YOU ARE HERE >> AmazingRibs » Ratings & Reviews » Texas Original Pits Luling Offset Smoker 20″ x 32″ x 18″ Review
Texas Original Pits Luling Offset Smoker 20″ x 32″ x 18″ is their most popular model. Yes it looks like those cheap offsets sold in big box stores, but this is the real deal: a classic, no-frills, 1/4″ thick steel Texas BBQ Pit named after the Luling Oil Field northwest of Luling, TX. It is available in smaller and larger sizes. All grates are expanded metal. The 20″ x 18″ firebox has a charcoal rack and cooking grate for high temp grilling. In addition to the primary cooking grate, the 20″ x 32″ smoke chamber comes standard with a 6″ x 32″ upper grate. The upper grate is not included with smaller models. For marathon burger sessions, an optional coal rack is available for direct grilling in the large smoke chamber.
There is an intake damper on the firebox door and an exhaust damper on the chimney. Click here to learn more about controlling temperature with dampers, and here to learn about smoking with wood.
A two inch drain hole with a can hook is located on the left underside. Legs on the left are about a half inch shorter than the right side to pitch the barrel and direct grease to the drain. Rustic hickory wood handles have a UV resistant coating, and are positioned far enough away from the metal to stay relatively cool. The Luling is fully welded with no fasteners and coated with 1000° high temp paint.
Work shelves are welded to the front of both the smoke chamber and firebox, and a large storage rack rests underneath. The firebox also has a flat warming surface on top for pots of beans and sauces. Large metal wheels come in handy when moving this heavy device.
Limited Lifetime Warranty. Be sure to clean out ash with the included ash rake. Left over ash can absorb moisture, causing the metal to pit and eventually rust out.
Manufacturer:
Texas Original Pits founder, Anthony Saragusa, spent most of his manufacturing career in Houston, TX building steel reels for coiling and spooling wire, cable, and hydraulic tubing used in energy exploration throughout the world. In 2007, the steel reels and spool business began slowing with the downturn in the global economy. Saragusa saw the writing on the wall, but was determined not to lay off his crew and close shop. “We knew we could build anything with our experience, attitude, and the solid equipment our shop had.” Saragusa states.
His passion for Texas BBQ was the answer. Saragusa and company changed the sign on the door and promptly switched gears from servicing oil fields to backyards and beyond. Embracing the mantra of Keep It Simple Stupid, they tend to disregard flash and focus on creating classic, solid cookers at decent price points. Although their unique Hog Roaster that combines a Chinese Box with a Santa Maria Grill and Rotisserie may be an exception to this rule. They offer a variety of classic offset smokers – horizontal and vertical, grills, fire pits and their Swiss Army Knife Hog Roaster.
Texas Original Pits uses only new 1/4″ pipe, precision made with computer controlled plasma cutters.
They are distributed regionally in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Flat rate shipping is available throughout the continental USA.
Published On: 8/28/2015 Last Modified: 11/19/2021
All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.
Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.
When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first then the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
From TBoneJack, the unofficial Poet Laureate of The Pitmaster Club:
AmazingRibs is where you go,
To get the best advice,
You’ll find out how, to smoke a cow,
And it will turn out nice.
Smokers, gadgets, recipes,
Charcoal, gas, or wood?
The how, the why, and what to try,
When things arn’t going good.
Selection, prep, and cook techniques,
Marinades and such,
Rubs and brines and temps and times,
And how to use the Crutch.
Brisket secrets are revealed,
For moist and tender meat,
The point, the flat, the rendered fat,
The proper mix of heat.
I found out how to smoke spare ribs,
Great bark and taste and worth,
I want some more, I’ll have them for,
My last meal on this Earth.
Memphis Dust did suit them well,
I served them without sauce,
Not 3-2-1, not overdone,
No precious flavor loss.
Jambo, Lang, or Meadow Creek,
It’s hard to make the call,
Almost a crime, so little time,
I’d like to try them all.
I’m not ashamed, I’m not alone,
‘Cause many have this lot,
But I’ll admit, here in the Pit,
My wife said Not! Not! Not!
Weber, Brinkman, PBC,
No need for budget breach,
They cook great food, just ask me dude,
‘Cause I have one of each.
Obsessed I am, I know it’s true,
They call it MCS,
I saw the doc, he was in shock,
He too is in this mess.
Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg,
Cool Smoke’s Tuffy Stone,
Harry Soo, Chris Lilly too,
And Moe who cooks alone.
They’re all good, I like them fine,
I’m sure they cook good Q,
They’ve earned the right, I see the light,
I’ll give them their fair due,
But I have learned, thru many cooks,
This web site is da bomb,
For what to do, browse over to,
AmazingRibs dot com.
Tired of seeing popup ads?
No need to throw a fit,
Don’t you know, just spend some dough,
And join us in the Pit.
And if you travel, don’t despair,
No further should you look,
The answer’s clear, put down your beer,
And order Meathead’s book.
High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!
Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.
Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.
Post comments and questions below
1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.
3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.
4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.
5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.
Moderators