Serious Grills and Texas Style Smokers – Best Barrel Smoker BBQ Pits
The best smoker for smoking meat with a guaranteed result while easy to control and use has to be the offset smoker. The traditional Texas style smoker is already popular for large scale smoking.While not all of us need a 36-inch commercial class smoker such as the Grizzly Smokers shown below, we could all use a great backyard offset smoker that is both cost efficient and effective.
To those new to offset smokers, the firebox is separate from the cooking chamber allowing you to top up and control the fire without exposing the disturbing the food in the cooking chamber and vise versa.
As hot air rises, the smoke is channeled from the firebox to the main cooking chamber and circulate around the food to cook it until it finds the outflow vent stack at the opposite end of the cooking chamber.
You control the amount of heat by opening or closing the flue to restrict the flow of air. Closing the flue keeps the temperature low or opening it increases the temperature.
Similarly, you can control the inflow vent on the firebox, more air for bigger fire and less air for smaller fire. Some model lets you control the opening between the firebox and the main cooking chamber.
You ability to control and maintain the temperature comes with experience, patience and skills. The more you use the smoker, the better you get. But having the right smoker makes it easier.
Master the fire, learn the way your smoker behaves, understand the type of cut you are cooking and how to smoke it and you are on your way to becoming a master smoker.
Texas style barrel smoker is the only type of smoker that offers indirect cooking. Other smokers such as the upright smoker, cabinet smoker, kettle grill, and fire box grill be it gas, electric or charcoal have the fire source in the same chamber, or is a makeshift smoker such as kettle BBQs.
A good smoker has a strong and sturdy firebox to withstand the heat and a well insulated cooking chamber to keep in heat in. As pointed out earlier, an even better smoker has a vent controlled opening between the firebox and cooking chamber allow for precise control of the heat that passes making it easier to hit the desired temperature.
Top 5 Best Offset Smokers for Authentic Texas Style Smoke and Grill BBQ
- Royal Gourmet Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker
- Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker
- Char-Broil American Gourmet Standard Charcoal Offset Smoker
- Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Pro Charcoal Grill with Side Fire Box
- Broil King 958050 Offset Smoker
BONUS: Smoke Hollow Barrel Grill with Offset Firebox
RoyalGourmet Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker
- Total 782 sq inches cooking surface, 440 sq inches of main chamber, 1/4″ diameter porcelain steel cooking grates; 180 sq inches for chrome warming rack; offset smoker provides extra 182 sq inches cooking area with porcelain steel cooking grates.
- Combination offset smoker, good for smoker and heating, side door for easy adding charcoal, air vent grants better air flow.
- Heavy duty lid, with professional thermometer, big stack and cool-touch spring handle. Adjustable damper for better air flowing.
- Big capacity charcoal pan, contains 5 lbs charcoal at once.
- Steel mesh front table and bottom shelf, provide plenty of working and storage space, very easy to clean up.
Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker
- Charcoal horizontal smoker and grill with cool-touch door handles and side smoker box
- 879-sq in of total cooking area
- Porcelain-coated steel cooking grates are easy to clean
- 15.51-in W x 16.8-in D firebox
ALSO: Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Offset Smoker
Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker Standard
- Combination Offset Smoker, BBQ & Charcoal Grill
- 290 square inch cooking surface in main chamber
- 140 square inch cooking surface in firebox chamber
- Adjustable height steel fire grate
- Clean-out door for easy ash removal with adjustable built-in damper
Also: Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker, Deluxe
Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Pro Charcoal Grill with Side Fire Box
- Traditional charcoal grill with side firebox for Texas style barbecue with 830 square inch cooking area
- Grill barrel and side firebox provide heavy-gauge powder-coated steel construction; nonstick cast-iron cooking grates resist warping
- Removable charcoal drawers allow users to add charcoal and dump ashes easily; double bottom for long-term durability
- Additional features include temperature gauge, storage rack and 2 wheels for easy transport
- Grill measures 62″ X 29″ X 50″, weight: 146 lbs.
Broil King Offset Smoker
- Constructed from 2mm steel with 625 sq. in. primary cooking surface
- Heavy duty cast iron cooking grids
- Air vent system includes a chimney style stack with Roto-Draft damper technology
- Dual-purpose smoke diffusing charcoal trays and removable ash tray in both cooking chambers
BONUS: Smoke Hollow Barrel Grill with Offset Firebox
- 750 Sq. In. Cooking Area
- Porcelain Coated Steel Wire Cooking Grids
- Heavy Gauge (2.5mm) Steel Construction
- Mesh Wire Front Table And Lower Shelf For Storage And Convenience
- Offset Fire Box For Smoking And Indirect Cooking
Cooking Area Compared
RoyalGourmet Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker: 782 Sq. In.
Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker: 879 Sq. In. – BIGGEST
Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker Standard: 430 Sq. In.
Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Pro Charcoal Grill with Side Fire Box: 830 Sq. In.
Broil King Offset Smoker: 625 Sq. In.
Smoke Hollow Barrel Grill with Offset Firebox: 750 Sq. In.
May 5, 2019 @ 7:50 pm
Every one of these I’ve checked has a fatal flaw. The vent for the fire box allows burning coals to fall out onto your deck! Very dangerous since Texas smoking is low and slow. You aren’t always looking! I have see one on Amazon that has an internal basket that you put coals in so they won’t fall out the vent but even this seems dangerous. Someone needs to design one where the vents to not allow this, perhaps a pocket welded on the the fire box to catch errant burning coals. This has marred 2 deck for me and could have led to nasty fires!!!