The 5 Best Drum and Barrel Smokers for 2023

Oklahoma Joe is one of the best names in smokers, offering a variety of sizes and styles. The Bronco Pro is surprisingly non-ugly for an Ugly Drum Smoker, especially if you go for the orange version. OJ boasts the Bronco Pro is a competition-grade smoker, and it’s hard to argue. (Wait a minute. OJ? Bronco? Hmmm…)

It’s built to last, featuring heavy-gauge steel construction, large wheels, and porcelain-coated components, including the heat diffuser, charcoal basket, ash pan, and drain cup. It’s efficient, too, with a hinged lid with a gasket for a tight seal. That means less smoke outside and more in where you want it.

The basket holds up to 17 pounds of charcoal and wood, enough to keep you smoking all day. For some quick steaks or burgers, simply set the basket on top of the heat diffuser to bring it right up under the grate.

The Bronco Pro has a unique airflow system, using a tall pipe to draw air down below the charcoal. Ending just above the side shelf (which we love), it’s easy to access the vent control. Plus, it will keep critters from finding their way inside your smoker between sessions.

The 21.5″ diameter cooking grate is large enough for up to 3 pork shoulders or 16 chicken thighs. Oklahoma Joe includes 3 meat hangers with 9 hooks, so get those racks of ribs ready, or smoke your own sausages with ease.

Speaking of easy, clean up is simple. Remove the drain cap to clean up grease and juices, and lift out the ash pan to dispose of your used charcoal and wood.

This is a serious smoker with many high-end features. Being able to switch the grilling mode quickly is a huge plus; you can smoke and grill in a minimum of space.

It’s an investment compared to some others on the market, but the quality and versatility are there, making it well worth a look.

When your company name is Pit Barrel Cooker, you’d better make a good one! Fortunately, they do. The Classic is a back-to-basics smoker that looks more like the original drums than most we’ve looked at. Maybe you can convince your friends you made it yourself?

Under the lid, you have your choice of cooking on the standard grill grate or using the eight meat hooks to suspend your food from one or both hanging rods. (TBH, the rods are simple lengths of rebar.)

The grate is a bit smaller than many others we looked at, but that’s ok — Pit Barrel recommends hanging your meat as much as possible.

Hanging meat will maximize the usable space of this smaller than average drum smoker; the PBC is based on 30-gallon drums rather than the traditional 55-gallon drums. What it lacks in space, though, it makes up for in speed; expect cooking times approaching half what they would be in most smokers.

There’s not much in terms of bells and whistles here — no hinged lid (but there’s a hook for hanging it off one of the two handles), no thermometer, and no wheels.

The smoker rests on a stand to keep it off the ground, and there’s a single vent with a damper at the bottom. Pit Barrel Cooker recommends setting the damper according to your elevation: 1/4 open for 0–2000′ above sea level, 1/2 for 2,000–5,000′, 3/4 for 5,000–8,000, and fully open for over 8,000′. (If you don’t know your elevation, just Google it.)

If you’ve thought about getting into smoking but find it intimidating, have decided that drum smokers may be the types of BBQ smokers best suited to you, then this Pit Barrel Cooker is an excellent pick.

This cooker featured highly in our search for the best beginner smoker, it is highly capable, is easy to operate and delivers amazing results with a minimum of attention.

The Classic Pit Barrel Cooker is also tough to beat in the bang-for-your-buck category.

If you’ve ever thought about buying a kamado grill and then balked at the price tag, you need to read this review.

Not going to lie; the Gateway 55 Gallon smoker looks more like a hot water heater than a smoker (or a kamado), with the twin side vents and smooth exterior. But don’t let the appearance fool you; this is a serious smoker.

Actually, it’s serious about a lot of things. Unlike a lot of drum smokers, this unit has pegs for 3 levels of cooking grates. You only get one included, but it’s no big deal to buy two more and majorly expand your cooking real estate. That means plenty of room to smoke tons of smaller items or several medium-size cuts.

There are three vents on the Gateway Drum Smoker — two side pipes and one lid vent. With so much control, you can hit just about any temperature you want. The finish is good to 450F (and there are several colors to choose from), so you can crank it up for roasting, baking, or straight grilling. If you love to cook outdoors, this smoker will keep you busy.

