If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best charcoal smoker for a backyard barbecue is, then we recommend Weber Charcoal Smoker as the best one.

During the warm months of the year, grilling is an occasion enjoyed by families throughout the country.

There are lots of options for consumers to choose from in the category, one of them being charcoal smokers.

They’re a great way to slow cook all sorts of meats and veggies, and can provide a better-tasting result since dehydration of the food is less likely to occur.

Below are the best charcoal smoker brands found online, chosen for their build quality and ease of usage/cooking.

Five of them were evaluated, with one designated as the overall best at the conclusion.

Let’s begin!

The top charcoal smokers we’ll be reviewing:

• Weber 14-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker, Charcoal Smoker
• Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18″ Charcoal Smoker
• Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker
• Realcook Vertical 17 Inch Steel Charcoal Smoker
• Broil King

Choosing the Best Charcoal Smoker

Have you ever used a Charcoal Smoker before?

Knowledge of how to use a smoker is the first important step that you’ll want to know before buying one.

They are a bit different from a normal grill, made specifically for smoking food instead of cooking at a rapid pace.

Because the food must be cooked with indirect heat, a proper burn in essential.

To achieve this, one must find a smoker that seals well and doesn’t require too many coals to stay at a constant temperature (more on these later).

It doesn’t matter what time of the year you smoke meats and veggies with them; many are built in a way that keeps the fume level down.

Feel free to begin your fire at the base of the smoke, or with a chimney fire starter.

Grommet and Thermostat Quality

No good charcoal smoker will have a bad grommet. This is the long pin-shaped piece that attaches to an exterior thermostat.

Maintaining a constant temperature is important in making sure that whatever you’re cooking comes out well.

To do this, look for smokers that have high-quality grommets that are featured with the rest of the product.

Most do, so this isn’t something that you’re likely to end up not getting.

But where things can get tricky is the position they’re placed at on the smoker. Some could be on the lid while others embedded on the side.

Based on the openings found throughout the smoker, a lid-attached grommet might not be better suited for your cooking.

Still, this isn’t a common issue for most good smokers but do check that the rest of the frame will seal in the smoker well.

Ease of Cleaning

Yes, cleaning. It’s one of the most annoying jobs to do after grilling. Yet there’s an easy way to let your smoker appear in a like-new state for much longer.

Simply wash off the grill while it’s semi-warm, and it’ll be simpler to get up the tough debris that sticks to the inside and outside of the smoker itself.

Based on the grill that you acquire, you might have to take a bit more time detailing the exterior parts, particularly if it’s coated in a finish.

But for most, a good wash-up not too long after use will suffice.

And don’t forget about the grill, either!

Ensuring a Good Seal is Provided

Every smoker that you use, no matter if it’s a high or low-quality brand, should at least be able to cook your food without seeping out too much smoke in the process.

Many professional grilling cooks agree that the more you open a smoker, the longer it will take your meat to finish cooking.

That’s because the hot climate on the inside of the smoker is disturbed when opened.

Try to avoid opening your smoker, instead of checking the wellness of the meat by timing the length of time it’ll take for you to complete the smoking.

This can change based on what you’re cooking, of course.

Smokers that allow you to open up the portions where water, coal, and wood chips are placed-without disturbing the climate inside-are best.

Features that Define a Good Charcoal Smoker

It’s not just the grommet and build quality of an important smoker. Here are a few more features that you should look for:

Leg Posture and Durability

You should always grill and smoke on a flat surface.

However, check the leg quality of the smoker you’re interested in buying. Some of them could wobble from having uneven feet.

While this is easily fixable, it’s better to not have the issue come up, to begin with. Knowing this, check what others are saying about the smoker’s legs.

Disassembly

If you’re going to be smoking meat throughout the year, you might find yourself in a situation where you must disassemble it fast.

This could be from an approaching thunderstorm or other severe weather events. Check the base quality of the smoke, and whether or not it’s removable.

If so, you can detach this and quickly get the smoker in a spot that has a cover. Smoker with strong side handles is also great for this possible hypothetical.

Size

The size of your smoker will determine the amount of meat (and it’s size as well) that you can smoke.

Many brands contain separate grills underneath the uppermost piece, for vegetable and other small pieces. the larger meats typically go at the top.

The interior grilling area is usually measured by square inches.

But do also keep the smoker’s height in mind. If you want to make sure that you’ll have enough room for large meats, taller smokers with large inside space are the best.

Differences Between a Charcoal Smoker and an Ordinary Grill

The biggest difference between a grill and charcoal smoker is their shape.

Most smokers have a bullet-like cylindrical shape to them, whereas grills normally consist of larger and wider grilling space.

Timing is also a huge difference. Grills are best for cooking meats fast.

Cooking with a smoker can take several hours to complete. In this case, you won’t technically be “cooking” the food but smoking it.

The meat will have a fall-off-the-bone texture that’s difficult to mimic with a normal grill. And since most smokers can accommodate space for water.

The meat should come up very tender, with no flavor dripping to the bottom of the coals.

