The home-made hot smoker is a real find for delicatessen lovers. Smoked meat, fish, various vegetables and even cheese is a real delicacy, and also useful if cooked at home.
For shop products, harmful “liquid smoke” is used. So when you are able to enjoy natural smoked meats – do not miss it. The main task – to choose the right smoker, as well as understand the intricacies of its work.
Why is it hot smoking? It saves time and guarantees excellent results, only a few tens of minutes, and the product is ready. Besides, simple hot smoking machines are perfect for beginners. They need minimal knowledge for their installation and further use.
This overview presents the best drum smokers, among which you will definitely find the right one.
Realcook Vertical 17 Inch Steel Charcoal Smoker
The size of this electrical appliance allows it to be installed in any convenient place. Inside this drum smoker, there is a furnace, which volume is 37.5 liters.
There is no doubt that in such an appliance you can cook a lot of fish or meat. There is enough space even for a big enough company.
Of course, not everyone likes an electric smokehouse. Many people want to get meat, for the preparation of which was used the smoldering of wood chips.
But even such people can’t help but recognize some of the advantages of an electric appliance. In particular, it’s automated. This smokehouse is able to serve briquettes independently, doing it every 20 minutes.
Advantages:
- Perfect assembly
- Reliable operation from the power grid
- Large furnace
- Easy mechanical control
- Automatic feeding of briquettes was implemented
- Cold and hot smoking possible
- Fat collecting tray available
- Equipped with four grids
This model, like many other representatives of this rating, allows regulating the temperature. A largest of 160°C can be achieved. The current parameter can be viewed using a thermometer.
As for food, it is placed on four grids. It is known that fat can be excreted from meat during hot smoking. Here it flows down into a special pallet. It should be noted that this device allows not only hot but also cold smoking.
The process is controlled by mechanical regulators. Besides, the power consumption of up to 500 W is a pleasant emotion. The device has one more advantage.
It consists in the existence of two color options. If you are not satisfied with the standard black smokehouse, you can buy the variant with a colored door. If we talk about the disadvantages, this device has almost none.
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Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 18 Inch Smoker
Our rating couldn’t do without at least one more electric smokehouse.
Such appliances are in demand among buyers because they can be used even on the balcony of an apartment building.
For example, there can find a place for this copy. It has the simplest design. But do not think that this device does not create any smell or smoke at all.
If you can not provide perfect ventilation, it is better to take this model to the cottage. It will look perfect there.
Please note, this is not horizontal, but a vertical construction. The lid with a handle is on the side.
Its opening will allow you to place two long enough grids inside the smokehouse, on which the food is placed. On the floor, the appliance stands with four not very thick legs.
In fact, they are enough to withstand the relatively low weight. Measurements show that the entire structure weighs only 6.7 kg. And that’s even though almost all it is made of steel.
If you use electric smoking, the power consumption is 1,200 watts. This is quite enough for cooking very large amounts of meat and fish.
Advantages:
- Easy to transport
- Comfortable and spacious grids
- Fat collecting tray available
- High power
- The cost is not outrageous
- Smoking on chips is possible
- The smokehouse is very stable
This device can also be used as a regular smokehouse by starting cooking on wood chips. No matter how you spin it, only hot smoking is available to the user. But, many customers do not need more.
Most people do not even know that there is cold smoking. But a lot of people know about the need to collect fat. Luckily, there’s an appropriate tray. It’s easy to empty it. Not all people suspect that there is a serious dignity in a cylindrical smoker.
The smoker will roll down its walls from the top of the device, not fall as droplets on the cooked food. It remains to add that this is one of the most compact drum smokers in this rating.
Such a smoker will fit not only in the rear seats of the car but also in many trunks. But, we still recommend bringing the device to the cottage, where and leave it. Otherwise, each transport risks affecting the cleanliness of the interior or the same trunk.
Barrel House Cooker Smoker BHC 18C
Once you have purchased this rating representative, you will definitely need to invite guests.
As you will soon find out, many cheap drum smokers use wood chips as fuel. This model involves the use of charcoal.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using charcoal. It is easier to get dirty with coal, and it is a bit harder to get it. But it provides a much longer smoldering period.
It allows leaving a smokehouse without supervision for a little bit more long time. As you have already understood, the product can only be hotly smoked.
I’m glad there’s a thermometer – some models can do without it. Practically all construction is made of steel. From very thick steel, as shown by the 24-kilogram weight.
