How to Make a $1k Smoker Cook Like a $4k Smoker | Mad Scientist BBQ

Use code MADSCIENTISTBBQ16 for up to 16 FREE MEALS + 3 Surprise Gifts across 6 Hello Fresh boxes plus free shipping at bit.ly/3nmkEfo
------------------------------------------
Join my Patreon community here: / madscientistbbq
Thermal Camera: amzn.to/3r9Pdad
------------------------------------------
WAGYU Beef Tallow • amzn.to/3bTLeH... LARD • amzn.to/3wMXNeV
------------------------------------------
MY FAVORITE THERMOMETER - Thermoworks affiliate links:
Thermapen ONE: www.thermowork...
Thermapen IR: www.thermowork...
Thermapen Mk4: www.thermowork...
Smoke X: www.thermowork...
Infrared thermometer: www.thermowork...
------------------------------------------
Find Amazon Products from my videos: www.amazon.com...
------------------------------------------
Some of my BBQ Essentials affiliate links:
FABRIC GLOVE LINERS: amzn.to/2vJ0t3s
Butcher Paper Cutter: amzn.to/2W1A2ya
Black Gloves: amzn.to/2FFsBr2
Glove Liner: amzn.to/2VXWNU0
Boning Knife: amzn.to/2W084ms
Shun Boning Knife: amzn.to/2FDs1Kd
Head Lamp: amzn.to/2FFhOgv
Slicing Knife: amzn.to/2VYTwDO
Spray Bottle: amzn.to/2FGmum7
Aluminum Foil: amzn.to/2FCibbo
------------------------------------------
WISIO: Get my personalized advice: www.wisio.com/...
Email [e-mail] to get info about a consultation with Jeremy
Order your leather apron here: madscientistbb...
Motion Graphics/Animation provided by Kaitlyn Kirk Design: kkirk.me
Some of these links are affiliate links. If you use them, I'll receive a commission and it will help me make more content like this for my channel.
This video is sponsored by Hello Fresh.

[@ChudsBbq]

haha I've removed many baffles from old countries pits for people

[@MadScientistBBQ]

As someone who actually knows how to work with metal, I would imagine you did a much better job than I did! When are you gonna let me come cook on a chud pit?

[@fnord5]

Haven't finished the video yet, and I don't know what you do for a living, but it's so satisfying as a man to bend, cut weld and torch steel into submission, then cook animal flesh on your creation. I highly recommend keeping at it.

[@fnord5]

Also, ear protection is a must

[@UseAbuseReuse]

@@MadScientistBBQ A Bradley and Jeremy collab, yes?

[@jeremiahgarcia6999]

I recently modified my smoker in a similar fashion. Stack was 3" in diameter and coming off of the back side behind the lid about 3/4 of the way up (too far above cooking surface). Put in a 2×4 piece of square tubing off the very end right at the height of the grate and increased the height a lot. It cooked a lot better. Furthermore I cook on my enclosed deck. The deck has exhaust fans but they never really keep up with the amount of smoke produced and it often leads to rendering the area less than ideal to hang out in while I cook. This is due to a lack of a collector or "hood" to focus the draw above my smoker. So I modified one of my fans with some heating duct hose that I routed directly above the stack of the smoker and HUZZAH! Not only was the smoke rendered almost unnoticeable on the deck but the extra suction from the fan through the smoker's stack made the smoker burn and flow even better! I will be making another brisket in a few days to see how it all performs now. Please see if you can modify a small smoker with a fan to provide extra draw through the stack and produce better BBQ. 🙏

[@originalsource5856]

I just bought an Old country Brazos for my birthday this weekend. The first thing I did was remove the baffle plate so that the Brazos would now be a top down smoker. If anyone wants to do the same just cut the bottom two welds, then pull up and down on the baffle plate and the last few welds will break off. Great video! Can't wait for the next one.

[@PuenteBBQ]

You beat me to it! Took me about 5 minutes to get the baffle out using this method

[@allenday07]

I've had this pit for over a year and I will be removing this plate.

[@originalsource5856]

@@allenday07 It's not hard just be patient.

[@originalsource5856]

@@PuenteBBQ Sorry dude.

[@jsford89]

Must be welding them a bit better now, but I bought my Brazos a few months ago. I have cut the 2 welds on the bottom with an angle grinder, but theres 3 welds on the top of it, and when I try to pull up or down on the baffle, it barely budges. I'm probably gonna have to go through the tedious process of drilling out the top welds, or drilling around them in the baffle itself to remove it.

