Picture this: a serene camping site, the sun setting on the horizon, and the tantalizing aroma of smoked ribs wafting through the air. That’s the magic of portable smokers—bringing the joy of smoky flavors to your outdoor escapades.
Whether you’re a seasoned pitmaster or a weekend warrior in the grilling world, having a portable smoker in your arsenal can elevate your culinary adventures to new heights.
But with different types of smokers flooding the market, how do you choose the perfect portable smoker? Fear not! We’ve curated a list of top-notch contenders that will have you smoking up a storm wherever your wanderlust takes you.
7 Best Portable Smokers
1. Traeger Tailgater (Our Recommendation)
The Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill is a game-changer for any outdoor enthusiast seeking convenience and exceptional flavor. With its compact yet robust design, this portable grill offers the signature wood-fired taste Traeger is renowned for, making every meal an unforgettable experience. Its precision temperature control ensures perfectly cooked dishes every time. Bring the joy of wood-fired flavor to your adventures—choose the Traeger Tailgater for unmatched portability and incredible taste.
Traeger Tailgater Key Features
- Portable Design: The Traeger Tailgater is designed with portability in mind, featuring a compact size that makes it easy to transport for tailgating, camping, or any outdoor adventure.
- Wood-Fired Flavor: Renowned for its signature wood-fired taste, this grill infuses dishes with rich, smoky flavors, enhancing the taste of everything from meats to veggies.
- Precise Temperature Control: Equipped with precise temperature control technology, this grill allows users to set and maintain the perfect cooking temperature for consistent and delectable results.
- Versatility: It offers versatility in cooking styles, allowing users to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, or barbecue various types of food, providing a wide range of culinary options.
- Ample Cooking Space: Despite its portable size, the Traeger Tailgater provides ample cooking space, accommodating enough food to satisfy a small gathering or a family meal.
- Easy to Use: With straightforward controls and user-friendly features, this grill is suitable for both beginners and experienced grillmasters, ensuring a hassle-free cooking experience.
- Durable Construction: Crafted with durable materials, this grill is built to withstand outdoor conditions, guaranteeing longevity and reliability for years of flavorful cooking.
2. Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill
Compact, yet mighty—the Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill is a game-changer for grill masters on the move. Powered by wood pellets, this smoker delivers a signature wood-fired taste while being portable enough to fit snugly in your car trunk. Its precise temperature control ensures your dishes are cooked to perfection, whether you’re smoking ribs, brisket, or veggies.
Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill Key Features
- Compact and Portable: The Traeger Ranger is designed to be ultra-portable, making it perfect for picnics, tailgating, camping, or any on-the-go grilling adventure.
- Wood-Fired Flavor: It delivers the classic wood-fired taste Traeger is known for, infusing dishes with delicious smoky flavors that enhance the overall taste of grilled food.
- Digital Arc Controller: Equipped with a precise digital arc controller, this grill maintains consistent temperatures, ensuring precise cooking control for excellent results every time.
- Versatility in Cooking: Despite its small size, the Ranger offers versatility in cooking methods, allowing users to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, or BBQ a variety of foods.
- Convenient Portability: Its convenient size doesn’t compromise on cooking space, offering enough room to cook for a small group without sacrificing its portable design.
- Ease of Use: With simple controls and an intuitive design, this grill is user-friendly, catering to both beginners and experienced grillers.
- Durable Construction: Built with durable materials, the Traeger Ranger is sturdy and capable of withstanding outdoor conditions, ensuring longevity and reliability for frequent use on the go.
3. Weber Smokey Joe Portable Charcoal Grill
For those who adore the classic charcoal flavor, the Weber Smokey Joe is a legendary choice. Its small size doesn’t compromise on performance. Perfect for picnics or tailgating, this iconic grill boasts excellent heat retention, allowing you to savor that distinct smoky essence in your grilled creations.
Weber Smokey Joe Portable Charcoal Grill Key Features
- Classic Charcoal Flavor: The Weber Smokey Joe provides that quintessential charcoal-grilled taste, adding a smoky flavor that enhances the richness of grilled foods.
- Compact and Portable Design: Its small and lightweight design makes it exceptionally portable, perfect for picnics, beach outings, camping trips, or tailgating events.
- Durable Construction: Crafted with high-quality materials, this grill is durable and built to last, capable of withstanding outdoor elements for long-term use.
