If what you want, is to set the temp and walk away from it, you bought the wrong smoker. ATC's won't work with a stick burner. You are the ATC. You stay with it, watch your temps, and feed it splits.
Old Country BBQ Pits Pecos Owners Thread
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If what you want, is to set the temp and walk away from it, you bought the wrong smoker. ATC's won't work with a stick burner. You are the ATC. You stay with it, watch your temps, and feed it splits.
jaxrmrjmr
Smoking Fanatic
I don't expect it to be a set it and forget it type of thing, but, hopefully it will increase that time window of checking on it a bit. I hear people talk about checking on them every 15 minutes or so. I would love to try and stretch that out to 30-45. We'll see - it might not work at all. Worst case I'm out $25 for the fan because I already have the PID built from a previous project.
With the air flow aspect of an offset, I expect it will dirty up the smoke somewhat, which is actually fine with me. I have never chased that "clear" smoke but I don't want clouds of white either. Just a new toy to tinker with and learn about but thanks for the head's up.
Oh, yeah, the best part is that I'm only paying $150 for it. Yes, it is a brazos and not a Pecos. So, if I don't like it I can always sell it at a profit. The fire box is a little rusty with a little surface rust on a couple of other spots, but at that price I decided to try my hand at it.
With the air flow aspect of an offset, I expect it will dirty up the smoke somewhat, which is actually fine with me. I have never chased that "clear" smoke but I don't want clouds of white either. Just a new toy to tinker with and learn about but thanks for the head's up.
Oh, yeah, the best part is that I'm only paying $150 for it. Yes, it is a brazos and not a Pecos. So, if I don't like it I can always sell it at a profit. The fire box is a little rusty with a little surface rust on a couple of other spots, but at that price I decided to try my hand at it.
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Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
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I have an O/C Wrangler (smaller than a Pecos / Brazos) and with the right size bed of coals AND the right sized splits (learned by experiment/experience) I can go 40-minutes between splits. I was using 12" splits in a LavaLock 12x10x6 coal basket, but now I cut the splits in half on a miter saw and the basket rests on the firebox cooking grate that is set on the bottom of the firebox rotated such that it gives the greatest distance from the bottom of the firebox.
Nevertheless, I still wish it would draw just a little bit better so I am going to try adding an 8-inch stack extension. As many others have noted, a previous 24" stack extension was off the charts hot on the stack side of the grill.
With experimentation you should be able to arrive at an acceptable solution whichever route you choose.
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In my opinion, and I mean that sincerely its just my view, to enjoy a stick burner ya also have to enjoy feeding the fire splits. Ya gotta be a bit of a firebug.
If ya light a fire in your fireplace, and ya can't just sit back and enjoy it, ya gotta be up messing with it, moving spits around, poking at it, adding to it ......... then ya might be a candidate for a stick burner.
Its the whole process that I find enjoyable. I feel like I cooked the meat when I manage the fire.
Maybe others don't get that, but that's how I see it.
Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
Getting the fire right is half the fun in my humble opinion! I've smoked mucho bacon and pastrami in a simple Kingsford barbecue pit/grill/barrel looking thing, with the meat on the left side and a very small fire on the right side, separated by bricks to block the radiant heat.
Sure was not easy, but I did it and it was fun!
However, I sure am glad that I have a real offset smoker now.
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jaxrmrjmr
Smoking Fanatic
Cleaned up the inside today. I was surprised at how much "gunk" came out of the cook chamber. If this thing would have caught fire... it would have burned for a solid day! It was scoop after scoop, etc, of greasy chunks. Metal is still nice and thick though.
I fired it up tonight and played around with controlling temperatures for about 5 hours. Lots of things to think about... I left the smoke stack open the whole time. The only adjustments I made were to the fire itself and/or the damper or door. I learned a lot.
The smoke smell was amazing. I'm going to like this pit!
I fired it up tonight and played around with controlling temperatures for about 5 hours. Lots of things to think about... I left the smoke stack open the whole time. The only adjustments I made were to the fire itself and/or the damper or door. I learned a lot.
The smoke smell was amazing. I'm going to like this pit!
jaxrmrjmr
Smoking Fanatic
How much wood to you guys usually go through during a 10-12 hour brisket cook? If you measured it by the splits that would fit into a 5 gallon bucket, how many buckets?
Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
I do not keep track of individual splits per cook but I can tell you that once I zeroed in and got my smoker running right it uses less wood than it ever has.
my splits are about the size of a 16oz can. I typically burn 1 every 30 minutes or so. Sometimes I need to put on 2 depending on how it's going.
On longer cooks my coalbed usually starts to burn down around 4 hours so I have to add extra splits to get the coalbed back up.
Not exactly what you're looking for but that's how my cooks go
On longer cooks my coalbed usually starts to burn down around 4 hours so I have to add extra splits to get the coalbed back up.
Not exactly what you're looking for but that's how my cooks go
jaxrmrjmr
Smoking Fanatic
I want to thank you guys. My first cook on the brazos was a success. Everything ya'll said was accurate from the size of the splits, to how often you have to add them, to how attentive you have to be.
I started off with a bed of charcoal from a chimney, added wood splits, and adjusted the vent with the firebox door closed. It held temps like a champ UNTIL I almost lost my coal bed just short of about 3 1/2 hours into the cook. Lesson learned..... the coal bed provides the heat while adding wood mostly creates the smoke but also has to replenish the coal bed. I opened up the door to the fire box and the rest is history.
I let the temps spike past 300° three times but I opened the cook chamber door open slightly when the fire was too hot. Just an inch or so would make a temperature drop of ~30 degrees at the grate level. Wrapped in paper and and let it rest for 14 hrs at 150° in one of those old fashioned countertop ovens with a towel over the top of the thin metal lid (5° temperature swing vs my oven's 50° swings). Best brisket I have ever cooked. Never quite got the fat render like that before without drying out the flat.
I started off with a bed of charcoal from a chimney, added wood splits, and adjusted the vent with the firebox door closed. It held temps like a champ UNTIL I almost lost my coal bed just short of about 3 1/2 hours into the cook. Lesson learned..... the coal bed provides the heat while adding wood mostly creates the smoke but also has to replenish the coal bed. I opened up the door to the fire box and the rest is history.
I let the temps spike past 300° three times but I opened the cook chamber door open slightly when the fire was too hot. Just an inch or so would make a temperature drop of ~30 degrees at the grate level. Wrapped in paper and and let it rest for 14 hrs at 150° in one of those old fashioned countertop ovens with a towel over the top of the thin metal lid (5° temperature swing vs my oven's 50° swings). Best brisket I have ever cooked. Never quite got the fat render like that before without drying out the flat.
jaxrmrjmr
Smoking Fanatic
You gotta try a brisket. That's what these things are built for, IMO. That top down heat that renders the fat on top but doesn't over cook the lean bottom. I basically bought it to be able to cook brisket. My propane smokers make great ribs, butts, and chicken. The one thing that they would not do is a brisket. It would turn out good, but not great.
I’m with you- managing the fire makes it a blast for me! Also picking the splits that you want to do a certain thing and have it work is also a sense of accomplishment. My charcoal smoker (WSM) hasn’t seen a spark since I got my Wrangler
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