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I know you want to buy an offset. They look so macho. So cool. They say "I'm serious about barbecue" to your neighbors. Don't do it! They are a pain in the pork butt and I do not recommend any offsets but the most expensive units. Yes, they look cool, but they have turned more people off barbecue than any other cooker. That's why they're so cheap on Craig's List. Please resist the temptation.
This fabricator makes two high quality backyard smokers as well as a trailer-mounted unit. They are very well designed and built. The All-Star has three stainless racks 27" long and 13-15" deep, and it can be used for grilling or smoking because there is an offset that runs the length of the unit behind it.
If this promising newcomer looks familiar, there is a reason. It is a Canadian knockoff of the venerable 
Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal, Smoke'N Grill Charcoal, and Sportsman Charcoal. These are cheapo "bullet" water smokers, and you get what you pay for. In fact they are known as ECBs on the internet. That's El Cheapo Brinkmann.
Brinkmann Smoke King Deluxe. I like this design a lot, only I am not impressed with the execution. Among the nicer features are the large square firebox that doubles as a grill with an adjustable tray that lets you raise or lower the coals, and a vertical smoke chamber/cabinet that takes up less space on your deck than the typical horizontal pit with a side firebox. This means you can smoke the ribs on the right and sizzle on the sauce on the left. The vertical smoke chamber is 16" wide x 17" deep x 36" high with lots of shelf space. There is also a removable ash pan for easy clean-up.
Brinkmann Pitmaster. A simple offset firebox pit, from the outside it looks just like the Smoke'N Pit Professional (below) without the warming plate and the swing-out door on the firebox.
Brinkmann Smoke'N Pit Professional. This is a nice inexpensive offset firebox smoker that is an upgrade from the Pitmaster (above). Known as the SNPP on the net, it comes with a swingout firebox door for easy loading of charcoal and wood, and three more grates than the Brinkmann Pitmaster; one is a lower grate for the firebox and the other two are lower grates for the smoker chamber. The grate in the firebox makes temperature control easier, and the grates in the smoker chamber are nice if you want to put a second row of ribs on. They are also handy if you want to put charcoal in the long chamber. There are three position levels for the upper grate, too. If you pick up some spare grates, it is possible to get three shelves of ribs on this baby.
Brinkmann Cimarron, Longhorn, and Southfork. Unlike the other Brinkmann models above, this line has serious machines that are made so solid that they come with a 75-year limited warranty! They are built with tight tolerances and 1/4" steel. Remember, heavy steel holds heat longer, distributes heat more evenly, and uses less fuel. The base model has small steel wheels, and the other two have larger steel wagon wheels that will roll across grass and dirt easily, larger fireboxes, larger smoke chambers, and a warming plate on the firebox for sauces and sides.
Brinkmann Southfork. The Southfork is an offset on steroids. You can grill steaks at 500°F on the 15.5" grate in the firebox, cook your sauce on the warming plate, smoke ribs at 225°F in the horizontal smoke chamber, and smoke sausage or turkeys at 175°F in the 16" diameter vertical chamber.
