Now that I have a very good supply of wood, I have thought about getting an off-set. But they are expensive. It's much more labor intensive to smoke something on the off-set (I have a temp control device on my akorn kamado).

Does anyone do both?

I see that a decent beginner off-set is going to set me back at least $500 (Old Country, Academy).

I see that many people here are abandoning off-sets in favor of pellet-smokers for ease.

The only reason I could think of is if you cook for more people than will fit on your Kamado.

Am I getting a more creosote result with the Kamado? In other words, is the product inferior on the Kamado?

shiftyandquick said:

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Am I getting a more creosote result with the Kamado? In other words, is the product inferior on the Kamado?

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That was my reasoning for switching to an offset.

Depends on how much you like to bbq/how frequently you will be bbqing. I see it like a shotgun and a deer rifle, both are firearms, but serve pretty different needs. I have a stick burner, BGE, and a propane grill all for different cooks.

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Am I getting a more creosote result with the Kamado? In other words, is the product inferior on the Kamado?

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To start with: no you are not getting more creosote with a ceramic, even though the combustion/actual fire is pretty small inside the cooker, you are still getting a complete burn and can make plenty good bbq. You wont get as much of a smoke taste on it, but what you do get wont be bitter because of too much creosote. Now compared to a stick burner..... it is my opinion that an offset will get you better smoke flavor and a better product, but I'm sure you can find someone that will argue against that.

I use my stick burner when I want the best possible product I can make and if I'm doing a bigger cook such as 2 or 3 briskets, multiple racks of ribs, etc. I like the BGE if I'm busy for the day and dont have as much time to babysit the cook and if it will be a smaller volume of meat cooked. It's also nice to do stuff like pizzas on the egg.

If you have the time and money for it, I say go for it, but would steer away from the lower end offset pits. Thinner metal that wont last as long and you wont have near as good of temperature control and consistency.

shiftyandquick said:

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Am I getting a more creosote result with the Kamado? In other words, is the product inferior on the Kamado?

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No. I've had both. The only difference (in my experience) is an offset will use a ton more fuel but you can cook for an army. I had my offset before they made fans and controllers so there was a LOT more fiddling and it took a ton more skill to keep a constant temperature. Im sure fans and controllers have solved this problem on offsets.

Sorry to piggyback, but what about going the opposite way - is it worth me getting a ceramic if I already have a Klose 48" offset, a 36" Lyfetyme grill, and a 36" Blackstone? The main draw is the rotisserie feature and the ability to do pizzas. I could also use it for simple grilling and for smaller smokes. Are ceramics really *that* versatile, or is more of a Swiss Army knife that does a little bit of everything okay, but nothing spectacularly?

I think it all depends on how much you enjoy smoking meats.

I bought a Traeger two years ago because my sons are young and I knew an offset wouldn't always be possible. While yes, I didn't enjoy the idea of using a pellet grill at first, it has (and continues) to serve it's purpose. I would assume your Kamado style with the upgrades is similar in ease of use?

That exposure to smoking meat eventually lead me to buying the used version of this offset for $600 off FB marketplace. https://www.texasoriginalpits.com/product/luling-16-offset-smoker/

I spent some time cleaning it up and now I have both options working great. I'll use them interchangeably depending on the cooking situation.

I really enjoy using my ceramic grill. I've done everything from traditional BBQ, grilling to baking (pizzas/fries) etc.

I'd say it's pretty good at almost everything.

They are great at smoking meat as they will hold temp forever. The other thing I like on a Kamado is the ability to reverse sear, as you can get them ripping hot very quickly. They use lump coal and smoking wood very efficiently. It seems like rotisserie is not the best use case but it's possible that I am just missing out.

Really depends on what you like doing and how obsessed with bbq you are. I have a huge offset (by far my favorite) and also a Primo XL, and just bought an EVO Flat Top grill, a power burner and a gas grill for new outdoor kitchen. I cook outside about 5-6 days a week though. Most people would consider that a huge waste of money, but I will use it all very often.

Offsets definitely take more time, especially if you go cheaper. Cheaper models are harder to manage temps due to thinner materials, leaks, and smaller firebox. The primo (and most other kamado's from what I understand) is really freakin' simple. It can maintain the same temp for over 12 hours so if you're busy with kids/work then it's ideal. You can also grill at very high temps on it so you can actually get away with using it as both a smoker and grill.

Last few replies are on the money IMO.

Had a Kamodo for years and enjoyed the flexibility but wanted to see if BBQ could be done "better"

Lucked into an expensive offset on Craigslist and now use both.

Kamodo is basically my grill and poster above mentioning reverse sear is dead on. Wouldn't use it for smoking though. Nice offset is worth it.

I put 6 hours in the offset's smoke and then move the briskets to my BGE set the temp minder computer and go to sleep.

I have a BGE and use it a lot for both grilling and smoking and baking pizzas. I like the versatility. But I'm not cooking for a lot of people usually so I buy smaller pork shoulders, briskets, a couple racks of ribs, etc that will fit on my BGE nicely.

Its done really well and like a couple posters above said, I kind of got hooked on the reverse sear which is pretty easy on the ceramic.

But if I was cooking for a bigger family or friends a lot, I'd invest in an offset to complement the BGE.

I used to use a traditional smoker exclusively and thought it was awesome. When I got my Primo XL that all changed. I can't see any legitimate reason to have an offset if you have a ceramic cooker except for cooking much more food. The product is not better at all in my opinion.

I would get an offset because I want one and I can but I couldn't officially justify it except for the food quantity standpoint and that's about it.

