Vertical Hanging Smokers
Vertical Drum Smokers:
The Best Way
To Cook Hanging Meat
Fat drips. Gravity bastes. Every side cooks at once. The secret behind some of the best BBQ ever made.
A vertical drum smoker is a charcoal-fueled BBQ cooker designed to hang food above a sealed fire instead of laying it flat on a grate. This vertical hanging approach is the secret behind some of the best BBQ ever made. Fat drips, gravity bastes, and food cooks evenly on every side without rotation. The Pit Barrel Cooker pioneered the modern vertical drum smoker design and remains the most popular hanging smoker in America for backyard BBQ that competes with what comes out of professional kitchens.
The Hanging Advantage
Vapor Bath
Fat from the meat drips down onto the hot coals, vaporizes into a savory mist, and rises back up through the cooker to re-coat the food as it cooks.
Gravity Baste
Gravity pulls juices down through the meat, self-basting the food from the inside as the cook progresses. No injection or spritzing required.
Every Side Equal
Heat and smoke reach every surface of the food at the same time. No flipping, no rotating, no hot spots, no uneven bark.
01 / The ScienceWhy Vertical Hanging Produces Better BBQ
When you hang ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, or a whole bird vertically over charcoal, three things happen that cannot be replicated on horizontal cookers. Fat from the food drips down onto the hot coals and vaporizes into a savory, smoky mist that rises through the cooker and re-coats the meat as it cooks. Gravity pulls juices through the meat, self-basting from the inside as the cook progresses. And the food is exposed to even heat and smoke on every side at once, eliminating the need to flip or rotate during the cook. The result is BBQ with deeper flavor, more uniform bark, and tenderness that horizontal cookers struggle to match.
02 / The SpeedFaster Cooking With Better Results
Vertical hanging combines beautifully with the Pit Barrel Cooker's fast and hot cooking style at 275 to 310 degrees Fahrenheit. Most traditional smokers run at 225 degrees for 12 hours or more, requiring constant attention and a full day of patience. The Pit Barrel cooks at higher temperatures with the food hanging vertically, producing finished BBQ in roughly half the time without losing tenderness or flavor. Ribs are done in 3 to 4 hours. Pulled pork in 5 to 6.
03 / Real FireReal Fire, Not Pellet Smoke
The Pit Barrel Cooker burns real charcoal directly under the food, producing authentic BBQ flavor that pellet smokers simply cannot match. Pellet grills cook food using compressed sawdust pellets fed by an electric auger and function more like outdoor convection ovens than true smokers. They produce mild smoke flavor and require electricity to operate. A vertical drum smoker like the Pit Barrel is real fire cooking, with food suspended over hot coals that produce deep flavor, rich bark, and the kind of smoke ring competition pitmasters spend years trying to perfect on more complicated equipment.
Hang the meat. Gravity does the basting. The smoke does the rest.
04 / The CapacityHanging Up To 8 Racks Of Ribs At Once
The 18.5 inch Pit Barrel Cooker holds 8 to 10 racks of ribs hanging at one time using the included stainless steel hooks. That is enough ribs to feed 16 to 24 people from a single cook. The 22.5 inch PBX Cooker holds up to 16 to 20 racks, and even the compact 14 inch Pit Barrel Junior fits 4 to 6 racks. No other smoker style packs this much hanging capacity into such a compact footprint, making vertical drum smokers ideal for parties, tailgates, family gatherings, and meal prep.
05 / The ConvenienceSet-It-And-Forget-It Simplicity
Vertical drum smokers are also simpler to operate than other smoker types. The Pit Barrel Cooker has no temperature dial, no water pan, and no fire-tending requirement. Follow the basic lighting instructions, hang your food on the included hooks, close the lid, and walk away. The cooker self-regulates to ideal cooking temperature and holds it for 6 to 7 hours without adjustment. No additional wood is required for incredible flavor, though wood chips can be added to the charcoal basket for extra smoke when desired.
06 / The DifferenceHanging Makes Specific Cooks Dramatically Better
Some BBQ classics are simply better when cooked vertically. Whole chickens hung from the hooks produce crispy skin on every side simultaneously. Whole turkeys self-baste as juices flow down the bird, solving the dry breast problem that plagues most Thanksgiving cooks. Ribs cook with uniform bark on both sides without flipping. Jerky dries evenly when hung instead of laid flat. Pork shoulders develop crispy bark on every side instead of just the top. The hanging design genuinely solves cooking problems that horizontal cookers fight against.
07 / The ValueCompact, Portable, Affordable
Vertical drum smokers fit nearly anywhere. The 18.5 inch Pit Barrel Cooker takes up about the same space as a kettle grill but cooks for 20 people. The 14 inch Pit Barrel Junior is light enough for tailgating and small enough for apartment patios. Pricing starts under $349 and tops out around $600 for the largest model, far less than most pellet grills, kamados, or competition smokers. For the cooking capacity and quality you get, the value is hard to beat.
Ships ready to cook. Every Pit Barrel arrives with hanging rods, stainless steel meat hooks, charcoal basket, grill grate, and starter rub included. Add a bag of standard charcoal and the food you want to cook. That is the entire setup.
08 / The LineupChoose Your Vertical Drum Smoker
Browse our complete lineup of vertical hanging smokers, from the portable 14 inch Pit Barrel Junior up to the 22.5 inch PBX Cooker. Free domestic shipping on orders over $99.99.
Pit Barrel Junior
Hangs 4 to 6 racks of ribs. The most portable and affordable. Ideal for couples, apartment patios, and tailgating.
Shop Junior →Badger Barrel
A mid-size option with unique features. Bigger than the Junior, smaller than the flagship, built for households that want flexibility.
Shop Badger →Pit Barrel Cooker
Hangs 8 to 10 racks of ribs at once. The most popular vertical drum smoker in America. Feeds 20+ people from a single cook.
Shop The Classic →PBX Cooker
Hangs 16 to 20 racks. Built for large gatherings, catering operations, and competition cooks. The biggest in the lineup.
Shop PBX →Discover The
Vertical Hanging Advantage.
Hang the meat. Walk away. Eat better BBQ.
Shop The Lineup →