I'd been using an OKJ Highland for 4yrs and wanted to move on to a 1/4 steel offset at a decent price. I do a lot of cooks with the OKJ in the winter using firebrick in the firebox and a welders blanket on the cook chamber. I had pulled the trigger on a new G2 but changed my order after seeing multiple reviews about the lack of smoke flavor with the fully insulated firebox. I quickly switched my order to the Brazos Deluxe and am glad I did! Put a stack extension on it and lined the floor of the firebox with fire brick. It maintains great temps with very mild temperature spikes. I have unlimited access to hickory and oak, (cut and split my own), so i'm free to put all the smoke flavor I want to into my BBQ! That's what its all about for me.
I have the G2 - got it last week and seasoned it and then used it for my first pork shoulder cook today. I'm coming from a Big Joe where I normally don't bother putting wood in [it tends to just be a pain to manage with everything on top] or a pellet smoker where I can adjust the 'smoke level'. Hands down this is night-and-day better than my pellet and does give me, IMHO, an easier way to get a nice smoky flavor. The pulled pork I made today was amazing. I would at some point like to get a much larger offset with a semi-insulated firebox [perhaps even a reverse flow] but this is my first foray into offset smoking and I'm loving it so far. I did find that I was taking all of the advice for offset smokers that applies to non-insulated fireboxes and as a result I was running way too hot with way too big of swings. Once I stopped doing that and started experimenting on what worked - I ended up with the chimney and firebox dampers 50% closed and putting in about as much wood as you stated in the video. Even with the baffles 50% closed I could actively hear the air being pulled into the firebox and I was still moving a good amount of air through the smoker. Sure I would move more with the dampers fully open - but that just doesn't seem to work well on this pit. If I open it up all the way and really let it breathe it will quickly shoot to 300+. Towards the end of my 12 hour cook - I was able to get pretty stable curves where it only went up by ~10 degrees when I added wood and I didn't have to add more for ~45 minutes or so. This is attributed to me learning the smoker and how to manage the fire for it. I also found that with the firebox being insulated as it is - that I built my fire right next to the door and then I placed my splits to be warmed up in the fire box on the far end. This way they would catch immediately when I put them on the coals. I would prefer to do it the other way around but I found the fire works best towards the door and it's really not a big deal at all to drag the split over to the fire with my fire tool. The next time I use the pit I think I am going to build my fire and then place a split just past it close enough to get hot enough to start smoldering but not so close that it burst into flames for some extra heavy smoke right at the beginning. I could just damper down the firebox but I think I'm going to try having an active fire with a smoldering split next to it - this way when the fire does start to burn down I have a hot split ready to go. Overall I'm really happy with this smoker and I'm glad I was able to pick it up. Would I love to have a Smoke North Echo Reverse Flow? Absolutely! But hey - this, IMHO, is a fantastic pit for the beginner and I'm very happy with my decision to snag it.
many thanks, glad it helps. It definitely solves some ease of use issues ... i am wondering about a two piece insert / semi insulated firebox just using an air gap might be the best of both worlds
@@SmokingDadBBQ Is the G2 firebox air insulated or does it have an inslulating medium behind the walls like wool? Also isn't the wall opposit the door not insulated? tif so technically its semi-insualted?
Love Stick Burning!! My WSM that I used for 13+years hasn’t seen a spark since getting my Wrangler 😂. I Love Stick Burning- So Fun & Relaxing and the Q is Amazing with a no brainer smoke ring 😁👍👍
I have an (old) old country Brazos. Just did some ribs this past weekend that took almost 7 hours, even wrapped with butcher paper and lard the last hour. They were damn near perfect except they still lacked that strong smoke flavor I was hoping for. I was thinking it’s either the coke can size pieces of wood I’m using or the smoke going up over the ribs or both. I basically use the same method of fire management you used in this video. I have no damper on my stack as it is a mod extension of stove pipe. Maybe that could be it too. Love your videos and all the data you provide! Thanks!!
Just watched Jeremy’s review on this over on Mad Scientist and he said the exact same thing. An offset tastes the way it does because the airflow moves over the meat. You need a good clean fire pulling in air and good draft. An efficient fire that insulated doesn’t pull in the needed air. It’s the exact reason why I love your double inserect method on the Kamado. I get a cleaner flavor from a hotter fire that our family prefers.