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Jedmaster 2635 Legend
Jedmasters are popular with some of the top cooks on the competition circuit. The Legend is a flip-top charcoal fueled rotisserie grill/smoker combo with three 9" x 28" chrome plated cooking surfaces (pictured). Made of heavy 14 gauge, powder-coated carbon steel. There is a commercial grade thermometer mounted in the hood. Pullout firebox with a large access door and removable ash pan. Their patented "Ring of Fire" firebox is quite clever. The charcoal is loaded in a ring with wood chunks on top. One end is lit and it burns around in a circle. Two large stainless shelves on the left and right. Needs access to 110 volt electricity to run the rotisserie. Available with or without wheels. It even has tie down loops for hauling it around in your pickup. Click here for more info and pricing: Jedmaster 2635 Legend.- Meathead
Kingfisher Kookers
Kingfisher fabricates a wide range of serious backyard and commercial cookers. One of my favorites is the Backyard Smoker, a rotisserie smoker on wheels that may be substantial enough to tow a few blocks to the Lion's Club picnic or Little League playoffs. The four 10" x 20 " food trays rotate through the cooking chamber every minute. Each tray will hold one 15 pound turkey. Additional racks can be purchased to double the smoking surface. A 110 volt motor powers the rotisserie so you will need access to electricity. Fabricated from 12-14 gauge metal. There are two hot air chambers in the firebox. A baffle in the smoking chamber directs heat evenly around all four sides and catches drippings which flow through a drainpipe. There is an oven and water jacket just above the firebox. The water jacket creates steam dispersed into the cooking chamber to keep meat moist. The top can be used as a warming surface and there is plenty of exterior shelf space. Weighs 425 pounds. Click here for more info and pricing: Kingfisher Kookers.- Meathead
Landmann Black Dog Grill & Smoker
Cook indirect or direct on this cleverly designed multipurpose system. On the left is the firebox where you can direct grill or open the damper and channel the heat and smoke to the chamber on the right for indirect smoking. 30"x19" storage shelf, heavy duty wheels, wood handles, stainless steel ash catcher, temperature gauge. Alas, I have heard reports that they rust easily and are poorly built. Click here for more info and pricing: Landmann Black Dog Grill & Smoker. - Meathead
Meadow Creek
The very high quality Amish fabricator in Pennsylvania builds simple and functional grills, smokers, and grill/smokers that are very well respected. We have more info about the backyard models on the page devoted to grill reviews and the professional trailer mounted on the page on big rigs.
Old Country BBQ Pits and Smokers
All models come in 16" and 20" smoker chamber sizes. The Old Country BBQ Pits are classic side firebox units made from 1/4" steel, with framed grates, stainless spring handles, a warming plate on the round firebox, and a folding exterior shelf. There is a firebox baffle and the smoke stack is placed in the center of the smoke chamber to help reduce cold and hot spots. The All American models are 3/16" steel with a larger square firebox and a 40" tall square vertical smoke cabinet attached (20" diameter model is shown here). The Old Country models have a round firebox and a round vertical smoke chamber. Click here for more info and pricing: Old Country BBQ Pits and Smokers. - Meathead
Orion Cooker
A very clever and unusual design, the Orion excels at keeping meat moist and cooking fast. Well, maybe it isn't that unusual. It is really a hi-tech variation on the cowboy method of cooking in a Dutch oven where the pot sits on coals and coals sit on top of the pot. It is especially good for chicken, turkey, fish, and beef brisket. It is all stainless steel, lightweight and portable, and the central cooking chamber is pretty close to airtight. Wood chips and/or water go in the bottom of the cooking chamber, but the charcoal does not. It goes in a ring around the outside and in a cup on top. About 10 pounds! They recommend Matchlight, which has an awful smell. I much prefer to start charcoal in a chimney.
The result is a hot convection oven that is great at creating moist smoky meat in a hurry. Because the charcoal combustion gases are outside the cooking chamber, the smoke flavor is different than most other smokers, and because it is so moist, one does not get crispy skin on chicken or turkey or a good crust on pork. For ribs and pork butt, I prefer to cook at a lower temp. That said, this is a mighty nice smoker for the price. The manufacturer claims it can smoke six racks of ribs in 1.25 hours, about 25% of the time in a conventional smoker, or a 20 pound turkey in 2.25 hours. Includes three rib hangers to accommodate six racks of ribs, three cooking grates, a poultry stand and lifting handle that holds a 24 pound turkey. Click here for more info and pricing: Orion Cooker. - Meathead
Onyx Oven
This new cabinet style smoker has really impressed me on paper. It is double walled with insulation in between (like a refrigerator), very lightweight (only 83 pounds), and built well (heavy hinges, heavy latches, air tight doors). It can low and slow smoke, either with a water pan or without, and also be used for direct heat grilling or smokeless roasting. Competitors I have spoken with say it is extremely efficient and burns very little charcoal and holds rock steady temps for a long time. The interior is designed to take standard size restaurant pans and trays and has three shelf positions. The exterior dimensions are 32" high x 27" wide x 18" deep. The shelves are 13 x 22", and there is 4576 cubic feet of cooking space, and can hold 6 pork butts, 6 racks of St. Louis Cut spare ribs, 2 whole packer briskets, or 16 chicken halves. It is designed to take the digital thermostat controlled blower from the BBQ Guru without an adapter. I expect to be able to work with one soon, but sight unseen, I think it is a big winner. Especially at about $1000! Click here for more info and pricing on the Onyx. - Meathead
Pitmaker
We have never seen these up close, but they look good on the web.
