Using a smoker to smoke your beef, mutton, pork, chicken, or whatever you want to smoke, gives your food a better taste. However, getting the best smoker is quite expensive. Even if you don’t want to spend so much money on a smoker, you can get something pretty decent to handle your smoking. So, if you have a budget of, let’s say $250 to $300 then this article is for you.
We’d be reviewing 10 of the best smoker under 300 you can get with their features, pros, and cons. We understand how you value your space, and how the local law in some states may restrict the use of real charcoal grills, so the grills we’d be reviewing cover electric smokers, gas smokers, and even real charcoal grills. Later in this article, we’d introduce you to a buying guide section where we would talk about the importance of some features in a smoker you should not compromise. After saying that, let’s get right into the review straight away.
Review Summary
Editor Choice: Masterbuilt MB20073519 MES 130P
An excellent electric smoker that comes with Bluetooth smart technology for convenience in monitoring the temperature.
Best Overall: Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Charcoal Smoker
Offering two cooking racks and a silicone thermometer gauge for monitoring the temperature, this smoker gives you the right juicy smoked food.
Best Value: Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker
The Dyna-Glo DGO1880BDC-D offers you a pretty decent amount of space for smoking.
Gas Smoker: PIT BOSS 77435
If you need a portable gas smoker with a large view area and a high temperature range then go for this Pit Boss 77435.
Cast Iron Gas Smoker: Dyna-Glo DGW1235BDP
Two dual burners and up to 4 adjustable cooking grates z you’re good to go for smoking and grilling all you want.
Char-Broil Smoker: Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Smoker
The TRU-Infrared technology and 25 pound drum capacity makes this smoker perfect for a uniform smoking.
Offset Charcoal Smoker: Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D
Built with heavy-duty steel and up to five chrome coated cooking grates.
Best Smoker Combo: Dual Fuel Combination Charcoal/Gas Grill
Get this dual fueled gas and Charcoal grill that’s built with nothing less than value for your money.
Wood Pellet Smoker: Z Grills ZPG-450A Wood Pellet Smoker
The Z Grills is an ideal electric smoker with auto temperature control.
Best Char-Broil Smoker: Char-Broil 19202089 Barrel Drum Smoker
A charcoal grill looking like a barrel drum and is built with heavy duty material for durability and longevity.
Top 10 Best Smoker under $300 Review 2022
#1. Masterbuilt MB20073519 MES 130P – Editor Choice
Features:
- Product Dimensions: 19.88 x 20.66 x 33.46 inches
- Bluetooth Smart technology
- Built-in meat probe thermometer
- Patented side wood chip loading system
The Masterbuilt MB20073519 is an electric smoker built with innovation and creativity to help you make smoking a breeze. Even though it’s an electric smoker, it comes with a wood chip box that would produce real smoke to give your food that real smoky flavor. Adding wood to the chips is also quite easy as all you need to do is slide the wood chips tray from the side of the smoker, and you’re good to go.
It also comes with a thermostat temperature control, which is more like a must feature for an electric smoker to help ensure the temperature stays consistent at your fixed temperature throughout the smoking period. It also has a digital screen at the top of the smoker, which is a nice feature that lets you do a lot more controlling of how the smoker should behave. What even makes this product even more interesting is that it comes with Bluetooth smart technology.
The Bluetooth smart technology of the MB20073519 gives you the luxury to regulate and monitor the smoker’s temperature with ease and also power the smoker on or off. The smoker is well-designed with four chrome-plated racks for placing what you want to smoke. There is even a glass screen added to the door of the smoker, which lets you see what you are smoking since you shouldn’t have to open the smoker all the time, so you don’t let the heat out. What we also love so much about this smoker is that it doesn’t occupy so much space as it is only 30 inches and weighs about 60 pounds. This grill is a perfect choice if you’re going to be feeding a large crowd, and you’d need to smoke different things.
