Are you looking for the best offset charcoal smokers to get one for you and cook delicious, juicy meat pieces? You’re doing great by looking for an offset smoker, as they are best for cooking a lot of food and getting the smoke flavor.
You can find countless brands and types in the market, and choosing one among dozens is not as easy as it seems.
So does that mean you should forget about getting an offset charcoal smoker? No, because we’ve got you!
Here we’ll spill the beans about choosing an offset smoker for the home and recommend the best-rated offset smokers. So you can decide whether you need it or not.
Best Charcoal Offset Smokers Reviews
Here we begin with the best offset charcoal smokers.
1. Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Charcoal Smoker
The first offset smoker we’ve chosen for you is from the brand Char-Broil and Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Reverse Flow Offset Smoker.
No, it’s not Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Reverse Flow Smoker, but it’s a fantastic offset smoker in which you can cook a lot of food without facing any difficulty. The quality is excellent, and the cooking space is also good. Let’s see the other features.
Build Quality and Design
Let’s talk about build quality first. We checked the steel’s quality, which we expected to be good. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. It’s made of thin gauge steel, while the ideal smokers should be made of ¼ steel, but it has many other features.
In the lid, you will find a built-in lid-mounted temperature gauge to check the smoker’s temperature. Besides, you’ll see another place to add an additional temp gauge. It’s up to you whether you want to use two temp gauges or just want to change the position of the first one.
Yet, we’ll advise you to go for the smoker thermometer. The reason is that the temperature gauge’s performance isn’t good. It usually shows a high temperature, about 30 to 50 degrees hotter than the actual temperature of the cooking surface.
In addition, the internal temperature of the grill isn’t consistent. The side near the firebox would be hotter compared to the other side. So, you’ll have to understand your smoker a lot. You can also use this side to add more color to your food.
The handles are cool-touch and are perfect for having a good grip. You’ll never feel the heat on your hand while touching the handle, which is pretty good.
On the front side, the smoker has a shelf allowing you to place the necessary items near the smoker.
Moving to the firebox, it is 16 inches in length. On the top of the firebox, you’ll find a plate warmer that absorbs the heat of the firebox, and the warm surface keeps the food warm. The firebox is deep inside; you must fill it once, and the charcoal will burn for hours without dumping ashes.
Dimension and Cooking Area
If you have a small backyard, the Char-Broil Oklahoma might not be what you’re looking for. It’s big.
The dimensions are 39 x 20.9 x 23 inches, and it weighs 176 pounds.
Inside the smoker, everything is made of stainless steel except the grates, which are porcelain coated. The cooking area is 619 square inches with three grates on which you can cook enough food for a big family in case of a party.
The best part is the firebox can be used for two purposes. The first is to produce heat, and the second is as a charcoal grill as it comes with two porcelain-coated grates providing us 260 square inches of cooking space. Below the grates, you can burn charcoal and generate heat.
Cooking Performance
The main thing that helps in cooking delicious food is temperature control. If you understand how temperature works and how you can control it, you’re gonna make amazing food out of this bbq machine. Otherwise, you may not get the desired results.
The firebox of this smoker features an air damper. You can use it to regulate the airflow. By opening the damper, you can increase the temperature and decrease it by closing it.
The smoker does a fine job of cooking, you can try the brisket, ribs, chicken, and sausage the result will be good.
However, you might need to use the gasket to seal off the Oklahoma Joe smoker. The reason is that they smoke too much, which often comes out of the cooking chamber; as a result, the food gets low heat.
Mobility
The smoker has two wheels on one side to allow you to lift and move the smoker. Yet, unfortunately, the wheels aren’t sturdy and don’t perform well, which will create issues when you move the smoker.
Ease of Cleaning
In terms of cleaning, the smoker is fantastic. It won’t take much time if you’re not deep cleaning the entire smoker.
Just open the door and take all the ash out; it’s that simple. The grates are porcelain-coated, so they’re also easy to clean, remove them from the smoker and clean them thoroughly.
