Combo Wood & Charcoal in an Offset

[Stlsportster]

Charcoal smokers (ugly drum, Weber kettle or Smokey Mountain, insulated vertical cabinets) are designed to limit the amount of air flow, causing the charcoal to burn low and slow for long times.

Wood smokers (offset smokers) are designed to increase airflow allowing wood to burn clean.

Screwdriver meet hammer.

[Beer Belly BBQ]

I've always ran charcoal with splits in my stick burners. Especially for competitions. I will start with 1-2 chimney full of a good lump and about 2 splits to get it heated up. Then i will throw splits every 45 minutes to an hour. Once the coal bed is starting to dwindle down I will add more lump.

[Stlsportster]

Originally Posted by Beer Belly BBQ

I've always ran charcoal with splits in my stick burners. Especially for competitions. I will start with 1-2 chimney full of a good lump and about 2 splits to get it heated up. Then i will throw splits every 45 minutes to an hour. Once the coal bed is starting to dwindle down I will add more lump.

Starting with charcoal to get a good base, is much different than planning to use charcoal as the main heat source!

[pokeable]

Originally Posted by Beer Belly BBQ

I've always ran charcoal with splits in my stick burners. Especially for competitions. I will start with 1-2 chimney full of a good lump and about 2 splits to get it heated up. Then i will throw splits every 45 minutes to an hour. Once the coal bed is starting to dwindle down I will add more lump.

OP seems to be asking if you can run an offset primarily with charcoal as the fuel, and add splits primarily for smoke/flavor.

I start my offset with a couple of handfuls of lump, with a split or two on top as well. But after that, am just throwing in more splits.

[Stlsportster]

This thread started in 2013.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=178270

Almost 20,000 people have read it.

[Swine Spectator]

I use splits, but later in the cook I'll use B&B Competition Char Logs for additional BTU's.

[WilliamKY]

I use a chimney of charcoal and a couple splits at start up but once a coal bed has formed it's all split wood from then on. I dont think my Shirley would run on charcoal as a primary heat source. It would take a ridiculous amount for sure. I suppose it depends on the kind of offset you are using. My old New Braunfels worked with a hefty dose of charcoal and an occasional split but it was a different animal entirely.

[SmittyJonz]

Originally Posted by Stlsportster

This thread started in 2013.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=178270

Almost 20,000 people have read it.

I remember that One.........

[BigRich]

Originally Posted by Beer Belly BBQ

I've always ran charcoal with splits in my stick burners. Especially for competitions. I will start with 1-2 chimney full of a good lump and about 2 splits to get it heated up. Then i will throw splits every 45 minutes to an hour. Once the coal bed is starting to dwindle down I will add more lump.

Thank you

[BigRich]

I started smoking this morning with a two splits on top of a lit chimney that’s on top of an unlit chimney. These are going along nicely. About an hour in I through on two more chunks of wood. I had intermittent blue smoke after about 30 min. 30 min after that, I still have a nice steady stream of blue smoke.

Do you guys remove the bark to lessen the white smoke? I’m preheating the wood on top of the firebox which I’ve read also lessens the white smoke. Lastly, what’s the largest split you’d put on?

[pokeable]

1) Bark v. no bark is a personal preference. Some say with bark, if properly aged, catches on fire quicker and has some of the "flavor" associated with smoke. I personally debarked, in that I noticed a lot of critters in it.

2) I put in a 16", full width split last week; it lasted a lot longer than the typical 1/2 width split I use, but I noticed the coal bed starting to die so it's pick your poison.

[halfcocked]

Originally Posted by BigRich

I started smoking this morning with a two splits on top of a lit chimney that’s on top of an unlit chimney. These are going along nicely. About an hour in I through on two more chunks of wood. I had intermittent blue smoke after about 30 min. 30 min after that, I still have a nice steady stream of blue smoke.

Do you guys remove the bark to lessen the white smoke? I’m preheating the wood on top of the firebox which I’ve read also lessens the white smoke. Lastly, what’s the largest split you’d put on?

I start with a well lit (white ash to the top) chimney and wood from then on. I have put additional coals on if the bed begins to die but NEVER coals that are not fully lit. Don't want charcoal taste on my smoked butt or brisket.

[fwdiii]

I start mine with about a half chimney of coals, then wood the rest of the way.

[Dustin Dorsey]

What Old Country do you have? I used to do this because I was convinced by Amazingribs.com that it was the way to go. I generally would use lump charcoal and wood chunks. I'd have to throw a chimney of lump on roughly every hour. These were slightly smaller walmart chimneys. I used a charcoal basket I made from expanded metal. I did this for a few years even and switched to a WSM but kept the Old Country. Mine is a 20 inch diameter that's somewhere in size between a Pecos and Wrangler that they were building in 2011. It's the same steel thickness as the Wrangler minus the heavier guage door.

Anyway, I decided to try stickburning on it and good grief that's so much easier. If you insist on doing it the way you are get a charcoal basket of some kind. I would pre-light my chimneys. I dunno if that's necessary. You could do something more like a minion method. Because of the airflow in the offet it's hard to not have the whole basket of charcoal light on you. You could probably get away with adding unlit every hour but you might get some dirty smoke.

[BigRich]

Originally Posted by Dustin Dorsey

What Old Country do you have? I used to do this because I was convinced by Amazingribs.com that it was the way to go. I generally would use lump charcoal and wood chunks. I'd have to throw a chimney of lump on roughly every hour. These were slightly smaller walmart chimneys. I used a charcoal basket I made from expanded metal. I did this for a few years even and switched to a WSM but kept the Old Country. Mine is a 20 inch diameter that's somewhere in size between a Pecos and Wrangler that they were building in 2011. It's the same steel thickness as the Wrangler minus the heavier guage door.

Anyway, I decided to try stickburning on it and good grief that's so much easier. If you insist on doing it the way you are get a charcoal basket of some kind. I would pre-light my chimneys. I dunno if that's necessary. You could do something more like a minion method. Because of the airflow in the offet it's hard to not have the whole basket of charcoal light on you. You could probably get away with adding unlit every hour but you might get some dirty smoke.

No this way is ok. Started off with charcoal and using wood after that is good. I might add some charcoal along the way to stabilize the temp a bit. This smoker is a Brazos. I have a basket.