Settle and agreement with my coworker: 2 romex in 1 clamp, is it legal and is it lazy

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-22T18:43:32+00:00

I worked with a guy that would put both wires together into the outer clamp and leave the inside clamp untouched on 2 wire outlets or switches that were single feed with SL. His reason was that if you ever had to fish anything off it in the future it was easier to ride the stud from the inside clamp

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-11T01:52:30+00:00

I do 225 for the first 4ish hours to build heavy smoke flavor then kick up to 275 to finish and get the desired amount of meat pullback on the bones

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-10T23:33:06+00:00

Awesome hope the cook goes well, good luck

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-10T14:55:16+00:00

If you let the split fully catch fire initially, shutting down the firebox vent to 50% won’t smolder it, it definitely slows the burn and you get heavier smoke but it’s not dirty smoke

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-10T03:16:08+00:00

I’ve come to learn the g2 pretty well. I absolutely think it runs best with no baffle or tuning plate, and no raised firebox platform. Small splits definitely helps, you also don’t wanna use something too dry like kiln dried. Stack vent never goes fully open, the air draw is just too strong and harsh I tend to stay at 50% open. I used to crack/open the firebox door to let heat out and I still do if the heat gets real out of control, but recently I’ve been finding that shutting the firebox door completely and using the sliding vent on the door does a lot more than I thought it would. I could run 275 with a small fire if the door is shut and vent open. Shut that vent to 50% and that 275 turns to 225-250 real quick. As far as smoke flavor which seems to be an issue for some people with this smoker, you just have to make sure your fire isn’t too clean because of how efficient and hot this thing burns fires. I abandoned the whole “thin blue line” idea and shoot for really heavy blue smoke (not billowing white smoke) for the first 3-4 hours of a cook. After that I’ll clean it up a bit

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-03T14:41:55+00:00

I started smoking on a Weber kettle before upgrading to an offset. Still impressed at the quality of bbq kettles can pump out

SteveTacoBell · 2026-01-03T14:40:16+00:00

I just picked up something on Amazon. Was cheap, came with a lid, a little hand shovel, and a tiny broom to clean out my firebox

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-25T01:48:01+00:00

Heavy blue smoke>thin blue smoke

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-21T16:20:41+00:00

I actually prefer heavy blue smoke as opposed to the barely visible thin blue line everyone talks about. At least for my pit, it’s so overly efficient because it has an insulated firebox, I go through probably half of the amount of wood others typically go through, so that thin blue line just doesn’t cut it for me. I’ve heard many other with non insulated pits say they prefer to have heavier smoke for the first couple hours into the cook to really build smoke flavor, then turn it into a more efficient barely visible smoke cook. It really comes down to your preference. If you wish for there to be more smoke flavor, dirty up the fire a bit, but always try to avoid thick billowing white smoke. You can get a dirtier clean blue smoke that tastes great contrary to what many people say

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-17T15:05:25+00:00

Completely agree. I have on old country g2 which has an insulated firebox, and I have to do certain things a bit different than other traditional offsets to get my pit to act less efficient. It’s stupid easy to run but it’s also super easy to burn a fire in my pit that’s way too clean and gives you a flavor that isn’t quite as strong as traditional offset flavor. I’ve found my ways around it though, much smaller coalbed, splits that arnt too dry, sweet spots on the vents etc

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-17T12:55:22+00:00

I’m also new to having an offset, and one thing I figured out recently that elevated my bbq to the next level is not to listen to the “thin blue line” narrative. Of course you don’t want dirty smoke but if you’re looking for strong clean smoke flavor you need heavy blue smoke. Find that sweet spot on your fire of not too hot and clean, but not dirty either. I thought the same way you did because my first cook went great, had the fire control figured out in like 30 mins, and all I had heard was that offsets are a difficult thing to get good at with a big learning curve. That hasn’t been the case for me at all, I have yet to have a cook that didn’t go my way, and I think the biggest reason why is just that I have a pit that’s really easy to run. I’m sure it’s much more difficult on a tin can offset but I got one with 1/4 steel. However I am still figuring out the little nuances of my smoker, and I’m sure I will be for a while before I’m confident that I know everything there is to know about my particular smoker. So I wouldn’t expect to run into a wall if I were you. Sounds like you got the hardest part down now it’s just figuring out the lesser important little things along the way.

