Commercial Smokers Buying Guide

A cook and hold smoker is a type of oven that can cook, roast, smoke, and hold your food until it’s ready to be served. Many come with a wood chip container or an accessory kit to hold wood chips, which will help meat obtain the smoky, savory flavor that is a staple of barbecue.

• Feature programmable digital controls and timer for ease of use
• Most have a cook and hold function that keeps your food hot automatically after it’s finished cooking
• Many can hold real wood chips to deliver a natural, smoky flavor
• Operate at lower temperatures than standard ovens, which helps reduce shrinkage
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Location: indoor use
• Fuel type: electricity
• Best for: operators who are new to barbecue or are looking to add barbecue to their menu

A smoker grill comes with a slide out tray for charcoal or wood chips as well as easy-to-read thermometers to monitor the temperature of your grill.

• Perfect for low and slow cooking and smoking
• Temperature will need to be regularly checked during the cooking process and manually adjusted when necessary
• Location: outdoor use
• Fuel type: charcoal, wood, and liquid propane
• Best for: catered events, tailgates, and outdoor venues

Offset grills are one of the most traditional and authentic ways to smoke meat. They feature a firebox to hold the fuel, which is connected to a larger barrel where the cooking takes place. The firebox feeds smoke into the cooking chamber to give it that rich, authentic smoky flavor and crisp barbecued bark.

• Ideal for low and slow cooking and smoking
• Easy to adjust the heat and replenish fuel
• Can cook large amounts of food at once
• Temperature will need to be regularly checked during the cooking process and manually adjusted when necessary
• Location: outdoor use
• Fuel type: charcoal and wood
• Best for: BBQ joints, catered events, tailgates, and outdoor venues

Pellet grills are one of the most versatile and easy-to-use smokers to cook with. They feature an easy-to-use digital control panel that allows you to set timers, monitor internal temperatures, and measure the temperature of meat with incredible precision. When choosing between a pellet grill and a vertical pellet smoker, a pellet grill is best for when you'd like to grill and sear with the same unit.

• Allows you to grill, sear, braise, roast, and smoke all with the same unit
• Provides more precise temperature control than smoker grills and offset grills for more evenly cooked and consistent-tasting meat
• Auger automatically feeds wood pellets from the hopper into the flavor chamber to be heated and turned into flavorful smoke
• Do not require as much cooking oversight as offset grills
• Can be very efficient in terms of fuel usage
• Require electricity to operate
• Food does not achieve as smoky of a flavor as it would when cooking with an offset grill
• Location: outdoor use
• Fuel type: wood pellets
• Best for: BBQ joints, catered events, tailgates, and outdoor venues

A vertical pellet smoker is designed to have food sit directly above the fuel source and have the chimney directly above the food. This allows for smoke to evenly distribute around the meat for an incredible, smoky flavor. When choosing between a vertical pellet smoker or a pellet grill, a vertical pellet smoker is best for when you desire low and slow smoking and a richer, smokier taste.

• Delivers a rich, smoky taste to meats
• Able to smoke, bake, braise, roast, and barbecue; cannot sear or grill
• Provides precise temperature and time control
• Features a spacious cooking area
• Large hopper allows for overnight cooking
• Require electricity to operate
• Location: outdoor use
• Fuel type: wood pellets
• Best for: BBQ joints, catered events, fairs, and outdoor venues

Indoor smokehouses are large, gas-powered units that utilize vertical space to maximize on capacity without taking up too much space in your kitchen. The units include skewers so that ribs, whole chickens, and tenderloin can be easily suspended for optimal cooking.

• Flavorful smoke is generated by the drip shields during the cooking process
• Each size can be used with a compatible rack kit that will convert the smokehouse into a vertical barbecue oven
• Doors can be either right or left hinged
• Location: indoor use
• Fuel type: natural gas or propane
• Best for: urban kitchens, ghost kitchens, and BBQ joints

Proprietary to R & V works, express smokers feature a sealed pressure and vacuumed chamber that is coupled with a patented hydration regulator to smoke meats in a fraction of the time that conventional smokers require.

• Cooks baby back ribs in 35 to 40 minutes, a whole 3 lb. chicken in 30 minutes, and a 9 lb. brisket in 2 hours
• Location: outdoor use
• Fuel type: propane gas
• Best for: smokehouses, catered events, tailgates, and outdoor venues

Indoor pig roasters are large enough to cook whole pigs or several racks of meat at one time, which makes them perfect for high-volume establishments. They are designed with two permimeter burns that spread heat throughout the roaster for even cooking and a crispy crust.

• Spacious enough to smoke a whole pig or duck
• Feature two perimeter burners to cook food evenly
• Smoke is generated by fat dripping onto the aluminized drip shields, which also protect the burners
• Location: indoor use
• Fuel type: natural gas
• Best for: urban kitchens, ghost kitchens, catering companies, and BBQ joints

A smoke gun is a handheld smoker tool that produces cold smoke to bring a smoky flavor to more delicate foods, such as cheese, chocolates, ice cream, and even cocktails.

• Infuses and finishes foods and drinks with smoky flavor and aroma
• Compact, portable, and easy to use
• Can be used in the back-of-house to cold smoke foods or for front-of-house display cooking to enhance your guests’ experience
• Battery-operated for convenience
• Location: indoor or outdoor use
• Best for: mixologists, chefs, and gastronomists

Combination ovens deliver many benefits to a commercial kitchen, including their ability to smoke, roast, steam, sous vide, braise, bake, rethermalize, and oven fry foods all in one unit, allowing you to save on the space and cost of a dedicated smoker for your kitchen. A combination oven uses three methods of cooking: convection, steam, and a combination of steam and convection. Like smoker ovens, many combi ovens can be used with a compatible smoker box that can hold wood chips to give meats an authentic smoky flavor.

• Allow you to offer smoked and barbecued foods on your menu without having a dedicated smoker
• Most combi ovens are programmable, allowing you to upload and download recipes
• Easy to use and clean
• Location: indoors
• Fuel type: electricity
• Best for: urban kitchens, restaurants, bars, and cafeterias