The 9 Best Propane Smokers to Fit Your Budget and Needs for 2023

One of the newest gas smokers from Masterbuilt, and one of the most advanced and top-rated propane smokers on the market, this 40-inch model has safety features and tech not found on competing products.

What makes this unit stand out is thermostatically controlled temperature controller, which keeps the temperature solidly in the range you choose to cook at. Many propane smokers suffer from wide temperature variations, so it’s great to see Masterbuilt have tackled this, the most common of complaints.

A 15,750 BTU rated stainless steel burner beneath a heat diffuser helps to distribute heat evenly. Feeding this with gas is a thermostatically controlled regulator that alters the flow to the burner, maintaining a constant cooking temperature of your choosing.

Additionally, a sensor and safety valve work together to detect if the flame has gone out and automatically shut off the gas if so. This is a confidence-building safety feature giving peace of mind if you need to leave your BBQ unattended to do other things while your food is smoking.

The temperature range of this unit is between 180 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Low enough for proper low and slow smoking and just high enough to smoke ‘hot n fast’ or crisp up skin at the end of a cook.

Inside, you will find four chrome-coated cooking racks providing 961 square inches of cooking space. Ample to cook for a large crowd (8 racks of ribs, or 16 whole chickens, for example!)

This is a 2 door propane smoker: One door with a window on the smoking chamber, so you can see at a glance how your cook is progressing without having to open the door. A second provides access to the wood and water trays for easy refilling without losing heat from the cooking chamber. Both doors hold shut by a large, strong latch that you can easily open with one hand.

The gas tank hangs from the side of the main body, and there’s a fuel gauge provided, so you always know just how much you have left in the tank. Combined with the four wheels — 2 of which are locking — the gas tank attached to the smoker makes this maneuverable and easy to place around your yard before locking it into place.

Finally, there’s an easily accessed side-mounted collection tray for grease, allowing for easier clean-up.

The Masterbuilt MB20051316 is a good-looking, highly functional, and spacious BBQ with added features for safety and use making it stand out from the crowd. This earned it top spot and honor of the best propane smoker in our list.

The build quality is decently high. The thermostat keeps the temperature stable, the door latches keep everything sealed, the space allows cooking for 2 or a crowd, the gauge allows monitoring of fuel levels, and the price is reasonable.

This is a big propane smoker from Dyna-Glo. It is a wide, spacious, heavy-duty looking dual burner, highly capable beast that is great for backyard smokers looking for a decent and convenient product.

Let’s start with the size of this thing. It’s 43 inches wide, making it the widest in our list, and the one most capable of taking large BBQ cuts whole, such as packer briskets, without having to cut them down to size.

It has a total of 6x height-adjustable cooking grates, providing a huge 1,904 square inches of cooking space, enough for any sized party! With each shelf being removable, you can configure it to accept foods of any height…great for beer can chicken!

The dual burner smoker can output 20,000 BTUs and starts with a simple push-button ignition that pulses an electric starter until the gas is lit quickly and easily. So it’s powerful, and easy to start up.

It has large, heavy doors and tight seals, ensuring the heat stays in while smoking, improving efficiency, and protects the cooking chamber from temperature swings and instability in cold and windy weather.

Water and wood chip bowls are located behind a second door, so you can access them during a cook without having to let heat escape from the main cooking chamber.

The water and wood chip bowls are made from heavy-duty porcelain-enameled steel which will last a long time and are larger than you find on most models. Plus, they don’t need filling as frequently.

Added features include pre-installed removable rib racks and sausage hooks for flexibility in cooking and a door-mounted analog thermometer for temperature monitoring. Though we would always recommend looking at digital thermometers as they are far more reliable.

Overall this is an easy-to-use, built-to-last, good value, and effective BBQ that should provide great smoked food for years to come.

In a world of often weakly made, lightweight, and unreliable cabinet smokers with temperatures swaying wildly during cooking, this Dyna-Glo stands out as ‘better than most’ with the way it’s been built and operates. It’s a large propane smoker capable of great results, and is the runner-up in picks for best gas smokers.

Cuisinart are a well-known, prolific, and trusted manufacturer of cooking and kitchen products, so it should come as little surprise to find them having branched out to backyard smokers.

This Cuisinart propane smoker, model COS-244 is an entry-level model for the budget-conscious, and as such, it is made simply to keep the costs down. But this doesn’t mean it’s not effective or any good!

This is a small smoker at just 20 × 20 × 46 inches, making it great for smaller yards or places where space is limited. However, the smaller size does mean it’s limited with the size of the foods it can smoke.

It comes with four 14 inch x 14 inch racks, providing a total cooking surface area of 784 inches. It is ample to cook large amounts of food, but big cuts such as a whole packer brisket will need cutting in two to fit inside. However, a rack of ribs will fit diagonally, pork butts no problem, and most smaller roasts and indeed poultry will fit inside no problem (except for very large turkeys.)

Each of the four racks are removable, so you’re able to change the set-up for taller foods such as a beer can chicken if desired.

