Standard Grill Smoker vs Offset Smoker. Almost the same thing...?

P

pjk0159

Found some matches.
Joined
Sep 11, 2018
Location
LA...
Name or Nickame
PAUL
Hello everyone.

I'm new to this forum, but I've been a long time lurker. I want to quickly thank everyone who's contributed your knowledge here which, in turn, contributed to my better tasting Q.

So here's the deal. I've been recently looking to upgrade my cheap big box smoker to a decent offset smoker such as the Old Country Pecos or Wrangler.. But recently, I've come across the Old Country Cantina XXL grill (link here), which is an extra large charcoal grill that would have more than enough room to for the fire to burn on one side without giving off too much radiant heat to the meat. On the Cantina, there is a door hatch on the far right side, so loading/reloading wood would also be a breeze. Then this got me wondering if it would be just as capable as an offset smoker. Would I be able to make killer brisket with this as opposed to using an offset smoker? What are the cons that I can't think of?

The questions are endless! At this point, I would really appreciate if the pros here have any thoughts/input/exp on this. Thank you!
 
Last edited:
Inthewoods said:
All yer endless questions will be answered as soon as the guys here finish their beer...I'm currently just starting ta tip em so I'm no help....welcome ta the forum

-D
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm very eager to hear what the BBQ masters have to say on this subject.

Cheers.
 
I'm sure you could mod up something to separate part of the cook chamber from the fire. Lots of us do this in our kettles.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
pjk0159 said:
Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm very eager to hear what the BBQ masters have to say on this subject.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Better check that wallet at the door! These guys will steer ya in the right direction, but they love ta live vicariously through yer purchase...(s) lol!

While yer figuring which way ta go...do ya happen ta have 3 bills that aren't so terribly busy?

-D
 
I think it would work fine. Like said above, A lot of us do this with our Kettles. I know I do with no problem when I don't want to fire up my bigger smoker for smaller cooks.
 
pjtexas1 said:
I'm sure you could mod up something to separate part of the cook chamber from the fire. Lots of us do this in our kettles.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I was thinking a simple 2 or 3 brick stack might even do it? And if it does perform just as well as an offset smoker, this would definately be my choice!! The comments so far are very encouraging :-D
 
(take this with a grain of salt...I'm probably wrong). For smoking in an offset I believe you need a hot fire with plenty of airflow (and sticks). For a kettle or kamado a low fire with minimal airflow carries the day (and lump/briquettes). I'm not sure how doing one in the other would work out.
 
I see a temp control nightmare coming your way. COS's are hard enough to maintain, I wouldn't go down that road. Not saying you couldn't turn out some good food. But you will pay with work, and aggravation.
 
Joshw said:
I see a temp control nightmare coming your way. COS's are hard enough to maintain, I wouldn't go down that road. Not saying you couldn't turn out some good food. But you will pay with work, and aggravation.
Click to expand...

Josh your comment is really interesting. Could you please explain wh the fire would be harder to maintain in a large chamber vs an offset box?
 
pjk, it will work as good or better than an offset, will use less fuel than a typical offset. I have a 20"x36" 1/4" grill at my ranch. I cook briskets, chicken, sausage etc with no problem.
 
pjk0159 said:
Josh your comment is really interesting. Could you please explain wh the fire would be harder to maintain in a large chamber vs an offset box?
Click to expand...

First I am no expert, but I will give you my opinion.

First thing if you do what you are talking about, you are going to be losing at least a 3rd of your cooking area, and probably more.

Second, it isn't about maintaining your fire, it is about maintaining temps. If you build a fire in your cook chamber, you are going to have a lot of ambient heat very close to your food. The walls of the cook chamber are going to get hotter than normal, and radiate heat out. If you don't put a barrier in there, you will get more direct heat, if you do put a barrier in there, like bricks. The bricks will absorb the heat from the fire, and radiate out, creating hot spots. Also you are going to affect air flow. Heat and smoke rise. If you put a barrier that comes up to the bottom of your cooking grate, your exhaust is going to be just a few inches above your firebox. Smoke and heat will go up, and straight out of your pit. You need your fire lower than the meat.

