Old Country Wrangler- Owners Thread

[Drum&Que]

Thats exactly right. Like I said, tuning plates just impeded my airflow, convection, smoke movement. And the bottom of my meat was ALWAYS too crispy unless I was cooking something with a bone in it. I haven’t done a brisket yet (I have a toddler and busy work schedule) but I guarantee you the bark will be better and the bottom won’t cook too fast.
This also allows me to cook SUPER hot for that nice crispy chicken skin.

 

[Retired Spook]

Remember guys, Arron Franklin smoked perfect briskets in a Wrangler and the only thing he did to it was add a thermometer in roughly the same place as on mine (I followed his example). Fire control is important down to the size of your splits. Good wood is very important.

I've smoked a few Pastrami and many slabs of bacon in a large horizontal pit - Pastrami on the left side small fire on the right side with a few bricks between em. Sure wasn't the best way to do it but I done it.

When I smoke I build a hot fire with the firebox door and smoke stack damper wide open - very little visible blue smoke. Temp stays a perfect 225+ all across the cook area.

 

[Displaced Texan]

Thats exactly right. Like I said, tuning plates just impeded my airflow, convection, smoke movement. And the bottom of my meat was ALWAYS too crispy unless I was cooking something with a bone in it. I haven’t done a brisket yet (I have a toddler and busy work schedule) but I guarantee you the bark will be better and the bottom won’t cook too fast.
This also allows me to cook SUPER hot for that nice crispy chicken skin.

That's right, I forgot about that. I had several cooks last year using the tuning plates and trying to "dial it in" where my briskets were the same way...dry and crumbly on the bottom while good otherwise. Good point, pun intended lol.

 

[Drum&Que]

This will probably be an unpopular opinion then, but, if that is the case, then these pits must not be as good as advertised. My BellFab does NOT need tuning plates and I am +/- 10°-15° throughout an 8+ hour cook.

When I WAS using tuning plates, I had the major temp differences across the pit. I suppose good draw and convection causes even temps across a pit, not tuning plates.

I will also say, while these pits are great (the best) backyard, big box store, entry level smokers, it’s not like having a smoker manufactured by a small shop. Thicker steel, and bigger fireboxes/cook chambers will always win. You can just burn cleaner fires and maintain temps better. There’s a fabricator in Jersey, close to West Point, that I eventually want to have build me a pit. He’s building a reverse flow for my buddy right now and it’s a beast.

 

[Displaced Texan]

I will also say, while these pits are great (the best) backyard, big box store, entry level smokers, it’s not like having a smoker manufactured by a small shop. Thicker steel, and bigger fireboxes/cook chambers will always win. You can just burn cleaner fires and maintain temps better. There’s a fabricator in Jersey, close to West Point, that I eventually want to have build me a pit. He’s building a reverse flow for my buddy right now and it’s a beast.

I totally agree. My comments are not meant to bash Old Country. I was ready to pull the trigger on one 2 years ago before I came across BellFab through this forum.

 

[Drum&Que]

That's right, I forgot about that. I had several cooks last year using the tuning plates and trying to "dial it in" where my briskets were the same way...dry and crumbly on the bottom while good otherwise. Good point, pun intended lol.

Ha! Ya man that was the worst part. I’ll take pictures to show you what I had done.

 

[Retired Spook]

The smoke:

The temperature (the Tel-Tru mounted lower right is reading slightly higher (250) than the box-store thermometer above center but hard to see due to photo angle) :

I am real happy with it!

 

[Retired Spook]

Half way there! Cray-cray how the sun hits it just right and iPhone boosts the colors!

 

[millerbuilds]

This will probably be an unpopular opinion then, but, if that is the case, then these pits must not be as good as advertised. My BellFab does NOT need tuning plates and I am +/- 10°-15° throughout an 8+ hour cook.

When I WAS using tuning plates, I had the major temp differences across the pit. I suppose good draw and convection causes even temps across a pit, not tuning plates.

I would expect a BellFab to be a better quality smoker. It is custom and the Wrangler is a production smoker and the pricing reflects that. The Old Country pits are quality for the price, and better than most entry level smokers, but pretty tough to expect it to perform at the same level as a custom. I like mine for the size and I use my custom reverse flow for bigger cooks, I would never expect the Old Country to perform at the same level as my RF. But it was less the 25% of the cost of my RF.

Smoke ON!

- Jason

 

[millerbuilds]

Half way there! Cray-cray how the sun hits it just right and iPhone boosts the colors!
View attachment 637631

Looks Great!

Smoke ON!

- Jason

 

[Displaced Texan]

I would expect a BellFab to be a better quality smoker. It is custom and the Wrangler is a production smoker and the pricing reflects that. The Old Country pits are quality for the price, and better than most entry level smokers, but pretty tough to expect it to perform at the same level as a custom. I like mine for the size and I use my custom reverse flow for bigger cooks, I would never expect the Old Country to perform at the same level as my RF. But it was less the 25% of the cost of my RF.

Smoke ON!

- Jason

I suppose so, except that I paid $950 for my BellFab.24x48, 3/8" steel. Like I said, I think the OC pits are good, I almost bought one.

 

[Retired Spook]

Done - smoked for 7-hours! Came out great I could not ask for more. Not fall off the bone but the bones come out clean! Taste great!

 

[Displaced Texan]

Done - smoked for 7-hours! Came out great I could not ask for more. Not fall off the bone but the bones come out clean! Taste great!View attachment 637643

Looks great.

 

[912smoker]

Yes sir that works ! Great color and bark!
Pass me a bone or 3

Keith

 

[ConrodM]

Long time no post here so thought I would share the brisket done today on my Wrangler :
Choice Angus

 

[ConrodM]

I typically throw in oven once wrapped to save wood but was having so much fun now that my wood is seasoned properly I ran all the way through on Stick Burner

 

[ConrodM]

This will probably be an unpopular opinion then, but, if that is the case, then these pits must not be as good as advertised. My BellFab does NOT need tuning plates and I am +/- 10°-15° throughout an 8+ hour cook.

When I WAS using tuning plates, I had the major temp differences across the pit. I suppose good draw and convection causes even temps across a pit, not tuning plates.

Can we see pics of your pit? How long and what’s diameter?

 

[Newglide]

I typically throw in oven once wrapped to save wood but was having so much fun now that my wood is seasoned properly I ran all the way through on Stick Burner

Good lookin brisket.
One of these days I'll work up the nerve to cook one

 

[Retired Spook]

Good lookin brisket.
One of these days I'll work up the nerve to cook one

Actually, smoking brisket is very easy - the rest is just hype.

Check out some Aarron Franklin videos on YouTube and you will learn everything you need to know.

Folks have been smoking brisket since back in the olden days when ranch owners would toss briskets to the ranch-hands because they could not sell them because they were so tough no one would buy them. It was the camp cooks, mostly freed slaves, that figured out how to turn a brisket into something delicious and edible! Same as when the plantation owners tossed the ribs and pig's-feet to their slaves to eat because it was "waste," and the slave cooks figured out how to make them great.

The hardest part of brisket is the 12-hours it takes to smoke one - especially if you are old (the in-and-out up-and-down the stair checking the fire for 12-hours is killer on the knees).

Start with a point section and work your way up to a whole brisket!

 

[Displaced Texan]

Can we see pics of your pit? How long and what’s diameter?

Well, my avatar has a pic, but sure. It's about 6 1/2' long, add 2 more feet when the T-bar is attached. Cook chamber is 24"x48".

Firebox...

Cook chamber...duh, LOL.