thinking about a small, horizontal offset

The advantage you have is time/patience. Now all you need is diligence. :grin: Check CL several times/day.

I found a nice 1/4", all-weld Brinkman Cimarron on CL for <$100. Probably the perfect size for you.

IMG_0857_zps5a1468cc.jpg
 
Nice Cimmaron Pit. My offset came from CL in Austin. <400.00. I told him I wanted it immediately . I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time.

530a66f8.jpg
 
Gore said:
Just a warning that a cheap offset in Michigan is going to mean a short BBQ season. Trying to keep those at cooking temps in cold weather is a LOT of work. I'm in Maryland and I quit using mine come late October. Just something to consider.
Click to expand...

+1!!! Think of tending a coal furnace, one that loses heat pretty much as soon as you turn your back on it. My offset hasn't been used but once in a pinch in the last two years, and it was terrible to cook with. And mine is made from a welded drum not bolted together like the Home Dee pot ones. Cheapos=leakos without excessive mods and even then are difficult to hold heat because the metal is thin and chinsy. But hey if you want something you have to mess with it'll be right up your alley! Just saying the noveltiy quickly wears off when you can't get consistency with your cooks.

Honestly I'm thinking of selling mine, and I probably will never go back to any offset unless it was made from 1/4" thick steel, and well made at that.
 
thanks!

This is good.

thats why I asked.

I have 2 smokers running right now with different things on them

Do I need another?

No..

But...


;)
 
I too was looking for a lower cost horizontal 3-4 years ago. I bought a Charbroil and ended up selling it in less than a year. It was junk even with mods. I then bought a Char-Griller Smokin Pro, made the suggested mod and it performed like a champ. I don't use it much these days since I built a much larger trailer offset. Here is the link to Char-Griller. http://www.chargriller.com/
 
Yes, keep looking on Craigslist. You may have to check several times a day as good smokers go fast. I have picked up six over the past year including a very old Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn and a New Braunfels Black Diamond. I restored all of them.
 
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dkryzer said:
I too was looking for a lower cost horizontal 3-4 years ago. I bought a Charbroil and ended up selling it in less than a year. It was junk even with mods. I then bought a Char-Griller Smokin Pro, made the suggested mod and it performed like a champ. I don't use it much these days since I built a much larger trailer offset. Here is the link to Char-Griller. http://www.chargriller.com/
Click to expand...

that was one I was considering. It gets good reviews and mods on Amazing Ribs, also it gets good reviews on Walmart and Amazon. It gets 4 1/2 starts on Walmart, 110 reviews. I have not seen one in person though so I was still a bit leery about it

I am still going to look again closer at the OK Joe at Lowes, I do some welding so I know what a good weld looks like. I am just curious is all
 
At this time the only smoker I have is the Chargriller w/sfb. I like sitting with a beer and tending the fire. It will go steady for 4 hours with an expanded metal charcoal box if you use lump. So far that is the only mod I've done. When the weather turns a bit warmer, I will start on some others. It is a little leaky at the moment.
Curly
 
ButtBurner said:
that was one I was considering. It gets good reviews and mods on Amazing Ribs, also it gets good reviews on Walmart and Amazon. It gets 4 1/2 starts on Walmart, 110 reviews. I have not seen one in person though so I was still a bit leery about it

I am still going to look again closer at the OK Joe at Lowes, I do some welding so I know what a good weld looks like. I am just curious is all
Click to expand...
The biggest problem with the new Joe is that the fire box isn't tight( the feed door) If the fire box aint tight you can't control the heat. If you have a welder flanging the door and the opening will fix the problem, I would weld the firebox on as well it also need a baffle to eliminate a BIG hot spot. The uneducated see the name and assume it is it's predecessor and is a steal IMO it is the OKJ folks are robbing the public. At 1/2 the price it is still to expensive for what your getting, your paying for the name.
 
ButtBurner said:
that was one I was considering. It gets good reviews and mods on Amazing Ribs, also it gets good reviews on Walmart and Amazon. It gets 4 1/2 starts on Walmart, 110 reviews. I have not seen one in person though so I was still a bit leery about it

I am still going to look again closer at the OK Joe at Lowes, I do some welding so I know what a good weld looks like. I am just curious is all
Click to expand...

Well look carefully. I took a gander at them for the hell of it while at Home Depot, and the folks down at Oklahoma Joe fool you into thinking it's very heavy and sturdy by making the door thick and heavy as well as the flanges around the opening, but the wall thickness of the chamber itself is a LOT thinner. Plus it's got a lot of bolt together parts.
 
this has been interesting.

I was just a Lowes going over it. I see the issues with the feed door. That was the first thing that caught my eye.

And the firebox being bolted, thats an easy fix as I have a mig welder.

I am not sure about the thickness of the body. I did not notice that. I will have to look again.

Did not seem like a bad platform with some mods, but if the body is thin there is nothing I can do about that.

They also had the Chargriller, I discounted that right away as its pretty small and I wouldn't gain anything over my WSM clones with that unit.
 
This might be more your size. Brinkmann Trailmaster. Its basically the same size as your standard cheapo offset with a little more beef put into the construction. Its basically a smaller OK Longhorn.

Plus its in your price range. $299 from Home Depot.
 
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