Offset Smokers (BBQ)

PoliceScannerMan

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I love to grill. I grill 2 times a week on average. Gas grill, upper Home Depot class Ducane. I want to get into smoking meat as a new hobby. Not interested in the automatic pellet smokers with wires and electronics. I want a old school American Made offset smoker where you have to control your temps via dampers and wood. I am looking at the Yoder Cheyenne. Seems good for a backyard cook who his cooking for just his family.

Does anyone have any tips or input on offset smokers? If you have an offset smoker lets see it!

Here's a pic of the Yoder I pulled off of google I am looking at:


 

nfetterly

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I have one very similar to the one pictured that I bought at Costco, they had marked it down about 4 times when I bought it. It's not easy to maintain the temperature when you are smoking Pork Butts for 12 hours, so I cut out a small slot in the bottom of the firebox & bought a burner that maintains the temperature at 200F or below.

The only visual difference with my smoker is the firebox is on the left hand side and the "chimney" comes out straight from the back / top of the grill. The folks I knew out west who were into smokers big time also had the marinades that they would shoot into the meat with big needles.

My grill is a ~12 year Vermont Castings, still has the original burners and I just replaced the grills & "heat diverters" this year. I use it up to 5 or 6 times a week.
 
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badtziscool

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FranklinBBQ is a famous place here in Austin, TX. He has some good videos on various BBQ subjects. A couple of them pertain to smoker setup. Have a look. My mouth always water like crazy when I watch his brisket videos. It just looks sooooooo good!

https://www.youtube.com/user/BBQwithFranklin


Just look at him slicing into this brisket! How can you not drool at this.
 

PoliceScannerMan

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I have one very similar to the one pictured that I bought at Costco, they had marked it down about 4 times when I bought it. It's not easy to maintain the temperature when you are smoking Pork Butts for 12 hours, so I cut out a small slot in the bottom of the firebox & bought a burner that maintains the temperature at 200F or below.

My grill is a ~12 year Vermont Castings, still has the original burners and I just replaced the grills & "heat diverters" this year. I use it up to 5 or 6 times a week.

Nice Neale, grill 5-6 times a week. Impressive. The Yoder is made with 1/4" Steel and welded throughout. The reviews are great, says the heat is very stable adding wood once per hour.
 

nfetterly

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Nice Neale, grill 5-6 times a week. Impressive. The Yoder is made with 1/4" Steel and welded throughout. The reviews are great, says the heat is very stable adding wood once per hour.

When I'm home I'll check the smoker brand when I'm home. My concern over the temperature was going off somewhere for 2 hours or so. Also when I lived in Washington State it was ALWAYS windy, making temperature control more of a challenge.
 

PoliceScannerMan

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Badtziscool, great video, watched whole thing, subscribed to his channel. :)

Neale, windy is no bueno for grilling! I suspect yours is probably a Oklahoma Joe.
 

jso902

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Yoder... amish. I think I have the same one.
I love it.
Takes a lot more time than electronics.
Realize the following:
Be patient.
You will screw up.
You will curse a few times
It can be frustrating.
But I still love mine.
Buy lots of mustard.
Offsets are not efficient. But they sure look bad ****.
Vertices ones are more efficient.
Ceramic insulates better (green egg)
You will hear a lot of negatives from those that buy walla mart ones.
You can't compare 1/4 in steel to 1/16 in steel. That Yoder insulates way better than the crap ones at your box stores.
Fyi: Wood pellets and electronics make life a lot easier.

When you figure out the temp, it's easier to cook in larger batches.

Controlling heat is challenging,
Start with coal to get the firebox going, then throw wood on top of it. (I use a coal tube to start it.)
Leave the exhaust open for now and play with the inlet.
A light smoke is what you want.
Smoking is completely different from grilling.
Good luck!
 
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yoyoman

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I have a "Cheap Offset Smoker" with a few mods. The best mod is aluminum dryer duct from the chimney to the cooking surface. My brother-in-law has a Big Green Egg. That's a ceramic vertical smoker - very efficient. My friend has a giant Meadow Creek offset smoker. 2 or 3 times a year he cooks for 20 to 30 people. If your smoker is tight, you can get a guru - temperature probe in the cooking chamber and a fan that controls the heat. I don't have a guru and have to work with the fire. Every fire is different. My temperature gauge is a Maverick - don't remember the manufacturer. You want a steady temperature without peaks or spikes. Good lump charcoal is key and much better than bricettes. "Amazing Ribs" is a great site with reviews, tips and recipes. I can't do brisket, but I can do ribs and chicken. Mets day games are at 7 PM in Switzerland and I love to spend Sunday afternoons smoking and then feasting and watching baseball. This summer has been great. Let's go Mets! Remember, if you're looking, you ain't cooking.

