Char-Broil Digital Smoker 2.0

Upright electric smoker with 800 watts and four racks

The Char-Broil Digital Smoker 2.0 is a smoker oven for a power socket. Char-Broil Europe in Hamburg lists it under article number 140960 and model number 21202009, and in the manual it appears as “Digital Electric Vertical Smoker 725”. The product photo and the illustration in the scope of delivery show a tall body with a large door window, the control panel on top and the handle on the right side of the door.

It is heated by a heating element, not by charcoal, gas or an open flame. The smoke comes from wood chips or pellets in a smoker box. Within the brand’s range this is an exception: the category Smokers and Smoker Ovens on charbroil.de showed exactly one result on 14 October 2026, and Char-Broil’s other smokers run on gas or charcoal.

This text is based on the product page, the manufacturer FAQ and the spare parts page of charbroil.de as well as the multilingual manual for model 21202009. We have not operated the device ourselves.

Design and technology

Inside the cooking chamber there are four stainless steel racks, adjustable in oven style according to the product page. According to the manual, the scope of delivery also includes the smoker assembly, drip pan, water pan, smoker box and a meat probe. You assemble it yourself, and the assembly instructions are attached to the product page as a PDF. Smoking chips and a cover are not included.

On top sits the control panel with a blue LED display. The buttons carry printed symbols: an on-off sign, two arrows, a thermometer, a clock, a meat probe and a light bulb. The manual calls them Power, Up, Down, Temp, Time and Meat Probe. The light bulb switches on a chamber light that only some units have; in the manual it is optional, and the parts list includes an LED light kit.

The door closes with a large stainless steel latch with smoke seal and has a silicone gasket. According to the manufacturer FAQ, this has to be readjusted after frequent use, using three screws on the handle bracket. The grease tray is removable and accessible from the side. A thermostat is fitted as a safety cut-off.

The rear handle is for transport and is not intended for lifting the unit. The parts list includes a wheel set of 2 pieces. Electrically, the manual states 220 to 240 V, 50 to 60 Hz, 800 W, protection class I and protection rating IPX4, meaning protection against splashing water from all directions. The product page says 0.8 kW, the manufacturer FAQ 750 W.

In detail: controller, time and probe

The smoker has two ways of cooking, and they are mutually exclusive: by time or by core temperature. If you choose one, the controller deactivates the other. After you press Power it accepts inputs, but heating only starts once Temp and Time or Meat Probe and Temp have been entered.

The Temp button sets the cooking temperature from 38 to 135 °C, with 93 °C as the preset. You hold Up or Down until the value is right, then press Temp once more. The Time button runs from 00:00 to 19:00, with the hours in steps of one, followed by the minutes; the display then alternates between cooking temperature and remaining time. Meat Probe sets the probe’s target temperature, the display range runs from 10 to 107 °C, and the preset is 63 °C. During operation the display alternates between chamber and probe temperature.

The unit deserves a second look. The manual gives the probe’s display range in °C but describes the probe display in °F; pressing Up and Down together for 3 seconds switches between the two. The chamber temperature is shown in °C, the time as hh:mm. Before entering a target, check which unit the display is currently using.

According to the manual, the displayed temperature can fluctuate by 5 to 8 °C because the unit cycles to hold the setting. With a heating element this usually means it is switched on and off alternately, and the temperature oscillates around the set value.

Preheating is done via the PH setting: press Temp, hold Up or Down until PH appears, press Temp again. The cycle takes 40 minutes, during which the display shows no temperature. Afterwards the unit lowers the temperature, the display flashes 00:00, and a signal tone announces the end. During preheating the smoker box stays in its position, with wood chips if you are using any.

When the time runs out, the unit does not switch off immediately. The controller lowers the temperature to 49 °C, the display alternates between 00:00 and 49 °C, and the signal tone sounds until you press Power; at the latest after 19 hours, operation ends by itself. In probe mode the same happens as soon as the probe reports its target. If it is not plugged in or the food never reaches the target, the unit keeps heating until you press Power or until this limit.

Our assessment: if you cook a piece of meat by core temperature, you use probe mode. The timer is worthwhile if you already know the cooking time from experience.

Can you cold smoke with it?

No. According to the manual and the manufacturer FAQ, the control range starts at 38 °C, and the product page says 37 °C. According to Char-Broil’s own statement, cold smoking lies at 15 to 25 °C, so the unit’s range is entirely above it.