[@hulkhuggett]

I did these mods this past weekend and ran about 25 hours of tests. The one difference was the stack wasn't so tall. I had fluctuations of over 200° on my firebox side. As soon as I took the stack off it immediately calmed down to around 50° difference. I was using 4 digital probes to run my tests. Ran multiple water pans and locations (including water pan in the firebox), tuning plates with and without and a gambit of other tests and locations, etc. Ultimately, I ran no baffle, no tuning plates, no stack extension, water pan on bottom grate next to firebox. That was my most consistent setup only varying about 50° (maybe 60°) which I am more than happy with. I ran the stack wide open and firebox between half and 3/4 open. That ran my pit at about 235°, 255°, 280° from left to right. Hope this helps someone.

[@lynndollar1013]

The thermal camera is a nice idea, but does not give a true picture of what's happening inside the cooker. Its measuring the temp of the steel but does not account for air flow. And steel temps do not fluctuate. Digital probes and biscuits are more accurate. And even temps end-to-end aren't something to worry about. On these backyard offsets, the stack half of the grate is where it happens.

[@Smokermod]

@@lynndollar1013 very good points.

[@ryanreynolds9463]

Thank you. 👍

[@JenniferGJones]

This is definitely helpful. Thank you

[@emcalone]

I think the point of the mods is to have consistent temps between hot spots at either end of the cook chamber. The firebox side will always fluctuate quite a bit with the fuel. How were the temps in the middle of the cook chamber?

[@kevo6987]

Hell yeah!!! Glad you finally did a video on this! RaleighSmoke has an awesome series on this topic and I immediately cut the baffle and added the stack extension. My Brazos cooks even as hell

[@RaleighSmoke]

I’m excited to see the next video. Really interested to see the head to head. I think the Franklin will win, but I think it’ll be close. We’ll see.

[@timmyo8362]

Thank you for doing this. I've seen SO MANY suggestions for mods on Facebook, but it's hard cutting pieces off a new $1200 smoker without cold hard evidence that it will improve it. Very much looking forward to the followup!

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Yeah gonna do it soon to make sure these mods improve the performance. I want to make sure it works before everyone tries it themselves

[@RaleighSmoke]

@@MadScientistBBQ - I did these mods on my Pecos and documented the findings. I’m very happy with the results, especially on a cooker half the price of the Brazos. I’m very interested to see your final opinion. 🍻

[@Smokermod]

@@RaleighSmoke has great content check out his videos.

[@kevo6987]

@@Smokermod You do as well!

[@SevenHunnid]

I got fired from my job because i almost beat up my 50 year old co-worker so now i smoke weed on my KZbin channel, meanwhile i get back to the hustle😈 I didn’t want to catch a case 😂✊

[@joedman7815]

So i have an offset I've had for almost 16 years. I always had to burn a ton of wood to keep a 250+ heat in the chamber. I modified it to match the Franklin, cutting into the side and adding the smoke collector, and a tall stack, I now love my BBQ again! The draw is 1000% better! Before the hottest i could get my chamber by just using the smoker box was 380. After these mods, it got to 480 with out even trying! I can also hold my heat and chock it down much more to use less wood. It truly is a new BBQ!!!!

[@duncandavidson6011]

i think this is awesome shows you don't always need to buy a new or more expansive smoker great video excited to see the cook off in it

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Yeah. Having an expensive pit is nice but it’s not necessary.

[@josephstulec8247]

Hey buddy I did the same thing with my wrangler. Me and Raleigh smoked discussed this on Facebook a while back, I think he was the first one to take the plunged and remove the heat deflector. My Idea was to drill holes because the baffle was burning the bottom of my BBQ. But Raleigh smoke had the better idea. Not to Monday morning QB but if you cut the spot weld on the left and right and jiggled it the way you did it would have removed the whole baffle. But great video as usual!

[@gabrielbennett5162]

My "cheap" offset actually worked best in its stock configuration, I found, once I learned how to handle it right. I had tried a bunch of different gimmicks like this previously, with very mixed results. I found the thing that made the biggest difference was keeping the stack wide open. I still occasionally put a water pan in mine though.

[@charliezicolillo]

stack and firebox wideopen,with a water pan.i have a Char Griller GrandChamp XD.they make Oak Joes.I paid 499.99 for the grandchamp.iam going to take out the baffle next time.

