That $200 smoker I thought was a steal just made me dump a whole pork shoulder in the trash

Found a used offset smoker on Facebook for $200 back in April. Looked fine in the pictures, thin metal but I figured it would work for a few cooks. First fire I noticed the firebox door didn't seal right, lost heat like crazy. After fighting temperature swings for 8 hours the pork shoulder came out tough as shoe leather. Anyone else get burned on a cheap used pit and regret not just saving up for something better?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sandra8d ago

Felt that one deep in my bones, man. I got a cheap offset last summer and watched my first brisket turn into hockey puck because the firebox wouldn't hold a steady flame for more than fifteen minutes. Those thin metal pits are like cooking on a tin can, they just can't hold any heat no matter how much you feed them. You spend all your time messing with vents and adding wood instead of actually enjoying the cook. Really sorry about that shoulder, that's a rough loss after a full day of babysitting a fire. Hope you can rebuild your smoker budget over time and grab something with thicker walls, it makes a world of difference.

hugo_hayes8d ago

$200 for a thin metal pit is just paying to learn a hard lesson. Thicker steel holds heat way better so you're not fighting the fire all day. Save up for a decent one or you'll just be throwing more meat away.