If you’re in the market for a smoker and are looking to get started with smoking meat, one of the best options is to buy a vertical pellet smoker. There are many benefits to this type of smoker that make it worth investing in.
A vertical pellet smoker has plenty of space inside which means you can smoke more food at once; there’s less chance for flare-ups because heat rises upward; they’re easier to use than traditional smokers; and lastly, they’re cheaper than other types of smokers like gas or charcoal. Read on to find out more about why buying a vertical pellet smoker may be right for you.
List of 9 Best Vertical Pellet Smoker Reviewed
#1 Pit Boss Grills 77550 5.5 Pellet Smoker, 1548 sq. in Cooking Space
The Pit Boss Grills 77550 5.5 Pellet Smoker provides a large cooking space with innovative technology to take your grilling experience to the next level. With a digital LED readout and meat probe, you’ll be able to monitor temperatures easily and provide even cooking for succulent meats every time. Stay true to authentic flavors with its porcelain coated steel-grates for consistent flavor from cooked food as well as surprisingly even distribution of heat throughout the smoker. This smoker is perfect for those who take their grilling seriously and want proven results without sacrificing fun or flexibility in what they can do!
What we liked:
- Large cooking surface (1548 sq in)
- Heavy duty grilling surface
- Top of the line chip interior with digital LED readout and meat probe
- Never worry about over or undercooking food again!
- 40 lb hopper capacity for added versatility
- Stainless steel handles stay cool during use thanks to temperature control settings on automatic start 300-watt igniter
- Ideal for casual backyard cooking, tailgating, or camping
#2 Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D Heavy-Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker & Grill
The Dyna-Glo Signature Series Heavy Duty Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker & Grill comes with five chrome-plated cooking grates for multiple simultaneous food prep, 1382 square inches of cooking space throughout the large cabinet and smoker helping to fit a wide variety of meats or sides, cool touch spring lid grips that allow you to safely access fuel and food, stainless steel temperature gauge featuring “Smoke Zone” which indicates ideal smoking temperatures. This heavy duty charcoal offset smoker is perfect for competition barbecue teams looking to take their skills up a notch!
What we liked:
- Stainless steel temperature gauge that shows where the ideal smoking temperatures are
- Smoke Zone–shows you when to set the vents for optimal smoke output
- 5 chrome-plated cooking grates, providing more than enough room for food preparation
- 1382 square inches of total cooking space throughout large cabinet and smoker, ensuring you can fit a wide variety of meats or sides
- The wheeled base allows for easy portability before and after use
- Durable, heavy duty construction
#3 Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker
Designed for serious BBQ connoisseurs, the Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Wide Body Charcoal Vertical Offset Smoker offers an impressive 6 cooking grates with 1890 square inches of total cooking space. This appliance is outfitted with a porcelain-enameled steel charcoal chamber, designed to keep briquettes tightly stacked for improved burning efficiency.
For ease of use, there is also a charcoal and ash management system that includes an original design; the stainless steel charcoal chamber allows you to easily maintain this smoker while it sustains 25 pounds per grate in capacity. Perfect for providing hours of maintenance-free smoking on larger cuts like briskets or pork butts with no worries about smoke leakage or constant refilling.
With its vertical design, foods naturally rise in temperature while avoiding direct heat that can ruin your meal. The Dyna Glo features an adjustable smoke stack for additional flavor control as well as a built-in stainless steel thermometer with “Smoke Zone” indicators which show the best smoking temperatures for infusing smoke flavor into food. Built with durable charcoal holders and digital remote thermometers, this smoker will last you years of quality service.
What we liked:
- 6 adjustable heights for the large cooking area
- Large porcelain steel charcoal chamber
- Easily slides out for ash management and cleaning. Also includes stainless steel handles to easily remove ashes when the time comes. The ash pan has space to allow all your heat, smoke, and flavor through.
- This vertical charcoal offset smoker has a built in thermometer and operates with an easy-to-use digital remote control that will adjust cooking temperatures between 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- This unit measures 21 × 43.3 × 50.2 inches, which is large enough for brisket but no too big for limited storage space
#4 Camp Chef XXL Vertical Pellet Grill and Smoker
The Camp Chef XXL Vertical Pellet Smoker is ideal for people who enjoy smoking their own meat but find it difficult to give up the grill. With four meat racks, three jerky racks, and a sausage rack with 12 hooks, you’ll never be short on storage space for your favorite meals inside this smoker.
You can now leave that hickory or mesquite in the pellet grills and start experimenting with new tastes like maple syrup and bourbon oak in your smoker, thanks to all of these smoking options. The digital monitoring system ensures clean and successful barbecuing every time without requiring constant attention.
