If you’re looking for the right propane burner for a smoker then you’re in the right place. Let’s look at our favorites, and then we’ll help you decide which is the best for you.
Below are our recommendations for the 4 best propane burners for smokers on the market:
Bayou Classic BG10 High Pressure Cast-Iron Replacement Burner
If you’re looking to convert an offset smoker from charcoal to gas then this is the perfect part to get you there. This is a super high BTU unit, coming out at 150k for the smallest option, which makes it ideal for those who want to get going with a large smoker.
On the other hand, it’s not suitable for small or medium sized smokers. It simply produces too much heat, but if you’re looking to keep a large and in-charge smoker powered then you’ll be in good hands with the BG10.
GAS ONE Propane High Pressure Cast-Iron Round Burner Head with Brass Fitting Orifice
For a medium sized smoker, this 65,000 BTU, high pressure unit is just about right. You’ll be able to get things going and the low profile makes it easy to slide in at the bottom of most smokers without any difficulty.
On top of that, the high-quality cast iron production makes it ideal for those who want to run things for a long time. It’s pretty much perfect for the average smoker, but for miniature or gigantic applications it’s not going to fit the bill. If you keep these caveats in mind, however, you’re looking at one of the best propane burners for smokers period.
King Kooker WKAF2B Low Pressure Burner with Orifice
This is pretty much perfect for those who are working with a small vertical smoker. It’s an 18,000 BTU burner with cast-iron construction. Mounting it under your barrel might just be the perfect way to ensure you’ve got tasty meat with a consistent temperature.
You’ll have to watch the size of your smoker, however, as it doesn’t really provide enough heat for the big models. On the other hand, for most home applications you’ll be able to keep a nice and consistent temperature to get the meat just right.
King Kooker WKAF1B High Pressure Burner
This is another 150,000 BTU burner, with high-quality cast iron construction and a high-pressure design. These really are the ideal type of burners for larger burners although most people will be running them pretty far under capacity.
The low profile and brass orifice make it perfect for custom designs. Just snap on the right regulator and you’ll be good to go. Hands down, this is one of the best propane burners for smokers around.
The Advantages of a Propane Smoker for Smokers
Propane smokers are becoming more and more common, for good reason too.
Propane offers the middle ground in maintenance between electric burners and charcoal burning. While electrics lower the amount of smoke flavor in the meat, they’re a bit lower maintenance. And charcoal burners take a ton of work but maximize the flavor. Propane, however, sits nice and tight in the middle ground.
They’re easy to set up as well, provided that you ensure you have the right burner for your smoker. Whether you’ve got a custom design in mind or a pre-built smoker, it’s pretty easy to slap together a good burner, regulator, and some hoses to get things going.
Basically, if you like smokey flavor but don’t want to have to babysit your smoker then you’ll want to take a good look at snatching up a propane burner to get your smoker going.
What to Look for in a Propane Burner for Your Smoker
Not all burners are created equal. You’re going to have to invest a little bit of time into making sure that the burner you snatch up is exactly the right one for your needs.
BTU Rating
The BTU rating is going to determine how large of a smoker you can run with any given burner.
For the most part, you’ll need to be at least 225°F through the whole thing and you’ll want to be able to control the temperature tightly.
That means oversizing things a little bit from what you’d use for a standard cooker.
As a general rule, you can go high or low pressure with your system. High pressure will provide a lot more BTUs but can be harder to keep on the low end of things if you’re using an oversized burner.
On the other hand, low pressure systems don’t provide the same amount of heat to the meat, but you’ll be able to tightly control the temperature without thinking too much about it.
Low Profile
Since you’ll need to fit your burner in at the bottom of your smoker, it makes sense to look for low profile options. This means straight burners which lack a 90° angle in their piping. This way you can keep everything in-line.
It’s worth it to have to make a little bit more space for a high-pressure model if you need the heat, however.
Banjo burners are great, but they’re usually too expensive and too high-power for the average home smoker. Commercial models may require one, however.
Material
Go with cast-iron instead of aluminum.
There’s solid reasoning behind that: aluminum doesn’t do well when exposed to heat for hours and hours. They work fine for short-term applications, but smokers will often be burning for a long time and that can damage the weaker metal.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the best propane burner for smokers then we hope we’ve guided you to the right choice. There are a lot of options out there, but once you know how many BTUs you need the biggest factor is just making sure that things are low-profile and made of cast iron in order to keep out of the heat.
Don’t hesitate. Make the switch today. Propane is a fantastic way to get a lower maintenance, higher flavor smoker going on. Good luck!
