I think I might give up on offset cookers...

[mph33]

I don't advise people on what to buy. That's a very personal thing. What I want in a smoker and what others might want, will vary greatly.


You could leave that stack extension on the smoker. But just as Jlem said, close the door and leave the damper 1/2 open. It just makes no sense to improve the draw through the smoker and then cut down the air intake. One is working against the other.



Have you done biscuit tests ? Set it up , just as I got through describing, and run a biscuit test. The bottoms of the biscuits right on the edge of the baffle, should show the most heat. That's how you want the smoker to run. Open the damper, just enough to burn a clean fire, and just enough air flow to get heat to rise directly in the cook chamber. The sooner the heat rises, the better the smoker will run.


The problem with this smoker, is the baffle contradicts the exhaust at grate level. Either have one or the other, but not both. Yoder and Horizon exhaust at the top of the cook chamber and run with a convection plate/baffle across the bottom. Cutting out the baffle is a viable option. There's like four welds that hold it in place, if cut out carefully, it could be put back in easily.



I've seen you on the Facebook Old Country group. There are several others there, who've cut out the baffle, and added a collector and taller stack. You might search them out. I don't do Facebook, I use my wife's account, and I have no idea how to search on that place. But here's one of them on YT . I had a welder quote me $300 to do this last March, when I got the chance to buy the Franklin.



https://youtu.be/KcM9bResWFM


Those who've done this are happy, so they say. This is the internet and ya never know how honest people are when they report results. So take it for what its worth. But I see no reason why it won't get a Brazos as close to a Workhorse or a Franklin as can be had. Your gonna lose 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of your cooking grate on the firebox end, so if capacity is an issue, this is probably not the thing to do. But I never used that space, anyway. So its a personal decision that no one else can advise you on.



But bottom line, you have to decide how much air flow you need in your backyard smoker. Why do you want more air flow ? Air flow will improve convection. People buy convection ovens over conventional ovens to get more even and faster cooking . How much is that worth to you ?


And oh yeah, the LSG Fire Basket is not your problem. That effectively makes your FB longer, which is a good thing. It also helps you keep a good coal bed, which is very important. It has no bearing on how long it takes your meats to cook.

I just got through watching a video of a guy that done a test on this cooker by adding only 16 in to the smokestack mine was I think a grand total of 38 so I took off about 8 in we'll see if that will do better with this cooker. I also will be removing the tuning plates.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

I just got through watching a video of a guy that done a test on this cooker by adding only 16 in to the smokestack mine was I think a grand total of 38 so I took off about 8 in we'll see if that will do better with this cooker. I also will be removing the tuning plates.

Tuning plates turn that smoker into half of a reverse flow. They funnel even more heat under the meat and then right out the grate level exhaust.


Someone reading this , whose not closely looked at the Old Country Brazos or the Pecos, won't be able to appreciate how restrictive that baffle is. Across the bottom of the cook chamber, at the widest point, there's a 3" clearance. I'm not a good enough mathmetician to compute the sq inch of that opening, but its a good bit smaller than the opening between the firebox and the cook chamber.


I think it creates a mild venturi effect, the same as holding your thumb over half of the end of the water hose. It speeds up the air flow into the cooker. Any increase in the firebox door opening that brings more air in, gets amplified. Heat shoots into the cook chamber.



Then with tuning plates, it mostly travels under the meat and then right out the grate level exhaust.

 

[thedude9999]

Tuning plates turn a lot of small smokers into a reverse flow. The distance to the cooking grate is too small.

My Horizon 20” has no problems with the airflow with the baffle, but the first brisket I cooked on it baked the butcher paper onto the bottom of it. I run without it now. Either way, you have to adjust for your cooker.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Tuning plates turn a lot of small smokers into a reverse flow. The distance to the cooking grate is too small.

My Horizon 20” has no problems with the airflow with the baffle, but the first brisket I cooked on it baked the butcher paper onto the bottom of it. I run without it now. Either way, you have to adjust for your cooker.

Are you saying the butcher paper stuck to the brisket ?


Why do you think this happened ?

 

[FishinMusician]

It's very important to remember that it's not only about what temperature you're reading in your chamber, but about your airflow and overall cooking energy. If you're doing things the smoker is not built to do, you could be disrupting the flow and drastically reducing your cooking energy, so that no matter what temperature it is around your meat, it'll cook slower than normal.


I'd imagine that's what happened in your case here, unless your thermo is off and you were actually cooking at 175-185.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

Tuning plates turn a lot of small smokers into a reverse flow. The distance to the cooking grate is too small.

My Horizon 20” has no problems with the airflow with the baffle, but the first brisket I cooked on it baked the butcher paper onto the bottom of it. I run without it now. Either way, you have to adjust for your cooker.

If you are running fat down, the rendered fat can get sticky and the paper will stick to it. Even when I'm running fat down on the WSM I switch to fat up when I wrap. When I'm cooking on my offset it's fat up the whole time.

 

[1Gradymaci]

I don’t remember any of the above issues when we cooked on cement blocks, rebar and chicken wire..