An adjustable gas supply controls the heat, that unfortunately doesn’t have markings on the dial for different temperatures. And to be honest, the built-in door thermometer isn’t the most reliable, so there’s a bit of a learning curve to setting the right temp (mark the dial yourself for different temps!), and we recommend picking up a digital smoker thermometer for accuracy.

The two doors seal tight with twist lock, stay-cool handles, and the smoker holds heat and smoke well for efficient and stable cooking. However, the build quality isn’t the greatest (thinner metals used — you get what you pay for), so temperature will fluctuate on cold, windy days but will be stable on warmer summer days.

A porcelain enamel steel tray holds the smoking wood chips and water when smoking, accessible through the lower bottom door, which provides access without you letting heat escape from the cooking chamber. And the regulator to attach to the propane tank is 40-inches long and easy to connect.

The Masterbuilt MPS-20B is a small portable smoker, weighing 22 pounds and measuring just 15.91 × 23.62 × 23.15 inches, making it great for camping or tailgating. I wouldn’t recommend it as a good choice if you intend to buy it solely for use at home in your yard. Either buy it for travel or not at all and go larger instead.

I’ve picked this as the best small propane smoker, but truth be told, it’s about the only viable option on the market.

The problem with portable propane smokers is they are…well, they’re just too small.

By the time you’ve added a water pan and wood chips, it doesn’t leave much room for the food. They also suffer a lot with not being able to hold temperature well and lack any good features when it comes to setting and maintaining the desired temp.

That being said, this little portable gas smoker from Masterbuilt has proven to be adequate and gets some good reviews. It is perfectly capable at smoking foods, so long as you’re willing to learn how to use it properly and can nurse a cook through from start to finish.

Powered by a 1lb gas canister, you can also connect this compact travel unit to larger 20lb tanks if you buy an adapter sold separately.

A push-button ignition system lights the single 5,000 BTU stainless steel burner, which sounds low but is ample for a unit of this compact size.

Inside, you will find two chrome-plated smoking racks, and trays for both water and wood chips. The racks are sufficient to hold two large or four smaller chickens but aren’t wide enough to hold a full rack of ribs without cutting into two.

You control temperature by adjusting the gas flow with a regulator knob. It is unmarked for temperatures, so you will need to adjust it and measure on the integrated door thermometer until you hit your desired cooking temp.

As we already touched on, the options are limited when it comes to portable models. But in our opinion, this is the best small gas smoker you can buy.

At 24.50” L × 60” H × 33” W, this Masterbuilt propane BBQ smoker has excellent interior room and cooking space. It’s a good choice for those who feed big families or who cook lots of smoked meat for parties and gatherings.

This unit has dual 10,000 BTU burners and double porcelain-coated wood chip trays. It gives you the versatility to cold or hot smoke by using one or both burners simultaneously.

Many Smoke Hollow 44 owners use one side at a time, switching when one tray of wood gives up the last of its smoke. Or you can cold smoke salmon or cheese at about 125 °F (51 °C) using one burner set low.

It comes equipped with three standard cooking grates, two jerky trays, one rib rack which you can flip to use as a regular rack, and sausage hooks attached to a round rack on the top. You can smoke sausage and bacon on top, let the fat baste some chickens on the next rack while you smoke a brisket below that.

You’ll find two dampers (or vents) on this product, one on each side, and you can order a glass door to see what’s going on inside without opening it.

Requiring only a wrench and Phillips head screwdriver for assembly, you’ll be done in about 40 minutes.

This smoker gives plenty of bang for the buck. It has plenty of room, and the three types of racks give you flexibility in the types of meats you can cook simultaneously. We noticed the water pan reduces fluctuations in the temperature by acting as a heat sink. The gas controls are well-designed and high-quality. It will keep a steady smoking temperature for over 10 hours without adjustments. This is surely one of the best propane smokers on the market today.

This 100-pound unit is stable, sitting on splayed legs. However, a set of wheels or casters would be a huge improvement.

The Masterbuilt 44241G2 44-Inch is a good smoker for beginners or experts alike.

It has the internal space to smoke whole racks of ribs without touching the sides. It also has the versatility of being able to cold smoke, good for novices who are learning new smoking techniques and seasoned pros.

The double door system allows for fire and water tending while allowing the meat to stay enveloped in smoke on a windy day.

This Char-Broil vertical liquid propane smoker measures 19.5 x 21.5 x 45.5 inches and only weighs 25 pounds because it’s built using thin steel.

It comes with four chrome-plated wire racks and six insert positions, providing a total of 595 square inches of cooking space, and 7,566 cubic inches of cooking space.

One nice feature is the round rack above the top vent. You can keep a saucepan warm above the vent, making use of the residual heat.

This is a 2 door propane smoker, with one for the smoke chamber and a drawer to access the water and wood chips. Two doors are always better because you don’t lose heat while refilling water or wood.

