BBQ Smokers - Buyer Information on The Different Types of Smokers

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BBQ Smokers - Deciding Which Type is Best Suited For You

Of all the BBQ smokers out there, deciding what is right for you can seem a bit daunting. Hopefully our tips can help you along.

There are quite a few barbecue smokers out there. You can get them in many different styles, using many different types of fuel. You can buy anything from wood smokers to electric smokers and everything in between.

As far as brand names go, you can get the Weber Smoky Mountain smoker, the Brinkmann vertical and Grill Pro vertical or the Char Broil, just to name a few different brands.

You do have your choices of many different types of fuel as well. You can buy a barbeque smoker that has charcoal, wood, electricity, pellets and propane for a fuel source.

This is a vertical water smoker that we have. It is fueled by charcoal.

When you boil it all down though, you have two basic types of BBQ smokers.

You have the offset dry smoker and the vertical water smoker.

Basically everything can fit into those two categories. There are just different levels of quality and each has their advantages and disadvantages.

With the vertical smoker that burns wood or charcoal the biggest challenge is keeping your heat constant for long periods of time. Also because of the thin metal that is generally used for these smokers it could be harder to maintain your temperatures in the winter.

It is important to note here that you can buy higher quality equipment and that will alleviate some of those issues.

Actually I have one of these smokers and I do like it except for those two reasons stated above. I have decided though that when I go to buy a new one it will be fueled by gas. It is just easier to maintain your heat, especially in the winter and it doesn't require a great deal of my attention. I can walk away and not worry about it.

When using a vertical smoker fueled by gas you would still get your flavor from the wood chips in the wood box

With the offset smoker, the biggest disadvantage is maintaining a good steady fire for long periods of time. The pros swear by this type of smoker though so it is probably worth the extra effort.

They believe that because it is dry heat, the smoke flavor is much more intense. The thing to watch for with this type of smoker is, because it is dry heat, you need to baste your food or use a mop sauce periodically so your meat doesn't dry out.

It really comes to down to how much time you want to spend with your cooking. The folks that like the offset smoker have no problem with the extra time required. They enjoy the time they spent tending to the food.

The offset dry smoker

Types of smokers

The offset dry smoker

This type has the firebox on one side and the cooking chamber on the opposite side. It also has a chimney as well. The chimney draws the smoke and heat from the firebox through the cooking chamber to flavor and cook the meat.

The fact that the firebox is offset makes it easier for you to control your heat when adding additional fuel. Having the chimney vented with a damper will help with that as well.

Generally your fuel for this type of smoker would be wood, charcoal or pellets. These grills tend to be larger than the vertical grills and they can cook up quite a lot of food.

Vertical water smoker

This smoker might use charcoal, pellets or propane for fuel. You can even get ones that are fueled by electricity. The fuel source is located at the very bottom with this type of smoker.

These BBQ smokers have a tray for the wood chips that is located just above the fire and above the wood tray is the water pan. The fact that the fire is not directly beneath the food makes it easier to keep your heat down as well. Above all of this would come your racks for the food.

A couple of points to remember. Be sure to soak your wood chips for about 60 minutes before using them. Also you can put garlic, herbs and seasoning into the water pan for flavoring. Just be sure to put hot water in the pan when you fill it and don't let it run out.

The purists of the group would say go with charcoal or pellets to fuel these BBQ smokers because of the natural flavor. I have charcoal myself, however the drawback with this is you have to continually add charcoal. Remember, good temperature control is a must and each time you open that door to add fuel, you also add additional cooking time to finish the meal.

Also with the type of smoker I have, for longer cooking meals, I have to actually get the ashes out of my firebox after a while so I can keep the coals burning good and keep my heat up. If you used propane that would not be an issue. I am actually going to get a gas smoker for my next purchase just for these two reasons.

A couple of other points to remember

You can buy some BBQ smokers that are very inexpensive, but please remember, you get what you pay for. Only you know your budget and can determine what you pay for your equipment, but if you are going to be a serious chef I would recommend getting good quality equipment.

Make sure your barbeque smoker has a good thermometer. You do have to maintain good temperature control.

Have a good meat thermometer on hand as well.

In our barbeque tips section you can get good information on wood types for flavoring and a cooking chart to get your temps right.

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