In short, for the money, you get a good smoker. With all of the features, you’ll get a 2-year limited warranty.
Pros
- Easy to clean.
- Fantastic cooking results.
- Cool-touch handles.
- It’s not difficult to control the temperature.
Cons
- Small cooking space compared to other models.
- You need to use the gasket to seal the smokers.
- The wheels are not good.
2. Dyna-Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D Charcoal Smoker
How about space saving and under-budget offset smokers? Look at the Dyna Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D smoker. It’s big but in a vertical shape, and it’s not that pricey. Now let’s see whether it’s worth it or not.
Build Quality and Design
The smoker is made of heavy gauge steel, the entire body with 1.5mm, and the door of 2.5mm steel. That makes it more sturdy than we thought.
In comparison, the inside of the smoker is built of stainless steel. So if you’re looking for good built quality at an affordable price, this one is perfect.
It’s a vertical offset smoker, but not the entire smoker is in the same shape. The cooking chamber is vertical, and the firebox beside the main chamber is in the same horizontal shape.
It has a big door in the main chamber with a cool-touch handle.
A built-in temp gauge is on the door, which works quite well. It has three zones: smoking, BBQ, and grilling. You’ll see the inside area where you can set up about five cooking grates by opening it.
The dimensions of the firebox are 24.17″ x 18.35″ x 21″. It has two chrome-plated grates making it a perfect place for searing.
A few issues we’ve noticed with the firebox so far is it’s low to the ground level. So you’ve to be on your knees to cook something. You must restock the fuel about two to three times for 8 hours of burn.
Dimensions and Cooking Space
The dimensions of the smoker are 45.5 x 24.9 x 58.8 inches. It comes with five chrome-plated cooking grates, which you can set inside the main chamber; as a result, it provides about 1382 square inches of cooking space.
The cooking space is amazing. At first glance, these grates seem OK. Yet they’re close to each other, and you see less space between the grates.
The good news is, they’re removable. So, you can take out a few grates and make the main chamber spacious.
The grates are chrome-plated, which is known for their lasting durability, but one thing you should be aware of is once you smoke on them, they’ll start to discolor.
Cooking Performance
According to reviews, the cooking performance is amazing no matter what you try. The texture, flavor, moisture, and everything will be up to the mark.
The reason is its controllable temperature. This offset smoker has a damper on the side of the firebox. So, you can open it or close it as per the needs of food easily.
In this way, you can easily control the temperature, but the main issue is it smokes a lot. You have to seal the barrel and smoke bin; otherwise, you can’t maintain the temperature for hours.
To help you cook versatile recipes, this vertical smoker is fantastic. The top of the main chamber has hooks that help us hang sausages.
But again, ensure that you’ve sealed the smoker; otherwise, you won’t get the desired results.
Ease of Cleaning
The cleaning process of the smoker isn’t difficult. You only need to take out the ashtray from the firebox, which is pretty easy, and throw the ashes in the bin; that’s it.
The grates are removable, too, so anyone can easily remove and clean them thoroughly.
Mobility and Warranty
The two wheels are sturdy and made of high-quality steel. Thanks to the wheels, you can now easily move the entire smoker, which is heavy to about 124 pounds, without anyone’s help.
In short, the Dyna Glo offset smoker can be a satisfying purchase. Yet, it has a limited warranty of one year only.
Pros
- The cleaning process is easy.
- Easy to move and space-saving
- Hooks for sausages.
- The cooking performance is good.
- 1382 sq inches cooking surface.
Cons
- Grates are not made of steel.
- It smokes a lot.
3. Royal Gourmet CC1830SC Charcoal Grill Offset Smoker
The next smoker we’ve chosen is Royal Gourmet CC1830SC; it combines the charcoal grill and offset smoker. And surprisingly, despite offering more, it’s inexpensive compared to all options available in the article.
Now the point is we’ve to check whether one should buy it or not? Is it a quality product or not worth the money? You’ll find all the answers below.
