Spent $200 on a custom offset smoker and it cured my thermometer obsession

I used to chase perfect temp gauges and bought a cheap offset for $150 that lied to me every cook. Got a used custom one for $200 from a guy in Alabama and now I just feel the metal and watch the smoke instead. Anyone else ditch fancy gear after trying a simple setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant56922h agoMost Upvoted

That part about feeling the metal instead of watching a gauge really hit home for me. I did the same thing a few years back with an old New Braunfels offset. Once you learn the touch test for the metal near the firebox and pay attention to the smoke color, those thermometers just become a distraction. You start cooking by feel and smell, not numbers, and it's a whole different experience. My advice is to keep a log of what the metal feels like when the temp is right, so you have a reference if you ever second guess yourself.

finley_walker5720h ago

@grant569 that metal touch test saved my cooks, I just tap the firebox side every 15 minutes.