What BBQ Should I Buy? A Guide to Choosing the Right BBQ or Smoker
What BBQ Should I Buy? A Guide to Choosing the Right BBQ or Smoker
Choosing a new BBQ or smoker can get complicated quickly.
Pellet grills, charcoal BBQs, gravity-fed smokers, barrel smokers and offset smokers can all produce incredible BBQ, but the experience of actually cooking on them can be completely different.
The biggest question is not necessarily "What is the best BBQ?"
It is "What is the best BBQ for the way I want to cook?"
Some people want to put a brisket on in the morning, set the temperature and let the BBQ handle most of the work. Others want to manage a live fire, experiment with different woods and spend the day tending their smoker.
Neither approach is better. They simply offer different ways of getting to great BBQ.
In this guide, we will break down the main types of BBQs and smokers, how difficult they are to use, how much fire management they require, and who we would recommend them for.
Quick answer: If you want the easiest low ’n slow experience, start with a pellet grill. If you want real charcoal with automated temperature control, look at a gravity-fed BBQ. If you want to become more involved with traditional fire management, consider a barrel smoker or charcoal BBQ. If you want the full hands-on pitmaster experience, an offset smoker is the way to go.
Quick BBQ & Smoker Comparison
| BBQ Type | Difficulty | Fire Management | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pellet Grill | 1/5 | Minimal | Easy, set-and-forget smoking |
| Gravity-Fed Charcoal | 2/5 | Low | Charcoal flavour with automated control |
| Barrel / Traditional Charcoal | 3/5 | Moderate | Learning traditional charcoal BBQ |
| Offset Smoker | 5/5 | High | The full hands-on pitmaster experience |
1. Pellet Grills: The Easiest Place to Start
Difficulty: 1/5
Fire Management: Minimal
Best For: Easy low ’n slow cooking, beginners and anyone who values convenience
If you want genuine wood-fired BBQ without spending hours learning how to manage a fire, a pellet grill is one of the easiest places to start.
Instead of charcoal or logs, pellet grills burn compressed hardwood pellets. An automated auger feeds pellets into a burn pot while the BBQ's controller regulates the temperature.
In practice, the process is simple:
- Fill the hopper with wood pellets
- Set your desired cooking temperature
- Put your food on
- Let the BBQ manage the fire and temperature
It is about as close to set-and-forget low ’n slow BBQ as you can get.
You still get genuine wood-fired cooking and smoke flavour, but without constantly adjusting vents, adding charcoal or managing a fire throughout a long cook.
Best for: Someone who wants to cook brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken and other low ’n slow favourites without spending the entire day managing a fire.
Why Choose a Pellet Grill?
Pellet grills are particularly good for long cooks where maintaining a consistent temperature matters.
The automated controller keeps the cooking environment stable, allowing you to concentrate on the food rather than constantly monitoring the fire.
Advantages of pellet grills include:
- Very easy to operate
- Automatic temperature control
- Excellent consistency
- Genuine wood-fired flavour
- Great for long low ’n slow cooks
- Minimal fire management
- A wide range of hardwood pellet flavours available
What Should You Consider?
Pellet grills intentionally remove much of the manual fire management from BBQ.
If learning how to control charcoal, airflow, fuel and wood is part of the experience you are looking for, you may prefer one of the more hands-on options further down this guide.
Our Pellet Grill Recommendations
Two of the ranges we recommend looking at are Green Mountain Grills (GMG) and Traeger.
Both offer pellet grills across multiple sizes, so once you have decided that a pellet grill suits the way you want to cook, the next decision largely comes down to how much cooking space you need.
2. Gravity-Fed Charcoal: Charcoal Flavour With Modern Control
Difficulty: 2/5
Fire Management: Low
Best For: Charcoal flavour with automated temperature control
Want to cook with real charcoal but do not necessarily want to spend the entire day managing it?
This is where a gravity-fed charcoal BBQ such as the Masterbuilt Gravity Series starts to make a lot of sense.
Rather than using pellets, these BBQs have a gravity-fed charcoal hopper. You load the hopper with charcoal, light the fire and let the digital control system manage airflow and temperature.
You can also add smoking wood alongside your charcoal, allowing you to experiment with different woods and smoke profiles.
The result is a BBQ that gives you more involvement with fuel and fire than a pellet grill while retaining much of the convenience of automated temperature control.
