Smoking meat is one of the best ways to enjoy it. However, the whole smoking process can be quite daunting as it is a slow process and quite time-consuming. As such, when buying a smoker, aiming for a little convenience will go a long way in making smoking easy and cutting down on time consumed. One way to enjoy these two benefits is by using a gas smoker. We have handpicked 7 of the best propane smoker in this review for the money. In this review, we will be talking about the effectiveness of these smokers considering their easy-to-use design, construction, coking space, parts availability in the market, price, and safety mechanism. If you are worried about getting that smoky flavor in your food, most propane smokers come with a wood chip box. So, hang in there and trust us as we go through the list to pick the best fit for your needs.
Review Summary
Editor Choice: Cuisinart COS-244 Vertical 36″ Propane Smoker
Smoke with consistent temperature with this Cuisinart COS-244 propane smoker thanks to its rugged steel body and a seal-tight door. Cuisinart coated this smoker with heat-resistant paint, and porcelain enamel steel tray, and a woodchips tray which is easy to clean.
Best Value: Masterbuilt MPS 230S Propane Smoker
The Masterbuilt MPS 230S is a two-door propane smoker designed with door liners to help keep the heat in. Cook all you want with this smoker as it features four burners. And thanks to its flame disk bowl, you can smoke without direct flame contact with food.
Best Overall: PIT BOSS 77435 Vertical Lp Gas Smoker
Monitor your smoking progress with ease thanks to the viewing window featured on this PIT BOSS vertical smoker. Featuring on this smoker is a lockable latch and seal that keeps heat in. Moreover, the steel body, stainless steel burners, and porcelain-coated cooking grate make this smoker quite durable.
Propane Smoker: Masterbuilt MB20050716 Mps 330g
This 30-inch Masterbuilt smoker is a two-door smoker designed with a durable steel body that prevents heat loss. The large viewing window on this smoker also makes it easy to monitor cooking progress. Other feature of this smoker like its fuel level gauge and a safety valve that automatically turn off the gas if the flame is extinguished makes this smoker standout.
Masterbuilt Propane Smoker: Smoke Hollow PS40B Propane Smoker
The Smoke Hollow PS40B is a standout portable or mini smoker that features four chrome-coated smoking racks. The well-designed heat diffuser and 15,400 BTU of heat produced on this smoker ensure there are no too hot or too cold regions.
Best Propane Smoker: Masterbuilt GS30D Propane 2-Door Smoker
The Masterbuilt GS30D is a standout propane smokehouse that delivers the right amount of heat and smoke to cook delicious meat. Designed on this smoker are two doors, a stainless steel burner, four chrome-coated smoking racks, a porcelain-coated flame disk, and a durable steel body and that makes it quite rugged.
Best Smoker Under $200: PIT BOSS 77425 2.5 Gas Smoker
The PIT BOSS 77425 smoker is a thoughtfully designed smoker with two stainless steel burners. Get value for your money with this smoker as it features a dual valve burner system, Piezo ignition system, and glass viewing windows.
Top 7 Best Propane Smokers Review
#1. Cuisinart COS-244 Vertical 36″ Propane Smoker
Let’s begin this review with a propane smoker that comes with some exciting features, the Cuisinart COS-244. Cuisinart designed the COS-244 propane smoker with durable alloy steel. This bodywork does not only stand out well with harsh weather but has a great heat retentive property. The steel body is coated with heat-resistant paint which further protects the steel from corrosion. To ensure there is no heat loss, Cuisinart designed the COS-244 with a twist-lock seal-tight door. The tight sealing on this Cuisinart smoker helps with consistent temperature throughout the cooking chamber.
Keeping the smoking temperature constant is very important irrespective of the food you are smoking. Buying this Cuisinart smoker will give you total control over the amount of heat and smoke. An adjustable gas supply gives you control over the heat supply, and the rear vents can be closed or opened to control the amount of heat and smoke in the oven. On the front door, this Cuisinart smoker features an easy-to-read thermometer. Also, the Cuisinart COS-244 propane smoker comes with four cooking racks measuring 14 x 14 inches. As such, you get a total interior cooking space of 785 square inches to grill all kinds of food. Each rack is removable and designed with stainless steel that makes it easy to clean. Cuisinart included a porcelain enamel steel tray at the bottom to hold woodchips and water which is also easy to clean.
