Electric vs. Charcoal vs. Propane

One of the big questions one must answer before buying a meat smoker is what kind of fuel you will be burning. There are three types of smokers available: electric, charcoal, and propane. So, how do you pick? I’ll present some of the pros and cons of each type of smoker, as well as the reason I chose the type of smoker I did.

Propane
First of all, every single type of smoker can yield great results. There is just no way around that fact. Because of that, propane smokers can be a great option. Quite obviously they run off a propane tank just like a gas grill will. I don’t have any personal experience with propane smokers, so I can’t tell you the huge upsides or the huge downsides, but here are a few thoughts:

1. It is easier to maintain an even temperature with propane than it is with charcoal. Compared to electric, the temperature maintenance is about the same.

2. You can run out of fuel. This has happened to me on my gas grill, where I run out of gas in the middle of cooking something. Because smoking can take so long, its worth checking your fuel level before each smoke. Because I haven’t used one personally, I can’t estimate how much fuel is used per smoke, but keep that in mind. It isn’t a huge issue, but one to note. A simple fix would be to pick up a propane meter like this. I have one on my grill and it is extremely helpful.

3. Parts can break. Your heat source has the potential to break, which will kill your smoker. Obviously parts can be replaced, but that typically means cost.

One other minor piece of information to consider would be fuel cost. Without knowing how much propane each unit goes through per hour – which is information I searched for but wasn’t able to find – it would be difficult to calculate fuel costs. Just another piece of information to keep in mind.

Electric
Electric smoking, similar to propane smoking, is often considered ‘cheating’ by meat smoking purists. In fact, there aren’t any competitions (at least that I’m aware of) that even allow electric smokers because they are too easy to use. A few points about electric:

1. Easy to maintain a constant temperature (just like propane). This isn’t the case on the very cheap units (Brinkmann, for example, simply plugs in and heats to 225. No control), but the unit I recommend (the Masterbuilt for starters) not only has quality temperature controls, but it is also well insulated to allow you the flexibility to smoke in various types of weather.

2. You need electricity. I know, I know, more earth shattering information from fattybombatty. But just to be fair, if running out of propane is a disadvantage, so also is losing power.

3. Parts can break. Just like propane, electric units can have failures that charcoal smokers just won’t have. Part of this issue can be resolved with a quality unit, and a good warranty, but it is something else to keep in mind.

Charcoal
Ahh charcoal. The purists fuel. Every meat smoker and BBQ’er will tell you that charcoal produces the best flavor. Period. And I wouldn’t disagree. There is a flavor that electric and gas just simply can’t match. A few things about charcoal.

1. Starting a fire can be a pain. Lighting briquettes can be a hassle, and just takes time. This will add about 30-45 minutes to the start of the process.

2. Maintaining a fire is a hassle. When you grill with charcoal, you are talking about a relatively short period of time with food being cooked. With smoking, you need to maintain a low, slow, and consistent heat for the entire time of the smoke. This can be quite cumbersome if you are smoking a cut of meat for 15 hours.

3. The flavor can’t be beat. I won’t challenge the fact that the best darn tasting BBQ you’ll have comes from cooking with charcoal. Heck, some people don’t consider it BBQ if you cook it any other way!

Conclusion
So, whats the right answer? Well, there isn’t one. Like I said in the intro, all three methods of meat smoking can produce amazing food that your friends and family will rave about. Consider what you want out of this hobby. Are you looking for the traditional BBQ event where you spend much of the day outside tending to the food? If so, charcoal might be right for you. Are you looking for an easy solution that you can let cook overnight? If so, propane or electric are great options. Are you looking to eventually dabble in competitions? If so, charcoal is the only option for you. More than anything, I would say choose the type of smoker that works best with how you live.

My decision
I figured I would share why I chose an electric smoker for myself. First off, I was afraid of how hard maintaining a fire sounded with charcoal. I don’t want to be a slave to my meal. I want to be able to put something in the smoker and find it finished several hours later – without babysitting. Its the same reason I have a gas grill. When my wife says she wants steak for dinner, I can easily pull that off after work. With the added time of prepping a fire when using charcoal, it makes me not want to grill as much. I’m more than happy to grill with charcoal over the weekend, or for special events, but it is too much work for me to do regularly.

Similarly with smoking, I want something that allows me the flexibility to live my life, but still enjoy great food. I won’t claim its better than meat smoked over charcoal because I don’t think it is. But I do know its dang good, and everyone who has had it loves it. I can’t really ask for much more than that.

Interestingly enough, I am actually starting to dabble in charcoal grilling and smoking as of late, and I am excited to apply my knowledge of smoking learned through electric smoking to charcoal based smoking. Like I said, there is no right answer, and each option has its own benefits and drawbacks.

I do know this, good food is good food, no matter how its cooked!