Brisket is the hardest. 12 to 18 hour cook. Chicken is the easiest because you won't ruin it if you get too hot. Ribs are in between. Keep the temperature low but not a very long cook. I also like to do a beef standu up roast and veal. Expensive but so delicious and easy to get right. Good thermometers are key - for the cooking chamber and the meat. A great hobby.
 
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jso902

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Sorry yoyo I didn't mean to rag on cheaper grills.
The cheaper offsets can be good, but in a cool /breezy day i was told they are more prone to temp spikes/drops.
If I'm already thinking i use a lot of wood, I can't imagine how much wood would be needed for one that leaks heat.

Netterfly - oki Joes are big! That smoker has a lot of real estate for cooking. They sure are good looking.
 
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yoyoman

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No worries. If I lived in the States, I would get a better a smoker. But I'm stuck in cheese land and have to do the best with what I've got. When I return to the States, the first thing I'll buy is a car and the second thing will be a good smoker.

You're right - shade as the sun moves during a smoke, a little breeze make smoking with a cheap offset smoker a real challenge. I didn't mean to promote a cheap offset smoker. The Big Green Egg or a quality offset like the Meadow Creek (or others) are definitely the way to go.

I love smoking and do the best with what I've got. No brisket for me at the moment. Just impossible with a cheap offset smoker. But I can do chicken, duck and a few other things.

A Sunday smoke and then a feast with baseball is the greatest. Let's go Mets!
 
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PoliceScannerMan

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Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
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Location
Gainesville,FL
Yoder... amish. I think I have the same one.
I love it.
Takes a lot more time than electronics.
Realize the following:
Be patient.
You will screw up.
You will curse a few times
It can be frustrating.
But I still love mine.
Buy lots of mustard.
Offsets are not efficient. But they sure look bad ****.
Vertices ones are more efficient.
Ceramic insulates better (green egg)
You will hear a lot of negatives from those that buy walla mart ones.
You can't compare 1/4 in steel to 1/16 in steel. That Yoder insulates way better than the crap ones at your box stores.
Fyi: Wood pellets and electronics make life a lot easier.

When you figure out the temp, it's easier to cook in larger batches.

Controlling heat is challenging,
Start with coal to get the firebox going, then throw wood on top of it. (I use a coal tube to start it.)
Leave the exhaust open for now and play with the inlet.
A light smoke is what you want.
Smoking is completely different from grilling.
Good luck!

Great tips thanks! I have been looking at the pellet cookers too the last few days. I don't know which way I am going to go, prolly stay with the stick burner tho, as I like traditional methods. :)

Thank you everyone for your replies!
 

jso902

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Messages
370
Here's my happy grill plus a pic on how thick it is.

uploadfromtaptalk1440197810786.jpguploadfromtaptalk1440197820913.jpguploadfromtaptalk1440197828962.jpg
 

NoNotAgain

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Jan 25, 2014
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Blue Ridge Mountains, VA
You're right - shade as the sun moves during a smoke, a little breeze make smoking with a cheap offset smoker a real challenge. I didn't mean to promote a cheap offset smoker. The Big Green Egg or a quality offset like the Meadow Creek (or others) are definitely the way to go.

For the cost of the XXLarge Green Egg, I can catering done. I wanted a Big Green Egg a couple of years back. The thought of dropping $1400 on a firebrick lined grill was more than I was willing to drop.

Now that they have the XXLarge, they went for highly priced to the WTF price range.


$4600 for the XXLarge

 

tab665

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north carolina
im building a small pit smoker in the backyard that more or less will be utilizing the offset smoking technique. just curious PSM, did you get the yoder or did you just go with the PK grill?
 

irongate

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Location
Rochester Mn.
FranklinBBQ is a famous place here in Austin, TX. He has some good videos on various BBQ subjects. A couple of them pertain to smoker setup. Have a look. My mouth always water like crazy when I watch his brisket videos. It just looks sooooooo good!

https://www.youtube.com/user/BBQwithFranklin


Just look at him slicing into this brisket! How can you not drool at this.


Thank You for showing that. that was not nice LOL You can't past up a piece of meat like that folks:thumbsup:
 

irongate

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Location
Rochester Mn.
Wood is also very important, myself I like using a mix of Apple-Cherry-Maple. Also Hickory depending upon the meat. If doing fish Alder wood. How ever you want it to taste.
 
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