This post contains affiliate links. OzBargain might earn commissions when you click through and make purchases. Please see this page for more information.
Part of the 60% off Smokers range at BCF.
Other smokers available
Charmate Tex Offset Smoker $127.99 Click & Collect (Was $319.99) @ BCF
590
Related Stores
closed Comments
same.. and I got excited. That’s how you know you’re becoming an adult :(
Bloody same
Hive heard these cheap smokers are pretty useless - thin, cheap metal that doesn't hold temp at all….
i've heard the same. also, tiny firebox is gonna be annoying for logs.
Tiny firebox. My Ginger wife's nickname back in uni.
Tell her I said Hi!
I think I knew her? We didn't really fit very well together. I'm glad she found someone who was more her size, er, type.
^This
Not good for fuel efficiency or temperature stability. So many people buy units like this and get turned off from the low'n'slow BBQ scene because of the rubbish quality of the meats they cook.
Steel isn't an insulator, so doesn't matter how thin the steel is.Thicker steel isn't going to help you hold a temp better
I'd suggest the well made/sealed is more important than the thickness of steel. But I'm up in QLD so insulation isn't a big thing
Great site btw, has some cracking sauce recipes.
Smokers are jokers
bought one ages ago, food tastes so good
Bought one a long long time ago , food tastes outstanding
I have this exact one. Very thin metal that lets a lot of heat escape, so you'll need lots of charcoal to keep it going. It does give great results though. But I found the temperature control was really hard in this one and it was either too hot or too cold. For the price though, it's a good entry point. But like me, you'll upgrade pretty soon.
what did you upgrade to if you don't mind me asking?
Catering
I don’t mind at all. Matador Radiant Pro. It’s amazing.
Unfortunately, if you want a good offset smoker you need to pony up a lot more money. If you haven't used one before, this is the absolute worst purchase a beginner can make. It will give you nothing but frustration.
Ideally, as others have pointed out, you need a thicker gauge metal and a larger fire box. The firebox also needs to be designed well so that you get enough airflow through to the smoking chamber.
Don't forget buying a case of great northern has a bonus BCF voucher from $10-50
I haven’t personally seen this one. But a lot of reviews say the metal is quite thin which is the anti christ when it comes to smoking. For the same price or less you can get yourself a second hand Weber kettle smoker which I would highly recommend over this. I’ve been smoking meat for years and cheap smokers never do a good job.
Carnts in the US regularly win bbq (smoking) with the Weber bullet smoker. It's probably the best thing to buy because of its versatility.
If you're 100% keen on just smoking on a budget, check out UDS (ugly drum smoker).
Yeah the Smokey mountain is really good. I like the UDS. Even seen them at Costco in Auburn for sale about a year ago. For the average user a good bullet smoker is just fine. Even the pro q bullet are decent enough. I got one and it works quite nice.
This is why I love Ozbargain, its has real life use case reviews.
It's honestly one of the only sites I use for reviews now, since most of the time review sites are full of either bot/ the company themselves; or if they are real people the person has just experienced user error and just gives the product a terrible review.
I want a Kamado.. never on sale though :(
On sale twice a year at bbqg. Kamado Joe Classic is 25% off right now.
The full range was on sale at barbeques galore. The Kamado Joe divide & conquer set is currently on sale
anyone use the junior smoker and can comment on if it's any good?
Yes I have one. It’s hard to get the temperature control right. I bought it to see if smoking was something I could get in to and now I want to upgrade to something more significant.
Invest in a treager pay for quality
Traeger is good but overpriced imo. I'm personally not a fan of pellet grills. That said, there is better value with Louisiana Grills (Costco pellet smoker) or even less expensive would be a pit boss (made by the same company, same same, but different)
Yes I’d go the Costco over 5be Bunnings pit boss I have the Louisiana grill blu egg
I got it new for $450
Imo you're better off with a bullet bbq that can function as regular grill as well as a smoker.
They're bad
For beginners they are not bad. I had an even worse model for 5 years from Anaconda for $60. It Served me well, smoked meats every couple weeks.
If they are $130 imagine how much they are buying them from China for, $15 or less, the metal would be super thin. Would be better off buying a 1980-90s Weber kettle off eBay for $50
As someone who had a similar offset smoker, but worse & If you have never smoked before, it's not a bad start to give it a go.
It doubles as a charcoal griller as well. It will be almost the same results as other smokers but more work.
If you want something better and have the money go a weber kettle or even a Weber smokey mountain. Great units.
how do you find the smokey mountain
Go to BBQs Plus or similar Weber dealer
sorry i meant how do you find it perform?
I thought this said tax offset smoker, so clicked to see how that worked …