- Heat Retention: Despite its size, the Smokey Joe excels in heat retention, allowing for even cooking and consistent grilling temperatures.
- Ease of Use: With a simple and straightforward design, this grill is easy to assemble, operate, and clean, making it an excellent choice for beginners and those seeking hassle-free grilling experiences.
4. Camp Chef Pursuit Portable Pellet Grill
Versatility meets portability in the Camp Chef Pursuit. With a generous cooking area and a folding design, this smoker is a go-to for outdoor enthusiasts seeking variety in their smoked dishes. Its innovative ash cleanout system ensures hassle-free maintenance, letting you focus on crafting culinary masterpieces.
Camp Chef Pursuit Portable Pellet Grill Key Features
- Versatile Cooking Options: The Camp Chef Pursuit offers a wide range of cooking options, including grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, braising, and barbecuing, providing versatility to cater to various culinary preferences.
- Generous Cooking Area: Despite its portable design, this grill boasts a generous cooking area, allowing users to cook for larger groups or prepare multiple dishes simultaneously.
- Convenient Ash Cleanout System: Its innovative ash cleanout system simplifies maintenance, making it easy to clean out ash residue, ensuring hassle-free upkeep and extending the grill’s lifespan.
- Portable Design with Folding Legs: Designed for portability, the Pursuit features folding legs that make it easy to transport and store, enabling outdoor cooking adventures without sacrificing space or functionality.
5. Masterbuilt Portable Propane Smoker
Gas-powered convenience meets portability in the Masterbuilt Portable Propane Smoker. Its compact size doesn’t compromise on performance, offering a consistent temperature range ideal for smoking ribs, chicken, or even fish. The easy-to-use design makes it a favorite among beginners and seasoned grillers alike.
Masterbuilt Portable Propane Smoker Key Features
- Propane-Powered Convenience: The Masterbuilt Portable Propane Smoker operates using propane fuel, providing convenient and reliable heat for consistent smoking and grilling experiences.
- Compact and Portable Design: Its compact size and lightweight construction make it easily transportable, ideal for tailgating, camping, or any outdoor adventure where space is limited.
- Consistent Temperature Control: Equipped with precise temperature control, this smoker allows users to regulate and maintain the ideal cooking temperature, ensuring consistent and even smoking results.
- User-Friendly Setup: The design of this smoker is user-friendly, featuring easy assembly, intuitive controls, and straightforward operation, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced grillers.
6. Smoke Hollow 205 Stainless Steel Tabletop Propane Gas Grill
Small in size but big on flavor, the Smoke Hollow 205 is a gem in the realm of tabletop smokers. This stainless steel wonder is perfect for intimate gatherings or tailgate parties, delivering mouthwatering smoked dishes with ease.
Smoke Hollow 205 Stainless Steel Tabletop Propane Gas Grill Key Features
- Stainless Steel Construction: The Smoke Hollow 205 is built with durable stainless steel, providing excellent heat retention, resistance to rust, and ensuring longevity even in outdoor environments.
- Compact and Portable: Its tabletop design and compact size make it highly portable, perfect for picnics, camping, or tailgating, while still offering sufficient cooking space for small gatherings or meals on the go.
- Versatile Cooking Options: Despite its size, this grill offers versatility in cooking, allowing users to grill various foods, offering convenience without compromising on the flavor and quality of the grilled dishes.
7. Camp Chef Pursuit 20
Experience culinary versatility on-the-go with the Camp Chef Pursuit 20. Its expansive cooking area, multifunctional capabilities for grilling, smoking, roasting, and baking, combined with an innovative ash cleanout system, elevate outdoor cooking.
Designed for convenience with folding legs and consistent heat distribution, this portable pellet grill ensures flavorful results wherever your adventures take you. Elevate your outdoor culinary game with the Camp Chef Pursuit 20.
Camp Chef Pursuit 20 Key Features
- Multi-Functional Cooking: The Camp Chef Pursuit 20 offers a diverse range of cooking options including grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, braising, and barbecuing, providing versatility for various culinary preferences.
- Ample Cooking Area: Despite its portability, this grill boasts a spacious cooking area, allowing users to cook for larger groups or prepare multiple dishes simultaneously.