Thanks, all. I love my Klose, but feel like I'm cheating it because I usually only do a brisket and one rack or ribs or a turkey or something small. I did 7 whole chickens on Saturday and barely used half of one rack. I'm the only one in my family who eats brisket and my wife won't eat anything "off the bone," so I'm usually just cooking for myself.

I feel like I could teach my wife to use a kamodo style grill and she's expressed interest in the past. Thanks for whomever said to not go super cheap because there's a difference. I've been researching and wondering what is different because they look similar on paper. Reverse searing would be a plus, too, because my wife is one of those who likes her filet medium well and, by the time I achieve that, my ribeye is cold or there's not enough heat left on the fire for a good crisp rare.

The main reason for a rotisserie would be to make picahna and novelty items (like drunken pineapple). I always like to screw around with new things, so I'm betting I could find some other uses for it, too.

Here are my $.02, I owned an offset, upright smoker for 16 years and I loved it, there was a lot of work to it as it related finding the right balance of maintaining heat, etc. That pit ultimately met its demise and I got the equivalent of a Big Green Egg, and I will never go back to an offset smoker, mainly because I have no issues controlling the temp, once it gets where you want to. As others have said, if you are looking to cook a lot more, that type of pit doesn't work for you.

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Thanks for whomever said to not go super cheap because there's a difference. I've been researching and wondering what is different because they look similar on paper.

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There is a HUGE difference between a $500 offset from Academy and a $3,000 offset made by a real pitbuilder. If you're going to get an offset, then get a good one. Otherwise you're just going to waste wood and "experiment" every time you cook. I bought a Lonestar Grillz 24X60" offset in 2016 (5 minutes after my wife told me she was pregnant with our first kid) and it's held up awesome in the five years I've cooked on it.

agcrock2005 said:

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Thanks for whomever said to not go super cheap because there's a difference. I've been researching and wondering what is different because they look similar on paper.

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There is a HUGE difference between a $500 offset from Academy and a $3,000 offset made by a real pitbuilder. If you're going to get an offset, then get a good one. Otherwise you're just going to waste wood and "experiment" every time you cook. I bought a Lonestar Grillz 24X60" offset in 2016 (5 minutes after my wife told me she was pregnant with our first kid) and it's held up awesome in the five years I've cooked on it.

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This can't be said enough. The heavier gauge metal on good quality offsets really helps. Yesterday in the 95~ deg heat I went through maybe 4 logs in a 6 hour cook. Just keep up with it on the Meater app. and add when needed.

I should say I do a hardwood charcoal base to get to temp and add logs as needed to maintain. It's not that difficult, at least in summer, to maintain a temp.

My BGE has been outstanding for smoking, grilling, baking, pizza, everything. Couldn't be happier. Briskets and ribs turn out tasting just as good as an offset.

IMO, the advantage to an offset smoker is volume. If you are cooking for a lot of people, you'll need the surface area of an offset.

Other than that, I'd stick with a ceramic, personally. The versatility and temperature control can't be beat.

agcrock2005 said:

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Quote:

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Thanks for whomever said to not go super cheap because there's a difference. I've been researching and wondering what is different because they look similar on paper.

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There is a HUGE difference between a $500 offset from Academy and a $3,000 offset made by a real pitbuilder. If you're going to get an offset, then get a good one. Otherwise you're just going to waste wood and "experiment" every time you cook. I bought a Lonestar Grillz 24X60" offset in 2016 (5 minutes after my wife told me she was pregnant with our first kid) and it's held up awesome in the five years I've cooked on it.

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Absolutely. I went from cooking on a home built pit that was made by some prisoners out in Navasota to a custom built Klose that my wife ordered me for a birthday. I can keep the Klose at 250 for hours with little effort.

I was more thinking from a kamodo/ceramic standpoint that ceramic is ceramic in terms of insulation. But the idea that the seals, hinges, etc are of a better quality on $$$ models was something I didn't think about because that's not a consideration on a steel pit.

shiftyandquick said:

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Now that I have a very good supply of wood, I have thought about getting an off-set. But they are expensive. It's much more labor intensive to smoke something on the off-set (I have a temp control device on my akorn kamado).

Does anyone do both?

I see that a decent beginner off-set is going to set me back at least $500 (Old Country, Academy).

I see that many people here are abandoning off-sets in favor of pellet-smokers for ease.

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It's been a number of years since I posted this question.

Last fall I bought a nice offset smoker. 3/8in steel. (nice to me anyway). New.

I've done 3 briskets so far.

#1 was okay, but I used a walmart brisket that I had bought 3 years before. Wasn't great, wasn't terrible.

#2 was awful. I used an onsale Tom Thumb brisket, wouldn't get to temp, I wrapped at 10 hours. Was tough as jerky.

#3 was a costco prime brisket. Wrapped at 6 hours. This was amazing. This was the moment I had been waiting for. Going on a journey from a cheap electric smoker, to a kamado style smoker, and now a nice (IMO) offset. There is no way I could cook a brisket like this on my kamado. You can't get these results with a small smoldering fire vs. a rip-roaring fire for 12 hours with tons of air flow. Maybe I've been brainwashed by the theory that large air flow matters. But everything I cooked on the Kamado was bitter smoke.

I'm definitely team offset smoker.

at my suburban primary residence, I had a BGE and now have a pellet.
at my rural recreational property were I harvest and cure my own oak and pecan wood, I have a traditional offset.

that's the way I would go. for at-home - it's too convenient to just buy a bag of pellets or hickory+oak charcoals and set and forget it. ...but if you have a good supply of your own hard woods to burn, and plenty of time to be around and tend to fire & monitor temp for long low & slow cooks, nothing wrong with the good old traditional offset.