The drum itself is seamless, and the handles, feet, and pipes are welded on. That means minimal heat loss and smoke leakage. It has every appearance of being very, very well-built.

Our only beef with this cooker is the lack of included accessories. You get just one grate and no meat hangers. Our advice: add at least one more grate and a set of meat hangers to your initial order. You will want them.

Interested in a pro-grade smoker with a ton of versatility and hands-on fun? This could be the one.

Not familiar with the name? We weren’t either. A bit of research reveals EasyGoProducts sells a wide array of backyard, beach, and camping gear. Oh, and those fan-blown wavy guys you see on car lots and in front of furniture stores. They also sell this amazingly versatile drum smoker that you must see to believe.

Fully assembled, the BBB stands about 3 feet tall. Disassembled, it’s only about half that size. If you plan to camp or RV with your smoker, you’ll love how easy it is to stow and go.

In fact, I’d say on-the-go enjoyment was the major priority for the designers. Not only is it easy to move, but it’s a combination charcoal smoker grill that you can use it in different ways depending on how you configure it. With both sections in place, it’s a drum smoker. You can also use just the bottom half for a charcoal grill, or as a charcoal fire pit for roasting marshmallows and hanging out.

There’s an interesting attachment included that allows for positioning the cooking grate at different heights, but outside the barrel. This is excellent for baking pizza or roasting some veggies or maybe fish.

EasyGoProducts equipped the Big Bad Barrel with six stainless steel utility hooks and included a spatula with a serrated edge, a fork, and a set of tongs. If you keep them with the smoker, you’ll always have everything you need in one place.

Although the bottom air vents lack dampers, the lid vent has one. This will allow a degree of flexibility when it comes to setting and adjusting your temperature. (Which you can monitor with the built-in thermometer.)

For anyone on the fence about smoking, the EasyGoProducts Big Bad Barrel is a great way to test the waters. It may not be the best smoker in existence, but it delivers a bona fide smoking experience with simple controls and does so much more.

Even if you only smoke now and then, at this price you’ll get your money’s worth. And if you’re the kind that loves to get out of Dodge on the weekends, it’s pretty much indispensable. Very high on the coolness scale — check it out!

Barrel House Cooker has a product line-up of exactly one item — the 18C. Fortunately, it’s a darn good smoker.

Like a few other compact drum smokers we’ve seen (it’s only about 3′ tall and weighs 45 pounds), the BHC 18C is meant to cook between 275–310F. That’s a bit above the traditional low and slow range. The good news is, you’ll still get moist, delicious, smoky meat, but in much less time.

Operation is very simple. There’s only one damper to worry about it, and you’ll only touch it once. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it elevation-based damper. Simply look up the elevation where you are and use the guide attached to the side of the barrel to choose your setting.

To access the charcoal basket on the base, just lift the barrel straight up and off. It makes tending the coals a bit tricky mid-cook, but it’s incredibly safe and easy to light up.

The 18C comes with a standard grate, an H-Frame, and eight meat hangers. You also get a handy wand for moving components around. There’s a built-in lid thermometer, but since that’s not the ideal location on a smoker, you can mostly ignore it. It’s not useless, though; the underside of thermometer mount is a hook for hanging the lid out of the way.

Speaking of hanging, that’s the primary cooking method for this smoker. You’ll take the best advantage of the space (narrow, but deep) by hanging meat instead of using the grate. Of course, the grate is great, too, and it rests deep inside the smoker for tons of clearance.

There’s a second position for the grate up at the top. Why? By putting the H-Frame at the middle position (normally, it goes at the top), you can elevate the charcoal basket and use the 18C as a standard charcoal grill. Amazing!

As a final cooking option, you can ignore the barrel entirely and use the grate directly on the charcoal basket set on the base. Instant hibachi for some kabobs, yakitori, or a quick sear for a medium-rare steak or two.

The Barrel House Cooker Smoker BHC 18C takes a casual but effective approach to smoking. Is “not so low, not so slow” about to become the newest craze?

If the food is delicious, and it gets more people smoking, why not? We love the versatility and simplicity of this drum smoker.