Offset Smoker Tips

You don't put any wood or charcoal in the main chamber, hence the term "offset" smoker.

Wood varies with what you're cooking and what is readily available in your area. I like to use pecan for most.

Charcoal should only be used to set up your fire and provide fuel to start your real burning.

Accessories:

A nice reliable thermometer with multiple probes. Get one that has remote reporting capability so that you don't have to remain in sight of it to monitor temps.

A good pair of welding gloves to work you fire. You will be adjusting wood that is burning.

A good pair of heavy rubber gloves to help when moving and removing meat while cooking and when finished.

A lot of patience because learning your smoker and how to maintain the right heat, etc is a huge learning process.

A good supply of your favorite whiskey to enjoy while your meat gets ready.

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Favorite wood? How much?

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Oak, I usually start my fire with lump charcoal and start throwing logs on. You don't want to put the meat on until you have a good coal bed and thin blue smoke.

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Favorite Charcoal?

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I use lump, brand doesn't really matter because I just use it to build the original coal bed. The key is using well seasoned oak for your fire.

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Do I put charcoal only in the offset part or do I also put it in the main chamber?

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It depends on your smoker, if you have a charcoal grate for proper airflow in the smoke chamber you can use it for direct grilling but you wouldn't put charcoal in the main chamber for smoking.

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Do you mist?

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Depends on what I am smoking.

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Any accessories you swear by?

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If just starting out I would invest in quality thermometers. You will need something that gauges the ambient temp, monitors the internal temp of the meat, and an instant read that allows you to probe different parts of the meat. After you use them for a while you should be able to start learning when to pull based on look/feel, but good thermometer's will help you get to that point a lot quicker. I like ThermoWorks.

I tend to agree that for the budget offsets avoid building fire in the main cooking chamber. It can be done but the reactions from burning and coals will wear the metal out quickly and it'll rust out before you know it. I found that in my early days using good lump charcoal to start helped me control the burn a little better. Be patient as you learn fire control, it's one of the most frustrating but also one of the most satisfying things about using them. I almost never mist, only for items that are considerably less fatty like poultry or lean cuts. I love my amazon special laser thermometer gun thingy to look for hot spots as I'm learning how a particular wood or charcoal will burn.

I enjoy starting the fire with charcoal and then adding a few sticks to get it going. Some woods like Mesquite are awesome when used in smaller amounts with Oak or Pecan but can absolutely overpower if used exclusively on a long smoke.

A harbor freight weed burner to start fires is a huge time saver, just be cautious for hose leaks (ask me how I know)

My favorite wood is pecan.

My favorite lump is Royal Oak.

Boudreaux gave a lot of good tips.

Get a charcoal chimney thing to start your coals and dump them in the box lit. Find the wood combination you like. I use apple with hickory a lot. But also use a lot of pecan. I am not a fan of mesquite and oak can also be overpowering. Country style ribs or a small pork butt are good learning pieces that are fatty enough to be forgiving and can also handle a lot of smoke if you put it on too heavy.

Had to cut my dead lemon tree down. Was a very mild smoke good for mixing with other wood. The wood I use is larger pieces I cut it to chunks about the size of a mini coke can and soak before use. Green wood does not really need to be soaked. I prefer this over chips.

Patience. Set up your outdoor TV and study the thermometer on the pit in relation to the size of the fire and perfect your system over beers.

I never mist or mop.

I mostly use oak these days, but I like cherry for pork and chicken sometimes. I get it when my deck guy takes one down on his land because he won't use cherry in the wood fired furnace. Just make sure it's totally dry/seasoned or you'll have a bad time. I just get a truckload of clean firewood once a year for smoking, and I split half of it more than it comes. Big ugly barky pieces have their place in long smokes though.

I never use charcoal, I use the remnants from the last smoke as charcoal to get a fire going in the chimney.

You'll start to learn how humidity and pressure affect your burn, it varies and there's no standard magic setting for your vents that will work every time.

Try grilling over wood fire too. I ran out of charcoal once a decade ago and I haven't bought it since.

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A lot of patience because learning your smoker and how to maintain the right heat, etc is a huge learning process.

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My vote goes to this statement being the most important bit of advice!

I preferred Pecan wood. Get a good supply of seasoned and small pieces. Also be prepared to constantly adjust it. I gave up my stick smoker due to this for a pellet smoker. Yes, everything tastes better, but my time is worth something.

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nice reliable thermometer with multiple probes. Get one that has remote reporting capability so that you don't have to remain in sight of it to monitor temps.

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I swear by thermopro

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I swear by thermopro

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I will not downvote that.

The problem I had with a cheap one is the firebox has to be hot enough to forge steel to keep the main chamber at bbq temps. I started building a fire in the main chamber and didn't even use the offset part.