Is it your dream to be a cook like a Pitmaster? How would you feel if you could bring a smile to your guests at the BBQ party? Of course, you’ll need the high-end offset smokers with your skills to make your dream true. When buying cheap offset smokers is risky, you must invest a good amount to get a reliable grill engine. After in-depth research, we have narrowed down the 7 best offset smoker under $2000. Here we’ll explain every nut and bolt of the grills, what you can cook with them, and how many people you can feed. So, you’ll get an exact idea about the smokers. So let’s see what they are
Comparison chart for best offset smoker under $2000
| Best For Editor's Choice | Best For Popularity | Best For Budget |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| 1. Offers 6 styles cooking to enjoy tasty food all time | 1. Industry-leading (1060 sq. in.) cooking space to manage 20-25 adults | 1. Durable but simple drum style smoker |
| 2. Consistent and easy controlling temperature | 2. Excellent design and easy to use | 2. You can cook food for 12-15 adults |
| 3. Middle cooking space can manage food for 8-10 adults | 3. Right choice for slow smoking | 3. Lightweight, portable, and affordable price |
| On Amazon | On Amazon | On Amazon |
1. Z Grills ZPG-450A Wood Pellet Grill - Best For Editor's Choice
Built quality and cooking space
Easy assemble
Temperature control
Economic fuel
Easy cleaning
Specifications
- Brand: Z Grills
- Total cooking space: 450 sq. in.
- Main cooking space: 324 sq. in.
- Warming cooking space: 128 sq. in.
- Cooking grates: 6
- Fuel type: Wood Pellet
- Temperature range: 180° to 450°f.
- Hopper capacity: 15 pounds
- Elements: Powder-coated steel
- Dimensions: 45 x 28 x 49 inches
- Weight: 84 pounds
- Warranty: 3 years (limited)
Why Should You Buy This?
It’s a unique outdoor crockpot with portability, neat and excellent design, and easy assembly. Except for fast cooking, it’s an excellent deal at a reasonable price. If you are looking for a great grill, we’ll strongly recommend it to enjoy delicious food year-round.
Pros
- Nice free cover to put on for preventing dust and stuff
- PID technology ensures accurate temperature
- The right choice for small families and parties
- Two wheels make it probable anywhere and anytime
Cons
- There is no hole for a meat probe
- It’s not great for fast cooking
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2. Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker - Best For Popularity
Are you fun-loving and have a large group of friends and colleagues? And if you frequently arrange BBQ parties to feed them in your backyard, and for this need a vast smoker. In that case, the Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker is absolutely the best mate for you.
Spacious cooking space
You’ll rarely find a smoker having 1k+ cooking space with the flexibility to enjoy a smoke, barbecue, grill, and traditional offset or reverse flow cooking. The 1060 square inches total cooking space is enough to cook a 14+ pounds brisket, meat steak, and many other things. You can easily feed 20-25 hungry mouths with this food.
Well designed
The entire smoker is well designed by keeping its mind the entry-level cook. The reverse flow chimney port is at the bottom when the standard flow chimney port is set at the top of the grill. That’s why you can efficiently operate the smoker without having any issues.
Easy assemble
Though it is comparatively heavy, the assembly is not that hard. You’ll get all the easily understandable installation instructions on the user manual. It takes a maximum of two hours to assemble with the help of an assistant.
Large Charcoal Basket
You have to load the fuel basket with charcoal or wood before firing. It comes with a huge basket to avoid frequent charcoal loading hassle. That is a plus point for slow smoking. However, the swing-open firebox door will allow you to remove the ashes without opening the chamber lid.
Specifications
- Brand: Oklahoma Joe’s
- Total cooking space: 1060 sq. in.
- Main cooking space: 751 sq. in.
- Warming cooking space: 309 sq. in.
- Cooking grates: 4
- Fuel type: Charcoal and wood
- Elements: Powder-coated steel
- Dimensions: 35.5 x 64.25 x 55.5 inches
- Weight: 226 Pounds
Why Should You Buy This?
Considering its overall features and performance against its price, it’s worth your investment. Though it’s heavy, the leg’s wheels make it simple to move. Once you buy this reverse flow offset smoker, you’ll give us a big thanks for reviewing and recommending it.
Pros
- Solid construction and extremely sturdy
- The 10″ wheels are nice for simple mobility
- The cool-touch handle protects your hands from heat
- Excellent temperature controlling system
Cons
- The fire management is a little labor-intensive
- No specific temperature recommendation, but users found its temp ranges 225-325°f.
