Bigpappa1
Knows what a fatty is.
Hello All. I’ve had my heart set on a stick burner purchase for later this year. Some of you have helped me figure out how to come down on that. The wait time has given me an opportunity to evaluate how I really smoke now, interruptions from kids/family, errands, etc. Two things have consistently been noticeable as I have made it a point to pay attention. 1) my kids and wife need more attention from me than I previously thought (or wanted to let myself believe). One is a toddler and one is a baby and we are likely to have another baby on the way soon. That situation isn’t going away any time soon. 2) the concern for a kid getting burned on an offset firebox almost seems like a matter of when not if. My whole point of a new smoker is to get into a different kind of smoking than what I do now, ie going from my WSM to stick burning. If I don’t deal with these obstacles, though, I’ll be hanging myself for it. So here is the question...
I know an insulated firebox would take care of the burning issue, or at least mostly. Does an insulated firebox on an offset allow for reasonably efficient charcoal burning in a basket? If I could use it with charcoal on the days when I may need a more set and forget setup, or after the smoke is done and I go to wrap, that could help. I’ve researched some threads here and heard some guys say that offsets just don’t work well with charcoal, they eat through it like mad. That could make cooking even more expensive than it already is. I looked at insulated vertical cabinets, but the only one I saw that really says they can run wood is $3,600. A bit out of my budget of around $2k. I am really after that full wood smoked flavor, but I have to consider those two issues. Unless a vertical insulated cabinet produces a flavor profile much different than my WSM it doesn’t seem like I’m stepping up or doing anything new at all.
Anyone with an opinion or an insulated firebox care to weigh in?
I know an insulated firebox would take care of the burning issue, or at least mostly. Does an insulated firebox on an offset allow for reasonably efficient charcoal burning in a basket? If I could use it with charcoal on the days when I may need a more set and forget setup, or after the smoke is done and I go to wrap, that could help. I’ve researched some threads here and heard some guys say that offsets just don’t work well with charcoal, they eat through it like mad. That could make cooking even more expensive than it already is. I looked at insulated vertical cabinets, but the only one I saw that really says they can run wood is $3,600. A bit out of my budget of around $2k. I am really after that full wood smoked flavor, but I have to consider those two issues. Unless a vertical insulated cabinet produces a flavor profile much different than my WSM it doesn’t seem like I’m stepping up or doing anything new at all.
Anyone with an opinion or an insulated firebox care to weigh in?
Last edited: