Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset Review
A real offset at an entry price, with the compromises that implies. If you want to cook with wood splits and learn to run a fire, this is where most people start.
- Burns real wood splits
- Large cooking area for the money
- Firebox doubles as a grill
- Well supported by aftermarket mod kits
- Thin steel, significant temperature swings
- Uneven heat without tuning plates
- Needs constant fire tending
- Usually needs a gasket kit to seal properly
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What an offset gives you
A separate firebox means you burn wood splits properly, with clean combustion, and draw that smoke across the food. Done well it is the best smoke flavour available in barbecue, and it is the only style that lets you cook over an actual log fire rather than charcoal with wood chunks on top.
What thin steel costs you
This is not a quarter inch competition pit. The thinner steel means temperature swings with every split you add, the cooking chamber runs considerably hotter at the firebox end, and cold or windy days are a fight. Most owners fit a gasket kit and a baffle or tuning plates, which are cheap and make a large difference. Budget for that and treat it as a project, not an appliance.
Be honest with yourself first
An offset demands attention every thirty to forty five minutes for the whole cook. If that sounds like the point, buy one. If it sounds like a chore, a Weber Smokey Mountain will produce barbecue that is nearly as good while you do something else.