Best inexpensive electric smoker

Woodfire grill xl

Academy sells some cheap Masterbuilt box smokers. They use wood chunks. We've had ours for over 5 years and had to replace the control panel (warranty) and heating element (less than $25 IIRC) but they work well when functioning. I think it was just over $220 at the time. The max temp is 275 degree. There's no need to go much higher than that if you're just smoking food.

Just chips. It doesn't have a true smoker box, just a small, shallow pan that sits on top of the heating element and catches the chips as you load them. It's good value for money and very low maintenance, but expect a much lighter smoke and less bark formation. It's a good entry option for doing long smokes you don't want to babysit and smaller items that don't need as much smoke.