I excitedly ask my friend Peter, how does an offset smoker work?! As it seemed that my dream was about to come true. I am a computer operator by profession and spend hours on my desk working on my system.
I thought this could help me to enjoy barbecues, pizzas, sausages, etc. without fear of getting more and more fats into my body that can cause me heart disease or other health issues.
An offset smoker allows one to cook food healthily without frying it in oil. This decreases the number of natural fats in food items and top of it and offers you a delicious smoky taste.
Offset smokers typically work using an indirect heating method because the “firebox’ is offset to the smoking chamber.
Table of Contents
How Does an Offset Smoker Work?
As we all know, brain labor is considered harder than physical labor in the health context. As in physical labor, if you are taking a heavy diet, it is consumed because of physical activity, unlike in brain labor, you have to sit for hours while working.
So, if you are a desk worker and a meat lover who always wishes to enjoy barbecues, pizzas, sausages, fried meat items, etc., you have to be conscious about it as this can harm your health.
An offset smoker is quite an expensive thing. How does an offset smoker work? All who plan to buy an offset smoker ask this is a commonly asked question. In this article, you will get your answer with all the necessary details.
How to Use an Offset Smoker?
An offset smoker is available in different sizes and colors in the market. In some models, the offset firebox is on the back of the smoker instead of on the side. It comprises a few parts that may vary from brand to brand.
However, six essential parts play a vital role. These are a cooking chamber, an offset firebox, a smoking belly, a lift door, an adjustable vent, and an exhaust damper.
It would help if you also bought a thermometer to check the temperature(meter probe recommended). Mostly it comes built-in. Let’s describe them all one by one, along with their functions. The given diagram will give you a clearer idea.
Components of An Offset Smoker
To know how does an offset smoker work? You must know that an offset smoker is comprised of six crucial components. One who wants to use an offset smoker properly should know about them and their functions.
1. An Offset Firebox
This part is usually on the side of the smoker, sometimes on the left or sometimes on the right side. The heat is generated by sweltering charcoal or wood. You will find it on the left or right side of the cooking chamber.
2. Cooking Chamber
The cooking chamber is inside the flat long metal box. Most commonly, it comes in this shape. It can easily bear temperatures up to 350 Fahrenheit for the food items to be cooked or smoked accurately.
3. The Smoking Belly
The smoker’s belly is the area where the heat and smoke produced by the firebox go to smoke and cook the food, the food is positioned right above it, and there is no fire in this part of the smoker,
4. A Modifiable Vent
This is an important thing to keep in mind. It is vital for sustaining the airflow between smokers. This airflow affects the fire, and this vent controls the temperature. One has to be vigilant to maintain the heat for the best results.
5. A Lift Door
The door gathers all the smoke and heat from the firebox inside the cooking chamber to attain a high temperature. The user must be careful about how often the door should be opened during cooking. The lift door helps you open the door.
6. An Exhaust Damper
It helps you in getting extra smoke out. It works like a chimney. It prevents making your food taste too Smokey. Therefore, the user should have the idea of letting out the smoke through a fully or partially opened exhaust damper.
How to Cook with An Offset Smoker Step by Step
You now know what an offset smoker is and how it’s structured. Now it’s time to learn how does an offset smoker work. Here are five easy steps for you to follow.
1. Maintaining the Fire in Your Firebox
First, place a layer of the unlit charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal into the firebox. Then light an equal amount using a charcoal chimney starter. You can use newspaper as the starter to get the fire going.
Next, pile the lit coals in the firebox and make sure your charcoal is evenly ignited. Woodchucks are great if you don’t want to keep restocking the wood during a long smoking session. Ensure all is done before going to the next step.
2. Fixing the Temperature
Keeping your desired temperature fixed is essential for getting your desired taste. For this, you have a built-in temperature probe, or you must have a thermometer. You must keep checking the heat in the chamber through your heat gauges.
3. Fire Management with the Vents
Small vents to control airflow are available in the firebox area. Opening and closing these vents appropriately help the fire burn low or high according to the requirement. Moreover, more wood chips, coal, or dry sticks are also required to manage fire.
4. The Smoke Control
Your offset smoker has a chimney to determine the condition of your smoke. If there is white smoke, it means you’ve got incomplete combustion. And if there’s dense black smoke, you might have to check your fuel levels.
A thin blue-grey smoke is ideal because this is a sign of clean smoke. This means you have got the airflow, heat levels, and fuel are all ok. Now, if there’s too much smoke coming out, then it means that the fire’s burning a little too intensely.
5. Meat Rotation
You need to swap it, like frying or grilling, when smoking it too. This is to make sure that the meat is being cooked accurately. All you need to do is open the cooking chamber and rotate the meat accordingly.
How to Use a Grill with An Offset Smoker?
Once you get the idea of using your offset smoker according to the instructions regarding managing temperature, which is the key, and setting up the fire, you are ready to use your smoker as a griller.
It would help if you always used a charcoal fire to grill and direct-grill using an offset smoker. You can place a grill grate in the firebox and grill your food directly over the charcoal. Pay a visit to the article for more clarity on the question can you use an offset smoker as a grill?
However, you can set up an extra grill plate. You can put an extra grill grate in the chamber and keep the chamber in an open position or posture to avoid steam and smoke. This will allow to grill in the chamber.
FAQs: How Does an Offset Smoker Work?
Are Offset Smokers Better Than Vertical?
A vertical smoker has almost half (45%) less space than what you get with an offset smoker. If you want to have a BBQ party with friends or family, offset smokers also give you much more space and grilling options.
Is It Essential It Season an Offset Smoker Before Starting to Use?
Seasoning means once oiling your smoker before use. It is essential to avoid undesirable residue and seal the paint. If you don’t season a brand-new BBQ smoker, you might consume the dust, grease, and other residues with your meal inside your body.
Which Are the Best Quality Offset Smokers One Can Buy?
The best offset smokers you can buy in 2022 are Oklahoma Joe’s Highland, Yoder Wichita Loaded, and Meadow Creek SQ36. You can Google their specifications and prices.
To Conclude
Now you can quickly cook with an offset smoker as you get detailed information about how does an offset smoker work? You have to be vigilant and patient. Firstly, you must have a thermometer, charcoal, wood chips, grate, and two digital air probes that you can insert into the cooking chamber.
Then light up charcoal and let in the required wood chips. Keep vents open to give required oxygen. Check for your desired temperature. Open the chamber, fit in the grate and put your meat on that.
Close it and wait until 1 to 6 hours. Keep checking the firebox to maintain the fire, smoke, and temperature. While cooking, open the chamber and flip the meat pieces to cook equally from and out front and back.