If you love the taste of smoked food, you don't have to rely on your local barbecue joint to get your fix. A backyard BBQ smoker can give you the smoky taste you crave, at a fraction of the cost of eating out. Smoking is a healthy way to cook, and it's a great alternative to traditional grilling. There are several types of BBQ smokers for the home cook.

Electric Smokers
Electric smokers come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from the "Big Green Egg" to more traditional grill models. Electric smokers use prepared pellets or wood chips as the source of smoke, and they keep a constant temperature, which is important in the smoking process. Electric smokers are more convenient, and since they come in a wide variety of sizes, they may be one of the better choices for home smoking. Look for models that automatically disperse the pellets, and offer a digital thermometer for the most reliable heat and smoke. Some electric smokers double as BBQ grills, too, which makes them even more adaptable for you backyard kitchen. Electric smokers tend to be more expensive than other smokers, and some people don't like the pellets they often use as fuel.

You can find a wide variety of charcoal BBQ smokers, too. Charcoal smokers also come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and they are much cheaper than electric smokers. They use wood chips for the smoke, and traditional charcoal briquettes for the heat source. There are some drawbacks to charcoal smokers, however. First, you have to keep adding charcoal to keep the heat constant, and in some smokers, that means taking everything out of the smoker, including the food you're smoking, to add more charcoal. It's inconvenient and the food doesn't stay at a constant temperature. Some of them are too small for really large items, like turkeys, briskets, and other food. The upside is that they are small enough to fit in small backyards, and they turn out really good smoked food for a smaller price tag.

Most of the BBQ competitors you see on TV use wood-fired smokers. They are traditionally the best of the smoking circuit, and they provide the most authentic wood smoke flavor in many people's opinion. They use wood or wood charcoal for their heat source and for the smoky flavor. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and you can get small smokers for the backyard, or huge smokers created especially for competitions. They are harder to use than electric smokers, because you have to continually monitor the heat and smoke, but they are much more versatile than smaller charcoal smokers. They can be as expensive as electric smokers, and the large, competition smokers can be extremely costly. They tend to impart the smokiest flavor to foods, so if you're a smoke purist, you probably want a wood smoker.

If you don't have a backyard, don't despair. There are small, indoor smokers available that you can use right on top of your stove. They consist of a steel body with a tight-fitting lit, and a tray and a rack that fit inside the smoker. You place soaked wood chips in the bottom of the smoker, place the tray and the rack on top, put your food inside, and fit the lid in place. You put the smoker over two burners on your stove. These indoor smokers are very inexpensive, and they do a great job of smoking smaller item. Their main drawback is that they are small, so you can only do smaller foods in them, and that they can leak, allowing some smoke into the house. A good stove fan works really well in combating that.

No matter where you live, you can find the right BBQ smokers for your needs, and begin enjoying your own smoked foods right away!