Again, not saying it can't be done, but IMO, you aren't saving enough, to deal with the headaches, that I am almost certain will come with the savings.
 
Zin said:
pjk, it will work as good or better than an offset, will use less fuel than a typical offset. I have a 20"x36" 1/4" grill at my ranch. I cook briskets, chicken, sausage etc with no problem.
Click to expand...

Zin, thanks for sharing your experience. I certainly hope its just as you said. If true, there’s also an added benefit of cooking directly on top of the charcoal on the grill. This is starting to make me wonder if an osset really has any advantages over standard..
 
A proper offset will give you less temp spikes and better temp control (yes even though offsets are still not the best for that). having the door in the RHS is OK, but you still have the fire (however small) in the same chamber. The principle on having an offest in the first place is to DISTANCE the fire from the meat and the distance is what smooths out the temp regulation.

So as mentioned above, you CAN do it but you can also get no sleep worse than with an offset. If that unit has the door on the RHS, it's probably so you can add a firebox. You should seriously consider spending the extra money for this.

Another thought would be to look around on CL and find something like this for cheap. learn on that and then spend the money later when you know more about what you want.

Cheers!
 
I'm not saying this is evidence of anything but you don't see many smokers laid out like a long-ish grill. There is a lot of figuring that goes into building a good offset smoker. If you could get away with just building one big tube and putting a stack and a door on it, I'd think you'd see more examples of that style.

Do it- it's a nice big grill. If it does not work out, it's still a nice big grill. Assuming you have a good sized yard, you will still have room for an offset down the road.
 
Paul, welcome to the forum. My experience includes beginning with a cheap Brinkman water smoker, progressing through something like what you are talking about, and ending with a mini-max BGE (for when it's no more than four of us) and a good offset (Klose). If you want to turn out good brisket, look at what the pros use (Franklin, Myron Mixson, etc); that offset stick burner, IMHO, is the way to go. Perhaps you could borrow/rent one and that would help you decide... If you elect to go with what you outlined, you will still have fun and learn how to refine your craft.
 
It would work but you will have to burn Small splits or Large wood chunks. Adding a Wall or baffle would Help But you would probally have to tend the fire more than an offset. It’d Most likely work better with charcoal n wood chunks.
 
I agree with Smitty, it will work well as an internal offset if you use lump or charcoal with wood chunks. I have been experimenting with this method using the Assassin 48 and I have had success with both ribs and brisket. I had to flip and/or rotate the meat each time I replenished the fuel. After the initial load of fuel I only added two chimneys of lump to finish the brisket cook! The insulation in the door of the Assassin sure helps! :grin:

Not sure but I think Tiernan SOB is similar to what you are looking at, and 16 Adams sure made some fine smoked food in that style of cooker. Good luck with your decisions!!
 

Attachments

  • 2EDFDEF0-25CA-4309-B049-3F0EFBBB6744.jpg
    2EDFDEF0-25CA-4309-B049-3F0EFBBB6744.jpg
    106.8 KB · Views: 61
  • A0015AA0-77C2-42B6-9F3E-D80C8904A859.jpg
    A0015AA0-77C2-42B6-9F3E-D80C8904A859.jpg
    75.2 KB · Views: 61
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Water Smokers?
Replies
4
Views
454
SmoothBoarBBQ
SmoothBoarBBQ
D
Main smoker chamber grates. Slide out or not Yes or no ?
Replies
11
Views
414
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
snadamo
Old Country G2 offset?
Replies
10
Views
4K
Freddy j
Freddy j
F
Reverse Flow Smoker Question
Replies
2
Views
284
seattlepitboss
S
T
Buying a new smoker/grill. Which one?
Replies
1
Views
740
bschoen
B
Back
Top