Great point. The main goal to cook on an offset smoker is to get the superior smoke flavor. You were burning the least amount of wood. Seems difficult to run few hours of cold smoke. Even then, it would be too long of cook time.
I'd love to see some of the investment/cost moved from the fully insulated firebox towards a larger cook chamber and potentially make a removable semi insulated firebox accessory as an option vs. not having the choice to get the full offset flavour out of the box. also, personal preference given the paint is flaking off after a few heat cycles would be for a raw finish that could be seasoned with oil vs. the black flaking paint. Its better value than some at this price point, but also not so much less than some premium options that having flaking paint after a few heat cycles feels worthy of the price point
@@SmokingDadBBQ It would be *really* neat if it came with a non-insulated firebox and you could get an accessory that wraps around the fire box to insulate it. I'm not sure how practical that would be though. I ran the G2 as hot as I could when I got it to burn off anything that was on it / in it before I used it / seasoned it and so far I haven't seen any flaking paint [not even in the firebox]. That said I did give everything a liberal coating of avocado oil [atomized via sprayer] once it was hot so that may or may not have helped. So far the paint on this seems to be pretty robust.
Thank you for your video. your content helped me make the decsion to buy the old country brazos dlx version . This is my first real offset with 1/4 inch steel. My plan is to have my buddy make a collector for it. . Im still trying to figure out the fire management on this. I did buy a 24 inch stack extension which helped. But i can get a decent temp range from about half the smoker. Any suggestions how to get more slow cooking space . Thanks again
If it’s your first offset this will be easier to run and get a good result. If I could make some changes to the design it would be to move some budget from the fire box to the cook chamber size and reduce some insulation
I have the same theory about the Akorn being too efficient. I would like to see what would happen if someone removed the insulation from between the layers of one and try it out.
Just built an offset from a 80 gallon compressor tank and a round scotty Kerr furnace fire box. Firebox is not nsulated, and it's still hard to get it below 300. I made the opening to tank smaller but almost gotta make smoke dirty to control it.
On the G2 I had to run the dampers at 50% closed to keep the temps between 225 and 250 but it still burned pretty efficiently. I did have the plate in the bottom of the fire box that gets the burning wood/coals off the bottom and allows more airflow to the bottom. I think I'm going to to try it without that plate next time and see how different is is as far as smoke / airflow / temperature.
Excellent info and review. 👍🏼 I currently having a pellet smoker, and am looking to upgrade to an offset. I’m admittedly a bit puzzled at the reason for the difference in taste James commented on. My questions: Whether the firebox is insulated or not, wouldn’t the cook time, and therefore exposure to smoke be the same? For those with offsets, does the smoke exiting the stack move away from the clean burning “blue smoke” when wood is tossed in the firebox? In other words, when a stick first starts to burn, is that smoke better or worse in terms of flavor? The reason I ask is the theory: More sticks equates to more smoke. Anyones thoughts on this would be appreciated.
a fully insulated firebox burns less wood... on a 500+ offset I would order a fully insulated FB as otherwise you are just throwing money away, especially where I am in a colder northern climate. On small offsets, a fully insulated firebox almost goes into Kamado issues where you either get (1) clean combustion and the temp is way higher than what you want or (2) smoldering smoke which is creosote and not clean burning wood. In this case, I would prefer a little less insulation so that the wood could burn more clean and use a few more sticks overall which increases the flavour .... a brisket with 5 pieces of wood used will not taste the same as one with 30 for example
Hi James. Thanks for the content. I’ve been thinking about your concept of making smokers less efficient to produce a smokier flavor. In the past I used 2-3 ~14 inch splits in my firebox. Recently I’ve taken a miter saw and cut them in half so I can control the fire better using the log cabin method. I knew going into this that it would require more attention on my part, but I haven’t been able to tell a noticeable difference in whether that produces more smoke flavor. In theory I’m torn bc in one sense, it’s more fuel (and fuel is flavor), but in the other, I find that it’s producing much more clean smoke, and I wonder if I need a hint of that dirty smoke more often. What are your thoughts/suggestions? Thanks
I wonder if we will begin to see people mod the G2's firebox by removing the insulation and just having an air gap or making it non insulated. It would be interesting to see.