Build Quality and Design
The grill’s quality isn’t that great; it’s made of thin metal, which is not sturdy.
The grill lid doesn’t close properly, and according to some customers’ reviews, the grill had dents. In short, in terms of quality, it’s definitely not a good choice.
However, it has some amazing features too.
For instance, on the top of the lid, it has a temp-gauge which works fine and helps in checking whether the temperature matches the requirement. Below the gauge, you’ll see the cool-touch spring handle, saving you from the smoker’s heat.
When opening the lid, you’ll notice the big cooking surface. On the side corner of the cooking grates, it has an adjustable heat handle.
You can set the level of the charcoal pan in two positions. It’ll allow you to control the distance between charcoal and food for better grilling.
The grill comes with two side racks, one is at the front, and the second is on the side. Both will help you prepare side dishes. In addition, if you notice the bottom area, you’ll see a rack that can hold up to 20 lbs; it’s perfect for placing cooking accessories and other items.
Dimensions and Cooking Space
The dimensions are 53.39 x 27.95 x 48.82 inches. The cooking space is, in total, 811 sq inches. It has three racks; the first rack is the main one made of porcelain-enameled steel and is 443 sq inches.
The second one is small, about 184 sq inches. It’s above the main rack. The third rack in the firebox offers 184 sq inches of space. Both the second and third racks are chrome-plated. Thus, the smoker’s capacity is pretty good.
Airflow System
The airflow system is good; like any other smoker, it has air vents and a side access door. You can close the vents when you don’t need a high temperature and open them to increase the heat.
The issue we’ve faced is the door doesn’t close all the way leaving the space open for the air. This situation isn’t good, particularly when you need low smoke, you can tighten the door nuts, but they’ll again lose in about one week.
Cooking Performance
In terms of cooking performance, you’ll find it good. But remember that maintaining the temperature in this grill and smoker combo isn’t easy.
If you’re fine with high smoking, it’s fine because the cooking area isn’t sealed enough; one good breeze will kill your temperature. One more issue is the temperature doesn’t exceed 400 degrees.
Ease of Cleaning
The last part is about cleaning, which is easy with this grill; we’ve not faced any big issues except one. There is no hole or space in the grill to let the water out that we used for cleaning. As a result, you’ve to dry it up by taking the water out manually, which is time-consuming.
Mobility
We don’t know how a company like Royal Gourmet can make this mistake or if they designed the grill like this; it has no handle to lift the grill from one side.
How can we move the grill?
Definitely, it’ll not be easy, even with the two wheels that are on the other side. In addition, these wheels are small and usually come off.
Pros
- Excellent cooking performance.
- Easy to clean smoker.
- Two cooking surfaces and one warming rack.
- Rack to carry accessories.
- Inexpensive smoker.
Cons
- The wheels are not of good quality.
- The firebox door doesn’t close all the way.
- It’s made of thin metal.
4. Dyna-Glo DGO1890BDC-D Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker
If you’re buying cheap things, you’ve to compromise on quality; that’s what people say. Fortunately, this quote doesn’t fit when considering the Dyna-Go DGO1890BDC-D offset charcoal smoker. It’s quite good in terms of quality, and the price is affordable too. Let’s have a look at its other features.
Build Quality and Design
As we mentioned, the quality is impressive compared to the price, which is not even $300. The cook box is 17 gauge 1.4mm thick, and the firebox is 13 gauge 2.4 mm thick; it could be better. However, don’t worry; the steel is sturdy, so you’ll face no issues.
The smoker’s design is slightly different because it’s in a vertical shape. It has two parts. The big one is the main cooking chamber which is 44 inches in height. The dimensions of the firebox are 23″ x 15″.
The main smoke chamber and firebox have well-built doors; the handles are made of steel with heat-dissipating coiled steel covers. You’ll need to wear gloves to protect your hands from the heat.
The cooking chamber is big, but the issue is with the firebox. It’s not big and only burns up the fire for a maximum of three hours. Therefore, you’ve to refill it again within two hours.
