Smoking meat is one of the oldest ways to preserve food. The Little Chief electric smoker played a role in the history of this technique, helping U.S. fishers smoke their prize catches.
Smoking both dries out food and introduces natural preservatives from burning wood. This makes food last longer, which everyone, from early hunters to farmers to fishers, all appreciated.
Eventually, fishers in Northwest America mastered this technique. They discovered that not only does smoking fish make it last longer, but it also makes them more delectable.
By figuring out the perfect wood and temperatures to cook with, fishers made smoking meat an art. One that we all can cherish today.
Comparison Table
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Masterbuilt® Digital Electric Vertical BBQ Smoker with 710 Cooking... | Buy on Amazon |
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Char-Broil Offset Smoker, 30" | Buy on Amazon |
The first thing you need to know about the Little Chief electric smoker is that it’s not for cooking food. It’s a true-to-heart smoker.
If you plan on cooking something with the Little Chief electric smoker, it’ll have to be small. That’s because the Little Chief runs at a low temperature, and you can’t change it.
That’s also the charm of the Little Chief electric smoker. You don’t have to mess with any controls, because there aren’t any. Furthermore, the Little Chief doesn’t require any assembly.
Simply place your food in the smoker, set a timer, and you’ll have delicious smoked food to enjoy.
Image via: Pixabay
For as low as it costs, the Little Chief electric smoker has a healthy number of features. Despite how simple it looks, the Little Chief’s much more than a large aluminum box.
You don’t have to be a professional pit boss to use the Little Chief electric smoker. Right out of the box, the Little Chief is ready to go.
The wood pan’s easy to fill up, and to start smoking, you just turn the Little Chief on.
After your food’s ready, clean up’s just as easy.
The racks and drip pan in the Little Chief are removable, so you don’t have to hunch and toil to clean the smoker. The drip pan’s even dishwasher safe, keeping you from having to do any scrubbing.
Image via: Pexels
Buyers adore how easy the Little Chief electric smoker is to use and assemble. They rave about how they’re able to make amazing smoked food with barely any effort.
Beginners to smoking food love that they can have unbeatable jerky without having to undergo complicated steps. Not having to choose a temperature takes out half of the guesswork of cooking for them. With its front-loading design, adding meat to the Little Chief is as easy as grabbing food from the fridge.
The Little Chief electric smoker’s simplicity also makes it long lasting. The Little Chief electric smoker lacks complex parts that could break, leading reviewers to praise how their smoker has been running for years on end without issues.
Buyers also found the Little Chief’s aluminum construction kept it lightweight and portable. A few reviewers said the downside of this is that it’s easy to dent the Little Chief.
The only problem with this simplicity is that some reviewers got caught off guard. Some buyers didn’t know you couldn’t cook with this smoker and were dismayed at the lack of temperature control.
Image via: Pixabay
Many Amazon reviewers are in love with their Little Chief electric smoker despite its 3.6 out of 5-star rating.
Image via: pexels
Buyers adore how easy the Little Chief electric smoker is to use and assemble. They rave about how they’re able to make amazing smoked food with barely any effort.
Beginners to smoking food love that they can have unbeatable jerky without having to undergo complicated steps. Not having to choose a temperature takes out half of the guesswork of cooking for them. With its front-loading design, adding meat to the Little Chief is as easy as grabbing food from the fridge.
The Little Chief electric smoker’s simplicity also makes it long lasting. The Little Chief electric smoker lacks complex parts that could break, leading reviewers to praise how their smoker has been running for years on end without issues.
Buyers also found the Little Chief’s aluminum construction kept it lightweight and portable. A few reviewers said the downside of this is that it’s easy to dent the Little Chief.
The only problem with this simplicity is that some reviewers got caught off guard. Some buyers didn’t know you couldn’t cook with this smoker and were dismayed at the lack of temperature control.
Image via: Pixabay
Although the Little Chief lacks many features, buyers appreciated the meals they could make with it.
For the low cost, reviewers were able to smoke fish, venison jerky, trout, nuts, cheese, and they loved all of it. Reviewers consistently mentioned how the Little Chief electric smoker gave their food delicious flavor.
Reviewers were even able to make juicy chicken and hamburgers using the Little Chief.
Although you can’t thoroughly cook these meals in the Little Chief electric smoker, you can incorporate the Little Chief into their cooking process. This adds a whole new layer of flavor to any of your Saturday afternoon grilling sessions.
The major flaw to smoking with the Little Chief smoker is its poor insulation. If you try using the Little Chief in windy or cold weather, the internal temperature will drop drastically. To make up for this, you’ll either have to use an insulating blanket or use the Little Chief like it’s a cold smoker.
Image via: Pixabay
In making our review, we’ve aimed to lay out all of the Little Chief electric smoker’s features. Rather than speaking strictly of the smoker’s components, we also focused on how its features will apply to your method of smoking.