So I literally just bought the G2 and seasoned it yesterday. it's my first offset and I wanted to jump into something that provided a great way to learn, not be super limited, but also not too complicated. I do want the max smokey flavor though. can you imagine a way to increase the smokiness? maybe leave the door cracked open to lessen the efficiency? smoking some wings on it this weekend. thank you and love the content.
I would add some gasket material around the door to seal it up better so that i could control the airflow better from the damper on the chimney which would make it easier to run a dirtier fire a la Bar-A-BBQ cold smoke before cooking style
@@SmokingDadBBQ you're the man, thanks. i'll take a look for gasket options and play around with leaving the door cracked to increase air flow/and decreae efficiency.
Put the splits on the bottom of the firebox will help reduce efficiency and allow you to run slightly larger splits which means more smoke and more time between adding wood
I just got a Joe Jr the other day and I made some ribs on it they turned out really good and tender tonight I'm going to try some boneless and skinless chicken thighs on there any recommendations
Wow, impressive. I have a Joe Jr and ... I don't know how I'd fit ribs on it! I mostly use it for searing stuff after sous-vide, cooking burgers and dogs, and tailgating [since it's small enough and light enough to pick up and move].
Interesting how this cook turned out. I guess the bottom line is the more wood you burn, the more smoke you get. This was proven with your double indirect cooking method that I used over the weekend to do 3 racks of ribs.
Fuel is flavour. The most extreme example of this I’ve experienced is my new Santa Maria which is very flavourful…. And very expensive to run. So there is pros and cons. If I could modify this smoker I would push some of the budget from the firebox towards the cook chamber and make the firebox a semi insulated option with perhaps inserts
Please make a video or something to show how to get more smoke flavor. Because i chose this smoker as my first offset after my pellet, now im starting to have buyers regret. Maybe i should have gotten a Oklahoma joes longhorn and added mods 😅
I saw Jeremy Y. do a review of this and made a similar comment. Disclosure: I've an OKJ Highland that I modded. From a price standpoint, I was able to get my OKJ for $300 out of the box and put $150 in mods (stack extension in and out, gaskets, and firebrick in the firebox and cook chambers). I still find the OKJ to be the best overall value for backyard smokers and it's a great learning smoker since it forces you to learn a lot about fire mgt, with the mods improving efficiency w/o sacrificing smoke flavor.
This is probably going to be my upgrade from the Oklahoma Joe. The price is tolerable and i can get it locally without paying ridiculous shipping prices. RE: smoke flavor, you do have some options to help increase that. Obviously lower temps and longer exposure, avoiding kiln dried wood, burning a slightly dirtier fire would help. I also noticed that you didnt use baffle. That may also improve the smoke flavor depending upon temps. Either way, i think this is smoker for me. It will have good resale value as well when i decide to finally get a 1975.
its a great pit, if i could suggest something to them it would be to move some of the budget from the firebox to a larger cook chamber and maybe make the insulation a semi insulated FB that can be removed to give you the choice of the efficiency or not
I’ve seen this same comment in many vids and I’ve always see another pitmaster say the same thing, you can use the dirty smoke to impart more flavor but then the insulation is hands down better to make it more efficient and not have you be a damn slave to the world engine (I mean fire 😂)
You definitely can't run this pit using the general/generic advice for offsets unless you like cooking at 350F. The fire box is big enough that you can put an extra split in there to warm up that's close enough to the fire to smolder but not so close that it bursts into flames. On my next cook I'm going to try cooking without the plate that comes in the fire box. My understanding is that it'll be a little less efficient due to not getting as much airflow to the bottom of the fire.
I didn't trim my pork shoulder at all today - didn't even score it - and it rendered completely for me. I know it's not a brisket - but I was surprised at how well it did render for me. I was expecting to have to remove some of it while pulling the meat - but nope. I suspect the experience would be similar with a brisket.
Okay, everyone will understand you will never get radiant heat on an offset as the food sits offset of the fire. But what happens if you add firebrick to both the top and bottom of an offset, would that solve the lack of conductive heat issue? Should you want that when it comes to smoke flavour?
