The Best Smokers of 2026

Start with the Traeger Ironwood 885 if you want the largest cook space on this list and the least fire tending. It has 885 square inches of grate space, a 20 pound pellet hopper, an insulated dual-wall body, and WiFi app control through Traeger’s WiFIRE system, and it runs $1,399.99. That combination is why it comes out on top of this list on temperature stability and capacity, the two most heavily weighted criteria here.

If $1,399.99 is more than you want to spend, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 22-Inch at $549.00 is the better buy for most people who mainly smoke ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket on weekends. It has no WiFi and no digital controller, just charcoal and four aluminum dampers, but Weber backs the porcelain-enameled bowl, lid, and center section for 10 years. For one cooker that also sears and griddles, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 ($899.99) runs 225 degrees F to 700 degrees F off an app-controlled charcoal hopper. The Z Grills 700D4E ($959.00) is the most compact WiFi pellet grill of the four, with 697 square inches and two included meat probes. Every price, spec, and recall note below comes from the brand’s own published pages, the CPSC’s saferproducts.gov database, and named third-party sources where they exist, not from cooking on these units ourselves. Full method: /how-we-score/.

How we picked

We weighted five criteria the way a working pitmaster actually cares about them: temperature stability at 30 percent, capacity at 20 percent, build and insulation at 15 percent, fuel and ease of use at 15 percent, and 3-year cost at 20 percent. Prices and specs came from Weber.com, Traeger.com, Masterbuilt.com, and ZGrills.com, all checked on Sep 16, 2026. We ran a recall check for every pick against the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s saferproducts.gov database under both “smoker” and “pellet grill.” For independent measurements, we checked Consumer Reports’ pellet grill ratings and TechGearLab’s charcoal grill testing for the public, non-paywalled parts that name a specific model. These picks are researched from published specs and certification databases, not tested in our own lab. Full method: /how-we-score/.

What to look for

• Cooking area for your group: under 500 square inches feeds 4 to 6 people comfortably. 700 to 900 square inches, like the Masterbuilt, Z Grills, and Traeger here, fits a full brisket, a rack of ribs, and a pork shoulder at the same time.
• Warranty on the body or firebox, in writing: look for at least 2 years. Weber backs the Smokey Mountain’s bowl, lid, and center section for 10 years. Masterbuilt covers the Gravity Series 800 for 1 year.
• Temperature range you will actually use: almost all smoking happens at 225 degrees F to 275 degrees F. Only pay for a 700 degree F ceiling, like the Masterbuilt’s, if you also want to sear steaks on the same cooker.
• Hopper or fuel capacity for unattended time: the Traeger’s 20 pound pellet hopper and the Z Grills’ rated 28 hours per fill are both built, per the brands’ own specs, to cover an overnight cook without a refill.
• Electronics versus manual control: a WiFi app and auger motor add convenience and also add a part that can fail in the rain or a power outage. The Weber Smokey Mountain has none of that to fail.
• 3-year all-in cost, not just the sticker price: add any documented electricity or consumable cost before comparing two smokers that look close on price alone. If your patio layout is still an open question, our /grills-patio/ guide covers the rest of the space.

FAQ

What size smoker do I need for a family of four?

Look for at least 450 to 550 square inches of primary cooking area. The Weber Smokey Mountain 22-Inch has 726 square inches across two stacked grates, which is enough for a family of four with leftovers, and it starts at $549.00.

Is a pellet smoker easier to use than a charcoal smoker?

Yes, for temperature holding. Pellet grills like the Traeger Ironwood 885 and Z Grills 700D4E use a PID controller and a WiFi app to hold a set temperature automatically. A charcoal bullet smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain holds temperature through vent position and a water pan, which takes more attention from the cook, especially in the first hour.

Do any of these four smokers have open safety recalls?

No. A CPSC saferproducts.gov search under “smoker” and “pellet grill,” run on Sep 16, 2026, turned up past recalls on other Masterbuilt LP gas and electric smoker models and on Traeger’s Scout and Ranger portable pellet grills. None of those recalls match the Weber Smokey Mountain 22-Inch, Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800, Z Grills 700D4E, or Traeger Ironwood 885 picked here.

What is the difference between a bullet smoker and a gravity-fed smoker?

A bullet smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain stacks a water pan and cooking grates inside a vertical charcoal drum with no electronics involved. A gravity-fed smoker like the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 uses a digital fan to control airflow into a hopper of charcoal below the cook chamber, which holds a set temperature with less manual adjustment than a bullet smoker needs.

How much does it cost to run a smoker beyond the purchase price?

It depends on the fuel and how often you cook. None of the four brands here publish an official pellet or charcoal consumption rate, so the only documented 3-year running cost in this article is the Traeger Ironwood 885’s controller and auger electricity: about $35.37 over 3 years, assuming 2 hours of active cook time a day at $0.17 per kWh on its published 95 watt draw.