Mouthwatering pork dishes, smoky baby back ribs that instantaneously melt in your mouth, taking a mouthful of that beef brisket reminding you of your summer days at grandma’s place, all made possible by an ideal offset smoker that suits your grilling needs. If you love smoky flavored food, then the right offset smoker is very important.
Being said that, it can be a little confusing to choose the right offset smoker especially if you have no idea how to use one. There are various brands with great deals offering you unique features that benefit you in different ways and therefore with promptness, let’s get into the top Offset Smokers that we’ve amassed for you!
Top Picks for 2023
1. Z- Grills Wood pellet grill and smoker
Rated Amazon.com’s best-seller, Z-Grills wood pellet grill and smoker is an excellent choice for grilling fanatics with the natural smoky flavor. It has a classy bronze finish that doesn’t overwhelm in terms of design as well. This offset smoker can grill, smoke, bake, roast, BBQ, sear, braise, char-grill making this smoker an ultimate 8 in 1 product. Its pellet grill technology stands out which explicates the difference between a traditional charcoal-pellet grill and a gas grill.
It has a complete automated cooking technology where you would only have to put the food in, set the temperature and chill till the food cooks itself. There’s no need to be continuously monitoring the food in concerns of your food getting burned. Its steel construction ensures the durability and longevity of the product. The Z grills smoker pellets don’t need to be continuously refilled promising lower resources and greater output.
2. ASMOKE Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
ASMOKE’s innovative design of offset smokers is perfect for those who love portability and motility. It helps your food achieve that rich natural wood flavor with various choices of applewood. Consistency is key. This is exactly what the smoker achieves with your food.
Manufactured with the 8 in 1 feature, this smoker not only helps you smoke your food but also helps grill, sear, braise, char-grill, so on and so forth. Offering a whopping 256 square inches of grilling space, this product is an effective grilling and smoking companion for barbecues, parties, camping and various other gatherings catering for a considerably larger crowd.
Having a temperature range of 180°-500° Fahrenheit, ASMOKE’s innovative temperature control system with an LED-lit system helps you cook the food low, high, fast or slow as you wish.
This offset smoker has a well-patented heat distribution system, eliminating uncontrolled temperature rises. Reaching 500°F 15% faster than most other smokers and saving wood pellets up to 20% more than other smokers, ASMOKER has proven itself to be a brand that promises complete safety and impressive efficiency, making this a logical and good choice for an offset smoker.
3. Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker
Dyna-Glo reminds us why they’re one of the pioneers of the grilling industry time and again. The Dyna-Glo vertical offset smoker is an innovative and well-designed smoker catering to very specific grilling needs based on the height of the food. Designed with 6 height adjustable shelves in the primary body of the smoker, this allows you to smoke food based on its size. You could smoke small pieces of meat and other types of food on every shelf of the smoker or you could adjust the shelves to be able to accommodate let’s say, an entire beef shank without having to cut them into smaller, individual pieces.
With a total of 1890 square inches of cooking space and over 25 pounds of food bearable on every shelf, this vertical offset smoker is an extremely high-performance smoker for those cooking in bulk. The porcelain-enameled steel charcoal chamber is designed in such a way as to keep charcoal briquettes held tightly for effective burning. Its offset design prevents direct heat from reaching the food, facilitating passive and slow cooking.
4. Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker
The char-broil gourmet offset smoker is designed with a classic black finish that proves to be more than a competent smoker. Its adjustable height smoker allows you to smoke food of various sizes. It has two hundred and sixty square inches of cooking area in the primary chamber and around a hundred and forty inches in the firebox chamber. Designed with a clean outdoor, this smoker makes it easy for you to clean out the ash and also has a built-in damper. Porcelain-coated steel grates make grilling very effective and at the same time make cleaning it a hassle-free activity. Its multiple dampers aid in the precision of heat and smoke control.
A classic and economic smoker for those that want to fulfill their grilling needs while on a budget!
5. Royal Gourmet Electric Smoker
The royal gourmet electric smoker happens to be a great competitor for charcoal-wood smokers and pellet smokers. With around four hundred and fifty-seven square inches of cooking space, making it one of the most spacious smokers on the market. It is designed with 3 chromium coated grilling grates and gives an output of 1500W heating power to help
cook your food to perfection.
This smoker also has a digital controller and internal thermometer which accurately and precisely controls the temperature inside the cooking lid. Integrated with an effective grease management system making it easier for you to remove grease easier. Completely safe, the smoker is equipped with a cool-touch handle that prevents scalding. Easily movable, the electric smoker has double handles to help carry it around your porch or backyard.
Buyers Guide – What to look for?
