A smoker is an excellent way to smoke your foods in a controlled way. You can find smokers that run off charcoal, wood, a mixture of fuels, or plain electricity. Here are four reasons why you should consider investing in an electric smoker over the alternatives. And all of them are practical reasons, not because some celebrity chef endorsed it.

Labor Savings

One benefit of an electric smoker over traditional ones using charcoal or wood is that you save yourself an incredible amount of time. You just need to prep the meat or other ingredients and put them in. You put everything in, set it, and forget about it. Set the timer on the electric smoker and go do something else.

If the temperature gets too low, the heating element kicks in until it gets to the right temperature before turning off again. In contrast, smokers running off wood or charcoal need to have the fuel levels monitored, if not the temperature, too. In some of the digital wood and charcoal smokers, it sets off an alarm when it is too cool or fuel needs to be added, but you still have to be nearby in order to ensure the food comes out properly cooked. Electric smokers are as convenient as crock pots; load it, set it, and come back when it should be done.

It Cooks Anything

One of the advantages of electric smokers is that they can cook and smoke anything. It doesn’t burn the exterior unless you leave things in too long since the items don’t come into direct contact with the heat source. Instead, electric smokers circulate the hot air around, evenly cooking the food unless you insulated it in too much foil.

If you’re dealing with tougher meat, give it more time to cook. If you want to smoke sausages or cook chicken, you can. That roast or fish is only a difference in temperature and cook time. A few are explicitly made to cook sausage or fish if that’s what you want.

A side benefit of electric smokers is that you can cook things other than meat. You can cook vegetables and nuts in many of them. Some sites like electricsmokercenter.com have smoker recipes for a variety of foods.

They’re Good for Amateurs

If you are new to smoking your food, one of the benefits of an electric smoker is that it is so straightforward to use. Plug it in, set the temperature and timer based on the recipe, and put in the food. You don’t have to worry about fuel mixtures, how to add more fuel at the right time, and other tasks. They’re easy to clean, too. Plus, they’re ideal for experimenting with different sauces and spices since you can replicate the exact same cooking conditions between batches.

Conclusion

Electric smokers are safer than other types of smokers and far safer than deep fryers. They are less effort to use and a better choice for amateurs and experimenters. So, if you were still on the fence about electric smokers, we strongly suggest you give them a second look.