I didn't find a lack of conductive heat - actually the opposite in that I had more trouble keeping it from getting too hot. I think fire bricks would add some stability and possibly lessen swings. That said over my first 12 hour cook today I was able to eventually figure out how to get pretty steady heat. I started out with swings of ~75 degrees and I got that down to ~20 degrees by the end just by figuring out how to run the pit.
@@MikeDQB great. My comment was actually based on James's chart on offset vs kamado. That an offset has a lot of airflow, but doesn't give of much radiant and conductive heat compared to a kamado. That's why I wondered if firebrick could solve the conductive heat issue. I'm sure it can be delt with if your fire managment is up top but that still means an offset is naturaly bad in conductive heat compared to ceramics.
How so? There is actual data behind evaporative cooling, efficiency tests and several cooks. I also have purchased 4 offsets and have done comparisons between them… but you’d actually have to have watched the video to know any of that
@@SmokingDadBBQI can't believe there's people out here like this. I love everything you do. I hate the haters. Cheers 🥂. You know where I'm from. BRANTFORD ONTARIO. Just down the road
@@SmokingDadBBQ I mean they didn't even take the time to set up a real username. What is "user-nf8gs3or9q" - probably a bot or troll. Don't lose any sleep. Your content is fantastic.
I'd been using an OKJ Highland for 4yrs and wanted to move on to a 1/4 steel offset at a decent price. I do a lot of cooks with the OKJ in the winter using firebrick in the firebox and a welders blanket on the cook chamber. I had pulled the trigger on a new G2 but changed my order after seeing multiple reviews about the lack of smoke flavor with the fully insulated firebox. I quickly switched my order to the Brazos Deluxe and am glad I did! Put a stack extension on it and lined the floor of the firebox with fire brick. It maintains great temps with very mild temperature spikes. I have unlimited access to hickory and oak, (cut and split my own), so i'm free to put all the smoke flavor I want to into my BBQ! That's what its all about for me.
I have the G2 - got it last week and seasoned it and then used it for my first pork shoulder cook today.
I'm coming from a Big Joe where I normally don't bother putting wood in [it tends to just be a pain to manage with everything on top] or a pellet smoker where I can adjust the 'smoke level'.
Hands down this is night-and-day better than my pellet and does give me, IMHO, an easier way to get a nice smoky flavor. The pulled pork I made today was amazing.
I would at some point like to get a much larger offset with a semi-insulated firebox [perhaps even a reverse flow] but this is my first foray into offset smoking and I'm loving it so far.
I did find that I was taking all of the advice for offset smokers that applies to non-insulated fireboxes and as a result I was running way too hot with way too big of swings. Once I stopped doing that and started experimenting on what worked - I ended up with the chimney and firebox dampers 50% closed and putting in about as much wood as you stated in the video. Even with the baffles 50% closed I could actively hear the air being pulled into the firebox and I was still moving a good amount of air through the smoker. Sure I would move more with the dampers fully open - but that just doesn't seem to work well on this pit.
If I open it up all the way and really let it breathe it will quickly shoot to 300+. Towards the end of my 12 hour cook - I was able to get pretty stable curves where it only went up by ~10 degrees when I added wood and I didn't have to add more for ~45 minutes or so. This is attributed to me learning the smoker and how to manage the fire for it.
I also found that with the firebox being insulated as it is - that I built my fire right next to the door and then I placed my splits to be warmed up in the fire box on the far end. This way they would catch immediately when I put them on the coals. I would prefer to do it the other way around but I found the fire works best towards the door and it's really not a big deal at all to drag the split over to the fire with my fire tool.
The next time I use the pit I think I am going to build my fire and then place a split just past it close enough to get hot enough to start smoldering but not so close that it burst into flames for some extra heavy smoke right at the beginning. I could just damper down the firebox but I think I'm going to try having an active fire with a smoldering split next to it - this way when the fire does start to burn down I have a hot split ready to go.
Overall I'm really happy with this smoker and I'm glad I was able to pick it up. Would I love to have a Smoke North Echo Reverse Flow? Absolutely! But hey - this, IMHO, is a fantastic pit for the beginner and I'm very happy with my decision to snag it.
Well Done!! Enjoy Stick Burning 😊👍👍
Its a fantastic pit, congratulations. If they watch this I hope they consider a few small tweaks that might make it even better
@@SmokingDadBBQ ❤️
I love the conclusion here. Smoke is an important ingredient - and more wood means more smoke means more flavor. Great job James!