To get a good idea of whether the smoker would be right for you or not, we also looked at reviews by publishers and buyers. Reviewers helped us find applicable information for the best ways to use the smoker.
Amazon reviews furthered this investigation. We used Amazon review to get a glimpse into what everyday buyers enjoyed and disliked about the Little Chief smoker. By bringing this information together, we hoped to present a complete look at the Little Chief electric smoker.
If you want to smoke meat, you’ll appreciate the Masterbuilt 30-inch digital electric smoker. Amazon reviewers rated the smoker 4.0 out of 5 stars, enjoying the variety and ease of use the smoker offers.
The smoker reaches between 200 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing you to cook more than just jerky. Reviewers said they were able to cook whole chickens, ribs, and more with the Masterbuilt.
What’s unique about this smoker is its control panel. All you have to do is set the temperature and the timer, and it will do the rest. The main problem with the panel is that it’s hard to read in direct sunlight.
The smoker has four racks, giving you plenty of room to cook food. The entire smoker is 20 inches long by 20.5 inches wide by 33.3 inches tall, giving it more space than the Little Chief.
Another special feature is the unique side panel the Masterbuilt has. You’re able to add chips through the panel while cooking, rather than opening the entire front door.
As for the negatives, buyers said the chip holder itself doesn’t hold many woodchips. Reviewers also felt the smoker didn’t put out enough smoke unless cooking higher than 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Finally, there were some various defects reviewers came across, such as paint peeling inside the smoker’s doors.
The Masterbuilt 30-inch digital electric smoker does its job well. It’s more expensive than the Little Chief, but if you want to smoke a variety of meat, this will be a better bet.
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Camp Chef is a well-known brand in the realm of smokers. They provide high-quality smokers that tend to run on the expensive side.
The Smoke Vault is a propane smoker that follows this trend, earning 4.2 out of 5 stars by Amazon buyers. The higher price pays off in build quality and versatility.
It has two racks compared to the Little Chief’s four and has dimensions of 18 inches wide by 16 inches long by 30 inches tall.
It also has three damper valves, helping regulate temperature, unlike the Little Chief. The Smoke Vault also has a thermometer on the front door, increasing your control over temperature.
Although the Smoke Vault isn’t an electric smoker, it’s in this list because it’s ideal for those who want more out of the Little Chief.
The Smoke Vault cooks from 215 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This gives you variety in what you wish to cook or smoke.
If you want to smoke meat like briskets, chicken, and ribs, the Smoke Vault will serve you better than the Little Chief.
If you want to stick to small items, though, you might prefer the Little Chief. The Little Chief’s more affordable than the Smoke Vault. Also, the Smoke Vault requires refilling propane tanks, which can be a hassle.
When it comes to price, the Char-Broil Analog electric smoker is closest to competing with the Little Chief. For a reasonable price, the Char-Broil Smoker is very well built.
Earning 4.2 out of 5 stars by Amazon reviewers, the Char-Broil smoker is praised for being a great all around smoker. The Char-Broil smoker reaches up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, letting you smoke meat such as ribs and pork butt.
With three grates and 544 square inches of cooking space, there’s plenty of room to get creative with. At 20.7 inches wide by 15 inches long by 33.5 inches high, this smoker model is slightly larger than the Little Chief.
Reviewers consistently applaud the smoker’s build quality. It’s insulated fairly well and any issues reported are usually cosmetic.
When it comes to smoking, the Char-Broil electric smoker comes with a water pan, keeping your meat juicy and tender. Reviewers felt the wood chip tray was a little small, but nothing terrible.
As for setting the temperature, the smoker has a dial that you use to set the smoker’s heat. There’s a thermometer on the front door, which helps you get that perfect temperature.
It takes a little effort to get the hang of but is worth the savings when compared to the Masterbuilt smoker’s price.
The Char-Broil analog electric smoker gives the Little Chief and the Masterbuilt smoker a run for their money. It’s an all-around reliable electric smoker with minor drawbacks.
PROS
CONS
Wrapping things up, the Little Chief electric smoker has a specific type of buyer in mind. The smoker has one, moderately low temperature, restricting your options for smoking.
You can’t cook slabs of meat like you can in the other smokers mentioned. Instead, you have to use the Little Chief Electric Smoker for small items like jerky, sausage, and bacon.
If you want to use the Little Chief with food like chicken and ribs, you can only use it as a final touch after cooking the food elsewhere. The low cost makes the Little Chief perfect for this method of smoking, but unusable for those who only want to barbeque.
When deciding whether you want to buy the Little Chief electric smoker or not, you need to know what you want.
Image via: Pixabay
If you’re happy with smoking nuts, bacon, and fish, you’ll love this smoker and save a lot of money.
If you want something to cook full racks of ribs and chicken in, you’ll be better off with models such as the Char-Broil analog electric smoker.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other favorite electric smokers we’ve left out!
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
