BEST OVERALL
When you imagine a smoker, I bet you picture a traditional horizontal drum design.
However, there are some great vertical smokers on the market, and their unusual shape does have its advantages (more on this soon!)
So, if you’d like to know why you should consider a vertical smoker and learn more about the best vertical smokers we have cooked with across various fuel types, read on!
UPDATED NOV 12, 2026: We’ve removed two Camp Chef smokers that are no longer available, and we’ve added the just-released recteq Staq 1900 as one to watch.
Our favorite vertical smokers
We test every smoker with long cooks like pork shoulder, watching temperature stability, smoke leaks, and fuel use. Then we keep cooking on it and read what owners say in the comments.
Fuel type changes the experience most. Pellet runs the fire for you, charcoal gives the deepest flavor if you’ll manage the vents, and propane is the easiest to set and leave. Pick how hands-on you want to be first, then the model.
1. Best Overall – Grilla Grills Mammoth Vertical Pellet
Read our full Grilla Mammoth review.
The Mammoth is Grilla’s big vertical pellet smoker, and it’s the most heavy-duty build in this guide. If you want maximum capacity without giving up much patio space, start here.
First off, there’s the sheer amount of food you can fit in this pit. You get 1600 square inches of cooking space spread over five stainless steel racks. Unlike a lot of smokers which offer huge numbers, this space is actually usable as there are extra levels that allow you to adjust the height of each rack to accommodate different meats.
You would think a grill this size would be a pellet hog, but when we ran it for more than 24 hours smoking two pork butts, we found the 40LB hopper was still more than half full!
The excellent efficiency comes from the double-walled insulation and heavy-duty build quality. Virtually no smoke leaks out of the door.
Everything we have cooked on the Mammoth has come out with amazing bark and excellent smoky flavor.
What we like:
- Pellet efficiency – After a 22-hour pork butt cook, the 40 lb hopper was still half full.
- Double-wall insulation – The door seals tight and almost no smoke leaks out.
- Usable cooking space – You get 1,600 square inches over five racks, and you can set the rack heights to suit what you’re cooking.
- Real smoke flavor – We got deep bark and a solid smoke ring, with or without wrapping.
What we don’t like:
- A little loud – You can hear the fan from inside the house.
- Adding wood chunks is awkward – You have to open the whole cabinet to add wood.
- App connection issues – We couldn’t get the app connected during testing.
Grilla Grills Mammoth Vertical Pellet Smoker
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4.3
Our verdict: If you cook for a crowd or love overnight cooks, the Mammoth is the vertical pellet smoker to beat. It's built like a tank, holds its smoke and is efficient burning pellets.
2. Best Value – Weber Smokey Mountain
Read our full Weber Smokey Mountain review.
The
The benefit of the Smokey Mountain is that it’s simple to use, incredibly well built, and comes in three sizes to suit your space requirements.
The 18″ is the sweet spot for most people. While the 22″ gives you a lot more capacity, you’ll use a lot more charcoal, so it only makes sense if you’re actually going to use extra space.
Charcoal water smokers, like the Bullet, are split into three sections. The fuel pan in the bottom provides heat and smoke using charcoal and wood chunks.
The central smoke chamber holds the food being smoked and the water pan, which maintains a stable smoking temperature and adds humidity.
The top of the Bullet houses the temperature gauge and an exhaust damper that, along with the intake damper in the base, controls the airflow.
This simple three-part system makes the Bullet very user-friendly and ideal for newer pitmasters.
What we like:
- Simple and easy to use – The
Weber Smokey Mountain is a great choice for someone new to smoking, but is just as useful for seasoned pitmasters.
- Great tasting – The combination of charcoal and wood gives food smoked in a
Weber Smokey Mountain a fantastic authentic flavor. Different wood chunks can be used to adjust the flavor profile of the smoke to suit the food you’re smoking.
- Multiple sizes – The Smokey Mountain comes in three different sizes, so it’s easier to find one to suit the space you have available.
What we don’t like:
- Takes some effort to control – The WSM performs much better than some cheap charcoal smokers, but it still requires some effort to keep your temperature dialled in throughout a long cook.
The Smokey Mountain lives up to its reputation for great quality and ease of use. A great choice for a new pitmaster, it remains an excellent smoker no matter how experienced you are.
Weber 18" Smokey Mountain Charcoal Smoker
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4.8
Pros:
- Beginner friendly
- Excellent smoke flavor
- Small footprint
Cons:
- Reloading charcoal awkward
- Water pan can be a pain
3. Best Vertical Smoker for Long Cooks – Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Pro
Read our full Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Pro review.