- Bluetooth smart technology for control and easily changing temperature
- Budget-friendly
- Comes with a digital screen
- It’s a bit heavy to move
#2. Weber 711001 Smokey Mountain Charcoal Smoker – Best Overall
- Product Dimensions: 31.4 x 14.75 x 14.75 inches
- Cooking Area: Total 286 square inches
- Plated steel cooking grates
- Built-in lid thermometer
The 711001 Smokey Mountain Cooker is another nice smoker from Weber. Weber is one of the industry’s largest producers of an actual real charcoal smoker. And this model is no exception to the magical innovation from Weber. The 711001 is a 14-inch charcoal smoker that looks like a barrel. It is an excellent smoker you can also use as a grill. In other words, it’s more like you’re using one stone to kill two birds. This smoker also provides you with a decent amount of cooking area in its two large cooking racks. Don’t worry; it’s durable racks steel that can last longer than you think. This smoker also comes with a nice silicon temperature gauge, which helps in monitoring the temperature inside the smoker.
We understand that charcoal smokers can be a pain when it comes to igniting or keeping the fire up. But this model comes with a nice easily accessible charcoal that makes it easy to add wood and charcoal and give you just about enough space to ignite the charcoal quickly. This smoker is built with durability in mind as its bodywork is mainly Cast Iron raw material, coated with porcelain, which makes it rust and peel resistant, and it’s a cool feature. So, if you’re looking for an excellent affordable charcoal smoker that can offer you an ample amount of space to cook for an annual get together, then Weber 711001 is a perfect choice for you.
- Durable and built with steel and porcelain-coated cast iron
- Comes with a silicone temperature gauge
- An ample amount of space for a grill, with its two large racks
- It is not easy to move around
#3. Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker – Best Value
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 43.3 x 50.2 inches
- Cooking Area: Total 1,890 square Inch
- 6 height-adjustable cooking grates
- Stainless temperature gauge
We’re pretty sure the name Dyna-Glo does not sound foreign to you at all. And if you’re hearing the name for the first time, they are known for their outstanding quality and impeccable grills and smokers. The DGO1890BDC-D is an offset charcoal smoker from Dyna-Glo. The offset engineering of this model is impeccable since the heat from the charcoal isn’t what cooks the meat, but the hot smoke. In other words, you get nice juicy and well-cooked meat at the end of the day. This model of a smoker from Dyna-Glo is durable and built to last with pure cast iron, this smoker can last for decades, and you might even end up willing it to your grandchildren.
This smoker also offers enough cooking area since the offset charcoal chamber doesn’t have to take up space where meat is supposed to stay. There are up to six cooking grates in this cooking, which is more than enough to smoke meat for a big family. These six cooking grates total a sum of 1890 square inches, which makes this grill one of our favorite offset charcoal smokers in this review. The Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D also comes with a nice temperature gauge on its door. This thermometer is perfect for monitoring the temperature inside the grill. You don’t have to open the door all the time when you can easily make use of the smoker chimney to regulate the temperature inside when you notice the temperature is increasing too much. And most importantly, this smoker is super affordable.
- Very affordable
- Up to six cooking grates which give you the freedom to smoke all you want
- Comes with a charcoal grate, which makes it easy to clean up.
- Pretty heavy and hard to move around
#4. PIT BOSS 77435 – Best Gas Smoker Under $300
Features:
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 23 x 47 inches
- BTU: Total 12,500 BTU’s, Stainless Steel burners
- Cooking Area: Total 800 square inch
- Push-button piezo ignition system
If you’re particularly in a state where using an actual charcoal smoker is kind of like breaking the law, then the Pit Boss 77435 is a smoker just for you. It is portable, doesn’t occupy a lot of space, and will still offer you an ample amount of cooking space. The Pit Boss 77435 is a gas grill that comes with up to three cooking grates that offer up to 8000 square inches of cooking space. It has porcelain-coated cooking grates, which makes it super durable to last long. Another thing you’d love about this smoker is that it comes with a large glass viewing window on its door. So, the regular opening of the smoker’s door just to take a peep at what you’re smoking can be avoided.
The door of this smoker also holds a temperature gauge, letting you monitor the temperature closely. Furthermore, there is an igniter button on this smoker, which you can easily push to ignite the smoker. We also understand that it can be pretty challenging to regulate the temperature of a gas smoker. Still, Pit Boss did an excellent job with the knob controller of this smoker that can control the temperature between 100 – 350 degrees. This gas smoker can also deliver a real smoky flavor to your meat because it has an easily removable slide wood chip box right beneath the door. So, with the Pit Boss 77435, you can smoke your food easily, get the nice smoky flavor you want and not have to break any law or spend hours cleaning up the mess of charcoal ash.