The odd design with the Char-Broil is the combination water pan and wood chip tray. It is a steel tray for the wood chips with a steel bowl in the center for the water. The problem is the water can spill into the wood chips extinguishing them. The best solution is use a separate pan of water above the wood.

The handles fit into a bracket on the side to latch the door shut. You need to add some gasket material if you don’t want the smoke to leak from the doors.

This Char-Broil Vertical Gas Smoker is relatively cheap, good value for money, is straightforward to use, and has plenty of room inside, although you may need rib racks to cook full racks of spare ribs.

The combination wood and water tray tend to create too much mess and trouble! So instead, use the tray only for wood and place a separate water pan above the wood pan to catch drips to make your gravy.

This 24” W x 16” D x 30” H, 75 lbs smoker has a stainless steel door making it look a little like an old bank vault, complete with thermometer looking like an old combination lock.

The door thermometer reads from 50 °F to 550 °F. The smokebox sits on top of sturdy splayed legs for added stability. It has three vents for temperature control, one on top and one on each side.

The Camp Chef 24” comes with two cooking racks and one jerky rack with five adjustment levels.

One thing we liked about this cooker is the five shelf adjustments. You can cook chicken on top and ribs below. The wood pan is heavy gauge steel for a long life, and the water pan is porcelain coated.

They protected the burner from the wind, which is a big plus. It features electronic ignition for fast and safe start-up. It can maintain temperatures from 160 °F to 400 °F (71 °C to 204 °C). You have to keep an eye on it to keep +/- 25° of your target temperature.

Camp Chef is the only company to offer a natural gas conversion kit on the market that we know of.

This smoker is a little tight inside. If you cook two chickens on the same rack, move them around halfway through the cooking or the legs will touch and not cook properly. You should consider getting rib racks because it’s not big enough to hold a whole rack laying flat.

The Camp Chef 24” Smoke Vault is a good gas smoker for novices and people with minimal outdoor space for cooking. It easily fits on a balcony.

The price is right for what you get and a good way to learn the basics of smoking with minimal investment. It’s also the only gas smoker we’re aware of with a conversion kit available to run using natural gas if you have an outdoor connection at your home.

Invest in a quality thermometer and a good Nomex door gasket kit to get the most out of this product.

The Masterbuilt 30-inch vertical gas smoker measures 21.1 x 21.4 x 43.5 inches, weighs 57 pounds, and would be a great BBQ for any budding outdoor chef.

It features four chrome-plated cooking racks creating 717 sq. In. Of cooking space, wide enough to hold a rack of ribs while starting the cook takes one push of the button with the electronic ignition.

Masterbuilt got it right with the double doors: You access the porcelain coated water pan and wood chip pan through the bottom door, leaving the meat to bask in the glory of the smoke and heat in the chamber above.

We would like to see a bigger water pan and seals on the doors, but this is something you can easily and cheaply fix after purchase. As with other smokers in this price range, thermometer isn’t the best, and vents on the sides would have helped to control the temperature. There is only one.

The burner is stainless steel for long life and puts out 15,400 BTUs. It does a good job of smoking once you get the temperatures right. It tends to run a little hot, and the water pan dries out rather quickly, so you need to keep an eye on it. The “cool touch” wire handles do stay cool to the touch.

Another nice feature is the inner liner and locking doors. They do help contain the heat and smoke more than other models without a lining. The smoke still leaks out the door, but you can modify it with a proper door seal.

The Masterbuilt 30-inch vertical gas smoker is a good starter model for under $200.

To get the most out of it, you will need to make modifications such as blocking the wind from blowing up under the burner, making better door seals and buying a quality digital thermometer. (The thermometer is something you should have no matter what smoker you buy.)

It has plenty of room to try all your favorite recipes and techniques. The 30” model is Masterbuilt’s smallest but will hold eight racks of ribs.

This 36.2 high x 23 in diameter, 62 lbs smoker is called The Char-Broil Big Easy Infrared Smoker, Roaster, and Grill. But the emphasis is on the smoking and roasting, so we’re happy to include it in our list of the best propane smokers.

This unit uses infrared technology to heat up to 400 °F (204 °C) in just a few minutes. The Big Easy works by heating the air between the outer and inner walls creating convective heat.

Infrared heat penetrates the inner wall and cooks the meat. The hot, dry air escapes out of the top before it has a chance to dry out the meat. You end up with moist and tender food without the use of a water pan.

It will hold up to a 25-pound turkey or two chickens in the double-tiered cooking basket. It comes with a 180-square inch grill for the top if you want to cook burgers or steaks.

One drawback of this gas smoker is the top-loading. If you want to check something on the lower rack of the two-tiered basket, you must open the lid and lift out all the food losing heat and smoke in the process.

However, if you just want a nice oven-roasted bird or chunk of meat with a little extra smoke, then this cooker works well.

The Char-Broil Big Easy is much more of a convection oven and grill than a smoker. It cooks evenly with less dehydration than other cookers.

It is small enough to fit on a balcony and does a good job of roasting or grilling.