Best Offset Smokers For the Money in 2023 – Worth Buying?

So, you are looking for the best offset smoker? We have researched a lot and found the best. Offset smokers are in huge demand amongst the people who love arranging family meetings, friend gatherings, and various kinds of anniversaries. These smokers are also used widely by those who provide catering services as their profession.

Higher sustainability and ease of use of these smokers attract people who love to cook meat stuff independently. For home usage, users can easily move them to a separate places like lawns or gardens, or backyards, making it easier to cook. Offset smokers intend to have a fairly large surface for cooking, helping people to cook more than usual at once.

Our Top Picks

Selecting the best offset smoker might be a bit difficult task because they are of various designs having distinguished features. This article will enlighten the key points one needs to take care of while purchasing the best offset smoker.

We spent countless hours and shortlisted a few offset smokers, according to the reviews of users. Many users report each of these smokers as the best offset smoker.

These smokers will be handy for cooking an immense amount of food in no time. We have chosen smokers that will fit according to the needs and budget of the users.

Best Offset Smokers of 2022 for Your Backyard

1. Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D – Vertical Offset Smoker

 

This highly enduring smoker is manufactured with quality steel. The powder coat on the outer surface of this smoker confirms its highest sustainability for any temperature. This smoker provides enough cooking space to cook a lot of stuff at once.

A vertically designed 784 square inch area ensures the capability of cooking more than enough amount of food at the same time. Dyna has an iron burner that presents 15000 BTU guaranteeing the required amounts of heat. It has a thermometer placed outside the coating showing the temperature that is set for the smoker. Though few people complain about its readability, we think this complaint is relative.

Due to its enduring structure and ability to cook extraordinary amounts of food at one time, we believe this product is worth the money. It comprises five chrome-plated grills. It comes with large steel wheels that make it easy to move from one place to another. A cooler spring lid is attached that provides an easy grip. But you should use gloves to prevent heating.

We have described this smoker firstly because the reviews suggest it as the best offset smoker of all time.

2. Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn – Best Backyard Smoker

Looking for a smoker having an impressively large cooking surface area? Well,  Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn smoker is one of those few offset smokers NZ coming with massive cooking surface area compared to others. Its entire structure includes a firm and heavy gauge stainless steel coated with porcelain enamel ranking it finest.

Since it cooks relatively more food than other smokers, this one is mostly being used at big events like anniversaries or parties. Impressively, it cooks 30 hamburgers in a single turn. Grill grates made up of stainless steel leave grill marks on cooked food for attraction. This is what offset smoker grill does; It provides flavored food.

Heat providing unit of OJ is lying on the lower portion of the barrel. It usually takes help from 4 baffles to cook amazing food. You can easily position the food correctly with the help of 4 movable grill grates.

It includes a few dampers that need to be placed perfectly for proper heat and smoke control. Although smoke flavors are good for your food, a little bit can go a long way. This damper setup makes this process easier.

Because of the usage of stainless steel coating and Porcelain in its structure of it, the OJ smoker provides rust-free equipment.

3. Pit Barrel Cooker – Best Affordable

The pit barrel smoker doesn’t actually look like a smoker, but its capability of heating the food away from the cooking area makes it eligible to be on the list of Smokers. Pit barrel’s design is a refined structure of ugly drum smoker(UDS), offering better quality than UDS.

It has a vast cooking space in vertical form following a hang ‘n’ cook approach. Pit barrel provides 8 stainless steel hooks offering you to hang your food to cook. It is not dependent on the usage of the grate approach.

Keeping in view of its vertical structure, this offset vertical smoker contains a design having 18-gauge stainless steel. Many users recommend this product as durable because of the steel and porcelain enamel used in it.

A charcoal basket attached to it is large enough to make use of as much charcoal as you want. This smoker is one of those few smokers that require minimum instruments to cook a fantastic meal.

This smoker goes a step further, allowing fat juices to drip off onto the lighted fire as it cooks, enhancing the smoky flavors that cook the food.

The company providing this product is still very much new in the race. This is best-offset smokers under 1000$. Plus, it is super easy to use; even teenagers and new users can cook food without facing any real trouble.

Cleaning the smoker is pretty easy. All in all, it is an excellent, affordable smoker with consistent, repeatable results and it can be considered as the best offset smoker.

4. Smoke Hollow Outdoor Leisure SH30628 40” barrel – Best Overall

The Smoke hollow electronic smoker is famous amongst beginners.  The best quality of this smoker is that you don’t have to care for any rust or corroding.

