Choosing my first offset smoker

[AZRaptor]

That looks like it came out pretty good.

 

[COS]

Looks good. Don't worry about the 25 difference from side to side, use it to your advantage.

 

[ttix]

Outstanding !

 

[smoke ninja]

I'd remove the exhaust extension. Actually hinders airflow and draft.

I agree %100 with this. Airflow is paramount, dont do anything to restrict it. Ditch the elbow, if the pit was designed that way the engineers woild have put the stack there in the first place

 

[sturev]

Man, looks like you nailed that stuffed fatty... Great Job! :clap2:

 

[revkab]

Go for something with a little more quality, something designed to actually cook good Q. If price nervousness is a concern, why not stalk Craigslist for a while? Guaranteed something will come up that will work well and be within your price range.

BTW - as you can see from my "signature," I have several cookers, one being a UDS I built (lotsa info on this forum on how to build). Despite it being the el cheapo approach, it does an amazing job of cooking, and yes, it does use a combination of charcoal (NOT briquettes) and wood chunks. But, it is extremely easy to control the temp, and although the fuel is directly below, it is far enough away, and carefully controlled, so that it really does not qualify as a direct fire. You can also, easily, add a pizza pan to the lover level grate if you want, to further isolate the meat away from any direct heat. I got one, but never use it, because it is not a problem. All in all, UDS's are about the least expensive, easiest to use, excellent results producing cookers anywhere. And did I mention they have a VERY small footprint?

BTW - one thing that I frequently do in my UDS that is more difficult in my big cookers is re-smoking bacon. I use a "vegetable wok" in the bottom of my charcoal basket to produce an extremely small "fire," and do a very effective cool-smoke. Makes my bacon taste like what bacon is supposed to taste like. That alone is worth the entire effort.

Thanks again, all.

I'm pretty sure I want to stick with an offset, not an egg/uds/wsm because I want to learn to do all-wood fire (except a chimney of charcoal to start), and I just like the idea of indirect cooking.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this? http://www.instructables.com/id/The-No-Weld-Double-Barrel-Smoker-and-how-to-use-i/step2/The-Plan/

Seems like that could be an inexpensive and no-weld way to learn RF offset stick burning that would last me a few years until I can upgrade to a Lang or KAT...

 

[Ag76]

Great job on the fatty.