Offset Checkboxes

[OneHump]

Hey everyone. I came up with a list of 'checkboxes' that I used to help pick an offset. This list is for a category of stick-burning offsets priced over $2,500, which narrows the field quite a bit.

This was inspired by comments made by Fsconicsmith in another thread. I thought his comments were well-thought and very useful. I wanted to document them here to help consolidate a lot of the good information found here and elsewhere.

I think it's important to say that, like anything, there is no "best" offset for everyone. What you choose has to meet your own goals and not someone else's. These goals could include budget, appearance, performance, mobility, quality, service, etc, etc, etc.

I'm looking forward to adding to it as you share some of your own items. Here's my list:

Quality - Materials, welds, edges. Pipe? Tanks? (Does it matter)

Cook Chamber Diameter - 24"? 20"? I think more is better in this case.

Cook Chamber Length/Volume - 90 gallon? 120? 500? 1000? Again, more is better IMO.

Firebox size/position - Oversized? 20"? Square? Round? Cowboy grill/Plancha? I'm not a grill/plancha guy. Overlap? Now we're getting technical.

Thickness - Minimum 1/4". 3/8" for colder climates. I'm in AZ. Rather not move around a 900lb cooker for no good reason. Thicker is better on the firebox.

Insulation - Firebox insulation/thickness for colder climates. Cook chamber thickness for colder climates. Again, I'm in AZ, so no issue here. Jirby thinks insulation in the firebox is bad. Unsure why.

Appearance - Paint? Natural? Maintenance? Materials? Are you going to actually maintain a natural finish? Do you care what it looks like? Does your significant other? Any sort of paint, including clear coat, is going to mar and requires touch-up. Can you keep it clean?

Shelving - Expanded metal? Drips. Depth? Cover compatible? Folding?

Stack - Folding? Height? (See airflow) Cover compatible?

Cover - Cost? Compatible with options (Counter weight, stack, shelving, wheels)? Covers aren't cheap. A rusted out smoker isn't either.

Cook Chamber Doors - How many? How heavy? Counter weighted? Leaks? Handle position? Don't burn your wrist reaching over your door for the handle. Don't blow your shoulder on a 3/8" door with no counter weight.

Wheels - Appearance. Utility. I'm a 8" caster guy.

Grease/water drain - Good location? Hook for bucket? Ball valves? Fill inlet (FatStack)?

Pit Cleanup - Access to bottom of cook chamber. Ease of cleaning ash from firebox without allowing hot coals to drop out while cooking.

Airflow - Controversial/debatable. Is a lot of airflow good or bad? FatStack and Workhorse are pumpin'. Reverse flow limited here. Smaller/lower stacks reduce. Then comes the stack damper question...

Dampers/Control - Stack damper? Some leave it open, Jirby uses it to control flow/temp. Can you choke off your fire? Not in a Franklin. Are cook chamber dampers adequate to control flow? Does door stay put if cracked open? Does it latch securely?

Heat distribution - Biscuit test. Almost always hot near firebox. Hotspots aren't terrible if you know where they are. Consistency is important.

Water pan - Do you know why you're adding water? Understand that before worrying about water. If you want it, make sure it's not difficult to add/remove.

Probe Ports - Not my thing. You're tending fire so you might as well check your meat on occasion. The infamous Meater is always an option.

Cook space - Top rack is hot, but adds capacity. Does it slide out? How much is it? Don't put your chicken over your pork.

Shipping/Pickup - $750-$1,500 for 1,000 miles.

Vendors I've considered:

• Workhorse - This was my #1. Lead time killed it. 8 month est.
• FatStack - Very close to Workhorse. Huge lead.
• LoneStarGrillz - Great option.
• Franklin - Everything he does is gold. That door branding thing, chamber size, lead time. Cost.
• Smoke North - Beautiful. Canada. Shipping!
• Harper Pit Works
• Meadow Creek
• Austin Smokeworks
• Mill Scale - $$$$$. Franklin roots.

I first placed an order for a Workhorse 1975, and then got the manufacture date estimate of March, 2023. Couldn't do it. Canceled.

I ended up going with Mill Scale. It's so incredibly expensive that the lead time is just about two months. Shipping alone is $1,500. I paid $750 to ship my Santa Maria the same distance, but without proper crating, and had some damage.

