Chris Grove - The Offset Smoker Cookbook: Pitmaster Techniques and Mouthwatering Recipes for Authentic, Low-and-Slow BBQ

The

OFFSET

Smoker Cookbook

The

OFFSET

Smoker Cookbook

Pitmaster Techniques and Mouthwatering Recipes for Authentic, Low-and-Slow BBQ

Chris Grove

Text copyright 2019 Chris Grove. Artwork copyright 2019 Chris Grove except as noted below. Design and concept copyright 2019 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published by:

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-907-5

Library of Congress Catalog Number 2018967981

Printed in the United States by Versa Press

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Project editor: Claire Sielaff

Editor: Lauren Harrison

Proofreader: Jessica Benner

Indexer: Sayre Van Young

Interior layout and design: what!design @ whatweb.com

Photographs: Chris Grove

Food stylist: Alexis Grove

Interior artwork:

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands of the kamado grill or other trademarked brands or products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book. Take special note of the important safety warnings throughout this book, and always use customary precautions for safe food preparation, handling, and storage.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

SO, YOU BOUGHT AN OFFSET SMOKER; WHATS NEXT?

The first smoker that I ever had was a cheap offset smoker. It was a Fathers Day present and I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning about firing up the pit. I couldnt wait to make some incredible smoky, delicious barbecue.

After assembling my new smoker, I loaded the firebox with a mountain of briquettes and dumped a glowing chimney full of live briquettes on top. The temperatures shot up quickly, I slammed the vents almost closed, and it went downhill from there. I was chasing temps and battling thick, white clouds of smoke. The afternoon ended in utter disappointment.

Im writing this book for people in that same predicament. Youve just gotten a backyard-level offset smoker and youre excited to get smoking, but you dont know where to start. Or maybe youve had one for a while but it sits neglected, and you just havent used it much because you dont feel confident with it. I hope this book will give you insight on how to get started with your smoker and a path for exploring all that it can do.

The recipes, techniques, and tips that I share are things that have worked for me. Theres always more than one way to achieve something, and if you have a way that works better for you, then keep at it.

My then-seven-year-old son, Trevor, loading spareribs into the first smoker I ever had a Brinkmann SmokeN Pit Professional offset smoker.

TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS

Here is what you should understand even if you get nothing else from this book. These are the things I would emphasize if you asked for my help, but I had only 10 minutes to give you some pointers. Focusing on these areas should give you the best chance of success.

1. Start with a small fire and grow it gradually to get the heat you need. See .

2. Use a water pan in an offset smoker every time.

3. Use a charcoal basket for maximum airflow.

4. Start off using charcoal as your fuel base and wood splits for smoke flavor. Save the all-wood fires until you feel that you have mastered your smoker.

5. Smoke that makes barbecue taste good is invisible, or thin bluish-white. Heavy white smoke looks cool but tastes terrible.

6. Go by the cooking temperature at the level of your food grates, not the thermometers up on the smoker lid.

7. Use the air intake vent on the firebox to control your airflow and temperatures; leave the smokestack damper open in most cases.

8. Make small adjustments with your vents and controls.

9. Preheat all of the smoke wood and replenishing fuel. The closer they are to their ignition point when they go in the firebox, the better.

10. Practice and pay attention. When it comes to mastering an offset smoker, there is no substitute for experience using that smoker.

ABOUT OFFSET SMOKERS

Legend has it that the offset smoker was born on the oil fields of Texas and Oklahoma. Oil workers with plenty of time and ingenuity began using what they had available to make smokers for themselves, friends, and family. Then, when oil took an economic downturn in the early 1980s, some of the companies working in the oil fields began selling the smokers commercially.

A look at the growth of Oklahoma Joes, a widely available brand of offset smokers, shows how the popularity of these smokers took off. In 1987, Joe Davidson made a dozen of his offset smokers and took them to the Oklahoma State Fair in hopes of selling them. Sell them he did! He sold out and came home with orders for 100 more. It was the start of something big. Just seven years later, the business had gotten so good that Oklahoma Joes had to move into a facility staffed with 150 employees and the capacity to create 100,000 units a year. Things kept growing, and just over 10 years after that fateful state fair, Joe sold the company.

The demand for offset smokers has persisted. They fill backyards across the country and are in use all around the world. Ask someone in the general public what a smoker looks like; chances are theyll describe the black steel, side-mounted firebox, and smokestack of an offset pit.

ANATOMY OF AN OFFSET SMOKER

The above is the general layout of most offset smokers. The firebox can be on either side and can be other shapes. The smokestack can be mounted on the side, top, or back of the smoker. The air intake vent(s) can be a variety of designs.

OFFSET SMOKER CONFIGURATIONS

Horizontal offset smoker.

In a standard or horizontal offset smoker, a fire of wood or charcoal burns in the firebox, which is offset lower to the side. The heat and smoke enter the cylindrical cooking chamber through an opening and circulate around the food. The smoke and heat exit the smoker through a smokestack on the opposite side of the firebox. When this design is used with the smokestack attached high in the smoker, there can be significant temperature differences between the top and bottom, as well as the right and left sides of the cooking chamber. This is because the airflow can rise from the firebox opening, follow along the top of the cooking chamber, and escape out of the smokestack. Ill address this in the Modifications section.