3. Pit Barrel Cooker - Best For Budget
When you have a super tight budget but wish to have an offset smoker to taste tender and juicy dishes in your leisure, the Pit Barrel Cooker is here for you. Because of its budget-friendly price and exclusive maneuver, it won more than 80% positive reviews from its users. Though it’s pretty tough for a smoker, it’s true.
Large cooking space
You can fit 8 chicken halves, or 8 racks of ribs, or 3-4 briskets at once in the smoker. That means you can feed almost 12-15 guys with that mouth-watering food at your big parties.
Essential accessories
The smoker comes with all kinds of accessories that you’ll need. There are 13 accessories, including 8 stainless steel hooks, 2 hanging rods, a standard grate, a coal basket, and a hook remover tool. So you can use it with minimal experience of handling a smoker.
Easy to use
The using process is straightforward. Such as, you just need to load the charcoal, light it, hang the meats you want to cook, shut off the lid, set the temp, and observe until cooked. And most importantly, the smoker will hit your food for 7+ hours without refueling.
Portable
It is incredibly lightweight and small in size. That’s why you can carry it in your car’s backseat to a campaign or water trip, so it’s nice to enjoy outdoor parties with juicy grilled foods.
Specifications
- Brand: Pit Barrel Cooker Co.
- Fuel type: Charcoal
- Dimensions: 21 x 21 x 31.1 inches
- Weight: 57 pounds
Why Should You Buy This?
It gives your meat steaks a great flavor even without wood. When you cook, you’ll get a juicy vaporized smell that enhances your hunger. When you compare the quality and price, it must win your heart, though there are a few drawbacks.
Pros
- The quality and design are amazing
- Legit even cook for all styles
- Fast assembly with simple maintenance
- Reasonable price and friendly customer service
Cons
- The vent design can be better for good airflow regulation
- Not mentioned exact temperature, but users found temp within 250-300° f
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4. Char-Broil 15202029 Oklahoma Joe's smoker - Best For Vast Cooking Space
Hay, have you done a lot of research to get an option with charcoal, gas, and a smoker? But, you found it’s challenging to get this combination. Chill, mate. The Char-Broil brings its 15202029 Oklahoma Joe’s smoker only for you, which meets your needs and is a space saver.
Heavy-duty construction
The grill is well built with quality materials and well painted to prevent weather wear and tear to ensure long-lasting performance. The cooking grates are made with porcelain-coated cast iron, so they won’t catch rust and be greasy while using oil for cooking food.
Separate cooking space
You can use charcoal and LP Gas propane at a time to get multiple favored foods. It fits more than 15 lbs brisket, multiple chickens, a couple of turkeys, etc., in both of its cooking chambers. You can manage a party with 25+ adults that you cook in this smoker.
Total 36000 BTUs
Its 3 burners have a total of 36000 BTUs of heat. That’s why you can generate enough heat to potentially and evenly char your meal. You can control the inside temperature to avoid uncooked or overcooked by multiple professional temperature gauges.
Large storage shelf
A BBQ party arrangement is not an easy task as it requires a lot of ingredients and cooking utensils to cook and nourish your meal before presenting in front of the guest. The combo smoker can realize your needs, and for this, it has a large storage shelf underneath its cooking chamber. There you can store all the things to use when required.
Specifications
- Brand: Char-Broil
- Total cooking space: 1060 sq. in.
- Main cooking space: 750 sq. in.
- Warming cooking space: 310 sq. in.
- Cooking grates: 6
- Fuel type: Charcoal/LP Gas
- Temperature range: 180° to 450°f.
- Number of BTU: 36000
- Elements: heavy-gauge steel
- Dimensions: 31.5 x 74 x 50.6 inches
- Weight: 204.6 Pounds
Why Should You Buy This?
It’s an excellent combo package with multiple fueling systems. The vast cooking space, quality built, sturdiness, ease to assemble and use are the main reasons to buy it. When only poor packaging is the drawback, its advantage is larger than drawbacks worth the $$.
Pros
- This machine is just plain fun to taste various foods
- Pretty easy to put together with YouTube video
- Excellent temperature and smoke control
- The front side wheels make it portable
Cons
- Packing needs attention to prevent shipping damage.
Related article: Weber Kettle vs Smokey Mountain: Which Is A Better BBQ Smoker?
5. Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset Smoker - Best For Versatility
Our next choice is the Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker. Though you’ll need natural gas as its fuel, you can get a smoky flavor to your meals by using wood chips and chops.