Due to its price and ease of use, I think the G2 would be a great first offset. I liked the Mortal Kombat reference. Great review!
many thanks, glad it helps. It definitely solves some ease of use issues ... i am wondering about a two piece insert / semi insulated firebox just using an air gap might be the best of both worlds
@@SmokingDadBBQ Is the G2 firebox air insulated or does it have an inslulating medium behind the walls like wool? Also isn't the wall opposit the door not insulated? tif so technically its semi-insualted?
@@butkusrules08 it’s got insulation between the metal layers
Love Stick Burning!! My WSM that I used for 13+years hasn’t seen a spark since getting my Wrangler 😂. I Love Stick Burning- So Fun & Relaxing and the Q is Amazing with a no brainer smoke ring 😁👍👍
Cheers to that
I have an (old) old country Brazos. Just did some ribs this past weekend that took almost 7 hours, even wrapped with butcher paper and lard the last hour. They were damn near perfect except they still lacked that strong smoke flavor I was hoping for. I was thinking it’s either the coke can size pieces of wood I’m using or the smoke going up over the ribs or both. I basically use the same method of fire management you used in this video. I have no damper on my stack as it is a mod extension of stove pipe. Maybe that could be it too. Love your videos and all the data you provide! Thanks!!
Just watched Jeremy’s review on this over on Mad Scientist and he said the exact same thing. An offset tastes the way it does because the airflow moves over the meat. You need a good clean fire pulling in air and good draft. An efficient fire that insulated doesn’t pull in the needed air. It’s the exact reason why I love your double inserect method on the Kamado. I get a cleaner flavor from a hotter fire that our family prefers.
And of course dorky fad posts the same thing a day later.
Great point. The main goal to cook on an offset smoker is to get the superior smoke flavor. You were burning the least amount of wood. Seems difficult to run few hours of cold smoke. Even then, it would be too long of cook time.
I'd love to see some of the investment/cost moved from the fully insulated firebox towards a larger cook chamber and potentially make a removable semi insulated firebox accessory as an option vs. not having the choice to get the full offset flavour out of the box. also, personal preference given the paint is flaking off after a few heat cycles would be for a raw finish that could be seasoned with oil vs. the black flaking paint.
Its better value than some at this price point, but also not so much less than some premium options that having flaking paint after a few heat cycles feels worthy of the price point
@@SmokingDadBBQ It would be *really* neat if it came with a non-insulated firebox and you could get an accessory that wraps around the fire box to insulate it. I'm not sure how practical that would be though.
I ran the G2 as hot as I could when I got it to burn off anything that was on it / in it before I used it / seasoned it and so far I haven't seen any flaking paint [not even in the firebox]. That said I did give everything a liberal coating of avocado oil [atomized via sprayer] once it was hot so that may or may not have helped.
So far the paint on this seems to be pretty robust.
Thank you for your video. your content helped me make the decsion to buy the old country brazos dlx version . This is my first real offset with 1/4 inch steel. My plan is to have my buddy make a collector for it. . Im still trying to figure out the fire management on this. I did buy a 24 inch stack extension which helped. But i can get a decent temp range from about half the smoker. Any suggestions how to get more slow cooking space . Thanks again
I've been bouncing back and forth between the G2 and Brazos DLX.
If it’s your first offset this will be easier to run and get a good result. If I could make some changes to the design it would be to move some budget from the fire box to the cook chamber size and reduce some insulation
Imo the Brazos is a better buy for under 3000$ category. Found mine in mint condition for 250, added some modes and now it's a smoke house machine.
you can not beat that deal
The title says deleting the insulated fire box , did you do that? If so how did you ?
I have the same theory about the Akorn being too efficient. I would like to see what would happen if someone removed the insulation from between the layers of one and try it out.
Just built an offset from a 80 gallon compressor tank and a round scotty Kerr furnace fire box.
Firebox is not nsulated, and it's still hard to get it below 300.
I made the opening to tank smaller but almost gotta make smoke dirty to control it.
On the G2 I had to run the dampers at 50% closed to keep the temps between 225 and 250 but it still burned pretty efficiently. I did have the plate in the bottom of the fire box that gets the burning wood/coals off the bottom and allows more airflow to the bottom. I think I'm going to to try it without that plate next time and see how different is is as far as smoke / airflow / temperature.