Top 5 Best Charcoal Smokers

Weber 14-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker, Charcoal Smoker

The Weber Charcoal Smoker has perfect placement of its handles, vent, and doors. Everything is built in a way that traps in the heat, making your meats come out faster by shortening the cooking time.

Of course, you still won’t want to rush things but you can expect your food to finish a bit faster than many other smokers on the market.

Temperature control is outstanding. The grommet and thermostat will work well together, gauging your interior temperature accurately throughout the cooking session.

There’s enough meat for many whole types of meat to fit inside of the smoker. Height wise, the product is sold in 22, 18, and 14 inches.

Don’t worry about having to apply more coals during smoking; once should be enough for most events, even if the smoking lasts for a couple of hours.

You might have some difficulty in getting the doors completely shut at times, but it is doable.

Overall, the Weber is the best charcoal smoker for people that are looking for a smoker that can handle large pieces of meat without burning too many coals.

Pros

• Great room on the inside that easily fits in meats of varied sizes and shapes
• The grommet is built well and the digital thermometers display accurate temperatures
• Most cooking sessions will only require charcoal once, with no additional coals needed

Cons

• The door is difficult to open and hard to close it well enough for a complete seal

Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18″ Charcoal Smoker

The Cuisinart COS-118 is the best charcoal smoker for ease of transport. It has handles on the sides that take the place in a good position for moving the smoker around fast.

Getting a fire starter is also easy to do. There are three legs placed at the bottom, with steel feet that are wide enough to keep the unit from wobbling during operation.

The temperature will remain steady, and the grommet reads accurately. You won’t have to go back for coals too many times, just be sure that you place enough inside to keep the smoke going from the beginning.

You’ll find the inside temps hover where they’re supposed to for at least seven hours, which is the average smoking time for most large meats.

Give the Cuisinart COS-118 a try if you’re planning on using a smoker in more than one location.

Pros

• Strong side handles that make it easy to carry around without any assistance
• Its three legs provide excellent stability; no wobbling with or without food inside
• Holds a steady temperature for over seven hours without the need to refuel

Cons

• Cheap and flimsy vents and door

Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker

Most shoppers will notice the Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker’s beautiful exterior, which is made with a nice black finish.

The whole smoking weighs approximately 16 pounds and is easy to carry around. It also has about 370 square feet of cooking space, which is adequate for most foods that are popular for smoking. The construction of this product is very durable and should last for a long time.

It has large fire doors that are easily opened/closed and will never let smoke escape.

But if you’re sold on the smoker, be sure to have a backup thermometer.

The grommet could get a little spotty at times, showing temps that are a bit higher than what the actual temperature is.

But in the end, the Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker remains useful for people that want one that’s sure to last several years without needing a replacement.

Pros

• Heavy-duty construction that’s built with durable wall and porcelain fixtures
• Doesn’t take up too much space; easy to move around and store
• The fire door is large enough to easily regulate and manage the charcoal

Cons

• The grommet/thermometer could display temperatures that are higher than the actual number
• Its finished exterior is difficult to clean

Realcook Vertical 17 Inch Steel Charcoal Smoker

The Realcook Charcoal Smoker is built much like the other products that have been shown, containing good construction and interior grill pieces.

Moving it around is simple since the handles will never become too hot to the touch. That doesn’t mean that you should try picking it up with your bare hands when it’s hot, mind you.

The air vents are designed well and trap in heat, allowing that and the moisture from water to reach the meat.

Yet that same cannot be said for the doors, which are a bit too thin. You can close them but some smoke could seep out.

Check the door quality and position before using the product, as seepage might be the case for some smokers under this brand.

Pros

• The handle doesn’t become too hot, even when smoking at a high temperature
• Built with high-quality air vents that won’t rust and become damaged after first-time use
• Has a compartmented design with two doors that allow charcoals to be set prior to securing the top portion of the smoker

Cons

• The thin doors may seep out some smoke and are difficult to close

Broil King

The final product is the Broil King, a propane smoker. Unlike the rest of the smokers reviewed, this one relies on propane to heat the coals.

The connectors for hooking it up to your line are easy to reach. Most of the smoker is already put together as well, making assembly go a bit smoother.

However, its instructions in this process aren’t that easy to follow so take your time when connecting all of the pieces.

Try this one out if you want to use propane as a method for getting your meats smoked.

Pros

• Good quality gas connectors that are easy to attach
• The door for adding charcoal is accessible on its own without exposing the smoker’s interior air to lower temperatures on the outside
• Its thick walls make it suitable for smoking in hot and cold seasons

Cons

• Setup instructions aren’t very clear and the smoker could take over an hour to assemble

Final Thoughts

Which of the five products featured do you think is the best charcoal smoker?

Out of them all, one has all of the qualities that are essential to making it as easy and stress-free as possible during smoking.

As outlined, features such as interior space, durability, and a smoker’s seal determine the most useful smokers from the worst.

And the Weber Charcoal Smoker that’s shown in number 1 has all of these qualities.

The others are recommended too, more so for people with specific needs or circumstances that aren’t a staple of the first.

So no matter which smoker you end up with, you’re sure to end up with meats that come out perfectly.