In the mood for a real American cookout? No matter what season it is outside you can have a true barbecue for dinner or lunch, with its smoked meats, cooked low and slow. Anything worthwhile takes time, right? Well, smokers and slow-cookers can go through its tender process for up to 24 hours! Although an old-fashioned barbecue seems difficult to truly master, it is pretty easy to understand. All you need is charcoal, gas, wood pellets or electricity, any of these fuel sources are suitable. From there, you can add to that flavor through the use of wood chips or chunks to really get that smoke going.
In our guide today, we’re going to not only go through the comparison process of the best smokers you can get for around $500 and under, we’ll take you through each individual feature, type, dimension, maximum temperature, capacity, and warranty information, and why each of these features are important in the smoker. You can smoke veggies, cheese, and meats on these handy and versatile tools until it’s time to eat! When talking about quality control, even the cheaper, budget-smokers can produce that high-quality taste.
For everything you need to know about how it’s done, using indirect heat and smoke, these comprehensive product reviews can help you pick out the best affordable smoker to help make your barbecue tender, juicy, and full of flavor. We’ll leave you with a buying guide to help you choose the best one.
More features: rust-resistant aluminum dampers, aluminum fuel door, glass-reinforced nylon handles, plated steel cooking grates, built-in lid thermometer, porcelain-enameled body, large water pan, cover included
The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is one of the most respected charcoal smokers on the market, known for delivering consistent low-and-slow results with minimal hassle. Built with durable, porcelain-enameled steel and rust-resistant aluminum dampers, it’s designed to perform reliably for years of backyard smoking.
This model has a good amount of cooking capacity when both grates are used. With its spacious dual plated-steel cooking grates, the 22-inch Smokey Mountain can handle multiple large cuts at once, making it perfect for ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and more. An oversized water pan helps maintain steady heat for all-day smoking, making temperature control smooth and predictable even for beginners.
Convenience is built into every part of the design. The glass-reinforced nylon handles stay cool, the fuel door allows easy access for adding charcoal or wood, and the built-in lid thermometer gives you instant feedback on internal temps. A fitted cover is also included to protect your smoker when not in use.
Sturdy, adaptable, and user-friendly, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is a standout choice for anyone who wants to enjoy authentic smoked flavor without unnecessary complications. Its reliability and ease of use make it our top pick.
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The Pit Boss Vertical Gas Smoker is a practical, user-friendly option for anyone who wants consistent smoking results without the learning curve of charcoal or pellet systems. Powered by dual stainless-steel burners, it heats quickly and reliably, giving you steady temperature control throughout long smoking sessions. The front-mounted temperature gauge makes it easy to monitor internal heat, while the large viewing window lets you keep an eye on your food without opening the door and losing heat.
It offers roughly 800 square inches of cooking space across multiple steel racks, and provides plenty of room for ribs, brisket, pork shoulders, poultry, and more. Its vertical design makes efficient use of space while allowing even smoke distribution. The push-button ignition and adjustable temperature controls make setup and operation simple for beginners, yet reliable enough for more experienced users who want predictable results.
Overall, this Pit Boss gas smoker stands out for its solid build, very generous cooking capacity, and ease of use. It’s a dependable choice for home cooks who want a straightforward and affordable smoker that performs well without unnecessary complications.
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The Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker is built with heavy-gauge steel and features porcelain-coated wire cooking grates, making it one of the most capable and durable drum smokers on the market. With enhanced performance and versatility, it stands out in its class.
Its cool-touch handle and large wagon-style wheels make operation and mobility easy, while the fuel access door lets you tend charcoal and manage ash more efficiently. The oversized charcoal basket provides longer burn times, reducing how often you need to refuel.
The Bronco offers 284 square inches of cooking space, making it ideal for family meals, and can also be used as a charcoal grill for additional flexibility. It includes both a cooking grate and multiple meat hangers, giving you several setup options depending on your smoking style.
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The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A is one of the most user-friendly pellet smokers available today, offering modern digital controls and dependable cooking performance. With 450 sq. in. of main cooking space, this grill provides plenty of room for family meals and weekend barbecues.
