6 Best Char-Griller Propane Smokers For Small Farms On a Homestead Budget

You’ve spent all morning mending fences and the afternoon turning the compost pile. The last thing you have energy for is babysitting a fire for six hours just to get a decent meal. Yet, the satisfaction of eating your own farm-raised meat, perfectly smoked, is one of the great rewards of this lifestyle. This is where the right tool doesn’t just make a task easier—it makes it possible.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Why a Propane Smoker Fits the Homestead Lifestyle

A propane smoker offers one thing a homesteader never has enough of: predictable control. Unlike a charcoal or stick-burner that demands constant attention, a gas smoker lets you set the temperature and get back to your chores. You can weed the garden or check on the livestock while the smoker holds a steady 225°F without your help.

This "set it and walk away" convenience is the single biggest advantage. Time is your most valuable resource, and you can’t afford to spend an entire Saturday feeding a firebox. Propane provides consistent heat that isn’t affected by a sudden breeze or a drop in ambient temperature nearly as much as charcoal.

Of course, there’s a tradeoff. Purists will argue you lose a bit of the deep, smoky flavor that only comes from burning wood splits. While true, you can easily compensate by using wood chip or chunk boxes. For the homesteader, the consistency and time savings of propane almost always outweigh the marginal flavor difference. It’s the difference between having smoked meat for dinner or not having it at all.

Char-Griller 3720: A Dedicated Vertical Smoker

If your primary goal is processing and preserving meat in batches, a dedicated vertical smoker is your best bet. The Char-Griller 3720 is built for capacity. Its upright design gives you multiple racks, letting you smoke several chickens, racks of ribs, or links of sausage all at once without taking up a huge footprint on your porch.

This model is a workhorse, not a show pony. It’s designed to do one job—smoking—and it does it well. The vertical chamber allows heat and smoke to rise naturally, evenly cooking everything inside. Think of it as an outdoor oven that adds smoke.

The limitation is its specialty. You won’t be grilling burgers on this for a quick weeknight meal. It’s a dedicated tool for a specific task. If you already have a grill and need a serious smoking machine for harvest time, the 3720 is an efficient, space-saving choice.

Char-Griller Duo 5050: Gas Grill & Smoker Combo

The Duo 5050 is the classic jack-of-all-trades for the homestead. It combines a standard propane grill on one side with a charcoal grill and an attached offset smoker box on the other. This setup gives you incredible day-to-day flexibility.

You can fire up the gas side for a quick dinner after a long day of work. On the weekend, you can use the offset firebox to slow-smoke a pork shoulder or brisket. This versatility is its greatest strength, consolidating two or three separate appliances into one unit, which is a huge plus when patio space is limited.

The primary tradeoff is smoking capacity and heat management. The offset box is smaller than what you’d find on a dedicated smoker, limiting the size of what you can cook. It also requires a bit more practice to maintain a stable temperature compared to a vertical propane unit. This is the perfect fit for the family that wants to do everything—grill, smoke, and sear—without buying multiple cookers.

Char-Griller Texas Trio: The All-in-One Solution

Take the Duo concept and expand it. The Texas Trio gives you a gas grilling chamber, a separate charcoal grilling chamber, and the side firebox for smoking. This is the ultimate outdoor cooking station for someone who wants every option available at all times.

This model is for the serious outdoor cook who might want to grill vegetables on the gas side while slow-smoking a brisket using the firebox. It eliminates the need to choose your cooking method ahead of time. It’s big, it’s versatile, and it can handle feeding a larger family or a small gathering after a community barn-raising.

The obvious downsides are cost and size. This is one of the largest and most expensive units in the lineup, and it demands a significant amount of space. If you have the room and the budget, the Texas Trio provides unparalleled flexibility, but it might be overkill for a small family or a beginner.

Char-Griller Flavor Pro: Multi-Fuel Versatility

The Flavor Pro is for the homesteader who loves to experiment but still values convenience. Its key feature is the multi-fuel drawer system. You can use propane for easy, consistent heat, but you can also add charcoal or wood chunks directly into the drawer to layer in authentic smoke flavor.

This design offers a fantastic middle ground. You get the temperature stability of gas but can easily introduce the complex flavors of a real wood fire. It’s a tinkerer’s dream, allowing you to blend fuel sources to get the exact result you want.

This isn’t a true offset smoker, so the smoke profile will be different, but it’s incredibly efficient. It’s a great option for those who want to move beyond basic propane smoking without committing to the steep learning curve of a full stick-burner. Consider the Flavor Pro if you want maximum control over flavor with the safety net of propane-powered convenience.

Char-Griller Double Play: Compact Dual-Fuel Power

Think of the Double Play as a scaled-down, more budget-friendly version of the bigger combo grills. It offers a gas grill on one side and a charcoal grill on the other, with the charcoal side pulling double duty for smoking. It delivers dual-fuel functionality in a more compact and affordable package.

This is an excellent choice for a homestead with a smaller patio or a tighter budget. You still get the core benefit of a combo: quick gas grilling for weeknights and low-and-slow charcoal smoking for weekends. The cooking area is smaller, but it’s more than enough for a typical family.

You’ll face the same challenges as any charcoal smoker—managing the fire takes more effort than turning a knob on a dedicated propane unit. However, the ability to have both fuel types in one grill is a powerful feature. The Double Play is a pragmatic, space-saving choice for those who want versatility without the massive footprint of the Trio.

Char-Griller 2-2424: Portable Smoking Power

Sometimes the work isn’t at the house. The 2-2424 is a classic charcoal barrel grill with an optional side firebox, but its smaller, portable nature is what makes it relevant. It can be moved around the farm or even taken to a neighbor’s for a joint butchering day.

While not a propane model itself, it’s often used with propane via starter wands, and its role on the homestead is unique. Its simplicity is its strength. It’s a rugged, no-frills smoker and grill that can handle being knocked around. It’s perfect for cooking up lunch out by the barn or for smoking smaller batches of fish from the pond.

Its small size is its biggest limitation. You won’t be smoking multiple large cuts of meat at once. This is the ideal secondary or specialty grill for the homesteader who needs a tough, portable option for cooking away from the main house.

Choosing Your Char-Griller for Farm-Sized Needs

Making the right choice comes down to being honest about your primary needs. There is no single "best" model, only the one that best fits your workflow, space, and goals.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What is my main goal? If it’s preserving the harvest (smoking 10 chickens, making bacon), a dedicated vertical smoker like the 3720 is most efficient. If it’s everyday cooking with some weekend smoking, a combo like the Duo 5050 or Double Play is better.
• How much space can I dedicate? A large unit like the Texas Trio is fantastic, but it’s a permanent fixture. Measure your deck or patio space before you buy. A vertical smoker offers the most capacity for the smallest footprint.
• What’s my real-world budget? Don’t just consider the purchase price. Factor in the cost of propane tanks, covers, and wood chips. It’s better to get a smaller model you’ll use constantly than a giant one that sits idle.
• How many people am I feeding? A small family can get by with a compact model. But if you regularly host gatherings or process large animals, you’ll need the capacity of a larger unit to make the effort worthwhile.

Ultimately, the best smoker is the one that fits seamlessly into your life. The goal is to make adding value to your farm products easier, not to add another complicated chore to your list. Choose the tool that serves your homestead, not the other way around.

On a small farm, every tool has to earn its keep by saving you time or improving your output. A well-chosen propane smoker does both, turning the hard work of raising animals into delicious, preserved food with minimal fuss. It’s a practical investment in a more sustainable and satisfying homestead kitchen.