Easy to put together
The company will provide you with all the instructions, nuts and bolts to assemble it quickly. You won’t need 2 people to do the assembling task. But, if you are a mechanically deficient guy, you may seek help from your partner.
Versatility
Front shelf
Before leaving your meat, brisket, or ribs, you have to season them with multiple sausages to make them juicy and delicious. For this, you’ll need a space, and here its front shelf is very convenient for you. It is set in front of the primary cooking to keep them in the smoker easily.
Lid-Mounted Temperature Gauge
Monitoring the inside temperature of the grill is essential to cook the meals evenly. As the grill has a digital temperature gauge on its lid, you can check its heat by keeping your eyes on the gauge. As a result, there is no risk of misleading temperature.
Specifications
- Brand: Char-Broil
- Total cooking space: 900 sq. in.
- Main cooking space: 619 sq. in.
- Warming cooking space: 281 sq. in.
- Fuel type: Natural Gas
- Elements: Powder-coated steel
- Dimensions: 39 x 20.9 x 23 inches
- Weight: 176 pounds
Why Should You Buy This?
You will be happy with its excellent performance to present you with delicious meals. The easy assembly, firebox for wood smoking, simple cleaning, and mobility are vital features for this offset smoker. During the winter season, using is a minor shortcoming.
Pros
- Heavy-duty built, and decent quality
- Very well designed, and great temp control
- Easy to use and ensure perfect smoky flavor
- Great value for the price
Cons
- Packaging is disaster
- In winter or freezy weather, it’s hard to regulate even temp when smoking.
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6. Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill - Best For Alexa Control
The Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill is for those who love grilling smarter than harder. It is built using the latest technology by connecting WiFi and Alexa voice control.
Solid construction
The entire grill is made with heavy-duty metal to make it sturdy to offer year-round performance. The cast-iron grates are rust or grease-resistant, making them easy to clean after enjoying a party.
Large cooking space
The specious 885 sq. inches cooking space is well enough to effortlessly fit seven rib racks, ten chickens, or a whole turkey. The smoked meat steaks or Thanksgiving turkey is excellent to feed 20 people at a time.
Versatile cooking with smart technology
A 6 in 1 machine offers you grill, bake, braise, smoke, roast, and BBQ. It comes with home connection technology through WiFi networks, Alexa voice, and mobile app. That’s why you can check your meal and change the temp from far away. So you don’t have to hang with the grill all the time to taste tender and juicier foods.
D2 drivetrain
The D2 drivetrain of this offset grill takes next-generation outdoor grilling to the advanced level. The grill will start quickly, fire up fastly, and bring a better smoky flavor to your meal.
Specifications
- Brand: Traeger
- Total cooking space: 885 sq. in.
- Main cooking space: 570 sq. in.
- Warming cooking space: 315 sq. in.
- Cooking grates: 6
- Fuel type: Wood Pellet
- Maximum temperature: 500°f or 260°c
- Hopper capacity: 20 pounds
- Elements: Powder-coated steel
- Dimensions: 53 x 27 x 47 inches
- Weight: 175 pounds
Why Should You Buy This?
It’s a far better choice than its previous 650 models by considering its quality, features, and price. You won’t be sorry to invest this high amount for this smoker; instead, it will be a game-changer for your grilling experience.
Pros
- Simple and easy assembly
- The temperature probe and mobile app are great
- Large hopper to hold an entire bag of pellets
- Straightforward and remotely using opportunity
Cons
- Some users found a little but unstable WiFi
Related article: Best Hot Plate For smokers That Cuts Cooking Time Not Taste
7. Oklahoma Joe's Highland Reverse Flow Smoker - Best For Quality
Our final pick is the Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Reverse Flow Smoker that will allow you reasonable control of your fire. It is an excellent collection even to distribute smoke throughout the grill.
Durability
It is constructed with heavy-gauge steel, and the grates are made with porcelain-coated steel that won’t catch rust due to rough use. That’s why you don’t have to think about the weather conditions before firing. However, you can easily store it in your garage when you don’t use it.
Double option of smoke
There are two options for choosing to smoke. One is traditional offset smoking, and another is reverse flow smoking. As both smokings offer different flavors, you can diversify the meat’s taste at your convenience.
Large cooking space
900 square inches of cooking space is enough to cook food for 12-15 people. You can use this grill for cooking all kinds of meals, including meat, chicken, fish, and vegetables.
Fuel economy
The large charcoal basket offers you an efficient burn that can heat the food longer. So, you don’t need to reload the charcoal; that is economical when considering fuel cost.
