BBQSmoker

Best Propane Smokers in 2021 Reviewed

One of the cleanest and fastest way for consumers to smoke meat, seafood, or veggies is to use a propane smoker. These devices use safe and easy-to-use propane canisters to deliver just the right conditions for smoking. All the consumer has to add some wood chips or pellets to give the propane-powered fire something to burn to produce smoke and it’s ready to go. And then you can smoke your meat without worry about a big ashy mess the way you do with a charcoal smoker. To show you just how great these products are, we’ve reviewed some of the best propane smokers available.

Summary of the Best Propane Smokers
Reviews

Editor’s Choice: Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Big Easy Smoker/Roaster

Another thing that we liked about this product was that it was easy to assemble. It can be assembled and ready to go in 10-minutes or less, and once it’s assembled all you have to do is fire up the smoker and allow it to heat up empty to burn off any chemicals that might be leftover from the manufacturing process. Once assembled, this product is approximately 36.2-inches high, 23.4-inches wide, and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-pounds. It comes with a cooking chamber, a smoking/roasting basket, a removable grease tray, a basket lift-hook, a smoker box, a thermometer, two half-shelves, and a hose with regulator. All the consumer has to supply is the propane tank, the wood chips, and of course, the food.Anyone who spends 10-minutes with this propane smoker is going to fall in love with it. That’s because this is a product that’s solid, does more than just smoke, and is easy to use. This product has a 1,200 square-inch roasting and smoking basket that can fit a turkey up to 21-pounds or large cuts of beef or pork. It’s also a roaster that’s equipped with TRU infrared technology. This technology allows you to get your food nice and crispy on the outside, all the while keeping it tender on the inside. This is a product that can be used as a smoker, roaster, and grill all in one.

This product also has a temperature control that can go from 9,000 to 18,000 BTUs. The stainless-steel smoker box allows you to add wood chips to the unit without opening the lid as well. It’s capable of doing this because it can be accessed easily from outside of the unit. And because this unit has two side-mounted handles, it can easily be moved from one location to the next. All good reasons why this product is one of the best propane smokers around.

PROS:
– This product is easy to put together.
– Has a temperature control that goes up to 18,000 BTUs.
– This product is easy to use.

CONS:
– None.

Also Recommended: Masterbuilt GS30D 30-Inch Smoker

This product weighs under 60-pounds and is 21.1-inches long, 21.4-inches wide, and approximately 43.5-inches high. Inside of it, you’ll find four chrome smoking racks and a stainless steel burner. The smoking racks provide you with up to 717 square inches of cooking/smoking space, which is plenty for smoking pork, turkey, chicken, beef, or seafood. This product is equipped with an easy-to-use push-button ignition system, and it has a porcelain-coated water pan and wood chip tray that’s easy to use and service. Another thing that we appreciated about this unit was that it’s locking door had a cool-touch wire handle and a temperature gauge equipped.Another product that we liked quite a bit was this Masterbuilt 30-inch propane smoker. We felt that this product had all of the features we were looking for in a smoker, but there was one thing that we didn’t like about it. What we didn’t like about it was the fact that its instructions weren’t all that easy to understand, and it took us a little bit longer than we would’ve liked it to have to put it together. Even with that small problem, however, this product was still capable of making it to the second spot on our list. Why? Because this product has everything the consumer needs to smoke their meat—everything except for the propane tank.

We can also appreciate that the consumer can purchase some additional accessories to go along with this smoker to increase its ease-of-use and the number of things that can be done with this product. As it stands all by itself, however, we do think that it’s one of the better propane smokers available and one worth checking out. We imagine that this product is going to become the central point of many consumer’s backyard areas—and why shouldn’t it? It’s a great unit.

PROS:
– This is a reasonably priced propane smoker.
– This product has a push-button ignition.
– It has over 700 square-inches of smoking space.

CONS:
– Not as easy to assemble as we would’ve liked.

Also Consider: Pit Boss Red Vertical LP Smoker

Another propane smoker that blew us away right out of the gate was this one from Pit Boss, although we do have to say that it was initially just for aesthetic reasons. When we first saw this smoker, we thought that it was probably one of the nicest looking models we’ve seen, and it was a model that was available in a bright red. You don’t see too many propane smokers that have a nice red hue to them, but this one did and it really made it stand out. Once we began to use this product, however, we soon realized that it wasn’t just another pretty face. It was also a powerful tool that allowed us to do all of the smoking we wanted to do.

