For jerky and sausage in one electric smoker, our pick is the EAST OAK 30-inch with the built-in meat probe. Its 725 square inch chamber holds big, flat batches of jerky, and the probe lets you confirm a safe internal temperature for sausage, which matters more for safety than any other feature. If you only ever make jerky, fish and small sausage batches and want the simplest possible setup, the Smokehouse Little Chief is the easier low to mid temperature specialist.
The short answer: which electric smoker to get for jerky
You asked about picking a smoker for jerky and sausage only, and that use case actually narrows the field a lot. Jerky does not need high heat or a huge firebox. It needs steady low heat, plenty of flat rack space, and even airflow so every strip dries at the same pace. Sausage adds one requirement on top: you need to confirm the meat reaches a safe internal temperature before you eat it. With that in mind, we would choose the EAST OAK with the meat probe as the best all-round answer, because it covers both jobs in one box. If sausage is an afterthought and jerky is almost everything you make, the Little Chief is a cleaner, simpler choice. And if you like the EAST OAK format but do not need the probe or window, the leaner EAST OAK in the same family is the value option.
What actually matters in an electric smoker for jerky
Before comparing models, it helps to know which specs change your jerky and which are just marketing. Here is what genuinely matters, in rough order of importance.
A genuinely low, steady temperature. Most jerky is dried somewhere around 160 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The whole point is slow moisture loss, not cooking fast. A smoker that holds a low temperature without spiking is worth far more than one with a high top-end number. This is exactly why a unit described as a low to mid temperature smoker, like the Little Chief, suits jerky so well: it is built to live in that range rather than fight its way down to it.
Rack count and cooking area, not volume. Jerky is thin and laid out flat, so you care about square inches of rack surface far more than how tall the cabinet is. A bigger flat area means you finish a batch in one load instead of three. Both EAST OAK models list a 725 square inch cooking area, which is a lot of room to spread strips out, while the Little Chief is rated to smoke up to 25 pounds of meat and fish at a time across its stacked racks.
Even airflow. If one corner runs hotter or drier, those strips finish first and the rest lag. No home smoker is perfectly even, so plan to rotate racks partway through. A clear viewing window, like the one the probe-equipped EAST OAK lists, helps here because you can watch which racks are drying faster without opening the door and dumping heat.
Temperature control and a way to verify it. For jerky, a reliable low holding temperature is enough. For sausage, you also want to confirm the internal temperature of the meat, which is where a built-in meat probe earns its place. The EAST OAK with the probe lets you track that without a second gadget. A side chip loader, which both EAST OAK units have, also helps consistency: you add wood chips from the side for longer unattended smokes instead of opening the main door.
What to ignore. High BTU numbers, searing ability, chrome trim and app gimmicks do nothing for jerky. You are drying, not grilling. Spend your attention on low-temp stability, rack area and airflow, and skip the rest.
When each pick is the better choice
All three are electric smokers that can make good jerky. They simply suit different people.
Best for jerky and sausage together: our pick. The probe model is the one that stands out when you genuinely want both. The meat probe makes the sausage side safe and the large flat area makes the jerky side efficient.
EAST OAK 30-inch Electric Smoker with Meat Probe and Viewing Window
Our pick for jerky plus sausage. The built-in meat probe helps you confirm a safe finish temperature, the 725 square inch chamber lays out big flat jerky batches, and the side chip loader and viewing window make long smokes easier to run without opening the door.
Check price on AmazonBest jerky-first specialist: the simplest box. If you mostly make jerky, fish and the odd batch of sausage, and you want almost nothing to fiddle with, the Little Chief is purpose-built for exactly that work.
Smokehouse Little Chief Electric Smoker
A purpose-built low to mid temperature box for jerky, fish, cheese and sausage, rated to smoke up to 25 pounds at a time. It is the simplest of the three to run, though it is smaller and does not list a meat probe.
Check price on AmazonBest value in the EAST OAK format. If you like the full-size EAST OAK cabinet but do not need the probe or the window, the leaner model gives you the same core capacity for less feature count.
EAST OAK 30-inch Outdoor Electric Smoker with Side Chip Loader
The leaner EAST OAK in the same family, with the same 725 square inch cooking area and side chip loader for up to six times longer smokes, but without the meat probe and viewing window the other EAST OAK lists.
Check price on AmazonHow they compare
The two EAST OAK 30-inch cabinets share a format: a tall, full-size electric smoker with a 725 square inch cooking area and a side chip loader that the brand says allows up to six times longer uninterrupted smoking. That capacity is the real draw for jerky, because you can spread a large batch across the racks and still have room. The difference between them is features. The probe version lists a built-in meat probe and a clear viewing window, both of which are genuinely useful when you add sausage to the mix or want to watch a drying batch. The leaner version keeps the chamber and chip loader but drops those extras.
The Little Chief is a different animal. It is a smaller, low to mid temperature box that the maker aims squarely at fish, jerky, cheese and sausage, with a stated capacity of up to 25 pounds of meat and fish. Because it is designed to run low rather than hot, it tends to be the most hands-off for pure jerky: you are not trying to hold a big cabinet down at a low temperature. The trade-off is that it is smaller, simpler and does not list the probe or window, so for sausage you will want a separate instant-read thermometer to confirm the finish temperature. If you are weighing electric against a fuel that self-regulates differently, it is worth skimming pellet smokers before you decide, since the control feel is not the same.
Jerky and sausage food safety: temperatures and curing
This part is not optional, and it is the same whatever smoker you buy. Drying at a low temperature is not, on its own, enough to kill the bacteria that can live in raw meat. Food-safety guidance from the USDA is to bring jerky to a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit for beef and 165 degrees for poultry at some point in the process, which kills pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella. Many people hit that by finishing strips in a hot oven for a short time after smoking, especially with a low-temperature box that may not reach those numbers on its own. Sausage follows the same logic: confirm the internal temperature with a probe or instant-read thermometer before you call it done, which is exactly where the probe on our pick helps. When you are smoking at low temperatures for a long time, a curing salt that contains sodium nitrite is also widely recommended for jerky and sausage, because it protects against the bacteria that thrive in that warm, slow window. Follow the curing product directions for the amount, and do not guess.
Honest verdict
For someone who wants jerky and sausage from one electric smoker, our pick is the EAST OAK 30-inch with the meat probe. It gives you the large flat rack area that makes jerky efficient and the probe that makes sausage safe, in a single box. If jerky is almost the entire job and you value simplicity over capacity, we would choose the Smokehouse Little Chief, which is built to live in the low to mid temperature range these recipes need. And if you want the EAST OAK cabinet without the extras, the leaner EAST OAK is the value pick in the same family. Whichever you choose, treat the food-safety temperatures above as the real finish line, not the smoker settings. For the wider shortlist and how these fit the rest of the category, see our electric smoker guide.