- An ample amount of cooking space with its three porcelain-coated cooking grates
- Easy to use with its igniter button and easy to control knob
- Offers a glass viewing window on its door
- Temperature gauge for easily monitoring the temperature inside the smoker
- Doesn’t have wheels which makes it quite challenging to move around
#5. Dyna-Glo DGW1235BDP – Best for Cast Iron Gas Smoker
- Product Dimensions: 20.35 x 31.28 x 49.71 inches
- BTU: Total 20,000 BTU’s, dual cast iron burners
- Cooking Area: Total 1,235 square inches
- 4 adjustable cooking grates
This smoker is another excellent gas smoker from Dyna-Glo. It’s a perfect smoker for beginners and pros. This superb smoker from Dyna-Glo built with precision and durability in mind. Most of its bodywork comes with cast iron, which gives it its sturdy look. Although it uses gas, it also comes with a large wood chip box that produces real smoke to give your food that nice aroma. Dyna-Glo was thoughtful in this model to add a large water bowl that you can use to tender your meat to make it juicy with maximum smoke flavor. And with the two burners at the bottom of this smoker, you can expect nothing more getting a high temperature as you’d like that would spread evenly.
This Dyna-Glo DGW1235BDP-D also comes with a large cooking area that’s quite versatile. It has a total cooking area of up to 1235 square inches with four adjustable cooking grates. There is also a hanger on the roof of the smoker where you can hand up to eight hot dogs, or whatever you want to hand and smoke. On its door, there is a temperature gauge, which makes it easy to monitor the temperature inside the smoker with ease. This smoker also features a nice ignition button, which makes it easy to light up the smoker. And the bottom line is that this is an excellent smoker for a big family or a small restaurant.
- Quite sturdy with its cast-iron bodywork
- Dual cast iron burner lets you get enough heat that spreads evenly
- Temperature gauge on its door for monitoring the temperature
- Quite heavy and with no wheels, it’s quite difficult to move it around.
#6. Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Smoker Roaster & Grill
Features:
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 23.4 x 36.2 inches
- Cooking Area: Total 180 square inch
- Stainless steel smoker box
- TRU-Infrared technology
What makes the Char-Broil smoker make our list is that it is super easy to use to smoke, roast and grill. The ergonomic design of this gas smoker that makes it look like a barrel drum is impeccable as it is capable of keeping inside the smoker hot. In other words, you get to smoke quite faster than most smokers. This smoker also comes with the TRU-infrared technology, which even makes this smoker lovelier. Its TRU-infrared technology lets this smoker provide you with evenly spread heat, so you get juicy with no flare-ups in your food.
It is a perfect smoker for smoking ribs, turkey, beef, and chicken, amongst others. This Char-Broil gas smoker also comes with a slide in a wood clip tray, which lets you give your food actual smoky flavor. There is also pretty much enough space in this smoker than can hold up to 25 pounds of meat without the cooking grate. And if you want to make use of the cooking grate, it offers up to 1200 square inches.
- It’s portable
- The TRU-infrared technology which ensures your food gets evenly cooked
- Doesn’t have a temperature gauge to monitor the temperature of the smoker
#7. Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D – Best Offset Charcoal Smoker
- Product Dimensions: 45.5 x 24.9 x 58.8 inches
- Cooking Area: Total 1,382 square inches, primary space 1,098 square inches, offset grill space 284 square inches
- Heavy gauge steel body construction
- Analog temperature gauge
The Dyna-Glo Signature Series is a heavy-duty charcoal grill excellently built for longevity. It comes with basically everything you’d need in a charcoal grill. This model is quite versatile as you can use it to smoke and grill, so it saves you money from buying a smoker and a grill separately. Let’s start from the bottom to the top; this smoker bodywork is built mainly with durable, heavy-duty steel. It has wheels which makes it easy to move the smoker because it is pretty heavy. It also comes with an offset smoker with an easy to pull out ash collector, making it easy to clean up after smoking or grilling.
There is also a temperature gauge on the door of this smoker, which makes it super easy to monitor the temperature of this smoker. It also offers an ample amount of space to smoke your food that totals up to 1382 square inches. It comes with up to five chrome-coated cooking grates and also a hanger at the roof of the smoker for hanging hot dogs, or whatever you want to smoke while hanging it.
