7 Best BBQ Smokers of 2023

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If you’re looking for versatility, the ProQ BBQ Smoker is a great all-rounder. It offers four functions in one compact unit. You can BBQ, grill, smoke or roast food. This smoker makes it easy for you to switch between functions so you can adjust it quickly depending on how you want to cook.

It’s large enough to feed up to 12 people at once, yet has a compact body and frame which makes it easy to move and store. The grill is 40 cm in diameter and the whole smoker measures 43 x 43 x 102 cm in total.

Although this smoker doesn’t have wheels, it’s the lightest model featured here, weighing ‎16 kg. This makes it convenient to lift and move around. So, if you only have a small garden, or want to take a BBQ/Smoker on holiday or to the beach, this model is ideal!

Another thing that makes it easy to use away from home is the fact that it’s fuelled by charcoal. This means it can be set up anywhere, given that charcoal is safe and easy to transport. There’s a built-in lid thermometer and multiple air vents which allow you to keep an eye on cooking temperature. The thermometer offers a good ball-park guide, but it’s also a good idea to use an additional digital thermometer for accuracy.

The vents, latches and handles are all fitted with orange-coloured ‘cool-touch tabs’. This prevents you from touching any of the hot metal components whilst cooking.

The body is constructed from 1 mm thick plate steel and coated in porcelain. The grill and all the fittings are made from rust-resistant stainless steel.

There are a couple of additional features to help with cooking food. Firstly, the ProQ BBQ Smoker comes with five meat hooks to help with smoking meat. It is also fitted with silicone ‘probe eyelets’ around the outside which allow you to insert a probe thermometer into food without opening the lid and letting out heat.

As this is a small, compact unit, it doesn’t have any side tables or preparation areas attached. It’s also low to the ground, particularly when used as a BBQ, which may not suit all users.

Nevertheless, it’s one of the best BBQ smokers in terms of performance and convenience. It allows you to cook for up to 12 people, and can be used as a BBQ, grill, oven or smoker. Plus, the fact it’s lightweight and fuelled by charcoal makes it easy to use away from home.

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If you’re looking for the best BBQ smoker for gatherings and large groups, the KAMADO BONO Grande Ceramic Smoker BBQ is an ideal choice. This smoker has a large cooking area, with a 59 cm diameter grill. It’s ideal for feeding 10 or more people at once.

This charcoal smoker offers three cooking functions: grill, smoke, and oven. It’s even possible to cook pizza and bake bread, which is great news for al-fresco dining.

It has a multi-levelled cooking space, across two tiers in the cooking chamber, so you can easily cook different dishes at the same time. This is another feature that makes it particularly useful for gatherings. Also, the two attached side tables make food preparation hassle-free, even when feeding a big group of people.

Like most of the smokers on this page, the KAMADO BONO is charcoal-fuelled. It has a built-in thermometer and two vents, allowing good temperature control during the cooking process. Controlling the temperature works particularly well with this charcoal smoker and gives great results.

This is the only smoker on this page that’s made from ceramic. Ceramic retains heat very well which is great for even cooking and using less fuel. However, the downside of this construction is that this BBQ smoker is the heaviest here, weighing 112 kg. It’s also the biggest unit, measuring 128 x 80 x 120 cm, so it’s not portable for trips. Despite its size, it comes with four sturdy wheels to make it easy to move around the garden when needed.

It comes with a cover included, designed to protect the BBQ smoker from any weather. Other included accessories include hooks on the side tables for your cooking utensils and a ceramic chicken rack. This makes it possible to evenly cook a whole chicken without drying it out.

Assembly is straightforward. Only the stand needs putting together and everything required comes included. Whilst tightening the nuts is a little time consuming, it’s not difficult overall.

It would be remiss not to mention that this is a premium smoker, and as such, it’s an expensive model. Nevertheless, it’s well worth the investment if you’re passionate about cooking and want something that will give you lots of opportunities to experiment.

As stated, this is a good smoker for gatherings thanks to its large capacity, functional side tables, and staggered cooking area. It’s a sturdy smoker that’s easy to use and it can also bake bread as well.