[@thomaspharmer9228]

Thank you! I’m a big fan…Great timing…Hahah. This afternoon, prior to seeing this video, i spent three hours grinding and removing the baffle plate out of my brazos (what a pain btw) and extending the stack. I had watched your smoke collector video and I figured this was a sign you were going in the direction of pulling the baffle plate out of your brazos and extending the stack to make it cook like a Franklin even though the Brazos doesn’t have a collector (Which you showed doesn’t make a big difference). I also watched the Raleigh Smokes youtube videos where he does a similar modification. I have done numerous rib, chicken, and butt cooks on my brazos and the bottoms kept burning even though I kept temps pretty consistent across the grate. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your videos, thank you. Keep up the good work!

[@RaleighSmoke]

I’m looking forward to this too. Thnx for the mention!

[@rollbot]

Awesome! A smoker like this is EXACTLY in my budget and what I'm looking to pickup this spring! Love that this works so well!

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Awesome!

[@Smokermod]

The Brazos runs really nice without the baffle and a stack extension. FYI academy from time to time offers 10% for military and first responders it’s a great smoker.

[@All2Skitzd]

The brazos DLX is only $100 more and you get a counter weight on the lid and a useless tuning plate. I signed up for their email list and saved 10 percent off the total price also.

[@Smokermod]

@@All2Skitzd awesome hope you enjoy your Brazos. It runs amazing after making a few easy modifications.

[@gardentogether9298]

In Alabama u can pick up that exact pit for 499.00 from academy sports. Huntsville al

[@RobertMPaulson]

Well I did it… I bought the Brazos DLX and removed the heat baffle, extended the stack, installed two grate level thermometers and I plan on seasoning it tomorrow. I’ve been smoking meats for 3 years now so just starting my journey in the world of smoked meats. You sir are a fantastic guide. Thank you . Everything I’ve tried from your channel has worked exactly as you have said. Keep the content coming !

[@alwayza9er]

How is it working for you? Even temps?

[@RobertMPaulson]

@@alwayza9er oh yes very even i love this smoker. `i have done probably 30 briskets on it and i am amazed at the even temps across the entire grate. there is a hot spot in front of the fire box but i can't see how one avoids that in any scenario. `i installed two thermometers at grate level and they stay within 5 degrees of each other during the entire cook. I love the smoker and have made the best food i have ever made on this grill\smoker. did you buy a Brazos, and if so what has been your experience

[@alwayza9er]

@@RobertMPaulson I have been using my Weber to smoke, been looking to get an offset for awhile now. I’m out in California so closest builders are fat stack pretty much and one of the priciest even compared to other top end smokers. I settled on wanting the 1975 with the build, foldable stack, 3/8 ect for the price you pay. However with shipping that’s pushing 4 grand…this seems to be offering a well built offset with 1/4 in and I don’t mind removing a baffle/extending stack, adding gasket ect (if after that it runs pretty even across). I also like the 1976 had a large firebox to keep a fire closer to the door if you wanted. So no other issues/complaints really then?

[@alwayza9er]

@@RobertMPaulson what split sizes have you been using, and how long for each spit? 45min?

[@RobertMPaulson]

@@alwayza9er i use only wood and my splits are about 16 in long and a medium size. i use cherry and white oak for beef and just cherry for pork or chicken. I have plenty of land so i source my own wood. when I have a good coal base i can leave it for up to 2hours without worry. the thick walls retain the heat and the stack extension gives is loads of draw so the temps stay even.

[@rodyroel1003]

Curious why you went away from the tuning plates you had in the old country in an earlier video you did along with the biscuit test. Is removing the baffle better than using tuning plates? What's the difference overall between the two methods? Thank you for any response in advance.

[@markdephilippo1404]

The thermal camera works awesome now I get a better idea of how those modifications really work. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@nathanjohn5432]

I would love to see you do some more videos on barrels like the pit barrel cooker and walk through some cooks on those as well as potential modifications.

[@gtrplr778]

My favorite BBQ channel, I'm always on the lookout for expert advice, and clear demonstrations of cooking techniques. You do it right, very well done.

