Bought a $200 offset smoker that leaked like a sieve, wasted half a pork shoulder before I patched it

Picked up one of those cheap Oklahoma Joe's offsets from a guy on Facebook marketplace for $200. Thought I was getting a steal. First smoke I loaded it up with a full pork shoulder and couldn't keep temps above 225 for more than 10 minutes. Smoke was just pouring out the door gaps and the firebox seam. Lost about $30 worth of meat before I gave up and spent another $25 on high temp gasket tape and some latches. Shoulda just saved that money for a used WSM instead. Anyone else get burned by a bargain pit?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sean1mo ago

Buddy of mine bought one of those cheap Char-Griller offsets and tried smoking a brisket in January. First time he went to check on it the whole firebox door fell off, just hinges snapped right off. He ended up finishing it in the oven at 3am with foil wrapped around the door. Tasted fine but he still brings it up every time someone mentions bargain smokers.

skyler_fox721mo ago

Oh man, that Char-Griller story is brutal. I swear those cheap offsets are like a rite of passage for anyone who thinks they're being smart with money. I ended up spending almost as much fixing my leaky pit as I did buying it, and now I joke that my smoker is held together by gasket tape and spite. At least your buddy's brisket turned out okay in the oven, my first attempt just turned into expensive dog food.

leobrown1mo ago

Tbh, did you at least save enough of the shoulder to make tacos? Those cheap pits are basically outdoor science experiments.