First Cook on 500 Gallon Offset

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

The time has come. For anyone that hasn't seen it I've been building an offset smoker out of a 500 gallon propane tank.

There's still some work to be done but it's ready to get some meat on it. I did a nice burn in yesterday to season it. There were still some hot coals in it this morning when I went to start the fire.

I'm not going to do a huge cook for the first one. Want to do a test run before we cook for a bunch of people. I decided to do a packer brisket and two pork shoulders. I got up around 6 to start the fire and it was ready within an hour. Just put the meat on a little bit ago. I'll try to keep you updated as the day goes on.

Trimmed and seasoned last night. Brisket is just kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Pork was rubbed in olive oil and my own mix for a rub.

Getting it up to temp.

Thin blue smoke

Time for her to see some meat for the first time.

Hillbilly BBQ · Apr 24, 2016

Love it! Its a beast!

How long did it take to come up to temp? Curious how much fuel it uses today, keep us up to date.

needmorstuff · Apr 24, 2016

Wow nice! That brisket looks lost on the mammoth rack.

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Hillbilly BBQ said:
Love it! Its a beast!

How long did it take to come up to temp? Curious how much fuel it uses today, keep us up to date.

It took right around an hour. It could have been faster if I built a bigger fire. I think it was closer to a half hour when we seasoned it yesterday but I didn't want it to get too hot and have to wait for it to cool down.

Smoke on Badger Mountain · Apr 24, 2016

Looking great! Can't wait to see the progress

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

needmorstuff said:
Wow nice! That brisket looks lost on the mammoth rack.

It will definitely hold a few more!

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Just a little update. The fire management is much easier than I expected. This is the first time I've cooked on a big cooker. My only other offset experience is on a small Oklahoma Joe Highland where one small piece of wood will make a huge difference in temperature.

With this big cooker it just maintains the temp as long as I'm keeping the fire around the same size. There are very little swings in temperature.

Big George's BBQ · Apr 24, 2016

That is a big offset Would have thought there would be a lot of temp variations when cooking Does look very nice

Faston · Apr 24, 2016

That is one fine cooker you have there. Sounds like fire control is going to be a breeze, enjoy!

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Big George's BBQ said:
That is a big offset Would have thought there would be a lot of temp variations when cooking Does look very nice

Faston said:
That is one fine cooker you have there. Sounds like fire control is going to be a breeze, enjoy!

It's been great so far. I posted this in my build thread yesterday but the temps across the whole smoker are fairly consistent too. The top two racks are cooking at the exact same temp (which was unexpected). The bottom right rack is around 15-20 degrees cooler than that. The bottom left is around 15-20 less than the bottom right rack. I could fix some of the temp differences if I really wanted to by installing a plate where the firebox is inside the upper cooking chamber. It's good enough for me right now though.

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Opened up the cooking chamber for the first time to put some meat probes in. Looking good. Cooker is holding great around 275.

SmittyJonz · Apr 24, 2016

No Fire grate.?

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

SmittyJonz said:
No Fire grate.?

I wanted to see how it cooked first without one. So far I don't think I'll need one. There's a lot of airflow and the logs ignite immediately. Won't rule it out completely though.

HeathBarkley · Apr 24, 2016

SmittyJonz said:
No Fire grate.?

If you've watched any of Aaron Franklins videos or read his book, you'll see he doesn't use fire grates in any of his cookers.

Bigr314 · Apr 24, 2016

Congrats on the new cooker and first cook. Looks great.

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Bigr314 said:
Congrats on the new cooker and first cook. Looks great.

Thanks!

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Here's a shot from a little bit ago. Everything is now wrapped, pork in foil and brisket in butcher paper.

JohnnyB · Apr 24, 2016

How often you gotta throw fuel in? You gotta be pumped, too. That's a thing of beauty.

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

JohnnyB said:
How often you gotta throw fuel in? You gotta be pumped, too. That's a thing of beauty.

For the most part I've been throwing on a couple logs every 30-45 minutes. I've gone through a little over a wheelbarrow of apple wood so far.

Bwick84 · Apr 24, 2016

Pulled pork is done and resting. Probably another hour or so on the brisket.

First Cook on 500 Gallon Offset

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is one Smokin' Farker

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