Offset Smoker Recommendations


 
What price range? $200, 20,000, or somewhere in between? I had a Chargriller Smoking Pro , now $200, that I modified a lot and it was a useful charcoal grill and smoker when configured for each task. It required a ton of attention to smoke on but it turned out good Q. Lifetime if kept outside is 2 to 3 years. Under roof they last longer.
 
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Something that seals up well (ash drawer under the firebox seems to be problematic,) and the heaviest construction you can find.
 
Offset smokers are a pain in the *** BUT I liked cooking on mine when I was younger and I loved tweaking it. I looked at the Oklahoma Joe in Lowes and it seemed to have slightly heavier metal than my Chargriller. They have a reverse flow version that I like. It's nowhere near being a Lang but it will cook
 
The Old Country Wrangler at $500 is pretty popular in these parts. Down here they are sold by Academy Sports. Seems to be a good design and well made for the price.
 
At that price, I would go with the Old Country Pecos.

The Wrangler has a bit thicker steel, but the cook chamber is really short. Pecos is 36" cook chamber, the Wrangler may be 28" and possibly as short as 24".

I bought my Old Country Brazos that has 1/4" steel on CL for $600. It retails at $1,000. Had been used three times. Seller decided a stick burner was not for him. Worked out great for me, whether I liked it or did not like it, I knew I could get my money back out of it.
 
I’m wondering if you have actually looked at the TITLE of this forum?
Now that I have been a complete jerk (Yep, took one for the team), think about what and how you want to cook. The WSM is a great piece of equipment, it has a fairly broad scope of applications and they are different from how offset smokers work.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I’m wondering if you have actually looked at the TITLE of this forum?
Now that I have been a complete jerk (Yep, took one for the team), think about what and how you want to cook. The WSM is a great piece of equipment, it has a fairly broad scope of applications and they are different from how offset smokers work.
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Its a different flavor.

WSM is charcoal/chunk. Smoking with pure wood is different flavor.

Its all barbecue. I have a stick burner but still use both my 26 and 22 Weber Kettle and my 18 WSM. Its not a case of one or the other.
 
In the 7 years and 65 KCBS pro level BBQ competitions I've judged, never have I been able to tell what type of cooker the BBQ teams used.
Would be interested if any other KCBS CBJs have or have not noticed any difference.
 
If I were to buy a stick burner, it would be a Lang 36. $1,295* Buy once, cry once. ...and eat good. But, there are issues with stick burners. No 1 for me: sourcing, cutting, hauling, and storing wood. I haven’t seen too many bags of Post Oak at WallyWorld lately. The convenience of charcoal is a pro that’s hard to overcome.


*If picked up at the factory
 
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Bob Bass said:
In the 7 years and 65 KCBS pro level BBQ competitions I've judged, never have I been able to tell what type of cooker the BBQ teams used.
Would be interested if any other KCBS CBJs have or have not noticed any difference.
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I don't doubt that, with the multiple layers of other flavors they doctor the meat up with, I'd be surprised if there's even meat flavor left. Comp barbecue is a world all its own.

I have no problem distinguishing a different flavor in salt/pepper central Texas style brisket smoked with wood.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I’m wondering if you have actually looked at the TITLE of this forum?
Now that I have been a complete jerk (Yep, took one for the team), think about what and how you want to cook. The WSM is a great piece of equipment, it has a fairly broad scope of applications and they are different from how offset smokers work.
Click to expand...
What forum would you have put this topic in?
I have a WSM.
 
Lynn Dollar said:
I have no problem distinguishing a different flavor in salt/pepper central Texas style brisket smoked with wood.
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Could that all depend on which wood is used? I smoked on an offset up to this year before getting the WSM after the offset finally bit the dust. I'd burn full stick, and also charcoal + chunks, and I mostly use pecan wood. I can say I basically got the same flavor, and that has carried on to the couple of WSM cooks I've done.

Now, when I first learned to BBQ, we were basically doing it the old "Cowboy" way, burning the wood in a separate fire pit, burning it down to chunks of red hot coal, and then shoveling it into the offset. Mainly we were using both post and live-oak for this, and would throw a stick on with it. I can say that style of cooking yielded a slightly different flavor than from 100% oak-stick smoked meats, but slightly. No scientific data here, of course.

As for the original question, it does seem the Old Country pits in that price range have a decent reputation, so that would be where I'd go at that price for an offset.
 
GilFisher said:
Could that all depend on which wood is used? I smoked on an offset up to this year before getting the WSM after the offset finally bit the dust. I'd burn full stick, and also charcoal + chunks, and I mostly use pecan wood. I can say I basically got the same flavor, and that has carried on to the couple of WSM cooks I've done.

Now, when I first learned to BBQ, we were basically doing it the old "Cowboy" way, burning the wood in a separate fire pit, burning it down to chunks of red hot coal, and then shoveling it into the offset. Mainly we were using both post and live-oak for this, and would throw a stick on with it. I can say that style of cooking yielded a slightly different flavor than from 100% oak-stick smoked meats, but slightly. No scientific data here, of course.

As for the original question, it does seem the Old Country pits in that price range have a decent reputation, so that would be where I'd go at that price for an offset.
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I can't tell much diff between hardwoods like oak, pecan, hickory. But cherry has a very unique aroma.
 
I don't think there's any doubt that the reason people still, after 10 years in business, stand in line to eat Aaron Franklin's brisket, is mostly because of his smoker and the wood he uses. The prime brisket he starts with is a large part of the equation. But the larger part is the smoker.

That is why that particular type of smoker has proliferated , not only through Texas but nationally. Its not a fad. And its not just that its wood fired, it also involves air flow and convection created by the offset smoker.
 
I can smell the difference in the smoke. I don't know if I can taste it. I think side by side it might be harder to tell.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I’m wondering if you have actually looked at the TITLE of this forum?
Now that I have been a complete jerk (Yep, took one for the team), think about what and how you want to cook. The WSM is a great piece of equipment, it has a fairly broad scope of applications and they are different from how offset smokers work.
Click to expand...

Since this is a Weber forum, I want to revisit this.

Couple weeks ago, I used every grill/smoker on my patio except the offset. I smoked whole chicken on the WSM, wings on the 22 Kettle, reverse sear strip steak on 26 Kettle, and I grilled burgers on my Spirit 3 .

The offset has not been fired up since December when I double smoked a spiral cut ham. In the winter, I've gotta have a good weather day with no other conflicting activities to run the offset. It really does not compete with my every day grilling or smoking.

I don't see the stick burner as a competitor to Weber. My Webers get used two / three times a week, at least.
 
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