[@williamshelton4900]

I have that old country smoker, I started out with a really cheap char griller. That’s what I learned to smoke meat on ( good meat ) after I learned how to use it!! The point is this, practice practice, meat probe, KZbin videos and practice!!! I did add a stack extension on the old country ( big difference) better heat control. If you watch enough videos you will see there’s really no right or wrong way after you learn the basics. I will say this the newest way mad man does the ribs CANNOT BE BEAT!! Mad scientist, chuds and how to bbq right is all you need to watch if just learning! I’m still trying wood only that’s a whole different animal, for you that’s mastered it ( salute you ) you pellet smoker people don’t even count, I understand the reason and there’s been times I’ve thought sure would be nice to set it and forget it. But than that would be horse shit ( cheating) nothing I did fricking pellets did it all. My opinion!!! Good luck to you all!!

[@williamsippel4435]

I did roughly the same thing to my Brazos except I actually flipped the baffle over so it directs the air up into the chamber. I tried it without the baffle and just couldn't get it to run the way I like. I'd say the stack extension made the most difference in air flow! I also added some fire brick to line the bottom of the firebox, another super cheap mod.

[@antt5112]

Because the 5" to 6" adaptor fits inside the stack pointing towards the source it interrupts airflow and acts like a damper, ( look at the thermal camera image though that may be difference in emissivity of the surfaces) that may be why the temps evened out. You could try and expand the base of the extension and get it to slip over the outside of the original stack and hold it there with pop rivets. Truck exhaust shops have a bolt on clamp for joining exhausts that will allow you to extend the exhaust without any interruptions to flow by using the same diameter pipe which they should also have. I really enjoy these videos where you are looking to improve what you do and what we can do.

[@JC-lf8pr]

Thanks for another useful video. Using some of your smoking tips and Mods I continue to enjoy my Brazos and the delicious smoked meat it produces. I removed the baffle plate and added the 24" stack extension. This change has produced a steady cleaner smoke with close to even temps side to side on the grate. (10-15 degree variance.) Looking forward to your Franklin Smoker vs. Modified Brazos video.

[@stevescasta5006]

Just added the stack to my Pecos, absolutely crazy how much easier it is to burn a clean fire. My cooks just got way more fun than they already are!

[@jeremysnowden7653]

I’m glad you’re using the Brazos again. I drove from upstate NY to Tennessee to get one this past October. Love it so far and am looking forward to doing these mods now. Thank you for your original Brazos review that led me to my purchase.

[@IslandTimeLeather]

Instead of removing the baffle plate, what if you just drilled out a few larger holes in it, making it more into a perforated deflector plate. In theory, releasing some of the heat and gas into the upper chamber while still pushing some of it into the bottom of the chamber...

[@chadsample2827]

I just bought the brazos yesterday and made a brisket on it i kept temp at 250 the whole cook and took 11 hours plus a few hour rest and gosh darn did it come out fantastic i did no mods to it and no burn spots im glad i came across mad scientist videos thats why i got the brazos its a great pit for the money for sure

[@MiguelGonzalez0928]

Same realization when trying to cut those spot welds near the grate holder. After scientific thinking. I just cut the two spot welds on the left and right side as to be able to pit it up and down and eventually break of those welds. Best decision.

[@benny79714]

You missed lining bottom inner circumference of fire box with kiln bricks. Insulates bottom half of firebox to make hotter, cleaner burning fire. Makes huge difference.

[@Denruter]

Dang, woulda loved to seen the thermal reading before the modification. Great Vid. Cheers.

[@kjrchannel1480]

I do simple things like put lava rock on top of expanded metal or grates which retains heat and balances it out. I did do the poor mans baffle with the firebox grate on the Highland and it works pretty good. To me a baffle's main goal is to deflect direct flames and heat from the food. If I did anything I would make the firebox bigger along with a larger diameter stack. It made no sense when they made the Texas longhorn combo with a huge firebox for a puny smoke chamber. When it is the complete opposite for the Highland.

[@scenick1]

Thank you for the video. I've been working around the hot spot for a couple of years now. Fluctuations of the internal thermometer are much more subtle and under control. Thanks!

[@OltonHall]

I modified my Old Country Wagner years ago when I first got it by putting an extension on the stack using a flexy-aluminum pipe and that greatly improved the draft. It started as a wind deflector but immediately became the use every time extension to improve draft. I do wonder if the Brazos has the same issue as the old Wagner's with the hole in has smoke chamber end wall being 1/2" smaller than the stack pipe ID. I'll definitely try removing the baffle now.