The Bronco Pro is a larger version of the popular drum smoker from Oklahoma Joe’s. The Pro is marketed toward competition pitmasters, but it also makes an excellent backyard smoker.
The Bronco sets itself apart from many other vertical-style smokers with an attached side table, included in the base price. This is nice to have, so you can set your meat down before maneuvering it onto the smoker.
I also think it’s an incredibly good-looking unit. Out of the 10+ grills and smokers I’ve got at my house the Bronco Pro gets more comments than anything else. You can get it in orange or black if you want something a little less striking.
You get an extra-large charcoal basket which allows for up to 15 hours of continuous cooking.
While charcoal smokers tend to require a steeper learning curve than pellet, gas, or electric, the Bronco makes it easy with the adjustable dampers for temperature control and a built-in thermometer.
The built-in temp gauge is much better quality than you usually see. It lets you know if you are in the Smoke or grill temperature range, and even glows in the dark for those long overnight cooks.
What we like:
- Easy temperature control – Most charcoal smokers leave you guessing, while the Bronco gives you marked levels on all dampers so you can set them consistently between cooks.
- Portable – Wheels aren’t standard on many drum smokers, but you get them here.
- Side shelf – Comes in super handy when you need to take meat on or off the smoker.
What we don’t like:
- Adding more charcoal – While you shouldn’t need to add charcoal during a cook, if you find you need more, you’ll have to take all the grates out first.
Oklahoma Joe’s updated the standard Bronco in 2025. It now has a side fuel door, so you can add charcoal without pulling the grates, which fixes the main thing we don’t like about the Pro. We still pick the Pro, though. Its 21.5-inch grate gives you 366 square inches against the standard Bronco’s 284.
Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Pro Drum Smoker
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Our verdict: The Bronco Pro is the drum smoker we'd pick if you want competition-level capacity without fussing over dampers. The marked vents make temperature control easy, it held a steady pit through long cooks for us, and the big charcoal basket gets you through an overnight cook without a refuel.
4. Best Propane Smoker – Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL Propane Smoker
Read our full Masterbuilt MPS 340/G ThermoTemp review.
The primary benefit of a propane smoker is its reliability and affordability. Using a propane smoker makes it far less fiddly to maintain a consistent temperature, and both the smoker and propane are comparatively cheap and readily available.
While pellet grills have caused them to decline in popularity, the fact that you’re able to burn larger wood chunks allows for more smoke flavor.
The standout feature on the Masterbuilt MPS 340/G is the thermostatic temperature control, which makes it easier to maintain a far more consistent smoking environment.
The temperature ranges from 180°F to 350°F, which is low enough for low-and-slow cooking but hot enough to get good, crisp skin on a chicken.
The MPS 340/G has 960 square inches of cooking space across four racks, although with the spacing don’t expect to be using all of that when smoking larger items like turkey.
The 5,7500 BTU burner and the wood chip tray are in their own cabinet beneath the smoking chamber, so you can add more chips without letting heat and smoke out.
What we like:
- New thermostat – The addition of new thermostatic temperature control makes the Masterbuilt more reliable and easy to use than ever before.
- Great quality – The main walls feel sturdy, the stainless steel burner looks like it will last well, and the door latches nice and tight.
- Chip tray – Being able to access the burner and chip tray separately makes it easy to change your wood chips without letting all the heat and good smoke out of the smoking chamber.
What we don’t like:
- The warranty – The MPS 340/G only comes with a one-year warranty that doesn’t cover paint or rust. Similar models on the market come with a five-year warranty.
Propane smokers are famous for being reliable and easy to use. The build quality of the Masterbuilt MPS 340/G, coupled with its new features, doubles down on that reputation.
Masterbuilt MPS 340/G ThermoTemp XL Propane Smoker
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Our verdict: If you want to set a temperature and walk away, the ThermoTemp XL is the easiest vertical smoker in this guide. It holds its temp on its own and gives you room to smoke for a crowd.
11/11/2026 11:05 pm GMT
5. Best Budget Pellet – Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical Pellet Smoker
Read our full Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical Pellet Smoker review.
If you like the sound of a pellet smoker, but the Grilla Monument is outside of your budget, then the
The smoker pictured above is the
- Bigger hopper – The hopper now holds 60 lb, up from 40 lb, so you can go even longer between refills.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – You can set and monitor your cook from the
Pit Boss app. - Slightly narrower temperature range – It now runs from 130°F to 420°F, compared with 150°F to 450°F before.
- One meat probe included – There are three probe ports, but only one probe comes in the box, down from two.