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The Char Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker Grill and Smoker offers good value for money. It’s multi-functional, acting as a grill, smoker and warmer, yet comes in at a fraction of the price of similar models featured here. It’s made from 22-gauge steel which is powder-coated on the exterior and has a porcelain-coating on the interior. The cooking area is made from cast iron and the cart underneath is made from tubular steel.

The charcoal smoker offers two primary functions: smoker and grill. There is also a removable warming rack to keep meat warm whilst cooking other things. Granted, there aren’t as many functions as some of the other smokers featured here, but it’s effective at what it does and is simple to use.

The grill is 50 cm in diameter, providing enough cooking space for medium-to-large groups. It’ll fit approximately five burgers at a time. There are two metal side tables to help with food preparation and the tables have useful hooks for hanging cooking utensils. The tables fold down out of the way when not in use.

The smoker is fuelled by charcoal, and it has triple walls to help maintain heat.

Due to its steel construction, this charcoal smoker is quite heavy at 45 kg. This means it’s best suited to entertaining at home, as opposed to taking on trips. There are large, 20 cm wheels at the front and a locking castor wheel at the rear. This makes the smoker easy and safe to move around when needed.

There’s a built-in thermometer, as well as a top and bottom damper to help you maintain a steady temperature during cooking. Once you’re finished cooking, there’s an easy-dump ash pan to make cleaning up as easy as possible.

It doesn’t come with a cover to protect it when not in use, and it’s fairly big at 114.3 x 78.7 x 119.4 cm, so keep that in mind for storage.

Overall, this is one of the best BBQ smokers in terms of value for money. Although it doesn’t have all the features of more premium models, it still offers grilling and smoking and a surprising amount of space – both on the grill, and on the two foldable side tables.

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This CosmoGrill Outdoor XL Smoker Barbecue is one of the best BBQ smokers to buy on a budget.

You can use this model as a grill or smoker, and the grill is reasonably large at 58 x 42.5 cm, making it ideal for cooking for large groups. The rectangular cooking grill provides enough cooking space for 10 burgers alongside 10 sausages with room left over too. There’s a warming rack over the grill which keeps your food warm once it’s cooked.

One beneficial feature, that makes this budget BBQ smoker different to other models on this page, is the height-adjustable charcoal tray. It can be moved closer to, or further from, the food to give even more control over the cooking temperature.

Plus, the built-in thermometer gives accurate readings; it helps take the guesswork out of grilling and maintain a steady temperature. There’s also a chimney and air vents to help you control the temperature, so lots of ways to keep it burning as you want.

This smoker is made from powder-coated steel and is one of the lightest models here at 24 kg. There are two side tables to give you plenty of workspace, and they fold down for transportation and storage. There are hooks on the side tables for your equipment and there’s even a bottle opener built into the BBQ which is a nice touch.

One thing to be aware of, which you may not expect, is the fact that this BBQ smoker arrives flat packed. It takes around one-to-two hours to put together. The manufacturers recommend two people to assemble. Another disadvantage to this smoker’s design is the fact that there’s no handle, so it can be a little awkward to grab onto when wheeling it around.

Nevertheless, this is still a good BBQ smoker to buy on a budget – marked at a very reasonable price point. It’s a large size, and extremely functional, even if it lacks some of the more intricate functions of more expensive models.

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For those who prefer the simplicity of gas cooking, the Char-Broil The Big Easy® – Smoker, Roaster and Grill is a great option. It lights easily with built-in ignition and can be used as a BBQ, oven and smoker. The smoker function uses wood chips in an easy-access smoker box.

It’s a small, compact model that is easy to move around, yet it can still cook up to 11 kg of meat. The grill is 38.5 cm in diameter, the smallest grill here, and is suitable for cooking for small-to-medium groups. The grill is porcelain coated for easy cleaning, and can quickly be removed to use the other functions.

