items on our list. For its low price, it delivers in terms of usability, build and functionality.

Although maintaining and setting the temperature is one of the main downfalls of this product, it’s still a handy electric smoker that can cook several foods like steak, trout, salmon, and turkey. It’s a reasonable choice for beginners, as well.

Get Smokehouse Little Chief on Amazon!

No.10: Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker

With 725 square inches of cooking space, this Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker is big enough to cook for large backyard barbecue parties. It comes with four cooking racks that can be adjusted and removed according to your need. Its interior is fully insulated and double-walled, ensuring that heat is sealed, even more so with its stainless steel latch that ensures a smoke-tight seal. Additionally, it comes with an 8.5-cup capacity smokers box that can run for four to seven hours of smoking. A large glass door offers convenient viewing so you can check on its progress from time to time.

The great thing about this electric smoker is its digital features that are linked to a SmartChef App. With the app, you can check on its temperature, cooking progress, and so much more so that you can make sure that your cooking is always perfect. It uses internal meat probes that monitor the temperature in real time.

Do note that the SmartChef App works only with iPhone models 4s and up which use iOS 8 and up. The app is compatible with Android phones that run on the KitKat operating system and newer.

Setting up the Char-Broil Digital Electric Smoker is as easy as setting up most top electric smokers in the market. We had no problem using it for the first time — we simply plugged it in and warmed it up. We found that the SmartChef App provided valuable assistance during the smoking process. With the app, it was easy to set up the meal and how we wanted the settings to be. This electric smoker also automatically turns off when the cooking is finished.

The SmartChef App not only gives you instructions on how to set up your cooking and notifies you when your cooking is finished. It also offers plenty of smoking recipes which we found useful whenever we wanted to try something new. But, if you prefer using an electric smoker that doesn’t need help from an app, you could always buy the basic Digital Electric Smoker without the SmartChef technology at a cheaper price.

This certainly isn’t the most affordable unit on our list. At under $170, it offers pretty convenient smoking features primarily from the SmartChef app integration. But, for its performance, you can find a cheaper alternative that offers the same results.

We ranked this last because although it offered high-tech Wi-Fi features, that was the only feature that made it “stand out”. For its price, you can get a better electric smoker that has higher user ratings. The app makes it look expensive, but its performance is actually just average.

Grab Char-Broil Digital now on Amazon!
Honorable Mentions:

No. 11: SmokinTex 1100 Pro Series Electric Smoker

This SmokinTex smoker once managed to make it to the Runners Up spot in our list. But over time, due to the advent of newer models and technologies, it had to be replaced by the newer generation of smokers. Surely, that was not enough to put this boy down.

SmokinTex 1100 Pro is a lightweight smoker with a sturdy build. Made with stainless steel, this product won’t see any signs of rusting or decay. Weighing in at around 50 lbs, it’s light and easy to move. Even then, it comes with optional wheels to improve mobility even further. Despite the seemingly low weight, it has a cooking capacity of a whopping 23 lbs, distributed over 2 to 3 cooking racks.

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No. 12: Old Smokey Electric Smoker

Old Smokey is one of the oldest manufacturers in the industry; established in 1953, with an extensive history of producing some of the best electric smokers on the market. So, it’s a no-brainer that this brand had once made it into our list of the best electric smokers. But with time, Old Smokey became an “old smoker” in terms of available features and it had to be replaced by more modern, updated models.

Even so, the Old Smokey Electric Smoker is a reliable smoker that delivers a consistent, quality BBQ experience. It is entirely made of aluminized steel to support its 1250W of heating power. The Old Smokey was also designed with a tight-fitting lid to ensure that no heat is lost, so the cooking time is reduced and the flavor of the wood chips is well-infused with the meat.

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No. 13: Smokin-It Model #1 Electric Smoker

We once chose the Smokin-It Model Smoker as the best electric smoker for beginners because it offered a simple and sleek design with high portability, great insulation, and other important features – all for a competitive price. The simplicity of this product’s design hasn’t changed, but the needs of the grillers have. With so many great products on the market, like those from George Foreman, our updated product review just didn’t have a spot for a beginner’s pick.

Smokin-It has a reputation for building some of the best BBQ smokers on the market, and the Smokin-It Model #1 Electric Smoker really lives up to the expectations of the meat-loving community.

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No. 14: Cookshack SM009-2 Smokette Electric Smoker

Another smoker that we tried out was the Cookshack SM009-2 Smokette Electric Smoker. While it did produce some great quality BBQ, it was not ranked on our list because it was a little pricey, clocking in at about $700. Still, this smoker offers some great features with an awesome performance.

The Cookshack SM009-2 Smokette Electric Smoker features double-walled steel interior and exterior layers that make a noticeable difference in the grilling experience. The interior layers ensure heat and moisture do not escape, creating juicier BBQ. Its exterior layers are also important because they make sure the smoker is not hot to the touch.

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Other Notable Electric Smoker Grills

Smoke Hollow 3616DEWS 36-Inch Digital Electric Smoker:

The Smoke Hollow 3616DEWS 36-Inch Digital Electric Smoker is another smoker that we tried out. It is a competitively priced smoker (for about $250) that offers some valuable features, which a lot of other smokers in its price range do not. This electric smoker is offered in two colors: stainless steel/silver or black. But if you feel like you must have the black version of this smoker, be prepared to come with a little more inside your pocket.

Masterbuilt 20070910 Electric Smoker:

With four of its products in line for the best electric smokers on our site, it is undeniable that this brand has some of the best electric smokers around. The Masterbuilt 20070910 is one of the larger capacity BBQ smokers that is easy to use, even for the beginners, with a wide range of features that can even cater to the needs of professional BBQers.

The biggest concern for us was the durability of its shelf brackets, but as long as you check them before smoking your meats and do not throw your meats on the rack, you should be fine. Again, this is another great smoker that comes at a great price!

Smoke Hollow 26142E 26-Inch Electric Smoker:

The Smoke Hollow 26142E comes stock with a porcelain coated water pan and wood chip tray. The instruction manual that comes with this electric smoker instructs users to place the wood chip holder directly on the wood chip holder, which is a huge issue. Not only will this damage the porcelain and cause wood chips to burn too quickly or catch fire, but this will also eventually mess up the heating element.

Also, the poor construction of this electric smoker is unacceptable. The leakage of smoke, water, and grease alone is a safety hazard, putting this product out of the top 10 list and into the notable products section.

Well, at long last, we have made it to the end of the electric smokers! I hope you enjoyed reading up on them because we definitely enjoyed grilling with them! Overall, I would say that the Masterbuilt brand offers some of the best electric smokers, along with the SmokinTex 1100 Pro Series Electric Smoker. But for our No. 1 Pick, we chose the Masterbuilt 20075315 because of its large grilling size, front view window, and the multitude of other features it offers.

But, if you do not have to have the window and are fine working with a smaller grill area, then we would recommend the SmokinTex 1100 Pro Series Electric Smoker because, again, it offers a quality BBQ! If you ask me personally anyway, I believe that the SmokinTex 1100 Pro Series Smoker will end up being more durable, and outlast the Masterbuilt 20075315. But, hey, that’s just me!

Good luck to all the griller enthusiasts and I hope this helps you on your journey to excellent, mouth-water BBQ with the best electric smoker out there!