Its digital temperature controller maintains heat from 160°F to 450°F, giving you consistent results whether you’re grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, braising, or barbecuing. The automatic pellet-feed system takes the guesswork out of cooking, so you can just set your temperature and let the grill handle things.
This bundle includes 20 lbs of all-natural hickory pellets, making it an excellent ready-to-use starter package. The all-terrain wheels improve mobility, while the sturdy cart design keeps the grill stable while cooking.
As a true 6-in-1 pellet smoker, the ZPG-450A brings versatile cooking power to your backyard. With pellet flavors like hickory, oak, pecan, and mesquite, you can infuse your dishes with the wood-fired aroma everyone loves. The digital controller and auto-start ignition also make the whole process simple and low-maintenance.
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Even if you’re on a tight budget, the Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D gives you access to solid performance without a big price tag.
Designed for beginners as well as seasoned backyard cooks, this vertical charcoal smoker is straightforward to use and delivers year-round outdoor cooking capability. Its pre-installed door seal helps retain heat and manage smoke, improving fuel efficiency and overall cooking consistency.
The smoker includes six height-adjustable cooking grates, offering nearly 2,000 square inches of cooking space, which is more than enough for large batches or mixed loads of meat. Each grate can be repositioned to fit different cuts, giving you plenty of flexibility.
For even more versatility, the smoker comes with pre-installed sausage hooks and a removable rib rack. If you plan on leaving the smoker outdoors, the Dyna-Glo DG1904GSC Premium Wide Body Smoker Cover is designed specifically to fit this model.
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The Masterbuilt 20077515 is a modern, feature-rich electric smoker built for convenience and consistent results. With around 730 square inches of cooking space, four chrome-coated racks, an 800-watt heating element, and full foam insulation, it provides impressive performance for backyard cooks of any skill level.
Its blue LED display makes temperatures easy to read even in bright sunlight, and the included RF remote adds extra convenience, allowing you to monitor time, temperature, internal light, power, and even meat temperature from a distance.
This model uses a front-access drip pan and Masterbuilt’s convenient side wood-chip loading system, so you can add chips without opening the door. Rear wheels and a built-in handle make it easy to move the smoker around your yard or patio when needed.
The 30″ Digital Electric Smoker is beginner-friendly, reliable, and eliminates the hassle of charcoal or propane. With its four chrome-coated racks, it can cook enough to feed a crowd, with capacity for up to 12 chickens, 2 whole turkeys, 4 racks of ribs, 48 sausages, or 24 burgers.
Masterbuilt also offers helpful wood-chip recommendations: hickory works well with most meats, applewood is great for chicken, mesquite shines with beef, and alder complements fish.
The size may feel bulky on very small patios
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The Masterbuilt MB20051316 is a propane-powered vertical smoker that delivers solid performance for its class. It offers a generous cooking area and user-friendly controls, making it a strong option for anyone wanting the convenience of gas with the classic flavor of smoked foods.
This model includes a lockable door latch and an adjustable temperature dial, allowing you to manage heat levels with confidence. The built-in temperature gauge helps you keep an eye on cooking progress without guessing.
With four chrome-coated smoking racks, this model can handle a wide variety of foods at once. A dedicated wood-chip tray and a removable water pan help generate moisture and smoke flavor throughout the cooking process.
A front-tempered glass viewing window lets you check on your food without opening the door, which we find to be a helpful feature for maintaining stable heat. The overall construction includes an alloy-steel outer body and chrome-coated racks. The smoker also uses push-button ignition for quick startup.
And for safety and convenience, the unit features cool-touch spring-wire door handles paired with the locking latch system. But while it’s sturdy and spacious, it’s worth knowing that the smoker doesn’t include wheels, so moving it after assembly can be challenging.
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Now that you have your top choices for the best affordable smokers, let’s help with the finer details, because as any griller knows, the details truly matter.
Especially if this is your first smoker, you might be curious about how you could possibly be getting such good quality at such a low price. However, the smokers on this guide normally will cost less simply because they’re much smaller than their more expensive counterparts.
