Tried a $20 offset smoker from a garage sale and it changed my mind about cheap gear

Picked up this rusty Oklahoma Joe knockoff for 20 bucks last summer, figured I'd use it once and toss it. After grinding off the surface rust and adding a gasket kit, it holds temp better than my friend's $500 Traeger. Has anyone else had a junkyard find that actually outperformed the expensive stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucast818d ago

Hold on though, a Traeger is a pellet grill so it's going to run different than an offset anyway. Glad the cheap rig worked out for you though!

danielm807d ago

Facts, you nailed it. Cheap offsets force you to learn fire management or you're eating burnt ends for breakfast. Too many people skip that part and just buy a pellet pooper thinking it's a shortcut. But then they don't know why their brisket's dry or their bark's weak. There's no substitute for staring at dampers and adjusting airflow mid-cook. That Traeger is basically an outdoor oven, not a smoker. More power to the janky pit crew, we're the ones actually learning.

emma_baker618d ago

Ha, funny you mention the Traeger difference. But here's the thing nobody's talking about - cheap offsets like that actually teach you how to smoke properly because you HAVE to learn fire management or you're eating charcoal. My buddy dropped a grand on some fancy pellet pooper and still can't tell when his meat is actually done, he just trusts the digital readout. Meanwhile I'm over here with my janky 20 dollar pit, constantly adjusting the dampers and reading the smoke color, and my brisket comes out way better. There's something about being forced to learn the hard way that makes you a better cook in the long run. Plus you don't cry when you inevitably screw up and cremate something.