Ranking 18 Cuts Of Meat To Smoke, From Worst To Best

When the temperatures get warmer, outdoor grilling and smoking are essential parts of parties, picnics, and backyard barbecues. Grilling may be a more popular technique, but smoking is an arguably better method. The relatively low heat of the smoker cooks meat more evenly and avoids excessively charring your food. Also, you can spend more time sitting back and relaxing or mingling with your cookout guests instead of hovering over a hot grill. 

But above all, the greatest benefit of using the smoker is in the name: the closed lid during the cooking process imparts a deep, rich smokiness that compliments almost every cut of meat. That being said, some different proteins and different cuts work better than others. Some cuts will shine on your smoker, while others will smolder. That's why we ranked different cuts of meat to smoke from worst to best, so you can be the pitmaster of your own barbecue at your next gathering.

It's not a coincidence that you rarely, if ever, see smoked beef tenderloin on a restaurant menu. You're more likely to see it seared to a medium-rare perfection at a steakhouse rather than on a tray of barbecue. This cut of meat is one of the most expensive cuts on the cow and is beloved for its buttery soft texture when cooked well. 

Just like its pork counterpart, beef tenderloin does not have enough fat to withstand the dry, circulating air of the smoker. As this meat passes the temperature for medium-rare (around 135 degrees Fahrenheit), it will become increasingly tough and leathery. Because of the smoker's relatively low heat, this piece of equipment is better suited for meat that can cook for long periods of time. And for the price you'll pay for this cut of meat, you'll get a better bang for your buck cooking it on the stove. 

A pork chop is a slice of pork loin attached to a rib. The bone is partially covered in a layer of fat that brings flavor and moisture to the otherwise lean cut of meat. In addition, the bone insulates and protects the surrounding meat, which gives you a bit more wiggle room to cook a pork chop without overcooking it. 

Just like with whole pork tenderloin, pork chops are best cooked over direct heat for eight to 12 minutes. The hot circulating air of the smoker will dry out a pork chop before it imparts enough smoky flavor. The bone will help slightly to prevent overcooking, but the smoker is still not the ideal way to cook a pork chop. While the area around the bone with more connective tissue and fat will be tender and delicious, you will encounter issues with dryness and toughness with the loin. You are better off cooking the ribs on the smoker on their own than using the whole chop. 

Chicken is a staple protein that can taste great when smoked, which is why you see it frequently on barbecue menus. Some cuts, however, are too dry and delicate to hold up to the intensity of the smoker. This poses a problem for smoking a whole chicken, which has multiple different types of meat. White meat in particular does not tolerate prolonged cooking methods well compared to darker meat.

By the time the chicken thighs and legs are tender, the breasts may be dry and the wings will be almost completely burnt. The process of smoking will sacrifice the juiciness of nearly half of the chicken and essentially waste it. You can supplement the chicken with brine or even a can of beer, but you are still better off breaking the chicken down and cooking its parts individually to ensure that each piece is cooked to perfection, rather than relying on the smoker to cook a whole bird. 

Chicken thighs are among the most versatile cuts of meat on a chicken and in general. The dark meat stays juicy with quick-cooking techniques but retains its tenderness when cooking it low and slow. You can find chicken thighs on menus in almost every type of preparation. They are deliciously grilled, braised, and seared — but they are especially tasty when cooked on a smoker.

The smoker is a great way to add flavor without sacrificing quality with chicken thighs. Like with most cuts of meat, they are best cooked with the bone in and the skin on, to protect the meat and add more delicious fat. The final result will be melt in your mouth chicken with a rich smokiness and a crisp skin —making it a perfect cut to start with when experimenting with a smoker. With just a bit of barbecue sauce, you will have a dish that rivals many professional restaurants. 

A chuck roast is taken from the shoulder of a cow, where the muscles are constantly moving. Because it comes from an active part of the animal, there is a considerable amount of connective tissue and intramuscular fat (what you may know as marbling). Cooking this cut of meat like a steak will leave you with chewy meat with lots of undercooked fat. 

These need lots of time to break down, and once they do, you are left with fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. This makes it a perfect candidate for a smoker, since the meat gets more and more tender as it smokes. The smoke also augments the naturally beefy flavor of a chuck roast. An added bonus: this meat is relatively inexpensive but can taste better than a more expensive cut with the right cooking method. You can also smoke more meat at once and keep leftovers for future cooking projects. 

Another fixture on the holiday table is a whole ham. A ham comes from the leg of a pig and is cured with salt, either in a dry rub or a wet brine. You can often find them pre-smoked at your local grocery store, but if you want to earn extra points at dinner, try smoking it at home yourself.

Because of the brining process, hams retain more moisture and are seasoned from the inside out. That combined with the naturally dark, moist meat makes it nearly foolproof to cook in a smoker. It lends well to long, slow heat application, so a smoker will give you the perfect texture to complement its rich flavor. The exterior of the meat will turn a deep golden brown and retain a nice crispness that surrounds delectable, melt in your mouth meat. All you need is a homemade glaze to give the grocery store a run for its money.

Pork belly comes from, you guessed it, the area around a pig's stomach. This cut of meat has thick layers of fat with minimal meat. It is commonly seen fried into bacon strips at breakfast, but you can smoke pork belly at home for a decadent dinner that will seriously impress your friends and family.

Because of the large amount of fat, you need a lot of time to properly render it and allow it to melt into the meat. Otherwise, you will end up with lots of chewy fat that is fairly unpleasant to eat. To combat this, turn to the smoker, which will slowly draw out the fat while evenly crisping the exterior. While it will remain fatty no matter what, the smoker will make it enjoyable to eat and add some extra flavor. You will end up with a rich, succulent piece of pork that is perfect for special occasions. 

The meat around beef ribs is generally tougher, but full of flavor because of their proximity to the bone and the hearty amount of fat and collagen. Smoking is a classic way of preparing beef ribs because of their tender meat after a long cooking time and the intense flavor that highlights the natural taste of the beef.

Beef ribs are easy to smoke at home as long as you give them enough time to break down. One part of the ribs that will not break down is the membrane lining the rib cage, so be sure to remove that before cooking so people won't have to chomp down on anything too chewy. The rest of the meat will recede from the bone and soak up all of the smoky flavor, making it an easy treat to eat with your hands. Serve them with a dry rub, barbecue sauce, or both, and prepare to win over the whole family.

The quality of a barbecue restaurant is often judged by its brisket recipe. No matter where you go, you're almost guaranteed to find brisket somewhere on a barbecue restaurant's menu. This cut of meat is found underneath the chuck of a cow and has a lot of tough connective tissue to break down. It's typically an inexpensive cut of meat, but a smoked brisket is worth its weight in gold.

With the low, indirect heat of the smoker, the brisket has plenty of time to become melt-in-your-mouth tender. Meanwhile, the layers of fat around the outside render and soak the meat with more flavor. When cooked properly, beef brisket should develop a pink smoke ring around the exterior of the meat. It takes a lot of finesse to perfect a recipe for beef brisket, but cooking it in the smoker is your safest bet to have the juiciest, most delicious meat possible.