One of the best features of this smoker is the roasting basket, which can be used when roasting or smoking. It’s possible to cook a whole chicken this way and cleaning up afterwards is easy. The meat is loaded into the roasting basket which fits easily within the cylindrical cooking chamber. It also comes with four rib hooks so you can cook the perfect ribs. There’s a removable grease tray to catch drips as well.

When used as a smoker, you will likely need to use more wood chips than you are used to (if you have previous experience with smoking food). This is because the air vents on the top of the unit do allow quite a lot of smoke to escape. Overall, it’s capable of smoking food well, but may need to be kept an eye on to ensure there’s still smoke.

This model also features a TRU-Infrared cooking system. This means that it converts the hot air that’s generated into infrared heat. The system is intended to cook food more evenly and be more energy efficient, using less gas.

Also, although there are no wheels, this is one of the lighter models featured here at ‎22.7 kg. As a result, it can be lifted fairly easily, although you might need two people.

Despite a couple of downsides, this is one of the best gas-powered BBQ smokers on the market. The roasting basket is a particularly quick and easy way to cook meat, and it’s useful that it still includes a small grill for easy gas BBQing.

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Suitable for both grilling and smoking, this Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe’s® Highland Smoker is a unit that means business. It even looks the part, designed as a full-sized standing smoker, which sets it apart from most models on this page.

It’s charcoal-fuelled and has a large 88 x 44 cm grill. This provides plenty of room to cook for large groups of people.

Built with the intricacies of smoking food in mind, there is an offset smoker section at the side. It has an easy-access door meaning you can add extra wood, stoke the fire, and control the smoking element without needing to lift the lid off the main grill. For this reason, it’s the best offset smoker featured here.

The grill lid has a built-in thermometer and there are multiple vents, making temperature control very straight forward.

This charcoal smoker features a smokestack on the lid with adjustable dampers. This helps to draw the smoke through the cooking chamber and regulate the heat.

There’s a long shelf in front of the BBQ which provides space to prepare food or rest your tools. Also, the handles on this smoker are ‘cool touch’ to reduce accidents when cooking.

It’s constructed from heavy-gauge steel and is reasonably heavy. It weighs 83.7 kg and is quite large overall. The dimensions are 85.1 x 144.8 x 134.6 cm, making it the biggest BBQ smoker featured here. Keep this in mind when considering storage! Despite its size, it has large, sturdy castor wheels to allow you to move it with ease. The steel is coated with black paint which is prone to peeling when it gets hot.

Besides this, the main downside to this BBQ smoker is that it’s less versatile than the other models on this list. It’s mostly aimed at being used as a smoker, though it can also grill food. Nevertheless, it’s equipped to do this one function extremely well.

This is one of the best BBQ smokers if you’re keen to experiment and learn about different ways to smoke your food. Its design is well-equipped for smoking and it’s a great size to test out different foods and techniques.

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The Char-Griller Premium Red Kettle Charcoal Grill and Smoker is one of the best BBQ smokers if you want something simple yet effective. This basic charcoal smoker is simple to use and easy to control, with a built-in thermometer and dual damper controls. This allows you to easy and accurate temperature control.

This model can be used as either a grill or a smoker. The 50 cm diameter grill grate is big enough to cook for medium-to-large groups, catering to around eight people. There are two fold-out side shelves for food preparation, and they have attached hooks for your cooking utensils. The lid is hinged which is useful for cooking, and relatively uncommon with round grills.

This smoker is fuelled by charcoal and holds its temperature well, reaching approximately 240°C. Once you’re finished cooking, there’s a removable ash tray so you can clean up with ease.

It’s quite compact, measuring 71.1 x 76.2 x 104.1 cm. This makes this charcoal smoker suitable if you don’t have much storage space. There are two heavy-duty wheels that make it easier to move around, from the shed to the garden. It’s worth noting it doesn’t come with a cover to protect it when not in use, so it will need to be stored indoors or you’ll need to find a suitable cover.

Suitable for medium/large gatherings, this is one of the best BBQ smokers if you want a unit that will successfully smoke your food whilst being a decent size for standard BBQing as well. It’s also sufficiently compact to mean that it is not too difficult to store either.