I've been smoking for a few years and have recently really got serious and really invested in doing it. I currently have a
Masterbuilt electric smoker. It's easy and takes a small amount of wood chips.
I've gotten a blessing from my wife to upgrade. I'm thinking of getting an offset smoker. What are the pros and cons of that? What can I expect if I get one? I have thought about a pellet grill, but I'm really drawn to an offset.
I found a Royal Gourmet one on
Amazon that was fairly cheap to get to see if I can actually use one effectively. Should I go that route or bite he bullet and get a nicer one?
My wife says I won't have any trouble tending to the fire, because even now I don't set it and forget it. I'm checking temps at a minimum of every hour if not more. The wood source might worry me some. I was going to use precut wood chunks. I don't know of anywhere around here I can get wood varieties. As far as a custom build. I have a blessing, but also a budget. I'm not wanting to invest thousands into something I may not be able to really do. I like the challenge part of it, but not sure I can hang with the big boys
Hello Brainbeer and welcome to the fun! While I agree in general principal with what the others guys are suggesting about investing more money in a quality pit, it sounds to me like you aren't sure enough yet that stick burners are the right thing for you. First, if you aren't sure you have adequate access to a steady supply of smoking hardwood, then an offset stick burner is probably
not the right pit for you. I think you'd find that trying to fuel it with pre-cut chunks - even if you use charcoal for heat - would not be ideal. An offset really needs split hardwood logs for fuel.
So if you're really serious about a stick burner, the first step I'd suggest is look in your area for wood sources. Once you get that checked off your list, you'll be ready to shop for the pit that's right for you. The 'box store' quality smokers - like that Royal Gourmet you mentioned - can get the job done, but are pretty frustrating and time intensive (I know from experience - my first smoker was pretty similar). They're made out of very thin gauge steel that won't hold heat very well, and they leak air like a screen door. One of the keys to running an offset smoker is controlling air flow...and that's a real challenge with cheap offsets. Not trying to totally discourage you - with some mods and careful attention, a guy can turn out good BBQ on a COS (cheap offset).
What you'll find if you comparison shop is, the differences between box store quality and high end pits are not only build quality and fit and finish, but more importantly the steel thickness. Most quality pit builders use nothing less than 1/4 inch-thick steel in their pits.
On the other hand, if you think offset stick burner cooking is definitely for you, but you just can't justify the price tag of a new premium pit, you can go a couple different routes: First route: Go ahead and buy the best COS you can afford. In general, the old saying. "you get what you pay for" is pretty true. For a little more money than the cost of that Royal Gourmet you're looking at, you can buy something with a little better build quality. It'll need a few mods and some patience...but it would give you the chance to learn whether or not you really enjoy live-fire cooking. If it turns out you really like tending a fire, you can always upgrade when you can afford it. Second: take a look on classified ad apps like Craigslist and FB Marketplace. There are often some higher end used pits for sale if you keep a close watch and are patient.
Oh - and another more affordable option is, you could take a look at Old Country BBQ pits. Not sure where you live, but if there are Academy Outdoor stores near you, you can check out the Old Country line. They have decent pits that start at around $500 (not 1/4" steel, but better quality than many other box store options), and go up to the 1,500-2,000 range...which are still not true premium pits, but are 1/4" steel, and are much better than all the box store options. If you decided to go that route, search for threads here that have already covered just about every topic about that particular product line.
And lastly, a couple of the guys mentioned that I am an amateur pit builder myself. I've built and sold a couple of smokers to members of these forums. If you were in no hurry, I would be happy to build you a quality offset smoker. I've got a few things on my plate right now, but could probably begin fabrication on something by early Fall. If that's anything you'd be interested in discussing further, just send me a message via private conversation and I'll talk it through with you.
Phew! Sorry that got pretty long winded! Didn't really mean to ramble on like that. Holler back at me if you want to talk more.
Red
