Old Country BBQ Pits Brazos Smoker Review!

I review my Old Country BBQ Pits Brazos offset smoker. Long story short - I LOVE IT! Is it perfect? No, but I think it is the BEST smoker you can buy at the price.

[@berniestewart1738]

I always tell people that using an offset and playing baseball or any other sport is very similar. The only way you can get better is by practicing and learning from our mistakes and successes. Every fire is different. I’m definitely thinking about upgrading to one of those. I have both of the OJ’s not the white Bronco OJ.

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

I agree with your analogy. It has taken a lot of fires, ruined food, and hours of practice for me to get it to where I can easily maintain a good fire now. I have also learned that different woods act differently, humidity plays a role, and so does outside temperature. I have also learned that my favorite woods to smoke with are hickory, oak (white oak, red oak, live oak), peach, and pecan.

[@re7206]

News about gazebo. Brand etc. nice cook. Yum. Just ordered a brazos

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

The gazebo was from Amazon. Just search for "MASTERCANOPY 8 x 5 Grill Gazebo Outdoor BBQ Gazebo Canopy with 2 LED Lights" and it was $159.95. The gazebo was a decent purchase. It went through a few hurricanes, thunderstorms, and other severe weather without getting damaged at all. I moved to a new house last year and could not take it with me unfortunately, but I plan on buying a larger version of it in the future. I would recommend getting one. It was easy to put together, was lightweight, and was very useful. I would buy a bigger one though if you have the room for it. I hope this helps!

[@josephhorswell4839]

The Brazos is actually 1/4" steel, not 3/4"... and the Pecos is 1/8". Both are completely welded together. The Pecos is appx. 2x's the thickness of the cheap offsets that sell in Lowe's & Home Depot, which are Rickety bolt together units.

[@100smp]

Hello from Austin, TX. Got my Brazos DLX in March for $1300. Added 24” smoke stack from Home Depot. Also added a 6” to 5” reducer. Cut baffle plate off. Added lone star grilz fire management basket to firebox. Welded 4 1.5” legs to fire management basket and took everything out of firebox which sets fire lower. Added 6 fire bricks on sides of firebox. Perfection. Oh, and do not put baffle plate in.

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

Thank you for your comment! I love how people can easily modify their Brazos to be customized for their own liking! Thank you for sharing!

[@100smp]

@@bridgesbrothersbbq1093 - And plug that drain! It is at least 10 degrees of a cooling effect on left side of smoker!

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

@@100smp Yea I have noticed that actually. It makes sense now. I have big plans for this smoker down the line. I need to get a few things done to it like plugging the drain and adding some fire bricks to the bottom of the cook chamber. It will all happen in time! Thank you for your input!

[@williamshelton4900]

What series firebox did you get 20 Or 24

[@williamshelton4900]

What series box did you get 20 or 24 ? Thanks

[@TonyBarber-vb5ep]

I bought a pellet smoker and love it. Retiring soon and will have more time and think l would enjoy having 1 of these. Very informative. Thanks.

[@greatjuankenobi217]

Awesome video!!!!!

[@re7206]

Bbqhq in cal have solid extention. Made of same pipe as original. 129$

[@cms123tube]

Get a cheap small vise grip to dedicate to that firebox door handle until you get a cool-touch handle welded on. That is what I did on my "old" New Braunfels smoker.

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

That is actually a brilliant idea! I will probably end up doing that. Thanks for the tip!

[@cms123tube]

@@bridgesbrothersbbq1093 I'll probably get a cool-touch off Amazon one day for $15 but I will likely use that vise grip for a long time 😂

[@hogtherapybbq2513]

I lined my fire box with fire bricks and build my fire on them. Bottom will never burn through.

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

I really like that idea! I might end up giving it a shot to see how well it works. Thank you for the input!

[@mhammer5]

Hello I enjoyed your video of the Brazos smoker. I have been going back and forth on whether to pull the trigger on the 1975 smoker. It's a lot more expensive, however I saw a video where a guy rated some of these smokers and with 3/8 thick metal the 1975 came in cheaper per pound of the other smokers in it's class. I like the fact that the 1975 is a 24” smoker instead of 20”. I think for now soon I would like to pick up the Brazos. It has been bouncing back and forth from $1,299 to $1,199 depending when sales are going on. I have considered the Horizon models since they are ¼ steel and I could pick one up myself since I am only 55 miles away. Right now I am looking at the Brazos. By the way I don't know if you have seen the Mad Scientist BBQ where he modifies the Brazos by removing the baffle in the cooking chamber to test for even heat. Thanks again for the video. I am subscribing. TITLE of the Mad's video/baffle. How to Make a $1k Smoker Cook Like a $4k Smoker | Mad Scientist BBQ

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

Thank you for your kind words! I think that the Brazos is THE best smoker for the price point. .even above the old price of $999. I think that the 1975 is a great smoker. I love the finish on the 1975, it has more features right out of the box compared to the Brazos, and it looks like it comes built with a smoke collector too. The bottom line is that I think that the Brazos is a wonderful smoker to buy if you are an amateur/beginner looking to get into offset smoking. Plus, there are a lot of different ways to modify and customize a Brazos to fit your style. I think that either the Brazos or 1975 will be a wonderful choice. It all depends on your budget really, and if the extra bells and whistles that come with the 1975 is a must for you. I love the Brazos, but truth be told my dream smoker is a 48" Deluxe Patio smoker made by Lang Smokers. I have seen Mad Scientist BBQ and how he has modified his smoker. I might eventually buy some tuning plates, but I do not think that I want to remove the baffle plate. I think that he has a wealth of information though, and he has been a great source of information for me. Thank you again for subbing to my channel and for your comment!