- Temperature gauge for monitoring the temperature
- Versatile as you can use it for smoking and roasting
- Five cooking grates and a hanger on its roof
- Makes use of charcoal which is a bit of a pain to ignite
#8. Dual Fuel Combination Charcoal/Gas Grill – Best Smoker Combo
- Product Dimensions: 49.75 x 28 x 64 inches
- BTU: Total 24,000 BTUs, 3 stainless steel tube burners
- Cooking Area: Total 557 square inches, 262 square inches charcoal, 295 square inches gas
- Painted steel control panel
The Blossomz dual fuel combination of charcoal and gas is the definition of perfection. Now, with this grill, you don’t have to ask yourself the question of if a charcoal grill or gas grill is best for you. You can easily get this grill, and get the luxury of enjoying well-grilled food either with charcoal or gas. This grill comes with two sections, one uses charcoal, and the other uses gas. On the gas side, there are three burners which all use integrated ignition making it easy to start up. Two of the burners are for grilling your food, while the last one is a side burner. On the charcoal grill side, there is a charcoal grate you can pull out and add the charcoal, and it has an ash collector underneath it, making it super easy to clean after grilling or smoking.
This grill from Blossomz offers enough cooking space and a warming rack to let you get through your day to day grilling processes. Both the charcoal and gas grill provides a total of 557 square inches of cooking area. On the charcoal side, you have up to 262 square inches, and on the gas side, you can grill on its 295 square inches. As for its warming rack, you have a total of 188 square inches; 89 square inches is on the charcoal grill side, while the 99 square inches is on the gas grill side. Besides, this grill comes with two wheels, which makes it easy to move it around.
- It a dual grill that offers you the freedom to choose between charcoal grill or gas grill
- It’s easy to move around with its two wheels
- It takes a lot of time to assemble
#9. Z Grills ZPG-450A Wood Pellet Smoker – Best for Wood Pellet Smoker
- Item Dimensions: 45.00 x 28.00 x 49.00 inches
- BTU: Total 25,000 BTU’s per hour
- Cooking Area: Total 452 square inches
- Electronic auto ignition
The Z Grill ZPG-450A is a well-designed electric grill that offers you the freedom to grill, smoke, braise, roast, bake, and barbeque. It is durable and built with stainless steel, which doesn’t only make it look great but long-lasting. This grill comes with a nice wood pellet box at the side of the smoker, which lets you get that real smoky aroma into your food. It’s very easy to operate as it comes with an auto state ignition switch, a digital temperature control system with LED. You can regulate the temperature between 180 degrees Fahrenheit and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike charcoal smokers, this smoker is super easy to clean with its waste oil and ash collector beneath.
The Z Grill ZPG-450A comes with an ample amount of space for grilling. It offers a total cooking area of up to 450 square inches, which can hold up to 15 pounds of meat. It comes with two cooking areas; the main cooking area, which is close to the heat source, and the second cooking area just above the main cooking area. This smoker also comes with two wheels, which makes it easy to move the smoker in and around the yard with ease. It also comes with a three years warranty ensuring you get nothing less than what you paid.
- Easy to use electric grill and smoker
- Super easy to clean up
- It gives your food a real smoky flavor with its wood pellet box on its side
- Easy to move around as it comes with two wheels
- It quite tricky and takes a lot of time to assemble
#10. Char-Broil 19202089 Barrel Drum Smoker – Best Char-Broil Smoker
- Product Dimensions: 30.28 x 25.35 x 43.3 inches
- Cooking Area: Total 630 square inches
- 2 Porcelain Coated Cooking Grates
- Unique airflow control system
Last on our list is the Char-Broil 19202089 smoker that looks like a barrel drum. Unlike other barrel drum smokers we reviewed in this list, this one has two large wheels, which makes it super easy to move around. The Char-Broil 19202089 is excellent for smoking and grilling. This charcoal grill is a heavy-duty steel construction smoker that is durable and ensures you get value for your money. It comes with an oversized charcoal basket, which lets you add pretty much enough charcoal, so you don’t need to check the charcoal level now and then. There is also a removable ash pan coated with porcelain, which helps with the ash management, making clean-up a breeze.
