Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Off-Set Cookers

These things have always interested me and I would like to know how many of y'all who cook on a Egg also have a off-set cooker?  I read they are very challenging to use with accuracy. Some of the guys on YouTube that cook on therm like them.  I look forward to your comments.  Thanks!
Auburn, Alabama

Comments

  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited May 2020
    I have a couple. Get the best of what you can afford otherwise you'll be chasing temperatures with the big box store versions of them. 

    They are a lot of work. Far, far from a set it and forget type of grill/smoker. The flavor can't be beat though. I enjoy the craft of making and tending a fire. To me they are worth all the work. Not so much others. 

    Try looking around for a used one. That way you don't lose a ton of money if it isn't your thing. 
    "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
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    I have my offset and my large both going right now. As stated Above they are a lot of work - you have to tend them. A well made pit holds temps well. That’s also a function of your willingness to tend the fire. As stated it certainly isn’t set-and-forget. 
    I’m doing a reverse sear on a massive steak this evening. 

    When the offset is running clean smoke you cannot tell it’s running by looking at it - the smoke is that clean. 


    The egg is my oven tonight. I’m baking potatoes and cooking corn on it. 


    I’ll sear the steaks on the plancha that’s above the firebox on the offset. 

    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    edited May 2020
    I was attracted to learning how to mange a wood fired smoker for years.  And it is a totally different animal as mentioned above.   Needs care and feeding almost continuously-I knew that going in.  The challenge of fire, air and fuel (wood sticks) management is something I wanted to deal with first-hand.
    If you are able to get to a Q competition and talk with the pit masters and observe the commitment first-hand you would be well served.  
    Once you get the hang of it you can control the temps within +/- 15*F but that's not without a whole lot of focus. FWIW-
    Good luck and above all, have fun.
    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.
  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    I'm blessed to have a myriad of coolers ...you can't beat an offset stick burner ( managed correctly ) #1 is they have a huge amount if airflow , labor of love and nothing finer than a night with an offer ( under my terms )
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    @SciAggie expected nothing less.  Great crust and finish right there.  Nailed that plate!  
    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.
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    edited May 2020
    @lousubcap Thanks. I know I did it right when my lovely bride gives it a thumbs up. This was a huge steak so it took a full hour to get it up to 120 degrees. It was worth every minute. I used some nice oak splits and the smoke flavor was really nice. I have been enjoying an ancho coffee rub made by BGE. The steel over the firebox usually runs about 550 degrees and puts a nice seat on a steak. I used some clarified butter because of the higher smoke point. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,741
    SciAggie said:
    Might as well finish the cook here. I smoked the steak at 225 degrees until it hit 125 degrees internal then seared it. I used clarified butter and rosemary. 
    The corn and potatoes cooked on the egg got a nice slather of a blue cheese compound butter.  
    Plate of perfection right there. Nice work!
    Stillwater, MN
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    SciAggie said:
    I have my offset and my large both going right now. As stated Above they are a lot of work - you have to tend them. A well made pit holds temps well. That’s also a function of your willingness to tend the fire. As stated it certainly isn’t set-and-forget. 
    I’m doing a reverse sear on a massive steak this evening. 

    When the offset is running clean smoke you cannot tell it’s running by looking at it - the smoke is that clean. 


    The egg is my oven tonight. I’m baking potatoes and cooking corn on it. 


    I’ll sear the steaks on the plancha that’s above the firebox on the offset. 

    Very nice!
    can you post an interior photo of the cooking chamber?
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Holy shite,  @SciAggie!! That's a fantastic looking steak!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Here’s a pic from a precious cook. I removed the top rack for a bit more room. 

    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    SciAggie said:
    Here’s a pic from a precious cook. I removed the top rack for a bit more room. 

    Very cool Rig, thanks.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • Don’t be intimidated about cooking on an offset. You learned how to use an Egg. Same principles of airflow apply to an offset. The main reason people carp about fire management is they are using cheap, thin metal, commodity offsets. A good offset is an entirely different animal. There are lots of outfits making them these days. I have an XL Egg and a Lang 48” reverse flow offset. Each cooker is better at certain things. You obviously like to cook, as evidenced by having a fairly expensive cooker in an Egg. So you have crossed that Rubicon. If its not for you you can resell It. And as an added bonus, just like an Egg, a good offset will be part of your estate. It is practically impossible to wear out. Go for it. Scratch the itch. Life is short, so why not get one? 
  • JethroBodeen
    JethroBodeen Posts: 523
    Cant really add to the great points that have already been said. I love my Klose offset and not sure I would part with it. I have two large eggs. Really important to buy quality over mass produced tin boxes.
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Lots of good points here.  I have a Klose offset.  It was considered a top option when I started looking at offsets about a dozen years ago.  There are some better options available now - like @SciAggie's pit above - and a few on here own a Shirley.  I cook on my offset 3-4 times a year at this point and I cook on my egg much more frequently than that just because of how much easier it is to cook on the egg.  As @Vonbergmann states above, you definitely don't want a cheap offset - and you'll need to learn about fire management and airflow on the offset as they are very different from how you manage the egg.  

    But on days when I want to spend the day playing with fire and smelling the sweet smell of the nearly invisible smoke of a well-managed fire, I am really glad that I found a $2500 (at the time - it's more now) smoker on CraigsList for $800.  Also, when I cook for big groups, it is nice to have the additional real estate to complement my XL BGE.  I've done 12 racks of ribs on the offset without too much challenge - and the frees the egg up for other things.

    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

  • kingsmoke
    kingsmoke Posts: 151
    As much as I have enjoyed my large egg over the last 10 years, I was looking for another smoker . Rather than buying a second egg, I bought an HBT offset smoker which is similar to a Lang and love having another option.  I  cooked 5 pork butts  , 35 chicken legs along with 3 pans of Mac and cheese for a Memorial Day party. Even though it takes a lot of babysitting,  it provides excellent results.  No regrets !
    Grand Rapids , Mi
    LBGE -  28Blackstone - Saber grill
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    If you are looking for the kind of result you get in an offset (live fire smoke, etc) you might also consider a Karubeque.  They’re awesome and can hold quite a bit. 

    If you need even bigger, or just want the offset challenge/experience, you’ll just have to get an offset.
    (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