The Texas BBQ Forum

I'm ready to buy my first real smoker. I've been looking at some of the Texas builders like Gator, Lang, Lonestar Grillz, Klose, and a couple others.

I'm look for a 24"x 40 offset pipe smoker. Some of the builders offer offset smokers with vertical box smokers on the opposite side of the fire box. I'm trying to decide if I want to add on the vertical smoker. Other than cooking more meat what are the advantages of adding the vertical smoker??

Thanks for the advice!

Keeps food warm on Big cooks on a 40" pit if your cookin for a Bunch of folks it will increase your capacity you can fill it along with the main and as the stuff comes off the main ( it will finish first) you can shift the vertical to the main and the main to the vertical and just leave the damper cracked to keep it warm and serve from the vertical. If you anit got plans to do big cooks pretty regular then it is wasted money.

In my opinion vertical chambers connected to the end of an offset are not warmers, they are vertical cooking chambers. Personally I do not want my already smoked meat reintroduced to more smoke to keep warm. If you over fill the vertical it effects your main chambers cooking ability by slowing the draft. You can expect at least a 40° to 60° difference in the two chambers.
In my opinion if you expect to be cooking for large crowds buy an offset that will cook the meat, do not rely on a vertical chamber to substitute for cooking area.

I wouldn't buy one myself. I would buy either an offset or a vertical, then later on buy the other one. You can never have too many cookers.

I agree with both of the statements above. Pick one and get after it. Youll be fighting temps with the combo if you wanna cook in both. Thats majority anyways, i know some that have gotten the moon and aun to align just right and not have any issues but its rare.

Cold Smoke! If you're not familiar do some research and experience a whole new world of smoking. Much easier done in a vertical box away from your fire.

I met with Lang and looked at a lot of cookers, Opinions are like a-------- and we all have them. No I did not buy lang . Check out the new man on block EL RAY smokers call Robbie 817-991-9183.

Where did you meet Lang at?

You need to check with Paul Shirley at Shirley Fabrication. He builds a heck of a cooker. You can't go wrong there.