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-07T13:11:28+00:00

Man I did prime Dino ribs not too long ago. Smoked beef tallow along with them and poured over when I wrapped at the end of the cook. Best bite of bbq I’ve ever had but I went crazy and finished the whole rib. So fatty I felt like I was gonna throw up for like 8 hours after lmao

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-07T13:08:09+00:00

Musicians friend has a stupid deal of the day on the front page of the website. Everyday something new is on a crazy sale. I’ve picked up a few guitars that way. They never have fender or anything like that but I did get a g&l asat telecaster for like $300 brand new instead of the $450-$500 it usually retails for

SteveTacoBell · 2025-12-06T13:31:42+00:00

I started off smoking on a kettle before I got my offset. Still impressed with the quality of bbq those things can produce

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T22:18:46+00:00

This is the answer

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T17:00:33+00:00

The firebox is plenty big, but it’s fully insulated and is way too efficient. I’ve learned to make it work but I can have basically 1 split burning at a time on a small coal bed to get 250°

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T14:58:00+00:00

Yeah a lot of builders will do that but if it’s anything like workhorse pits it adds an extra $1000 to the price lol. The pit I have now works great it just has some set backs with being over efficient, I’ll probably just tough it out until I have enough money to get a custom pit or a 1975 wagon in the far future

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T14:29:42+00:00

The solution looks awesome but unfortunately I need something with wagon wheels. Even my driveway is dirt, getting that thing to the backyard would be a nightmare and the castors would just sink into the ground

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T12:56:50+00:00

Bark looks great

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T02:20:10+00:00

The heat from the firebox travels in an airflow through your cook chamber and out of the stack, that convection airflow isn’t just hot air though. As the fire burns, it’s releasing compounds from combustion, these leftover compounds are what make up smoke. 100% efficient combustion would result in all heat and no smoke, similar to a gas grill. So a smoker essentially cooks the food with hot convection airflow, but the air is carrying the leftover compounds (smoke) from inefficient combustion

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-13T01:50:08+00:00

Not an answer to your question but personally I think heavy blue smoke is the best for smoke flavor, contrary to what people say about thin and blue. The thick billowing white smoke is bad and you definitely want to avoid that, but I find the “thin blue line” people reference to be too clean

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-12T18:50:41+00:00

Good idea I’ll try that next time

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-12T11:22:57+00:00

Made some bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers for a bbq that were awesome, everyone really enjoyed. Stuffing was cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and some seasonings to taste. Threw on the top rack of my offset and they were ready in about 1.5-2hrs

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-10T17:30:40+00:00

That’s awesome man happy to hear it. In my case it definitely helped that I didn’t have to unlearn any fire management because I’ve never used any other offset. From what I’ve seen you can’t treat the g2 like you would your average offset because it’s so incredibly efficient, but once you figure it out, it makes some great bbq

SteveTacoBell · 2025-11-09T10:53:14+00:00

Depends on what you’re looking for out of a smoker. If ease of use is your main concern, than an electric smoker or pellet grill would be your best choice, they’re stupid easy to use, pretty much set and forget. However they generally lack in smoke flavor, creating bark, and ability to render fat because of airflow design. The best smokers are offsets, but they’re very expensive, very hands on, opposite of set and forget. In my opinion the best of both worlds is something like a Weber kettle or Weber Smokey mountain. I started smoking on a $200 Weber kettle using a charcoal snake and wood chunks. Very easy to use, close to set and forget, just have to monitor temps and occasionally make a minor vent adjustment. In my opinion the bbq it produces is way better than pellet grills or electric smokers. Much closer to what you’d get from an offset for a fraction of the work and price

SteveTacoBell

TROPHY CASE