Comparisons · Two kinds of barbecue
57 cm charcoal kettle or Offset smoker
A general-purpose cooker against a specialist. The kettle does most things adequately and one thing awkwardly; the offset is the reverse.
What each one is
57 cm charcoal kettle
The most common barbecue in the world, and more capable than its reputation: with the coals banked to one side it becomes a genuine indirect cooker, and with a small, well-managed fire it will hold low temperatures for hours.
Offset smoker
Built for one job and unapologetic about it. The fire lives in a separate box and the food never sees it, which is what allows very long cooks at low temperature — and demands fire management for the whole of them.
What actually differs
| Aspect | 57 cm charcoal kettle | Offset smoker |
|---|---|---|
| Shape and how it works | Kettle | Offset smoker |
| What heats it The energy source sets the ceiling temperature and how quickly the cooker answers a change. | Lump charcoal, Charcoal briquettes | Wood, Lump charcoal |
| What smokes it Separate from the heat, and deliberately so: one cooker in this catalogue draws its heat from the mains and its smoke from wood pellets. | Charcoal combustion, Wood chips, Oak chunks | Oak chunks |
| Cooking surface | 57 cm | 50–120 cm |
| Direct heat | Designed for this | Not suitable — The food is not above the fire, which is the entire design. |
| Indirect heat | Possible with the right setup — Coals to one or both sides with the food in the middle, lid on, and a drip pan under the food. | Designed for this |
| Two-zone fire | Possible with the right setup — Bank the coals to one side, leaving roughly half the grate with no fire beneath it. | Not modelled for this cooker |
| Smoking | Not modelled for this cooker | Designed for this |
| Low and slow | Possible with the right setup — Needs a fuel arrangement that burns progressively rather than all at once. | Designed for this |
| Foods the difference reaches These are the foods whose cooking profiles call for a heat configuration these two cookers support differently. For anything not on the list, the choice between them does not change how it is cooked. | whole chicken, chicken thigh, bone-in, chicken thigh, boneless, chicken breast, boneless, chicken breast, bone-in, chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, beef burger, rib eye steak, sirloin steak, picanha, whole, pork chop, pork shoulder, pork spareribs, baby back ribs, pork tenderloin, brisket, lamb leg steak, lamb loin chop, lamb burger, salmon fillet, halloumi, sausage, whole sweet pepper, corn on the cob, aubergine slices, courgette slices, asparagus spears, onion slices, whole onion, spring onions, button mushrooms, portobello mushroom, new potatoes, halved, sweet potato slices, cabbage wedges, cauliflower florets, halved tomatoes, green beans, halved romaine lettuce, whole trout, tuna steak, whole mackerel, whole sardines, whole sea bass, cod fillet, pizza, whole side of salmon | |
Which one, for what
Conditions rather than a verdict. Each line below is a thing one of them can do that the other cannot, or does without arrangement where the other needs it — taken from the what each cooker is documented as doing, rather than from a preference.
57 cm charcoal kettle, if:
- You want to cook with direct heat, which the other cannot do.
- You want to cook with two-zone fire, which the other cannot do.
Offset smoker, if:
- You want indirect heat without arranging the fire for it every time.
- You want to cook with smoking, which the other cannot do.
- You want low and slow without arranging the fire for it every time.