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Lang offset smokers

Anyone have any experience with these? I know we have some competition cooks on here that may not use a BGE when competing. Just curious if y’all have one, use it at home much, if it’s worth the money and if there are better units for home use.

THANKS!!!

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Ronald Reagan

Comments

  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    Also a few of us here with Shirley offset smokers
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    I have A Klose, love it and its a beast , I would not have it if not for some random Craigslist find....for home use, old country Brazos is a great bang for the buck

    https://youtu.be/0zTuW_gKfYE
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    If you are dealing with modest tonnage, you should search the forum for the Karubeque.  It is a more compact size than an offset, and has some sexy tech for managing your smoke quality.  Very, very tough to beat for up to 3 briskets at a time.

    https://amazingribs.com/smoker/karubecue-c-60-pit-review
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    Many years ago I converted a big box store offset into a reverse flow...a bit old school and I still fire it up ocassioaly ...controls very well , glad I have more heavy duty stuff now, but if anyone wants to experiment 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,324
    20stone said:
    If you are dealing with modest tonnage, you should search the forum for the Karubeque.  It is a more compact size than an offset, and has some sexy tech for managing your smoke quality.  Very, very tough to beat for up to 3 briskets at a time.

    https://amazingribs.com/smoker/karubecue-c-60-pit-review
    If one is just looking to get a smoker that uses real wood then it is hard to beat a KBQ. There are a few of us here that have them.

    If one is wanting that whole stick burner experience to learn/enjoy the art/skill of using a manually controlled wood burning smoker then the KBQ may not be the right tool.

    With a KBQ you do have to work the fire a little bit - mainly to keep a good bed of coals going - but the actual temp in the cook box is controlled by the thermostat.

    Since it is thermostatically controlled I think you loose a little bit of street cred in the eyes of the big "real" stick burners but personally, I'm ok with that. :)
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • HeavyG said:
    20stone said:
    If you are dealing with modest tonnage, you should search the forum for the Karubeque.  It is a more compact size than an offset, and has some sexy tech for managing your smoke quality.  Very, very tough to beat for up to 3 briskets at a time.

    https://amazingribs.com/smoker/karubecue-c-60-pit-review
    If one is just looking to get a smoker that uses real wood then it is hard to beat a KBQ. There are a few of us here that have them.

    If one is wanting that whole stick burner experience to learn/enjoy the art/skill of using a manually controlled wood burning smoker then the KBQ may not be the right tool.

    With a KBQ you do have to work the fire a little bit - mainly to keep a good bed of coals going - but the actual temp in the cook box is controlled by the thermostat.

    Since it is thermostatically controlled I think you loose a little bit of street cred in the eyes of the big "real" stick burners but personally, I'm ok with that. :)
    well said. I'm good with it too. It's a perfect 'tweener for me. Burns real sticks, fits 2-3 briskets/6-8 butts, but it has a very small footprint. I actually bought it for the size, not the tech but i have enjoyed using it. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    "I have A Klose, love it and its a beast , I would not have it if not for some random Craigslist find"

    I also have a Klose that I found on Craigslist.  It is a beast.  It is significantly more work than the BGE.  As a result, it is real commitment.  One that I only make a few times a year.  It's unlikely that it will be your go-to cooker.

    If you are used to the BGE, you should know that one thing that is not obvious about offsets is the importance of airflow.  This can become an issue if you are planning on cooking multiple briskets.  If that is one of your goals, you should measure out the space and see how many brisket fit - with a 2" space around each brisket to allow for adequate airflow.  When you think of it that way, it means the diameter of the cooking chamber has to be bigger than you think when you want to put the briskets two deep.  When they are packed more closely together they can impede airflow and really affect that temperature of any other meat that is downstream.  The smoker in the included pics is bigger than my Klose and I generally think of it as "huge", but it can really only handle 2-3 briskets at a time.  On this particular cook, we were cooking 8.  We used the offset to get smoke on them and rotated the briskets after 4 hours.  Then at 8 hours when they had not yet hit the stall, we had to put them on the kamados to really get them cooked.

    I recognize that this may be less of an issue on reverse flow smoker like a Lang.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262

    Well its not a Lang or a Shirley, and sorry I cant offer any opinions as this is a new adventure for me. but this is my current project. Offset smokers are even less common than Komados up here. But I have an interest. Finding wood is not easy. The pictures don't do it justice so far. its massive.

    3/8" cooking chamber

    1/2" Fire Box

    1/4" Warming Cabinet.

    current weight is 2000 lbs. Should be 2200 when all said and done.

