Best Propane Smokers

A propane vertical cabinet, which sits between an electric smoker and a charcoal one: a single burner at the base heats a wood-chip tray, and the ThermoTemp thermostat opens and closes the gas valve to hold a set temperature the way a gas oven does. That thermostat is the distinguishing feature — most propane cabinets in this price band have a manual needle valve and drift with the weather. 960 sq in over four racks, and a 375°F ceiling that beats every electric cabinet here.

The budget end of the propane cabinet category: a dual-burner 12,500 BTU gas vertical with four porcelain-coated racks and a manual needle valve rather than a thermostat. That is the key distinction from Masterbuilt's ThermoTemp — you set the flame and the cabinet drifts with the weather, which is why it costs $100 less. A door-mounted dial is the only temperature feedback.

For fifteen years this was the default propane vertical: a 20,000 BTU cast-iron burner under a wood-chip tray, three damper valves, two adjustable racks and a jerky rack, and a 160-350°F range that goes low enough for sausage and high enough to bake. Camp Chef discontinued the Smoke Vault in April 2026 and it is gone from campchef.com entirely, though Sportsman's Warehouse and BBQGuys are still clearing new stock well below the $380 list price. It is listed here because it remains one of the most-owned propane cabinets in the country and the nearest thing to a reference point for anyone shopping the category.

The wide version of the Smoke Vault: identical 20,000 BTU burner, dampers and 160-350°F range, but a chamber six inches wider that takes a whole turkey or two full pork butts side by side instead of front-to-back. Three cooking grids rather than the 18's two-plus-jerky. Discontinued alongside the 18 in April 2026; it is the size worth hunting for on clearance, because the extra width is the only thing that separates it from the smaller model and it was only $60 more at list.

The propane answer to Dyna-Glo's charcoal cabinets and the natural replacement shopping target now that the Camp Chef Smoke Vault is discontinued. Two cast-iron burners totalling 20,000 BTU sit under a porcelain-enameled wood chip box, with four height-adjustable grates rated to 25 lbs each for 1,235 sq in, electronic pulse ignition and a top damper. The wide-body chamber takes a turkey across rather than front-to-back.