Lone Star Grillz Offset Smoker Review

This Lone Star Grillz Offset Smoker With Smoke Collector has been my dream pit for a few years. I’m glad to say it’s already living up to the hype, fast becoming one of the easiest and steadiest live-fire grills I’ve ever run.

I share my favorite features below. But check out the video for step-by-step instructions on seasoning and curing the paint, so this remains a lifetime pit.

Overview of the Lone Star Grillz Offset Smoker

Lone Star Grillz is a family-owned business operating out of Texas. The team’s craftsmen handcraft each smoker.

Their grills are gaining popularity amongst competition pitmasters as they encourage custom modifications. After all, offset smokers are competition grills. Is there anything better than having a truly custom one-off smoker that no one else has?

I also list a range of common add-ons below, which include everything from door counterweights to a fire management basket and a warming oven.

I’ve got my hands on the 24” x 40” Offset Smoker, which refers to the cook chamber dimensions. But several sizes of smoker are available at Lone Star Grillz. They start at 20” x 36” and stretch to a massive 24” x 60”.

There really isn’t anything not to like about this high-quality offset smoker. It has all the bells and whistles, fantastic heat retention, and cooking versatility. Plus, it’s massive, so it’s no problem to feed a crowd regularly.

Lone Star Grillz offset smoker specifications:

Dimensions:	73 x 34 x 63 in
Weight:	900 lbs
Total cooking area:	2066 sq. in.
Meat capacity:	6 briskets 8 spare ribs 12 pork butt 12 whole chicken

What I like:

• Heat retention: I was really impressed with how well the ½-inch external firebox retained heat from the start.
• Cooking versatility: Whether you want to roast, grill, or smoke, you can do it all on this offset smoker.
• Size: The total cooking area is over 2000 square inches. According to Lone Star Grillz, that’s space for 6 briskets!
• Accessories: The list of available accessories is extensive, and you can add custom modifications on top.

What I don’t like:

• It’s not cheap: Yeah, this offset smoker costs a pretty penny (a.k.a. a few thousand). This is why it’s so important to cure the paint properly. If you do, you get a lifetime grill, making the price point less painful.

Setting up the Lone Star Offset Smoker

Before sharing the offset smoker’s best qualities, let me talk you through setup and seasoning.

First, you must know that this Lone Star Grillz Offset Smoker is a beast! I had some help because the crate weighed 1555 lbs. The offset smoker itself weighs 900 lbs.

You’ll need a forklift or a heavy-duty tractor to get this tank inside. Then the fun begins! Grab a Sawzall or a crowbar to unbox it from the crate.

It took about 20 minutes to remove the pit from the crate. To assemble it, you only need a couple of 9/16-inch wrenches to place the handle on the damper. Yep, that’s it! Assembly complete.

Seasoning the grill

First, grab some heavy-duty gloves and cooking spray. Then, spray down every surface in the firebox and cooking chamber.

I leave no surface unoiled and try my damnedest not to get any oil on the pit’s outside. For the lids, I spray a little oil in the center and use a rag to spread it over the entire surface. Once again, you don’t want to use too much as it’ll drip and end up on the outside.

Pro tip: When removing elements like the trays to spray, coat both sides in oil away from the pit. Otherwise, the mist gets in the air and inevitably travels over to stick to the pit’s exterior. 

I’m using half a chimney of charcoal to start the seasoning nice and slow. We don’t want the temperature to exceed 250 degrees.

Curing the paint

Curing the paint is an essential part of seasoning. If you want it to remain a lifetime pit, you want to cure the 3 coats of high-heat paint right.

Once the charcoal is well-lit, throw it right into the fire management basket’s center in the firebox.

I then add two small red oak wood splits on either side of the charcoal to ensure the temperature doesn’t spike. I added some extra splits outside the basket to dry them out.

Keep all the doors open until those splits fully ignite. Then close up shop and set the damper wide open.

After 30 minutes, I’ll add two warmed-up splits to the fire and repeat the process, replacing them with more wood splits to dry out. Once they ignite, close the door again.

I ran it for another 45 minutes, got it to around 180, and then added two more, knocking the coals around a bit.

