My current (and longest) bout of MCS has a stick burner squarely in its sights. I'm familiar with the popular manufacturers, but I'm also tempted by some of the custom smokers I see for sale on Craig's List, etc. However, due to the "one of a kind" nature of the custom pits, it's hard to know exactly what I'd be getting. So, I figured I should decide on the basic specs I'd want the one I choose to have, such as minimum steel gauge, and so on.
What would you consider to be the bare bone, essential components/features that every offset cooker should have?
Lang 48 inch Deluxe Patio Model (burns hickory splits)
PK 360 (burns premium lump charcoal with wood chunks)
28 inch Blackstone Griddle (propane)
Rubs I love:
Yardbird by Plow Boys
Killer Hogs by Malcom Reed
AP Rub by Malcom Reed
Meat Church (any)
Three Little Pigs Memphis Style for ribs
Would love to try Meathead's commercial rub
Sauces I love:
Gates'
Joe's
Pa & Ma's
Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce
Disposable Equipment I use:
Disposable cutting boards
Tumbleweed chimney starters
Aluminum foil
Aluminum pans (half and full)
Latex gloves
Diamond Kosher Salt
Vice-President of BBQ Security, Roy
He's a pure-bred North American Brown Dog
He loves rawhide chewies
My wife calls me "Teddy" and I call her "Princess" and that's where "mrteddyprincess" comes from.
1/4" thickness on off sets usually provides consistent cook temps. And an adequate way of transporting. Is it going to sit on the patio or will you be hauling it around to use at other locations? And is there enough cooking space for your biggest cook?
Definitely 1/4 inch for everything. Some like more than 1/4 inch on the firebox. That’s up to you! I have 3/8 inch on the firebox, but that was a personal preference.
I recommend taking a cooking class with one of the manufacturers (e.g. Lang, Gator Pits of Texas) so you can cook on one and see it in action. That might help you decide on whether you want certain features like an insulated firebox, warming cabinet, size of cooker, etc. In general, 1/4" steel. The options are endless: round vs. square firebox, insulated/non, 1/4 to 1/2" steel, warming cabinet, 20" vs. 24" cook chamber, trailer model, reverse flow vs. traditional, etc. Gator Pits will give you experience on the traditional design while Lang cookers are reverse flow.
I operated on the advice that "bigger is better" and that no one ever regrets buying too big of a smoker. For me, that turned out not to be true, exactly. I think I would have been just as happy with a 20" x 36" traditional offset from Gator Pits. Perhaps with tuning plates. I have a 24x42 Shirley Patio Cabinet with warming cabinets and few extras. It's a tank, but a little on the "plus size" for my garage. I don't need all that capacity. I need to build a spot for it in my backyard so I don't have to move it out of the garage every time I want to use it.
Last edited by Beefchop; October 25, 2019, 02:47 PM.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Tuning plates or heat management plate. Don't get one that's open in the cook chamber under the grates to the bottom. You'll have hot spots at the firebox end like you wouldn't believe.
Yeah, I have regular heat flow (not reverse and no tuning plates), but I have a baffle from the firebox that goes into the cook chamber. From limited practice (since it’s so new), that baffle actually makes the far side 25 degrees hotter than the side towards the firebox. But, obviously, there’s a lot of different ways to make baffles, so definitely not all are created the same!
Tuning plates are a great add on. If you want to cook with different temperature zones, just remove 'em. If you want to cook 10 pork shoulders all at the same temp, well, you can do that too!
Absolutely. I should have bought some fresh oak and pecan 6 months before I took delivery of my stick burner. That way I could have had seasoned wood ready to cook as soon as my smoker arrived. Great tip.
I’ve been wanting an offset smoker for a while. I’ve drooled over Lang, Jambo, and Gator Pits. They’re some nice pits! But, each one lacked something I wanted
I got mine a few weeks ago! My advice is to find a reputable, trustworthy person or company!
Absolutely a shelf in front of the cook barrel and burn barrel. Before you decide talk to a lot of people to make sure you get one that maintains an even temp from one end to the other. Some are notoriously hot from one end to the other.
I personall dont like shelves in the front of the smoker. Need to remove everything off it to opwn the door and pull the racks out. Also all the grease n crap drips onto it making a mess. Put it on the end of the pit.
Cooler,beer or beverage of choice,umbrella, hammock or any comfortable reclining device
nice pile of sticks close by and a temp alarm if you snooze off,,,accidentally
Because you are in Orlando and the outside temps, year round, are temperate, you can go with a bit less than 1/4 in the chamber but stick to that thickness in the firebox. 1/4 is kind of the industry standard for "good". However, it takes a bit more fuel and time to get up to temp. It also has less give. If you open the door and leave it open it can take more time to get to temp. When you overshoot, it tends to retain heat longer. I had many cheap offsets with very thin metal. They worked well but all had their issues. I went to uprights with a local custom builder. One has 1/4 inch firebox and 1/16 cooking chamber. The other is 1/4, top to bottom. I prefer long cooks on the 1/4 inch and winter cooks on it (we dip down into the 20's but not much lower). I prefer my 1/16 for the summer and for cooks that may require a quicker temp adjustment. I really believe that the firebox is where the gauge makes the biggest difference and I was lucky enough to have choices.
I definitely feel for the folks that have to factor the temp outside into their cook variables. I won't (famous last words) be getting two offsets, so I'll probably go with 1/4 and just deal with the longer temp ramp up time.
JPGators17 - that is a really wise decision. What I have found is that when people talk about quality offsets vs cheap offsets, the most common variable is the metal. I loved all of my cheap offsets but each had to be modified and the firebox in each on eventually gave way. Make sure you post photos of your choice!
So to your comment about one off custom builds on Craigslist vs a "professional" manufacturer.
I have seen some quality custom builds and I have seen some really stupid sh!t when it comes to those.
One thing I come back to is looking at the size of the firebox and the size and length of the flue/exhaust pipe. If the ratios are too far off you may have a difficult time with fire management, drawl, etc...
The guy that needs to chime in here is Ahumadora .... the guy is the preeminent pit builder of South America!
This is good advice. Buyer beware! When you buy from a known pitmaker you may be paying a small premium for 1) a design you know works, and 2) something with resale value.
There isn't that much to think about. Look at the ones with sturdy construction. Decent thickness steel is good. I too like a flat surface on the firebox for pre-warming logs. But my firebox is big so I pre-warm on top, then continue to pre-warm a few sticks inside (standing vertically) before putting them on the fire. But then I'm picky on maintaining temps. Also, in my opinion many commercial stick burners have too small a smoke stack. Fat stack is the way to go, to get it to breathe properly. And what Huskee said: the way the hot air enters the food chamber is important for getting even temps in the food chamber.
Personally I kind of like having the temp differences end to end if the pit is big enough. If I have my stick burner up and going I like to cook different proteins that often work better at different temps...
for example... I like to cook chicken at a higher temp than ribs....
Stick Burner Must Haves?
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