Custom Offset Ideas

[Ultimo]

Hi all the way from Australia.

My smoking buddy and I want to make a pair of 20inch standard flow offsets for ourselves.
We have a pair of bought 16inch offsets at the moment.
1 is a standard flow and the other is a reverse flow.

Lucky for us the builds will be done in my buddies stainless fabrication workshop so there may be some stainless bling on them as well.

So my question is if you have built or bought your own offset, what feature do you wish you had added in with hindsight.

Also any ideas on something to stand out from the crowd, like custom wheels, air intakes, handles, exhaust stacks and caps and any other cool touches.

We want to make them right the first time so all ideas are welcome.

Thanks,
Ultimo.

[Danny B]

Here is a video about smokers and building a smoker from Aaron Franklin. He is probably the premier BBQ guy in America http://www.pbs.org/video/2365513482/ Hope this helps.

[SmittyJonz]

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=176063
.

[McSpazatron]

I've never built one myself, but the features I love/miss the most about my offset are mostly about convenience (for cooking and cleaning). So, besides all the design considerations of making it flow right, I'd think about these things:

-Big enough wheels that make moving it easy. Don't assume it will always stay in one spot...make it easy to move around over grass, rough ground and etc.

-Think about how you will drain grease. Make sure it's big enough to flow chunks. Make it too small, and it will clog, and grease will solidify in the drain when its cold outside. A nice addition is to put a threaded tube on for the grease drain so you can install a ball valve. It is less putzing than with a cap, and helps keep things clean and sealed after the cook. And you can save draining for the end, right into your disposable containers. I drain straight into coffee cans after Im done cooking. Cover them with the cans lid, and off they go.

-a nice table/shelf on the front, with enough space to open the door while something is on it.

- a port or two for remote thermometers.

- something other than expanded metal for the grates. I wish I had some steel rod grates like these guys make: https://goo.gl/images/m7hn5T this would make cleaning lots easier.

- a smooth bottom so it's easy to scrape out with a spackling blade.

-grates (with handles) that slide out might be useful, like the Shirleys have.

-a sturdy charcoal grate- and make sure your intake is low so that it feeds the fire from underneath the grate. Thats more of a design thing though.

Good luck and keep us updated on the build!