Best for: Someone who wants real charcoal cooking and the ability to experiment with smoking wood, but still wants the BBQ to handle most of the temperature management.
Why Choose a Gravity-Fed Charcoal BBQ?
For many backyard cooks, gravity-fed charcoal represents an excellent middle ground.
You get:
- Real charcoal cooking
- The ability to add smoking wood
- Digital temperature control
- Automated airflow management
- Less need to constantly monitor the fire
You are still involved in selecting your charcoal, lighting the BBQ and deciding what smoking wood to use, but you do not have to manually regulate the fire throughout an entire cook.
That makes the Masterbuilt Gravity Series particularly appealing if you are interested in charcoal BBQ but do not want to spend eight or more hours tending a smoker.
Our Recommendation: Masterbuilt Gravity Series
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series is available in multiple cooking capacities, allowing you to choose the model that best suits the amount of food you normally cook.
For many people, it provides one of the best combinations of traditional charcoal flavour and modern convenience.
3. Traditional Charcoal BBQ: Get More Involved With the Cook
Difficulty: 3/5
Fire Management: Moderate
Best For: People who want to learn traditional charcoal BBQ
This is where BBQ starts becoming more hands-on.
Traditional charcoal smokers such as the Pit Barrel range require you to take more responsibility for preparing and managing the fire.
You will start learning things like:
- How much charcoal to use
- How to properly light your charcoal
- How airflow affects temperature
- How to maintain consistent cooking temperatures
- When and how to add smoking wood
- How different fuels behave during a long cook
There is more of a learning curve compared with pellet or gravity-fed BBQs, but for many people that is also part of the appeal.
Instead of the BBQ handling most of the process for you, you begin developing a better understanding of what is actually happening inside the cooker.
Best for: Someone who wants to learn charcoal cooking and fire management without immediately stepping up to the complexity of a traditional offset smoker.
A Great Starting Point: Pit Barrel Junior
If you are interested in getting into traditional charcoal cooking without immediately buying a large smoker, the Pit Barrel Junior Starter Combo is one of our favourite places to start.
It is compact, relatively simple and capable of producing seriously good BBQ.
We have also had particularly strong feedback from customers using the Pit Barrel Junior. One customer was so impressed with what they were getting out of it that they ended up purchasing three more for different family members.
For someone who wants to learn charcoal cooking, it offers a lot of capability from a relatively compact BBQ.
View Pit Barrel Junior Starter Combo →
Can You Make a Charcoal BBQ More Automatic?
Yes.
If you like the idea of traditional charcoal cooking but would prefer more control over long cooks, a charcoal BBQ can potentially be paired with a digital temperature controller such as a FireBoard Ring and compatible blower.
The FireBoard monitors the temperature inside the BBQ and controls a blower that adjusts the amount of air reaching the charcoal.
More oxygen increases the fire. Less oxygen slows it down.
This allows the system to automatically help maintain your target cooking temperature, turning a more traditional charcoal BBQ into something much closer to a set-and-forget setup.
The Main Consideration: Cost
A complete FireBoard controller and blower setup can cost around $750, depending on the equipment and adapters required.
At that point, it is worth comparing the total investment against buying something like a Masterbuilt Gravity or pellet grill from the beginning.
However, if you already own a 22" kettle smoker, or specifically want traditional charcoal with the option of automated temperature management, it can be an excellent upgrade.
Shop FireBoard Temperature Controllers →
4. Offset Smokers: The Full Pitmaster Experience
Difficulty: 5/5
Fire Management: High
Best For: Experienced BBQ cooks and anyone who wants to master live-fire smoking
This is the type of BBQ many people picture when they think about traditional American low ’n slow.
A large steel cooking chamber. A firebox burning off to one side. Smoke moving through the smoker. A brisket slowly cooking for the better part of a day.
Offset smokers can produce incredible results.
But they make you work for them.
Unlike an automated pellet or gravity-fed BBQ, you are the temperature controller.
You need to learn how to build and maintain a clean-burning fire, regulate airflow, select appropriate smoking wood and keep the cooking chamber around your desired temperature.
Best for: Someone who wants fire management to be part of the BBQ experience and is prepared to spend time learning how wood, airflow, smoke and temperature all work together.
Fire Management Becomes Part of the Cook
Cooking successfully on an offset smoker means understanding several things at once.