Smokeybayou
This sweet design uses a convection system to move the heat and smoke from right to the left under the cooking chamber to heat it before the smoke enters the chamber on the left and moves across to the chimney on the right. Damper heat control, built in thermometer, drip bucket, paint withstands temperature to 1300°F, and an embers drawer in the fire box lets you add charcoal or wood without interrupting the cooking process. Porcelain coated coat cooking surface measures 24" long by 14" deep and the smoker box measures 14" x 13.5". Click here for more info and pricing: Smokeybayou. - Meathead
Stump's Smokers
"Stump don't build no junk" is the motto of this fabricator specializing in cabinet style charcoal fueled smokers. The GF223, their most popular model, has an interior that is 20" wide x 20" deep x 36" high, exterior is 33" wide x 24" deep x 52" high with five locking racks, automatic gravity fed offset firebox, 16 gauge solid welded interior, 2" of 1,400°F insulation, 1,000°F door gasket, calibratable thermometer, grease drain, and pneumatic tires. Click here for more info and pricing: Stump's Smokers. - Meathead
Texas Pit Crafters
These are high quality side firebox charcoal and wood fueled smokers as well as some pretty nifty hybrid cookers that use propane, charcoal, and wood, with rotisseries and just about any other feature you might want. The one I want for my birthday is the very versatile PM600. It is a heavy stainless steel pit with a single burner gas grill on the side. There is a removable water pan in the smoke chamber that can also double as a charcoal pan for grilling. The side mounted firebox has a removable ash pan for easy cleanup.
Underneath is a stainless shelf for wood or charcoal bags, and the stainless front shelf is a nice work surface that is easy to clean. All the hardware and hinges are stainless and there is even a paper towel holder. Comes with a lifetime burnout warranty on firebox. 86" long x 32" wide x 58" high and weighs 370 pounds. Options include an adjustable charcoal rack and a rotisserie. Manufacturer's price is about $3300 plus shipping. There is a similar model that is not all stainless for $2300 plus shipping. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here. - Meathead
Tremore Breeze
Our review of this excellent product has moved to this page.
Viking Professional Series Smoker
Viking is known for shiny stainless steel high end prosumer grade cooking equipment. They offer a 30" cabinet style smoker with 6.7 cubic feet of cooking capacity on three removable shelves.
It has several attractive features. Chief claim to fame is a concept starting to appear on professional smokers, a vertical tube into which you pour lit charcoal and then you top it off with unlit coals, either briquets or lump. It gravity the fuel as needed. Viking claims it burns only about one pound of charcoal per hour. Viking claims it can maintain 150°F for cold smoking with the aid of ice pans above and below the food and that it can get hot enough for grilling.
It has adjustable legs for leveling, solid hinges, heavy insulation for efficiency, a spatter and grease collection system with a removable grease pan on the exterior, and a bimetal thermometer in the door. Airflow is controlled with a ballcock operated by a handle. Very clever. It can also be fitted with an fan operated third party airflow controller like Rock's Stoker or a BBQ Guru to give you digital temperature control and monitoring.
All units have a removable rain cap. I wish they had a ventilated rain cap that could stay on for use in the rain. I have never seen one of these units personally, but in photos it looks to be well built. I believe it is built by a third party for Viking, and in the past Viking has put its label on Stump Smokers. But that relationship ended badly, so who knows how stable this relationship is. I have also heard customer complaints about support. Click here for more info on the Viking Professional Series Smoker
Weber Smokey Mountain
In fall 2008 Weber announced a new improved version of their industry standard 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) smokers as well as an all new, larger 22.5" WSM, the first major changes in many years. In the photo at right, you can see the new Big Unit, and the old Little Unit (my nicknames, not theirs).
The WSMs are high quality, charcoal fueled, bullet-shaped smokers. The old Little Units can often be seen competing head to head with large commercial cookers at practically every competition. And winning. They take very little time to master, and there are a lot of tricks the experts use to produce incredible food.
