First Time: Buy Offset Wood Smoker or Pellet Grill Smoker?

[schlotz]

Being of the same train of thought (buy once - cry once) is why after extensive research I ended up with a MAK.

 

[chopsaw]

ended up with a MAK.

Matt , which one do you have ?
Mak was one that had the features I was looking for .

 

[schlotz]

Matt , which one do you have ?
Mak was one that had the features I was looking for .

I have the MAK 2 Star

 

[chopsaw]

MAK 2 Star

I like that a lot . I went the direction I did because of the offered features at a great price , plus some extras . Weber was trying to regain some status after the Gen 1 meltdown . I'm betting they followed the lead from MAK .
Pellet chute and ash dump are huge features for me .
I also like the removable burn pot . I do not want to drag a shop vac out to clean a grill .
The Weber burn pot is open on the bottom . Ash falls into a tray . Pull the tray out and dump it . This is after a long cook . Not yet cleaned .

I like the trap door design for the ash in the MAK . That's nice .
If I ever have the need , or even just the want , I'll head the direction of that MAK .

 

[Smokin Okie]

The perfect middle ground between pellet and stickburner is a gravity feed. Can get good clean smoke with set-forget ease.

Problem is , they're either very expensive or cheaply made by Masterbuilt.

I smoked baby backs on my Assassin GF yesterday. I open the firebox and the wood inside is in flame. I'm getting good clean smoke. But the temp in the cook chamber is steady as a rock. I add small 8" splits occasionally during the cook, and temp does not change. It belies my stickburner experience.

Chart of the cook ( I wish Thermoworks could drop the low temp alarm " L's " ) with a look at the firebox.

 

[schlotz]

I like that a lot . I went the direction I did because of the offered features at a great price , plus some extras . Weber was trying to regain some status after the Gen 1 meltdown . I'm betting they followed the lead from MAK .
Pellet chute and ash dump are huge features for me .
I also like the removable burn pot . I do not want to drag a shop vac out to clean a grill .
The Weber burn pot is open on the bottom . Ash falls into a tray . Pull the tray out and dump it . This is after a long cook . Not yet cleaned .
View attachment 710551
I like the trap door design for the ash in the MAK . That's nice .
If I ever have the need , or even just the want , I'll head the direction of that MAK .

One of the many reasons I settled on MAK was its internal grease collection drawer. It stops critters from getting in and making a mess.

 

[seenred]

Yes, that is very well stated! I really appreciate all the nuggets you just shared with me. If I did end up going with an offset smoker, knowing I’m only gonna be feeding at most 4 to 6 people and this is going to be a hobby and not a business, or anything competitive, can you recommend a brand or two or model or two that I can look up? I really do like playing with real wood and I have a ton of it that I bought this past fall, so I want to find out if I go that route what kind of money we’re talking… Thank you again for your help and I hope you’ll reply with a couple suggestions !

The choices depend on what your budget is. Most of the pit builders who have a reputation for building high-quality smokers offer patio cookers that start at around $2K. You can buy a Lang, a Klose, a Lonestar Grillz, or several others for between $2K and $2500.

A good "in between" choice is Old Country BBQ Pits. If you have Academy Outdoors Stores near you, can see them up close and in person. Their All American Brazos is a decent smoker constructed of all-welded 1/4" steel, and sells $1200.

A less expensive option might be to patiently shop all the used for-sale sites like Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. for a higher-end used smoker. You might be able to find a used name-brand smoker for much less than $2K if you are patient.

Any new offset smoker you consider at less than $1K would be hit or miss. There are a few that are a little better than others - especially if you do some modifications to them. There are members here who use an Oklahoma Joe's Highland...who say they get good results with a few mods. Might be something to consider, especially if you don't mind tinkering.

Lastly, I agree with Smokin Okie that you might consider expanding your search to include gravity feed smokers. I own a Southern Q gravity fed smoker and like it very much. Decent GF pits are not quite "set and forget", but require less attention than an offset, and still produce a nice, full smoke flavor. A new Southern Q Limo Jr. goes for $2500.

