There are six types of smoker: offset, vertical charcoal, gravity fed, pellet, kamado and electric. They differ in fuel and in how much you tend the fire. From our scores, pellet smokers are the easiest to run and offset smokers ask the most of you.
The six types at a glance
Each card shows the best one of that type we have scored. Tap a card to read how that type works.
Offset smoker Charcoal and wood A fire in a side box pulls heat and smoke across a long barrel and out a chimney at the far end. 
Vertical charcoal smoker Charcoal and wood Fire at the bottom, a water pan above it, and the meat stacked on racks over both. Bullets and cabinets. 
Gravity fed smoker Charcoal A tall hopper of charcoal feeds itself down into the fire, and a fan sets the temperature. 
Pellet smoker Wood pellets An auger feeds wood pellets into a small firepot, and a controller holds the temperature you dial in. 
Kamado Lump charcoal A thick egg shaped cooker that holds heat for hours on one load of charcoal, set by two vents. 
Electric smoker Electricity and wood chips A heating element warms a tray of wood chips in an insulated box. Plug in and set it. Which type is easiest to run?
This is the question that separates the types most. Here is the average Ease of Use score for each type, across the 44 smokers, pellet grills and kamados we have scored. A higher score means less tending.
Offset, gravity fed and electric rest on two or three scored models each, so treat those three as a guide rather than a verdict. The pattern still holds across every review: the more the machine runs the fire for you, the higher the score.
Offset smoker
Fuel: Charcoal and wood
The fire burns in a small box bolted to one end of a long barrel. Its heat and smoke are pulled across the meat and out of a chimney at the far end, so the food never sits over the flames.
This is the classic Texas pitmaster setup, and it gives the deepest wood smoke flavor of any type. The price is attention: you add a split of wood or a few coals every 45 minutes or so, and the end nearest the firebox runs hotter than the far end.
Our scores for this type: Ease of Use 7.3, Heat Performance 7.5, Long-term Reliability 7.0, from 2 scored.
Vertical charcoal smoker
Fuel: Charcoal and wood
The charcoal sits at the bottom, a pan of water sits above it, and the meat goes on racks stacked above that. The water pan soaks up heat and keeps the temperature steady, so a full load of charcoal can hold low heat for many hours.
Bullet smokers like the Weber Smokey Mountain and charcoal cabinets work this way. They hold a lot of food in a small footprint and cost far less than a pellet smoker, but you still manage the fire with vents.
Our scores for this type: Ease of Use 7.3, Heat Performance 8.5, Long-term Reliability 8.6, from 5 scored.
Gravity fed smoker
Fuel: Charcoal
A tall hopper is filled with charcoal, which slides down into the fire as it burns. A fan, run by a digital controller, blows on the fire to hold the temperature you set.
It is charcoal flavor with pellet grill convenience. The trade is electronics and a fan that must stay dry, and a hopper that needs cleaning out between cooks.
Our scores for this type: Ease of Use 8.6, Heat Performance 8.5, Long-term Reliability 6.5, from 3 scored.
Pellet smoker
Fuel: Wood pellets
Wood pellets go in a hopper on the side. A motor turns a screw, called an auger, that feeds them into a small firepot, and a fan and controller keep the heat at the temperature you dial in, much like an oven.
This is the easiest way to smoke with real wood, and most can grill too. The smoke flavor is milder than charcoal or an offset, and it needs a power outlet. Across our scores, pellet cookers rate lower than charcoal ones for long-term reliability, because there are more parts to fail.
Our scores for this type: Ease of Use 8.7, Heat Performance 8.1, Long-term Reliability 7.0, from 20 scored.
Kamado
Fuel: Lump charcoal
A thick ceramic or insulated steel egg. A vent at the bottom lets air in and a vent on top lets it out, and those two vents are the whole temperature control. For smoking, a heat deflector plate sits between the fire and the meat.
Because the walls hold heat so well, a kamado sips charcoal and holds a steady low heat for hours, then reaches pizza heat when you open the vents. It is heavy, and it costs more up front.
Our scores for this type: Ease of Use 8.3, Heat Performance 8.9, Long-term Reliability 8.0, from 12 scored.
Electric smoker
Fuel: Electricity and wood chips
An insulated box with a heating element at the bottom. Wood chips sit in a tray on the element and smolder for smoke, and a water pan keeps the air moist. You plug it in, set the temperature and walk away.
It is the simplest smoker to run and the gentlest on fuel. The smoke flavor is the lightest of the six, and you top up the wood chips during a long cook.
Our scores for this type: Ease of Use 8.6, Heat Performance 7.5, Long-term Reliability 6.7, from 2 scored.
Whatever the type, read the smoke
Good smoke is thin and faint, with a blue tint, and you can barely see it. That means the wood is burning cleanly and the meat will taste of wood rather than soot.
Thick white smoke pouring out means the fire is starved of air or the wood is smoldering. Food cooked in it turns bitter. Open the vents a little, or add a dry piece of wood, until the smoke thins out. This holds on every type above, though pellet and electric smokers manage it for you.
Which type should you choose?
- You want the least work: a pellet smoker, an electric smoker or a gravity fed smoker. Set the temperature and check back.
- You want the deepest smoke flavor and enjoy tending a fire: an offset smoker.
- You want one cooker that smokes, grills and bakes pizza: a kamado. Ours average 8.9 for Heat Performance, the highest of the six.
- You want real charcoal on a budget, in a small space: a vertical charcoal smoker.
Our guide to how to choose a smoker walks through the decision, from fire tending to size.
Questions people ask
- What type of smoker is easiest for a beginner?
- A pellet smoker, on our scores: they average 8.7 out of 10 for Ease of Use, the highest of the six types. An electric smoker is close behind and costs less. If you want to learn on charcoal, a vertical bullet smoker is the forgiving place to start.
- Which type of smoker gives the most flavor?
- An offset smoker burning real wood, then the charcoal types: vertical, kamado and gravity fed. Pellet smokers give a milder wood flavor, and electric smokers the lightest.
- Which type of smoker gets the hottest?
- The kamado. Ours average 8.9 for Heat Performance, and most kamados reach pizza heat with the vents open.
- Can I smoke on a regular grill?
- Yes. On a charcoal kettle, bank the coals to one side and put the meat on the other. On a gas grill, light one side and use a smoker box of wood chips over the lit burner (see how to smoke on a gas grill). Neither holds low heat as steadily as a smoker, but both work for ribs and chicken.
- Is a pellet grill a smoker?
- Yes. A pellet grill is a smoker that can also grill. Most hold steady low heat for smoking, and many reach 450 to 500 F for searing, though few sear as well as gas or charcoal.