# OffSet Smoker dumb question



## Kt4dores (May 1, 2018)

when building your coals with wood in an offset smoker can you use regular firewood and then add cherry, apple, hickory etc or should you use the wood you will be smoking with?


----------



## BKING! (May 1, 2018)

Kt4dores said:


> when building your coals with wood in an offset smoker can you use regular firewood and then add cherry, apple, hickory etc or should you use the wood you will be smoking with?



What do you mean by regular firewood? Any hardwood is fine to smoke with and you can smoke with a combination of different types of wood as long as it’s seasoned hardwood. For example some like to use a little cherry for color in combination with other woods.


----------



## JckDanls 07 (May 1, 2018)

when you say "regular firewood" ...  do you mean like pine and such ??  If so..  then a big NOOOOOO


----------



## SonnyE (May 1, 2018)

No softwoods, only use Hardwoods/Fruit Woods.
Charcoal, and flavor woods is good, too.

But like Keith said, no softwoods.


----------



## phathead69 (May 2, 2018)

Like others I build my intial fire with hard wood, mostly oak as that's what I burn in my fire pit. I also use hak berry for coal bed then my smoke wood from there on. If I have any self light charcoal I've been known to throw it in there for those 1 am getting started cooks. After 45 mins to 1 hr I'll add my smoke wood and then shortly get the meat in the smomer.


----------



## Kt4dores (May 2, 2018)

Thanks for the responses. I typically use lump charcoal and fruit woods but was looking for better options to build my base of coal for longer smokes.


----------



## BKING! (May 2, 2018)

Kt4dores said:


> Thanks for the responses. I typically use lump charcoal and fruit woods but was looking for better options to build my base of coal for longer smokes.



I typically use charcoal just to get the wood going and wood only after that. The charcoal is pretty much burned up by the time I’m ready to cook. Hickory and oak tend to create pretty good coal beds once your lump is burned down.


----------



## SmokinAl (May 2, 2018)

As said above I think most of us start with a charcoal coal bed then use whatever wood we are going to smoke with.
I put 2 splits in the smoker & put some charcoal between them, then use a weed burner to get the fire started & add a split on top. Then add a split every 45 minutes or so.
Here is the setup I start with.






















Hope this helps!
Al


----------



## mowin (May 7, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> As said above I think most of us start with a charcoal coal bed then use whatever wood we are going to smoke with.
> I put 2 splits in the smoker & put some charcoal between them, then use a weed burner to get the fire started & add a split on top. Then add a split every 45 minutes or so.
> Here is the setup I start with.
> View attachment 362477
> ...





SmokinAl said:


> As said above I think most of us start with a charcoal coal bed then use whatever wood we are going to smoke with.
> I put 2 splits in the smoker & put some charcoal between them, then use a weed burner to get the fire started & add a split on top. Then add a split every 45 minutes or so.
> Here is the setup I start with.
> View attachment 362477
> ...



Al, your method of starting your fire is what I also do.  I do however, make mine closer to one side of my firebox as it's rather large.  
Seems to work well.


----------



## phatbac (May 8, 2018)

I use a very similar method to Al as well. except i don't have weed burner ( and can't get one) i use 2-3 wax cubes under the charcoal/wood grate and light them and let them get the charcoal/wood going. The charcoal is just to give an initial easy fire to create the coal bed of wood.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)


----------

