How to use your COS/ Cheap offset Smoker Properly

This will be kind of long and in progress. My goal is that I hope someone will learn from it. I'm not saying I'm the best, but I've cooked several times on one.
First, start out with a chimney full of lump or briquetts, today I'm using Royal Oak briqs.

Once they've ashed over, dump them into the corner of the fire box.

For my splits, today I'm using a mixture of apple, cherry, and pecan. It's what I have on hand that's already split to size. The size that I use is normally between 1.5"- 3" wide depending on the the thickens and between 10"- 16" long.



Once you have a bed of coals started, you can now start feeding it with 1-2 splits at a time.

At first you will get some puffing white smoke.

THATS NOT WHAT YOURE LOOKING FOR!!! Give it a few until you have a small HOT fire and that's when you'll have the thin sweet blue stuff.


That's what you're after right there or just clear heat!!

For today's cook, I found a cheap rack of baby backs and hit them with some Simply Marvelous Rubs.


Once the temp got the 230's I went ahead started the ribs.


I failed to mention at first, the first thing you really need to do is get rid of the thermometer that comes with these things and get a good one.
Now my target temp is closer to 300, but since I already had the thin blue rolling I went ahead and put them on.

Now that you have a good fire going, be sure to preheat your splits that you are using next. This will help speed up the combustion of the fuel and ensure a good clean fire.

The ribs have been on for about an hour and temp has climbed to 295 and that seems to be where it wants to run. I also need to add that I leave the firebox door open to make sure the fire gets enough air.


Please stay tuned for the rest of story.

I need to add that during the cook when you add splits, you may find that you get puffing white smoke, that's OK as long as it last just a few minutes. In my case it last about 5 mins. Sometimes your preheated sits just didn't get hot enough or whatever. Don't worry, this is BBQ we are not building pianos here!!!

Another way to preheat your splits.... At times I will add splits that are longer than the bed of coals I have. Just lay that long split on the fire and once it has burned down, you can slide the unburnt preheat part onto the fire.


It's been about an hour and 45 mins since I started and the temp now is at 322. ITS NO BIG DEAL, again we ain't building a piano. Just sit back, enjoy a few beverages of your choice.


I know, I know it's not really beer, but hey I've lost 11lbs in two weeks going low carb!!

RapidCityBBQ said:

Great post. I see these kinds of smokers all the time in yard sales and auctions, and they generally sell cheap. That's especially true at auctions, where they rarely sell for more that $15 or $20.

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They actually make good smokers with a few mods!! I turned mine into a reverse flow and it now has temp range of about 10 degrees from left to right. I only use it when I get the time to sit by myself with no kids and no wife around so I can burn sticks in it. Kind of peaceful and relaxing. More like stress relief for me!!

It's been exactly 2hrs since I put on the ribs. Wanted to take a peak and ended placing them in the hot spot that I know I have just speed things up. I'm getting hungry.

I'm thinking from the way they bent when I moved them, it should be about another hour till they done to my liking.

Bludawg said:

Nice work Garret!! Hey Mods pull out all the misc commentary and make this a sticky.

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I knew you'd be proud!!

Just shy of 2.5 hrs. These ribs has got a great color now, I'm not wrapping or spritzing. Almost done!!


I would like to add that all my pics are done from an IPhone 4s. Not that I'm bragging, cause I'm in no way shape or form a photographer.

2.5 hrs later the ribs are done and passing the bend test!

They are now resting under a foil tent while I have another beverage or two and reflect on my day and cook and just purely enjoy the moment.

Be back in a few with the final shots!!

Ok, the results are in. Let's see if perfectly cooked ribs can cooked on a COS using it as a stick burner.


I think so!! Atleast to my liking anyway. I really hope that someone can take this thread and learn from it. Don't be afraid to use these as what they are and that's stick burners.
There's nothing wrong with folks using charcoal baskets if that's what how they are able to use them. I just want to show that these things can be ran on sticks as they were designed to do. Thanks for letting me share my experiance with the brethren and thanks for watching along.

lowbass said:

Thanks for the info. I have a Char-griller with the off set smoke box and I am itching to do a "wood only" smoke in it.

I purchased a bundle of "Fire wood" from HD that has splits of Hickory, Oak, and Pecan about the same(maybe a little thicker) size as the OP used.

I'll probably purchase another bundle since the bundles seem to only have about 7-8 splits in them. I think I would need to get at least 8hrs worth of cooking time out of my wood.

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I had a Chargriller that was modified into a reverse flow, but recently sold it to a friend. I used it the same exact way!! I encourage you to try an all wood cook atleast one time.