Life is short, and 2020 has taught us that in categorical terms. If there is any way to maximize joy and happiness in life while you still can, please do.

If you love smoked ribs, pork shoulder, and seared chicken, getting an offset smoker could be the best investment that you make for happiness. This review rounds up the best offset smokers of the year and shows you how to buy a worthwhile product.

Buying the Best Offset Smoker

I am not a chef de partie at any fancy restaurant, but my dad introduced me to the game at a tender age, and I have never quit since. An avid griller, I know my grills and smokers inside out.

Meats will always taste better and turn out more flavorful with an offset smoker. The design supports slow and low cooking where the food is suspended in a separate chamber away from direct fire. The outcome is intoxicatingly deep and rich beefy flavors.

But cooking efficiency is not the only reason why I love to use offset smokers. Most of them have a larger cooking area compared to other models. If you cater to large gatherings, as I do, these appliances will do you justice. Just make sure to maintain your social distance.

If you are looking for a smoker that works right, saves energy, and leads to delicious smoky treats, here is how to get started:

Choose designs with heavy metal construction

Heavy gauge metal helps with sturdiness, durability, and longevity. Most importantly, though, it is for heat retention. The nature of offset smokers is that the combustion happens outside, on the far end of the grill.

Without reliable heat retention, it could take a whole day for your food to cool. Go for steel made smokers with a thickness of not less than ¼ inch.

Proper ventilation is a must

Your charcoal or pellets need proper oxygenation for consistent and even burning. The best offset smokers feature strategically positioned vents and dampers to help with that.

The ventilation and temperature control function should be easy to adjust so you can attain perfectly smoked foods without breaking a sweat.

Choose a vertical orientation design for more space

There are two types of offset smokers; those with a vertical orientation and those with a horizontal or flat design. If you want a smoker with a larger cooking capacity, go for a vertical smoker. The rise allows for several stories of grates so you can smoke your meats, fruits, and vegetables all at once.

But if you need a smoker that allows for easier storage and faster cooking, go for a horizontal model. They are more compact, and heat flows faster from the offset burning chamber to the grill area. They are more fuel-efficient than the vertical kind.

Easier to clean heat resistant grates

Porcelain-enameled cast iron is the gold standard for grates. They are resistant to warping, and the paint doesn’t chip. The glossy finish lives through all the heat and makes for easier cleaning as well.

Cast iron grates also have a better ability to retain heat for long, which helps with even heat distribution.

The best models feature an integrated thermometer.

The included thermometer takes the guesswork out of the whole cooking experience. You can track and control heat to attain the right cooking temperature for your favorite foodstuffs. If a thermometer is not part of the design, keep looking.

Wheels for portability

Sometimes you have to move the smoker around during a cooking session. At such times, you will appreciate a smoker with wheels for moving the loaded unit around your patio.

Even when they are not lit and packed with pounds of meat, these appliances are heavy, so wheels are critical to have in all scenarios.

Find a cooking area that matches your needs.

There are offset smokers with a vast cooking area in square inches. There are also compact models with a few hundred square inches of cooking space.

If you cater to many family members and guests, it will help to buy a bigger offset smoker. But if you want something compact and easier to maneuver and store, consider the smaller and lightweight models.

The Best Offset Smokers of the Year

1. 1. Dyna-Glo DGO1174BDC

Last update on 2024-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Editor’s Comments

Dyna-Glo DGO1174BDC is an offset smoker with a vertical orientation, a design that maximizes the cooking area and speeds up convectional heat flow.

You get six adjustable cooking grates fitting in that vertical cooking area. The total cooking surface is 1890 sq. inches and each grate can reportedly handle 25 pounds of food. This capacity means that you can barbeque all your foods in one go.

These grates are height-adjustable, which means that you can control what type of food is closest to the heat. The offsets design further leads to better flavors by keeping direct heat away from your food while elevating the smoke flow to the cooking area.

The construction features a porcelain-enameled charcoal chamber that will undoubtedly assist in the efficient burning of charcoal.

I like the ash management system that includes a removable ash pan and a sliding grate in the charcoal chamber. This system can be essential in bolstering combustion by guaranteeing enough oxygenation in the offset burning chamber.

Other features worth appreciating here include an adjustable flue that should enable you to modulate the amount of smoke reaching the food. This serves as yet another promise of the precise, tasty flavor you seek.

Finally, a built-in thermometer will certainly be elemental for your successful cooking, so you don’t serve half-cooked meats to your in-laws.

2. 2. Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Offset Smoker

Last update on 2024-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Editor’s Comments

You get the same offset design as the Dyna-Glo DGO1174BDC for classic Texas-style barbeques. Whereas the Dyna-Glo DGO1174BDC has a vertical orientation, this model has a horizontal orientation, a design that could be ideal for speedy smoking.