- Value for money
- Durable
- Easy-to-read thermometer
- The water tray is too small
#2. Masterbuilt MPS 230S Propane Smoker
The Masterbuilt MPS 230S is another standout propane smoker that features two doors. The top door gives you access to the main cooking chamber, while the bottom door gives you access to add wood chips. The door liner and latches create a perfect seal which helps to keep the heat in the cooking chamber. One feature we love so much about this Masterbuilt smoker is the push-button ignition starter. As a result, you don’t have to go through so much hassle to start up this smoker. Masterbuilt packs a big punch of heat in this smoker as its stainless steel burner can produce up to 15,400 BTU of heat. To control the temperature, you can use air dampers or the knob on the smoker.
Read More: The 10 Best Charcoal Smokers Review
Apart from the exceptional heat control features built into this smoker, Masterbuilt also designed it with durable materials. Starting from the exterior, Masterbuilt made use of durable steel coated with a heat-resistant painting that wouldn’t chip easily. As such, the coating protects the steel from corrosion. As for the interior of the smoker, Masterbuilt designed it with four adjustable smoking racks to smoke up to 2 pork butts, 8 chickens, 4 racks of ribs, or 2 turkeys. The racks are made of chrome coated steel which is nonstick and easy to use. Importantly, we love that Masterbuilt included a flame disk bowl. The bowl allows the flame to reach the wood chip, creates a shield that protects grease from getting to the burner, and prevents direct flame contact with food.
- Easy ignition
- Precise temperature control
- Easy to assemble
- Some users complain of the interior factory coating flaking off
#3. PIT BOSS 77435 Vertical Lp Gas Smoker
Experience the convenience of smoking meat on a gas grill that provides you with a viewing window to track your smoking progress when you buy the PIT BOSS 77435 smoker. PIT BOSS designed the 77435 propane smoker with a high-temperature resistant glass door that provides you with a viewing window to monitor cooking progress. Featuring on the door of this grill is a built-in thermometer that helps you easily monitor the temperature of the smoker. The door features a lockable latch that keeps the door seal preventing loss of heat. Below the cooking chamber is an external access wood chip and grease tray. With this feature, you can easily dispose of the ash and grease while smoking without opening the cooking chamber. This helps to keep the smoker clean and working properly.
Another Review: The 10 Best Vertical Smokers Reviewed
Moving to the interiors of this PIT BOSS smoker are three porcelain coated cooking grids. These grids provide you with a total cooking space of up to 884 square inches. The stainless steel burners of this PIT BOSS smoker produce up to 12,500 BTU across the cooking surface. PIT BOSS used a dual valve burner system that has one 2,500 BTU dedicated to the wood chip and a 10,000 BTUs burner for the cabinet. Both valves are controlled with a single knob and ignited using a push-button Piezo ignition. At the back of this smoker are two air dampers you can use to regulate the amount of heat in the chamber.
- Wide viewing window
- Easy to regulate the temperature
- External access wood chip and grease tray
- Customer support needs improvement
#4. Masterbuilt MB20050716 Mps 330g Propane Smoker
Another Masterbuilt smoker we would like to recommend you check out is this 30-inch propane smoker. Built with durable cast iron, this Masterbuilt propane smoker will surely offer you the best value for your money. Smoke any recipe with ease of mind knowing that you never have to worry about heat loss due to improper sealing or too thin construction material when you buy this Masterbuilt 330G smoker. The Masterbuilt 330G smoker is a two-door smoker designed with latches you can use to lock the doors. The upper door gives you access to the four chrome-coated smoking racks that can smoke up to 4 racks of ribs, 2 turkeys, 12 chicken, or 4 pocks butts.
The upper door comes with a viewing glass window that allows you to monitor the cooking progress without opening the door of this smoker. While the other door gives you access to the water pan, wood chip tray, heat diffuser, and burner.
Masterbuilt designed this propane smoker with an adjustable temperature knob and an electronic igniter. This Masterbuilt smoker comes with a temperature sensor and safety valve. The temperature sensor allows this Masterbuilt smoker to maintain the desired temperature, while the safety valve shuts the smoker off automatically if the flame is extinguished. These features are particularly important because it prevents fire hazard. Also, this Masterbuilt smoker comes with a fuel level gauge that lets you know the amount of propane left, ensuring you don’t run out of gas while grilling. And with the four castors, this smoker sits on allows you easily move this grill in and out of your backyard.
- A large front viewing glass window
- Low maintenance smoker
- Sturdy and easy to transport
- Temperature control is not so precise
- Not so easy to assemble
#5. Smoke Hollow PS40B Propane Smoker
The Smoke Hollow PS40B from Masterbuilt is another excellent propane smoker worth checking out. This propane smoker is a portable or mini smoker for a small family looking to get a smoker for personal use or hosting a small get-together. While this smoker is not the biggest in this industry, it features four chrome-coated smoking racks. As such, you can smoke up to 20 chicken, 16 pork butts, 8 racks of ribs, or 4 turkeys on this Smoke Hollow smoker. However, we don’t like that the interior of this smoker is built with cheap paint that melts easily. Nevertheless, you can fix this by coating the interior with heat-resistant paint pre-use.
