Can we talk about the struggle of keeping a steady temp with a cheap offset smoker

I spent a good 8 hours last Saturday trying to get my $150 offset smoker to hold 225 degrees for a pork shoulder. The temperature would swing 40 degrees every time I added a split, and I kept fighting with the drafts and chimney. Anyone else spend way too long dealing with temperature swings before upgrading to a better rig?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa9761mo ago

8 hours for a pork shoulder?" That's not a cook, that's a hostage situation with your weekend.

black.amy29d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you mean people actually do that on purpose? Eight hours of babysitting a single piece of meat sounds like a punishment, not dinner. My oven timer goes off after 45 minutes and I'm already checking on things like it's a newborn. You'd have to pay me to stand around that long, let alone let it take over a whole Saturday.