Offset smokers usually have a cylindrical main cooking chamber with a smaller firebox or cylinder attached to one side. A fire is built in the firebox to generate heat and smoke for cooking the meat in the main cooking chamber.

The offset style smoker originated in Texas and Oklahoma where they were built using barrels and oil pipes before the style was adapted for manufacture of specialised BBQ meat smokers..

Offsets are great if you want a larger cooking chamber and have plenty of room in your cooking area. They are the most traditional style smoker and have a bit of a learning curve. They also need some finesse – the fire and temperature control require regular manual adjustment.

Because they are traditional BBQ smokers, offsets offer great flavour and the ability to cook large quantities of food allows you to cater for larger groups.

When shopping for an offset smoker, look for thicker steel on the walls of the smoker – this allows you to control the temperature more effectively for better results. You’ll also use less fuel with a well insulated smoker. Multiple airflow vents are also very useful to allow you fine temperature control. Multiple temperature gauges will allow you to have a clear understanding of the temperatures at different parts of the cooking chamber.