Keep one eye on our dual meat probes that will give you an accurate read on how everything is cooking inside at all times no matter what. The digital thermostat will let you know when the smoker has enough heat to begin cooking. This smoker comes with a high-quality grill cover so you can keep it out of the weather for even longer. It’s everything you could want in your camp chef smoker and more.
What we liked:
- Four meat racks, three jerky racks, and a sausage rack with 12 hooks.
- An external digital monitoring system for easy temperature control.
- Exterior grill cover is included to protect from the elements.
#5 Louisiana Grills Vertical Pellet Smoker
The Louisiana Grills 7 Series Wood Pellet Vertical Smoker is the world’s most reliable outdoor cooking technology for smoking foods from beef brisket to turkey breast. With an optional side firebox, the Pellet Grill has a massive 2,059 square inches of space. The largest viewing window in its class gives you a peek into your food while it smokes and heats up faster than any other smoker on the market with a vertical design! Expertly engineered with fan forced convection cooking combined with all-natural hardwood pellets for juicy smoked meats roasted to perfection every time.
The smoker has a temperature range between 150 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit which ensures that smoked food stays flavorful and tender, regardless of your preferred cooking style. Plus, with 37 hours’ worth of smoking time, you can go as slow-and-low as you want without running out before serving. With 6 racks and porcelain-coated grids, this grill is also more versatile than any other available on the market today. Get your smoky flavor today!
What we liked:
- Easy to use and easy to clean
- Solid construction made from stainless steel and cast iron
- Vents allow for precise temperature control
#6 Masterbuilt MB20051316 Propane Smoker with Thermostat Control
The Masterbuilt Propane Smoker with Thermostat Control is an ideal smoker for competition cooking or serious backyard cooks who want complete control over their smoking process. This gas powered wood pellet smoker has a sleek electric digital controller so you can select your desired temperature on the fly and easily maintain it thanks to the fully automatic propane tank burner system. With 16 inches of cooking space on four chrome-coated racks, this smoker meets all expectations of professional smokers at an affordable price point.
What we liked:
- You can easily control and monitor your smoker with the convenient electric digital controller, which makes it easy to start, stop, and maintain accurate temperatures.
- This is especially useful for beginners who aren’t familiar with how long different types of meats take to cook or when they need to be pulled from heat.
- The front-load pellet hopper makes it easy to add wood chips without any additional effort. Simply pull the handle back on the lid, drop your pellets into the smoker, and close it. This is one of my favorite accessories because I don’t have to bend over or get on my knees when adding fuel while cooking multiple racks of ribs.
- The chrome-coated racks and built in lid thermometer provide a beautiful appearance and also make it easy to monitor the internal temperature of your food.
#7 Masterbuilt MB20073519 Bluetooth Digital Electric Smoker with Broiler
The Masterbuilt MB20073519 Bluetooth Digital Electric Smoker with Broiler is the perfect choice for anyone who smokes meat, snacks, or fish. The patented side wood chip loading system gets you smoking faster than ever before and the built-in meat probe thermometer assures that your recipes will turn out great every time.
The digital smoker features an innovative design to suit any need. With this smoker’s Bluetooth Smart technology, four chrome-coated smoking racks, temperature control thermostat for even cooking, an LED front panel display screen, and textured powder coated steel housing complete with a removable drip pan… it takes everything you should want in a smoker while making barbecuing easy enough for any novice too!
What we liked:
- The Masterbuilt Digital Electric Smoker with Bluetooth Smart technology allows you to monitor smoker and meat temperatures from up to 300 feet away.
- The side wood chip loading system means you can add chips without having to open the door and losing precious heat.
- An included remote control is joined by a built-in meat probe thermometer for remotely checking the internal temperature of the smoker or meat without opening the door.
- The Digital Electric Smoker is powered by 700 watts and features four chrome-coated smoking racks for holding up to 35 pounds of food at one time.
- A removable drip pan underneath the smoking racks helps keep your electric smoker clean while protecting your countertop from grease drips during use.
- With the Masterbuilt Smart Digital Electric Smoker, you can smoke all day long using the built in automatic wood feed system.
- A large front facing LED display screen on the Masterbuilt Digital Electric Smoker makes programming your smoker easy while an included meat probe helps you monitor smoker and meat temperatures during cooking with ease.