As we have mentioned to a few other smokers already, this smoker’s build also consists of porcelain enamel coating. It also has quality grill grates made up using high performing stainless steel.

This smoker provides two options to place your cooking tools. Either you put them on to widened mesh front table or on the bottom shelf, leaving some more space while cooking.

Its cooking surface is area is massive which is what makes it more popular and useful amongst those who arrange parties and gatherings most of the time to get quality food.

5. Char-Griller E1224 Smokin Pro – Best competition smoker

A small family of few members can make excellent use of this reverse flow smoker providing limited cooking surface area. Powder Coated steel drum structure and cast iron grate of this smoker ensure its durability.

Cleaning of Char-Griller is pretty easy because its structure provides for removing both Charcol and ashtrays, confirming its persistence.

Stating that people love smokers having wheels, this smoker has two wheels to help you move it without effort.

Overall, it weighs 146lb.

As described earlier, Char-Griller can be of maximum use for a small family. You can’t rely on it for heavy-duty cooking. It is not recommended for functions or anniversaries.

We recommend this smoker if you are looking for a low-budget product with the facility to cook moderately sized food.

 

6. Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker – Best budget

Three features of OJ’s Highland smoker attract people to buy it. A wide cooking area, an easy fueling system, a  marvelous heat control system.

It comes with 619 square inches of cooking surface area that allows you to cook a blend of 2 (5 lb) turkeys, some sausages, and vegetables in one turn.

A favorable access door makes it hell easier and safer assisting you to take in and out your food, avoiding burns. It is also capable of stirring your fire appropriately.

OJ’s Highland smoker has more than one damper providing a required amount of heat while cooking. Just adjust the dampers, and you are ready to go.

Because of its vast cooking surface, multiple shelves are designed inside the cooker for strong utensils helping you not to go to the kitchen again and again.

 

7. Char-Broil American Gourmet  – Best reverse flow offset smoker

Char-Broil Smoker has the facilities of the best offset smoker and a cheap offset smoker, BBQ, Charcoal grill a 3-in-1 package within the budget of under 500$. It is worth the price for every facility it provides. You have your choice to cook in any way you want.

An immense cooking surface area of 670 inches square comes with it means you can cook an entire pig at once if you want.

The fueling option, which uses charcoal and woodchips, makes it eligible to produce amazing flavors. It can be termed as an Offset Wood smoker. This smoker has got easily manageable fuel trays facilitating you to set any heat level you want.

If we have a look at its price and the facilities it provides, this is surely the best smoker for money and everything. It is equipped with an extra storage rack allowing you to save your utensils while cooking. A charcoal case can also be used to store extra fuel.

You can manage total control over the heat with the help of adjustable dampers attached to it. Its structure makes sure your safety from burns because of the availability of Chrome plated Cool touch handles.

8. Oklahoma Joe’s Combo – Best combo offset smoker

Looking for a smoker that has got the characteristic of doing everything you need? Well, This smoker of great value has got everything you need. It has got Charcoal/LP Gas/Smoker.

Its structure is horizontal, having the capacity of running on both charcoal and propane. This ability of grill helps in smoking and grilling at the same time. It is a large Offset Smoker coming with a cooking surface area of 1000 square inches, facilitating you with plenty of space to cook for a huge gathering.

This charcoal smoker has thick gauge steel assuring its durability and efficiency. People recommend that the best charcoal for offset smokers like this should be used.  It has double temperature Guages making it easier to monitor food and its progress concurrently.

Porcelain enamel on the outer coating confirms its durability and long-term usage. A total of 6 grates are being used in this best offset smoker.

If you want to buy a good smoker, you can check the best smoker under $2000.

9. Landmann 56022 Charcoal Grill  – Runner up Offset Smoker

If you are interested in buying a smoker for family needs and a large cooking surface area is not of your concern, you should go for Landmann’s best offset smoker brand.

It has a cooking space of 360 square inches where you can cook daily meals with high ease and perfection. Its firebox is of just 169 square inches. Though it is not a high end offset smoker for big parties, you can easily make use of it for family or a small group of friends.

This one is really what you need if you are tight on space. This cheap offset smoker controls heat properly with the help of a temperature gauge, plenty of vents, and a firm crank. This crank is useful to adjust the height of a charcoal tray.

It is pretty easy to clean it with multiple openings and a charcoal tray. Porcelain material helps in coating grill grates to make sure of their durability.

10. Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Offset Charcoal Smoker – Worth the Price

This charcoal offset smoker is a budget-friendly smoker with many exciting features inside it. It has a wide body structure and it has an attractive black color as well. It is made with some long-lasting plastic materials. Moreover, it weighs 83 pounds and you can fuel it with charcoal. We will enlight some of its attractive features here.