Specifications
- Brand: Oklahoma Joe’s
- Total cooking space: 900 sq. in.
- Main cooking space: 619 sq. in.
- Warming cooking space: 281 sq. in.
- Number of baffles: 4
- Fuel type: Charcoal
- Elements: Porcelain-coated steel
- Dimensions: 33.5 x 57 x 53 inches
- Weight: 180.8 Pounds
Why Should You Buy This?
It is a perfect grill for your 7+ hours marathon cooking with tendered jerky, ribs, and chicken breast. The removable baffles with a customized setup are good to use and clean this custom reverse flow smoker. Though it tends to peel off the paint after some years, otherwise, it is a good deal.
Pros
- Large cooking space with versatile cooking facilities
- Accurate thermostat for lid-elevation temperatures
- Easy to assemble, use and portable
- Fast shipping with nice packaging
Cons
- Paint should be more durable
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How Do You Choose An Offset Smoker? - An Ultimate Buying Guide
All the offset smokers aren’t suitable for all levels and experienced cooks. That’s why you must consciously check the smoker’s features to meet your requirements. Here’re some crucial factors that you must consider.
Construction Materials
When buying a smoker is investing $2000, you should choose a smoker that you can use years after years. The construction materials play a vital role in durability and long-lasting performance. The heavy-duty metal and porcelain cast iron made smokers are good to go to ensure superb durability and sturdiness.
Cooking Space
There are different types of smokers available in the market with different cooking spaces. The cooking space is measured by square inches. The more square inches the grill will be, the more food it can accommodate.
You can feed around 8-10 people with a 450 square inches grill, where 1060 square inches is absolutely ok for 20-25 adults. So you should pick a smoker depending on how many people you want to feed.
Cooking versatility
Nobody likes to taste one type of food all the time. It’s great to try different recipes on different occasions.
But is it a good idea to have multiple smokers for that purpose?
No, not at all. So you should consider how many types of cooking styles the grill will offer you. Most smokers offer 6 types of cooking styles including grill, BBQ, braise, roast, bake, and smoke. That means one grilling machine in the solution of 6 cooking styles.
Temperature Control
Different foods and cooking styles require different levels of temperature to cook them. If you set the same temperature for all foods, that will be a cooking disaster. The smoker, which offers easy temperature control with lid mount gauge monitoring, that’s outstanding. So you can properly and evenly cook the food without having any problems.
Fuel Types
Charcoal, wood pellet, LP gas, and natural propane are smokers’ most common fuel types. If you love a smoky flavor to your food, then a wood pellet grill will be the best fit for you.
Charcoal is another fuel that is easy to manage and economical. And lastly, if there are any bindings to use wood pellets or charcoal in your locality, you can choose a gas grill.
Hopper Capacity
The large hopper capacity is relatively better as it doesn’t need to reload the fuel frequently for overnight cooking. That means once you load the wood pellet or charcoal, it can easily heat your food for over 8 hours.
Easy to use
If you are a beginner, an easy operating smoker is necessary. If you can easily load the food in the grates, fire the grill, set the temp, and check the heat for even cooking, that is an easy-using grill for you. This feature will boost your confidence to be an expert cook.
Easy to clean
Most people rarely consider the easy cleaning feature. But you should consider because if the grill gets too messy while cooking, the more time and scrubbing it needs to clean.
On the other hand, removing the fuel ashes, and if the grates won’t catch oil grease, that takes less time for cleaning
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a pellet smoker better than an offset smoker?
The pellet smoker is better than the offset smoker by considering fuel efficiency. Because the pellet smoker is well insulated and retains heat to reduce fuel cost. When an offset smoker needs longer time to cook meat, which requires more fuel.
Which is a better offset or reverse flow smoker?
Basically, it depends on your requirements. The offset smoker is good for proper airflow and clean burn. On the other hand, the reverse flow smoker offers consistent cooking temperature. So both of them are good at their own zone.
Final Verdict About Best Offset Smoker Under $2000
Now, it’s time to draw a summary of this long discussion on best offset smoker under $2000.
An offset smoker is excellent at cooking meats with low heat to make them juicy. You should choose one that fits your budget, skills, and level of experience.
However, if you like to get our suggestion, the Z Grills ZPG-450A Wood Pellet Grill is the right choice for your entry-level smoker. It is durable, versatile, portable, and has a large hopper capacity.
Or the Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill will be your smart choice for your smart home. Its WiFi, Alexa voice control, mobile app, and remote control are excellent.
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