You won’t have to worry about low-quality pieces because not only do these grills on our list have the quality parts, they also have quality-controlled mechanisms.
Of course, the higher the price gets, the higher the quality of the shells, domes, etc., will be, however, this doesn’t mean that it will do a better job.
For the price, you’ll still be receiving a sturdy, insulated, and efficient smoker.
Before you go picking from one on our list, you should first know the various types of smokers and which to consider.
You can either choose from:
Before you go on to smoking up a whole mess, especially in front of friends and family, make sure to read these universal safety tips for your next barbecue party.
7. When you’re finished, clean the grill: No matter if you’re using the grill the next day, you should definitely clean it after the cook-out. A flare-up can be quite dangerous and a quick clean can help prevent it.
Before choosing the perfect smoker for your backyard barbecue, make sure to have a closer look at these individual features.
No matter if you are a newbie in using a smoker or a seasoned (literally) veteran, temperature control is something that you definitely need to pay attention to. Knowing and setting the right temperature will help cook the meat within the time normally allotted for it and not leave your guests hungry.
You should definitely try and get a grill that makes it easy to control the temperature.
If you have a large family or want to be able to cook a lot in a small amount of time, you will need a bigger smoker that has a large capacity.
Some of these bigger smokers, like the Masterbuilt 20077515, can hold a whole lot of food. However, the smaller ones do just as fine, they just take a lot longer if you’re going to want to cook more food.
Some of the other smokers might even come with a hanging rack for sausages, which means more room for other food.
Especially since most of these smokers are budgeted at a lower price (less than $500), they’ll generally be designed with stainless steel, however, the type of steel will differ from grill to grill.
Since you want to be a hands-on griller, you’ll need those vents to control the air going in and out of the smoker. Most of these high-quality smokers will have three vents, however, the least you should have are two, one on the top and one on the bottom.
This water pan will play a huge part in cooking, absorbing the heat when it’s too much, so that you won’t burn your food (not a promise, you still have to pay attention).
When filled with water, it will also help maintain the optimal temperature.
The thermostat on the smoker will help indicate the temperature at which the grill is at that exact moment. Some thermostats on these smokers have ranges as to where it should be according to what type of meat you’re cooking. These are great hints if you’re a newbie at grilling.
The weight can also pose a problem if you’re going to be moving the grill from here to there, or going to be posting it up on your deck. Make sure you have the proper weight according to your situation and preference. Oklahoma joe smoker that has handles or wheels, like the Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Pro Drum Smoker can also help with transportation.
The warranty can also make a difference, especially since this is an investment not only for your friends and family, but also for your home. Having a quality smoker in your backyard can really up your grill out game, making your house a popular summer hang-out spot (which means that you won’t have to do much traveling to other people’s homes).
Finally, before you go and test out your new smoker, here are a few mistakes to avoid:
To top it all off, here are a few frequently asked questions that we see all-too-often about smokers:
Grilling normally is done at a higher temperature (around 350°F). However, it takes a much shorter time. The big difference might be in the taste, it won’t have that smoke-y taste.
A chimney starter can help get the fire going, as well. As any good griller, you’ll definitely need a good set of knives, including carving and slicing ones.
If you’ve skipped everything else in the guide, here are the best affordable smokers:
The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is our Best All-Around Affordable Smoker. Backed by a decade-long warranty, this cooker has rust-resistant aluminum dampers and a door to help weather the rain. It also comes equipped with glass-reinforced nylon handles, plated steel cooking grates, a built-in lid thermometer for easy readability, and the cover is actually included.
The Pit Boss Grills 77435 is our runner-up and best gas smoker on the market. Run on liquid propane gas, it has two 12,000 BTU stainless steel burners, an easy-to-use ignition with a push button, 7 cooking grids for full use, a tempered glass viewing window, and a“sure-lock” latch system.
The Dyna-Glo Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker is the best Budget Pick around. Using propane gas, the stove covers 284sq in and comes equipped with six cooking grates, and a built-in stainless steel thermometer, not too bad for a budget pick.
We hope that this guide has helped you pick out the best smoker at around $500 or under for your grilling needs!
