The Best Vertical Pellet Smokers of 2021

This type of smoker is not very common, but it does a great job producing more tender, juicier, and tastier meats. It generally looks like a big box with layers of racks on it, and the heat source is right at the very bottom.

Since heat rises, it allows you to cook everything on the racks at the same time, which means you can cook for a large number of people. The high temperature is easily maintained, and since you’re using wood pellets, it’s more environmentally friendly.

In other words, vertical pellet smokers offer you the best benefits you can get from pellet grills and vertical smokers. And even if you’re not used to “low and slow” smoking (or cooking) yet, you’ll find vertical smokers very easy to use.

Now, if you’re having a hard time finding the right one to use, below are the five best vertical pellet smokers you can check out:

The Camp Chef XXL Vertical Pellet Smoker, as the name implies, is a large smoker that can surely do a big job.

It has a total cooking area of 2,408 square inches, larger than most vertical pellet smokers can offer. And if that’s not enough, it already comes with four standard racks, three jerky racks, and one sausage rack with 12 hooks to give you more versatility in cooking – from large, whole meat to sausages and fish.

The temperature can range from 150 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, giving you more cooking options. The product also comes with two internal meat probes to get a precise temperature reading and not burn your meat.

When it comes to quality, Camp Chef won’t let you down. The smoker is majorly built from 16-gauge steel covered with a powder-coating.

The hopper capacity is only 18-pounds, but this is not something to worry about as this can already last for up to 12 hours of continuous smoking. But the best part is, it can even go past that with the product’s Smart Smoke Technology, which helps improve the overall efficiency and pellet consumption of the smoker. And since there’s a pellet window, you can monitor if you need to refill the hopper.

As you can see, the Camp Chef XXL Vertical Smoker is equipped with lots of features, but it doesn’t just stop there. It also provides easy clean up with the ash clean out and grease management system. And if you need to change places due to unexpected circumstances, the wheels will make moving easier.

Pit Boss has always been known to produce the best smokers, particularly vertical smokers. The company has always promised that its vertical smokers would always offer:

• Ample Cooking Space
• Impressive Cooking Times
• Wide temperature range
• High-Quality materials; and
• Large Hopper Capacity

With that said, let us take a look at the Pit Boss Grills 5.5 Pellet Smoker.

This vertical smoker features a large cooking area of 1,548 square inches allowing you to cook more for many people. This cooking area is divided into five porcelain-coated cooking racks for even heat distribution and longer cooking time.

Besides the rack, the smoker also comes with a porcelain-coated water pan and heat deflector to expect a better cook on your meat. As for the temperature range, the smoker can go from 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for more cooking options.

Conveniently monitor the temperatures inside with a digital LED readout. Or you can use the meat probe that comes with the product to check the cook of your meat. This way, you get to ensure that your food is cooked to perfection.

The best part about this smoker (and what Pit Boss is most proud of) is the high pellet capacity. You can load the hopper with up to 40-pound pellets that will allow you to keep the smoker going for 24 hours.

Other features of the product include the auto-start 300-watt igniter for easy start-up and an auto shut-off to ensure that the temperature doesn’t go over the required temperature range.

Next on our list is the Louisiana Grills Vertical Pellet Smoker. This is another smoker to look at if you’re looking for a large cooking capacity.

The product features up to 2,059 square inches of total cooking area to provide you ample space to cook more meat for a larger number of people. The product already comes with six adjustable porcelain-coated racks and four chrome-coated smoking racks that promise even heat distribution and more flexibility.

The temperature can range from 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit to give you more versatility in how you cook your meat. Two built-in meat probes and an LCD display will help you know what temperature your meat is at.

For better monitoring, the smoker also comes with a glass window so you can easily see what’s going on with your meat inside. This simply gets rid of all the burnt meat fear that you possibly have.

The whole smoker comes with double-walled insulated steel construction to ensure that temperature and smoke remain consistent. You’ll also love the 60-pound hopper capacity, which provides 35 hours of non-stop cooking. And if you’re worried about fuel running out, you have a pellet viewing window that you can monitor.

Other features you’ll enjoy from this smoker are the locking wheels for easier transport, the water tray, and the grease spill tray.

Another excellent Pit Boss vertical pellet smoker on our list is the PIT BOSS 3-Series Vertical Pellet Smoker.

Compared to other vertical pellet smokers from Pit Boss, the 3-Series Vertical Pellet Smoker only has a 901 square-inches cooking area. However, this is still considered bigger compared to when you use other smokers or grills.

The product already comes with four porcelain-coated cooking grids that allow even heat distribution. The temperature can range from 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and you can easily control that with a knob.

The smoker has a large front window, so you wouldn’t have to keep opening the smoker to see the cook on your meat. Added to that, you can still monitor the internal temperature with a digital LED readout and a meat probe.

As for the hopper, it is said to hold up to 40 pounds of pellets, offering you continuous smoking for as long as you want.

Other features you’ll also enjoy are the water pan or grease tray, ash pull-out system, and an auto-start igniter with an automatic shut-off option.

The last vertical pellet smoker on our list is the Sportsman 7-Series Vertical Pellet Smoker, which is also made by Pit Boss.

As promised, the product features a large cooking area of 1,853 square inches, which will allow you to smoke, bake, rose, barbecue, or braise meats for a large number of people.

The smoker comes with six adjustable cooking racks and six stainless steel hooks to offer you great versatility on what to cook. If you want to cook a whole chicken, you can remove a rack to make it fit; if you want to hang meat, you can use the hooks.

The product’s temperature can range from 150 to 420 degrees Fahrenheit fast, and you can control the temperature as you please. There’s a meat probe inside, and a digital control board outside that will help you monitor the temperature and the cook of the meat without opening the door.

The whole pellet smoker comes with heavy-gauge steel construction, promising you that it will last for years. And if you’re looking for a 24-hour barbecue experience, you’ll definitely love the 55-pound hopper capacity. You won’t even have to worry if fuel is running low with its large pellet viewing window.

Other features you’ll love about the Pit Boss Sportsman 7 Series are the automatic ignition that promises you an easy start and the glass window that makes it aesthetically-pleasing.