We understand the challenge of sorting among the myriad offset smokers available on the market, having spent countless hours experimenting with various smoking strategies. It’s a daunting process that carries a high risk of producing a substandard device that will probably break down within a year. How can you distinguish the real gems from the fakes?
We’ve thoroughly tested and examined dozens of solutions to point you in the direction of the best. The 10 best backyard offset smokers are listed in this comprehensive guide, each of them has been hand-picked because of their exceptional performance and positive customer feedback.
What is an Offset Smoker?
An offset smoker is a multipurpose cooking tool that lets you smoke, grill, and even bake food. It’s also referred to as a pipe smoker or a horizontal smoker. The cooking chamber and the firebox make up its two primary components.
You start your fire in the firebox. Usually situated on one side, the term “offset” refers to its lower position relative to the cooking chamber. Heat and smoke from the firebox enter the cooking chamber and circulate the meal before leaving by a vent or chimney on the other side.
The 10 Best Offset Smokers In 2024
1. Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Charcoal Offset Smoker
The Dyna-Glo charcoal offset smoker raises the bar for outdoor cooking. First of all, for slightly under $350, it’s affordable. Additionally, you could easily prepare a feast of roughly 100 pounds of food on this one alone due to the size of the cooking space.Â
One of its benefits is temperature control; it works well for smoking and slow cooking, and you can be sure that your food won’t burn or overcook in it. Its vertical placement helps you save a ton of room, and its strong construction and straightforward design make it a visually striking focal point for any patio or outdoor deck.
2. Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker
The Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker is also the best offset smoker for the backyard. Like our top choice, one of its best qualities is how reasonably priced it is. It is incredibly reasonably priced at less than $160 and has a lot of useful features that provide value for the money.Â
Its primary smoking pit offers 670 square inches of cooking surface, and its firebox provides an additional 255 square inches of direct grilling space. This implies that you can prepare a huge feast with it as well. It is large and heavy, but that’s acceptable because it includes effective temperature control functions and two wheels that make it portable.
3. Oklahoma Joe’s Smoker Combo
Oklahoma’s combo grill is the best backyard offset smoker for searing, grilling, and smoking. Joe’s Gas and Charcoal Combination Smoker is incredibly effective, adaptable, and versatile. The firebox can sear or barbecue your meat if that’s what you’re thinking of doing. You have 750 square inches if you would want some smoking delights.Â
Indeed, you can smoke an entire turkey if that’s what you’d like to do. It is made to last, so if you want it to last as long as you do, that is possible! It’s a little pricey at $500, but only because it’s worth so much more. It’s a wise investment that will pay off in the future years.
4. Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Offset Smoker
This Char-Griller smoker is another best backyard offset smokers that works well for grilling or smoking meals. It is our beginner’s choice since it is so simple to use, even for inexperienced smokers. Along with having two movable racks and a sizable cooking space spanning 830 square inches, it also features wheels for easy mobility when necessary. At about $200, it’s a reasonable option for both new grillers and grillers on a tight budget.
5. Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Reverse Flow
The Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Reverse Flow is costlier than the majority of the top offset smokers on our list, falling into the above-midrange pricing range. We also discovered that it is a reputable brand for those who enjoy real smoking and barbecue.
This best offset smoker for backyard is a great option if you’re a pitmaster seeking greater performance and challenge. Furthermore, this is the market’s greatest reverse flow offset smoker.
6. Pit Barrel Cooker
Although this smoker comes with a lot of accessories and is somewhat costly, its practical design makes it easy to use. At the time of our investigation, it cost about $500. Not to mention the option of getting a smoker and grill combined, which is a great combo and increases the value of your purchase.Â
In addition, it features a porcelain enamel covering, which is a common feature of conventional offset smokers that is intended to endure a long time.
7. Royal Gourmet Offset Smoker with Charcoal Grill
When one smells the delicious aroma of charcoal grilling, who could resist? With its charcoal grill and offset smoker, this Royal Gourmet is ready to help you make wonderful culinary memories with your loved ones. With its features and large cooking area, this smoker is the finest value for a low-budget smoker, coming in at about $100.Â
The Royal Gourmet Grill is also Amazon’s Choice; the online retailer suggests this best offset smoker for backyard due to its excellent ratings, affordable price, and prompt shipping.
8. Broil-King Offset Charcoal Smoker
Belonging to the category of best offset smoker for backyard, the Broil King offset smoker and grill is highly expensive. It cost about $890 and had a ton of high-quality features. It might not be appropriate for many of us, but for people who are passionate about traditional southern cooking classes—think mouthwatering brisket, succulent pulled pork, and ribs that fall off the bone—it would be.
9. Landmann 560202 Offset Smoker
At a reasonable cost, the new Landmann Vista charcoal barbecue with offset smoker provides a plethora of functions and advantages. Although its pricing is closer to our Top Pick at about $180, we were dismayed to see that the overall cooking area was only 733 square inches—much less than our Top Pick.Â
This best backyard offset smoker has a feature that I truly enjoyed: you can always grill food at a specific temperature.
10. Yoder Smokers Cheyenne
In terms of price, the Yoder Cheyenne Smoker beat the Lang offset smoker and the Horizon offset smoker because of its superior construction.Â
While Yoder Cheyenne Smoker costs about $1000 and is the best meat smoker in the higher-end price range, Lang and Horizon are both more expensive than $1100. Upon using this grill firsthand, we discovered that it was genuinely well-built and could last a lifetime.