Wood Selection
Different woods burn differently and create different smoke profiles.
Learning what wood works well with beef, pork, chicken and other foods becomes part of developing your BBQ skills.
Read Our Guide to Smoking Wood →
Fire Management
You need to maintain a relatively small, clean-burning fire rather than simply loading the firebox with fuel and walking away.
As the wood burns down, more fuel needs to be added and the fire needs to be monitored throughout the cook.
Airflow
The amount of oxygen reaching the fire influences both combustion and temperature.
Learning how your smoker reacts to changes in airflow is an important part of maintaining consistent temperatures.
Smoke Management
More smoke does not necessarily mean better BBQ.
Poor combustion can produce heavy, dirty smoke that leaves food tasting bitter or overly smoky.
Learning how to maintain a clean-burning fire and good airflow is one of the most important skills when using an offset smoker.
Temperature Management
As fuel burns down and conditions change, you need to keep monitoring the smoker and making adjustments.
For something like a brisket, that cook could easily run for 8 to 12 hours or longer.
If you are using a traditional offset, you need to be prepared to tend the fire throughout that time.
So Why Would Anyone Choose an Offset Smoker?
Because for the right person, all of that work is the point.
An offset gives you enormous control over the cooking process and forces you to develop an understanding of fire, fuel, airflow and smoke.
There is something particularly satisfying about serving a brisket after spending the day managing the fire that cooked it.
If a pellet grill is about making great BBQ as easily as possible, an offset smoker is about mastering the process of making great BBQ.
Offset Smokers We Recommend
The Oklahoma Joe's Highland smokers are great examples of traditional offset-style smokers.
Depending on the model, there are also standard offset and reverse-flow configurations available, giving more experienced cooks different ways to manage heat and smoke through the cooking chamber.
Pellet vs Charcoal vs Offset: Which BBQ Should You Buy?
If you are still unsure, start by asking yourself one simple question:
How involved do I want to be in managing the fire?
| If You Want... | Choose... | Our Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| The easiest way to smoke meat | Pellet Grill | GMG or Traeger |
| Charcoal flavour with automated control | Gravity-Fed Charcoal | Masterbuilt Gravity |
| To learn traditional charcoal cooking | Barrel / Charcoal Smoker | Pit Barrel |
| Traditional charcoal with automated temperature help | Charcoal + Controller | FireBoard + Blower |
| The full hands-on pitmaster experience | Offset Smoker | Oklahoma Joe's |
I Just Want Great BBQ Without the Fuss
Choose a pellet grill.
Look at Green Mountain Grills or Traeger. Set your temperature, let the BBQ regulate the fire and concentrate on the food.
I Want Real Charcoal, But Still Want Convenience
Choose a Masterbuilt Gravity.
You get real charcoal and the ability to use smoking wood while automated temperature control handles much of the difficult fire management.
Shop Masterbuilt Gravity BBQs →
I Want to Learn Traditional Charcoal BBQ
Choose a Pit Barrel or traditional charcoal smoker.
You will become more involved with lighting charcoal, managing fuel and learning how your BBQ behaves throughout a cook.
Shop Charcoal BBQs & Smokers →
I Want the Full Low ’N Slow Experience
Choose an offset smoker.
You will need to learn fire, wood, airflow and smoke management, but that involvement is exactly what makes this style of BBQ so rewarding.
What Size BBQ Should I Buy?
Once you have decided what type of BBQ you want, the next question is size.
This is also why we do not recommend choosing a BBQ based purely on price.
Within the same range, a more expensive model will often give you additional cooking capacity rather than necessarily being more advanced or more difficult to use.
The right size depends on how much food you realistically expect to cook.
Couple or Small Household
If you are normally cooking a couple of steaks, a rack of ribs, chicken or a small pork shoulder, you probably do not need a huge cooking chamber.
A smaller BBQ takes up less space and can use less fuel while still giving you plenty of room for everyday cooking.
Family Cooking
If you regularly cook for a family, stepping up in cooking capacity gives you more flexibility.
Think beyond tonight's burgers too. A BBQ that comfortably handles dinner for four may become cramped once you want to smoke several racks of ribs or cook different foods at the same time.
Entertaining Friends & Family
If BBQ at your place regularly means feeding a crowd, extra cooking space quickly becomes valuable.
Being able to fit multiple pork shoulders, briskets, chickens or racks of ribs gives you much more flexibility when entertaining.