Features

Huge Cooking Space

This charcoal offset smoker allows you to cook the maximum amount of food at one time. All this happened due to the six-height manageable cooking grates. It has 25 pounds cooking capacity per grate.

Charcoal chamber

For a better burning efficiency process, the charcoal chamber of this charcoal smoker is designed especially with porcelain enameled steel. Moreover, it helps the briquettes to get stuck very tightly.

Ash Management System

Ashpan that is attached with this charcoal smoker has the ability to manage a huge amount of ash for at least 72-hours. Moreover, the ash pan is removable as well. The combination of charcoal and ash work perfectly well for a better and delicious cooking purpose.

Vertical Design

This charcoal smoker is made with a vertical design shape for a better heating process. With the help of this vertical design, you can achieve maximum and delicious smoke flavors. Moreover, its vertical design keeps the heat away from your food and does not make any kind of change to your food taste. It assures you of the slow cooking process.

Stainless Steel Thermometer

Stainless steel built-in thermometer is assembled perfectly in this charcoal smoker. To fill your food with smoker flavours, the smoke zone indicates the ideal temperature. Moreover, an easy gauge with an easy reading system helps you achieve better and perfectly smoked foods.

11. Char-Griller E2123 Charcoal Smoker – Heavy Duty

This charcoal smoker is made by a char-griller brand with various attractive features inside it. This charcoal smoker is a budget-friendly smoker as well. It is made with long-lasting steel materials, and the smoker is available in an attractive black color. It has many exciting features inside it, and it has the ability to do a lot of cooking at one time. Its weight is 1 kilogram. There are still some of its features that need our attention.

 

Features

Mobility

Many of the offset smokers can’t move from one place to the other. You won’t face this problem with this charcoal smoker as it has wheels to move it from one place to the other easily. Moreover, it is a good choice for small decks and dialects.

Construction

If we discuss its structure, it is made with some high-quality and long-lasting steel materials. Moreover, its constructed material contains a double bottom, so it is too powerful and strong.

Temperature Control

The purpose of temperature controlling with this charcoal smoker is rare and easy. For the accurate control of temperature fire grates and air, dampers work accordingly. A better-cooked food always needs better smoke flavor and a better temperature system.

Storage Space

For the better purpose of storing the sauces and spices, two shelves have been assembled perfectly inside this charcoal smoker. Moreover, a rack is attached beneath the cooking chamber for fueling the charcoal.

Cooking Space

As we mentioned in the beginning that this charcoal smoker has a lot of cooking is to cook a huge amount of food at one time. This charcoal smoker contains 635 inches of space for cooking purposes. The main grill sizes 435 square inches. Hence, you can do the cooking in a huge amount at one time.

12. Royal Gourmet Charcoal Offset Smoker – Works Great

This is a charcoal offset smoker made by the Royal Gourmet brand with maximum features inside it. Like always, the Royal Gourmet brand has launched another budget-friendly appliance for its customer. If we talk about the structure of this charcoal smoker, it is made with long-lasting stainless steel materials. Moreover, it has an attractive and inspiring black color. The weight of this charcoal smoker is 54.2 pounds. We will enlight some of its attractive features that might inspire you.

Features

Dual-functionality

It is not only a smoker; it is a charcoal grill and an offset smoker at the same time. It can do multiple tasks for you at one time. It is easy to cook delicious and healthy foods with this charcoal smoker.

Huge Cooking Area

Sometimes you need to cook a huge amount of food at one time. You can easily do continuous cooking in a huge amount as this charcoal offset smoker has a large cooking area. This charcoal smoker has an 800 square inches cooking area.

Ash Managing System

If you are doing a cooking purpose for a long time and now you need to control the ashes somehow, it is super easy to tend the dump and ashes away from the firebox.

Smoke flavors

This charcoal smoker has dual functionality; This is a small charcoal grill as well. For better smoke flavors, you need to feel that small grill with fuel or with a few wood pieces. It will help you in getting some better smoke flavours.

This charcoal smoker contains a temperature controller gauge, wheels to move the smoker from one place to the other, and many other attractive features that will inspire you a lot.

13. Weber 741001Charcoal Grill –  Top Rated

This charcoal grill is made by the weber brand, which is a budget-friendly appliance and contains many exciting features inside it. It has the ability to do continuous cooking, and you can cook huge amounts of food. It is made with some high-quality and long-lasting steel materials. Its structure is strong and powerful at the same time. Moreover, this charcoal smoker is available in an attractive black color, and it weighs 1.5 kg.