Best Backyard Offset Smoker For Beginners
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn
For beginners who want one of the simpler offsets to use as they get the hang of this kind of cooking, the Longhorn is the best offset smoker for backyard. The Longhorn is an excellent barbecue cooker that yields good barbecue without breaking the cook. We would seriously consider the Longhorn if offset cooking is new to you.
What we like:
- The Longhorn’s roomy air intake facilitates effortless fire management.
- Large enough splits can be handled in the firebox without needing to be chopped down.
- The bottom shelf is a perfect place to set it when it needs to be removed, and we liked that the front shelf is detachable instead of folding.
- The bottom shelf is a great place to store charcoal or wood.
Best Offset Smoker Under $500
Dyna-Glo Wide Body Vertical
The best backyard offset smoker under $500 is the Dyna-Glo Wide Body Vertical. Additionally, you’ll have money to purchase meat, wood chunks, and charcoal for your first smoking session. With the Dyna-Glo Vertical, you can play with an enormous 1,890 square inches of cooking space without sacrificing much of your backyard space.Â
In addition, heat rises naturally, making the vertical design easier to use for many. This results in a really even roast that retains a decent level of moisture and smoke flavor in the meat.
What we like:
- Able to create delicious food
- Extremely huge capacity
- Racks that slide out easily
- Comes with a sausage hanger and rib rack
- Exceptional charcoal basket
- Best offset smoker grills under 500
Best Offset Smoker Under $1000
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse
Overall, our top pick for the best backyard offset smoker under $1000 is considerably less expensive. However, the Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker outperforms some of the costlier models in this price range and provides the best combination of premium materials, design, and workmanship.
The primary cooking chamber has 751 square inches of cooking space, which is sufficient to smoke a sizable amount of meat. You have enough head height to cook larger and taller portions of meat, like brisket, and even whole turkeys without ever having to worry about configuration because everything is on a single-level grate.
What we like:
- Maintains a constant temperature
- Decent construction quality given the cost
- Most users’ preferred cooking capacity; reverse or regular configuration options
- Firebox grilling grate included
Best Offset BBQ Trailer Smoker Under $1000
Oklahoma Joe's Bandera
Like the rest of the Oklahoma Joe’s lineup, it’s a respectable BBQ trailer smoker under $1000 that can produce some delicious cuisine. Because of its thickness, the steel resists warping in unexpected places. However, it’s thin enough that you can see the difference between a good, sunny day and one that’s cooler, wetter, and/or windier in terms of fuel use and monitoring requirements.
You can repaint the firebox with high-quality barbecue paint when the high-temperature paint starts to flake off, which will probably happen sooner rather than later. Depending on how well you can seal it, smoke will flow around both doors and maybe between the cooking chamber and the firebox.
What we like:
- Large and flexible cooking apparatus
- Maintains a constant, slow temperature
- Firebox grilling grate with integrated water pan
- Decent construction quality
- Outstanding value for the money
Who Makes The Best Backyard Smokers?
We’ve put a lot of the best offset smoker for backyard to test to find the finest choices for all skill levels, from beginners to experts. As we had previously used an Oklahoma Joe’s smoker, we knew what to anticipate from the packaging and assembly process.Â
The carefulness with which Oklahoma Joe’s packages its smokers and grills is one of our favorite things about the company. Everything in the box is arranged in a way that makes sense. When you open the package, the primary cooking chamber is the first thing you see. Foam inserts provide support for it.Â
Additionally, the grill cover and instruction manual meet you practically instantly, which is convenient because many people like to glance at the directions before they start assembling a grill.
Are Offset Smokers Better?
By using the best offset smoker for backyard, you can let flavorful charcoal smoke drift through your grill and into the barrel grill through the vent from the side firebox. A few reasons why offset smokers are popular among grillers are flavor, adaptability in cooking, and managing a live fire.
For those who value simplicity of usage and effective heat distribution, a vertical smoker can be the ideal choice. On the other hand, an offset smoker can be the best solution if you’re a barbecue enthusiast looking for that real smoky flavor and a variety of cooking possibilities.
What Is The Best Size Offset Smoker?
According to our observations, most horizontal offset smokers will benefit from a stack that is 40 to 50 inches tall, and the inner diameter of the pipe can be adjusted to match the pit’s draft requirements. You may cook several huge chunks of meat at once, such as entire briskets, pork shoulders, numerous racks of ribs, and more, if your cooking space is 900 square inches or more.Â
If you’re planning a large gathering at your house and need to feed a sizable number of guests, this is the best offset smoker for backyard.
Are Offset Smokers Better Than Pellet?
It is entirely a matter of taste. As with adding seasoning, the secret to smoking on the best backyard offset smoker is to control the fire correctly. Similarly, the secret to smoking on a pellet grill is to control your expectations regarding the flavor of the smoke.
Bottom Line
Do you want to enhance your lip-smacking, mouthwatering BBQ to a whole new level? The moment has come to purchase a smoker. The best offset smoker for backyard demonstrates that good things come to those who wait, in contrast to gas or charcoal grills, which are meant to cook your meal fast and efficiently.Â
Barbecue enthusiasts love offset smokers, and they are good at dispersing smoke for flavoring, controlling the temperature inside of one requires practice. Nevertheless, we believe that the effort is worthwhile since, when done correctly, it produces the best outcomes.
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