- Convenient Ash Cleanout System: Featuring an innovative ash cleanout system, this grill simplifies maintenance, making it effortless to clean out ash residue, ensuring hassle-free upkeep and prolonging the grill’s lifespan.
- Portable Design with Folding Legs: Designed for portability, the Pursuit 20 comes with folding legs, making it easy to transport and store, enabling outdoor cooking adventures without sacrificing space or functionality.
FAQs
Are portable grills worth it?
Absolutely, portable grills can be incredibly worthwhile investments for various reasons:
- Convenience: Portable grills offer unparalleled convenience, allowing you to enjoy the pleasure of outdoor cooking anywhere, from picnics in the park to camping trips or tailgating events. They enable you to savor grilled food without the constraints of a fixed backyard setup.
- Versatility: Despite their compact size, many portable grills offer versatile cooking options, allowing you to grill, smoke, bake, roast, or barbecue, giving you the flexibility to prepare a wide array of dishes.
- Ease of Use: Most portable grills are designed to be user-friendly, with simple setups and intuitive controls. This accessibility makes them ideal for beginners and seasoned grillers alike, ensuring an enjoyable cooking experience.
- Space Efficiency: Their smaller footprint doesn’t compromise functionality. They are designed to maximize space efficiency without sacrificing cooking performance, making them suitable for small outdoor spaces or travel.
- On-the-Go Cooking: Whether you’re exploring the great outdoors or hosting a gathering away from home, portable grills allow you to bring the joy of outdoor cooking to various settings, enhancing your overall experience.
- Quality Results: Many portable grills are engineered to deliver exceptional cooking results, providing consistent heat distribution and flavorful dishes that rival larger, stationary grills.
What brand is the best smoker to buy?
Here are the top brands that are highly regarded in the smoking world due to their quality, features, and performance:
- Traeger: Renowned for popularizing pellet smokers, Traeger offers a range of models known for their convenience, ease of use, and signature wood-fired flavor.
- Weber: Weber smokers, like the Smokey Mountain Cooker, are celebrated for their durability, excellent heat retention, and ability to produce authentic smokehouse flavors.
- Masterbuilt: Known for their electric smokers, Masterbuilt offers a variety of models that are user-friendly, providing consistent results and versatility for smoking various foods.
- Camp Chef: Camp Chef smokers are appreciated for their versatility, offering features like precise temperature control, large cooking areas, and the ability to handle various cooking methods.
- Pit Boss: Pit Boss smokers are favored for their affordability without compromising on quality, offering a range of pellet smokers known for their excellent performance.
What do professional smokers use?
Professional smokers often utilize a variety of smoker types and brands based on their specific needs, the type of cuisine they specialize in, and the volume of food they prepare. Here are some types of smokers commonly used by professional pitmasters and chefs:
- Offset Smokers: These traditional smokers have a separate firebox offset from the cooking chamber. They’re favored for their large cooking capacity, ability to impart rich smoke flavor, and precise temperature control.
- Pellet Smokers: Pellet smokers, like those from Traeger or Camp Chef, are popular among professionals for their convenience, consistent temperature control, and the ability to infuse dishes with distinct wood-fired flavors.
- Electric Smokers: These smokers are known for their ease of use and consistent temperature control, making them a convenient choice for professionals who require precision in smoking.
- Drum Smokers: Simple and effective, drum smokers, such as the Gateway Drum Smokers, are favored for their efficiency, ease of use, and ability to deliver excellent results in terms of flavor and tenderness.
- Commercial Grade Smokers: Some professional smokers invest in larger, commercial-grade smokers from reputable brands like Southern Pride, Cookshack, or Ole Hickory Pits, which are designed for high-capacity cooking in restaurants or catering businesses.
Conclusion
Choosing the best portable smoker ultimately depends on your grilling style, preferences, and the adventures you envision. Whether you prioritize size, fuel type, or cooking capacity, there’s a portable smoker waiting to become your trusty companion on your flavorful journey.
So, pack your bags, gather your ingredients, and let the savory aroma of smoked goodness accompany you on your next escapade. With the right portable smoker by your side, culinary bliss knows no bounds!
Courtney is a professional grilling enthusiast who has spent a good portion of his life grilling and exploring different methods and techniques for preparing delicious meals. As he always says, creativity is key to preparing sumptuous meals.