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Old Country Brazos ... tuning plates ?

Lynn Dollar

Lynn Dollar

is Blowin Smoke!
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My last three cooks on the Brazos, I've had burnt bottom on the meats. That's pork butt, brisket, and ribs.

In order to balance temps end to end, i've been using the FB door. I've found I can move heat from one end to the other by varying the door opening.

But ......... I think .... getting that much air flow results in cooking with radiant heat. And since this cooker is bottom up, I'm getting high heat on the bottom of the meat without it getting any where near done.

And I'm thinking, I don't need tuning plates as much as I need more convection in the cook chamber. Maybe this is why Horizon smokers calls their " tuning " device a convection plate. If the smoker had good convection, then would not the end to end temps even out ?

I'm also questioning the exhaust at grate level in a small smoker. If I get really good air flow, then the heat is flowing under the meat directly to the grate level exhaust. But If I cut down the air flow, I then run the risk of dirty smoke.

Any thoughts on my theories ?
 
What size are your tunning plates and how do you have them spaced. A convection plate is one long plate with a series of progressively bigger holes in it.
 
SmittyJonz said:
What size are your tunning plates and how do you have them spaced. A convection plate is one long plate with a series of progressively bigger holes in it.
Click to expand...


Not using tuning plates.

And my splits are small, if I get any smaller, I'll be using chunks.

And temp is not the problem, I smoked the ribs between 250 and 275, using three analog and two digital thermos in diff locations.

I looked at the ribs after two hours, and they were burnt on the bottom, but did not get done for another 2 hours.

Same as the brisket. I like a good crusty bark, but I don't wanna have to cut through it with my miter saw.

What's happening, is opening the FB door is increasing air flow and radiant heat from the FB is hitting the bottom of the meats. Its almost like cooking direct. At least , that is my theory.

I'm very interested in the Horizon convection plate. My only problem is Horizon smokers have the exhaust exit at the top of the smoker, which would create more upflow inside the cooker. I wonder how their plate would work with the Brazos.

Exhaust at grate level may be a good thing on Aaron Franklin's 1000 gallon propane tanks, but Im not sure its good for a small smoker like a Brazos, but then, I'm sorta new to this, also.
 
it has to be too much heat, i never had that problem when i had a brazos with or without the convection plate.
are you putting the meat on the end away from the firebox? don't place it on the upper rack.
are you using a water pan?
 
What thermometer are you using ? how much charcoal are you using ?
 
I'm using a 16" loaf pan on the cooking grate near the FB for water.

Meat is going just to the stack side of center.

I have two Tel Trus through the lid of cooking chamber, each one about 9" from center. In the top of the lid , where OC put a thermo, I have a 4" Old Country from Academy.

On the grate , I'm using a Thermoworks Smoke with two probes on each end of my meats. And these are the two I have the most faith in.

Between the five thermos, temps are all over the place, even if the Tel Trus are just a couple inches off the grate.

I only use charcoal to get a coal bed started, at the very start of the cook, most of it is gone before I put my meats on, generally about an hour later, after the smoker has heated up. On long cooks, I might add half a chimney if my coal bed gets so weak the splits won't catch fire and sit and smolder.

I'm thinkin about putting the old FB grate, which I have replaced with an expanded metal grate, in the cook chamber to get some idea how the smoker will react.

If you never had this problem , did you cook with the FB open ?
 
Many people have used the original fire grate for a deflector plate. Many cook with firebox door Open on various brands of offset smoker’s- But you shouldn’t need to - as the Brazos has a large pin wheel intake.
 
Last edited:
How are the results with the Horizon Convection plate ?

Horizon is 60 miles from me, easy to pick up and maybe hit a barbecue joint on the way.

Or are the tuning plates better ?
 
SmittyJonz said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8otOcXiyB8U
Click to expand...


I've watched that vid several times, he never shows the settings on the FB, whether he has the door open, door cracked, butterfly open or partly closed, etc.

And in the comments, he replies that he quit using the tuning plates a couple months after making the vid.

And from his current vids, it appears he's quit using the Brazos , period. He's spent some money on some smokers.
 
Here's my ribs , I smoked them bone side down, been cooking on a WSM for 17 years and can't recall getting ribs like these. And they looked like this after 2 hours. They are dark, but its the boneside that bothers me .



And I probably would not think much of it, if the brisket and pork butt had not done the same thing in previous cooks.


6D0Xj6X.jpg
 
What wood are you burning.? What temp? What Rub.? Rubs High in sugar can do that too.....if you were local to me I would come over and cook on it and see what’s up........
 
i kept fb door closed. run exhaust wide open and control temp with intake.
are you smoking with a lot of smoke or light blue smoke?
 
I would agree the bottom side looks burnt and the top looks ok (but still a little dark). I would try keeping the door closed, stack vent wide open and use the vents on the door to control the temp. Try not to worry about the varying temps across the smoker...you have like 5 temp gauges.........try using just one - the one you think is the best and stick with that one gauge. When you add a stick the temp is going to climb but that is ok as it will settle back down. When the temp falls off then add another split. On a smaller pit if you open the door and your fire is big the flames are going to suck in under your meat and maybe...as you think....burn it.
 
SmittyJonz said:
What wood are you burning.? What temp? What Rub.? Rubs High in sugar can do that too.....if you were local to me I would come over and cook on it and see what’s up........
Click to expand...


That cook was hickory, but others have been pecan.

250 to 275.

Rubs were Meat Church Honey Hog or Butcher Honey rub, I can't recall now which was on the rib pics.

I think using the FB door to try to control end to end temps , is most likely the culprit. I'm too concerned with clean smoke and air flow.

There's a diff in radiant and convective heat. Aaron Franklin's pitmaster explains it a little bit in this vid at 5:20 , in fact, this is what made me start thinking this could be my issue.

https://youtu.be/ebCGuEZPCOE
 
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