Large Cooks & Serious BBQ
If you regularly feed large groups, cater events or simply want room to cook several things at once, this is where the larger models start making sense.
Our advice: Choose your BBQ type based on how you want to cook, then choose the model size based on how much cooking space you will genuinely use.
Does a More Expensive BBQ Mean Better BBQ?
Not necessarily.
Price can reflect cooking capacity, construction, materials, technology and included features, but spending more does not automatically mean you will get better results.
A relatively simple charcoal BBQ in the hands of someone who understands fire management can produce outstanding food.
Likewise, a premium pellet grill may be the better investment for someone who values consistency and convenience and knows they will use it regularly.
The most important thing is matching the BBQ to the way you actually want to cook.
What Is the Best BBQ for a Beginner?
For most people looking to get started with low ’n slow BBQ, we would recommend either a pellet grill or a gravity-fed charcoal BBQ.
A pellet grill is the easier option and requires very little fire management.
A gravity-fed charcoal BBQ such as a Masterbuilt Gravity adds some involvement with charcoal and smoking wood while still taking care of most of the temperature management for you.
If you specifically want to learn traditional charcoal cooking, a compact barrel smoker such as the Pit Barrel Junior is another excellent place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of BBQ is easiest to use?
Pellet grills are generally one of the easiest types of smoker to operate. You load the hopper with wood pellets, select your temperature and the BBQ automatically manages fuel delivery and cooking temperature.
Are pellet smokers good for beginners?
Yes. Pellet smokers are particularly well suited to beginners because they remove much of the difficulty associated with fire and temperature management while still allowing you to cook traditional low ’n slow foods such as brisket, ribs and pulled pork.
Is charcoal better than pellets?
Neither is automatically better. They offer different cooking experiences. Pellets provide excellent convenience and consistent temperature control, while charcoal gives you more involvement with fuel, airflow and fire management.
What is a gravity-fed charcoal BBQ?
A gravity-fed charcoal BBQ stores charcoal in a vertical hopper and allows fuel to feed towards the fire as it burns. Models such as the Masterbuilt Gravity Series combine this with digital temperature control and automated airflow management.
Is an offset smoker difficult to use?
Compared with pellet, gravity-fed and many traditional charcoal BBQs, yes. Offset smokers require more knowledge of fire management, wood, airflow, smoke quality and temperature control. They are extremely rewarding to use, but there is a much larger learning curve.
How long do you need to tend an offset smoker?
For a long low ’n slow cook such as brisket, you may be managing the smoker for 8 to 12 hours or longer. Fuel needs to be added as the fire burns down and airflow, temperature and smoke quality need to be monitored throughout the cook.
Can a charcoal smoker be set and forget?
Some charcoal BBQs are naturally more stable than others, but a digital temperature controller and blower such as a compatible FireBoard system can automate much of the airflow and temperature management on supported BBQs.
What size BBQ do I need?
The right size depends primarily on how many people you normally cook for and the type of food you want to prepare. A couple or small household may only need a compact cooker, while families and people who regularly entertain will benefit from additional cooking capacity.
Should I buy a pellet grill or an offset smoker?
If convenience and consistent temperatures are your priorities, choose a pellet grill. If you want to learn traditional live-fire cooking and are happy to spend time actively managing the smoker, an offset may be the better choice.
So, What Is the Best BBQ?
There is no single best BBQ.
And that is probably the most important thing to understand before buying one.
The best BBQ is the one that suits how you actually want to cook.
If convenience matters most, we would point you towards a pellet grill from Green Mountain Grills or Traeger.
If you want charcoal flavour with automated temperature management, look at the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
If you want to become more involved with traditional charcoal cooking, something like a Pit Barrel is a great next step.
And if the idea of spending a Saturday tending a fire, experimenting with wood and perfecting a brisket sounds like your idea of a good time, you might be ready for an Oklahoma Joe's offset smoker.
All of them can produce seriously good BBQ.
They simply take different paths to get there.
Still Not Sure Which BBQ Is Right for You?
Tell the Low ’N Slow team what you want to cook, how many people you normally feed and how hands-on you want to be. We can help point you towards the BBQ or smoker that best suits the way you want to cook.
Keep Learning About BBQ
Already chosen your BBQ? Check out more of our BBQ guides to help you get the best results from your next cook.