    Offset Reverse Flow, 4 slide out trays, 2 each side. 5 shelves in warming cabinet.

    6' cooking chamber, 24x24" Fire Box.



    Very cool project.  I'm interested in seeing your progress if you feel like sharing.

    Phoenix 
  • distanceman
    distanceman Posts: 138
    I researched until my eyes bled for a stick burner. I ultimately went XL Egg for versatility and limited space (and I move every few years). That, and my wife got mad because I was about to build a patio just for a Shirley rig. Haha. 

    That being said. The more I researched Lang, the less I liked the company. Look at the complaints for customer service, and crappy half assed welds. Prob not all the cookers are like that, but it turned me off. I also posted in the FB group asking about Lang vs Shirley; they deleted it. I asked why and I got booted. 

    Bottom line--if time waiting (close to a year) and money ain't a thang, hands down go Shirley Fabrication. Such a stand up family and their cookers are second to none. You can customize the heck out of these...it's amazing all the options.

    If you want something cheaper but still nice, look at the Ole Hickory Brazos as someone posted above. I watched some videos and they seem to be great for the money. 

    Shirley = $2k+ and the Brazos is closer to $1k. 

    Good luck!!
    Located Middle GA

    Current: XL w/ Woo & 17" Half Moon Plates, SMOBOT

    RIP: Weber 22" Kettle, Slow 'n Sear, Akorn Jr., Pit Barrel Cooker
  • AlbertaEgger
    AlbertaEgger Posts: 1,387
    edited April 2018
    blasting said:

    Well its not a Lang or a Shirley, and sorry I cant offer any opinions as this is a new adventure for me. but this is my current project. Offset smokers are even less common than Komados up here. But I have an interest. Finding wood is not easy. The pictures don't do it justice so far. its massive.

    3/8" cooking chamber

    1/2" Fire Box

    1/4" Warming Cabinet.

    current weight is 2000 lbs. Should be 2200 when all said and done.

    Offset Reverse Flow, 4 slide out trays, 2 each side. 5 shelves in warming cabinet.

    6' cooking chamber, 24x24" Fire Box.



    Very cool project.  I'm interested in seeing your progress if you feel like sharing.

    I'll post some pictures when its completed, or near. I'm not doing the welding, just sketched up the plans for everything and provided all the steel. Shouldn't be long now till she is done.

    It wont be on a perm trailer for awhile. I have a trailer I can haul it with until I find one to mount it to. Ill need a picker truck at home to get this thing off and on.  

    County of Parkland, Alberta, Canada
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    I'm not gonna get into a WDIB conversation as I have not had any customer issues with fabricated steel or cosmetic welds with Lang.  It's welded steel so my evaluation of the esthetics may be lost somewhere.  If it's not for you, then walk away.  
    As above, if $$ or foot-print are not in the equation then there are better rigs. You just have to define the parameters you can work with and see where you land.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • The offset smokers is a classic smoker design and one of the most popular out there. Food smokes in a long horizontal chamber while charcoal and smoke wood burn in a firebox attached to one side. Offset smokers feature shelves in the cooking chamber to handle multiple briskets, pork shoulders, and racks of ribs.
  • billt01
    billt01 Posts: 1,523
    edited August 2019
    @Dawgtired

    I had a Lang 60D for a few years...very labor intensive, not fuel efficient..

    That being said, it produces some of the best product i have tasted


    Have:
     XLBGE / Stumps Baby XL / Couple of Stokers (Gen 1 and Gen 3) / Blackstone 36 / Maxey 3x5 water pan hog cooker
    Had:
    LBGE / Lang 60D / Cookshack SM150 / Stumps Stretch / Stumps Baby

    Fat Willies BBQ
    Ola, Ga

  • @AlbertaEgger What are you guys into that we need to try?
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


  • AlbertaEgger
    AlbertaEgger Posts: 1,387
    @AlbertaEgger What are you guys into that we need to try?


    ?? You lost me @alaskanassasin


    County of Parkland, Alberta, Canada
  • @AlbertaEgger Understandably so I was referencing a post that you made over year ago.
        "Offset smokers are even less common than Komados up here."

     Just wondering if you there was a cooking method etc. that is Canadian that we should try.
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    @AlbertaEgger Understandably so I was referencing a post that you made over year ago.
        "Offset smokers are even less common than Komados up here."

     Just wondering if you there was a cooking method etc. that is Canadian that we should try.
    Poutine.


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • We had some Poutine at a brewery in Dayton. Good stuff
    South of Columbus, Ohio.