Had to pick between a gas offset and a charcoal offset

I built my own offset smoker last year (a cheap one from a kit) and used gas for 6 months. Then I switched to charcoal and wood splits for a brisket cook last Sunday in Austin. The bark was way darker and the smoke ring was deeper with charcoal, even though it took 2 more hours to get the temp stable. Has anyone else found that charcoal gives better flavor on a budget offset?

2 comments

2 Comments

rose_grant7820d ago

Ugh I gotta disagree with you there. I ran gas on my offset for a solid year and honestly the flavor difference is way overblown. Charcoal gives you that dark bark and ring but gas gets you way more consistent temps without fighting the fire every 20 minutes. I’ve done side by side with brisket and my family couldn’t tell the difference blindfolded. Plus gas is just easier to load and forget for long cooks. I think people hype charcoal because it looks cooler in photos. But for a budget setup gas saves you time and headache which is worth a lot.

taylor.paige20d ago

You said people hype charcoal 'because it looks cooler in photos' and I get that but I think you're missing some of the real texture stuff here. I've done blind tests too and my friends could pick the charcoal brisket every time because of how the bark shatters vs gas where it's more of a chewy crust. Gas is definitely easier, I'll give you that, no arguing there. But for me part of barbecue is that dance with the fire you know? The inconsistency is what makes each cook unique and you learn to read your smoker better over time. Gas just feels like cheating the process even if the end result is edible.