A vertical smoker including an external housing, one or more sidewalls at least partially defining a cooking chamber within the external housing, a solid fuel combustion unit configured to combust solid fuel and produce smoke and heat, a drip tray disposed above the solid fuel combustion unit and forming a floor of the cooking chamber, the drip tray being configured to route the smoke and heat into at least one channel disposed between at least one sidewall in the one or more sidewalls and the external housing, and one or more apertures disposed in the at least one sidewall, the one or more apertures being configured to allow the smoke and heat to pass from the at least one channel into the cooking chamber.