Offset Smokers

Any offset smoker guys or gals here?

I bought an Oki Joe years back and really like it. Really enjoy barbecuing when time permits but also try not to eat as much as I'd like as some of it isn't the healthiest.

Oki Joe was my introduction to smoking, I love the lifestyle, almost like burning firewood in a wood stove. It does take time to baby sit but I enjoy it along with a few adult beverages. Plus I have plenty of fuel (free) and the smoke flavor is 2nd to none.

Looking to upgrade my smoker to something with thicker metal, hold the heat a bit more and wanted to see if anyone out there has something that is next level caliber as I'd love to upgrade my setup at some point although crazy $$. I made a pulled pork last weekend that we are still talking about. I can't wait to try and replicate it so I can really dial it in every time consistently.

 

I recently got my offset after a long wait . I went with a Lang.
I looked at something like you have but the reviews were so-so and I held off. After tossing the idea around I finally pulled the trigger.
This thing is heavy weighing in at 600lbs and all made from 1/4 steel plate.
It burns great , holds the heat well and is a ton of fun to cook on with stellar results. The only drawback if you would call it one is you have to watch it. Yeah it is a stick burner so no set it and walk away but that is what I wanted = real BBQ.
Not a cheap unit but very well done and will without a doubt outlast me.

My wife says I bought it just to have an excuse to burn wood in the summer , well she is not all wrong.

Skeeter on the forum would be the go to guy for a Q&A session , he is out of control when it comes to this. He has multiple cookers and I'm sure he can point you in the right direction

 

and it is reverse flow.

 

Love it, that's what I am looking for. I want something with 1/4" steel, the Oki Joe is only 1/16" steel and the temp swings are wild. I'd love to get something a bit more consistent with temp swing maybe go a bit longer before feeding. I think a thicker firebox and cook chamber would do it. That Oki Joe is great for the price and I've made some outstanding BBQ on it, but I really upped my game last weekend and looking hone in on it.

Yes, that's what you get with a stick burner, it's not for everyone but as you said it's real BBQ and I really enjoy the lifestyle. Yes I am sure it has something to do with my love for burning wood and I now get to do it the summer months, haha.

I've looked at the Old Country Brazos, Workhorse 1975, and the Long Star Grillz. Brazos is most affordable and has 1/4" steel AND there is also a dealer within my driving range down in Maryland or over in PA 2 - 3hr drive which would save me about $500 in shipping.

 

I’ve been very happy with my offset Yoder (Yoder,KS). The model is Cheyenne which they no longer make but the one similar is the Wichita, difference is mine has a 16” diameter cooking drum and the Wichita has a 20”. Nice feature is the heat plate in the cooker which distributes the heat/smoke more evenly below the cooking grates. I found mine preowned almost like new several years ago and it has been bulletproof. The smaller size works great for us as it will fit 3 Boston butts easily which is way more than enough to feed the extended family that we have of 14 to 15 people. If I ever need to replace it I would buy another Yoder in a heartbeat, but this one will outlast me and be given over to one of the grandkids. Yodersmokers.com Oh, the Wichita also has the upper rack which my Cheyenne does not. If IRC I paid $600 for mine but couldn’t replace it for 4-5times that now.

 

I used a water smoker like this for many years.


Wanted to try a stick burner so I found an offset for cheap local just to see if I’d like it.


The gaps are large everywhere on this cheapie so temp isn’t as controlled as it could be but it did prove to me how much I like the style. I’ve been watching for a deal on an Oakie Joe. Just a matter of time. My budget wouldn’t allow anything more robust than that.



-just made ribs this past Saturday.

 

Ribs look amazing!!!

Yes the cheap offsets have really really thin mental. Out of the box my Oki Joe leaked a bit but not much, I put some fire rated gasket and sealant in the area's and it's helped. I was shocked when I measured the thickness yesterday it was only 1/16". I mean 1/4" steel would really improve, but they are very costly as mentioned. Some of those pits I am looking at are 3k, I just don't have that.

I know some of the older Oki Joe's were 3/16" steel, not bad but they are hard to find but a few have found on FL and FB Market place. Cleaned up would be a great buy!

 

Information I did not know. Thanks for the share.

 

The Wood Wolverine that a Brinkmann?