Dimensions and Cooking Surface
The size of the main chamber is 21 x 43.3 x 50.2 inches. At the same time, the cooking surface is 1890 sq inches (undoubtedly great). On opening the main door, you can set 6 cooking grates that are height adjustable, so you can place adjust them according to your food.
The top of the cooking chamber is equipped with hooks that are used for cooking sausages. On the downside, the firebox doesn’t have a cooking surface, so you can’t cook on it. But the top part of the firebox can be used as a warm rack to warm food.
Airflow System
Controlling the airflow in the smoker isn’t an issue. You’ll see a damper if you check the outer part (side of the firebox). Just slide it, and It’ll open in seconds; the same process is for closing the vents.
The top of the main chamber has a smokestack like any other smoker. What’s new is that the smokestack comes with a handle (adjustable flute). With this, you can control the temperature.
Cooking Performance
The cooking performance of the smoker is excellent. You can cook different recipes and a lot of food at a time by using all the racks.
The only thing you should be aware of is the integrated temp gauge that’s on the door. It shows a terribly inaccurate temperature of 70+ deg. Our dish would be ruined if we didn’t use a meat thermometer. So, a meat probe thermometer is a must-have.
Ease of Cleaning
The smoker is easy to clean. The grates are made of stainless steel, so cleaning them won’t be an issue.
In addition, you can easily take out all the ashes; you only need to open the firebox. Then remove the ashtray, which is on the bottom, clean everything and again place it in the firebox.
Mobility
One of the biggest drawbacks of the smoker is it doesn’t have wheels. Yes, the weight is 83 pounds. Still, wheels help a lot. Instead of wheels, the smoker comes with two sturdy handles, one is beside the smoke chamber, and the second is on the side of the firebox. In short, you need two people if you want to move the smoker.
In short, by combining a smoker thermometer, and no care for moving it around, you can have it. The warranty is the same 1-year limited as other smokers.
Pros
- Easy to clean.
- Well-built.
- Good cooking performance.
- The airflow system is great.
- It’s affordable.
Cons
- No wheels.
- The temp gauge doesn’t work properly.
What is an Offset Smoker, and How Does it Work? Know First
An offset smoker is a famous type of smoker that usually comes in a big size. It consists of two connected chambers; one is big, and the second is small.
The big chamber is the cooking or smoking chamber, and the small chamber is the firebox. We burn charcoal in the firebox that generates smoke and heat, which goes into the main chamber, cooks food, and then exits from the smokestack. That’s how the mechanism of offset smokers works.
The question that rings the bell is why one needs an offset smoker. Well, no one can give you an exact answer to this question, but we can help you. Below we’ll share the reasons why you should need an offset smoker.
Why should you get an offset smoker?
- You can cook a good amount of food.
- It allows you to add more charcoal without opening the main chamber, as the firebox is separate.
- Offset smokers usually work with charcoal and wood that produce the best smokey flavor.
- Offset smokers look perfect in the big backyard.
Reasons to Avoid Offset Smokers
- They are quite expensive.
- You need to learn a little bit about how it works.
- It heats up slowly, and cooking takes time.
- You need a big space in your home to place the offset smoker.
How Should You Choose a Charcoal-Fueled Best Offset Smoker?
Here are the main factors you should consider while choosing an offset smoker for the home.
Build Quality
The first thing you need to consider is the build quality of the offset smoker. Otherwise, you’ll regret selecting the wrong smoker after some time which no one wants. That’s why always check the material quality.
The best way to understand the build quality is by checking the metal of the offset smoker and its thickness. The metal should be at least ¼ inches thick; if it’s thin, you shouldn’t go with it as it’s considered low-quality metal.
Likewise, heavy metal is important because it’s great for heat retention. But remember that you won’t find this quality at a low price.
In the market, you’ll possibly get a lot of sellers who’ll say that their smoker is cheap and the metal is good. So don’t believe them.
