Electric smokers are an amazing product for barbecuing and leisure in general. But are you afraid that you as a beginner won’t know how to use them?
If so, the best thing you can do is start by reading this best electric smoker for beginners’ review.
I will give you a few tips and tricks about purchasing and selecting a good electric smoker that is high quality and user-friendly. Check out also the top five models I selected with all kinds of different features so you may find the right smoker for you depending on your preferences.
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners Guide
What Makes An Electric Smoker Beginner-Friendly?
There are a few things that are important to look for when searching for beginner-friendly electric smokers. One of the main ones is to look for a smoker that is easy to assemble or comes already assembled and that it has easy to use controllers for setting up the smoking process.
Important Features Of Electric Smoker
Electric smokers can be analog or digital. If you prefer an easier route to smoking, the analog smoker can be your best bet. However, digital smokers aren’t complicated to use and have some advantages. You can even look for smokers that are Bluetooth compatible and that sync with your phone so you can control them from a distance.
Importance Of Wood Chips
One of the key things of a good smoking result is the choice of wood chips. If you are a beginner, make sure you read online which wood chips go best with what food. Most of the time, the brand of the smoker you purchase will send you a recipe booklet where they indicate that also.
Try Electric Smoker Accessories
Sometimes if you are a beginner you may not know that electric smokers need maintenance to keep them lasting long. One accessory you might want to consider getting is a smoker cover. Most brands sell other accessories and electric smoker parts that can help you with preparing some of your favorite pieces of meat or seafood.
Wide Offer Of Electric Smokers
Electric smokers can be found in a lot of different places ranging from physical retail stores to online retailers. The best electric smoker for beginners’ offer can probably be found on Amazon where you can also check-out other peoples’ reviews and compare different models and their prices.
Best 5 Electic Smoker For Beginners Models
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners – Commercial
Bradley Smoker BTDS108P 990223 Smoker
Good For Commercial Use
Bradley Smoker BTDS108P is not only a good model for beginners smoking at home, but also for beginners that are just getting into commercial smoking. For example, if you are starting to implement smoking in a smaller restaurant, this model can be a great one to start with.
Precise Internal And External Dimensions
Even though BTDS108P has 6 smoking racks and it isn’t a typical electric smoker with 3 or 4 smoking racks, it still has fairly compact dimensions. On the outside, it measures 17 W x 14 D x 39 H inches. Its interior dimensions are 15 W x 11.5 D x 33 H inches.
Large Cooking Area
Because of the well-optimized cooking area of this electric smoker, there is a large cooking space in the interior. The 6 cooking racks cover 858 square inches of cooking area with each rack measuring 11 x 13 inches. Besides the racks, on the bottom of the smoker, there is an ash catcher for an easy clean-up.
Multiple Heating Elements
For the best performance, Bradley Smoker pulled another move not a lot of brands do. They implemented 3 heating elements with each one having 500 watts of power. This way the smoker can rapidly reach the maximum temperature of 280 degrees Fahrenheit.
Digital Side Bisquette Loader
Besides the main smoker body, there is a side bisquette loader and generator. The bisquettes advance automatically and you can load enough of them for about 8 hours of smoking. Also, on the side generator, there is a digital control panel you use to set the smoking process and to monitor it as well.
- Stainless steel interior
- Three heating elements
- Six smoking racks
- Maximum temperature of 280 degrees Fahrenheit
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners – Bluetooth
Dyna-Glo DGU951SSE-D Digital Bluetooth Electric Smoker
Front Viewing Window
The design of an electric smoker is another important factor when choosing the right model. Dyna-Glo DGU951SSE-D is designed perfectly for a smoking beginner or even a pro. The main reason is the big frontal window so the curious ones can always check on the smoking process.
Portable And Lights Up
Still talking about the design, Dyna-Glo is also designed to be a quite portable electric smoker since it has a built-in rear handle and also heavy-duty locking casters for mobility. If you decide to smoke at night or simply when the outside lighting is bad, there is an internal LED light for the cooking area.
Digital Thermostat
Another good thing, especially for beginners is the fact that you can check and program the temperature thanks to the digital thermostat. Not only that but you can also set the smoking time and monitor it whenever you want.
Meat Thermometer
If you were wondering how the Dyna-Glo digital electric smoker makes it possible to monitor the internal temperature, the answer is through the integrated meat probe or thermometer. You need to put it inside your meat and leave the rest to the digital control panel.
40 Inch Smoker With Wide Cooking Space
Dyna-Glo DGU951SSE-D smoker is a 40-inch model which means there is a big cooking area in the interior. This model has four smoking racks that offer a total of 951 square inches of cooking space. Besides the smoking racks, there are also a removable rib rack and sausage hooks in case that is the meat you prefer smoking.
- Integrated meat probe
- Removable rib rack and sausage hooks
- Digital control panel
- Bluetooth compatible
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners – Digital
Char-Broil 19202101 Digital Electric Smoker
Physical-Technical Specifications
Char-Broil 19202101 deluxe digital electric smoker is another one of the best electric smokers for beginners. It is perfect if you can’t decide whether you want a small or a big model since this one is an in-between one. It measures 18.1 W x 16.5 D x 32.5 H-inches.