Advantages:
- A handy handle that’s as reliable as possible
- Long service life
- You can use coal
- There’s a thermometer built into the lid
- Safe legs are used
- Insides covered with heat-resistant enamel
- Perfect appearance
Please note that the smokehouse is of a decent size, its transport can cause certain problems. Of course, it has a water tray. Without it, it’s hard to imagine the hot smoking process.
As for coal, it is placed in a special compartment, access to which provides a very large door. Well, the food is cooked on the grates, as it is implemented in other smokers.
By the way, it is not necessary to use coal after all. The manufacturer also allows you to place the usual wood shavings inside the appliance. But the charcoal will be more efficient.
On the ground, the product is as stable as possible. Thank you for this you need three massive legs, also made of metal. The inside of the smokehouse should be noted separately.
They are made of heat-resistant enamel. A quality handle reinforced with fiberglass reinforcement is also used here.
Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D
This rating also includes much more compact drum smokers. After all, not all of them are designed for continuous use in the same place.
There are smokehouses, which are usually taken with you when you go out on nature. Such copy must fit in the trunk of the car.
Such a smoker will not interfere with the case, which would not allow the trunk to get dirty. This smoker differs in size and quality steel construction.
But let’s get acquainted with all the parameters in detail. If your company does not consist of six or seven people, the size of this device you will certainly like.
Advantages:
- It comes with a cover and chips
- The hydraulic gate is used
- Fat collecting tray
- Rugged construction
- Easy transport
There are no electrical components. In fact, the product only consists of sheets of steel. With their help, even a hydraulic gate is realized, without which it is difficult to imagine quality hot smoking.
The wall thickness of the furnace is 2 mm. It seems that this will be quite enough. The big thickness would play into the minus, as it would make the smokehouse too heavy.
I’m glad the smokehouse got a fat collection tray. But a flat lid is not the manufacturer’s best solution. If it was at an angle to the food, the soot wouldn’t fall on fish and meat as droplets.
It doesn’t mean it’s bad, though. You just shouldn’t count on the perfect result of cooking. An experienced chef, he certainly won’t do what you can’t say about ordinary people. The food here has to be on the grill.
Two pieces come with the set. Also in the box with the product, you will find the case, which we already mentioned. It’s khaki-colored. In the smokehouse itself, you will find a nice bonus – a bag with chips.
So, you can start smoking hot food almost immediately after buy. But do not forget that this bag is enough just for once. But, chips – this is one of the cheapest fuels, so do not worry, you certainly do not go bankrupt on the buy of this sawdust.
Cuisinart COS-118
As you may have noticed, most smokers are bunkhouses. That means they have two grids. But there are exceptions to the rule. For example, this smokehouse is a four-story one.
This design is implemented due to the fact that the smokehouse is stretched in height. But, it doesn’t make it huge. But, the smokehouse is very compact.
Its size allows you to put the product in the interior of the car or throw it in the trunk, taking it somewhere at the cottage.
This is the first representative of this rating, made of stainless steel. And it can not be considered merit or a disadvantage.
Though not everyone will like a shiny appearance, it is difficult to argue with it. We are used to the fact that smokehouses are painted black.
Advantages:
- Nice steel case
- Easy transport
- Equipped with four grids
- There’s a tray to collect fat
But, if you forget about the material from which the smokehouse is made, the product has no other shortcomings. The thickness of its walls is 1.5 mm, which does not allow them to deflect when pressed.
At the top of the smoker is a hydro shutter, making the process of meat preparation as correct as possible. The product has also received a tray for fat collection, which is also very pleasing.
This is a very compact model. It is also not very heavy, weight is 11.26 kg. As in other smokers, the food here is placed on the grates. The number of them was mentioned above.
During cooking, the smokehouse is covered with a lid. There is a small problem here. Even two. The lid is flat, which causes condensation at the bottom of the lid.
It gently drips on the meat on the top grill itself. And when you open the lid, the condensate starts pouring from one of the corners. That’s why more expensive smokers are usually rounded or triangular.
Another problem is the handle, also made of metal. As a result, you may need a mitten or glove to open the lid. This model does not have a pipe. The pipe mounted in the lid resembles a kettle spout.
In short, it is not a bad smoker’s shop, the disadvantages of which arise solely from its value. If you first buy a product of this kind, it is quite possible to try to get this model. Even if the smoked food you will not like, you are unlikely to regret the money spent.
