Best Propane Gas Smokers

When writing a buyers guide for the best gas smoker, I think it’s wise to explain right from the get-go what it is exactly you can expect from said gas smoker if you were to go ahead and buy one.

They say that you decide whether you are into someone within seconds of meeting them. I truly believe, that you instantly know which smoker is the right one for you as soon as you realize the quirks of each type. Sure, we may still spend a few days doing some kind of due diligence and thoroughly researching each kind of smoker. But in the end, deep down, we pretty much go with our initial gut feelings.

Should I Buy a Gas Smoker?

So, enough of the faffing about. Let’s see if I can awaken your inner desires and hopefully get you continuing to read about how to pick the best gas smoker. SET IT AND FORGET IT,(boom, drops mic).

Still here? Well, that’s extremely promising! Yes, the set-it-and-forget-it property which is by far the standout feature of gas smokers is why you should buy one. If you absolutely love your smoked ribs, chicken or pork etc, but you’re not that confident, or knowledgeable in using charcoal or wood smokers, or you simply don’t have the time to babysit your meat through the smoking period, then the best gas smokers are the perfect solution for you.

The set it and forget it is, of course, a superb feature. But it is not the only reason to buy a gas smoker. They offer a little bit of everything and are often referred to as the ultimate compromise smoker.

The best gas smoker will feature a little bit of what sets all the alternatives apart from each other and bundle them all into one neat package. The result is a smoker, which although will not be winning you any national competitions, will give you an authentic tasting meal at a hugely affordable price.

You can look forward therefore to a compact, portable smoker like you will get with electric smokers, an authentic smoking experience such as you find with wood or charcoal smokers and a great set-it-and-forget-it experience like pellet smokers offer.

What this leads to is a grilling experience which is suitable for novices and experienced Pit Masters alike. The cook itself is considerably shorter than with other smokers. A realistic time is around 2 hours, and is completely hassle-free as you can regulate the temperature. This means there’s no constant checking of your meat’s progress.

The Best Gas Smokers

You should give purchasing a propane smoker significant consideration if you want to make smoking as simple as possible.

Due to their vertical design, they are one of the most space-efficient types of smokers, generate excellent results, can hold a lot of food at once, and take up little room.

To find the best smoker for your budget, go over the various excellent selections that are available in this guide. I’ll also go through methods for maximizing the potential of your brand-new gas smoker.

Best Gas Smoker – Advantages

• Push button ignition – Do you find it difficult to start your traditional BBQ? You could check out our article on the best BBQ fire lighters or you can just purchase a gas smoker which comes with a simple push-button ignition. One second of effort for a full-blown fire and you are literally cooking on gas.
• Quicker desired temperature – What you will find with a gas smoker is that it will get up to temperature a lot quicker than you would with alternatives such as the charcoal and wood smokers. This cuts down on your overall cook time and will have you filling your faces with your beautifully smoked meats sooner than normal.
• Better temperature regulation – Getting your smoker up to temperature is one thing – keeping it there is another thing entirely. Even the best Pit Masters find trying to keep their coal or wood at an even keel a challenge. But much like your kitchen oven, the gas smoker just needs you to set the temperature once and there it will stay until you so desire.
• Easy on your pocket – Smokers, in general, are pretty expensive and not the sort of thing you want to invest in unless you are ready to put a lot of man hours into learning all the little intricacies. The best gas smoker will allow the casual BBQer to get in on the action with a price point that makes it accessible to all.
• Requires less maintenance – Gas smokers are relatively simple pieces of equipment meaning there is a lot less that can go wrong with them. Because there is no charcoal or big blocks of wood, it also means upkeep is minimal as soot deposits are not so prevalent.
• Portability – If needs be, you could take a gas smoker pretty much anywhere you want. They are much smaller in comparison to most of the alternatives which means A/ you can set it up almost anywhere as space is not an issue, and B/ they are relatively easy to transport. This opens up taking it on camping trips or lending it to friends, all with the minimum of fuss.

