The best BBQ smokers you can buy

Why you'll love it: The Traeger Renegade Pro Wood Pellet Grill uses a digital controller to automatically maintain the temperature you set.

There is a common misconception that cooking with a pellet grill is complicated. It's not, unless you consider pouring a few pounds of pellets into a chamber, turning a dial, and flipping a switch to be complicated, that is. The Traeger Renegade Pro Wood Pellet Grill uses digital controls to meet the temperature you set and hold it there within plus-or-minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. And as you likely know or are now figuring out, consistent temperatures are critical for proper meat smoking.

What's that you say? You love the idea of smoking meats, but you also need a traditional barbecue? Well, with the heat cranked up, the Traeger Renegade Pro Wood Pellet Grill makes a perfect conventional grill for baking or roasting. (Pellet grill pizza? That's a winner, people.) Just note that with all that versatility comes a price: this is the most expensive option on our list — and that's not including the options you can add.

When slow cooking at lower temps, the grill will only go through about a pound of pellets per hour; at higher temperatures, you'll burn through three or more. While a pellet grill like this does, of course, necessitate the purchase of wood pellets, with that added expense comes the bonus of flavor options. Traeger offers all sorts of different wood pellets, from hickory to maple to mesquite.

The Traeger Renegade Pro Wood Pellet Grill has dozens of reviews posted on Amazon and enjoys a 4.1-star averaged rating. One owner called it the "easiest smoker [he has] ever owned," while another appreciated that it was "very efficient in the consumption of pellets and produces a minimal amount of ash."

In a review on SeriouslySmoked, a writer noted the Renegade's many user-friendly features, like "an easy to exchange and clean hopper" and its "side grease drain."

Pros: Precision temperature control, efficient pellet use, easy to clean and maintain

Cons: Very expensive

Get a Traeger Renegade Pro Wood Pellet Grill on Amazon for $749.97

Why you'll love it: For the best possible control of your smoking temperature and timing, go electric. Specifically, go with the Masterbuilt 30 Inch Digital Electric Meat Smoker.

If you'd like your smoked foods to come with a side of convenience, then the Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital Electric Meat Smoker is your go-to. This smoker digitally monitors timing and temperature, and it can be operated by remote control. That's right, a remote — you can rest easy on a patio lounger or even sit inside watching the game while still having total control over your smoking meats.

And thanks to a side-loading wood chip system, you can add more wood without interrupting the smoking process or throwing off the temperature in the cooking chamber. Said cooking chamber can accommodate up to 12 whole chickens, four racks of ribs, or 24 burgers at once, to name a few of the foods you can cook in the Masterbuilt 30 Inch Digital Electric Meat Smoker.

While this smoker is a pretty bulky affair, weighing in at nearly 65 pounds, a set of wheels on the rear and a large handle make moving it around on level surfaces surprisingly easy, which is handy, as you'll need to be near an electrical outlet to operate it.

With more than 4,800 reviews posted and counting, the Masterbuilt 30 Inch Digital Electric Meat Smoker enjoys a 4-star rating. One proud meat smoker called it "very easy to operate" and praised its "accurate temperature" controls. Another loved that the remote control made it perfect for people who "don't want to babysit their smoker."

A number of people did report being unsatisfied with the volume of smoke the unit created, though, saying it did not produce the same rich flavors as other non-electric smokers.

Pros: Can be controlled remotely, side-loading wood chip system, easy to move on flat ground

Cons: Does not produce as much smoke as other options

Get a Masterbuilt 30 Inch Digital Electric Meat Smoker from Amazon for $313.79

Why you'll love it: The Cuisinart Vertical 36-inch Propane Smoker's pair of doors make it easy to access your foods or the wood chip tray, and they lock shut to seal in smoke and heat while you cook.

A propane smoker allows for the ideal balance between temperature precision and real smoke flavor. Unlike with a charcoal grill, you can regulate the intensity of the propane, and unlike an electric smoker, the wood chips you add to make smoke, burns up much more efficiently.

The Cuisinart Vertical 36-inch Propane Smoker has four smoking racks that create a combined 784 square-inches of cooking space. That's pretty solid for a smoker that only occupies a little more than a single square foot of space. If you want to smoke large volumes of meat but only have a smaller patio or balcony on which to do it, this unit is a great choice.

A pair of locking doors make it easy to access the main chamber to check on your food or the wood chip tray when it's time to clear out ash or add more wood. And an included water tray helps to ensure your foods won't dry out even during long smoking sessions.

The Cuisinart Vertical 36-inch Propane Smoker comes with a 40-inch hose so you can position your propane tank to either side of or behind the smoker, and a regulator is included, so you can easily control the volume of gas flowing to the burner.

With dozens of reviews posted on Home Depot's site, this smoker enjoys a 4.5-star overall rating. One customer speaks for many when he called it "one of the best purchases [he has] made," calling the smoker a great value and "easy to assemble."

And a writer with KitchenGuyd noted its "relatively compact size," durable construction, and heat-retention qualities.

Pros: Compact footprint, heats up quickly, dual door design

Cons: Gusty winds sometimes extinguish burner

Get a Cuisinart Vertical 36-inch Propane Smoker at HomeDepot for $175.35

Why you'll love it: The Nexgrill 29-inch Barrel Charcoal Grill with Smoker is a classic charcoal BBQ grill and a smoker in one, and for a very low cost.

You consider the Nexgrill 29-inch Barrel Charcoal Grill with Smoker because it costs less than $100, but you buy it because it turns out to be a perfectly capable cooking apparatus. This is a classic style of barbecue smoker, with a firebox offset to one side and a large primary cooking area in a barrel shape. That design allows for regular addition of wood chips, good smoke regulation thanks to a pair of dampers, and for placement of a water tray under the meat cooking in the main compartment.

The Nexgrill 29-inch Barrel Charcoal Grill with Smoker offers 741 square inches of total grill space when you count the square footage of cooking surface found in the firebox. This chamber can be used as a small grill when you are just making a couple of burgers, or for when you need extra-high temperatures.

But of course, the thing is at its best when the firebox is filled with smoldering charcoal and woodchips, and steady smoke and low heat permeate the main grilling space. A thermometer set into the barrel makes it easy to watch the temperature, and a removable charcoal drawer makes cleaning the firebox simple.

Home Depot customers have given this smoker/grill combo a 4.3-star average rating, with one calling it a "great entry level family grill with a smoker to boot." Another called it "an excellent grill, especially for the price."

But one owner did mention an issue with the handle burning off. This is indeed a great entry-level smoker, but it's probably not your forever choice.

Pros: Small price tag, great BBQ/smoker combo, handy side table

Cons: Durability issues

Get a Nexgrill 29-inch Barrel Charcoal Grill with Smoker at Home Depot for $99