9 Best Smokers for Brisket of 2024

Brisket is a muscular and tough cut of meat. To turn it into a tender and juicy smoked brisket, you’d better gear up with a good smoker.

Here are the best smokers for brisket you can buy in 2024:

• Best For Small Families (Charcoal Smoker): Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker
• Top Level Smoker (Charcoal Smoker): Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D
• Budget Option (Charcoal Smoker): Realcook Vertical Smoker
• Best Offset Smoker (Charcoal Smoker): Oklahoma Joe's Highland Smoker
• Budget Choice (Electric Smoker): Masterbuilt Analog Smoker
• Easy To Use (Electric Smoker): Char-Broil Analog Smoker
• For Large Gatherings (Electric Smoker): CUISINART COS-330 Smoker
• Best For Beginners (Gas/Propane Smoker): Cuisinart COS-244
• Affordable (Gas/Propane Smoker): Dyna-Glo LP Gas Smoker

Charcoal Smoker

If you are a hard-core BBQ-er, you must have a charcoal smoker. Charcoal adds the best charred-flavor to the meat. However, it will take more time and effort to prepare the meat. Moreover, cleanup is also a pain with all the ashes.

Best For Small Families (Charcoal Smoker): Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker

Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker

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Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker (14-inch option) is my pick for the best smoker for small families. The smoking area is large enough for two briskets, perfect for small gatherings. It would be enough to feed up to 6 people.

A thing that I really I about this Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is the 3D interactive assembly instruction. You can download its BILT app for free. This instruction makes the assembly so easy. This smoker has a solid construction with rust-resistant metal legs and a fairly-well sealed body.

It reaches up to 190°F inside. It features a built-in lid thermometer, which is relatively accurate for perfect cooked briskets. All features seem great. However, the price of this such a small smoker is quite high. If you are willing to invest a bit for family gatherings, this is a perfect choice.

Top Level Smoker (Charcoal Smoker): Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D

Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D

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Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D is a commercial-grade smoker. It has a total cooking area of more 1,000 sq. inches and the smoking area is about 784 sq. inches. It features six height-adjustable cooking grates, each of which is capable of cooking about 25 lbs. This vast cooking capacity is enough for a small local restaurant or for a big gatherings.

Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D combines a vertical smoker and an offset smoker. The vertical is for a higher efficiency and improved smoke flavor, while the offset smoker is for slow cooking. This smoker features a professional charcoal & ash management system, including a charcoal chamber and a removable steel ash pan, for hours of cooking. The charcoal chamber is made of porcelain-enameled steel for improved burn efficiency. The flue and the built-in thermometer make it pretty easy for temperature control.

Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D is a great professional smoker with a reasonable price. However, it is not for beginners. You should be aware of this.

Budget Option (Charcoal Smoker): Realcook Vertical Smoker

Realcook Vertical Smoker

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Realcook Vertical Smoker is an affordable yet versatile smoker. I highly recommend this smoker for “part-time smokers” as it is pretty versatile. It fits multi-purposes, from hot and cold smoking, grills, streams, bake, roast, and braise.

Realcook Vertical Smoker has an average smoking area of 453 sq. inches, enough for gathering events. It features an easy-to-read thermometer and an easy-to-adjustable air supply on the lid, making it very easy to control the inside temperature.

Besides, the smoker features porcelain-enameled water pan and charcoal pan, heat-resistant bakelite handles, and an easy-to-use latch looking system for more secure smoking. As a budget smoker, this Realcook Vertical Smoker is not so sturdy that may seem “cheap”; however, it gets the job done decently.

Best Offset Smoker (Charcoal Smoker): Oklahoma Joe's Highland Smoker

Oklahoma Joe's Highland Smoker

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If you like an offset smoker, this Oklahoma Joe's Highland Smoker is for you. This is a traditional offset smoker, pretty well-designed and well-built. You'll have 619 sq. inches of primary cooking space and 281 sq. inches of secondary cooking space with the front shelf, plentiful space for a large gathering.

The design of Oklahoma Joe's Highland Smoker is pretty smart and convenient. The swing-open firebox door is on the side, so you don't have to open the chamber to work with the fire. The temperature gauge is mounted on the lid for accurate monitoring. The grates are easy to clean. The handles are cool to touch. The two large wheels for easy mobility.

Overall, this is a perfect charcoal offset smoker. Nothing to complain about.

Electric Smoker

Electric smokers are not so popular as they cannot reach a very high temperature and cannot add the typical smoke flavor to the briskets. However, if you live in a closed area, where you cannot use a charcoal or gas smoker, an electric smoker is not a bad idea. Moreover, electric smokers are pretty easy to use with all the digital controls, which makes them perfect for beginners.

Budget Choice (Electric Smoker): Masterbuilt Analog Smoker

Masterbuilt Analog Smoker

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Masterbuilt Analog Smoker is my first pick for an electric smoker. This is a basic smoker, which is pretty affordable. It is easy to use with a built-in temperature gauge and a dial to control the temperature. It comes with a wood chip tray to add smoke flavor to the brisket. However, the design is not smart as you have to open the smoker to add wood chips.

Masterbuilt Analog Smoker has 3 chrome-coated smoking racks, enough for about 3 briskets. It features a 1,500-watt heating element, which is pretty powerful for family uses.