Excellent info and review. 👍🏼
I currently having a pellet smoker, and am looking to upgrade to an offset. I’m admittedly a bit puzzled at the reason for the difference in taste James commented on.
My questions:
Whether the firebox is insulated or not, wouldn’t the cook time, and therefore exposure to smoke be the same?
For those with offsets, does the smoke exiting the stack move away from the clean burning “blue smoke” when wood is tossed in the firebox? In other words, when a stick first starts to burn, is that smoke better or worse in terms of flavor? The reason I ask is the theory: More sticks equates to more smoke.
Anyones thoughts on this would be appreciated.
a fully insulated firebox burns less wood... on a 500+ offset I would order a fully insulated FB as otherwise you are just throwing money away, especially where I am in a colder northern climate.
On small offsets, a fully insulated firebox almost goes into Kamado issues where you either get (1) clean combustion and the temp is way higher than what you want or (2) smoldering smoke which is creosote and not clean burning wood.
In this case, I would prefer a little less insulation so that the wood could burn more clean and use a few more sticks overall which increases the flavour .... a brisket with 5 pieces of wood used will not taste the same as one with 30 for example
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge!
Hi James. Thanks for the content. I’ve been thinking about your concept of making smokers less efficient to produce a smokier flavor. In the past I used 2-3 ~14 inch splits in my firebox. Recently I’ve taken a miter saw and cut them in half so I can control the fire better using the log cabin method. I knew going into this that it would require more attention on my part, but I haven’t been able to tell a noticeable difference in whether that produces more smoke flavor. In theory I’m torn bc in one sense, it’s more fuel (and fuel is flavor), but in the other, I find that it’s producing much more clean smoke, and I wonder if I need a hint of that dirty smoke more often. What are your thoughts/suggestions? Thanks
I wonder if we will begin to see people mod the G2's firebox by removing the insulation and just having an air gap or making it non insulated. It would be interesting to see.
thats an interesting idea
So I literally just bought the G2 and seasoned it yesterday. it's my first offset and I wanted to jump into something that provided a great way to learn, not be super limited, but also not too complicated. I do want the max smokey flavor though. can you imagine a way to increase the smokiness? maybe leave the door cracked open to lessen the efficiency? smoking some wings on it this weekend. thank you and love the content.
or even allowing the wood to be slightly more moist when putting it in the box to allow more smoldering?
I would add some gasket material around the door to seal it up better so that i could control the airflow better from the damper on the chimney which would make it easier to run a dirtier fire a la Bar-A-BBQ cold smoke before cooking style
@@SmokingDadBBQ you're the man, thanks. i'll take a look for gasket options and play around with leaving the door cracked to increase air flow/and decreae efficiency.
Put the splits on the bottom of the firebox will help reduce efficiency and allow you to run slightly larger splits which means more smoke and more time between adding wood
@@2005Pilot in other words, remove that elevated grate? thanks!
I just got a Joe Jr the other day and I made some ribs on it they turned out really good and tender tonight I'm going to try some boneless and skinless chicken thighs on there any recommendations
Wow, impressive. I have a Joe Jr and ... I don't know how I'd fit ribs on it! I mostly use it for searing stuff after sous-vide, cooking burgers and dogs, and tailgating [since it's small enough and light enough to pick up and move].
Interesting how this cook turned out. I guess the bottom line is the more wood you burn, the more smoke you get. This was proven with your double indirect cooking method that I used over the weekend to do 3 racks of ribs.
Fuel is flavour. The most extreme example of this I’ve experienced is my new Santa Maria which is very flavourful…. And very expensive to run. So there is pros and cons. If I could modify this smoker I would push some of the budget from the firebox towards the cook chamber and make the firebox a semi insulated option with perhaps inserts
Please make a video or something to show how to get more smoke flavor. Because i chose this smoker as my first offset after my pellet, now im starting to have buyers regret. Maybe i should have gotten a Oklahoma joes longhorn and added mods 😅
I saw Jeremy Y. do a review of this and made a similar comment. Disclosure: I've an OKJ Highland that I modded. From a price standpoint, I was able to get my OKJ for $300 out of the box and put $150 in mods (stack extension in and out, gaskets, and firebrick in the firebox and cook chambers). I still find the OKJ to be the best overall value for backyard smokers and it's a great learning smoker since it forces you to learn a lot about fire mgt, with the mods improving efficiency w/o sacrificing smoke flavor.
