Looking for moderately priced offset

[SierraBBQGuy]

I should have known better!

Just read Aaron Franklin’s book. Now I have the itch to get an offset smoker. Looking for suggestions, maybe $1500 or less? Perhaps that’s not enough?

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

https://kbq.us/ or you can try and modify a Oklahoma Joe to possibly meet your needs. But really finding a used KBQ would be your best bet.

[Panhead John]

Oh boy! Have you come to the right place. 😂 …”Perhaps that’s not enough?” We’ll have you broke in no time!

[Old Glory]

Bump it up a to $2k. Lang was best value offset on the AR Review side

https://langbbqsmokers.com/smoker-co...riginal-patio/

https://amazingribs.com/smoker/lang-...-model-review/

Lone Star Grillz is another option

https://lonestargrillz.com/collectio...-offset-smoker

[Panhead John]

Huskee Someone might want to change the price on the Lang review from Max. It shows $1295. and it’s now $2195.

[Panhead John]

2 excellent suggestions Old Glory!

[Max Good]

Panhead John I updated the price. Thanks.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

I love my Okie Joe Longhorn and if you take care it can last a long time; However....
Maintaining low temps is a struggle and there are some mods/upgrades that are worth doing but cost a bit.

Old Country Pecos or Brazos might keep you under your price point

FB has some options besides the normal go to guys like Klose, Pitts by JJ or LSG good luck staying under 2k!!

I found Rocket Grillz, Monroe NC-a guy that is relatively close and will save $$ on shipping costs

scan FB Market Place and CL in your area....

[Tmorrison80]

I just learned about Old County. Saw the Pecos and Brazos in person. For the price, the Brazos looks like a great choice. Quarter inch steel construction for $1,400 is cheaper than what I’ve found elsewhere.

[texastweeter]

https://pitmaker.com/revolver/

[bmillin]

OK I'll be contrary. My first COS (cheap offset smoker) was pretty rough 25 years ago but I learned a lot on it. Bought an Oklahoma Joe Highlands style later and upped my game a little, but eventually determined I'm just not an offset guy. Not into tending it as much as is required.

I switched to a UDS, then learned more about managing a kettle.

From Franklin's book, as I recall, he started on a COS.

[glitchy]

Horizon pits used to be fairly affordable and had several between 1000-1500, but I haven’t looked to see how much they’ve gone up. The Old Country Brazos Bad Hat BBQ mentioned is usually touted the best cheap offset if you have an Academy nearby. I’ve heard you want to see before you buy though as the weld quality on brazos vary pit to pit.

If you really think you’re going to like a stick burner and have already contemplated $1500, I’d recommend strongly considering what you really would like the best as a forever pit and try to make it work even if you have to save a year or two. Good offsets should be able to be passed down to grandchildren if even reasonably cared for.

In addition to other brands mentioned Workhorse Pits seems to make very nice offsets.

[jfmorris]

Bass Pro shops is one of the few retailers I know of who deal with Horizon. The only model they sell is the 24" now, and its a whopping $2999, with a $300 shipping charge.

[glitchy]

jfmorris They used to sell direct and via independent dealers too. They still have the 16” and 20” classics on their site for $1500 and $1700.

[ILMsmoke]

I couldn't bear the coast of a high end off-set so I'm attempting to build my own.

[Uncle Bob]

I'll second the "look for a resale/used unit" commentary. It may be different out there in your neck of the woods, but with the amount of outmigration it wouldn't surprise me that there would be a fair number of "too big/heavy to move" opportunities. That, and the surge in outdoor cooker sales over the past two years has tapered off and some of those who had grand ideas, bought, then learned that it just isn't as appealing as they imagined (poor souls). I've noticed a bit of an uptick in decent offsets for sale down this way in the past couple months. Just for example: There are two LSG 20s for sale right now, neither over two years old. A 20x36 with 5-6 option items for $1900 ask been up for over a week. A 20x42 for $2200, been up for a month. Even saw an old Pitts & Spitts 36 classic that needs a good cleaning for $150 (current new is $3k). If you're patient, the next few months to a year should yield some real bargains.

[TripleB]

The KBQ is in your price range - $1695. It is the best offset for the money, ease of operation and management. I own a backyard Jambo. Jambo is great, but the KBQ is better. The KBQ is better than a Lang, Bronco, Jambo, Lone Star, etc.

The only thing my Jambo has over the KBQ is the cooking area. Jambo has 8 square feet of cooking space - I can do a whole 200 pound pig in my Jambo. You can easily get 8 racks of ribs in a KBQ.

[glitchy]

I’m glad you shared that, I don’t have enough experience with the KBQ to make any claims yet.

[N227GB]

OK I'll be contrary. My first COS (cheap offset smoker) was pretty rough 25 years ago but I learned a lot on it. Bought an Oklahoma Joe Highlands style later and upped my game a little, but eventually determined I'm just not an offset guy. Not into tending it as much as is required.

I switched to a UDS, then learned more about managing a kettle.

From Franklin's book, as I recall, he started on a COS.

I bought a COS on impulse 25 years ago. It was a Brinkman Pitmaster being closed out at a Pamida store for less than $100. Took a little work to learn how to properly run it but eventually, I was turning out good cooks. I gave it away ten years ago and passed on a lot of tips on how I had gotten good results. It's still doing its thing, last I heard.

These turn up on the internets here and there with people restoring them or modding them. About five years ago, one of my neighbors had relatives visiting from out of town for Thanksgiving. They had brought along a Pitmaster to do the turkey. It was like seeing an old friend.

But, this was a design from, let's say, 30 years ago. With today's big box retailers forcing manufacturers into low price points, the COS of today are not the same quality. With the air gaps and thin walls asking for burnouts, the ones I’ve casually looked at seem like gimmicks.


EDIT:

The follow on model from Brinkman was given a "Not Recommended" review 9 years ago on the free side.

[Timbo54]

Craigslist Sacramento has a KBQ for sale 750.00 dollars. It is still listed.

[SierraBBQGuy]

Been searching Craigslist, finding something used seems a great idea. This KBQ is totally unfamiliar to me, not a typical offset.

[TripleB]

No, the KBQ is not your typical offset. I think of it as a cross between a pellet pooper (PP) and an offset. The KBQ uses strictly wood, like an offset, but is a convection oven like a PP w/ 2 fans that moves the heat around and pulls the smoke in. In an offset, you watch the temperature to know when to toss in another log. In a KBQ, because the fire box is outside, you just watch the fire and make sure you have a good coal bed. When the fire gets too low, toss on another piece of wood.

[Chiller Phil]

I suggest that you should have started by reading the free side of AR, as your answer is located there.
"KBQ", AR's "Favorite Backyard Smoker", Max Good stated.