Best Offset Smokers for Every Price Range and Use 2022

Offset smokers are the classic smoking tool.

They’re simple, but effective. While it might seem like there’s not a lot to them, don’t be fooled. Smokers are more than just a spot for charcoal and another for food.

Offset smokers come in a few different configurations. From upright models, to reverse flow units, there are smokers for every use.

From materials, to the way they’re configured, it all makes a difference in how the final product comes out.

Our Best Choice

Image	Product	Price
	Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D BEST CHOICE Delivering an even and delicious result. Removable baffles and optional smokestack locations. Large stainless Steel fuel basket.	Check on Amazon
	Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn RUNNER UP Delivering an even and delicious result. Removable baffles and optional smokestack locations. Large stainless Steel fuel basket.	Check on Amazon
	Oklahoma Joe’s Combo Offset Smoker VALUE CHOICE SUPER EASY Cooking even for Beginners. EASY To Assemble and Use. Great ALL AROUND Smoker & Grill.	Check on Amazon

Top 9 Offset Smokers Reviews (For Better Smoking)

1. Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Charcoal Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love this:

2. Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love this:

3. Oklahoma Joe’s Combo Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love this:

4. Char-Griller E1224 Smokin Pro Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love this:

• Size: If you need a smaller smoker for your backyard or patio, the Char-Grill is a nice pick. Even though it’s small, there is 580 square inches of cooking space for all of your favorite foods. The firebox has a direct heat cooking area that provides an additional 250 square inches of space.
• Quality Materials: This smoker is made from powder-coated heavy duty steel so it is made to last and holds heat well. The wood handles and shelves add a touch of class to this smoker. Inside the smoker, the porcelain coated cast iron grates are non-stick and rust resistant.
• Easy to Use: The Char-Griller comes with all the basics: A built-in temperature gauge, removable charcoal drawer, a storage rack and wheels. All these features make it easy to start smoking your favorite foods.
• Versatility: Smoke your favorite foods in the main cooking chamber, while also high-heat searing on the grate in the firebox.

What We Didn’t Like

• Stability: We were a bit surprised by the legs and wheels of this smoker. While they seem OK in pictures, when you get them out of the box, they are disappointingly flimsy. While you can move this smoker thanks to the wheels, you may not want to move it around often.
• Durability: This is a nice “starter” smoker. The low-price tag makes it perfect for learning and getting the hang of smoking. You’ll not get many years of use from this grill, since the materials are not as high quality as found on pricier smokers. Plan on an upgrade in the future.

5. Landmann 560202 Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love it:

• Size: We were pleasantly surprised by the cooking area of this smoker combo. Even though the footprint is compact, there’s plenty of cooking space on the inside.
• Easy to Use: The offset smoker box is easy to fill and get started, and this smoker combo holds heat well. The cool-grip handles allow you to skip the hot-mitts. Finally, the removable charcoal tray and ash pan make cleaning this smoker amazingly simple.
• Price: It’s not the most expensive smoker on our list, but it also isn’t the least expensive. With an affordable mid-point price, combined with good quality materials, this smoker combo is great value.
• Easy to Clean: Easy cleanup is a game changer. The removable ash tray and cast iron grates make cleaning this smoker simple and fast.

What We Didn’t Like

• Durability: Consider a coating of high-heat paint for the charcoal trays and the inside of the ash tray. We noticed the paint bubbled after just a couple of uses. This small modification will add longevity to these crucial parts.
• Not Easy Assembly: Unfortunately, we struggled with the assembly of this smoker. Some of the parts didn’t fit together as well as they should have. It’s a great smoker, but dedicated a good chunk of time to assembly.

6. Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love it:

• Versatility: This smoker offers you the ability to smoke, charcoal grill and high heat sear a variety of foods. Though small, you can easily cook a variety of foods on the cooking surface or inside the fire box.
• Heat Control: There are easy to use features that make adjusting the temperature of this smoker simple. We like the smokestack set opposite of the fire box and the height adjustable fire grate for perfect smoking or grilling temperatures.
• Easy to Clean: Easy clean-up is courtesy of porcelain coated cast iron cooking grates and a clean- out door for ash. There’s minimal mess and less time scrubbing with this smoker.
• Price: For a basic smoker, the price is right. This is a great smoker for beginners thanks to an affordable price and easy operation.