Both smoke and heat will flow with ease from the offset burning area to the smoking zone. The horizontal design seals it in, optimizing grilling performance and flavor.

Physics aside, the build and construction on this model support durability and even heating. The firebox is a powder-coated steel chamber. The grill barrel and cooking grates are made of cast iron, known for its non-stick properties and its even heat distribution.

In addition to the offset design, the charcoal drawers are made for removability. This means you can add charcoal and remove ash with ease for uninterrupted cooking.

Like the first entrant in the review, the Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Offset Smoker comes with a temperature gauge for precision in your grilling, smoking, and searing operations.  

I also like that portability is more or less a breeze with this unit. There are two wheels included as part of the stand, which could be of significant help when rain shows up an announced and you can’t cook outside anymore.

Beware though that its horizontal design limits cooking space. The total cooking surface on this unit is 580 square inch which is a tiny fraction of the 1890 square inches you get with the Dyna-Glo DGO1174BDC.

3. 3. Royal Gourmet Grill with Offset Smoker

Last update on 2024-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Editor’s Comments

The Royal Gourmet Grill with Offset Smoker has the storage-friendly horizontal orientation vis-à-vis the Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Offset Smoker. This design could be the right one for faster cooking, but beware that it eats into the cooking space.

The cooking area is 800 square inches, which falls short of what you get with the Dyna-Glo DGO1174BDC. But this should be an okay size if you have a small family.

You will have the ability to control ash and speed up the burning process with the included ash pan; it makes it easier to tend the charcoal and dump ash for seamless combustion.

The Royal Gourmet Grill with Offset Smoker comes with a temperature gauge for precision in smoking and grilling. There is an air vent included on the side, so your fire doesn’t go off without you knowing.

Plus, the access door on the offset chamber is designed in a way that supports easier charcoal management.

This model, like the Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Offset Smoker seen earlier, features wheels for portability. If you are careful, you might even be able to wheel the unit around in the middle of your cooking operations.

Lastly, durability and reliable performance are guaranteed by the porcelain-enameled cooking grates. The finish makes these grates hard, scratch-resistant, and elegant for a long time.

4. 4. Char-Broil 12201570-A1 Offset Smoker

Last update on 2024-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Editor’s Comments

The Char-Broil 12201570-A1 Offset Smoker is a compact unit with a horizontal orientation. You get a total of 430 square inches of cooking area in the main chamber and inside the firebox. This capacity may be more suitable for smaller families or when hosting smaller crowds.

The offset design promotes steady heat flow to the cooking area. The construction features heat dampers that could be pivotal for temperature control. You can open or close these, depending on how much heat you require in the cooking area.

The porcelain-enameled grates promote even heating and quicker cleaning. The product specs similarly boast of easier and seamless ash removal, but there is no mention of an ash pan.

You might also like the included wheels that make it possible to move the smoker even when it’s lit. There are cool-touch handles to help with that.

As always, there’s a lid-mounted thermometer on the cooking chamber, which you can use to monitor the internal temperatures. You can use the readings for precise temperature regulation to achieve great-tasting food.

Finally, this grill smoker is designed with a side shelf, so you get extra space for your utensils and spices. This thoughtful design allows for easier storage and accessibility of your accessories and condiments.

5. 5. Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker

Last update on 2024-07-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Editor’s Comments

Unlike the other smokers in the review, the Z Grills ZPG-450A is a wood pellet smoker complete with tech control features for better usability. This might be the offset smoker of choice for barbecuing on a city balcony.

For starters, it’s a horizontally designed smoker so it could fit with ease in compact storage spaces. It’s a small-sized smoker that could be ideal for singles and small families.

The smoker features advanced temperature controls. Like most cooking ranges, it packs the potential to supply 25000 BTUs of cooking power. The exclusive advantage here is speed. You may be able to do a bit of grilling and smoking nearly every day because it takes just a few minutes.

The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker cooks with electricity and utilizes wood pellets to add a smoky flavor to your foodstuffs. That makes it relatively easy to use compared to charcoal and gas offset smokers.

The start and temperature control functions are all by the press of a button. You get a clear temperature display that lets you attune the heat for better flavor.

The other advantage here is versatility. This unit can grill, roast, braise, and smoke your favorite cuts, veggies, and fruits at the same time. Let’s just say that it could give you the biggest bang for your time and money.

The Best Pick

The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker stands out as the best offset smoker of the year. Unlike its peers, this is an electrical wood pellet smoker designed for speed, user-friendliness, and versatility.

It breaks down the complexities of charcoal and gas smokers with simple start buttons and temperature control features. You get 25000 BTU of cooking power to speed up the process as well.

This pellet smoker is designed for grilling, roasting, smoking, and searing so you can get to play around with different recipes. It is made for easy cleaning, and an included oil drain helps with that.

These features, plus its compactness and portability, make the Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker the best offset smoker of the year.

Last Updated on September 6, 2020 by Judith Fertig