 

[thedude9999]

Are you saying the butcher paper stuck to the brisket ?


Why do you think this happened ?

The radiant heat from the plate cooked it on. It happened on part of the brisket - the part that was over the plate.

 

[thedude9999]

If you are running fat down, the rendered fat can get sticky and the paper will stick to it. Even when I'm running fat down on the WSM I switch to fat up when I wrap. When I'm cooking on my offset it's fat up the whole time.

This was fat cap up. Bottom of the brisket that was over the plate was also very crispy.

I suspect this cooker wasn’t intended to run at 275 with the plate, more at 225. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. If I wanted to cook with the plate, I’d rotate the meat around to adjust for it. I prefer running without it.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

This was fat cap up. Bottom of the brisket that was over the plate was also very crispy.

I suspect this cooker wasn’t intended to run at 275 with the plate, more at 225. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. If I wanted to cook with the plate, I’d rotate the meat around to adjust for it. I prefer running without it.

Firebox door open ? If so how far ?

 

[thedude9999]

Firebox door open ? If so how far ?

Nope - I cook with it closed. It draws well and burns clean. I find on this smoker opening the door lets way to much heat out the door. There isn’t any need to really.

I’m not trying to troubleshoot this. I’ve cooked lots on it since without issue both with and without the tuning plate. I was just mentioning my experiences with the plate making it like a reverse flow with a lot of radiant heat.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Nope - I cook with it closed. It draws well and burns clean. I find on this smoker opening the door lets way to much heat out the door. There isn’t any need to really.

I’m not trying to troubleshoot this. I’ve cooked lots on it since without issue both with and without the tuning plate. I was just mentioning my experiences with the plate making it like a reverse flow with a lot of radiant heat.

I get that.


Was just wondering if you made changes when you took the plate out.

 

[sandro]

Coming in late to this thread and I see many have already said what I was thinking after seeing your pictures: your pit is drafting too hard. Brazos has a long heat deflector that spits hot gases down at an angle almost all the way into the middle of the chamber, and the exchange is already quite a bit lower than grate level. Adding that to the increased pull caused by the taller stack, the heat is drafting through the chamber and out the stack faster than the fire can supply. I'd cut out the baffle and see how it goes, if you want to keep the stack extension, that is.

 

[fwdiii]

Hotter & Faster is the ticket!

I agree....hot and fast is the way! I smoke/cook in the 300-325 range, always (so far..lol) comes out real good. Just my .02
BTW..that pulled pork looked delicious!!! :grin:

 

[MichPHX721]

I smoke brisket on my Old County Brazos all the time and it takes anywhere from 8 to 9 hours for a 14# brisket @225F to 240F using oak and running the stack wide open and the door wide open. I jus feed it small splits and make sure I am burning a hot but small clean fire. Splits are about 8” long and about the size around as a D cell flashlight.

I have done nothing to the pit except put two Tel-Tru thermometers on each side of the handle just above grate level.

 

[thedude9999]

I get that.


Was just wondering if you made changes when you took the plate out.

Just the plate - nothing else.

 

[raynchk]

As to your problem, I think most of your heat/smoke is drafting up the chimney. That fire box lid needs to be closed and regulate the heat with the door draft and a chimney damper. Years of heating with wood stoves...



My two bits.. Twenty some years ago I bought a cheap offset smoker from some box store. Didn't like it because I couldn't control the heat ($200). Gave it to a friend and bought a *real* offset made with 1/4" steel and couldn't control the heat with it very well ($650) either. Gave up on it and bought a 'Good One' offset w/ cabinet ($2000+or-). It worked pretty well. Divorced moved and it was Weber Kettles and a Vision kamodo. Kamodo was good, but I moved again and sold it. Now I've got a Hunsaker UDS. Long story to tell you I like the Hunsaker the best. Sometimes I think of selling it and buying a big joe, but then I always talk myself out it. I think the trick (for me) is lump charcoal and wood chunks. Fire mgt is always a pain in the ass.

 

[CptKaos]

As to your problem, I think most of your heat/smoke is drafting up the chimney. That fire box lid needs to be closed and regulate the heat with the door draft and a chimney damper. Years of heating with wood stoves...

And that right there is why so many have trouble cooking with an offset, it is not and should not be run like a woodstove.

 

[Speeed]

Fire mgt is always a pain in the ass.

But its really not once you learn your smoker. (and operate it correctly)
My LSG is about as trouble free as an offset can get. Its ridiculously easy to run especially since adding the fire basket. So much so that I find myself using it more now than my pellet smoker.

Fire management isn't a pita, learning the nuances of your particular pit is but once that learning curve is completed your pit should be pretty easy to run.

With regards to the OP...it sounds like some of his issues may be self inflicted. (which is the case in many of these situations in my opinion)

The Brazos is a fairly popular pit. If it was junk or impossible to run I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be a secret.

 

[lstoker]

Thought about this thread today. Lit the fire at 5AM and been tending ever since. Have two pork butts on, waiting to put some pork belly and chickens on in a little bit.

Not stressed whatsoever, and just tossing a split on every 40 mins or so. Running a steady 270-275F