The Basic Steps to Set Up an Offset Smoker

After a tiring week full of workload and daily chores, here comes the fun weekend. What do you usually do on these days? You will love hosting friends and family at your place for brunch and even better if you can serve some chargrilled steak. Such brunch gatherings are best held in outdoor areas such as your backyard, lawn or garden. Now the problem is the execution of the planned menu. It will be a huge mess if you carry food from the kitchen to the lawn every time.

To solve your problem, what we have here is an offset smoker. This is a classic design of a smoker machine. In these machines, meat or other foodstuff is smoked and cooked in the machine which has a horizontal section. There is another section attached to the machine which is the ‘firebox’. The wood for smoking as well as the charcoal is put in this chamber. The heat generated transfers from this section to the main cooking section. The extra smoke is further released through a smoke pipe just like that of a traditional kitchen chimney.

The main section of the machine has some shelves to cook multiple foodstuffs together. There may be more than one cut of meat or you can put vegetables to get roasted along with the meat. You can, therefore, divide things to be cooked separately and serve them together at the same time.

Steps to Follow to Set up Offset Smoker

The smoker may look complex to you when it is just purchased. However, setting it up properly and cooking in it is not very difficult. The main thing you need to learn is how to regulate the temperature. Just remember that once the food is put in for cooking, you have to keep it smoking in a moderate to low temperature for most of the time. You can also use flavored woods in the firebox. Adding such wood or any kind of moisture such as some sauce will add to the flavor of the food. The following are the steps to set up your offset smoker:

Season the Machine

As soon as you purchase the machine, wipe the entire body of the machine with soapy water. Then wipe the smoker with a dry piece of cloth to wipe away any dust, shavings or grease. After the machine is dry, spray the inside of the cooking section with any cooking oil such as vegetable oil. Open all the vents of the cooking section and light a fire inside. Let it burn for at least half-an-hour while the vents are still open. You can let the fire cool down and keep the smoker as it is for the next time you use it. You can also use it instantly right after you have done the cleaning.

Setting Temperature Probes

Purchase digital air probes to put inside the cooking chambers. To get the best readings you can place one probe each near the food on both sides of the chamber. You can also attach wires to the probes so that you can make them moveable. Also, you can place the probes on top of the grates in the cooking chamber.

When you are expecting the accurate temperature at which your food is cooking, it is best to not rely on the pre-installed thermometer. Even the best offset smoker will only have this thermometer that is on top of the smoker’s lid. These only give out incorrect temperature readings as they can only measure the heat of the lid and not of the food cooking much below.

Open the Vents

The vents, baffles or dampers, whichever term that you may use, you will have to keep adjusting these during any cooking session. The fire inside the fire chamber needs to more oxygen to light well. This is the reason why you have to keep the intake vent opened. This vent is on the side of the firebox. Another vent that is to be opened is that of the chimney otherwise the smoke will not get released.

Lighting briquettes

Take a handful of charcoal briquettes, put it in the fire chimney and burn them to ashes. The whole process till the fire is almost out and you are left with just ashes will take at least 15-20 minutes.

Arrange the coals

Take the ash from the chimney section and put it into the fire chamber. Now, take pieces of wood and fill the fire chamber too. You can also add some flavors to your food if you choose hickory, maple, apple and mesquite wood. Now close the lids of the cooking chamber and firebox. Make sure that you are not lighting the fire with wood only. In that way, it is difficult to control the temperature after a certain time.

Preheating Process

As you light the fire, keep the lid on the cooking chambers closed along with it. This is done to preheat the smoker. A lot of people go for temperature ranging between 107 degrees to 135 degrees before they put in the meat.

Arrange the food

Arrange the meat steaks the way you want to inside the cooking chamber. You can put in the cold meat as well even before the meat comes at room temperature. Cold meat often absorbs more heat and smoke and therefore, the flavor is much better this way. Keep adding briquettes of wood to keep the temperature regulated.

Regulate the Temperature

You must keep assessing the temperature of the meat after you have added the wood briquettes. If the heat is lowering, open the vents on both sides of the firebox to let in some air. This will raise the temperature and if you want it hotter, you can also release the chimney vent. Once, you have reached the desired temperature, it is best to close the vents immediately. If you need to lower the temperature even after the vent are closed, just open the cooking chamber for a minute and the temperature will dropdown.

Putting in more wood

Try to add chunks of wood rather than small pieces that burn away fast. Put the chunks beside the fire and do not throw them right into the flame. Also, keep adding wood at intervals to keep the smoky flavor intact in the food.

Final preparation

When the meat is half done on one side, flip it on the other side to make sure it cooks evenly and does not get burnt. You can put an aluminum pan of water on a metal rack in the firebox. To keep the meat juicier and to add more flavor, keep spraying some kind of moisture on the steaks. It can be saucy water, melted butter or beer.

Follow these easy steps after you have your offset smoker and you are good to go. Now you do not have to worry about hosting any party or gathering at your home with this kind of yummy, smoked food.