Mobility

Unlike many other smokers, this charcoal smoker has the ability to move from one place to the other. In an emergency like heavy rain and bad weather, you can easily move it to the place wherever you want to.

Cleaning

The cleaning process is never easy with smokers. The cleaning process with this charcoal smoker is only one step away. You can easily clean the smoker even after the long cooking process.

Temperature Control

Adjusting the temperature according to our food requirements is very easy with this charcoal smoker. Temperature control is easy due to dampers. Dampers allow the smoker to control the temperature accordingly.

Something important to mention here is that during the grilling process, avoid placing the lid on the floor.

Cooking Area

To ensure that you do continuous and maximum cooking with this charcoal smoker, it has an extra-large cooking chamber. Its cooking chamber is according to your imagination, and it will surely help you in continuous fooding and cook a huge amount of food.

How does offset smoker work?

An offset smoker comes up with a chamber which is designed for cooking purpose and a small-sized firebox which is specified for burning woods or charcoal. The firebox is attached beneath the cooking area for a better cooking process.

The burning fire in the firebox generates heat and smoke, which creates flavor inside the food. There is no direct heat involved throughout the cooking process.

For better control of smoke and heat for the cooking chamber, a chimney is always attached at the opposite end of the firebox. Moreover, a vent is attached as well on the side of the firebox.

Both chimney and the vent can be opened and get closed. It helps the firebox to control the heat in the cooking chamber accordingly.

The chamber of the offset smokers is made with oil drum in the initial stage that is why they look like the oil drum.

It is essential to mention here that some of the brands are making chambers without using oil drums.

Who should buy a smoker?

To buy a high-quality offset smoker is the dream of all barbecuers.

For a better image of skilled barbecuers, they must have a high-quality offset smoker. Moreover, you can provide your whole neighbors with a slice of well-cooked meat.

But, like any other cooking apparatus, you must have an offset smoker according to your needs. You always need a smoker without disadvantages.

To suggest the best choice if you are going to invest in offset smokers, we will go through the pros and cons of an offset smoker.

Pros of an offset smoker

• The large-sized cooking chamber is aligned correctly in an offset smoker to cook a maximum amount of foods in one go.
• As we mentioned earlier that the firebox is assembled separately from the cooking chamber, this helps you in adding more woods and fuel into the firebox without wasting the previous heat.
• Regardless of their stick burner name, they work more efficiently when we use a combination of charcoal and wood as fuel in the offset smoker. This combination has never been complicated, unlike cooking with wood as an only source. It generates a smoky flavours without the danger of extra ash which may ruin the meat sometimes.
• To provide you with a two in one direct grilling option, some of the smoker’s brands come up with a grill grate fitted along with the firebox.

Cons of an offset smoker

• Offset smokers weigh hundreds of pounds, and also they are not movable. But, moving the offset smoker isn’t impossible, especially when you try to do it by yourself.
• Lengthwise and heightwise smokers are huge and you need a lot of outdoor space to store it.
• The cooking process with the offset smokers is not a quick process, it takes at least one hour to cook proper food. Moreover, it cooks at low and slow smoking mode.
• Offset smokers are climate affected as well, they don’t work properly in high winds, rains, and in a cold climate. But expensive smokers may work in all kinds of climates.
• If you want to get results from offset smokers according to your imaginations you need to understand them completely and need hard work as well in understanding them. Even though, skilled and high-qualified barbecuers need to spend more time to get used to them.

Hence, the offset smoker is the best choice for skilled barbecuers if they have got much space to store a large smoker inside their land. Moreover, you need to go through patience if you want a better and proper result from an offset smoker.

Keep distance from cheap smokers

There are thousands of smokers available in the market that are made of very poor materials. This is the major problem you face while buying an offset smoker.

You face many issues with these cheap and poorly constructed smokers like the very bad heating system, leakage of oxygen from the firebox, and many other issues.

These cheap smokers can cook things earlier than the other smoker, does not mean that you should go for these smokers. As we mentioned it earlier that a good offset smoker will take at least an hour to cook proper food.

A well-designed smoker will always allow the hot air to travel to the cooking chamber accordingly. Moreover, it perfectly fixes the oxygen and heat levels.

FAQ’s

What’s the best smoker on the market?

The best offset smoker of all from our list should be Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Offset Smoker. The reason for which it tops the list is its capability of multiple functionalities it offers.

It facilitates you with 4 different cooking methods at a price lower than those who provide these facilities separately. It makes itself preferable in the case of cooking surface area as well. You can cook as much as you want in a single turn.