[@emcalone]

I drilled holes in the baffle plat and put a brick paver that blocks the airflow in from where the baffle plates end and it works so well. I added a 12 inch extension too.

[@odinjon]

The thermal videos are super cool. But how does a biscuit test turn out with the mods, and how does it cook briskets, ribs etc? I’m hungry for more! Smokin in Seattle

[@jdecar1]

I'm curious to see a biscuit test to show whether that collector is necessary or not. I'm thinking there's got to be a couple dead-spots in the corners without the collector.

[@Sbrandon12]

Can you do a video using an oklahoma joe highlander? I feel like the average bbq person has one, and would like to see how you would manage the fire on it.

[@adamsaldana7860]

Thank you. Truly genius. I’ve learned so much being subscribed to this channel. Need more vids of Randy to make me laugh please. 😃 God bless you and your family.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Awesome mods. Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to see the cook head to head

[@Parillerodepatio]

One thing I did to mine is, on the inside where the stack hole is, I cut it to be the same diameter as the stack pipe. That made a huge difference on the draw

[@wardad5628]

I like the idea of using an extension on my Yoder Wichita so I can remove it in-between cooks since I use a smoker cover. Thanks, Jeremy

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Yeah that’s a good point I didn’t even think of

[@markennes5208]

Yeah last fall I added chimney length onto my Oklahoma Joe Highland using automobile tailpipe extensions. Four of them for $9 each on sale. 18" length each. Easy peasy and works great!

[@cle_roknn3742]

I have an Old Country Wrangler (before they made the steel thinner), kissing cousin of the Brazos. I will have to try the stack modification, I still have the baffle, but I use a set of stainless steel grill sheets as heat diffusers. By aligning the holes or covering them over I have managed to keep even heating throughout. I measured this by a digital thermometer placed at various locations. This seems to work very well, does not require a cut off wheel or plasma torch and costs about $12.00….

[@rexhua4833]

Always satisfying to see money saving mods that actually work. Looking forward to the cooking comparison!

[@underourrock]

Totally agree with the idea of making smokers better. There is a lot you can do! Thanks for sharing some ideas. I'll share mine. 2 cuts parallel to the long side of the smoker into the baffle plate would allow you to bend it up. A horizontal baffle plate can help reduce the temperature difference without shooting the heat into the center. I keep my baffle plate pretty short...3 to 6" tops. Other things I like on a cheap smoker to make it so much better: At least 2 good quality temperature probes at grate height, one on the left and the other on the right... But a 3rd in the middle is very nice, but not critical. Bricks lining the bottom to act like a thermal battery absorbing heat at the start so that if I open the lid to mop or spritz, the bricks release heat and make recovery so much faster. The cheap smoker i had, the chimney didn't extend down to the grate, so some of that same extension you used brought the chimney down inside to the grate. These mods plus what you showed really makes the unit a lot more efficient, use less wood, stays more consistent. I ended up selling that smoker to a friend, but it was great.

[@ilsoundop]

Just bend the baffle plate straight up, works great for air flow and the plate act as a little bit of a buffer to the water pan

[@EricsBBQAndMORE]

Back in the day when the Brazos was your biggest pit you had us add baffle plates to even out the cooking surface. It works great, now we are removing all the baffles and extending the stack…I guess I’ll have to give it a go!

[@RaleighSmoke]

🤔

[@michaelshoffner1065]

I think the added baffles you're referring to are tuning plates. Tuning plates help manage heat distribution by utilizing/distributing radiant heat. Seems to me as Jeremy's BBQ journey has progressed, he has realized that the higher end smokers get better results from more convection ( and less radiant heat), thus he is removing the baffles/tuning plates now to try to increase air flow and convective heat in the Brazos.

[@EricsBBQAndMORE]

@@michaelshoffner1065 yes tuning plates. I’m going to give this a try.

[@TrulyUnfortunate]

Pitts and Spitts uses the same baffle. I always thought that baffle should have been adjustable so you could regulate the heat. I went to a Lang reverse flow and couldnt be happier. It holds temps far better than any smoker I've ever used. Another trick for cheap offsets is fire bricks. Lay a few in the fire box and in the smoking chamber and it will fix a lot of problems as far as keeping equal temps and temp fluctuations. The fire bricks even help with higher end pits.

[@tonefish3825]

Got up and went and cut that baffle out. Pro tip #1 - Cut the 2 small welds on the sides. Flex up and down to break the top welds.

