10 Best Charcoal Smoker Grills 2023

Smoking is a good way to bring out food’s natural flavors. When heat is applied on a dry surface, it breaks down sugars as well as amino acids which improve the taste and consistency of food. More so, smoking preserves food by killing dangerous microorganisms. Almost all types of food may be smoked: fish, meats, veggies, and poultry are just some of the most common. And to smoke your food well, you need nothing less than the best charcoal smoker; we’ll give you the best charcoal smokers in this comprehensive review.

Only the best charcoal smoker grill will give you the most satisfying results. However, there are so many brands, models and designs which make it very hard for a first-timer to look for the right one. It’s fun to juggle with updated features like temperature controls, fuel doors, ignition systems, and powder coat finishes but, the most important part of every smoker should never be neglected and this is its smoking capacity. Only by thoroughly checking out specs and features will you be able to find the right size smoker with the best features that are perfect for your needs.

We have ten of the best charcoal smoker models this year. These smokers are from different popular brands and have impressed even the most discerning cooks and homeowners. What makes these smokers better is that these are well-constructed. All are made from durable materials which will stand long hours of use. Some of these come with digital controls while some have traditional designs and features. The best charcoal smoker for your needs is waiting for you, check this top list now before you make any purchases.

Top 10 Charcoal Smoker Grills Reviews 2023

You can choose one of the following 10 best charcoal grills to enjoy a fun time cooking with your friends and family.

1. Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 14-Inch Charcoal Smoker

Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 14-Inch Charcoal Smoker

For smoking small batches of food, the Webber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker might be the one for you. This is a bullet-style smoker made with from very strong materials which can stand long hours of use. It has a porcelain-enameled cover and center which helps keep heat focused on the food that you are smoking. This material won’t rust or peel off no matter how often you use this smoker.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • With a lovely porcelain finish that’s easy to clean
  • Good heat-retaining qualities
  • More food space with two cooking grates
  • Easy to monitor cooking temperatures with grommet monitors
  • With easy to adjust dampers for easy temperature controls
  • Large fuel door to easily load charcoal without  opening the top cover
  • Lightweight may be easily taken anywhere
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The Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker comes with 2 cooking grates, expanding cooking space two-fold. You can cook two types of food inside this cooker saving you time and energy.  Temperature is adjusted by turning the dampers at the bottom of the smoker. This smoker also comes with large handles, tall legs, and a removable door so you can easily load charcoal. A temperature monitor sits on top of the lid to precisely monitor the temperature of the smoker.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is a 14-inch charcoal cooker that may have limited cooking space but excels in features. It has a porcelain coated lid and inner section so it can easily retain heat. It makes cooking and smoking more efficient with its silicone temperature grommet, easily adjustable dampers, separate fuel doors and taller smoker legs. With these features, it may be the charcoal smoker cooker you’ve been waiting for.

2. Dyna-Glo DGO176BDC-D Charcoal Offset Smoker

Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker

For smoking larger amounts of food and even different kinds of food, the Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Cooker gives you an advantage. This smoker has a total of 784 square inches of the smoking area where you can prepare up to 100 pounds of food in one time. The heavy gauge porcelain enamel steel construction looks well-constructed and strong. This will surely give you years upon years of good use.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • With porcelain enamel steel wood chip container
  • Large heavy duty 15,000 BTU cast-iron burner
  • With electronic pulse ignition system for easy and reliable ignition
  • Large 784 square inch of total cooking area, let’s you smoke up to 100 pounds of food at a time.
  • With dual doors to reduce heat loss as you add more charcoal
  • Made from durable materials and has a longer-lasting protective finish
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The Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Smoker comes with a dual-door design. Food goes in and out in the main chamber door while charcoal is loaded in the smaller door. This design lets you keep the temperature inside the main smoking chamber as you load more charcoal. The outer surface is coated with high-temperature powder-coated finish.

The Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Smoker DGO1176BDC-D is a large charcoal smoker which can smoke up to 100 pounds of food. It has a large cooking chamber with a separate door. Loading this smoker with charcoal won’t affect the temperature inside the smoking chamber because of a separate door. Overall, the Dyna-Glo smoker is durable, can cook more food at a time and has electronic ignition. This offset smoker may be the right smoker for your needs.

3. Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18” Charcoal Smoker

Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18" Charcoal Smoker

The Cuisinart COS-118 charcoal smoker is a tall vertical smoker with plenty of room inside for large batches of food. From the outside, the Cuisinart COS-118 looks small and inefficient but inside, is 510 square inches of cooking space. It has a porcelain-enameled chamber that can effectively hold heat and smoke for better results.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • Taller than the most vertical charcoal smoker
  • Large cooking space at a total of 510 square inches with two stainless steel racks
  • With top and bottom vents for easy temperature adjustments
  • Comes with latching base
  • Sleek design with easy to clean the outer surface
  • With vertically-hinged door
  • With removable bowl for easy dust removal
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This charcoal smoker has upper and lower vents to allow you to control temperatures better. It has a vertically-hinged access door that will let you add more charcoal in a more efficient manner. It is easier to clean this smoker because of its design. Just remove the large lid, open the door and empty the contents in a trash bin.

The Cuisinart COS-118 vertical charcoal smoker is a tall smoker that will let you smoke more food than ever because of two smoking grates. This cooker has a separate door for loading charcoal and another latch for removing dust. It has double vents, one at the bottom and another at the top for easy temperature adjustments. All-in-all, this is an efficient smoker which can be your next charcoal smoker.

4. Char-Griller E2123 Wrangler 635 Square Inch Charcoal Grill/Smoker

Best Charcoal Smoker Grills

The Char-Griller E2123 Wrangle is a 635 square inch smoke plus griller. Compared to the first three models, the Wrangler is also good for roasting, grilling, baking, broiling, and barbecue. It is made from heavy –gauge steel so it’s guaranteed to last. It also has cast-iron grates that will keep flavors locked in.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • With an air-tight, flanged cover and heat gauge
  • Made from durable steel gauge and steel grates
  • Comes with food prep shelves and easy to move large wheels
  • With larger cooking space 635 square inches in total (main and warming rack)
  • With double bottom construction
  • Can be used for grilling, baking, broiling, BBQ, and roasting
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The large cooking area is divided into the main cooking area and a warming rack that is used as a secondary cooking space. The hood is airtight with a safe handle plus has food prep spaces on one side and at the front. The large wheels let you move this anywhere so you can smoke and grill on grass, concrete or dirt.

The Char-Griller Wrangler is a 635 square-inch charcoal smoker which may also be used for other cooking methods including grilling, roasting, baking, BBQ, and broiling. It has a large flanged lid that keeps flavor and smoke in but this does not have a separate door for refilling charcoal. It is easy to use, easy to clean and can smoke more food than ever. This might be the charcoal smoker for your needs.

5. Dyna-Glo DGX780BDC-D 36” Vertical Charcoal Smoker

Dyna Glo DGX780BDC-D Review

The Dyna-Glo 36” Vertical Charcoal Smoker is a cabinet-type smoker that lets you cook/smoke more food with its huge 784-inch total cooking space. It looks tall and skinny on the outside but inside are four grates which will let you cook so many types of food at the same time. At the bottom is the charcoal chamber with a separate door. This minimizes heat loss as you load more coal.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • With larger cooking space due to its 4 cooking grates
  • Made from heavy-duty materials that can seal temperature within
  • Comes with a separate charcoal loading door to prevent temperature loss
  • With removable ash pan for easy cleanup
  • With temperature gauge for easy monitoring
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An ashtray at the bottom lets you clean this charcoal smoker fast. It has a thermometer gauge to accurately determine cooking temperatures. Meanwhile, this is made from heavy-duty steel to ensure good use for a longer period of time.

The Dyna-Glo 35″ Vertical Charcoal Smoker has a larger cooking space with  4 cooking grates with a total of 784 square inches to cook all kinds of food. It has a separate charcoal chamber with a designated door to prevent heat loss. It is made from very strong materials that will guarantee lifetime use. It may not be a mobile smoker but it can still be a good cooker to consider.

6. Royal Gourmet CC1830F Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker

Royal Gourmet CC1830F Charcoal Grill

The Royal Gourmet Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker is a  smoker plus a lot more. It can also be used to grill, roast, bake, broil and BBQ meats, poultry, sausages, fish and seafood. It comes with a whopping 800 square inches cooking space with a separate main chamber and warming rack. This is made from durable steel with steel mesh front food prep table and a mesh utility rack at the bottom of the smoker.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • Easy to assemble made from very durable materials
  • With large cooking space at 800 square inches in total
  • With cooking area and warming racks
  • Is not just for smoking but also for roasting, broiling, BBQ, baking and grilling
  • With adjustable dampers and large loading doors along the side
  • With pro thermometer to check interior chamber temperatures
  • The big-capacity charcoal bin at 5 pounds
  • With steel mesh shelf and table
  • With large wheels to easily push this wherever you need to cook
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This is a big-capacity smoker with a heavy lid to prevent smoke and heat from escaping. The charcoal pan can accommodate as much as 5 pounds of charcoal all in one go. Adjustable dampers found along the side of the smoker lets you control temperature quickly. This section opens the side of the smoker to add more charcoal as you smoke. Finally, a thermometer gauge lets you precisely check on the interior temperatures of the cooking chamber.