The main drawback of this smoker is that the temp control is not so accurate. However, you cannot request too much for such a budget smoker like this.

Easy To Use (Electric Smoker): Char-Broil Analog Smoker

Char-Broil Analog Smoker

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Char-Broil Analog Smoker is a well-built electric smoker. This is not a so powerful smoker, it features only a 1,000-watt heating element. In return, this is a very accurate and easy-to-use smoker for home uses. This smoker also features 3 chrome-plated cooking grates with a total of 544 sq. inches of smoking areas.

Char-Broil Analog Smoker has a solid, double-wall insulated construction. This construction ensures that no heat can escape, improving the efficiency. Moreover, it has dual latches for a secure and sealed lid.

Like the Masterbuilt Analog Smoker, this smoker also comes with a wood chip tray for a smoking flavor. I highly recommend this smoker due to its accurate temperature control if you are willing to pay a bit more. Accurate temp control is necessary for a perfect brisket.

For Large Gatherings (Electric Smoker): CUISINART COS-330 Smoker

CUISINART COS-330 Smoker

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CUISINART COS-330 Smoker is the choice for large gatherings. Among my three picks for the best electric smokers, this smoker has the largest smoking area, which is enough to serve a dozen of people. It features a 1,500-watt heating element, which is pretty powerful.

Basically, this CUISINART COS-330 Smoker is pretty similar to the two smokers above. However, this is of somewhat higher quality. The build is better and the capacity is larger. It features 3 stainless steel cooking grates, an easy-to-read thermometer, a wood chip tray.

CUISINART COS-330 Smoker is an easy-to-assemble and easy-to-use electric smoker with a 3-year limited warranty. However, you’ll have to pay a bit more for this smoker.

Gas/Propane Smoker

Gas smokers are the most common alternative to charcoal smokers when you don’t want to deal with messy ashes and want speed and convenience.

Best For Beginners (Gas/Propane Smoker): Cuisinart COS-244

Cuisinart COS-244

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Cuisinart COS-244 is a decent smoker for briskets. It comes with four 14-inch grates with a total smoking area of 785 sq. inches, which is enough for large gatherings. Moreover, it is pretty easy to install and easy to use. It is pretty safe with seal-tight twist-lock food and handles. So I would recommend this smoker for beginners.

Like other smokers, this Cuisinart COS-244 features an easy-to-read thermometer and a gas supply control to adjust the temperature and smoke. The easy-to-clean tray holds the wood chips and water for a smoke flavor.

However, it is a drawback in design that the water pan is quite small and close to the flame so the water boils away too quickly. You may have to refill the water every hour. However, still a great gas smoker for beginners.

Affordable (Gas/Propane Smoker): Dyna-Glo LP Gas Smoker

Dyna-Glo LP Gas Smoker

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Dyna-Glo LP Gas Smoker is an affordable gas smoker yet of pretty good quality. The overall design of this smoker is pretty similar to the Cuisinart COS-244 above. You’ll have 4 racks with a total smoking area of 784 sq. inches, an easy-to-use double-door design, a gas control dial, a wood chip tray, etc.

However, this Dyna-Glo LP Gas Smoker is more affordable. You don’t have to worry about cheap quality as it is CSA certified and is backed with a 1-year limited warranty. Yet, the construction of this smoker is not so sturdy.

How To Choose The Best Smoker For Brisket?

For the best smokers for briskets, I recommend getting a charcoal smoker since it is the traditional one that adds the best smoke flavor to the briskets. However, if your place is not suitable to use a charcoal smoker or you don’t want to deal with lighting the coal or the messy ashes, you can choose a gas/propane smoker. If you really want something that is quick, convenient, and safe, you can choose an electric smoker.

For charcoal smokers, you have two choices - offset smoker or vertical smoker. While offset smokers are for slow cooking and a more traditional flavor, vertical smokers can quicken up the smoking time.

Then, the smoking area is definitely a thing you should consider first when choosing a smoker. For a small family with 5 or 6 members, I think you don't need more than 300 sq. inches. For larger gatherings, you can choose a smoker with a total smoking space of up to 700 or even 1,000 sq. inches. For a small business, you may want to choose a smoker with more than 1,000 sq inches of smoking space.

Which Brands Make The Best Smoker For Brisket?

Weber

Weber is an iconic brand when it comes to grilling. It was founded in 1952, and up to now still remains its heritage and legacy. Weber provides wood pellet grills, gas grills, charcoal grills, electric grills, and portable grills - all types of grills for all types of circumstances. To cook the best briskets, Weber is the to-go brand.

Charbroil

Charbroil is another long-established company. It was founded in 1948, which was one of the first charcoal grill brands in the market. They grew fast and become one of the most well-recognized BBQ Grill brand. Like Weber, Charbroil has a wide portfolio of grills of all types; Moreover, Charbroil also well-known for their smokers and fryers.

Cuisinart

Cuisinart also has a long history, which was founded in 1973 as a home-cook appliance and food processor company. One of their main advantages is they know how to make cooking easier for everyone. If you are finding an easy-to-use smoker for brisket. Cuisinart is a considerable brand.

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Conclusion

You can get a really nice smoker for brisket just at about 200 dollars. I hope this review can help you choose a suitable smoker for your next family gathering.