Electric smokers (UK)easy smoking with a plug, and the trade-offs

The electric smoker is the one for people who want smoked food more than they want a fire. There's no charcoal to light, no vents to fiddle with and no ash to empty. You set a temperature, load some wood chips and get on with your day. The trade-off is flavour and bark, and the fact that it needs a socket in the garden that's safe to use in the rain.

How they work

Most electric smokers are an upright cabinet with a door at the front. Inside, from the bottom up:

• A heating element, like the one in an oven, controlled by a thermostat or a digital controller.
• A chip tray or box sitting on or just above the element. Wood chips in the tray smoulder in the heat and give off smoke.
• A water pan, which adds humidity and acts as a heat buffer so the temperature doesn't spike.
• Grates or racks, stacked shelf-style, which is why they hold a lot of food in a small footprint.

Many have a chip loader that lets you add chips from outside without opening the door. Some have a window, which steams up early in the cook and is more decorative than useful.

Because the heat comes from an element rather than burning fuel, the smoke comes only from the chips. That's why the flavour is lighter, and why the smoke ring, if you care about it, is usually less pronounced. Most cooks find the results very good for fish, chicken, cheese and sausages, and decent but softer for brisket and pork. Our guide to bark and smoke ring explains what's going on.

Outdoor power safety

This matters more than any spec, so it comes first.

• Use an RCD-protected supply. A residual current device cuts the power fast if current leaks to earth, for example through water or a damaged cable. Outdoor sockets should have RCD protection. If you're not sure whether yours does, a plug-in RCD adaptor is a stopgap, not a fix.
• Use an outdoor-rated socket. A weatherproof socket with a cover that closes over the plug is the right thing for a garden. An indoor socket with a lead trailing through the back door is not.
• Be careful with extension leads. If you must use one, it should be rated for outdoor use, fully unwound so it doesn't overheat, and kept off wet ground and out of puddles. Don't run it through a window or a door that shuts on the cable, and don't daisy-chain adaptors.
• Keep the connection dry. Position the smoker so the plug and socket aren't sitting in rain or run-off. A smoker under an open-sided shelter is fine; the socket should still be protected.
• Get a qualified electrician for anything new. Fitting an outdoor socket or a new circuit is a job for a registered electrician, who can also check that your existing circuit is protected. It isn't a weekend DIY job.

Follow the maker's instructions on clearances and on using the smoker in wet weather, and switch off at the socket before moving it or cleaning it.

What to check in the spec

We don't name models here until we've checked their specs against the maker's UK page. If you're shortlisting, compare like for like, and check the plug is a UK one rather than an adaptor.

The cold weather problem

Cheap, thin-walled electric smokers can struggle to reach temperature on a cold, windy day, because the element simply can't keep up. Insulation and a decent element help. So does a sheltered spot out of the wind, which you'll be doing anyway to keep the socket dry. Our guide to smoking in winter covers the rest.

Cold smoking with an electric smoker

Cold smoking means adding smoke flavour without cooking the food: cheese, salmon for curing, butter, salt. The cabinet needs to stay cool, so the element is off and the smoke comes from a separate source, usually a smouldering maze-style smoke generator or a cold-smoke attachment. Some electric smokers sell an add-on for this; others work fine with a generator on the bottom shelf.

It's a job for cool weather. On a warm British summer day the cabinet can get too warm for cheese or fish, so most people cold smoke in autumn and winter, often overnight. Food safety matters here, especially for fish and meat. Read cold smoking at home before you start.

Use dry chips, not soaked ones. Wet chips steam on the element before they smoke, which mostly delays the smoke you wanted.

Who should skip an electric smoker

Skip one if you don't have, and won't fit, a safe outdoor socket. Skip it if you're chasing the strongest smoke flavour and a crisp bark on brisket; a charcoal smoker or a well-run offset gives more of both. And if you want to grill as well as smoke, a kamado does both, while an electric cabinet only smokes.

For small gardens, flats with a patio, or anyone who wants smoked salmon and cheese without learning fire management, an electric smoker makes a lot of sense. Run the smoker picker to check, and get the socket sorted before you buy the smoker.

FAQs

Can I use an electric smoker in the rain?

Only if the maker says so and the power supply is RCD-protected and outdoor-rated, with the plug and socket kept dry. A sheltered, well-ventilated spot helps.

Do electric smokers give a real smoke flavour?

Yes, but lighter than charcoal or wood. Most cooks are very happy with fish, chicken and cheese, and find brisket and pork milder than from a charcoal smoker.

Can I plug an electric smoker into an extension lead?

Ideally plug it straight into an outdoor socket. If you must use a lead, make sure it's rated for outdoor use, fully unwound and kept off wet ground.

Can I use an electric smoker in a garage or shed?

Use it outdoors as the maker instructs. Smoke and heat build up in enclosed spaces, and a shed full of smoke and electrics is a bad combination.