The Royal Gourmet Charcoal Grill has a built-in offset smoker. This does more than smoke or grill food because it can bake, broil, roast and BBQ as well. It has a main smoking section and a warming rack which in total makes 800 square inches of cooking space. It is made from durable materials and has great features that will make sure smoked food has the best results. The Royal Gourmet Charcoal Grill may be the charcoal smoker you have be been looking for.

7. Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D Heavy-Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker & Grill

Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D Heavy-Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker

The Dyna-Glo Signature Series vertical offset smoker and grill that has a lot of room to smoke food. This model may even be used as a restaurant smoker or a commercial kitchen smoker because of its size. It has five chrome-plated plates that can hold so much food even different types of food at a time. These grates equal to 1382 square inches of cooking space.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • Very large cooking space
  • With smoke zone to identify ideal cooking temperatures
  • Large doors and lid for easy loading and unloading of food and charcoal
  • Easy to move anywhere with big wheels
  • Strong and durable construction and materials
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This Dyna-Glo smoker is made from heavy steel and therefore can hold intense heat for a longer period of time. An offset grill is attached to this smoker which can double as a small grilling, roasting and broiling area.   Large wheels allow you to move this behemoth of a smoker/grill anywhere you wish to cook.

The Dyna-Glo Signature Series Offset Charcoal Smoker and Grill is probably one of the biggest charcoal smokers in the market. It can smoke large batches of food at one time with its gigantic 1382 square inches cooking space. It is made of very durable materials and has impressive features which make it a good charcoal smoker for your needs.

8. Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker

Royal Gourmet CC1830F Charcoal Grill

The Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker have a traditional design. It can be used as a smoker but at the same time may also be used as a grill, toaster, broiler, and BBQ. It is made from durable steel with a huge cooking space at 800 square inches.  It has porcelain grates that quickly retain heat for even cooking.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • With versatile functions; can be used as a grill, toaster, oven, broiler and BBQ grill
  • Spacious cooking area with secondary/warming rack
  • Porcelain grates that retain heat well
  • With temperature gauge
  • With side  vents to easily control the temperature
  • Easy to clean with removable pan
  • With larger wheels for easy transport over grass and dirt.
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Cleaning is very easy with this grill and smoker. An ash pan lets users clean this cooker without delay. Additional features include a smokestack, safety handle, temperature gauge, additional access doors, air vents, and durable coating.

The Royal Gourmet BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker is a large smoker with 800 square inches cooking space. It is a smoker but doubles as a broiler, roaster, BBQ grill and more. It has good heat retention properties and additional features for precise cooking and easy cleaning. It requires assembly but despite this, it remains a good charcoal smoker to consider this year.

9. Masterbuilt 20060416 Charcoal Bullet Smoker

Masterbuilt 20060416 Charcoal Bullet Smoker

The Masterbuilt Charcoal Bullet Smoker that has ample smoking space to cook food for a small number of people. It comes with 2 porcelain enamel racks, a large access door, and a built-in thermometer so you can precisely monitor cooking temperatures.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • Just the right amount of cooking space for a small group
  • With two porcelain racks
  • Easy to load charcoal with front access door
  • Reduces temperature changes with front access door
  • With built-in thermometer

This may be small but it is just the right size for camping, fishing and for personal use. And because of its size, it is easier to clean this smoker.

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The Masterbuilt Charcoal Bullet Smoker is a small smoker/cooker that may just be the right size if you are preparing food for a small group of people. It is made from durable, heat resistant materials and has a built-in thermometer for easy temperature monitoring.

10. Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker

Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker

The Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker may just be the right charcoal smoker for your next camping trip or road trip. It has 370 square inches cooking space in two porcelain covered grates. It has an improved air control system that improves temperature regulation using numbered settings on the smoker dampers.

Key Features of this Charcoal Smoker

  • With ample cooking space for a small family or group of people
  • With improved airflow control features
  • Easy to clean with an ash pan
  • With cool handles and temperature gauge

This features an ash pan for easy cleaning. It comes with a two-chamber handle and temperature gauge mounted on the lid. Cleaning won’t be a problem also because it’s so small.

