Free postage on Australian orders over $70

How to Light An Offset Smoker

If you’re a first-time user of an offset smoker, it can be a bit daunting. There are a few ways to get one firing depending on the size of the firebox, but here’s my method for running most at-home, mid-size offset smokers

The short answer

Start with a lit chimney of lump charcoal to build a coal bed in the firebox, open the vents fully, and add a hardwood split or two to get the fire burning down. Keep the fire towards the back, pre-heat your next split at the front so it catches almost immediately, and feed pre-heated splits as the temperature dips. Aim for thin, blue smoke throughout, and regulate the heat with the firebox vents and chimney damper.

What fuel to use

Use well-seasoned hardwood over a bed of lump charcoal. I like a combination of lump charcoal (we use Heat Beads lump) to form the bed of the fire, plus ironbark splits, a beautiful-burning hardwood native to Australia. Other good woods include red gum, and in the US, post oak. What matters is that the wood has been cut and dried over a long period. Whichever you use, buy from a good wood supplier and avoid the bags of firewood from a service station, as they often aren’t dried enough.

How to light an offset smoker, step by step

  1. Set your coal bed. Start with a lit chimney of lump charcoal and tip it into the firebox to get the fire going, then add some smaller kindling to begin building it up. I typically do this with the firebox door open.
  2. Open the vents and add a split. Set your vents all the way open to start, and add a split or two to begin burning down. Keep the fire towards the back of the firebox so you have space at the front to pre-heat logs. Once it’s going, close the firebox with the vents open.
  3. Pre-heat your next split. Push the fire towards the back and place a split at the front, off the fire. Pre-heating the split means combustion is almost immediate when you add it, which keeps the fire clean and the temperature steady.
  4. Feed the fire through the cook. As the fire begins to dip, add the pre-heated split, then set the next split at the front to pre-heat. This is a cycle you repeat throughout the cook.

 

As a rough target, most low-and-slow offset cooks run around 225-275°F (about 110-135°C); dial yours in with the vents.

Read your smoke

The smoke you want is clean: very thin, almost blue. Thin blue smoke means the fire is getting enough oxygen to burn cleanly. If the smoke is thick, white and dirty, your food won’t taste good, so make sure you’ve got clean blue smoke before you add any food to the smoker.

Regulate with the air vents

Your firebox will typically have two or three vents you use to regulate the heat. Not enough heat, or dirty smoke? Open them up. Too hot? Close them a little. The difference even a half-closed vent makes is immense. Don’t neglect the chimney either: there’s a damper on top to help regulate flow as well.

Even out the heat with baffles

You may find your smoker isn’t consistent in temperature from end to end, going by its temp gauges. To fix this, increase or decrease the width between the baffle plates. This good video from Flaming Coals demonstrates it well. Once your fire’s dialled in and holding a clean, steady temperature, you’re ready to cook: see our guide to which rub suits which cut, or put it to work on smoked beef short ribs. If you cook on a kettle or upright smoker instead, our snake and minion method guide covers those.

FAQs

How do you light an offset smoker?

Start with a lit chimney of lump charcoal tipped into the firebox to form a coal bed, add kindling and a split or two with the vents fully open, and keep the fire towards the back of the firebox. Once it’s burning cleanly, manage it by feeding pre-heated hardwood splits as the temperature dips, aiming for thin blue smoke throughout.

Well-seasoned hardwood that’s been cut and dried over a long period. In Australia, ironbark and red gum are excellent; in the US, post oak is a classic. A bed of lump charcoal helps get and keep the fire going. Buy from a good wood supplier and avoid service-station firewood bags, which often aren’t dried enough.

Clean smoke is very thin and almost blue, which shows the fire is getting enough oxygen to burn cleanly. Thick, white or dirty smoke will make your food taste acrid, so wait until you have thin blue smoke before you add the meat.

Regulate the airflow with the firebox vents and the chimney damper: open them for more heat or cleaner smoke, close them slightly to bring the temperature down. Pre-heating your next split so it catches almost immediately keeps the temperature steady, and adjusting the baffle plates evens out the heat from end to end.

Thick, dirty smoke usually means the fire isn’t getting enough oxygen, or the wood is too wet or unseasoned. Open the vents to give the fire more air, use well-dried splits, and pre-heat the next split before adding it so it combusts quickly rather than smouldering.

Yes. Sitting the next split at the front of the firebox, off the fire, warms it so it catches almost immediately when you add it. That keeps combustion clean and the temperature steady, and it’s a step you repeat throughout the cook.

About the Author

Picture of Ben Shute

Ben Shute

Ben Shute is the founder of Moonshine BBQ, an Australian small-batch brand of hand-blended rubs, brines and sauces. He built the range - starting with its competition-winning Beef Rub - to be everything supermarket rubs aren't: fresh, filler-free, and blended for each cut.