[@brandonwatson3980]

I have been wondering so much about the content you just covered in this video. I’m getting a Brazos later this year. I enjoy your videos a lot

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Thanks! I hope this helps!

[@AntsBBQCookout]

I'm terrible with power tools so I had to really dig deep to use the angle grinder to get the baffle out of my pecos. Felt really accomplished when I finished 😂 Also, love the adapter trick you did for that extension! It totally bypasses the damper with no cutting needed. Super cool!

[@AntsBBQCookout]

Update for Pecos Owners: In the Pecos, the damper is attached on the inside of the stack with a welded bolt (unlike the brazos where the damper is attached outside the stack). So even if you buy the converter adapter, you will still have to use the angle grinder to cut a slot for the damper. So save the $11 the adapter and just buy a vent clamp like in Raleigh Smokes pecos mod video.!

[@sandragrafton6122]

Awesome video! Thanks! My Boyfriend Bruce Huff and I watch you all the time!! Your a favorite for sure! Always so informative!

[@G60syncro]

I changed the hot water tank last winter... I put it on the front porch and my GF asked: "-GF: How are you gonna get rid of it? -Me: Get rid of what? The future smoker?? -Aw! Carry on then... we'll keep it!!" Around 200$ of material later including angle iron, flat bars and some plate, a set of 6" casters and thermometers and I built a sweet base for it. I also found some Broil King grates that fit perfectly in the 40gal tank for another 125$ and I was in business! Only thing I would change is use a 40lb propane tank for the firebox instead of the 20lb I used but I plugged the numbers in an online calculator to size the openings and stack length right and it works pretty good considering I've got less than 400$ and a weekend into it!!

[@perlDreamer]

I'm glad you were able to get most of the plate out. I bet you could punch holes in what's left of the rest with a drill to continue to prevent it from forcing air down into the bottom of the Brazos.

[@SoGodDamnLonly]

Your content is always useful All the time as expected Keep it up man

[@karlsolomon2871]

Hey Jeremy, love your content, keep up the great work! Remembering an older video where you discussed advantages of convection plate in similar size backyard smoker. Curious about relative advantage of baffle removed vs convection plate w/ factory baffle intact. Which is better for optimizing usable cooking space on small backyard smoker (30-60 gal)? (Potential future video? :D)

[@rpm9460]

I was a little disappointed that you didn’t cook anything on this video. As informative as it is, I look forward to you tasting your finished product at the end of your videos. You always do that head bob to the left, after the first bite!! It cracks me up. If I see the “ Jeremy bob “, I know for sure I’m making whatever it was ur cooking!!!

[@OldManandtheSuperC]

i got tired of the firebox end of my Brinkman smoker being too hot so I put a rectangular pan where the heated air comes into the chamber, then add water. After a warm up period the water begin to steam filling the smoke chamber with moist smoke. Works great, meats come out tender and moist and the cooking time is reduced. I’ve used this with Turkey, pork butt, ribs and chicken.

[@siliilith]

Thanks for creating the bbq videos. One video I have been waiting on is the franklin vs brazos pit ! Lets make it happen. It was a pleasure meeting you at Goldee's BBQ a few weeks ago. Sadly I was "awe struck" and didn't act myself lol. Thinking back I regret not getting a picture of me standing next to you.

[@justcallmelopez]

I cut my baffle plate out and it did make it flow better but I had a major hot spot on the right side of the grate. I even had fire coming out of the firebox into the cook chamber. I reinstalled the baffle for now. Will be ordering tuning plates.

[@Todd.T]

I'm only posting this to add to the myriad of info out there. I have a Horizon 16" offset. So far, the hotspots seem to be by the fire and about 2 inches from the stack wall. The stack exits high on the unit but has a long stack. It actually seems pretty balanced. I find that adding a water pan or a pan of baked beans near the firebox, changes the whole dynamic of the unit. The stack side seems to drop in temperature. Also the fire seems to be more difficult to maintain because it either is running hot and inefficient or flames out until I open the door fully and then it bursts to life. During a high wind day, the fire was going out and then would explode back on like the unit was breathing. Removing the pan of water or beans on the firebox end resolves the issue and the cooking goes back to being even. Either use biscuits or FLIR to check to see if the mods made it better or worse.

[@wtgphoto]

Did you by any chance use the IR cam on the Brazos BEFORE you cut the deflector plate out? Compare the before and after??

