Things you wish you knew/did prior to getting an offset smoker?

[calicoolguy]

I have been using my WSM 18" and a Kettle for the past few years. Have turned out some good stuff but have run out of space, so naturally I decided to spend a ton of cash and get an offset. Currently in the que for a Workhorse 1975 and will get later in the year. That brings me to my question....

What do you know now you wish you spent more time learning about or preparing for prior to getting your offset smoker? Tips and Tricks?

Some of the things I am looking into for my preparation is wood (cost, storage, wood types, split size) and the big one, fire management. I have learned some skills with the WSM but nothing like using an offset.

 

[3montes]

Wood cost, and the kind of wood available is going to be determined by your location. Watch Marketplace and CL. You will want splits of all sizes. From pencil size up to half splits. Think of splits in btu's not size. A small pencil size split is enough when you just need to keep the fire going or to start your fire but you don't really need the heat. Fire management is different in every smoker and every smoker acts differently every day depending on outdoor conditions. Experience is the only answer here. As far as storage go on Amazon and search Woodhaven. Nice storage racks in various sizes and they come with a heavy duty cover to keep the top layers dry. Made in the USA to boot. I have several you won't be disappointed.

Sounds like you have already made your choice in smokers and from what I hear the Workhorse line are nice smokers. After 30 plus years of running offsets and having had various kinds there are a few must haves. One is a top loading fire box. So much easier to manage a fire from a standing position looking down on it rather than kneeling down on the ground or bending over. Multiple vents on the fire box. My current (and last) offset the fire box is square and has vents on three sides. To me a fire box that needs to have the door open for air intake is a lazy design.

Cabinet doors. So much easier to work than than a heavy counter weighted door. I cut my teeth on a old Brinkmann Smoke 'N Pit for about five years. I modded the heck out of that thing and it taught me things about fire management without me even knowing it. When I graduated to a steel patio offset pit fire management was a absolute breeze because I came from the Brinkmann school of hard knocks. Didn't make me a better cook but it made it a heck of a lot easier to become one. Don't get frustrated getting through the learning curve. The key to stick burning is time and patience. Stay away from all the electronics and run the pit yourself it is much more rewarding. You are learning a art that few people know or want to learn to do.

 

[kelbro]

I went the other direction. Used a big offset for years. Made lots of great Q and went through cords of wood. Switched to a WSM and UDS and still making great Q and burning 1/10th the amount of fuel. It's just the two of us at home now so no need for extra-large quantities of smoked meat.

 

[calicoolguy]

I went the other direction. Used a big offset for years. Made lots of great Q and went through cords of wood. Switched to a WSM and UDS and still making great Q and burning 1/10th the amount of fuel. It's just the two of us at home now so no need for extra-large quantities of smoked meat.

For me... as much as I enjoy my WSM, I always have in the back of my mind the "what if" factor of having an offset. It's an itch im finally in a position to scratch.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I started out with a Oklahoma Joe Highland from Walmart, which I still have. A couple of years ago I had a 52" Copperhead from TMG Pits built and I love it. The biggest problem I have is raising the lid on it, it is heavy. I just went through my 4th shoulder surgery and opening the lid is difficult at best. Knowing then what I know now, I'd have opted for one of their Fridge models where the doors open like a refrigerator, no extra "umph" needed. I looked into getting one built and selling mine, but their backlog is almost a year now. When I bought my Copperhead, their backlog was about 12 weeks.

I mostly use my Joe now...

 

[Newglide]

Congrats on the new addition.
I've been toying with upgrading to a Workhorse.
I have an Old Country Pecos, I got it because it was affordable and if I decided an offset wasn't me I wouldn't be out much.

Fire management is key. It's also something that the more you cook the better you'll get at it. I start my fire a little hot to get a good bed of coals.
You will want a good bed of coals, it's not the fire but the coals that will do the cooking. Then I let the temp come down to my desired temp before putting on the meat.
It's not an oven, so hitting a desired temp and staying there the entire cook won't happen. 250 is actually 220 - 300. You'll also probably have leaks around the doors, it's not the end of the world.

I store my wood outside and had an issue with ants and termites. It took a little while to get rid of them. Now I put some sevin dust granules around it a couple of times a year seems to keep them at bay.

Split size may be different for a workhorse than a Pecos. I use a split about the size of a 16oz can. Sometimes thicker sometimes thinner depending on what I need.

 

[HalfSmoked]

I'm about to enter this learning cruve as I am building a reverse flow from a 120 gallon propane tank. I have done a lot of open wood fire cooking which should help with the reverse flow fire control.

Warren

 

[Chasdev]

I sold off my stickburner when the Texas heat got to be too much for me to deal with.
But before I did I found that the quality and dryness of the wood you buy has a large influence over the quailty of the Q produced.
In Austin, EVERYONE now has a smoker and has read Franklins fine book.
Result of which is that post oak is now more valuable than gold around here and the chainsaw drivers are all sharks who claim fully seasoned wood that was cut last week.
You must measure the moisture content of the wood before you buy it or have tons of proper storage room to let it age a few years.
Buy a cheap moisture meter off Amazon and test, test, test all wood before buying.
You want 14% moisture but 20% will do.
Above that number changes the nature of the fire and the formation of the coal base.
Burning wood produces the majority of the smoke but the coals provide most of the heat.
Wet wood produces more coals which raises the cook chamber temp but does not provide the best smoke for meat flavoring.
Lastly, the best post oak I ever cooked with was dead fall worm eaten and dry as a bone.
It burned quickly, produced sweet clear blue smoke and did not try to run away temp wise.

 

[DougE]

I wish I had known how much beer it takes to keep one running ......

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

You'll need things like a way to split wood, a place to keep it, moisture meter, etc. I use a kindling cracker XL and an alligator lopper. But don't get too intimidated. It's running a fire and you are going to pick it up as you go. The amount of effort is something you might not be prepared for, but it gets easier the more experience you get.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I wish I had known how much beer it takes to keep one running ......

For me, that's a 15 pack of Founders All Day IPA