To ensure there is enough heat covering the whole smoker, Masterbuilt designed it with a stainless steel burner that can produce up to 15,400 BTU of heat. And with the well-designed heat diffuser, you will never have to struggle with regions being too hot or too cold in this smoker. The easy gas control knob lets you easily control the temperature of this smoker, while the push-button ignition provides you with a reliable way to start up the smoker. We love this Masterbuilt smoker particularly because of its durable stainless steel construction forged in such a way that it prevents heat loss. This Smoke Hollow propane smoker also features an adjustable air damper for smoke and moisture control.
- Built-in temperature gauge
- Push-button ignition
- Easy to clean
- Cheap interior paint
#6. Masterbuilt GS30D Propane 2-Door Smoker
The Masterbuilt GS30D is a standout propane smokehouse that delivers the right amount of smoke and heat. Masterbuilt designed this smoker with two doors; the upper door gives you access to the cooking chamber, and the lower door gives you access to the burner, flame diffuser, and wood chip tray. In the cooking chamber, four chrome-coated smoking racks are measuring up to 717 square inches which can hold up to 2 turkeys, 4 pork butt, 4 racks of ribs, or 8 chicken. The wood chip tray and water pan are coated with porcelain. The porcelain and chrome coating says one thing about this smoker, and that is it is very easy to clean up.
Another feature of this Masterbuilt smoker we love so much is that it comes with an adjustable foot latch and inner door liner which helps to keep the heat in. Moreso, Masterbuilt designed this smoker with a flame disk bowl coated with porcelain allowing the flame get to the wood chips and at the same time shield the burner from grease. Equipped in this smoker is a 15,400 BTU stainless steel burner. Also, included in this GS30D is a built-in thermometer, which allows you to monitor the temperature of this smoker. Thanks to the piezo ignition, you can light up the burner easily and quickly.
- Air dampers included
- Cool to touch wire handle
- Lockable door
- Push-button ignition
- Some users report it runs too hot for smoking
#7. PIT BOSS 77425 2.5 Gas Smoker
The Pit Boss 77425 is a thoughtfully designed smoker including two stainless steel burners. Unlike most smokers, Pit Boss designed this smoker with an external access grease tray and wood chip making it easy to clean as well as add more wood chips. Performance-wise, this smoker comes with a dual valve burner system which features 3,500 BTU stainless steel burners dedicated to the wood chip tray and a 10,000 BTU stainless steel burner for the cabinet. As such, this smoker can go as low as 100 degrees and as high as 220 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, this smoker is perfect for semi-cold smoking to smoking a whole flat brisket.
For added convenience, Pit Boss included a push-button piezo ignition system on this smoker giving users an easy and effortless way to start up this smoker. Pit Boss designed the cooking chamber of this smoker with three porcelain-coated racks measuring 676 square inches. And the large front glass viewing window on this smoker makes it easy to monitor smoking progress without opening the door all the time. Smoke with precision thanks to the included thermometer gauge on the door of this smoker.
- Easy to assemble
- Easy to clean
- Quality material
- Dual burners
- A little bit on the small side
Best Propane Smokers Buyer’s Guide
1. Size
One of the first things you ought to check for when buying a smoker is the size. When the size is right, you can easily smoke the right size of meal to go around your family. If you buy a smoker that is too small to fit your needs, it will take more of your time smoking two or more rounds.
2. Power Control
Another feature to look out for is power. The power of a smoker lies in the amount of BTU it comes with. While many people make the mistake of going for a smoker that has the highest BTU, that shouldn’t be all you consider. Since you are smoking food, the smoker you buy must be able to hold a lower temperature perfectly.
3. Easy Clean
Cleaning up after smoking can be a real pain in the ass. But clean-up can be a bit easier if the smoker you have comes with certain features like nonstick surfaces. Smokers with porcelain coating are easy to clean. Also, go for a smoker that features an excellent grease management system.
4. Portability
Lastly, portability should not be neglected. When buying a smoker, a portable one will serve you better as it wouldn’t be so hard to move in or out of your yard. You would also find a portable smoker easy to store.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we hope with this guide of the best propane smokers, we were able to narrow down your options. Take note, when buying a smoker, always choose a smoker with the right size that can feed the number of people you are planning on smoking for. Also, be careful to choose what works best for you. Either you stick to a smoker on the budget side or spend a little more for better build quality and temperature control. In either case, let us know if you have any questions in the comment section below.