The upper limit of 135 °C corresponds to 275 °F, the top end of the usual low-and-slow range of roughly 225 to 275 °F. Hot searing as on a gas grill lies above that and thus outside what the controller can set.

The smoke comes from the smoker box. According to the product page, one fill lasts for up to 8 hours, and during operation you may neither remove nor refill the box. If you cook for longer, then by our reading of this statement you have to manage without fresh smoke afterwards. The product page advertises a patented smoking chamber for even, long-lasting smoking. Whether the smoke turns out stronger or milder than from a charcoal or wood fire, Char-Broil does not say.

Coal, charcoal, briquettes and liquid fuels are prohibited. According to the manual, coal would cause a coal fire, damage the unit and create a fire hazard; smoke aroma comes only from wood chips.

Setup location, power and safety

The manual permits the smoker only outdoors, only in well-ventilated areas and not in a covered area; it is excluded from commercial cooking. It requires 92 cm clearance from walls and railings. Within 7 m, petrol, kerosene and other flammable liquids may be neither used nor stored; in one place the English part says 6 m, and we would work with the larger value. The smoker must be at least 3 m from a pool, pond or other water. The ground should be level and stable and carry no combustible materials; the unit is not moved during operation.

The balcony does not appear in the manual. Residents of housing complexes should ask the property management about the fire safety rules for electric smokers on outdoor areas. On a covered balcony, the smoker is ruled out according to the wording of the manual; what otherwise applies to grills on balconies is covered in the guide to grilling on a balcony.

The plug belongs in an earthed socket protected by a residual current device (RCD) of 30 mA at most, and not on the same circuit as other high-power appliances. According to the manual, an external timer or a separate remote control system is ruled out; by our reading, a smart socket counts as one. A damaged mains cable may only be replaced by the manufacturer or its customer service. The conditions for the extension cable are in the questions further below.

On the weather: the smoker is splash-proof and intended for outdoors, but should not be operated in rain. It must be protected from heavy rain and surges of water, and the electrical connections must be dry before every use. When not in use it belongs in a weather-protected area or under a cover, after cleaning the rack and cooling down completely.

When switched on, the smoker must never be left unattended, and children and pets must be kept away, whether it is hot or cold. During and after use the surfaces are hot: the manual requires insulated grill gloves and long-handled utensils, and the unit should cool down before being moved, cleaned or stored. Metal foil on the racks can lead to overheating. Before every use, check that the grease tray is empty and correctly fitted.

If there is a fire, you set the controller to OFF, pull the plug and let the fire burn out, without water. A fire extinguisher suitable for electrical equipment and grease fires should be within reach. As prevention, the manual advises trimming fat from the meat and lowering the temperature.

Care, accessories and spare parts

Char-Broil advises cleaning the smoker often, ideally after every grilling session and only after it has cooled down completely; inside and out at least once per season, more often with heavy use. Deposits are brushed downwards, and the interior surfaces are cleaned with a mild cleaner and a plastic or bristle brush.

Racks, water pan, probe and drip pan come clean with warm soapy water or water with baking soda, and for stubborn stains a non-abrasive scouring powder helps. Harsh oven cleaners, steel wool, metal brushes and sharp or pointed tools are ruled out. After every use, the surfaces of the two thermostats on the rear inner wall are to be cleaned, and the door seal gets a damp cloth so that it stays functional. Cable, plug, controller and heating element must never go into water or another liquid, and you must not use a steam cleaner.

You empty the smoker box after every use, and old wood ash must not stay in it. Cold ash goes into metal foil, then into water overnight and then into a non-combustible container.

As accessories, Char-Broil offers smoking chips in Mesquite (art. 140554), Hickory (art. 140553) and Apple (art. 140555), each €7.95 RRP (manufacturer’s recommended price). The weather cover (art. 140763) and a base (art. 140764) appear on the product page at €0.00 RRP. According to Char-Broil Germany, the base raises the smoker by 40 cm.

