As summer begins to rear its head in Australia, there’s only one thing to do: fire up the barbeque for backyard dinners underneath the setting sun.

A seasonal tradition in just about every household, hosting friends and family for perfectly smoked steaks, grilled veggies and juicy ribs is the only way to welcome in the warmer days.

But in order to do so you must first equip yourself with the best BBQ smoker, with a range of factors to consider, including the size of it, what fuel it takes, and most importantly, your cooking style.

To help you with your search in finding the best BBQ smoker for you and your next dinner party, we’ve rounded up our top picks from Australian retailers below.

Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker BBQ, $460 at Amazon
Featuring double-tiered 37cm chrome-plated cooking grills, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker BBQ has ample space to cook for an entire party. It’s also perfect for slow cooking and succulent slow cooked meals, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.
Z Grills 700E-XL, from $1,349 at The Block Shop

Designed to be easy, this Z Grill takes all the guesswork out of wood fire cooking so you’re guaranteed the perfect flavour and consistent results no matter what’s on the menu. Use it on low temperatures for ribs, briskets, and pulled pork, or crank up the heat for some wood-fired pizza or Aussie BBQ classics.

Traeger Pro Series Pellet Grill, $1,599.95 at Appliances Online

Expect incredible wood-fired flavour and delicious cooking results with the Traeger Pro Series Pellet Grill, featuring incorporated WiFire technology to bring true grilling power right to your fingertips. Powered by the D2 Direct Drive drive-train, Turbo Temp also allows the Pro Series 575 to get hotter and faster so you can get straight into grilling.

AS500N-2 Wood Pellet Grill, $899 at Catch.com.au
Whether you’re looking to BBQ, bake, roast, braise, smoke or sear, this grill does it all. With an advanced auto pellet feed system and heating fan, you can maintain temperatures without having to babysit.
Grillz 2-in-1 Offset BBQ Smoker, $97.95 at Amazon

Featuring a chrome-coated steel BBQ grill, a generous cooking chamber and robust side firebox, you can grill and smoke your food in exceptional style inside the Grillz Offset 2-in-1 BBQ Smoker’s perfectly sealed and thick metal body.

Charmate Offset Char Smoker BBQ, $84.55 at Kogan
This offset smoker has two distinct cooking functions – smoking and direct grilling – to create mouth-watering, slow-cooked and smoked meats. If you don’t have hours to wait, you can use the direct grilling option and still achieve a flavoursome meal.

When considering which type of BBQ smoker is best for you, you must of course consider your personal preferences, skill level, budget, and the types of barbecue you want to cook.

Offset smokers tend to be popular for their traditional design, consisting of a main cooking chamber and a separate firebox connected by a pipe or opening, which allows for indirect cooking and slow smoking.

Pellets smokers, on the other hand, use compressed wood pellets as fuel. Known for their convenience, precise temperature control, and ease of use, pellet smokers are versatile and can be used for grilling, smoking, roasting, and baking.

Other types of BBQ smokers include charcoal smokers, which provide a classic smoky flavour, ceramic or kamado smokers, excellent for both grilling and smoking, and cabinet smokers, offering set-and-forget convenience, easy usage and great results.