What We Didn’t Like

• Size: This is a compact smoker. If you’re looking to smoke a giant rack of ribs or a hefty brisket, this smoker might not work so well.
• Durability: The legs on this smoker aren’t as sturdy as we’d like, and the plastic wheels aren’t very stable. Also, this is welded steel, so we noticed rusting sooner than expected at some of the joints.

7. Broil King 958050 Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love it:

• Size: While this smoker has plenty of interior smoking space, we like that it is fairly compact. The 625 square inches of primary cooking area is great for large cuts of meat or enough burgers for a crowd, and the fire box offers an additional 175 square inches of high heat cooking space.
• Heat Control: Three easy to adjust dampers allow you to perfectly adjust the airflow inside the smoker. This gives you a perfect smoking temperature with minimal effort. The built-in temperature gauge is fairly accurate, so you easily monitor your smoking temperature without opening the lid.
• Quality Materials: Almost every inch of this smoker is made from steel. The exterior is powder-coated steel, the charcoal trays are stainless-steel. The only thing not made from steel is the cast iron cooking grates.
• Storage: There is plenty of space to store extra charcoal, all of your tools and still have space for your barbeque sauces and a cooling beverage. The front shelf has hooks to conveniently hang your utensils from.

What We Didn’t Like

• Not Easy to Clean: The biggest missing feature on this smoker is the ash box. There is just no good way to get the ashes out of this smoker. Sure, it has a door on each end, but it’s not flush and so you always end up with a little left over ash, which is a pain, and over time can contribute to rusting.
• Value for the Price: To be direct, this smoker lands on the expensive end of the price spectrum. If you’re paying this much for a smoker, you expect to not have the little issues that this smoker has.

8. Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker

Why you’ll love it:

• Size: This smoker is the perfect size for smaller backyards or condo patios. You’ll be impressed with the 811 square inches of cooking space that is tucked into this compact smoker.
• Versatility: This smoker also functions as a charcoal grill and the fire box has added cooking space for direct heat grilling and searing. The great feature of this smoker is you can use the coals for smoking to grill burgers and brats at the same time.
• Easy to Use: The dampers of this smoker are easy to adjust for simple temperature regulations.
• Storage: The front shelf is great for holding your sauces and beverages. The lower shelf is perfect for storing larger utensils and extra wood chips or charcoal.
• Price: If you are on a budget, but really want to learn to smoke your favorite foods, the price of this smoker can’t be beat.

What We Didn’t Like

• Challenging Assembly: It’s a shock to open the box and see so many parts. Assembly isn’t particularly difficult, but there are a lot of parts to work through.
• Durability: There are some issues with the attachment points holding together. Keep an eye on the screws that hold the smoker together. They tend to wiggle loose after a bit of time.

9. Z Grills 8 in 1 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

Why you’ll love it:

• Size: Size-wise this smoker is middle of the road. It has almost 700 square inches of cooking surfaces, which is plenty for daily grilling for your family, but large enough for entertaining.
• Heat Control: The great thing about pellet smokers is that you can set the temperature and there’s no additional work on your end. The dial control on this smoker makes controlling and adjusting the temperature simple.
• Quality Materials: The grill and hopper lids are both made from heavy-duty stainless steel. That’s combined with powder-coated steel for long-lasting performance.
• Versatility: The wide temperature range of this pellet smoker is wide enough that you can smoke, bake, grill, roast, sear, BBQ and char-grill.
• Easy to Use: If you’ve been using a traditional smoker, you’ll be overwhelmed by how easy this smoker is to use. With “set it and forget it” (almost) operation, you’ll have more time for the other tasks of life when you’re not spending hours adjusting temperatures and checking fuel.

What We Didn’t Like

• Cleaning: If you have extra pellets, this smoker has no tray or door to empty extra pellets. This isn’t a huge deal, more of an inconvenience. Otherwise this smoker is pretty simple to operate and clean.
• Prep Area: A shelf on the front or side would be helpful. The only flat surface you have is the lid of the hopper. This isn’t really big enough to hold all the stuff you need to get your foods prepped for smoking or grilling.

FINAL VERDICT

While there are plenty of great smokers on the market, if you’ve got to pick just one it’s hard to go wrong with the Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Charcoal Offset Smoker. This smoker provides a good mix of features and value.

