Old Country - SmokeHouse

Any type of purchased BBQ Pit.

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Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby rus_bro » Fri Jan 20, 2017 3:13 pm

I did some searching around here and didnt come up with anything what im looking for so here i go.

I have read many reviews and chatter about all of the smokers at Academy and have my own thoughts on the offset smokers there just from personally checking them out. BUT i have never heard anything about the "Old Country Pits "Smokehouse" for $700.

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I took a look inside and the welds seem OK, but im sure some are better than others. There is something about these designs that i just like. Its like a WSM that can hold 10 briskets.

Anyone got any experience with these? Definitely not 1/4" metal, but not paper thin either.

Not looking to buy now, but i am always in the "shopping" stage of smoker buying since i would like to upgrade my smoker game sometime later this year.

thanks
rb
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby Txdragon » Sun Jan 22, 2017 7:47 pm

I was looking at one myself for a vertical option. I think they are 14g with 11g doors. Would probably be about as sturdy as one of the charbroiler pits.
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby Chasdev » Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:10 am

FWIW, I got an Old Country Pecos more than a year ago and after installing gaskets in the cook chamber, have run it more than a dozen times with no manufacturing or door fit problems whatsoever.
I did have to install tuning plates and an improved fire grate along with a rack in the firebox to allow the wood to better stay upright during the burn.
For the money, I'm very pleased with the cooker and I got to learn how to properly smoke meat while I fought the shortcomings.
Oh, and I also learned that checking the dryness of the intended fuel is very high up on the list of what it takes to achieve a good outcome.
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby rus_bro » Fri Jan 27, 2017 9:31 am

Chasdev wrote:FWIW, I got an Old Country Pecos more than a year ago and after installing gaskets in the cook chamber, have run it more than a dozen times with no manufacturing or door fit problems whatsoever.
I did have to install tuning plates and an improved fire grate along with a rack in the firebox to allow the wood to better stay upright during the burn.
For the money, I'm very pleased with the cooker and I got to learn how to properly smoke meat while I fought the shortcomings.
Oh, and I also learned that checking the dryness of the intended fuel is very high up on the list of what it takes to achieve a good outcome.


looking at it a couple times, i would think a couple of better door latches, door gaskets and a couple of holes drilled in the side for probes (ala the WSM), that may make a heck of a cooker. Not to mention it looks like it could be bolted easily to a trailer if needed.

I am getting a little sweet on this one at the moment.

rb
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby Gencom » Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:55 pm

I actually bought one of these the past weekend.. I can tell you my experience.

It has a Water pan, that can be a plus or a Minus depends on how you look at it. sadly my pan has a small hole at the crease of a weld (might jbweld it) so it drips water. I get that sizzling sound every few seconds. Moving on, My grates are actually pretty straight, however one of the swing bars for sausages is welded crooked so it likes to swing out, I just pushed it to the back, until it gets "seasoned" good enough it doesn't move so freely.

In the firebox area, There seems to be a newer model of this smoker out, at one academy I saw it had tabs on the sides so you can tilt the fire grate out while cleaning. Mine doesn't have this feature, which would actually be nice to have.
The fire grate in this thing actually SUCKS, it need more holes for airflow as it stands, your coals will most likely smother your fire on extended cooks. One of the Top cooking grates will fit in the firebox though, depends on your needs, I actually ended up using a fire brick on either side and setting a Grate from my WSM 22" inside.

I tossed some coals on the grate and threw on a Piece of Post oak. let it catch and added another... It actually took more wood than i thought to get this smoker up to temp, I suppose that can be remedied with a larger bed of coals.

I like to cook between 225 and 250. I bought 2 of the cold country temp gauges along with the smoker. It has holes for the in the middle. I added one on the top and bottom leaving the middle open and taking a avg of the two for its temp.
I actually have about 25-40 degree difference between the bottom Temp gauge and Top, Thats with a full pan of water.. I may try sliding the pan closer to the door and see if that helps. on the other end of it all i could also be picking up radiant heat off that pan and its creating a higher temp.

I run full splits in mine and its about 1 every 45-hour to maintain a swing of 215-250. She puts out nice blue smoke, creates a good draft from the 2 stacks on top. Temps hold ok once adjusted, I mean its no WSM but i'd assume it might be harder on a offset.

Smoked some beef ribs and pork ribs and both came out great. Has that distinct wood flavor that the WSM could never get.


* Notes...

First time i smoked on this thing i left the water pan empty, that resulted in me getting that sizzling from the fat dripping off the chicken and hitting that plate that seperates the Cooking chamber from the firebox. I personally dont like that drippings burnning flavor so i filled up the water pan. ( would not really bea issue on a offset )

I think it'd be better to see about building or buying a additional cooking grate and using it as a fire grate. Or if handy, making one from angle iron and expanded metal.

I Think i will see about welding those catch tabs on the inside of my firebox.

