Top 5 Best Offset Smokers for Camping

With the best offset smoker for your purposes, you will rule the outdoor cooking domain. But, if you’re new to the mysterious world of food smokers, you do need to know how to distinguish the best from the rest. First, determine which kind of smoker is most suited to your personal plans for use of the equipment. Check out the offset smoker reviews and ratings below for more information.

The 5 Top Offset Smokers

An offset smoker is the ultimate addition to your summer patio grilling setup. Here is some information on the 5 top smokers. These are among the best on the market and loaded with features that make the best smokers. They’re all great for the kinds of use they’re designed to accommodate. Let us help you choose the best offset smoker your particular smoking needs.

* Ratings are determined using our specialized rating system.

Char-Broil Deluxe Offset 40-Inch Smoker & Grill

You’ve arrive in the big league of outdoor cooking with Char-Broil Deluxe Offset 40-Inch Smoker & Grill. If you want a dedicated, stand-alone smoker to add to and upgrade your array of outdoor cooking equipment, this Char-Broil Smoker is the one to beat. It comes in a massive 739 square inch capacity, with an additional 275 square inch cooking surface to help you serve up food for huge crowds. The center section is designed to retain maximum heat. The smoker features double cooking grates. The smoking chamber is roomy, with space for smoking severa large items at the same time.

The Char-Broil offset smoker’s simple design features a wide access opening for handling food items during cooking. It also makes it easier to clean than more complex designs. This classic offset smoker just makes sense for dedicated smoking.

This offset smoker has a removable fuel door, which is great for conveniently adding more wood for smoking or charcoal during smoking. Comparing it with higher-priced models, we’re rating this one the best offset smoker this year. The smoker wall materials will not rust or peel over time.

Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker

The Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker is a high-end smoker of heavy-gauge steel construction. It’s that good. It’s priced at around double the cost of other smokers on our list, but if you’re committed to smoker cooking and ready to investing in top-of-the-line smoking equipment, this one has a lot to offer in up-scale outdoor cooking.

The Longhorn cooker offers a large combined cooking surface space, with four racks for a total of 1,060 square inches, between the 751 square inches in the primary smoking chamber and another 309 square inches in the firebox. The cooker features porcelain-enamel cooking racks, which are great for a little more stick-resistant cooking and incomparably easy cleaning with a grill brush.

The Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker features four baffles that direct smoke and heat circulating in the primary cooking chamber, to maintain even cooking temperatures. The results confirm you’ve made a good investment in quality smoking equipment. You can even customize your setup, by changing smokestack locations and removing baffles. This reverse flow smoker has a spacious fuel basket in the firebox smoking chamber. It also features a handy trap door for easy cleaning.

Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker

When you want to do it all, the Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker is the smoker — and grill to get it all done. This sleek Royal Gourmet smoker features total of 800 square Inches of smoking surface. This includes 438 square inches of cooking surface in its primary chamber and an additional 183 square inches in the firebox, plus an extra 179 square inches on a pivotal rack. This inexpensively priced smoker has high-end design and functionality. The product includes a large-capacity conventional charcoal grill with an offset smoker, giving you both options in one outdoor grilling and smoking solution.

The Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker uses charcoal briquettes or lumps for fuel. Add some hickory or other wood chips for enhanced flavoring. Wide, porcelain-enamel racks hold heat to further promote even heating. They’re also exceptionally easy to clean and arguably can be cleaned more thoroughly than steel grates. It also features a burn-proof handle, side access door for tending the fuel, and a side air vent for better heat management. The state-of-the-art black coating is high-heat and peel resistant.

The offset smoker can even be used as a small additional grill, when your barbeque volume is outgrowing the large main grill. This smoker requires assembly. The versatility of this model makes it the best offset smoker for many people who want to acquire a smoker and keep your cooking options open.

Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Smoker

The Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Smoker is the real deal — a heavy-gauge porcelain-enamel cooker. We’re talking about 15,000 BTUs and a seriously heavy-duty cast-iron burner. The luxurious electronic ignition system permits quick, no-fuss start up. You can smoke up to 100 pounds of food at the same time on 784 total square Inches of total smoking surface. The cooker is designed with dual doors, to help maintain cooking temperature while adding wood chips into the steel wood chip box during smoking.

The Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Smoker is a no-nonsense cooker unquestionably the best offset smoker on our list for people who are more fully devoted to cooking by smoking. The cooker is built from heavy steel construction and finished with high-temperature powder coating for optimum durability and longevity. For aspiring smoking experts willing to invest a little more in a premium smoker, this model provides the serious smoking power of a professional-grade smoker at a moderate price.

Plan to leave this cooker in one place, because mobility is not a feature its meant to have. Pick out a spot for it, and just enjoy using it as your dedicated food smoking area. To protect your first-class smoker, you might want to consider buying the high-grade custom-fit cover from Dyna-Glo.

Dyna-Glo Signature Series Heavy-Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker

The Dyna-Glo Signature Series Heavy-Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker is for smoker operators ready to take smoking to the next level, or up several levels. A smoker’s dream, the Dyna-Glo Signature Series tops out with this vertical-style heavy-grade Offset Charcoal Grill and Smoker. Even conservatively speaking, this Dyna-Glo model is spectacular. Its features include five chrome-plated cooking racks, for an enormous total cooking area of 1,382 square inches. That’s approaching double the cooking surface area of some of our other top picks.