That's the style and manuf. I have.

Like you said.. It leaks smoke and heat like a sieve.


I usually run mine hot after about an hour of smoke, and use a piece of firebrick under the firebox lid as an adjustable temp control.


Too hot=slide brick up
Too low=lower brick or remove

Very scientific.


I too have thought about adding some gasket material to tighten things up.. But there's so many gap areas.

 

Yep, Brinkmann it is. It’s too loose to bother trying to seal up. It did what I needed it to do, I wasn’t expecting a keeper. Think I paid $35-40.
Here’s my firebox. 3 firebrick and 2 small grates to elevate the coals a little.


The metal was so thin I didn’t want coals in direct contact.

 

I have a Horizon Marshall i've ran for many years, Outstanding unit, and uhhh..... Oklahoma Joe and Horizon are brothers...
A year ago i bought a trailer unit, Sling N Steel 72D, love it...

 

I started with a Brinkman , made my own , it worked OK but not perfect then finally the one I have now.
Just another bad habit.

 

Trailer unit ; nice.
Got any pictures of it.

 

When I first got the Oki Joe, I made such a huge hot fire I literally warped the thin metal, Ops!!! That also blasted the paint job right of the firebox, LOL!!! I've since repainted with some high heat paint, looks better.

Not sure what it is, but something about tinkering with building and keeping a fire going, probably why I enjoy the offset, but it can be work so I understand some people opt out of using offsets.

I bought a bunch of firebricks last year to replace some busted ones in my stove, had some left over. Wrapped them in foil and placed at the bottom of the cooking chamber to help with the heat retention. I should add one to the firebox as well. I love tinkering with this stuff. I'll be smoking another pork shoulder on Friday, I'll try and take some pics this time should it come out as good as two weeks ago......

 

Yes it is all part of the job keeping the fire happy , I have it pretty well figured out at this point so I can run the 250-275 range without issue and don't mind tending it. This is the price we pay for what I would consider BBQ ,
My firebox did not have bricks so before I even started I got bricks and lined the bottom of the box , not sure it was necessary, but I figured it couldn't hurt helping retain heat and keeping the ashes off the bottom.

When I was looking earlier and considered an OkiJoe I did watch some Youtube videos on modifications people had done to them , gaskets on the lid I know was one thing.

I really hope that the weather will be on my side this weekend , I need to burn some wood!

 

Here's a couple pics..

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

 

Nice. I see they all have heart monitors
That is awesome.

 

Hahaha ....I jumped back to his avatar to see where smokebuzz lives, and just me luck it is too far for me to beg for some smoked meat!!

 

A little far for me too.
I'm guessing that the meat there is pretty good to start with , plenty of good corn makes for tasty meat. The best venison I ever had was from Iowa , they say it is because of the diet.

I have to try and find a picture of the trailer load of smokers from when mine was delivered. It was quite the load of steel , pulled up to the house at 10pm on a Sunday night. More lights on this trailer than a Christmas tree. There was one of the load that was twin 500 gallon tanks on a trailer.

Thats a nice unit " smokebuzz" ......... reverse flow , warming box , and plenty of room.
I see the foil trays, looking at some of skeeter's posts I have been doing the same , basically no clean-up.
Thanks for the pictures.

 

Seeing a couple of smokers on FB Marketplace with 1/4" steel two Brinkmann's and other is a Horizon. All used and need a little TCL but only asking $250 - $350 range for the Brinkmanns, Horizon asking 1k, bit too much IMO for it. I really want to make the leap to the 1/4" to help w/ temp fluctuations.

Brinkmann - $350
Brinkmann - $250
Horizon - $1000
Lang - $1,800


buzz-saw there is a Lang reverse flow identical model to yours, needs a little rust cleaning but in great shape. Asking $1,800 for it, I probably wouldn't go more than $1,500 wanted to pick your brain more about it, confirm it's 1/4" metal, wanted to learn more about reverse flow, what's the learning curve, what I'd need to learn or do differently and lastly how much food I'd be able to cook on it. Looks at tad smaller that my OKJ but it does have a 2nd rack. I would have liked to have cooked two racks of ribs yesterday while entertaining but could only fit comfortably one rack along with the pork butt I had going, I probably could have put the water pan below the cooking grate though for more room.