Offset Smokers

There are so many solid offsets out there , location can be key as freight can be a killer....Budget in mind? From.the lower end Oklahoma's are not bad up to Lang Klose Austin Smoke etc ....reversflow vs direct flow.....thet are a lot of fun but it is a days work

If you want a stick burner, the KBQ is a great option if the size works for you (3-4 briskets at a time). It is not an offset, but is an excellent single purpose toy. 

I have a Klose Backyard Chef

https://bbqpits.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Printable_20_24x40_BYC_2016.pdf

I'm very happy with it and it's very good but I can't say it is any better than a Yoder or any of the other high quality manufacturers.  

What I can say about offsets is that you need more grill space than you think. You can't cram meat into one like an egg because the airflow dynamics are important to understand.  Frankly for briskets in the one pictured below (a large trailer offset owned by a friend of mine) we would choose to not put a brisket in the chamber closest to the firebox because it got too hot.

But when we cooked 4 briskets in the 2nd horizontal area it limited air and heat flow quite the bit such that the 2 briskets farthest from the fire were seeing a temp 100 degrees less than the two closest to the fire.

And it is hard to make good utility out of a vertical cabinet that sits opposite the firebox - except as a warmer.  I do have friend that hangs racks of ribs in it.  

So, my advice would be to buy one with more horizontal grill space than you think you need.  And maybe consider a reverse flow design as that allows you to fully utilize all of your cooking chamber.

I hope that helps.

Give the search function here a look.  There are many stickburner threads to check out.  Stickburners are a totally different animal as you well know. I have the smallest Lang-36" model and it works well for me.  Shirley Fabrication has a new rig in your price range that looks quite appealing.  As noted above, there are many options within your budget so enjoy the challenge of sorting out what you want.  

NotEnoughSmoke said:

My only concern about them is reliability. 

Trust me, they are very reliable. They are awesome pits.  

SGH said:

NotEnoughSmoke said:

My only concern about them is reliability. 

Trust me, they are very reliable. They are awesome pits.  

Whoever you go with make sure to give them a call. Most of them will be more than happy to go over any questions you might have on them. I don't own a LSG but I've only heard good things about them. Someone over the BBQ Brethren had a shipping issue that ended up causing damage to the pit. LSG made it right for the customer and had it brought back to the shop and fixed on their dime. (It could have been LSG crate issue or the shipping company error) Either way the made it right for the customer. That shows you something right there about them as a company. 

I have a Shirley Fabrication pit and I've emailed Paul Shirley a couple different times about my smoker and he's always emailed back with an answer. Top notch service. They almost strictly do reverse flow smokers. You can get a traditional flow but I believe their custom pit orders are around 3 years. They are now selling a 24×42 reverse flow pit if I'm not mistaking that isn't customizable but available in 6-8 weeks. I've been nothing but happy with mine. Great customer service. You should be able to get some valuable info whoever you call. That should give you a good inkling on how their business is run. 

I have a LSG 30” cabinet offset. I’ve been happy with it. I have to say also that I don’t have any real experience with any other kind of offset so I have no basis for comparison. I will say that I’m happy with the results I can get in my smoked products. 

Those handles are very cool!

I have owned my Klose offset for 17 years. Not sure how involved Dave Klose is involved these days but he was nothing short of great to deal with when I purchased it.

@lkapigian It's the skill set, not the cook appliance as you well know.  However, sometimes you need something robust for those of us not living in Socal.   

Been cooking on a BGE for the last four years and thought I would try a offset stick burner.  I recently got a new Shirley Patio 24z36 reverse flow, and I really like it very much.  The learning curve was easy.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

flexfusion said:

Been cooking on a BGE for the last four years and thought I would try a offset stick burner.  I recently got a new Shirley Patio 24z36 reverse flow, and I really like it very much.  The learning curve was easy.  

If I were to buy one today, that would be the one. 

A man of your money should already have 10 of them brother Tex 👍

lkapigian said:

Thanks @lousubcap ...cant wait till this gets here in a couple months 

I have had my eye on fatstack for sometime now.  We’re planning on moving to Austin in a year so I need to get one before we move. They’re local for me here in CA.  How long is the build time? 

McStew said:

lkapigian said:

Thanks @lousubcap ...cant wait till this gets here in a couple months 

I have had my eye on fatstack for sometime now.  We’re planning on moving to Austin in a year so I need to get one before we move. They’re local for me here in CA.  How long is the build time? 

Good question ...i went to buy an Austin smoke Works like @cazzy but when I got the freight quote it was 60% the cost of the smoker , reached out to Eric at Fat Stacks and struck a deal ....build time was double @ Austin 16 weeks but not the end of the world 

Look on Craigslist as well , I picked this up no money exchanged hands ..Pits by Klose Trailer