[@greatjuankenobi217]

Yes I subscribe to Jeremy for 3/4 years now.

[@berniestewart1738]

Oh man, with the door latch you better use your foot if you have decent shoes on.

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

I actually use a fire poker, axe, and/or shovel to open that latch. It gets extremely hot, and if touched with bare hands it will burn fingerprints off. I usually leave it cracked open about 1/4 inch to help with airflow and ease to open to add wood.

[@greatjuankenobi217]

Price went up to $1,200.00. Dammit 😬🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

[@re7206]

Bbqhq in simi valley cal. Slip in pipe extention. Nice. 129.00$

[@re7206]

Cook a bit of pork belly. Seasons nice and forms gasket naturally

[@Coffeedad]

Can you tell me where you bought the gazebo from and maybe the name of it? Thanks

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

Sure it was the MASTERCANOPY 8 x 5 Grill Gazebo Outdoor BBQ Gazebo Canopy with 2 LED Lights (Brown) on Amazon. The link is here a.co/d/6UijrCa

[@cms123tube]

Good review ! I am looking hard at the Brazos as my next offset smoker. My old FB Market Place $50 offset is turning out some good meat and taking me to school. I know I would like something bigger with 1/4 steel one day. How many briskets do you think you could fit on that Brazos ? I would love to see a video about the cooking capacity of the Brazos for different meats, Briskets, Pork Butts, Chicken Qtrs, Chicken thighs .... etc. etc. Cheers !

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

Personally, I only ever really cook one brisket on mine at a time due to the "sweet spot" being at the far left of the cooker. I could probably fit two on there quite easily to be honest. I have read reviews of people who claim "you can fit 38lbs of 5 briskets, or 5 whole turkeys, or 100+ chicken wings" on the Brazos. I am sure that it could fit 5 briskets on it, but you would have to constantly rotate them in order to get an even cook on them all. There is a REALLY good review here: www.bestreviewsforkitchen.com/old-country-brazos-vs-pecos/ if you want to read up on a side-by-side comparison of the Brazos and Pecos. I have now had my Brazos for a year and a half now at this point, and I am gearing up to do a second review of the smoker to tell people how it has held up, if I still recommend it, etc. I think it is important for people to know what the Brazos is like after a year and a half of ownership. FYI: I still love it, and it has held up like a tank.

[@cms123tube]

@@bridgesbrothersbbq1093 That was a good review of the Brazos and Pecos including food capacities. Thanks !

[@timothymalehenderson8589]

So oil gets in between atoms? Like splitting atoms....?? I never knew

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

Yes. Exactly right. I took my smoker to the Hadron Collider in Switzerland to season my smoker. I think that is fairly common practice. . right?

[@harisaslam573]

Can you please tell me what is cut size in between cook chamber and fire box. Its a moon cut or some thing else. Thanks

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

The cut that connects the firebox to the cook chamber is oval-shaped. It is also around 8 inches or so in length, and around 4 inches wide.

[@harisaslam573]

@@bridgesbrothersbbq1093 thankyou so much for this information. Actualy i am trying to make my own same like this. I have almost all other information. One more question is how many inches below fire box is attached with cook chamber.

[@aaliyahbrown1643]

I think you will love the Char griller grand champ

[@williamshelton4900]

I’ve had mine 3 yrs, it’s well worth the 20 dollars for the pipe extension. Changes everything!! Watch mad scientist smoker review for the money you made the correct choice! I watched the most boring video in the world , but it ended with temp is not regulated by vents and doors. It’s by the chunks of 🪵. Cooked a brisket yesterday, the easiest, most relaxing, peaceful cook I’ve ever done. Temp stayed dead in the whole cook. Good luck sir . And smoke on !! Where did you get tent? Guess I should of watched the whole video before I commented. Lol

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

I have really thought about adding the pipe extension to mine. I have read enough about them now to confidently invest in one. I got the tent from Amazon. www.amazon.com/dp/B07MNH28TP?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details is the link to it. It only took about 30 minutes or so to put together by myself, and it has been a really nice investment. I might even buy one more to put directly in front of the other one to double the shade. I will be doing a full review of that particular tent/gazebo in the upcoming weeks. Thank you for your comments on my video! How did your brisket turn out?

[@greggbarr5001]

I have a brazos also. I need to figure out something besides that cheesy cheap dryer vent for a extention.

[@bridgesbrothersbbq1093]

@@greggbarr5001 Yea I agree with you. So far I can only find cheap-looking solutions for it. I wish they made something like this bbqsmokermods.com/18-in-smoke-stack-extension-for-oklahoma-joe-s-highland-offset-cooker-using-3-in-smoke-stack.html