I've shown pictures here before, and mentioned an offset that my dad designed and had his shop put together back in the early to mid 80's. He made several hundred of them in different sizes (2x3, 3x4 and some big trailers) as customer gifts to big/loyal customers of the business back then. The one I have is an early prototype that was made from 304SS, rather than cold rolled steel like most of the models. So, it just keeps going and going. It doubles as a large charcoal event grill, with a slide in charcoal pan for the main cooking chamber. And while still perfectly usable, it is starting to show some age, and needs a few repairs soon that require some welding capabilities.
Also, the fact is, since discovering Amazing Ribs, and learning what an amazing cooker a simple Weber kettle can be, for smoking as well as grilling, then winning a kamado here, I've just used the offset less and less. Why burn through 4x the fuel for a cook and have to feed the fire every 30 minutes if I can sleep while the SNS burns for 8+ hours on a load of charcoal and wood chunks?
However, the fact that my dad built it around 1984, and took it home, then transferred it to me around 1994, and it for many years was my only grill/smoker, has kept me from getting rid of it. The sad fact is, it was last used for my mom's birthday in August 2023, and before that, for Thanksgiving a year or two prior! If I didn't have so many other ways to smoke/grill, it would still see more use.
A couple of weeks ago, my 32 year old nephew's wife contacted me to ask advice on a smoker, as she wanted to buy him a smoker for Christmas, but only had a $300 or so budget. My advice was to look for a good deal on an Oklahoma Joe Bronco. But then, as Thanksgiving approached, and I started looking at how I was going to smoke my turkey, I was standing there looking at the offset, and decided to have a conversation with my nephew's wife, and my nephew if she was agreeable, on Thanksgiving day.
Turns out, she was not hiding the Christmas purchase from him, and she in fact brought up the subject at the Thanksgiving table. I then told my nephew to talk to me after dinner, and I might have another way for him to go...
As a background, my nephew is a certified welder, and has a TIG welding machine in his garage, where they live about 90 minutes from here....
So we took a walk outside, and I showed him the cooker that his grandfather (this nephew is my sister's oldest son) designed and built. He was instantly sold, as he is a welder himself, and loves to fix things up. He is the only DIY type in my sister's family, and inherited that gene from my dad, as my brother in law... I'll stop there! We pulled things apart, looked at them, and I showed him a couple of things that needed a little TLC, and gave him recommendations on improvements I would make if I had the capability to weld stainless. And recommended some gaskets in a few strategic places.
He was in his wife's little car that day, and not his truck, but will show up in the next week or two to load up the smoker...
She has served me well since 1994!
Smoking butts for a huge party....
Smoking ribs for a big family get together (the last cook in fact, in August 2023)...
Even cranked out my first brisket on it, around the time I joined AR!
A couple of Thanksgivings ago, two spatchcocked turkeys....
Goodbye, faithful friend!
Thankfully, I don't feel guilty this way, and my Dad approves of it moving to his own grandson. My son doesn't have the space for it, or the skills to fix it up and keep it going. This was the right decision.
And.... it frees me up for a round of MCS down the road!. Maybe a barrel smoker or a Smoke Vault or something similar will be in my future. I do have a natural gas hookup a few feet from where the offset currently sits...
Also, the fact is, since discovering Amazing Ribs, and learning what an amazing cooker a simple Weber kettle can be, for smoking as well as grilling, then winning a kamado here, I've just used the offset less and less. Why burn through 4x the fuel for a cook and have to feed the fire every 30 minutes if I can sleep while the SNS burns for 8+ hours on a load of charcoal and wood chunks?
However, the fact that my dad built it around 1984, and took it home, then transferred it to me around 1994, and it for many years was my only grill/smoker, has kept me from getting rid of it. The sad fact is, it was last used for my mom's birthday in August 2023, and before that, for Thanksgiving a year or two prior! If I didn't have so many other ways to smoke/grill, it would still see more use.
A couple of weeks ago, my 32 year old nephew's wife contacted me to ask advice on a smoker, as she wanted to buy him a smoker for Christmas, but only had a $300 or so budget. My advice was to look for a good deal on an Oklahoma Joe Bronco. But then, as Thanksgiving approached, and I started looking at how I was going to smoke my turkey, I was standing there looking at the offset, and decided to have a conversation with my nephew's wife, and my nephew if she was agreeable, on Thanksgiving day.
Turns out, she was not hiding the Christmas purchase from him, and she in fact brought up the subject at the Thanksgiving table. I then told my nephew to talk to me after dinner, and I might have another way for him to go...
As a background, my nephew is a certified welder, and has a TIG welding machine in his garage, where they live about 90 minutes from here....
So we took a walk outside, and I showed him the cooker that his grandfather (this nephew is my sister's oldest son) designed and built. He was instantly sold, as he is a welder himself, and loves to fix things up. He is the only DIY type in my sister's family, and inherited that gene from my dad, as my brother in law... I'll stop there!
We pulled things apart, looked at them, and I showed him a couple of things that needed a little TLC, and gave him recommendations on improvements I would make if I had the capability to weld stainless. And recommended some gaskets in a few strategic places.He was in his wife's little car that day, and not his truck, but will show up in the next week or two to load up the smoker...
She has served me well since 1994!
Smoking butts for a huge party....
Smoking ribs for a big family get together (the last cook in fact, in August 2023)...
Even cranked out my first brisket on it, around the time I joined AR!
A couple of Thanksgivings ago, two spatchcocked turkeys....
Goodbye, faithful friend!
Thankfully, I don't feel guilty this way, and my Dad approves of it moving to his own grandson. My son doesn't have the space for it, or the skills to fix it up and keep it going. This was the right decision.
And.... it frees me up for a round of MCS down the road!
. Maybe a barrel smoker or a Smoke Vault or something similar will be in my future. I do have a natural gas hookup a few feet from where the offset currently sits...
Win-win!
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