Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
Brisket finished - 10X easier cook without that baffle and the bottom of the brisket is not burnt!
Lesson learned.
Lesson learned.
Old Country Wrangler- Owners Thread
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Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
Hey Jason - how you been?
I posted my cook here: Not Franklin Barbecue
Much better without that baffle!
I cut mine out a while back and and now I wonder why I was so worried about it. I use it as a water pan shelf. I put it on 2 bricks on the grate in the cook chamber on the firebox side and put it on them. I also extended the stack. Completely different cooker now. I have a Pecos not a Wrangler, not much difference
Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
I admit that I was hesitant to do it until now but after doing so it is a night and day difference! My wrangler cooked really well without that baffle but without a stack extension - which could be a result of the smaller cook chamber size on the Wrangler?
Nevertheless, cutting that baffle out is a must do on one of these cookers - in my humble opinion.
Nevertheless, cutting that baffle out is a must do on one of these cookers - in my humble opinion.
I have been good, been a busy year and our backyard was tore up for quite a bit of it with a project. Looks like I need to finally give in and cut the baffle out.
I will check out your cook.
- Jason
Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
It cooks much better without that baffle - in my humble opinion. Much easier fire management and more consistent temperature across the cook chamber.
You won't regret it. If you don't like it without you can always put it back in
Retired Spook
Master of the Pit
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1,814
- 2,330
I hesitated, for a long time, to cut that baffle out - I figured the manufacturer had a sound reason for it being in there and I was afraid that removing it could be detrimental to the cooker's performance. I tried everything - baffle plates, stack extensions, big fire, little fire, full open firebox door, adjusted the firebox damper through every possible position, and while I did have some good cooks - it just required too much attention, and would burn the bottom of whatever I cooked if I did not rotate the food way too often.
Whatever the manufacturer's reason for that baffle is completely lost on me. The cooker worked MUCH better without it.
Whatever the manufacturer's reason for that baffle is completely lost on me. The cooker worked MUCH better without it.
Baffle is there to make the firebox end of the grate usable by protecting it from direct heat.
Cutting out the baffle does take away that end of the grate but its worth it.
What Old Country does on that cooker, on the Pecos and the Brazos with the baffle and then putting the exhaust at grate level is a conflict. It directs air under the meats.
Horizon, Yoder, and the old Okie Joes exhaust in the top of the cook chamber and then use what they call a " convection plate " , which is just a huge baffle that extends almost the length of the cook chamber. Makes them bottom up cookers.
Its got to be one or the other, can't do what Old Country does.
Horizon convection plate.
Cutting out the baffle does take away that end of the grate but its worth it.
What Old Country does on that cooker, on the Pecos and the Brazos with the baffle and then putting the exhaust at grate level is a conflict. It directs air under the meats.
Horizon, Yoder, and the old Okie Joes exhaust in the top of the cook chamber and then use what they call a " convection plate " , which is just a huge baffle that extends almost the length of the cook chamber. Makes them bottom up cookers.
Its got to be one or the other, can't do what Old Country does.
Horizon convection plate.
I'll add, that back in the early days of the PBS " BBQ with Franklin " series and in Aaron's first book, he talks about putting a license plate inside his New Braunfels smoker to deflect the direct heat from the firebox.
Old Country could've very well followed his lead there, because also in those early days, he was cooking on an Old Country smoker, something similar in size to the Wrangler.
Old Country could've very well followed his lead there, because also in those early days, he was cooking on an Old Country smoker, something similar in size to the Wrangler.
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