This smoker was a product that was equipped with three no-stick porcelain cooking grids that gave us approximately 884 square inches of smoking space. Its also equipped with a single 3,500 BTU stainless steel burner that can bring the wood chips in the smoke chamber up to the temperature necessary to smoke them. And speaking of the wood chip drawer, we’d like to take a few moments to talk about what we liked and what we didn’t like. We liked that the drawer was an external drawer that was easy-to-clean and easy to access when it’s not currently smoking, but we didn’t like that the drawer got so hot during the smoking process. This problem just made it difficult to access during smoking.

Even with the slightly hot wood chip drawer, we still felt like this was a great product. It could smoke from 100 to 350-degrees Fahrenheit, it had a large viewing window, and it had a door seal that held the smoke inside the unit where it belongs. And did we say that this is also a fantastic looking unit? Yes, we did, but we do think that it bears repeating.

PROS:
– This product has a 100 to 320-degree temperature range.
– This item has 800 square-inches of smoking space.
– It has three different cooking racks.

CONS:
– It can be difficult to access wood chip box while smoking.

A Guide To Propane Smokers

Hopefully, with our best propane smoker reviews, we’ve shown all of our readers just how easy to use, clean and inexpensive these products are. Now, we’re going to give all of our readers the information they need to not only buy their next smoker but also use that product effectively. Does that sound good? If it does, then take our hands, and let’s take a journey through the wonderful world of propane smokers.

Let’s Buy A Propane Smoker!

The first part of our guide, as we promised, is dedicated to giving our readers the information they need to make an informed decision when they’re buying one of these products. While these smokers might all look the same, the consumer should keep in mind that they’re not, so they should take the time to evaluate each model individually.

Look For A Two Door Model

When we say that the consumer should look for a two-door model, we don’t mean that there should be two doors leading to the smoking area. No, we’re talking about the smoker having one door that leads to the food and one door that leads to the wood chips. This enables the consumer to add wood chips while the unit is smoking, and do it without letting precious smoke out of it.

Let’s Take A Second Look At The Doors

And while we’re talking about doors, we’d like to say that it’s extremely important for the consumer to think about their build quality. Quality doors should at the very minimum be made out of thick, quality metal and be equipped with high-temperature seals. Some models also have windows in them that make looking at the food without opening the door a lot easier. It’s up to the consumer, however, whether that feature is useful to them or not.

The Amount Of Smoking Space Is Important

It’s also extremely important for the consumer to think about the amount of space that can be found on the inside of the smoker. We’d say that at the very minimum, the consumer is going to want to purchase a propane smoker with at least 500 square-inches of cooking space—if not more.

Make Sure It Has “Non-Stick” Cooking Racks

We also consider it extremely important for the smoker to have at least three cooking racks and have cooking racks that are porcelain-coated. The porcelain-coating prevents the food from sticking to the racks—regardless if that food is poultry, beef, chicken, seafood, or veggies.

Some Tips For Using A Propane Smoker

Now that we’ve finished the buying guide portion of this article, it’s time to turn our attention to giving our readers something they really want. A guide that provides some tips for using their new propane smoker. Below are some of the things that our readers should think about when using their new propane smoker.

Read The Instructions

One of the most important pieces of advice that we can give our readers is to read the instructions that come with the smoker. Inside of that important document, the consumer is going to find information on setting up and running their new smoker. It’s that information that takes precedence over anything we’ve written here. So, if the smoker’s instruction manual recommends something different than what we’re recommending, then the instruction manual is the source information that should be followed.

“Prime” Your Smoker

A lot of smokers sold nowadays need to be “primed” before being used. What we mean by that is that the product needs to be run empty for a little while before being used. This is to burn off any protective coatings or chemicals that might have been applied to the smoker’s metal to protect it during shipment. Make sure to follow the directions that come with your product to find out how to do this properly.

Play Around With Different Hardwood Types

Some people might be tempted to buy one type of hardwood for their smoker and just stick with that type of wood, but in our opinion, that’s a mistake. We think that consumers should at least try some of the different hardwoods available. After all, smoking ribs with oak wood chips can present an entirely different taster than smoking them with applewood. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different hardwoods to see what works for you.

Keep Your Propane Smoker Clean

It’s also extremely important for you to keep your smoker clean. Although smoking with propane is a lot cleaner than other types of smoking, there is still wood chips or pellets involved, so you’re going to have to deal with the buildup on the inside of the propane smoker.

Smoke Foods At The Proper Temperatures

The last piece of wisdom we’d like to impart on all of our readers is to smoke at the proper temperature for what their smoking. Look up the optimal smoking temperature and time for what you’re cooking so that you end up with a perfectly smoked piece of meat or seafood. That will ensure that you get the best results each time.

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