Good afternoon,

I have been running a Gravity Series 560 for 5ish years, and I have very few complaints about it. Looking to the future I am interested in fabricating an offset smoker.

Some background, I have smoked most things under the sun. Venison, bear, wild turkey, most forms of pork, chicken, and briskets. I've also heated via woodstove for 10+ years of my life.

The real question here is what is the difference between running a wood stove and an offset smoker? While I was in high school I was able to stoke the stove to last night till wakeup, fill it up and it would last until I got home. Rinse and repeat. Is an offset really an hourly baby sitting job? Would a bigger firebox enable longer time in between stokes? What does "dirty smoke" mean in terms of cooking? Would a bigger firebox and dampeners enable a longer time in between checks? If anyone has made the same transition, how does an offset compare to layer hardwood in a Gravity Series?

Thank you

D.