re: Does anyone know of a place in south Louisiana that sells heavy duty offset smokers like

Personally, I wouldn't want to have to always draft all the way through the vertical section. You aren't seeing many custom builders who try to stay on the top still pulling from the top like their pits in the background. It's why LSG made a small top flow design that he tried to coin as "crossflow." If you look at my 24x48" pit you will see how it pulls from grate level to make an even draft across the whole pit. Even Shirley is experimenting with a new draw point on their new "prototype" 24x36.

I love smokers and cooking, so I may talk a lot. Sure you are wanting an offset? A lot of people use the insulated vertical cabinets with charcoal and wood chunks. Texas has the best pit builders. I've been all over the south buying pits, the locals like Boathouse are nice but look at small things like hinges, wheels, and you will see the differences.