Thoughts On This Smoker For Sale

[BosqueSmoke]

Hey everyone!

Just wanted some thoughts and opinions on this offset smoker that is for sale in my area for $100. I'm thinking for the price I might as well grab it but being a rookie to offset smoking, I was hoping for some feedback on how it may perform. I have not seen it in person but I have chatted with they guy on FB and he said he bought it from someone else and was unsure of the manufacturer.

Happy Sunday!

 

[912smoker]

For $100 ? I would be on the way!


Keith

 

[BosqueSmoke]

For $100 ? I would be on the way!


Keith

Yeah I’m having a hard time talking myself out of buying it

 

[Smokin Okie]

Cook chamber is very short, gonna have trouble getting meats away from direct radiant heat from the firebox.

And it exhausts at the bottom of the chamber. I've never seen that before. My first thought is it would have air flow problems. Heat rises. And its never a good thing to try to make heat do something it does not want to do.

Me, I'd stay away from it. But that's just me.

 

[hoity toit]

Move the stack up and make the stack larger..itll be a good starter pit for you.

HT

 

[Smokin Okie]

Also, the heat exchange between firebox and cook chamber is high. I would prefer it to be lower. This cooker is gonna have some funky air flow, if it has any at all.

 

[chopsaw]

This cooker is gonna have some funky air flow, if it has any at all.

I'm not a pit builder , but I'm pretty mechanical . I see what you're saying .
Probably doesn't have much air flow like it is .

Move the stack up and make the stack larger..itll be a good starter pit for you.

Makes sense .

 

[gmc2003]

And it exhausts at the bottom of the chamber. I've never seen that before. My first thought is it would have air flow problems. Heat rises. And its never a good thing to try to make heat do something it does not want to do.

It is low, but it doesn't look like there is a whole lot of space between the grate and the bottom of the cook chamber. One of the first mods I made to my Char-griller Duo was to extend the exhaust down to the grate. This helped with stopping the smoke and heat from flowing directly over the meat and out of the stack. It was a good mod and worked great.

The cook chamber is small, but if you're only cooking small amounts it may work out fine. It appears that you could cook at least two racks of ribs on it.

Chris

 

[Hockeydudde]

I saw this one and thought about sending it to you, lol. I saw a few more that were more $but looked like a better deal to me.

 

[Hockeydudde]

This was one of them. The others I had seen seen to be gone.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I'm not a pit builder , but I'm pretty mechanical . I see what you're saying .
Probably doesn't have much air flow like it is .

Makes sense .

I'm not a pit builder either. But I've cooked on stick burners for the 7 years and I got a good knowledge of air flow in pits. And this one , won't have it.

Just draw a line from the intake of the cook chamber down to the exhaust, and that will be the air flow through this very small cook chamber. The stack is tall enough to pull some air, but its gotta pull the air down. It has no help. And its a small diameter stack.

IMO, a person could cook on this a while, but they will soon be wanting to sell it. If its a good chance ya could get the $100 back out of it, then it may be worth the learning experience.

 

[JIMSMOKES]

I'd give a lowball offer and wait for a reply.

 

[BosqueSmoke]

I appreciate all the feedback!

If the cooking area were larger I would be more willing to pick it up and make the mods some of you mentioned. But for now, I think I’ll stick with my $40 COS Brinkmann, keep practicing, and hopefully make a serious upgrade in a year or two.

Thanks again!

 

[forktender]

For 100 bucks I'd be willing to give it a shot and if it didn't work as a smoker, you could throw a few cinder blocks in it and would make a great anchor for my floating duck blind.


It would be a fun little project, if it didn't work as is, I've spent 100 bones on a lot worse.

 

[Smokin Okie]

More thought, I do know of a smoker that has the exhaust below grate level, but still not at the bottom of the cook chamber. Its made by Lone Star Grillz. But it has a 42" cook chamber. And its got a baffle that directs air to the top of the chamber.

The exhaust on most that are at grate level, is even with the cooking grate. On my Franklin, Aaron set the center of the exhaust an inch or two lower than the cooking grate. He said he wanted to pull air down so it would not just go across the top of the meats. He wanted top and bottom.

Everybody is different. But the only reason I want to cook on an offset, is for air flow and the convection it creates. If the offset is low air flow, I'd just as soon use a gravity feed or some other low air flow cooker that doesn't need the attention. I can get very close to stickburner wood flavor with a gravity feed.

Here's a vid on the LSG cooker . it directs air flow up and across the top, then pulls it down. And they say an opening in the bottom of the baffle creates a venturi, that pulls air back across the bottom of the cooker.

 

[BosqueSmoke]

Update!

Seller has now added a Weber Spirit gas grill along with the offset but increased the price to $250 being “slightly” negotiable. Definitely going to sit this one out but I appreciate all the feedback. There are truly great minds at SMF.

Have a great day.

 

[jcam222]

Is that 1/4 inch steel?

 

[BosqueSmoke]

He wasn’t sure, only said it was very heavy.

 

[Hijack73]

As mentioned... Cook chamber is way too small. IMO it would need a heat deflector to be usable, and then it would probably make a decent butt. Just one though - unless you have 2 really small ones.

I am new to cold smoking, but it might cold smoke pretty well - if it does move enough air/smoke and I think if you open the door vents all the way and that wasn't enough, ended up using a small fan in some way to force air through, then it might be quite the ticket for that.

me - I'd pass and hard pass on a gas grill to go with it at 1.5x the original price - unless the Spirit is in really really good shape. If that's the case, then it's a pretty good deal.

It looks sturdy as all get out - which is why I'd really consider it for a cold smoker setup. That's way more than $100 worth of steel and construction.

One thing is 100% certain on that rig, it wouldn't need much of a coal bed to run low, and I'd never run it hot just because the cook chamber is way too compact.

 

[reynys]

Hey! For $100, it sounds like a decent deal, especially if you're just starting with offset smoking. Since you haven’t seen it in person, it’s important to ask about its condition—any rust or damage could affect performance. Even if the manufacturer is unknown, check if it holds heat well and has good airflow. Offset smokers can vary widely in quality, but at that price, it might be worth a shot. Just make sure to give it a thorough inspection when you can. Happy smoking, and enjoy your Sunday!