Masterbuilt MB20052318
This drum smoker has the usual shape, with a stand consisting of four metal legs already provided. It is polished so that it will reflect the environment.
As a result, the smokehouse looks much prettier in nature. But, it is impossible to call the ideal construction used here. The attentive reader of this rating will certainly pay attention to the flat lid.
It means that condensate will accumulate on it. And the trouble is not even that gradually it will drip on the prepared dish.
This condensate will stream from one of the corners as soon as you lift the lid. But, it is not such a brook, because the size of the smokehouse is minimal.
They make the smokehouse one of the smallest in our selection. But even that’s enough to make fish or meat for a few people. All you have to do is stock up with enough chips, the smoldering of which ensures the hot smoking process.
Advantages:
- Very low weight
- Fits in the trunk of the car
- There’s a case in the kit
- Fat collecting tray
- Sturdy construction
As mentioned above, the body of this product was made of steel. Its thickness is 1.5 mm. A little, but the weight of the smokehouse does not exceed 6 kg.
This smokehouse was created for trips to nature, where it is transported in the trunk of the car. This is hinted at by the cover that comes with the set. It will not let the trunk get dirty with the garbage that remains on the walls of the smokehouse.
As you might have guessed, the food stacks up on the complete gratings. There’s a water shutter on top of the smokehouse. It’s the one that keeps the smoke out of the lid.
There is only one way for it – to a small pipe, which is a few centimeters long. It also has a tray to collect fat. This is a necessary thing, but some smokers still forget about it.
Perhaps it’s not a bad field trip. It’s not bad for those who don’t go to the countryside or a particularly large company. The size of the smoker can feed a couple or three people with children.
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Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18″
It’s another relatively small drum smoker in this rating. This is the second representative of this selection, made of stainless steel.
It beautifully reflects the space around it. But don’t forget that you can see all the scratches on stainless steel, and the number will increase.
The slopes of the cover allow the condensate to flow constantly to the walls of the product.
Drops with it do not get into the food being cooked. And when you take the lid in your hands, the condensate does not start to flow from one of the edges.
In this respect, this smokehouse is much more convenient than many other analogs. Such a smokehouse will often be put in the trunk of the car.
The fact is that this is the best option for an ordinary trip to nature. The product turned out to be heavy. Apparently, due to the thickness of the used steel, which is 2 mm. But it’s not a big deal.
What’s more important is that the smokehouse is equipped with a cover. It won’t let soot and soot get on the trunk walls. Otherwise, it’s a typical smokehouse that uses wood chips as fuel.
Advantages:
- It comes with a cover and a bag of wood chips
- Fat collecting tray available
- Sophisticated lid
- Simple transportation
The package is supplied with it. There is a water shutter between the lid and the main part of the smokehouse.
On the lid itself, you can find not only a handle but also a small pipe through which the smoke escapes. But there is no thermometer here – it is completed with the models for more expensive.
There are certain complaints about the handles. They heat up quickly so that you can often open the lid only with mittens or some gloves. The fact that there is only one pen here also looks strange.
This does not make opening the lid particularly convenient. What else does this model have, except for the grids, which no smoker shop can do without? Perhaps the only thing to note is the fat tray.
FAQ
Where can I install a drum smoker?
A drum smoker should be installed outdoors, especially as it is easy to carry. It is ideal for use in your own home, country cottage or summer cottage.
How much smoke does the drum smoker produce?
Too much to use indoors without a cooker hood. Outdoors, but, the smoke will dissipate quickly and will not bother the neighbors.
How do you adjust the density of smoke?
The intensity of the smoke is regulated by the upper flap. It is recommended to smoke either with the flap open or with the flap fully open in case of large steam emission. Thus, the temperature inside the smokehouse can reach the required level.
What dishes can be cooked in drum smokers?
Fans of poultry and meat dishes will be surprised by the aroma and taste of smoked meat. Beef and lamb ribs, homemade hot smoked sausages, chicken or duck hot smoked, smoked turkey, quail and much more. Fish and seafood lovers will be surprised by the ease of cooking and the extraordinary flavor of hot smoked dishes. For example, salmon, salmon, trout, mackerel, shrimp, mussels and much more. Besides, you can smoke your favorite varieties of cheeses, both soft and hard. As well as various vegetables and mushrooms.