#8 Char-Broil 19202101 Deluxe Black Digital Electric Smoker
The Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Vertical Electric Smoker is the perfect outdoor appliance for those who love to smoke, grill or cook delicious meals. With 725 square inches of internal cooking space and adjustable racks that can be easily removed after smoking, this electric smoker is able to accommodate a wide variety of different meat types. It also comes with insulation and a double wall construction for maximum heat retention – meaning your food will taste delicious.
The digitally controlled heating element continuously monitors the external temperature and automatically adjusts itself to keep your food warm until you are ready to serve, so you can spend less time tending to your food and more time enjoying it with friends and family.
An 8.5 cup capacity ensures that an ample amount of meat will fit comfortably in this smoker, while a 4-cup wood chip capacity provides up to 7 hours of smoke without needing additional fuel sources during a long cook session. Featuring a large LED display for easy temperature setting, a handy stainless steel probe for monitoring cooked meats internal temperatures as well as remaining cooking duration, adjustable shelving inside the unit for maximum airflow around the food, and a quick-release door that makes it easy to clean out any build up of ash.
What we liked:
- Large capacity smoker
- Adjustable shelving for maximum airflow around the food
- Digital control panel for convenience and consistency in cooking
- Stainless steel probe for accurate internal temperature monitoring
- Adjustable racks for a greater variety of meat types (enough to cook an entire turkey!)
- Insulation and double wall construction for maximum heat retention
#9 Char-Broil Vertical Liquid Propane Gas Smoker
The Char-Broil Vertical Gas Smoker will provide a delicious smoky flavor if you ever had it on your barbecue, but now there is no need to keep going outside to tend the fire. This unit features 595-square-inches of cooking space and three adjustable, chrome plated grates that allow you to smoke ribs lamb chops and pork butts with ease. The damper lets you control both the temperature from inside or from anywhere out in the yard, while one of the two conveniently located warming racks gives you more options for keeping sauces warm until they are ready for service.
What we liked:
- The thermometer and the control panel provide accurate readings
- The large cooking space allows you to cook a lot of food at once
- There is enough room for over six racks of ribs
Vertical Pellet Smoker FAQs & Buying Guide
What is a vertical pellet smoker?
A vertical pellet smoker is a type of electric barbecue that can be used for smoking. It works by using electricity to send heat to the pellets inside, which then smoke and cook whatever you put in the smoker.
What features to look for when buying a vertical pellet smoker?
When you are purchasing a vertical pellet smoker, the first thing to look for is whether or not it is made of stainless steel. The stainless steel material will keep rust from occurring on the inside of the device. Stainless steel also helps with making the product more durable and longer lasting than if it was just made out of regular metal.
Another feature that you will want to check for is temperature control. Having temperature control means that you can adjust the heat up or down depending on what type of food you are smoking at the time. If you need your smoker hotter, then this feature is great, but if not, then there is no point in getting it because it will cause energy waste since more electricity is used at a lower temperature.
Another feature that can be beneficial is if the device has casters on it so you can roll the smoker around when you are not using it to prevent it from rusting or corroding.
Benefits of using a vertical pellet smoker
There are many benefits to using a vertical pellet smoker over traditional smokers or grills. One benefit is that they have less flare-ups. This means that there will be no spattering of grease all over the inside of your grill, which means less time spent cleaning up later, more money saved on gas since you are not constantly refilling your tank, and more importantly, less risk of catching yourself or your clothes on fire with an open flame. Vertical pellets are also easier to use because you just have to turn them on, start smoking what you are cooking, and leave it alone until it is finished.
Another benefit of using a vertical pellet smoker is that all the other options will require you to be out there moving it around or checking on it, which means that your food will get cold if you aren’t careful while the heat is still on. With pellet smokers, this isn’t an issue, so once you put your food in there, go back inside where it is nice and warm while the smoke cooks your meat for you.
Types of wood chips used in vertical pellet smokers
There are many types of wood chips that can be used when smoking with a vertical pellet smoker, which is a great benefit of this type of smoker. Some examples of common wood chips that can be used are hickory, applewood, mesquite, and pecan.
How long to cook ribs using a vertical pellet smoker?
In order to learn how long it will take you to smoke meat in a vertical pellet smoker, the best thing to do would be to experiment with different types of meats and different temperatures until you find what works for your preferred taste and don’t forget to keep track of times as well as amounts of pellets used. Your favorite recipes might help too!
Another good way to find out how long it takes to cook something on a specific temperature is by using an internal meat thermometer. You can purchase a meat thermometer at almost any grocery store for a relatively low price and it will take the guess work out of determining when your food is done. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, keep in mind that if you are cooking skinless chicken then 180 degrees should do it, but if you are cooking with skin on then 250 degrees should finish the job.
