Offset smokers, all pants?

[swebbo]

Are they pants?, is a water smoker the only way to go when you move up from a kettle? Or is it just the cheap ones that are pants and you need to spend a lot to get a good one. I like the look of offset smokers and the size of them looks like it would be a great grill as well.

[Steve]

There certainly are plenty of offsets that are great cookers. I don't claim to be an expert on them, hopefully Joker Smoker will come along and give some detailed advice as he's the most knowledgable guy I know on the subject.

The cheapie ones I've seen have looked pretty crap to me but then you look at units like the Cactus Jacks and they are superb. Cooking on an offset is very different to cooking on a bullet though, they require a lot more attention.

[keith157]

IMHO you get what you pay for, also I suppose it depends on the quantity you want to cook. An upright be it watersmoker or UDS will fit (or hide) in a smaller garden than the equivilent capacity off-set. We have people here who use both so there will be advantages to both. Based on a previous comment of yours, a discrete bullet or upright would be more covert than an offset and less likely to cause problems with the "missus"

[Eddie]

I'm more of a bullet person as my wife keeps telling me still don't know what she means ?

As far as off sets go, like steve this would be the only one that I would purchase.

Eddie

[Eddie]

Sorry this is the link :http://s953.photobucket.com/albums/ae16/essellepics/?action=view&current=photo-37.jpg

Eddie

[swebbo]

Cheers. realistically for me a decent bullet is the thing to aspire to, If it needs less attention whilst cooking and is more inconspicious. I can pretend it is a compost bin
Those offsets do look cool though, a steampunk centre piece for the garden.

[keith157]

Cheers. realistically for me a decent bullet is the thing to aspire to, If it needs less attention whilst cooking and is more inconspicious. I can pretend it is a compost bin
Those offsets do look cool though, a steampunk centre piece for the garden.

"What this old thing I fouind it at the bottom of the garden/back of the shed/garage" you know the kind of place where new dresses and tops hide, but outside

[Toby]

Looking at the teams at the ACM Showdown in Vegas, the offsets are so much sturdier over there, but there were bullets everywhere, one thing that supprised me after all the disscusions about water vs clay is that people over there just use an empty water bowl for hot and fast.