Best Grills for Smoking of 2026
Smokers, pellet grills, kamados and kettles our reviews rate for smoking low and slow.
Smoking is the slow road to great barbecue: low heat, wood smoke and time.
In our grill and smoker reviews, the best hold steady heat for hours without constant attention.
Pellet grills make it easy, kamados make it efficient and charcoal smokers give the most flavor.
We tested 65 grills for smoking for this guide. Most of them do well on how easy they are to use. Where most fall short is how long they last, so that is where the picks below stand apart.
Our picks
- Best overall
Kamado Joe Classic II The Kontrol Tower holds its air setting through a lid opening, which the $999.99 entry Classic does not offer. $1,499 at Amazon - Best for the money
Char-Griller 22-inch Kettle Charcoal Grill and Smoker At $149.99 the enameled bowl, coal door, ash bucket and five-year cover all arrive together, with nothing held back for the accessories aisle. $134.56 at Amazon - Easiest to use
Broil King Keg Kamado Charcoal Leads the kamado field on handling: 140.4 lb rolling on four locking castors, with shelves that lift off by hand. $1,259.02 at Amazon - Built to last
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 18 Ten years against rust through on bowl, lid and center ring, so the cover is longest exactly where rust starts. $419 at Amazon - Best pellet grill for smoking
Broil King Regal Pellet 400 Gas-cabinet material on a pellet cooker: 2 mm steel body, cast iron grids, double-wall lid closing on an oven-grade gasket. $825.89 at Amazon - Best kamado for smoking
Weber Summit Kamado E6 Charcoal Grill A three-blade stainless sweep and a lift-out ash pan replace the scoop a ceramic firebox needs. $1,399 at Amazon - Best charcoal smoker
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 14 Ten years against rust through on bowl and lid, with aluminium at the door, so cover is longest where a smoker dies. $289 at Amazon - Best electric smoker
Masterbuilt 40-Inch Digital Smoker with Window Roof panel at standing height, side chip loading and a door you rarely open make this about as easy as smoking gets. $399.99 at Amazon - Best grill for smoking under $500
Napoleon PRO22 Professional Charcoal Kettle The lid swings aside on its hinge, the grid hinges for fuel, and side doors take a probe without lifting anything. $389 at Amazon
Prices are what the retailer charged when we last checked. More on each pick below.
Best grill for smoking overallKamado Joe Classic II
The Classic II is the same ceramic grill with a much better lid. That lid is also what your hands are on all evening. At $1,499.99 that is a hard sell, and at the street price it stops being one. Register it the day the pallet turns up.
Good to know: At $1,499.99 the extra $500 over the entry Classic buys a hinge and a vent, with nothing new on the grate.
Best for the moneyChar-Griller 22-inch Kettle Charcoal Grill and Smoker
The second noun in the name is the one this kettle earns. Two dampers and a coal door keep a small fire useful for hours. Just do not ask it to sear past the figure Char-Griller is willing to print.
Why it won this award: At $149.99 the enameled bowl, coal door, ash bucket and five-year cover all arrive together, with nothing held back for the accessories aisle.
Good to know: Char-Griller publishes one heat figure, up to 400°F, and rates the bowl for only 2 lb of charcoal.
Easiest to useBroil King Keg Kamado Charcoal
The Keg puts its ceramic where the fire is, not where your hands are. That is why it cooks like a kamado and rolls like a cart. Buy it for the fire control and the mobility. Ignore the hybrid pictures until that module has a price.
Why it won this award: Leads the kamado field on handling: 140.4 lb rolling on four locking castors, with shelves that lift off by hand.
Good to know: Around $1,256 buys the cooker, then the diffuser kit, pellet module and rotisserie are each a separate purchase.
Built to lastWeber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 18
The 18 is the size most people who want this system should own. Weber scaled up the fire and left the instruments untouched. Add a probe thermometer and the middle size asks nothing extra of you.