Best Gas Smoker – Disadvantages

• Taste – No matter how you dress it up, the best tasting BBQ comes from burning wood or charcoal. Whilst it can be difficult to decipher to the untrained palate, there are slight differences in taste when cooking with gas.
• Cooking area – Being portable is all well and good but this does lead to some obvious drawbacks. The main one is that you simply won’t have the same surface area that you will have with the bigger smokers. Not a problem if you have a few chickens and some cuts of belly pork. But if you’re planning a feast for friends and family that involves a large brisket or a full rack of ribs then you will most likely end up being disappointed.
• Gas bottles – A much heavier solution than a bag of briquettes, using gas bottles can also require some forward planning. Whilst the best gas smoker money can buy will look good and function perfectly, it is still reliant on its fuel source. Unfortunately, if you start the cook on a previously used gas bottle, chances are it will need changing out at some point for a full one.
• Build quality – Gas smokers are usually at a price point that in general makes them accessible to the masses. There is a pay off associated with this, however. The materials used will not be as quality as the more expensive smokers, like kamado smokers. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. But it is worth keeping in mind as the metals used will be thinner and more prone to bumps and bruises.
• Accessories – Again, because of the price that you can buy a gas smoker for, the accessories that you tend to receive, if any, are probably not up to scratch. I would recommend at the least investing in a good quality outdoor thermometer and a BBQ cover that will keep it protected when not in use.

How Does a Gas Smoker Work?

On the whole, the best gas smokers are very similar to each other in terms of style and function. The question of how to use a gas smoker is a relatively straightforward one.

Style wise they look very similar to a miniature wardrobe or cabinet. This is the name vertical gas smokers or even vertical propane smokers comes from. Because of this shape, smoke aerates throughout the unit, which gives off a uniform flavor.

Function wise you will typically find a burner at the bottom of the cabinet. This of course will have an attachment to the gas bottle. The gas used is almost always propane, which although is known as a fuel which produces clean emissions whilst used in cooking, can impart a slight taste on your food, most reminiscent of bacon – so not all bad.

There is a pan located above the burner which allows you to produce the beautiful smoky tones that gas smokers give to you for a fraction of the price of their more established counterparts. Here you can use smoke wood or chips, that will impart all your favorite flavors.

You will find a section for a water pan. The best gas smoker will have a separate opening, especially for this pan. The benefit of this is that if you need to refill it, you will not be letting out all the precious heat when opening the hatch.

Lastly, you will notice the venting system. A good venting system will regulate the temperature in your gas smoker and keep cooking conditions at an optimum.

Best Gas Smoker – What to Look For

The best gas smoker is always going to be a very subjective thing. As is normal when assessing what to look for before purchasing something, knowing exactly what you want to get out of it is paramount. What is important to you might not be so to someone else. So have a clear idea of what you need and what you don’t. Below are some things that you might want to take into consideration.

• Price – It invariably almost always comes down to this. The advice for anything, and especially the best gas smoker, is to get the best one that fits your budget. It’s a bit crass but the more money you can afford up front, the better overall smoker you will get.
• Double doors – If you want to use your gas smoker for longer cooks then the water pan will need topping up. Single door gas smokers will not be the best solution in this case as when refilling the pan. All the heat will escape, thus affecting the cooking time. Two-door gas smokers separate the water pan from the rest of the unit and keep your food at optimum temperatures. Of course, for the shorter cooks, single door gas smokers are fine.
• Size – This is not necessarily a direct link to price so I’ll mention it separately. Buying a large gas smoker will let you fit more produce inside it. If you plan to cook larger cuts of meat then you should be looking to get the bigger models.
• Ease of use – One of the main advantages of the best gas smoker is that they are very user-friendly. You can find ones that are all singing and dancing. If you are not going to use many of the gadgets included then they will just end up being redundant.
• Maintenance – Gas smokers are in general easy to maintain and clean but some make even this easy task, well…easier. A gas smoker with removable racks will make your life that little bit simpler. As will features such as non-stick materials.
• Fittings – Checking that all the seals are snug and tight and that the doors align properly with the unit when shut will ensure that you will not lose precious heat.

Types of Propane Gas Smoker

It’s crucial to comprehend the various varieties of propane smokers before choosing the one that’s perfect for you. The vertical, offset, and cabinet styles of propane smokers are the three most popular.

Vertical propane smokers – These smokers are tall and slim and provide accurate temperature control. For smoking lesser amounts of food, they work great.

Cabinet-style propane smokers – These smokers are bigger and give you more room to smoke a lot of food. Because of the way their cabinets are made, they are also simpler to operate.