Based on my checkboxes, I did prefer Workhorse. I like the folding stack and the side shelf. I don't care for or want a plancha or cowboy grill. I think it's kind of goofy and has nothing to do with offset smoking. I don't regret going with Mill Scale at all. They've been very, very nice to deal with and, based on everything I've read, I'm probably going to get a work of art. I've seen some issues with smoke leak, but then I'm also seeing that not being an issue with others, such as Meat Church and Jirby. I don't like how the covered unit looks with the stack up, at all. I'm paying a premium and expect a premium product. Ideally, I'd go custom, but would have to wait a very long time for that, and pay a very high price. I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense under 500 gallons.

I'm very curious to learn more about what Shirley is doing. It looks like they have some evolving to do based on what's out there. I have a feeling that they're going to dominate the super premium offset market. I'm not sure I'd wait 3 years though.

Please add your comments and your own checkboxes. We're all here to learn from each other.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

The Millscale is a great unit. I think you'll be happy with it.

 

[Fooball]

Good job of listing things to think about if you're looking to buy a new pit.

You probably helped those who may not know what to look for, and I believe that is what you are trying to do here. Good job.

 

[gtsum]

I have a workhorse 1975 and like it but there are things I’d like to be able to add to it. When I got mine lead time was 3 months…they have exploded in popularity. Any of the big names you have listed seem to work great. For a backyard pit, any of those you listed are great. Although I personally am not keen on the lsg units. Also, oversized fireboxes make things so, so much easier to manage a fire exactly how one wants to. Congrats on the new pit. That short lead time is awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[sandro]

If lead time is the issue, go Millscale. Frankliln's not as good without a damper and a 20" pipe compared to the 94

 

[Connor_Macleod]

Re: wheels, I'm glad I got golf cart wheels with 22-inch tires on my offset. This makes it so much easier to move over rough terrain and in/out of my basement for storage. I didn't understand just how important this would be until I experienced it for myself.

 

[SkaterSmoker]

Re: wheels, I agree with Connor. Those pits are 900 lbs so the wagon wheels are very important, and also makes the pit wider with a more stable base.

Re: the cowboy firebox, I almost didn’t get this on my 1975, but I’m so glad I paid the extra $120 and got it. I use it mostly for to start my fires, fire management, and easy access to clean the firebox. If my coal bed is out of sorts or need to adjust multiple splits, dirty smoke, etc. I’ll open up the cowboy grill in those situations making it easy to make very fast adjustments with that access. The 3/8 steel hold temps so well, that opening the firebox lid doesn’t impact temp for more than a few minutes. Also, the ease to smoke and then reverse sear is a plus. One of my family favorites is reversed seared ribeyes.

 

[OneHump]

Re: wheels, I agree with Connor. Those pits are 900 lbs so the wagon wheels are very important, and also makes the pit wider with a more stable base.

Re: the cowboy firebox, I almost didn’t get this on my 1975, but I’m so glad I paid the extra $120 and got it. I use it mostly for to start my fires, fire management, and easy access to clean the firebox. If my coal bed is out of sorts or need to adjust multiple splits, dirty smoke, etc. I’ll open up the cowboy grill in those situations making it easy to make very fast adjustments with that access. The 3/8 steel hold temps so well, that opening the firebox lid doesn’t impact temp for more than a few minutes. Also, the ease to smoke and then reverse sear is a plus. One of my family favorites is reversed seared ribeyes.

I did order that on the 1975 for that reason, but the upgrade on the Mill Scale is a much different price and I believe the plancha itself covers the firebox. That said, I'm not sure that I'd cook anything on my firebox, but Meat Church does have a recipe for firebox burgers that looks pretty cool.

 

[SkaterSmoker]

I did order that on the 1975 for that reason, but the upgrade on the Mill Scale is a much different price and I believe the plancha itself covers the firebox. That said, I'm not sure that I'd cook anything on my firebox, but Meat Church does have a recipe for firebox burgers that looks pretty cool.

I agree. The access for fire management and cleaning is why I like it and the primary reason I recommend getting if anyone gets a Workhorse. For my cooking style, the flat plancha design with no fb access wouldn’t get much use in my backyard.