Are Electric Smokers Good? YES! Opinion From an Actual Owner

To say an electric smoker is good is an understatement; They’re awesome.

I’ve been using electric smokers since I was roughly 13 years old.

While I now use different smokers for different types of meat – I still use my electric smoker quite regularly.

Namely for:

• Smoking beef jerky and cheese
• Finishing meats off after smoking on my Weber kettle
• Holding meats overnight

Why Listen to Me?

So, when I was first introduced to grilling and smoking meat, the first grill I learned on was the Weber Kettle.

However, something I really loved was beef jerky and at this stage of my life I didn’t know about dehydrating.

I just wanted a smoker that could maintain really low temperatures (easily), introduce smoke flavor, and smoke my beef jerky – an electric smoker was the perfect fit.

In the past 17 years, I’ve yet to find a smoker that’s as consistent as an electric smoker at maintaining low temperatures (less than 180F).

Just to further “prove” things:

In terms of “receipts” – I’d never be able to locate a physical receipt from 2007, but the last electric smoker I bought was in 2018.

Here’s the purchase receipt on Amazon:

While you don’t have to trust my experience or read my ramblings, I’ve owned and have been actively using electric smokers for almost 17 years of my life.

What Brands of Electric Smoker Exist

To start, there are a couple of different brands that are worth mentioning.

Most notably:

• Masterbuilt
• Bradley
• Smokin Tex’
• Smokin-it

Of these brands, Masterbuilt (often called “MES”) would likely be the first brand that comes to mind.

It’s also the brand I’ve continued to use since I was 13 years old.

Here’s my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker that bought back in 2018:

You might be wondering why I didn’t list brands like Pit Boss, Traeger, Camp Chef, i.e. all pellet grill brands.

This is because pellet smokers require pellets and electricity to function; Without pellets, a pellet smoker won’t work (more or this below).

Where-as an electric smoker only uses an electric heating element to heat the smoker and will function without any other fuel source.

Optionally, you can add wood chips via the wood chip loader and wood chip tray. Again, your heat is not dependent on the wood chips to function.

Pellet Grills aren’t True Electric Smokers

Technically, a pellet grill makes use of electricity to power the grill, however, it isn’t a true “electric smoker” in the sense that you’re only cooking with electricity/joule heating.

Without the inclusion of food grade pellets, a pellet grill won’t work.

Pellet grills use electricity to power things like a combustion fan and igniter rod.

The igniter rod heats up to quite literally ignite the pellets. The combustion fan feeds the burn pot with oxygen.

From there the pellets are continuously fed via an auger mechanism based on the “mode” you’re smoking with.

How Does an Electric Smoker Work then?

Electric smokers work based on what’s called “joule heating.“

Essentially, the electric current passes through the heating element and is met with resistance; As it’s met with resistance, it produces heat.

The heating element is often enclosed and has a tray situated above it which wood chips can be added externally to via a wood chip loader/tube.

This external loading minimizes how often you have to open and close the door.

Often these smokers also include a water pan.

The water pan adds humidity to the smoke chamber and it adds thermal mass.

What Can You Use an Electric Smoker for?

In my opinion, electric smokers are essentially outdoor ovens.

• They’re thermostatically controlled
• They can introduce smoke to food easily via the wood chip tray

Here’s my electric smoker holding my brisket in a foil boat overnight:

My favorite ways to use an electric smoker are:

• Smoking cheese
• Smoking jerky
• Pork ribs
• Holding large cuts of meat for an extended period of time – like brisket, pork butt, etc.

While an electric smoker can add “smoky” flavor to your food – the amount of smoke is pretty mild in the grand scheme of things.

For this reason, I tend to smoke most of my meats on my Weber kettle first with wood chunks and then transfer the meat to my electric smoker to finish off.

At the end of the day, electricity is far cheaper than charcoal and usually when I finish the meats off, they’re wrapped, meaning they won’t take on anymore smoke.

The electric smoker supplies the heat and the time needed to further render connective tissues and collagen.

Electric Smokers are Perfect for Beginners

There are a number of reasons for why an electric smoker would be perfect for a beginner, namely:

• They’re Affordable – Of the smokers out there, they’re one of the most affordable on the market.
• They’re Durable – Again, I’ve bought two in 16 years. The last one I bought was in 2018 and it still runs like the day I bought it.
• They’re simple to use – You simply press a button to set a temperature and the time you intend to smoke and it precisely maintains that temperature for the desired amount of time.
• They Can Maintain Really Low Temperatures – You’d be really hard pressed to find another smoker that can stay below 180F.
• Electricity is Cheap – Of the fuel sources (charcoal, wood, pellets), electricity is the cheapest option.

Even if you find yourself moving on to other smokers, there’s a good chance you’ll come back to your electric smoker.

Even something like replacing parts is fairly straightforward.

Really the only part that will “fail” is the heating element. In today’s world, sourcing replacement parts is super easy.

Even looking online just now while writing this article for a replacement “kit” – it’s $15.

Are there Any Drawbacks?

There are what I’d deem “basic” drawbacks.

As with any electrical device, you need electricity. Without electricity an electric smoker won’t work.

In most cases, these devices are large “chambers” and won’t typically move much. Even still, most come with caster wheels that make moving fairly easy.

As I mentioned above – the “smoke flavor” is pretty mild in the grand scheme of things but it’s still a kiss of smoke that’s palatable.

In most cases, electric smokers will max out at 275F.

Electric smokers won’t produce a worthwhile smoke ring. Granted, all I care about is if I an taste smoke, not if my meat has a “ring” of smoke.

The reason they won’t produce a smoke ring is because the wood chips smolder at a low temperature.

Where-as something like charcoal or wood burn at high enough temperatures to produce Nitric Oxide and Carbon Monoxide; Both of which contribute to smoke ring formation.