# First time with my offset smoker



## Northern_Cowboy (Mar 21, 2020)

Bought a Char Griller Competition Pro from Menards.  Put it together earlier in the week and had a seasoning burn last night.  

Put on a 10# brisket (flat only ) and two 9.5-10# pork butts.  Outside temps ranged from 32-39°F.  Started at 8:30a and pulled the brisket at 7:30p.  The brisket was at the far end of the cook chamber.  Wrapped it in foil when it hit 165°.  

Had a heckuva time managing the fire box.  How much charcoal and wood should I expect to go through in a 12-hour smoke?


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## sawhorseray (Mar 21, 2020)

A lot! I don't use charcoal, just let the hickory splits burn down to coals. In a 8 hours cook for some pork ribs today I went thru maybe 30-35 pounds of dry hickory splits. You got the right idea doing as much as you can fit on the grill, get some bang for your buck. RAY


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## Northern_Cowboy (Mar 21, 2020)

sawhorseray said:


> A lot! I don't use charcoal, just let the hickory splits burn down to coals. In a 8 hours cook for some pork ribs today I went thru maybe 30-35 pounds of dry hickory splits.



I'm going to have to find a good supplier of wood.  lol  In addition to about 25# of charcoal, I also went through most of a 0.75 cuft bag (Oklahoma Joe's; ~20#) of hickory logs.



> You got the right idea doing as much as you can fit on the grill, get some bang for your buck. RAY



Ohio is probably going into lockdown soon, so this is my prepper foods.  lol


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## Fueling Around (Mar 21, 2020)

A lot of fuel with constant monitoring.

Easiest start is to minimize the heat loss from the cook chamber, especially in cooler weather.
I stopped using my POS Brinkmann offset at less than 50° after noticing the fuel consumption.

Bought a pellet pooper this winter.  Pellets more expensive than (mostly free)  stick wood. Hmmm
A (cheap) welder blanket tossed over the cook chamber made a big difference in getting to and keeping temperature.

I'll have to check that unit next time I visit my local Menards.
Might come up with some other suggestions.


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## Northern_Cowboy (Mar 22, 2020)

Fueling Around said:


> A lot of fuel with constant monitoring.
> Easiest start is to minimize the heat loss from the cook chamber, especially in cooler weather.
> I stopped using my POS Brinkmann offset at less than 50° after noticing the fuel consumption.
> Bought a pellet pooper this winter.  Pellets more expensive than (mostly free)  stick wood. Hmmm
> A (cheap) welder blanket tossed over the cook chamber made a big difference in getting to and keeping temperature.



I have an old grill that could be used as charcoal or gas, when it was new.  I only use it for charcoal (direct or indirect) now.  I have a nice gas grill that hasn't been used in almost 2 years.  lol  You just can't beat the taste of smoke on things.  I'm looking forward to learning my offset.  I just wasn't sure if I was going about it the right way.  

I read a lot about minimizing heat loss.  Is it possible to insulate (other than a welder's blanket) an entire smoking rig?  What is used as insulation in the sides/rear of an oven?  I wonder if it could handle a smoking box heat.  

From the responses I've gotten thus far, I'm going to be going through an awful lot of charcoal and wood.  lol


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## sawhorseray (Mar 22, 2020)

Northern_Cowboy said:


> I'm going to have to find a good supplier of wood.  lol  In addition to about 25# of charcoal, I also went through most of a 0.75 cuft bag (Oklahoma Joe's; ~20#) of hickory logs. Ohio is probably going into lockdown soon, so this is my prepper foods.  lol




Cabelas. I get 3-4 bags when they have free shipping on anything over $50. RAY






						Western BBQ Mini-Logs | Cabela's
					

Buy the Western BBQ Mini-Logs and more quality Fishing, Hunting and Outdoor gear at Bass Pro Shops.




					www.cabelas.com


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## Northern_Cowboy (Mar 22, 2020)

sawhorseray said:


> Cabelas. I get 3-4 bags when they have free shipping on anything over $50. RAY
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for the tip!  How many sticks do you get out of a bag?  I do have a wood supplier near me that sells "logs" for $1 each.  I haven't been there yet, but from website pics, it seems like each 'log' will need to be reduced.   I haven't been there yet, but I'll get there eventually.  Will feed my smoker and my firepit.

Lumberjacks


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## sawhorseray (Mar 22, 2020)

These come pretty thick, I split most all of them with a hand ax and a single jack hammer. I've got a guy about 20 minutes away from my house who sells the same thing as the guy by you, $30 for a 50-60 pound bag. I figure if I'm burning up 3-4 gallons of diesel and have to load and unload my truck  it easier for me to have Cabelas land them right on my doorstep. Oh, and I know the wood is dry! RAY


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## SmokinAl (Mar 22, 2020)

Our Walmart has those bags of hickory splits for $16.00. 
And they are heavy. I can only fit 2 bags in the trunk of my Mustang!
Al


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## JWFokker (Mar 22, 2020)

That sounds about right to me. But those bags of hickory are a rip. The kiln dried firewood for $6 a bag is a better deal and it's all hardwood. Oak and maple usually depending on the supplier.


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## Northern_Cowboy (Mar 22, 2020)

JWFokker said:


> That sounds about right to me. But those bags of hickory are a rip. The kiln dried firewood for $6 a bag is a better deal and it's all hardwood. Oak and maple usually depending on the supplier.



Does maple smoke well?  I don't think I've ever heard of anyone smoking with maple before.


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## Fueling Around (Mar 22, 2020)

I used a lot of maple, oak , and ash in my off set.  It is all free wood from trimming my trees.
Maple adds a nice mild flavor.  Oak adds a distinct flavor.  Ash adds no flavor I can detect.

I dumped the gas grills (I had 3)  many years ago.


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## Northern_Cowboy (Mar 22, 2020)

Fueling Around said:


> I used a lot of maple, oak , and ash in my off set.  It is all free wood from trimming my trees.
> Maple adds a nice mild flavor.  Oak adds a distinct flavor.  Ash adds no flavor I can detect.
> 
> I dumped the gas grills (I had 3)  many years ago.



I know oak is traditional in Texas, but I'd never heard of people using ash or maple.   I do plan on taking down an old and dying apple tree, so I'll have to save and season the wood.


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## Fueling Around (Mar 22, 2020)

Yes, apple is a superb smoking wood.  
Forgot to post I used apple , too.


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## JWFokker (Mar 25, 2020)

Northern_Cowboy said:


> Does maple smoke well?  I don't think I've ever heard of anyone smoking with maple before.



I like maple, but it's pretty mild like apple and cherry. Good on fish, poultry and pork but it wouldn't do much for beef. Oak, pecan and hickory are good for beef.


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