The Char-Broil 19202089 also comes with two porcelain-coated cooking grates that offer enough space to grill or smoke your vegetables, whole chicken, or even turkey. It also comes with meat hangers that can conveniently hang on its sidebar when it’s not in use. There is also a temperature gauge at the side of this smoker. The smoker is a nice added feature to help monitor the temperature of the smoker. It also makes use of a unique airflow control system with a sealed lid for precise temperature management.
- Versatile as you can use it as a smoker or grill
- Two large wheels making it easy to move
- Temperature gauge makes it easy to monitor the temperature
- Decent smoker, but they have a poor customer service
Buying Guide for Best Smoker Under $300
Analyze Your Budget
You may not have thought about it, but your budget is the major determiner of the quality of smokers you can get. So, before you head to the store to get a smoker, it would help if you would have a budget. At any point, if you ever get too confused, you could easily ask the store owner to point out smokers that are within your budget. But if you don’t have a budget, you might end up getting a smoker that’s worth thousands of dollars and you might not need all its features.
Types of Smoker
Another critical question you need to ask yourself is what type of smoker is best for you. There are about four different types of smokers we talked about in this review – the electric smoker, pellet smoker, gas smoker, and charcoal smoker. Many grill enthusiasts have also had a continual argument on which type of smoker is the best. But one thing you should get straight is that there is no best smoker, they all come with their advantages and disadvantages. What matters is that you go for a type of smoker that has all the right advantages you like and disadvantages you can cope with, and you’re good to go.
Cooking Area
The amount of cooking area also matters because if you’d be smoking a lot, then you need to get a smoker with a large cooking area. The amount of rack also matters, and if you can remove the rack or not, it also matters. Also, check the material used to make the cooking area if it is durable and would last you for an extended period. Most times, the cooking area of smokers is of stainless steel making, which is a nice material to use because it is more like an anti-stick.
Dimensions and Weight
Also, check the weight and dimension of the smoker. Most smokers are known to be very heavy and hard to move around. Depending on what you want, but a smaller smoker would be easier to move around. On the other hand, a more significant smoker would give you more room to smoke, but it would be more hectic to move it around. A smoker weighing less than 50 pounds is ideal, easy to move around, and still offers you a decent amount of space for smoking.
Temperature Control
Temperature control is very important when it comes to smokers. Because smokers tend to take a lot of time to cook your food, the temperature at which it does it is very important. Some smokers also come with a thermometer for monitoring the temperature. And to regulate the temperature, you can use its ventilation vent to let out the excessive heat for an ideal temperature.
Easy Assemble
Last but not least, the ease at which you can assemble the smoker helps save you time. Smokers can be very complex, depending on the type of smoker. Charcoal smokers are the easiest to assemble, followed by gas smokers and lastly, electric smokers. Electric smokers and gas smokers are very clean to use and don’t end up stressing you when it comes to cleaning after grilling and smoking. But charcoal smokers, on the other hand, cause a lot of ash problems, which can be a bit of pain to clean. People who are new to the whole idea of using a smoker may find it a bit difficult to assemble some smokers. Most times, you may need to disassemble the entire smoker for cleaning. So, before going ahead to purchase a smoker, you may want to ensure you know how to couple it and how easy you may find it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, smokers are nice and give your food a nice smoky aroma you’d love. We’ve reviewed the 10 best smoker under 300 for 2022. Figuring out which model of these smokers will best meet your needs depends on a whole lot of things. We also didn’t limit our picks to one type of smoker but tried as much as we can to offer you different types of smokers there are on the market. These smokers are all budget-friendly, and the best part is that it comes with so many features that make it ideal. Gas, electric, and charcoal smokers are the most popular types of smokers on the market. In buying a charcoal smoker, your budget is very important. Charcoal smokers are great, but their prices can go as high as $500 or even higher.
If we must recommend a particular model of a smoker, then it would be the Masterbuilt MB20073519 MES 130P Bluetooth Digital Electric Smoker. This Masterbuilt smoker is durable and built with high quality. Its Bluetooth control even makes this smoker stand out the most. It’s so easy to control the temperature inside the smoker because you don’t have to stand up to monitor the temperature continually. Its added glass window also makes it super easy to see what you’re smoking without opening the smoker.