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The Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker is a small but durable smoker that may be used to cook food for small groups of people. It has an efficient temperature control system and an ash pan that can make cleaning and maintenance easier. It can be the charcoal smoker that can be the best smoker for you and your family’s needs.

Which is the best charcoal smoker?

From the ten charcoal smokers we have reviewed, we recommend the Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker especially to people who are preparing smoked food for a small group of people.

The Weber Smokey Mountain is easy to take anywhere because of its bullet-style design. It is also durable becauseit is made from very strong materials which will stand long hours of use being a smoker.

Despite its limited cooking space, it has a cover and interiors with good heat resistant properties. Also, this material won’t rust or peel no matter how often you use the smoker.The Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker expands your cooking space using two grates to save you time and energy.

This has dampers at the bottom to easily adjust the temperature. This also comes with large handles, tall sturdy legs, and a removable door to let you reload charcoal to ensure non-stop smoke. To precisely monitor interior temperature, atemp gauge sits on top of the lid. And despite the small cooking space and some flaws, we remain steadfast that this could be the charcoal smoker that’s right for your smoking needs.

Why choose charcoal smoker?

Have you ever considered using a charcoal smoker? If you don’t have one yet, then this kitchen equipment might change the way you cook and enjoy your food. Here are some good reasons why you should consider a charcoal cooker on your next backyard party or celebration:

Charcoal smokers give you that wood-fired flavor in food

The secret to that delicious wood-fired taste is wood chips. Flavored wood chips are added to lighted coals but you need to soak these in water first. By adding wet wood chips, your food will have that sweet smoky taste and flavor and creates that popular char-grilled effect.

Charcoal smokers cook food using indirect heat

With smoking, flavored smoke cooks your food. Food won’t touch the lighted coals and thus your food won’t come out burned and ruined. You can smoke a small batch of sausages or large chunks of meats and you won’t have to worry about running anything.

Smokers cook food thoroughly

You won’t burn your food as much as you won’t undercook your food either. As long as you keep the smoker lid on, you can guarantee that even large chunks of meat, fish, and poultry will be cooked thoroughly using a smoker.

You can smoke different kinds of food

With a smoker, you can cook all kinds of food from meats to poultry, from fish to seafood. Small charcoal smokers may only allow you to smoke one or two kinds of food but imagine how much food you can smoke in a large, cabinet-type smoker?

Charcoal smokers save electricity

All the charcoal smokers we have in our list are manually-operated with no digital controls that will require electricity. By smoking food, you’ll be able to preserve its flavor and taste plus you can save money in the long run.

How to consider the best charcoal smoker?

Choosing the right charcoal smoker depends on your needs as well as your family’s needs. Remember the following questions while you shop for the best smoker for your money:

Are you looking for a charcoal smoker for home or commercial use?

There are basically two major types of charcoal smokers: a commercial smoker and a residential or personal smoker. The most obvious difference is the size. Personal smokers are smaller and thus may only be able to cook for a small to a medium-sized group. Commercial smokers are huge, with several racks to accommodate more food. This type of smoker can cook for a large number of people for a restaurant, a hotel, a hospital or any business establishment.

How much food do you want to smoke?

Charcoal smokers come in different sizes too. There are personal charcoal smokers who can cook for a small family (4 to 5 members) and for a large family (up to 8 members). Meanwhile, large commercial cookers can be further classified according to the amount of food that it can cook as well.

How many burger patties? How many whole chickens? How many racks of ribs? These are commonly mentioned in product specs. These will help ordinary consumers to understand how much food a smoker can hold.

Do you prefer a versatile charcoal smoker?

There are charcoal smokers which function only as a smoker while some are more versatile. These smokers can be used to grill, bake, broil, bake and roast food. Just think about it. How often will you smoke food? Why not use a versatile charcoal smoker so you can use the cooker to make other dishes as well.

Your budget also counts

There are high-end charcoal smokers and cheaper models. Basically, smokers with traditional designs and features will be cheaper compared to smokers with more updated designs. You can further save money by comparing charcoal smoker models prices against features.

Conclusion

Although a charcoal smoker is not a piece of very common kitchen equipment, it pays to know how to select this kind of equipment and what to look for in a good charcoal smoker.

The best charcoal smoker has to fit your personal needs.  The cooking capacity has to match your needs as well. There are so many new features of a charcoal smoker but a traditional design still has the best results.

Take time to compare different products. Take note of the pros and cons of each model and read reviews to find out what consumers say about the product. Remember that a good smoker can change the way you cook and enjoy food while a bad smoker will never give you that wood-fired taste and aroma.

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