Size and Cooking Space
The next factor is the size and weight of the offset smoker. Though you’ll find a wide range of sizes, most of them come in the category of big smokers. So to choose the best first, you’ve to check how much room you have in the home.
After checking the room you have, find the right offset smoker. Besides, you also have to consider the size of the big chamber or, in other words, the cooking chamber.
Those who want to cook a lot of food need a spacious cooking area with multiple racks and hooks. Otherwise, you can consider a small cooking area too. It depends on your needs.
Temperature Gauge
The right temperature for smokers is important, particularly for those who don’t want to compromise on food quality. You need different temperatures for meat, BBQ, and so on. The question is, how will you be able to know the temperature of the smoker?
Well, a built-in temperature gauge can make your work easy. So make sure to check whether the smoker comes with a temperature gauge. If not, then it’s better to choose another charcoal smoker grill. Otherwise, It’ll be difficult for you to maintain the temperature.
Temperature Control System and Cooking Performance
The airflow system may sound new to you, but it plays an important role in cooking. We need oxygen for the fire; the more oxygen a smoker gets, the more heat it generates.
This is the main reason why you need a good airflow system for smokers. So always choose the smoker that allows you to easily manage the airflow as necessary for cooking.
We don’t think it’s wrong to say that the performance of the smoker is the essential point. We’ve reviewed the cooking performance of each smoker in detail above, so make sure to read everything carefully.
If you want to choose any other smoker, please look at the customer review section before ordering anything.
Mobility
The offset charcoal smokers not only come in big sizes, but their weight is also heavy. You’ll find smokers that are hundreds of pounds in the market. The only thing that can help you in moving the smoker are sturdy wheels. Therefore, look for a smoker with strong wheels.
Warranty
It’s a lifesaver, not only for your products but yours too… don’t forget about considering the product’s warranty. The warranty will help you in case you face issues with the products.
Ease of Cleaning
The next important factor that you should always consider is the ease of cleaning. Since you’re looking for a charcoal offset smoker, then you should be ready to clean the ashes.
To make work easy, smokers come with an ashtray available at the bottom of the firebox. With this tray, you don’t have to clean everything manually; just take out the tray, clean it separately and place it again.
Price
You’ll find two types of offset smokers. Some will be expensive, while some will be cheap. We don’t suggest choosing an expensive one. It’s your decision which offset smoker you want to choose but remember to consider the built quality and performance while choosing a cheaper option.
FAQs about The Best Charcoal Smokers Offset
Can you use charcoal in the offset smoker?
Yes, you can use charcoal in the offset smoker. But make sure that the smoker supports charcoal as fuel. If it’s, then there’s no issue using charcoal in an offset smoker.
Is an offset smoker worth it?
An offset smoker is definitely worth it. The only thing you’ve to do is make sure that you know how it works. After learning the art of cooking on an offset smoker, you can easily cook a lot of food at once and produce the best smoke flavor using charcoal.
Is it difficult to use an offset smoker?
Using an offset smoker is difficult. Usually, all smokers come with a smokestack, a firebox on which you can see vents. By opening the vents and the smokestack, you can control the temperature easily. That’s how you use an offset smoker.
What size offset smoker do I need?
The size of the offset smoker should be according to the size of your backyard. If the backyard is small, then always go with a small size offset smoker or vertical smoker. Otherwise, you choose a big offset smoker.
Can I grill on an offset smoker?
Yes, you can easily grill on an offset smoker. Almost all offset smokers come with a firebox which also features a small cooking surface.
You can grill anything on it directly but ensure to check the food after some time. Since you’re cooking directly above the charcoal, the chances are food will burn if you don’t take care of it properly.
Final Words
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide on the best offset charcoal smoker. We’ve mentioned all the details about the smoker. You can select any smoker among these best-offset charcoal smokers that you think is perfect for your home. According to us, Dynaglo Vertical Charcoal smoker and Oklahoma Joes” Smoker is the best.
However, we suggest you select it carefully after checking the size, cooking surface, material, and everything so you won’t regret the decision afterward.
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