- Plenty of cooking space – You get 1,679 square inches across five adjustable racks.
- 5-year warranty
The temperature is controlled by the large, simple LED display on the side of the unit, which shows both the internal temperature and the readouts from up to three meat probes
The large 60lb pellet hopper lets you smoke for more than 24 hours without adding more pellets and includes a quick-removal slot for easier emptying.
The interior racks of the
What we like:
- Hopper capacity – The larger 60lb hopper means you don’t have to babysit your smoker in order to add more pellets every few hours. Depending on how much you’re smoking, the hopper can last longer than 24-hours.
- Prime button – A neat little addition that can boost smoke output or quickly bring the temperature back up after the door has been open.
- Adjustable interior – The interior racking can be adjusted to fit in just about anything short of a whole pig.
What we don’t like:
- The hopper grate – A safety feature that prevents you from sticking your arm into the hopper, the grate also makes it harder to clean leftover pellets out of the bottom of the smoker.
Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical Pellet Smoker
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Our verdict: The Sportsman 5-Series is a simple, high-capacity pellet smoker that runs a full day on one hopper of pellets. The racks adjust to fit most cuts, so it suits anyone who wants hands-off smoking for a crowd.
Also worth considering
recteq Staq 1900
The Staq is recteq’s brand new vertical pellet smoker. We haven’t tested it yet, but it’s one of the most exciting launches we’ve seen this year.
It has a double-walled stainless steel cooking chamber, five stainless grates with 1,924 square inches of cooking space, and recteq’s PID controller, which promises to hold within 5°F of your set point.
It runs from 150°F up to 450°F, so it can hold food warm as well as cook hot, and you can control it from anywhere over Wi-Fi with the recteq app.
If recteq’s build quality carries over, this could give the Mammoth a run for its money. We’ll update this guide once we’ve cooked on it.
Why the vertical smoker design works
Since most of the smokers on the market are designed horizontally, you might be wondering why you would bother with a vertical one. Well, sit back and let us tell you about the benefits of verticality.
The primary benefit of a vertical smoker is that its design provides more surface area on the smoking racks. This means you can fit more food into a confined space.
Vertical smokers like the Grilla Mammoth boost huge cooking real estate numbers compared to their small footprint.
Vertical smokers also tend to be more configurable. You can remove racks to fit your Thanksgiving turkey, or add more racks to smoke a big batch of jerky.
Vertical smokers also tend to have a smaller footprint. This means pitmasters with limited space, who perhaps don’t have the room for a horizontal smoker, have a space-saving solution that still produces amazing food.
Well-insulated vertical smokers also tend to cook faster because having the heat source at the bottom of the smoker is more energy efficient. This also means they tend to use less fuel.
Cons of the vertical smoker design
There are certain specific disadvantages to using a vertical smoker. Some horizontal smokers can also double as a grill. That’s not usually an option for a vertical smoker (the Bronco Pro is the exception to this rule).
If you do pack out your vertical smoker with food, you will need to rotate it so it will smoke evenly. While this is also an issue with horizontal smokers, rotating food in a vertical smoker is more logistically challenging.
This isn’t as big of a problem with something like the Camp Chef XXL Pro, as the ‘down and out’ design makes for a more even smoke chamber.
While some vertical smokers have a dual-door design, notably the Masterbuilt MPS 340/G, most don’t. This means you let out heat and smoke every time you open the door to the central chamber to refill the water pan or chip pan.
Quality is also key when it comes to getting a vertical smoker. Cheaper models lack the build quality and insulation needed to ensure a consistent internal temperature. Beware of false economy when it comes to smokers!
What about a vertical offset smoker?
Most offset smokers are horizontal for a reason. Having the firebox mounted on one side of the horizontal smoker and the chimney on the other allows the smoke to be pulled across the cooking chamber for greater smoke exposure.
When situated vertically, this offset design doesn’t work anywhere near as well. In fact, having an external firebox actually mitigates some of the benefits of a vertical smoker, like their smaller footprint and the faster cooking times generated by having the heat source in the base of the smoker.
Wrapping it up
Vertical smokers give you more rack space with a reduced overall footprint, making them ideal for a space-starved pitmaster. They also cook faster and can be reconfigured to fit a range of different foods.
As you can see from our reviews, they also come in a range of fuel options. So, whether you prefer the reliability to propane, the authenticity of charcoal, or the ease of a pellet smoker, there’s a vertical smoker out there to suit you!
Do you have a favorite vertical smoker you think should have made this list? What about some words of wisdom on how to get the best out of your vertical smoker? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
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