The whole thing with an offset is fire management. I cook with the firebox door and the exhaust damper wide open, letting the smoker set the pace. On windy days I do close the FB door a bit to keep ash from blowing into the CC. Build a good hot fire on a grate about 2-4" above the bottom of the FB, place a water pan in the CC on the grate above the opening from the fire box, open a beer and be ready every 20 to 30 minutes to tend the fire. I use 2
Thermoworks Smoke X ambient probes, one on each end of the CC. When they start to fall towards 250, throw in a pre-heated split, scrape the ash out from under the grate, replace the wood on top of the firebox to pre-heat, sit back, rinse and repeat. I try to keep the temps in the CC between 265 & 275. This works for me, your mileage may vary.