Dyna-Glo’s provides over 784 square inches of cooking space. Made of heavy gauge steel and well ventilated, this smoker cooks and maintains smoking temperatures well. Adjustable height cooking grates make for maximum control.

If you’re looking for a good smoker, check out this product from Dyna-Glo today.

Read more: Learn how to season a smoker.

What to Look For in an Offset Smoker?

There are few things more American than grilling.

And what better way to perfect your next brisket or hamburger than with charcoal. Charcoal infuses a flavor that just can’t be matched.

While more advanced barbeque tools have emerged over the years—powered by everything from electricity to propane—nothing quite compares to the classic offset smoker.

If you’re looking for your next smoker or are thinking of picking up your first, there’s a lot to choose from. If you prefer grilling the most then our charcoal grills reviews might be helpful.

Size Matters

Best smokers come in all types, shapes and sizes.

When choosing one, you’ll want to start by considering how much space you need for cooking. If you plan on just preparing food for you and your family or a few friends, a smaller smoker is probably all you’ll ever need. But, if you plan on cooking for a crowd, you may need a much larger smoker.

Storage space is another concern. Many offset smokers are fairly long, meaning you’ll need plenty of space to store them. If you don’t have a lot of space, make sure you pick a smoker that fits in the space you need it to.

Construction

How a smoker is put together is another major consideration before buying.

Many inexpensive smokers are made of thin metal that doesn’t hold or transfer heat well. Since smoking—and often grilling—are all about keeping heat even and low, it’s important to have a smoker that can get the job done. A good smoker will be made of thick enough metal to keep the heat inside and efficient.

Proper ventilation is also important to a good smoke. So, make sure your smoker has enough vents to get the smoke flowing just right.

Portability

Being able to move the smoker around is another important feature for many users. Storage is at a premium for many, so having a smoker that will not only fit, but can be moved easily is an important consideration.

While many smaller smokers have wheels, larger units often do not.

Ease of Maintenance

Cleaning out a charcoal grill can be a pain. It’s one of the few downsides of the platform.

When shopping for a smoker, you’ll definitely want to consider how easy it is to clean and maintain. Many smokers have a catch pan beneath that can be easily removed to dispose of the ashes.

Budget

Price is always a big consideration. Thankfully, offset smokers are relatively affordable compared to some of their more advanced counterparts.

Most offset smokers can be had for less than $500, with many available closer to the $200 mark.

What’s for Dinner?

One of the biggest things to consider when choosing a smoker is what you’ll be cooking.

If you’re just planning to smoke meats like ribs or brisket, choosing an upright smoker might be the best option. But, if you’d like to sear a steak every now and then or cook the occasional burger, a more traditional offset smoker with a place to sear meat is a much better choice.

Pros and Cons of Offset Smokers

Pros

• Create a delicious barbecue flavor – Because the offset smoker uses wood or charcoal as its fuel source, it produces meat with an incredibly delicate, smoky flavor. The smoke rises into the cooking container relatively unregulated, moving across the meat and cooking it slowly and thoroughly. Offset smokers can create an intensely full-bodied, slow-cooked brisket.
• You can also use them as a grill – An offset smoker can double up as a grill. Bypass the firebox and add charcoal to the bottom of the main container. Put a grill rack above the charcoal, and you’re ready to grill. Grilling cooks the meat faster than smoking does and ensures that you produce the juiciest possible result.
• Don’t require electricity – These smokers are old-school. They don’t need any electricity to operate, so you can also barbecue almost anywhere you want. You’ll also save on any electricity costs you’d be paying with other grill options.
• Don’t require electricity – These smokers are old-school. They don’t need any electricity to operate, so you can also barbecue almost anywhere you want. You’ll also save on any electricity costs you’d be paying with other grill options.
• Tend to be cheaper – These smokers’ initial cost tends to be less expensive than some other, electricity-operated options.
• Can cook a lot of meat at once – You can fit a lot of fuel in the firebox of an offset grill, allowing the cooking container to retain a high temperature over a long time. There’s also plenty of room in a traditional offset smoker, so you’ll be able to lay out several large chunks of meat with no problem at all.
• Easy to source fuel – The charcoal and wood fuel sources are easy to find at various stores.