The 2009 models are the first major upgrades to the WSM in many years. I have been allowed to test the Big Unit and the good news is that it is a good value and a fine cooker. There is, however, room for further improvement.
Like the old Little Unit, the new Big Unit cooks at a remarkably steady temp for hours and raising or lowering temp is fairly easy by opening and closing the vents. Problem is I have had difficulty getting it down under 275°F. I like to smoke at 225-250°F. At 275°F meat can get tough.
The big advantage to the Big Unit is capacity. The grates are 21" across compared to 15.5" on the Little Unit. You can actually get a few slabs of ribs to lay comfortably on the grates without cutting them in half or bending them. I'm guessing one could easily fit a dozen five-pound pork butts in the Big Unit with plenty of room for smoke to circulate. At right is shown a whole center cut pork loin with room to spare.
Construction is solid and finish is beautiful. Weber really knows how to make long lasting porcelain and chrome coatings. The legs are sturdier and there is a bowl-shaped aluminum heat shield under both new units. Call me superstitious, but I still put a galvanized sheet under it to protect my deck.
Both new models have a built-in bi-metal thermometer, a welcome addition, but sadly the one on the Big Unit I am testing reads about 30°F below the temperature on my highly accurate Thermoworks MTC Mini Handheld Thermocouple.
All WSMs have a side door for adding coal, wood, and water, although adding water and lit coals through the door is tricky. The new door and latches are improved, but they still leak smoke and let in oxygen, making it hard to shut down the supply of oxygen and kill the coals. I had to bend mine slightly to make it fit better, and I remain puzzled as to how Weber could craft the door so poorly after crafting the other parts so well.
The water pan in the Big Unit is huge, and you need to add more water than you think it needs because of the increased surface area. Also, it is waaaay to large to fit flat in my sink for cleanup, and you can't line it with foil easily because it is wider than the widest sheets of foil in my grocery. Hopefully someone will market a disposable pan liner.
One change I wish they had made is a wider lid. It still rests inside a lip in the center section allowing rain and melting snow to get in. I would prefer that the lid overlap the center section, just like the lid on the Weber Kettle. Perhaps they'll get to this in the next version. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long for that.
If you are trying to decide between the Big Unit and the Little Unit, keep in mind that a full slab of ribs will not fit onto the grates of the Little Unit without some trickery (click here to see how), and if the meat gets too close to the sides the heat rising around the water pan can scorch it. On the other hand, it is hard to get temp down to optimum cooking temps on the Big Unit.
The WSM has a fanatical following and a good independent website devoted to its use at http://www.virtualweberbullet.com.
For current pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain
Yoder Backyard Smokers
Yoder Backyard Smokers are built for serious backyard and competitive cooking and they have a great reputation for craftsmanship. The bodies of all Yoders are built out of new 1/4" thick steel pipe and plate and have a lifetime guarantee against burnout. There are several sizes and types available to match the capacity and cooking style you want, and if that is not enough, they say they can customize any unit to your needs. Most of their units are offset smokers, with a side firebox, and the fireboxes have a removable cooking grate if you want to grill in them. Of course you can grill in the main cooking chamber if you want as well. All grates are removable. The handles are all coiled stainless steel that remain cool to touch, there are work shelves in front of the cooking chambers and fire boxes, a shelf below the cooking tube, and large steel wheels on one side to help you move them. Yoder also makes very well respected trailer mounted rigs and pellet smokers.
Even though they are reasonably priced, these are most definitely not COS (cheap offset smokers) like the Char-Broils. Although cheap offsets are notoriously difficult to cook with because they leak a lot and heat tends to build on the side of the firebox, Yoder offsets move heat and smoke from right to left nicely because the thick steal absorbs it and radiates it evenly. To help, Yoder chimneys are all attached to the end plate rather than the center tube to insure maximum airflow across all the food. To further help with heat distribution, they offer an optional "heat management plate" (shown at right). It is a heavy steel plate that deflects heat and smoke from the firebox down and towards the chimney allowing you to make hot spots and cool spots if you want. This deflector plate has holes in it so all smoke and heat are not redirected.
