That moment my smoker handle broke mid-cook on a $200 brisket

I was 6 hours into a brisket in Austin last Saturday and the handle snapped clean off my offset smoker when I went to add a log. Had to finish the cook using a pair of vise grips and a welding glove - has anyone else had a tool fail at the worst possible time?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.robert7d ago

...so were you using the factory handle that came with it or one you installed yourself? I ask because on my old Oklahoma Joe, that stock handle was basically just stamped sheet metal with plastic covers. I'm wondering if this is a common weak point across brands or if you got a defective one. Either way, bailing wire and a pair of channel locks is a rite of passage, I guess.

gonzalez.vera6d ago

Rite of passage" is right - mine's held together with a coat hanger and hope now lol. Definitely the factory handle, which I guess was just as flimsy as your Oklahoma Joe's sounded.