Cons

• Need to check on the temperature frequently – You’ll need to keep manually checking on the temperature of your firebox and the cooking container to make sure that your meat is cooking correctly. Whenever you open up the large container’s lid, you run the risk of losing heat and smoke from the barbecue, so try to avoid doing that too often.
• Very difficult to use in adverse weather conditions – These grills are difficult to use in rainy, windy, and cold weather. Poor external conditions can make it even more challenging to control and retain the smoker’s internal temperature, and wet weather can dampen the fuel source.
• It takes a long time to cook meat – It can take time to heat the fuel source and the barbecue. Afterward, the smoker’s slow-cooking style means that you’ll be waiting a while for your meat to cook properly.
• It’s more challenging to get an even cook – Sometimes, the area of the smoker nearest to the firebox is the hottest, meaning you’ll have to keep rotating meat to make sure it gets cooked evenly. This problem is significantly more likely to happen with a traditional offset smoker model.
• High running costs – Traditional models tend to be less fuel-efficient than other options, meaning they have higher running costs.

Using an Offset Smoker

Using an offset smoker requires a level of expertise that other grills don’t demand. Besides being an immensely rewarding cooking experience, you can amaze your friends and family with an expert grilling display using an offset smoker.

Lighting the Fire

The best way to light an offset cooker is by using charcoal. This fuel source lights quickly and also provides that sought-after smoky flavor throughout your meat and vegetables.

Use a chimney starter, which comes with predrilled holes and vents for near-instant lighting, and then tip the glowing coals into the offset smoker’s firebox for the fastest results. Try to place the lit charcoal at the back of the firebox, so when you stoke the fire, you are not reaching over the burning coals.

When the fire is burning, it’s time to add wood to maximize the smoky flavor. You can choose from a range of woods, experimenting with oak, apple, cherry, and others. Many tastes combine well with certain meats, so you can find the ideal wood to go with steak, chicken, or turkey.

For the first 10 minutes, place the wood beside the hot charcoal, allowing it to dry out and heat. When the wood is sufficiently dry, you can set the pieces on top of the charcoal.

It’s a good idea to put another piece of wood beside the charcoal each time you move a separate log onto the coals. This means you always have a warm and dry log to place on the coals when one has burned through.

Set the Temperature

Your offset smoker has an airflow vent, otherwise known as a damper, which you open and close to control the amount of air that reaches the charcoal and wood. Flames need oxygen to burn, and opening the damper allows more oxygen into the firebox, which is ideal when raising the temperature.

Your offset smoker may have an integrated thermometer, or if your model doesn’t have one, you should invest in a separate temperature gauge. Watch the heat level rise, and when you reach your desired level, partially close the damper to maintain a steady temperature. Usually, it’s best to leave the damper open by ⅓ or sometimes ½, to allow some oxygen to fan the flames. You need to monitor the temperature throughout cooking and open and close the damper accordingly to ensure the temperature remains steady.

Using a Reverse Flow Offset Smoker

A reverse flow offset smoker adds a baffle below the cooking surface, and the chimney is on the same side as the fire box. This arrangement allows for smoke to move evenly from one side of the cooking chamber to the other.

Smoke and heat is pulled below the baffle into the far side of the cooking chamber and then passes horizontally over the food, to the chimney on the other side.

Offset Smokers vs. Reverse Flow Smoker

The choice between a reverse flow smoker vs. offset is entirely subjective. You may prefer the ease of a reverse-flow smoker with its simple set-up and consistent heat flow, or perhaps you enjoy the challenge of an offset smoker with its clean burn and extra airflow. Whichever you choose, as long as you pair your meat with tasty wood smoke, you’re sure to get a winning result.

Building Offset Smoker at Home

If you can’t find an offset grill that perfectly suits your outdoor entertaining space or culinary needs, you can quickly and easily build your own with just a few simple materials and a little know-how. This may sound daunting to many, but there are several great reasons to do it.

Not only will you be able to customize your grill to suit your needs, but you’ll also be the most popular smoker owner on your street. What are you waiting for? Put on your welding gear and build your smoker just in time for summer.

While you are here, you can also check out our reviews of other popular types of smokers: propane smokers for beginners, charcoal smokers, best budget pellet smokers, the drum smokers and top electric smokers.

But if you love homemade pizzas then here’s a useful list to find the top outdoor pizza oven.