[@benwagoner9741]

This is incredible!! What an amazing idea and video!

[@3sgtecelica175]

I did that to my old country pecos but you are also going to have to enlarge the inner hole going into the stack do to the fact it's a half inch smaller than the stack and restricts air flow. I also bent the baffle a little and reinstalled it in a upward direction to force the airflow upward with about a inch gap at the bottom of the baffle to encourage some airflow underneath the cooking chamber.

[@surfingtexas]

I was reluctant to purchase an Old Country but this video helped me make the decision. Thanks!

[@slowfuse]

i have a removal baffle with holes in it, experimented a lot and find it doesnt make much difference, best advantage is it stops wind blowing ash into your food

[@jamespollock2500]

Good video thank you! Looking at the thermal image you need to check both from the back. The 1K door seems to be the same temp; while the 4K has temp fluctuations. When looking at the shell lower right corner by the firebox looked hotter on the 1K. then the same spot on the 4K unit. My reasoning is the door could have air gaps allowing airflow to affect temp, whereas from the back the shell is one continuous piece and reflect what is happening inside better

[@ChrsGuit]

I cut my baffle out, cut the bottom to the same perimeter as my Old Country Pecos, and chopped it an inch... Then I stood it up vertically 7 inches from the firebox. Then I took a piece of 14 gauge steel and made a franklin style outlet (like the water pan sits on) that sits 2 inches above my cooking grate. If you have a basic welder and grinder, you can easily do this mod in a couple hours

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Cool! I can weld (not well) but that is something worth considering for sure

[@SmokedReb]

Awesome advice, thanks for the video.

[@KieranShort]

Awesome. Would be good to do the baking test on both to see how even the cook is when comparing.

[@jeremysnowden7653]

I removed mine after watching this. To make it a bit easier, I cut the welds on each side and then put a pry bar under it and lifted (wasn’t easy), then I bent it up and down a few times and broke the welds on the firebox side. I didn’t use the grinder at all on the firebox welds.

[@adrianramirez3599]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on baffle plates. I’ve been considering removing from my 250g for a while now bc of the direction of heat and the way it cooks meat, as you have observed. Heat from the top is much better. Gonna remove my baffle now.

[@BackyardEngineer334]

“Give it the ol college try” lmao, I ain’t heard that one in a while

[@pioneersmokehouseschannel]

Great video. You are a beast, all you need is a sludge hammer, lol. I like to put a cookie sheet in my cheap offset. I drill ¼ inch holes in it to adjust heat flow.

[@timpindell8178]

Also, if you want to measure airflow, there is surly a way to use an Anemometer. I understand the thought process with even temps, but two changes were made at the same time :)

[@RaleighSmoke]

I tried using an anemometer, but it melted. 😢

[@anthonplake]

I had issues with an angle grinder as well. I got a few welding tacks with the grinder but eventually used a drill bit and just did a lot of small holes and eventually got it off!

[@paula.2422]

Wow! Great intel. That's brilliant. Thank you 👍

[@johnroberson1986]

Perfect timing Jeremy! Just bought the Brazos DLX and realized right away that there was a hot spot despite the tuning plate. Makes a ton of sense!

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Ok stay tuned for the cook off. We are gonna find out if these mods are the ticket

[@jimmyford9469]

@@MadScientistBBQ any ETA on that video? I just bought a DLX as well. This is my first offset I was just gonna go ahead and remove the plate based off of sheer excitement from this video lol. I will wait if the video is coming soon. Thank you for all of these videos you do. Your videos motivated me to make this purchase and to get into real bbq. I needed this too. Covid and working from home is weighing on my soul. I need a hobby.

[@mista901895]

Thanks for this. The stack mod took my Oklahoma Joe's from frustrating to foolproof

[@BM1620]

I'm saving for a Old Country G2, seems to be the best built offset for under $2k

[@PlanktoniusRex]

It would have been cool to have seen the thermal imaging of the Brazos before and after the mods. As for the baffle plate, I would just drill a dozen 1/2" holes and gone for the best of both worlds. In any case, looks like the mods worked well! Good job.

[@RumandCook]

Good stuff. I too am power tool challenged, I think you did a fine job :) 🍻

[@patmac1134]

Try lining your firebox with fire bricks. It adds a little heating up time, but it insulates your box.