I kept at it for 5 hours (with a beer in hand), monitoring the temperature and keeping it under 250°F. It held around 200 for a couple of hours before rising to about 240 degrees. The fire was much easier to control, thanks to those smaller wood splits.

For the final hour, I pushed it up to 250°F. Remember, you want to go low and slow and not rush the process. If you do it right, the high-heat paint will last a lifetime.

Pro tip: After curing, I recommend running your next couple of cooks no higher than 250 or 275°F so the paint can continually harden.

Features on the Lone Star Grillz Offset Smoker

Cooking versatility

I did say this offset smoker was a beast, and I meant it. It has a total cooking area of 2066 square inches. 

To put this into perspective, Lone Star Grillz estimates you can fit 6 brisket, 8 spare ribs, 12 pork butts, or 12 whole chickens in all the available cooking space. If you try out these stats, I want an invite!

The 24” x 40” cooking chamber has 2 adjustable sliding/pull-out trays. The firebox has an adjustable food tray (framed with an angle) and a griddle on top. There’s an optional add-on cooking grate for the single-door main chamber, too.

You can also add several gallons of water to the main cooking chamber to transform this into a water smoker. This helps stabilize the temperature and moisturize the meat while cooking. Plus, it’s easy to empty the water via the built-in drain when cleaning.

Use your offset smoker to cook everything from chuck roast to smoked potatoes and brisket. Nothing beats the bark and smoke flavor profile of an offset smoker. Nothing.

Temperature control

You have a damper (air vent) and adjustable tuning plates to control the temperature in this offset smoker.

Once you season the tuning plates, strategically place them back in the cooking chamber to help even out the temperature from one side to the other.

I set the first one ½-inch from the firebox, the second an inch away, the third 2 inches away, and the fourth 4 inches apart.

There’s also the adjustable 5” smoke stack and that high-quality insulated firebox.

As mentioned, I was really impressed with how well it retained the heat. The additional fire management basket also made controlling the temperature infinitely easier.

For more tips, check out how to use an offset smoker.

Accessories

One of the things I like most about this product is the customization. First, pick between a ¼-inch or a ½-inch firebox. I went with the thicker ½-inch because I basically live in the frozen tundra.

Then choose 5-inch wheels (2 industrial heavy-duty wheels and two heavy-duty swivel wheels), 8-inch wheels (the same, just bigger), or the Off-Road Package. This includes 4 1000-lb hubs, 4 off-road tires, and a removable pull handle.

The video shows the Off-Road Package in action. It makes the pit so much easier to move around.

Several other add-ons are available:

• Warming oven
• Stainless steel or folding front table
• Smoke collector
• Slide-out internal ash pan
• Charcoal basket with removable baffles
• Door counterweights
• Utensil hooks and storage rack
• Main chamber cooking grate
• Propane log starter (cuts start time in half).
• Probe ports
• Fire management basket
• Brass ball valve drain

What did I end up with? The folding front table, smoke collector, ball valve drain, door counterweight, and fire management basket.

That counterweight makes it so much easier to open the lid. This offset smoker is bigger than a pellet grill, but that door weight makes it feel lighter.

I also believe the fire management basket is a must-have accessory. As you’ll see in the video, it’ll make your life easier by keeping the fire nice and contained.

Storage

The primary storage is a heavy-duty bottom shelf, also known as the lower log rack. It’s perfect for storing wood or charcoal. You can also purchase a stainless steel or folding front table.

Cleaning

The additional brass ball valve drain simplifies cleanup. Push the lever when you’ve finished smoking, and the grill instantly empties. 

Then, you can clean out the cooking chamber with water, place a bucket under the drain, and open it again to remove the water efficiently.

Alternatives to consider

We have a guide to the best offset smokers currently available.

If your budget can’t quite stretch, the Yoder Wichita is an excellent option. It rivals the Lone Star regarding build quality, temperature control, add-ons.

Wrapping up

As I said, this Lone Star Grillz Offset Smoker is my dream pit. I’m overjoyed that it lives up to the hype so far, and I can’t wait to test the expansive cooking area further.

Just remember to cure that paint so it remains a lifetime pit. If you don’t, watching the paint peel will hurt more than the money you spent on it!