The heavy-gauge steel construction makes the Dyna-Glo Signature Series Heavy-Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker an especially durable model of outdoor cooking equipment. It’s loaded with so many convenience features that many users are likely to argue for this model as the best offset smoker on the market right now. Its temperature gauge features smoke zone indicators, which help with regulating cooking temperatures at-a-glance and locking in the perfect amount of smoke flavor.

Other great features of this deluxe smoker include its cool-to-the-touch door handles on both the fire box and the main chamber. The lid is spring driven, for the most convenient possible access to food items during cooking. Despite the large main chamber and firebox sizes, the unit’s big steel wheels give it surprising mobility, making it easier than it looks to move and store between uses.

Important Offset Smoker Features to Consider

As you’ve seen in the five offset smokers above, there are a lot of different things to consider. When you look for the best offset smoker, try to think about these specific things. From my experience, they’re the most important when selecting a smoker.

Material

When you look for the best offset smoker, you want something that’s going to be around for years to come. Choosing a smoker made from a quality material like heavy-gauge steel or stainless steel is the way to go. Though it doesn’t come in ceramic like a kamado grill or some kettle grills, both of these materials are durable and will be able to take a beating.

Seals

In order for a smoker to be effective, it needs to seal properly when the lid is closed. The seals keep the smoke inside instead of letting it escape. If a smoker doesn’t have good seals, it isn’t going to be a very good smoker.

Dampers

When cooking, temperature control means the difference between delicious food and something that more closely resembles jerky. A smoker’s dampers are the way you control the temperature. Dampers also have control over fuel usage and smoke retention, so the best offset smoker will have high-quality dampers.

Capacity

You should already have an idea of how many people you’re going to be cooking for. Is it just your family, or are you going to be using this in a BBQ restaurant setting? If you’re only preparing food for your family or maybe a get-together every now and then, won’t need a smoker with the capacity of either Dyna-Glo models.

Fuel Type

There are two main types of fuel for smokers: gas and charcoal. Both are great choices that are best in different situations. The type of smoker grill you choose is up to you, but don’t expect to find an electric smoker like you find in electric grills and infrared grills. Natural gas grills may be an option, but it will depend on the individual grill. You can sometimes look for combo grills to serve multiple purposes while cooking. Just be mindful that offset smokers do not function well as marine grills, so they shouldn’t be used on the water.

Benefits of Owning an Offset Smoker

If you’re still on the fence over whether an offset smoker is for you, here are some of the reasons I love using a smoker.

There’s More Room

I used to use a simple charcoal grill with a smoking setup, but it was difficult to make enough food at once. The smooking setup took up half the grill, leaving the other half for food, and it just wasn’t enough space. Upgrading to an actual smoker meant I could actually make enough food for all the people I wanted to feed. If you’re tired of using a camping grill or charcoal grill to smoke, you should consider upgrading, too.

Offset Smokers Can Also Grill

Space is a big concern for a lot of people. I understand not want to own another piece of bulky cooking equipment, and that’s why I love that smoker-grill combos like the Royal Gourmet model exist, similar to the functionality of pellet grills and smoker grills. With one of these, there’s no need for a separate grill and smoker. Put them both in one, and you can enjoy delicious food without worrying about where you’re going to store everything.

Smokers Are Easy to Use

Like with anything, there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve when firing up a smoker for the first time. However, just like a normal grill, smokers become so easy to use that you can do it blindfolded (please don’t actually try to do that, though).

Smoked Food is Delicious

If you’re thinking about buying an offset smoker, it’s probably because you love the taste of smoked food. And who am I to argue? There’s a reason I have an offset smoker, after all. If you love smoked food and want to enjoy it as often as you please instead of just on special occasions, you should look into getting the best offset smoker.

Precautions When Using an Offset Smoker

As with any sort of grill or outdoor cooking equipment, you need to take certain precautions. When you finish using your smoker, always let it cool down before replacing your grill cover. If you forget to let it cool down, it could combust and catch on fire.

Also, if you’re going to be storing the smoker outside, you need a cover for it. These smokers are expensive pieces of equipment that can rust if not taken care of properly. Using a tarp or cover to protect it from the rain is a good way to protect your investment and make sure the smoker is usable for years to come. However, if you’re storing it in a garage or shed, a tarp may not be necessary. Offset smokers are also large, so they don’t serve well as portable grills, two burner grills, or tailgate grills when you want to smoke on the go.

While this one may be a no-brainer, it should always be said: be careful using the smoker around kids and pets. No one wants an accident that could involve sever burns or worse. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when cooking equipment is involved.

Some offset smokers have a stand built in, but some will require something to prop them up. The best thing to do in this case is buy a grill stand, but you can also use a sturdy metal table in a pinch.

Conclusion

Comparing it with higher-priced models, we’ve rated the Char-Broil Deluxe Offset 40-Inch Smoker & Grill the best offset smoker currently on the market. We like the well-constructed body of this smoker, made with rust- and peel- resistant exterior and a porcelain-enamel lid and bowl. We’re comfortable naming it the best offset smoker currently available to appeal to a broad audience of outdoor food preparers who are ready to move from all grilling all the time, to the exciting world of vast opportunities in smoking virtually every imaginable kind of food.

The Char-Broil Deluxe Offset 40-Inch Smoker & Grill is a good middle position for a newcomer to food smoking, yet it’s also an exceptionally practical choice for experienced food smokers who want a handy resource for throwing in a few items and getting the smoking going quickly, cleaning up easily, and simply popping the smoker back into storage afterwards. This classic vertical single-chamber Weber cooker model just makes the best sense to us all around, for dedicated smoking use, and is therefore our choice of the best offset smoker for our readers.

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