Its sturdy build will keep it safe for years. It might take a bit of time to assemble for the first time, and once done, you are good to go. An easy process to cook food and every described capability makes it different and the best of all.

Why use offset smokers?

Review its Objective:

In the description of a few of the smokers, we have highlighted a property that produces food with flavor. Offset smokers are purposely designed to provide such food.

This top-rated offset smoker includes two different chambers adjoined together. One chamber is named the firebox, responsible for burning coal or firewood to get a sufficient amount of heat, and the second chamber is where food is placed.

Firebox produces smoke which goes through to another chamber and then through the flew. The smoke is cooled down before it is sent over to the food chamber, creating an offset smoker. Brilliant technique!

Designed to get more food:

Generally, these smokers have a large cooking surface area. BBQ parties, functions, restaurants, hotels are availing the facilities of these smokers because of the fact that they can cook a huge amount of food in no time.

Don’t be scared because of the statement stated above; offset smokers are literally for everyone. Just because smokers have a lot of room to cook a lot of food doesn’t mean you have to cook a lot of food every time. You can avail it to cook a regular meal for everyday use.

They are good enough to cook 20 burgers at once, so you have got a lot of space to go.

Do you want an all-in-one type of smoker?

An offset smoker entertains you with multiple cooking procedures. Grilling, smoking, searing, and roasting. All of these four methods in one smoker prefers themselves as the best one of all.

Due to all of its capabilities, it targets to replace multiple electronic appliances like ovens, grills, stovetops, and smokers.

Your concern for durability?

Construction of most of the best offset smokers 2022 includes good quality metals. Metals are joined together using welding material to make the smoker firm enough that it stands on the ground for a long.

We very well know that these metals are for external use and have no direct effect on the cooking of the food. Still, outer design and construction are equally important to ensure the durability of any smoker for longer terms. After proper testing, these smokers are launched into the market.

Each one of the best offset Smoker has the ability to be movable or mobile. A few of the best offset smokers are so big they have an attached trailer to move the smoker from one place to another with ease. Others have built-in wheels for mobility.

You can also check wood smokers.

Are vertical smokers better?

If we talk about vertical smokers, of course, there are multiple advantages to them. They are smaller in size, so they do not occupy a lot of space because of their vertical structure. Because of their tiny size, they prove to be better and more efficient than larger smokers.

They won’t need a lot of fuel or charcoal for the required heat or power to make them workable. You can count on them budget-wise as well because of their low rates compared to others providing the same facilities.

We and a number of people have already recommended Dyna vertical smoker, the best offset smoker.

How do vertical smokers work?

Any vertical water smoker can have three different compartments. The lowest part has to provide the required heat to cook delicious food. Then there is a water pan that has the ability to collect, store, and govern the heat of a vertical smoker.

This water pan also has to divert the direct heat from the source resulting in creating a moist environment to cook better. It keeps the meat away from drying out.

The third part is, of course, the cooking area, where proper, delicious food is cooked with amazing flavors.

Essential features you must take care of while buying one.

Will it last long?

The best offset smoker is one that lasts long and meets the needs of the user perfectly. Double-thick iron and galvanized steel are the basic components in the construction of almost all of these smokers, making it last longer than enough.

Some cheap offset smokers’ build includes thin iron that may not help the smoker stay protected for long. So you have to be careful before purchasing any smoker. Make sure that the materials used in the build of the smoker are of the best quality.  This is because you will be aiming to buy an offset smoker for longer use, like 4 plus years.

Rethink your purpose of buying (buying for daily usage? Or for events and gatherings?

As briefly described earlier, there are a lot of offset smokers in the market, each having its own capability. You must choose one that fits your needs. For example, you want to buy the best offset smoker for home usage and small gatherings; you should go for the one that has a smaller cooking surface area and is easy to manage. According to our experience best competition offset smoker is Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse, Flow Smoker.

Still, we can give you a clear statement that any smoker with less than 250 square inches of cooking area is worse than anything. You should consider something else.

Consider the price

Firstly, these smokers are not smaller ones, meaning they are never cheap. However, it does not say that you can not afford any of the best offset Smoker; it only means the best possible value offset smoker.

Spending an amount on the best offset smoker assures that you will have to pay more, but you surely will get more than what you really need. The smoker will be up to the mark, cooking according to your requirements and making it easier for you to manage everything.

Investments are meant to serve a lengthier purpose and so should be your best offset smoker.

There is everything available online to keep you updated about what you actually need as a smoker and what you really need to spend.