For the most part, consumers aren’t informed about the difference between offset smokers and gas grills. There is a huge difference between the both, usage of which yields highly noticeable results in the food. Starting with the foremost point, offset smokers either make use of charcoal, wood, a mix of both or even powered by electricity. Gas grills on the other hand make use of propane gas to fuel the fire used to cook the food. Now that you’re informed of the primary difference between both, let’s jump into the points you need to know and remember while buying an offset smoker.
Thick gauge metal body
A thick metal gauge body helps in retaining a lot of heat within the body of the smoker. 1/4 inch of metal thickness is considered the most ideal for the smoker. External temperatures and other factors such as weather conditions will not compromise the structure of the metal body.
Stability
It’s important to choose a smoker which has a stable and sturdy structure. Sturdiness ensures easy mobility and portability. Make sure to buy a smoker with double wheels spaced at least 6 inches apart which makes it optimal in terms of occupying space and also making it easier to move. It’s also important to see if the wheels are made of durable plastic ensuring slower wear and tear.
Make sure it’s easy to clean
Since most often than not, smokers are used to cooking meat, the water and grease coming off the meat can be a hassle to clean if the smoker does not have an easy cleanup system. Make sure to purchase a smoker that has porcelain steel coated grates which make it easy to clean. They need to be easily removable as well. Ashtrays are present in most smokers hence it is another important aspect of cleanliness.
Cleanliness is very important for the better performance of the smoker.
As the saying goes, “Cleanliness is close to godliness” which means the cleaner the smoker is, the more heavenly will the food be with every use.
Primary chamber size
The primary chamber of the cooking chamber is where all the magic happens. Your meat is slow-cooked to perfection, melting in your mouth with the first bite. The size of the cooking chamber plays a huge role in providing utility to the consumer. The bigger the size of the cooking chamber, the more can you accommodate food.
Hence it is an important thing to purchase a smoker based on the quantity of food you plan to grill on every occasion. If you happen to be the star host of every gathering with friends and family, you will need a smoker with a large cooking area. If you want to grill and smoke on just for a few people, it’s okay to have a smaller cooking area.
Accessories
Accessories are additional items that supplement the use of the primary use of the product. It’s always good to have accessories as it makes you better use your product in this case a smoker. There are various accessories that you can buy for a griller and smoker. Some of them are :
1) Wireless meat thermometer – A quality wireless meat thermometer helps measure the temperature of the meat without having to come in physical contact with it. You can just measure the temperature from a certain distance and it’ll still be accurate.
2) Heat-resistant BBQ gloves – Since you’re dealing with a product that deals with high temperatures, normal gloves won’t cut it. It’s always better to buy quality heat-resistant gloves while cooking on the smoker or griller.
3) Sturdy BBQ tongs – Tongs are a piece of equipment that is used to handle food items on a hot surface by picking them up using two contacting tips. It would help to make use of BBQ tongs while handling food on the smoker as it would lower the chance of scalding compared to other kitchen tools.
4) A BBQ grill brush – Cleaning barbecue grease can be a hassle at times. It’s useful to have the right kind of brush to clean such surfaces. BBQ brushes are strong and rough which clean solidified grease on the smoker base.
Conclusion
There are a lot of brands and models of offset smokers present in the market. Although most of them share the same functional features, various other determinants can draw you to a particular model or brand. Colour, body design, size, effectiveness, efficiency and technological innovation can be certain unique aspects about the offset smokers that draw different consumers due to differing needs and wants.
This article aimed at making your choices easier in trying to help you choose your dream offset smoker so you can grill your food to absolute impeccability and we hope we’ve achieved that so go on, purchase an offset smoker and have a safe and happy grilling experience!
FAQ’s
What should I look into while buying an offset smoker?
Various determinants need to be considered while purchasing an offset smoker. Cooking chamber size, ease of cleanliness, sturdiness, burn efficiency and portability are the few primary things to look into while buying an offset smoker.
How to control the temperature on an offset smoker?
You can open the adjustable dampers to let inflow of air if the fire seems to be going out. The increased oxygen will let the fire rise back up. Adding more charcoal or wood pellets can further fuel the fire increasing the heat and size of the flame. If the heat starts running too high, make sure to shut the dampers off, cutting off the airflow to lower the flame, resulting in a lowering temperature.
Can a smoker catch on fire?
Like any activity that deals with fire, for the most part, can catch fire. And an offset smoker is no exception. Pellet smokers can cause fires if anything inflammable such as the grease in the smoker catches fire. Hence make sure to clean out the grease regularly to prevent any fires.
How much wood do I need to use for an offset smoker?
Usually, it depends on your grilling needs which have varying temperatures and durations. But the most common amount of wood would be around 3-4 chunks of wood for a long-lasting grilling session.
Can you leave a smoker on overnight?
The answer is yes. You can leave your smoker on overnight but needs to be checked on now and then because it’s never okay to leave a smoker ON unattended. This could lead to a fire.
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