Hope that helps! If you have more questions, just ask!

Red

 

[texomakid]

Why not both? These are both cookers but the similarities pretty much end there and they both have their place. I'm looking to acquire another stick burner soon but I doubt I will ever be without a pellet cooker. I use the pellet cooker a LOT but nothing beats the flavor of a properly run stick burner. I do have the WSM 22 and that's a great cooker too but it ain't the same as proper stick burner. Then there's the Santa Maria..........

This is a sickness!

 

[SmilinNSmokin]

The choices depend on what your budget is. Most of the pit builders who have a reputation for building high-quality smokers offer patio cookers that start at around $2K. You can buy a Lang, a Klose, a Lonestar Grillz, or several others for between $2K and $2500.

A good "in between" choice is Old Country BBQ Pits. If you have Academy Outdoors Stores near you, can see them up close and in person. Their All American Brazos is a decent smoker constructed of all-welded 1/4" steel, and sells $1200.

A less expensive option might be to patiently shop all the used for-sale sites like Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. for a higher-end used smoker. You might be able to find a used name-brand smoker for much less than $2K if you are patient.

Any new offset smoker you consider at less than $1K would be hit or miss. There are a few that are a little better than others - especially if you do some modifications to them. There are members here who use an Oklahoma Joe's Highland...who say they get good results with a few mods. Might be something to consider, especially if you don't mind tinkering.

Lastly, I agree with Smokin Okie that you might consider expanding your search to include gravity feed smokers. I own a Southern Q gravity fed smoker and like it very much. Decent GF pits are not quite "set and forget", but require less attention than an offset, and still produce a nice, full smoke flavor. A new Southern Q Limo Jr. goes for $2500.

Hope that helps! If you have more questions, just ask!

Red

Thank you! I will continue to look over the options, but everybody’s been very helpful with great information. I looked at the lone star 20 x 36 and like it a lot; however, freight alone is $800 to get it here and that’s a dealbreaker for me.

 

[BigW.]

If you are patient, you may find used on Marketplace/Craigslist type places.

 

[chopsaw]

internal grease collection drawer.

100 % . Weber has one too , but it's function is lacking . It still keeps the mess contained , but the MAK is better thought out . Not sure how the new design works for the Weber .

 

[SmilinNSmokin]

One of the many reasons I settled on MAK was its internal grease collection drawer. It stops critters from getting in and making a mess.

Probably the biggest variable that nobody is speaking about regarding the purchase of either a pellet grill or an offset smoker, and I’m not gonna start a new thread as it’ll get ugly, is that I forgot to tell everybody I’m trying to do this under the radar so my wife doesn’t kick me out into the dog house. So I’ve got to get this done for under $2000 hopefully as the doghouse already has all my supplies in it and I can barely breathe in there…

I spent all last year building a couple smoke houses thinking one would be a cold smoker and one would be a hot smoker. I was cooking Texas Twinkies and chicken wings in the hot smoker, and bumped the temperature up to 370° without issue with wood chunks in the firebox, that was until the cedar walls, almost reacted and combusted. I got carried away and forgot it was just a smoker and not a grill or a cooker…

I guess an option I could do is to find out how to fireproof the inside of that smoker with concrete board or something so I don’t have to worry about burning the thing down and then I could save a lot of money and cook things in that smoker. Because I do have the signals and have a very nice set up there

 

[Torch&Tone]

trying to do this under the radar so my wife doesn’t kick me out into the dog house

I hope you are exaggerating but, if a purchase might upset your significant other, surprising them with it, after the fact, WILL make things worse. Spouses should support one another in their hobbies but that support must be earned. I haven't seen or heard of a smoker set-up yet that is worth domestic strife.

Don't burn down the house, literally or metaphorically!

 

[Smokin Okie]

I was fortunate to find my first offset used on Craigslist. It was an Old Country Brazos, which at the time retailed for $900. I got it for $600. I had no idea if I would like a stickburner or not and there was only one way to find out.

It was a great pit to learn on. Cooked on it for 3 or 4 years. And I sold it during the pandemic for $625.