There are other options available. You can order counter weights for the doors on some models that make them a lot easier to open and close. There is a liquid propane lighting system available. Another nice option for the Wichita and the Durango and standard on all 20" and larger units is a built in pot warmer. This option is welded directly on top of the fire box and provides a flat surface to warm up sauces, pot of beans, or whatever might need a hot plate.
Abilene 16 BBQ Grill (shown at right) has a 16" wide and 32" long cooking chamber with 500 square inches of cooking surface. This unit does not have an offset firebox like the offset smokers (below) so it is primarily a grill, but its 32" long cooking chamber can easily be set up for multiple heat zones and for smoking. There is a front shelf and a shelf below the cooking chamber. It weighs 225 pounds. The intake damper is on the opposite side from the chimney for good airflow.
Cheyenne 16 BBQ Smoker is pretty much the same as the Abilene, but it is 4" longer and it has an offset firebox to allow for indirect heat cooking and smoking. The cooking chamber is 16" wide and 36" long with an 18" long fire box. The firebox has its own shelf and can be used for direct heat grilling. Of course the body can also be used for direct grilling. The cooking chamber has two levels of shelves making it large capacity, and top shelf is split in the center so half the top shelf can be removed. The firebox has an intake vent and a door on the side to make it easy to add charcoal and wood.
Durango 16 (shown at left) or Durango 20 are called the Swiss Army Knife cookers of the Yoder line. The Durango 16 has a 16" diameter and 36" long cooking chamber with a 48" tall vertical chamber and an 18" long fire box. The Durango 20 has a 20" diameter and 42" long cooking chamber with a 54" tall vertical chamber and a 22" long fire box. A 24" diameter is also available but not in their catalog. The vertical chamber cooks about 50 to 75°F cooler than the horizontal area allowing the smoking of foods that are best at cooler temps like cheese, fish, nuts, jerky, and sausage. The vertical chamber has hooks for hanging things like sausage, fish, or ribs and three removable grates with 8" of clearance between grates. Both cooking chambers have dial thermometers mounted in them. A pot warmer is optional.
Wichita 20 BBQ Smoker (shown at right) has a capacious 20" diameter and 42” long cooking chamber with a 22" long offset fire box. The cooking chamber has a whopping 1,700 square inches of cooking surface and more is optional. There is a pot warmer on top of the firebox.
Kingman 24 BBQ Smoker is the largest "backyard" tube shaped offset available from Yoder. Similar in design to the Wichita, the cooking chamber is 24" diameter x 52" long with a 24” long fire box. This monster has a top slide out shelf and a total of 2,350 square inches of cooking area including the direct heat grill in the fire box. Counterweights on the door are standard as is the heat management plate and two dial thermometers.
Stockton Square Vertical BBQ Smoker packs a lot of cooking area into a small footprint with 4,300 square inches of cooking surface on four steel wheels. It has eight 24 square inch removable racks stacked 4" apart. That will hold at least 24 racks of St. Louis Cut ribs, more baby backs. There are two thermometers and two dampers on the firebox, one for oxygen intake and one controlling heat and smoke into the cooking chamber.
Click here for more info about Yoder Smokers and grills - By Meathead with help from Aaron Black
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Read this before posting a comment please:1) If you are looking for info, please use the table of contents or the search box, at the top of every page. 2) Don't ask me any questions that involve temp or time unless you tell me that you are using a digital thermometer! Bi-metal dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F! If you are not using a good digital you have no idea what the temp really is so I can't help you. If you are still using a dial thermometer, please read this article about thermometers, then buy a good digital, and then, if the problem persists (chances are it won't), hit me with your questions. Then, please tell me everything I need to know to answer your question. Like the type of cooker you are using. Remember, I am not a mind reader. 3) Please don't ask me "What grill (or smoker) should I buy?" Read my Buyer's Guides and the buying checklists and follow the links. I've shared just about everything I know. Pay attention to the awards I have given my faves. I cannot pick the right cooker for you any more than I could pick the right car or spouse for you. 4) If you have problems posting with Internet Explorer, please read this. If problems persist, send me a note. |
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