[@Fremar5]

Can you try to weld a curved shield (1/2 steel pipe) on the bottom in front of the firebox opening, so the hot air curves up towards the top of the pit. This way you get a good flow of hot air / smoke over the top of the meat, while at the same time you shield the meat better against direct heat so you have more useable gridspace. what do you think?

[@rbruceBruce]

Nice mod 👌 it looks more even than the Franklin. It would been interesting to see see it before though. Can't wait to see how it works. Thanks

[@donseemann3234]

Would this work roughly the same on a Wrangler? And, what would you thinks of just drilling some holes in the baffle rather than removing it all together?

[@Sheps246]

Great video, did you end up doing a follow up video to confirm that this actually improves the cooking? I looked but couldn't find anything either confirming this or, dispelling it.

[@NA-xm7wj]

Just came across this video but can’t find the follow up video with an actual cook between the two smokers I’m very interested

[@All2Skitzd]

My baffle on my brazos DLX is only spot welded. So far I bent it up as much as I could before it felt like the back welds was going to break and it helped but I think I'm going to take it out next cook

[@MadScientistBBQ]

Only now do I realize that if I had just wiggled that baffle the back welds would have broken. Haha

[@giangiglio8855]

cant wait for part 2

[@danblacksher6289]

Still waiting on the cook off between the 2 smokers. Would be interesting to see the results

[@niuredblack]

Great video as always, could you do a cook with the Pit Barrel Cooker?

[@DaMang01]

This is great stuff! I picked up my Brazos earlier this year and before I built my first fire, I made these mods. However, I do find it difficult to control the fire's output with the stack left on. I use it only to increase the temperatures as needed, then remove it and use the stock stack damper to dial the temperatures in. If there is a way to add a damper to the stack, then I would do that. Jeremy, have you found a way to incorporate a damper on the stove pipe stack? If so, would you share? If not, do you remove the stove pipe stack as I described? Again, and as always, thank you for your content as you are my go to for making fantastic BBQ that many friends and family of mine love and enjoy!

[@bradleyhorry2318]

You should do a video comparing the brazos with the mods to the fat stack, Franklin, and workhorse. I’d like to see a head to head comparison on how well you can get the brazos to cook

[@edwardwalsh4657]

Five years ago you have a video putting tuning plates on a brazos. Which do you think is better, the tuning plates or removal of the baffle and stack extension.

[@kylebowers6093]

There are multiple Facebook groups for Old Country owners and tons of videos have been uploaded of people making these exact same mods, I'm sure you can find one to help with getting that last piece out.

[@dustyduggan5825]

Really looking forward to the cook comparison. I’m about to pull the trigger on a new brazos hope to get one soon!

[@JenniferGJones]

Jeremy, did you end up putting a damper on top of the stack extension? Prob going to extend mine on the Brazos but I don’t want anything (rain etc) getting into the stack while I’m not cooking. Wanted to see your thoughts. Thanks for the video!

[@5BucsJK]

Jeremy, you've tested a lot of smokers (including pellet smokers) but I haven't seen a review of any Recteq smokers. Have you tested any of the Recteq smokers? If so, I'd be interested in your honest review.

[@YourServant227]

Great vid. I wonder how this would work on a drum smoker. Perhaps the long inlet tubes on a gateway or OJ bronco do the same thing. Would have liked to see a 'before' thermal cam. Not very scientific :) Oh and please wear some ear pro when operating a grinder inside a metal box! We want you making content for a long time.

[@peteromprey9253]

I wonder what Brazos thinks about the mods ? You could have used a Sawzall with carbide blades. Great video. Maybe the thermo camera could have been used before the mod scene

[@kirinvpower1771]

Love your videos and I learn a lot about making good brisket. Was wondering what are your thought on reverse flow offset smoker? I have a oklahoma joe longhorn reverse flow smoker as a birthday gift and wanted to know the science behind it and if it's better than regular offset smoker

[@Thomas-qe7ez]

This was awesome. I have a LyfeTyme pit made in Uvalde, TX. Similar to the Brazos but slightly bigger. Wish I could afford a Chud Pit. In any event, this video was very helpful. I’m going to grab a stack extender on the next few days after watching this video. Thanks much!

[@steverhodes467]

I just finished up a rehab on a LyfeTyme offset

[@Unfadeable21]

When are you gonna cook on the Brazos again with the new mods? I took out my baffle plate and put a stack extension as well on mine. I think it works much better and more consistent.