Looking for quality offset cooker
- Thread starter FoonGuyen
- Start date
BFletcher
TVWBB Platinum Member
Welcome here! I don't have a recommendation on a quality unit similarly built for a lesser cost but I just want to say for your sake that I hope you're absolutely certain you will get good use of an offset. In addition to my WSM's and SmokeFire I also have an M Grills M1. I really do enjoy using it, including chopping splits of wood, but I am sometimes limited in being able to use it because I need to be available to feed a new split every 45-55 minutes, which sometimes requires additional time than just throwing it in the burn pit.
If I were not absolutely certain about one, I'd probably first look at a cheap Oklahoma Joe.
Good luck!
If I were not absolutely certain about one, I'd probably first look at a cheap Oklahoma Joe.
Good luck!
Last edited:
Anthony Spitzer
TVWBB Super Fan
Welcome to the site from Iowa. I'll get you find some opinions and answers here. Many good folks to chime in. Enjoy.
John Sully
TVWBB Fan
I have been looking and reading on offsets for awhile, just no room or time right now. If I was going to get one it would be a Workhorse Pit.
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Ive thought about a stick burner then, I wake up and look at the back yard! I come to my senses and go make coffee then,look at the back yard, I sit down and my wife gives me “the look” and look at the back yard.
Dustin Dorsey
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I love my Franklin pit. I bought it when the price was quite a bit lower. There are running a sale right now, but it's still pretty high. The Workhorse is good for the price, but I don't like its baffle. You might look into the new Old Country G2 pits. The new style is similar to the Franklin pit. The baffle is removable which gives you some configuration options. It's got a smoke stack collector and a double walled firebox. Their quality is not going to be nearly as high.
www.academy.com
Old Country BBQ Pits G2 Insulated Offset Smoker | Academy
The Old Country BBQ Pits G2 Insulated Offset Smoker will impress you with its innovative insulated double-wall firebox, ensuring consistent temperatures and reduced...
www.academy.com
Dustin Dorsey
TVWBB Hall of Fame
A lot of companies have broken down and started copying the Franklin design. LSG has a Texas model that $3195. It has a weird design that's a more extreme version of what Jambo does, by having a baffle directing all the heat upwards. I fear it might interfere with airflow and convection. You can also get their regular models with a Franklin style collector. The problem is they use tuning plates.
lonestargrillz.com
Gator pit has started making Franklin style pits.
americanpitcrafters.com
Here's the Workhorse 1957 which is comparable
www.workhorsepits.com
There's the Goldees smoker that uses a completely different design;
mmbbqcompany.com
Shirley Fabrication has a Franklin style offset as well, but their website is garbage. They are so well known, they probably don't need one. I'd check out their instagram page.
Everyone wants that Franklin style collector these days, but where a lot of these pits differ is how the firebox connects to the cooks chamber. A lot of these use a baffle to direct the excess heat downwards. The problem with this is it creates bottom up cooking which isn't ideal for rendering the fat cap on a brisket. Some like Jambo and the LSG Texas model direct the heat upwards and it comes back down on the meat. The Franklin and Millscale almost fall into this camp with their waterpan shelves but I think you get a slightly better mix of top and bottom heat. Goldees uses a tube to connect the firebox and cook chamber. The problem with them is where the tube comes into the cook chamber it's almost like a blast furnace but everywhere not in that area is great bbq real estate for brisket. They all have tradeoffs. Having bottom up heat makes upper shelves more useable. In top down pits, that uppershelf is called "the microwave" because it gets so hot. But it's great for chicken. If you don't intend on cooking briskets, a lot of this stuff doesn't matter.
Anyway, sorry for the book. Good luck on your search. There's even more out there I'm sure.
LSG
Overall Dimensions: 24" depth x 72’’ width x 72’’ height (48'' model is 84'') 1/4" thick fire box 1/4’’ thick cooking chamber Single Door Main Chamber: 24''x40'' or 24''x48'' Square Firebox Dimensions: 20" x 20" x 18" Product Details: Bottom cooking grate 23''x40'' (48'' model 23''x48'') Top...
lonestargrillz.com
Gator pit has started making Franklin style pits.
The American 3k
Easy Terms Financing available. Application takes apprx. 2 minutes to complete. No hard credit pull. No obligation to apply. Individual or Business financing. Avg. response time is minutes. Click link here: https://americanpitcrafters.com/financing Compare with other Pit Builders and...
americanpitcrafters.com
Here's the Workhorse 1957 which is comparable
Product Page | Workhorse Pits
www.workhorsepits.com
There's the Goldees smoker that uses a completely different design;
Goldee's Backyard Offset - M&M BBQ Company
We are thrilled to have brought this backyard offset, designed by the crew at Goldee's BBQ, to life! This backyard smoker was designed to help alleviate some of the heat spot issues typically found in offset smokers and to increase the cooking space on the smoker. The capacities are: Briskets...
mmbbqcompany.com
Shirley Fabrication has a Franklin style offset as well, but their website is garbage. They are so well known, they probably don't need one. I'd check out their instagram page.
Everyone wants that Franklin style collector these days, but where a lot of these pits differ is how the firebox connects to the cooks chamber. A lot of these use a baffle to direct the excess heat downwards. The problem with this is it creates bottom up cooking which isn't ideal for rendering the fat cap on a brisket. Some like Jambo and the LSG Texas model direct the heat upwards and it comes back down on the meat. The Franklin and Millscale almost fall into this camp with their waterpan shelves but I think you get a slightly better mix of top and bottom heat. Goldees uses a tube to connect the firebox and cook chamber. The problem with them is where the tube comes into the cook chamber it's almost like a blast furnace but everywhere not in that area is great bbq real estate for brisket. They all have tradeoffs. Having bottom up heat makes upper shelves more useable. In top down pits, that uppershelf is called "the microwave" because it gets so hot. But it's great for chicken. If you don't intend on cooking briskets, a lot of this stuff doesn't matter.
Anyway, sorry for the book. Good luck on your search. There's even more out there I'm sure.
Last edited:
Dustin Dorsey
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Here's another really good option, but he's in Texas.
bluesmokesmokers.com
Blue Smoke Smokers - Affordable Smokers for the working man!
Blue Smoke Smokers - Affordable Smokers for the working man! Blue smoke smokers are built with the same attention to detail, the same craftsmanship and the same style pit that will cook evenly across the entire surface, all while lasting a lifetime and for an affordable price. Blue Smoke smokers...
bluesmokesmokers.com
BFletcher
TVWBB Platinum Member
Wow; @Dustin Dorsey has shared a wealth of knowledge.
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Yeah! Dustin speaks “offset” pretty fluently! Thanks for sharing.
Tony Coloma
TVWBB Super Fan
Why do you "need" an offset?
BFletcher
TVWBB Platinum Member
Okay now, questions like this aren't allowed on this site
Tony Coloma
TVWBB Super Fan
Maybe we have another way... to give you space to get more toys tools