Electric propane smokers – These smokers are more energy-efficient than other types of smokers since the heating element is powered by electricity. They might cost more to purchase though.

Portable propane smokers – Because they are compact and light, these smokers are ideal for carrying anywhere. However, they are not as resilient as other kinds of smokers.

Gas propane smokers – The heating element in these smokers are powered by gas. Although they are more expensive than electric smokers, they also use less energy.

Regardless of the style of smoker you select, ensure it has accurate temperature control and is constructed of high-quality components. Check the warranty before you purchase as well. A strong warranty will safeguard your financial commitment and guarantee that you’ll be pleased with your purchase for many years to come.

How to maximize the smoke produced by your propane smoker

When you purchase a propane smoker, you give up quality for convenience and a fantastic price. People frequently encounter problems connected to the shoddy building of gas smokers. That makes sense when you consider the price tag in comparison to those of some other smokers.

I advise spending a little extra money and investing in a pellet smoker if you want a good quality, easy-to-use set-it-and-forget-it smoker.

Let’s be clear about one thing, though, before you assume that I am against gas smokers. To make excellent BBQ food, you don’t need to spend a fortune. In fact, by making a few easy adjustments to their gas smokers, many backyard grillers can achieve outstanding results. And here is how!

Upgrade the inferior stock wood pan that was provided with your new smoker.

For some reason, the majority of manufacturers insist on pairing their smokers with cheap wood chip bins or pans. As a result, it is difficult to produce enough smoke when you light up your new gas smoker. Fortunately, there are a few quick and affordable improvements you can make.

The cheap chip box that came with your smoker needs to be removed first. Instead, you may get an 8 to 12-inch cast iron skillet (the biggest that will fit in your smoker).

The ideal configuration will depend on your particular smoker and can call for some trial and error. If the skillet doesn’t produce enough smoke after being placed on the tray, try placing it directly on the burner. These small improvements can have a significant impact.

However, I feel that wood chunks work best. So instead of reaching for the chips, pick up a bag of wood chunks, like these pecan chunks from Weber. Don’t stack them; just add enough to cover the bottom of the cast iron pan.

Then, every few hours or so, you’ll need to add one or two more chunks. While you can use chips, you’ll need to replenish considerably more frequently, which defeats the purpose of using propane.

Use a pellet box to generate more smoke.

If you are unable to obtain a cast iron skillet, you can still purchase one of the smoker boxes I recommend here. When you need to keep producing smoke but don’t want to keep adding additional wood chips every half hour, these work wonderfully with electric and gas smokers.

Consider smoking beef brisket for 18 hours or 14 hours of pork shoulder. Without making these recommended changes, using a gas smoker is not at all enjoyable.

A completely loaded tray should burn for around five hours, producing the ideal amount of smoke continuously. Even while it won’t last the entire smoke, the meat should have absorbed the ideal amount of smoke by the end of the five-hour mark. You can also simply refill it if you truly want to keep producing smoke.

To improve taste and smoke production in a gas smoker by adding charcoal.

People have reported success after installing a second firebox and packing their smokers with two pieces of charcoal. With a little touch of charcoal flavor and the simplicity of gas smoking, this enables you to have the best of both worlds. The next time you smoke, try these easy steps and see whether the flavor improves.

• Wrap a few pieces of wood with foil.
• Build a small mound of charcoal above the heat dispersers.
• Placing the wood bundles over the hot charcoal, smoke should begin to appear.

Final Thoughts

Gas smokers are a fantastic addition to your outdoor cooking setup overall. In addition to being superior to charcoal grills, they are also simple to use, inexpensive and deliver a savory, real-smoke flavor. They are very common in restaurants since they create clean heat. They also have a similar “set it and forget it” feature as pellet smokers and need as little maintenance as an electric smoker.

You should take into account a number of factors while looking for the best gas smoker for you, including ease of use, temperature control, build quality, cooking area, accessories, and cost per dollar. The MasterBuilt 2-Door Propane Smoker is the greatest gas smoker available today, according to the GoShindig team, who tested and reviewed the top models from renowned manufacturers like Pit Boss, Masterbuilt, Char-Broil, Camp Chef, and others. It is my favorite since it consistently provides great meals, has a ton of practical functions, and is surprisingly inexpensive. If you need more cooking area for larger gatherings, the 44-Inch version is just as good. You may certainly keep it in your backyard for a very long time!