The manual’s parts list has 30 items, including door, thermostat set, heating element, control panel display kit, power board and meat probe housing. In the spare parts shop on 14 October 2026, the meat probe was €16.95, the wheel set €11.95 and the power supply unit €12.95. Some work on the electrics is reserved for qualified electricians, and for control panel, display, heating element and other parts there is a separate manual for electrical replacement. Err1 and Err2 point to the thermostat set (Err2 additionally to the control panel display kit and power board), Err3 and Err4 to the probe and probe housing; if an error occurs, you switch off and pull the mains plug.

The warranty statement in the manual gives 2 years from the date of purchase on all parts for the electric smoker. Char-Broil or the retailer may ask for proof of the purchase date, so keep the receipt. Char-Broil repairs or replaces faulty parts free of charge, at its own choice, with return shipping at the manufacturer’s cost; if the repair fails, a price reduction or withdrawal remains available under statutory rights. Not covered are accident, misuse, incorrect use, alteration, vandalism, incorrect installation, poor maintenance and failure to carry out routine care, as well as damage from extreme weather (hail, hurricane, earthquake) and discolouration from chemicals. It applies to products sold at retail to private individuals in the EU; statutory consumer rights remain unaffected. The product page also lists 2 years each for racks, lid/firebox and burner.

What Char-Broil does not state

Dimensions, weight and cooking chamber volume are missing from the product page and the manual, as are the area per rack, the maximum load and the spacing between the racks. Whether the wheel set is fitted at the factory remains open; wheels cannot be seen in the product photo. For the weather cover and base, the product page shows €0.00 RRP, so a price is not documented. From the Amazon catalogue come approx. 82.5 cm height with 41.9 and 46.0 cm for the two base dimensions and approx. 22.8 kg; whether these are packaging dimensions remains open there, and retailer information online differs on the weight. There is also no information on the heat-up time to a target temperature (only the fixed preheat cycle is documented), on power consumption in kWh, on the length of the mains cable, on noise, on the country of origin and on the material of the housing, door, window, heating element and insulation. Double-walled construction, a viewing window and an interior light are listed only by the British Char-Broil page for the same model number; the German page does not mention them, and with that no effect of the insulation in cold weather either. Wi-Fi, app or smartphone alerts appear nowhere; alerts come through signal tones on the unit. On control accuracy, only the fluctuation of 5 to 8 °C is given, and nothing on the step size of the temperature setting.

What else is worth considering?

Prices are guide values from our price box (as of September 2026), and the rating is our editorial assessment. The table leaves out cooking areas because they are not documented for all four models.

When this smoker, when another

Start with the socket. The smoker needs an earthed socket with an RCD within reach of the setup location, and the space in front of it must be neither covered nor combustible. Where that is not possible, charcoal remains: the Oklahoma Joe’s Highland with its side firebox or the Weber Smokey Mountain, which works with a water pan. For the Highland, our price box carries the note “Currently unavailable” (as of 5 October 2026). Both cost more than the Char-Broil, the Highland (approx. €469) by €11, the Weber (approx. €599) by €141.

On money, the MasterBuilt Digital Electric Smoker 40-Inch at approx. €329.99 is around €128 below the Char-Broil. On its international product page for the 40-inch model, Masterbuilt states four chrome-plated racks with 6,300 cm² and a patented side loading system through which wood chips can be added with the door closed. Weber puts the grilling area of the Smokey Mountain at 4,683 cm² across two racks. With the Char-Broil you have to estimate the size of a piece of meat against four racks with no area figure, and you do not add chips during operation. If you plan cooking times beyond the 8 hours of one fill, you are better served by the MasterBuilt in our assessment. In favour of the Char-Broil is what can be documented: a supplied probe with a target value, a spare parts shop with prices and a documented warranty.

The adjustable 19 hours invite overnight smoking, but the manual requires supervision as long as the unit is switched on. If you want to smoke alone overnight, you are badly advised with this smoker according to the manufacturer’s specification, and so are you if you want to cold smoke salmon or cheese.

On price: approx. €458 (as of September 2026) according to our price box at Amazon; Char-Broil lists the smoker at €479.00 RRP (charbroil.de, retrieved 14 October 2026). Smoking chips come on top and, if the smoker stays outside, the weather cover. You can work out the power consumption yourself: 0.8 kW over 8 hours of continuous operation would be at most 6.4 kWh. Because the controller cycles the heating element, this is an upper limit, not a consumption figure. We would buy the Char-Broil if the socket is in place and you cook by core temperature; if either is missing, the overview of all smokers is worth a look.