Double-Wall Construction
If possible, you want to look that the electric smoker of your choice has a double-wall construction like this Char-Broil deluxe model. It is well-insulated which means no heat will be lost during the smoking process. It is also made out of stainless steel and has a large door latch for a tight seal.
Removable Smoking Racks
There is a total of 725 square inches of cooking capacity inside the Char-Broil Deluxe. These square inches are spread across four smoking racks that are removable and adjustable which means you don’t have to use them all at once, especially if you are preparing meats like whole chicken or turkey and you need more space.
High Capacity Wood Box And Grease Tray
To make the smoking process as hassle-free as possible, Char-Broil smoker has a large capacity wood chip box that fits 4 cups of wood chips for up to 7 hours of continuous cooking. Also, the grease tray can fit a large amount of 8.5 cups so you don’t have to empty it every few hours.
Additional Features
Some of the other features Char-Broil deluxe has to offer are the removable temperature gauge that you can use to monitor the heat. Also, there is a warming feature that helps you keep the food warm inside the smoker while everyone gets ready and comes to the table.
- Dual-tone finish
- Stainless steel insulated construction
- Removable temperature gauge
- Fits wood chips for 7 hours unbothered smoking
- Warming feature
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners – Stainless Steel
Smokin Tex Pro 1400 Electric Smoker
Compact Dimensions And Lightweight
Smokin Tex Pro 1400 electric smoker is one of the most compact electric smokers in this review. It is perfect if you plan on smoking elsewhere than your own home and want to be able to bring the smoker with you. It measures 18 x 21 x 29 inches.
High-Quality Material And Construction
Even though this smoker is quite a plain and simple model, it is still made with high-quality materials. Smokin Tex Pro 1400 is an all-stainless-steel unit with a double-walled and insulated construction. Not only will the smoking process be highly performative but the smoker will last you years and years.
Fits Up To 38 Pounds Per Load
Smokin Tex Pro 1400 beginner-friendly electric smoker is a smaller model but can still fit up to 38 pounds of food per smoking load. There are four stainless steel racks as well as one seafood stainless steel seafood grill for you to smoke on.
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners
Smokin Tex Pro 1400 sincerely is one of the best models for beginners because of how easy is it to use it. You only need to plug it into the electricity source, load the wood chips and food, set the temperature and let the smoker do the rest. No extra features or plugins that can complicate the smoking process are required when using this smoker.
Decently Wide Temperature Range
This electric smoker has a temperature range wide enough to smoke almost any type of meat. It goes from 100, the lowest, to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest temperature setting. The temperature is produced thanks to the 800-watt heating element.
- All stainless steel unit
- Wheels for mobility
- Seafood grilling rack provided
- 800-watt smoking element
Best Electric Smoker For Beginners – Portable
Masterbuilt MB20073716 Electric Smoker
Ultimate Portability
Masterbuilt MB20073716 Patio electric smoker is made to be portable and carried around. It has side carry handles that ensure a tight grip and also foldable legs. The latter can be used as a smoker stand or can be folded over when traveling with it or when storing it.
Weighs Only 20 Pounds
While talking about the portability of Masterbuilt portable electric smoker, we must highlight also that the smoker assembled weighs just above 20 pounds. The smoker measures exactly 15.94 x 23.62 x 23.31 inches so it won’t be difficult to store it.
Analog Temperature Controller
Masterbuilt MB20073716 Patio-2-Portable Electric Smoker is an analog smoker so you don’t have to worry about digital control panels that can be more difficult to figure out than this. Here you have an easy dial temperature controller that you can easily set and afterward monitor the temperature on the built-in front door gauge.
Two Smoking Racks
Since this smoker is a portable model, there are only two smoking racks on the inside. However, the grills are well separated so you even have enough place to prepare a big turkey. Besides the racks on the interior, there are water and grease trays.
Easy To Maintain
Because this Masterbuilt electric smoker is so small it is easy to clean up and maintain. It is also made out of good materials so you don’t need to worry about purchasing a ton of cleaning products. Even the Masterbuilt brand suggests you clean the smoker using plain hot water and vinegar mixture.
- Side carrying handles
- Foldable legs
- 100 – 275 degrees temperature range
- 1 400 watt heating element
Conclusion: What Is The Best Electric Smoker For Beginners?
Since all of the models I consider amazing smokers for beginners, I can’t choose only one best electric smoker for beginners. If I had to narrow my choice on two models, it would be the Masterbuilt electric smoker because of its portability and good price point. Another model you can’t go wrong with is the Dyna-Glo smoker, which can be trickier to configure at first, but once you connect it to your Smartphone, you will enjoy all of the features this smoker has to offer.
If you want a bigger guide on electric smokers, the best thing to read would be my annual best electric smoker article I wrote. If you liked the Masterbuilt portable smoker I recommended, you may want to check-out small electric smoker reviews. On the other hand, if you preferred Dyna-Glo electric smoker, go with Bluetooth electric smoker.