Bullet smokers offer all the benefits of smoking with real charcoal in a much smaller package. Usually they are made of three or more sections and have multiple cooking levels as well as a water bowl above the charcoal section at the bottom.

The water bowl helps to keep the meat from drying out during the cooking process and also assists greatly with maintaining a steady temperature. It will keep the temperature down though, so if you need something more than 250f you might want to take the water out. Some people also use bricks and sand for higher temperature smoking.

Bullet smokers are great if you don’t need to cook for larger groups and/or need to keep the footprint of your smoker small. The temperature is easier to control than with some other types of smokers – especially with the water bowl full. Bullets offer traditional charcoal smoke flavour at a fraction of the size and price of most other smokers. They are also a great smoker to get started on.

Because they are smaller in size, you will fit less food in a bullet smoker and also may need to top up the charcoal a bit more often.

When shopping for a bullet smoker, look for thicker steel on the walls of the smoker for better insulation. You’ll also use less fuel with a well insulated smoker.