And I enjoy the stickburner but they're not for everybody.

 

[seenred]

Thank you! I will continue to look over the options, but everybody’s been very helpful with great information. I looked at the lone star 20 x 36 and like it a lot; however, freight alone is $800 to get it here and that’s a dealbreaker for me.

Yeah, unfortunately, freight charges will be a prohibitive factor with most new smoker purchases. When I bought my Limo Jr. a few years ago, I paid $500 to have it shipped from Georgia to Oklahoma...and shipping costs have climbed significantly since then. Unless you live close to a big BBQ retail outlet...I'm thinking a place like Kansas City BBQ Store or St Louis BBQ Store. There are smaller but similar retailers in lots of places too, so you might check around near you.

The only way around paying huge freight charges on having a new smoker shipped to you is to pick it up yourself. You could research to try and find the pit builders that are located nearest you.

Or, again, you can shop on used "for sale" sites and wait until a good smoker is available in your local area.

Red

 

[chopsaw]

fireproof the inside of that smoker with concrete board or something

Maybe something , but not cement board . Not worth getting that discussion going , just trust me it not spec'd for that .

Unless you live close to a big BBQ retail outlet...I'm thinking a place like Kansas City BBQ Store or St Louis BBQ Store.

I tried to figure that one out a few years ago . I'm an hour from St. Louis BBQ store . As near as I can tell he passes the same shipping cost on to the buyer . Not sure about that , but I'm thinking he pays it to the store , so he charges for it ? I ended up going a different direction , but it would be a phone call to make to find out if buying from them .

 

[SmilinNSmokin]

Maybe something , but not cement board . Not worth getting that discussion going , just trust me it not spec'd for that .


I tried to figure that one out a few years ago . I'm an hour from St. Louis BBQ store . As near as I can tell he passes the same shipping cost on to the buyer . Not sure about that , but I'm thinking he pays it to the store , so he charges for it ? I ended up going a different direction , but it would be a phone call to make to find out if buying from them .

I’m up in Idaho. Not really known for BBQ or Pitmasters unfortunately.

 

[bigfurmn]

Opinions are like a$$holes. They are all different and if it's not yours it stinks. Generally speaking, if you are doing a lot of long smokes and are a busy person go pellet, of you are doing shorter smokes and have time/the wood go off set.

 

[Heart of Dixie]

Check out the KBQ. It is a top feed stick burner that will not take as much babysitting as an offset. It ships UPS which will not be a killer. I have both a stick burner and a pellet grill. If I am really busy or my wife wants grilled checken, I will use the pellet grill. I prefer the stick burner however you pretty much have to sit with it for 4 hours for ribs, 8 to 10 for pork butts, and 10 + for a whole packer. To me, the finished product from the offset can't be beat. Plus where else can I sit and consume adult beverages and actually be doing something worthwhile? A stick burner does have a learning curve but you can still pretty much consume all your mistakes. Once the art of fire management is learned you will have it made in the shade. If you go the stick route, read Aaron Franklin's book. The chapters on wood, smoke, and fire management are excellent.
ps - I will also use the pellet grill to finish a long cook after the meat is wrapped.

 

[SmilinNSmokin]

Check out the KBQ. It is a top feed stick burner that will not take as much babysitting as an offset. It ships UPS which will not be a killer. I have both a stick burner and a pellet grill. If I am really busy or my wife wants grilled checken, I will use the pellet grill. I prefer the stick burner however you pretty much have to sit with it for 4 hours for ribs, 8 to 10 for pork butts, and 10 + for a whole packer. To me, the finished product from the offset can't be beat. Plus where else can I sit and consume adult beverages and actually be doing something worthwhile? A stick burner does have a learning curve but you can still pretty much consume all your mistakes. Once the art of fire management is learned you will have it made in the shade. If you go the stick route, read Aaron Franklin's book. The chapters on wood, smoke, and fire management are excellent.
ps - I will also use the pellet grill to finish a long cook after the meat is wrapped.

Thanks, much appreciated!