This is probably going to be my upgrade from the Oklahoma Joe. The price is tolerable and i can get it locally without paying ridiculous shipping prices.
RE: smoke flavor, you do have some options to help increase that. Obviously lower temps and longer exposure, avoiding kiln dried wood, burning a slightly dirtier fire would help. I also noticed that you didnt use baffle. That may also improve the smoke flavor depending upon temps. Either way, i think this is smoker for me. It will have good resale value as well when i decide to finally get a 1975.
its a great pit, if i could suggest something to them it would be to move some of the budget from the firebox to a larger cook chamber and maybe make the insulation a semi insulated FB that can be removed to give you the choice of the efficiency or not
Airflow is flavor. More efficient, less flow?
100%. By contrast my open air burn Santa Maria tastes amazing but has next to no efficiency
How would a insulated firebox decrease smoke flavor?? Smoke has to go somewhere.
I’ve seen this same comment in many vids and I’ve always see another pitmaster say the same thing, you can use the dirty smoke to impart more flavor but then the insulation is hands down better to make it more efficient and not have you be a damn slave to the world engine (I mean fire 😂)
You definitely can't run this pit using the general/generic advice for offsets unless you like cooking at 350F.
The fire box is big enough that you can put an extra split in there to warm up that's close enough to the fire to smolder but not so close that it bursts into flames.
On my next cook I'm going to try cooking without the plate that comes in the fire box. My understanding is that it'll be a little less efficient due to not getting as much airflow to the bottom of the fire.
The main thing I want to know is if the G2 renders a brisket fat cap. That would be the main reason I would purchase an offset.
Sure it will. Sounds like you want Cap Up so remove deflector plate unless it pushes heat up. Remove Tuning plate and heat source will be on top
Yes it does. The cook chamber is relatively small so even though it’s not moving much air there isn’t a lot of free space for it to avoid the food
@@SmokingDadBBQ thx!
I didn't trim my pork shoulder at all today - didn't even score it - and it rendered completely for me. I know it's not a brisket - but I was surprised at how well it did render for me. I was expecting to have to remove some of it while pulling the meat - but nope.
I suspect the experience would be similar with a brisket.
@@MikeDQB Thx. Good to know!
Had another "meh" rib cook last night. I'm hopeless at grilling them. ☹
Walk me through your game plan. If I spot anything obvious I’ll chime in
Okay, everyone will understand you will never get radiant heat on an offset as the food sits offset of the fire. But what happens if you add firebrick to both the top and bottom of an offset, would that solve the lack of conductive heat issue? Should you want that when it comes to smoke flavour?
I didn't find a lack of conductive heat - actually the opposite in that I had more trouble keeping it from getting too hot. I think fire bricks would add some stability and possibly lessen swings. That said over my first 12 hour cook today I was able to eventually figure out how to get pretty steady heat. I started out with swings of ~75 degrees and I got that down to ~20 degrees by the end just by figuring out how to run the pit.
@@MikeDQB great. My comment was actually based on James's chart on offset vs kamado. That an offset has a lot of airflow, but doesn't give of much radiant and conductive heat compared to a kamado. That's why I wondered if firebrick could solve the conductive heat issue. I'm sure it can be delt with if your fire managment is up top but that still means an offset is naturaly bad in conductive heat compared to ceramics.
Well just another UA-camr looking for the clicks 😢
How so? There is actual data behind evaporative cooling, efficiency tests and several cooks. I also have purchased 4 offsets and have done comparisons between them… but you’d actually have to have watched the video to know any of that
@@SmokingDadBBQI can't believe there's people out here like this. I love everything you do. I hate the haters. Cheers 🥂. You know where I'm from. BRANTFORD ONTARIO. Just down the road
@@SmokingDadBBQ I mean they didn't even take the time to set up a real username. What is "user-nf8gs3or9q" - probably a bot or troll. Don't lose any sleep. Your content is fantastic.
Aren't all youtubers looking for clicks? What a stupid comment lmao