I May take a look at adding thicker metal on that plate that separates the Chamber from the firebox, I think it may help even out temps and help with recovery.

Defiantly needs new wheels in the back ( Why casters Why !!! )


* Anyone know a good wood supplier in houston ??? I was a victim of not knowing anything and got took for the1/4 chord ( which was really a face 1/4 chord ) for 80.00
and wouldn't you know it hisses and sizzles when i put it in, :( so i bought some wood from academy thats goooood and dry, start my fire with that and then more my upcoming logs i got from the con artist in to the firebox on the side and i let them heat up to try and get rid of some of that moisture.



All and All i think its a good pit, if it was Thicker metal it'd be awesome.
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby rus_bro » Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:05 am

Gencom, thanks for the review. I saw a post in another forum saying the same thing about the fire grate, something needs to be done to add some air flow. He actually cut out most of the middle of the grate and welded in a piece of expanded metal. Even without welding skills, im sure the expanded metal could be bolted to the existing plate.

Do you think the smokehouse would be a little more efficient if you would choke off one of the exhausts a little to keep the smoke/heat in the chamber a little longer?

Also, there are a bunch of guys that sale wood around Houston on Craigslist.

rb
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby smellthatsmoke » Sun May 27, 2018 11:00 pm

I just bought this smoker at Academy 2 weeks ago. I've only cooked on it once, but so far I love it. I recommend adding a large charcoal basket, an ash pan, and lining the water pan with foil or using foil pans. There are 2 ways to use this smoker. If you go all wood, you will need about 14-20 small logs for a typical 10-12 hour cook. All intakes and exhaust will need to be fully open most of the time. You can also use charcoal and wood chunks but you will need a charcoal basket . this method allows you to choke down the intake and exhaust and run a bit more efficiently. I will try brisket in this smoker next. If you plan on buying one, Look it over very carefully. I noticed a few little weld issues and a tiny bit of surface rust on the inside and they gave me 20% off.
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby smellthatsmoke » Mon May 28, 2018 4:18 pm

rus_bro wrote:Gencom, thanks for the review. I saw a post in another forum saying the same thing about the fire grate, something needs to be done to add some air flow. He actually cut out most of the middle of the grate and welded in a piece of expanded metal. Even without welding skills, im sure the expanded metal could be bolted to the existing plate.

Do you think the smokehouse would be a little more efficient if you would choke off one of the exhausts a little to keep the smoke/heat in the chamber a little longer?

Also, there are a bunch of guys that sale wood around Houston on Craigslist.

rb


Thank you for posting about the firebox plate solution. Cutting out the plate and bolting in some expanded metal seems like the best solution I've seen so far. When it burns through just toss it and bolt in a new piece. I also like that you can flip the plate to counteract the warping that occurs from the heat of the fire.
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby bbqbrisket » Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:28 am

I had an Academy Pecos Offset that I bought about 15 years ago and it worked well over the time. Ultimately, the firebox rusted out. I purchased a new Pecos from Academy. Wow, what a difference, and not good.
It is bigger than the "old" Pecos but the quality went way way down. The metal got thinner, it's not as well finished so it started rusting after the first year, and finally none of the openings has as tight a fit. I'm done with Old Country smokers.
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Re: Old Country - SmokeHouse

Postby Finito86 » Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:43 pm

So I’ve had this smoker for around 3 or 4 years and these last 2 I’ve really put it through it’s paces! At this price point I only have 2 complaints about this smoker.

1 is the airflow into the firebox. A vent on the left and right side of this box would make it a god tier bargain smoker for the price!

2 is the casters in the back, I use this for competitions and I wheel it out to the truck, plop it over and it’s good to go. So wheeling metal casters through dirt and grass can be a pain even when pulling frombehind instead to put the big wheels first.

While using this do not EVER close off your stacks. This thing already has bad air intake with the 1 air intake vent, if you close off a stack you’re asking for disgusting tasting meat. I keep all vents wide open and just let it breath as clean as possible, control your temp with your wood input not your air flow. If you are doing some serious cooking you will not get more than 9 spares, or 6 briskets in there at a time. I’m currently building a pit now but I will still use this despite a slight flaw that comes with the vertical design. This has nothing to do with the quality of the manufacturing but when you load this pit down and that bottom grate has a rack full of meat, you will see a 40ish degree temp swing from bottom to top, the lower meat does not let the heat travel through so plan your cooks accordingly. Second if you have very little meat in there you will see a slightly higher temp around the top grate as smoke and heat try to escape but experience a little build up right there. I have placed very high in comps and my meat is honestly great, it folds over the knife when sliced every time and doesn’t fall apart. If it comes out bad it’s because I messed up and I have occasionally let it get away from me.

I love this pit so much for the price and capacity I was literally tempted to buy another one of these and have a friend weld them together, throw a box on the back of it just as a fun experiment and make the whole thing top to bottom a cook chamber.

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