Why it won this award: Ten years against rust through on bowl, lid and center ring, so the cover is longest exactly where rust starts.
Good to know: One built-in reading, taken at the lid, on a cooker whose fire you otherwise cannot see at all.
Best pellet grill for smokingBroil King Regal Pellet 400
Broil King built a pellet grill its gas customers would recognise. Heavy, gasketed, cast iron, with the rotisserie already in the box. What it did not build is a line saying how hot Grill goes. Buy it for the mass and the upkeep, and treat searing as upside.
Good to know: Heavy steel and rated paint last well, yet auger, fan and controller carry the risk, and no warranty term is published.
Best kamado for smokingWeber Summit Kamado E6 Charcoal Grill
Weber swapped a kamado's mass for a barrier and got a quicker cooker. The steel answers the crack risk, and the casters answer the lifting. What goes unanswered is what $1,399.00 leaves out. No cover, no fan for the fan port, and no help building it.
Good to know: At $1,399.00 the cover is a separate $84.99 and the built-in fan port arrives without a fan.
Best charcoal smokerWeber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 14
Buy the Smokey Mountain 14 if the space is small and the cooking is patient. Weber shrank the barrel and kept the system. The only thing small really costs here is attention.
Good to know: The thermometer and removable fuel door help, yet a small charcoal chamber means the cook checks in more often.
Best electric smokerMasterbuilt 40-Inch Digital Smoker with Window
The extra $150 over the 30 inch buys roomier racks for big cuts. It does not buy a hotter smoker. The legs are the best part of the $70 premium, because they spare your back. The window is a pleasant extra that fades as the smoke builds.
Good to know: One year of cover on a cabinet whose electronics live on the roof, exposed to rain and sun, is a short promise for this money.
Best grill for smoking under $500Napoleon PRO22 Professional Charcoal Kettle
The Napoleon PRO22 is the same fire as its cheaper sibling, with better access to it. Buy it for a swinging lid, cast iron sear and a future rotisserie. If you just want charcoal heat, the NK22 keeps about $147 in your pocket.
Good to know: About $389 buys the NK22's fire plus a hinged lid, cast iron and a ring; the rotisserie that ring anticipates costs extra.
Questions people ask
What is the best grill for smoking?
Our top pick is the Kamado Joe Classic II. The Classic II is the same ceramic grill with a much better lid. That lid is also what your hands are on all evening.
What is the best value grill for smoking?
The Char-Griller 22-inch Kettle Charcoal Grill and Smoker. At $149.99 the enameled bowl, coal door, ash bucket and five-year cover all arrive together, with nothing held back for the accessories aisle.
How much should I spend on a grill for smoking?
Most of the grills for smoking we tested cost between $350 and $1,260. Our top pick costs about $1,499. Across all our scores, paying more buys a little, and much less than the price tag suggests.
Can you smoke on a regular grill?
Yes. Set up two zones and put wood chunks or chips over the heat. Cook on the cool side. Keep the lid closed and the temperature low. It takes more watching than a smoker, but it works.
How long does it take to smoke a pork butt or brisket?
Plan on most of a day at a low temperature, and more for a big brisket. Cook to tenderness and internal temperature, not the clock. Start early and let it rest before slicing.
Should you soak wood chips before smoking?
It is not needed. Soaked chips mostly steam until the water cooks off, and only then smoke. Dry wood gives cleaner smoke, and chunks last longer than chips.
What does good smoke look like?
Thin and pale blue, almost invisible. Thick white or gray smoke means the fire is smoldering and can make food taste bitter. Give the fire more air until the smoke clears.
How we picked
Every pick comes from our own testing, scored the same way across six things that matter to an owner. The overall pick is the highest Avid Griller Score. Best for the money, easiest to use and built to last go to the top Value, Ease of Use and Long-term Reliability scores. Every other pick is the top overall scorer of its fuel or kind, or priced under the limit at the retailer we checked. How we score.
Looking for something else? See all our best grill guides.