Old Country BBQ Pits PECOS | The Second Cook

In this video I show you my second cook on the Old Country BBQ Pits Pecos and give you an update on fixes and improvements. I also do a test with the old fire grate as a tuning plate inside the cook chamber. The results were surprising.
Fire Grate:
www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...
MUSIC:
"Plantation" by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: audionautix.com/
"Temptation" by Chris Haugen (KZbin Library)
"Corncob - Country" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@tonygonzalez2224]

Great job on this video!👍🤠

[@2005Pilot]

Keep them coming!!!

[@RaleighSmoke]

I'll do my best! Thanks for watching!

[@davidbeaumont3043]

What a well made video!

[@AntsBBQCookout]

Picked up that cast iron rack you got! Thanks for the tip 🙌

[@RaleighSmoke]

Oh word?!? 😂

[@MrSilvervw]

Fantastic content 👌 👏 👍

[@joeking4037]

Very Informative videos. 👍🏽🤙🏽👏🏽

[@BrisketMedic]

Really like that grate for the fire box. I’m looking to build something very similar

[@GB-cj3ok]

Totally agree with your view on the B&B wood splits. I use them faithfully for fire not flavor i use chunks for wood flavor. I am an Academy man. I'm sure you figured it out by now but I have this same grill and that tuning plate is best dead center. I cooked a 12lb brisket and 5 to 6lb pork butt at 300 b4 reaching the stall 165° at the same time at the 8hr mark. Could of been the meat sizes, could of been meat placement, or the fire management, but I wanna take credit for it all. After wrapping and tenderizing both for 2 more hrs I was sold on this grill and use it ever chance I get.

[@HeavyMetalBarBQue]

Wow!.... the kids are that big already? That's awesome Bro! 👍 I like the addition of that cast iron grate......that is perfect! 🔥 Good idea to use the gasket to fill the gap. It blows my mind that they send that pit out with those unfinished gaps. Really like the use of that baffle plate. 👍 And I saw that extended exhaust at the end......Nice! 👍 That will increase the draw with the gaps and leaks now closed. I recommend smaller splits added more frequently.......but then, You know, I tell everyone that. Quicker ignition.....Cleaner Burn! 🔥 You Will Tame this Beast!......I know You will! 👍 Metal On! \🔥/

[@RaleighSmoke]

They definitely keep me busy and getting time to cook is hard enough let along film or edit. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. They are a joy! As for the cooker and mods, well as you know, I'm like you. I can't leave stuff alone. Besides, this thing did need some tweaking anyways. For the money, I guess I'm not too surprised with the imperfections, but honestly, if OCBP just did a pit more oversight in their builds, they could be really great. I think folks would pay more too. And you're right about smaller splits. I cut down the B&B splits in this cook, unlike the last. I can definitely see how a large pit would be easier to run. I can't imagine trying to maintain temps in a smaller pit. Thanks for watching, Ken! Be looking out for that stack extension video. I'm curious to see what if any effect it has.

[@orlandoavalos76]

I would recommend ordering some tunning plates.. Mine runs perfect at 250. With smaller splits every 45 minutes.. Smoke stack wide open and fire box wide open...fruit wood alone burns hot and fast...so main wood should be used in splits and chunks of fruit woods on top.. Happy Smoking..!!!

[@RaleighSmoke]

Good advice on the smaller splits. I think you’re right. As for the tuning plates, I decided to add a stack extension and remove the baffle instead. The end results on my briskets has been amazing. Feel free to check out those videos. Thanks for watching!!

[@fikscue]

Another great video man! Love the way you edit everything. Quick, precise, and very informative. That charcoal grate seems to work great, huh? I’d do without any tuning plates in the cook chamber and just let the smoke pass through with less restrictions. That increased stack should help with the draw. Can’t wait for the next vid. What a teaser! 🔥😁

[@RaleighSmoke]

Thanks! I think I’m not gonna use the tuning plate hack again. I was curious to know what you thought of that extended stack too. I’ll have to see how it runs though... I did contemplate raising the grate as well like you did, but I thought they would make the top of the firebox extremely hot. I don’t have that extra layer of protection like you had added to yours. Btw, did you keep them or were your forced to part with them? I bet they would sell easily in California. Thanks again for watching!

[@fikscue]

@@RaleighSmoke If I were to modify the stack on the Pecos, I'd probably redo the whole thing and make a collector type stack as opposed to just extending the length. Check out Quetorials on modifying the stack on a Yoder. I am planning to keep the Pecos but probably will try to sell the Wrangler. Don't see myself using the smaller OCBP anymore.

[@RaleighSmoke]

@@fikscue - oh I totally agree about the collector and I think If I could weld, I’d probably just build my own pit.

[@cemysh33]

Great video. You might want to look into a charcoal grate that is higher off the floor of the fire box. This would allow more air flow under and above for a smoother burn. Looking forward to some more videos. Maybe one day Ill get my YT channel up and going.

[@theqshedbackyardbbq]

Excellent production quality!

[@RaleighSmoke]

Thank you, sir!

[@notsoserious0944]

The PBC will cook in very cold Indiana winter weather. You have to crack the lid to get the heat up/put it down so it won’t run away and repeat until your cook is done but it will cook down to the single digits. Ask me how I know :-D

[@RunThemDawgz]

Hey man I've been using that same smoker for The last 5 years. Keep that door wide open. That tuning plate works, and I would get rid of that grate inside the firebox. I use nothing but wood and I start off with a pretty big bass fire for about an hour before I even add food. The smoker runs like a champ once you get it dialed in. Like I said, keep that door wide open if your fire is too hot then you have too much fuel. My 2 cents.

[@LouisatRshackBBQ]

Great video on how to improve your offset. I am getting one of those cast iron fire grates. I totally agree smoke should just give your cook a kiss not smother it.

[@RaleighSmoke]

That grate is definitely a nice, an very affordable addition to improve the burn. Thanks for watching!

[@rivmanaz]

@@RaleighSmoke I love the look of that firebox grate. Where did you say you got it?

[@RaleighSmoke]

@@rivmanaz - Tractor Supply

[@LigglesHoneycut]

Great video! If I can make a suggestion though, I would recommend using smaller splits for your firebox. The Pecos does have a good-sized firebox, however, using smaller splits would ensure that they achieve combustion at a faster rate and you can then maintain a more steady temperature by gauging how often a split should be added. The ones you had preheating on top of your firebox, I’d split those at least in half, width wise. I used to try and use bigger splits in my firebox as well. But quickly learned smaller splits will produce far better results

[@jaidenmarcellus9378]

sorry to be so off topic but does any of you know a tool to log back into an Instagram account? I was dumb forgot the password. I would love any tricks you can give me

[@rhysethan2264]

@Jaiden Marcellus Instablaster :)

[@jaidenmarcellus9378]

@Rhys Ethan Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@jaidenmarcellus9378]

@Rhys Ethan it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my account!

[@rhysethan2264]

@Jaiden Marcellus no problem :)

[@johncottrell7901]

The thread on the thermometer is 1/2"NPT which is tapered. "Tapered for sealing, often without any thread sealant; for connections in nearly every type of service" The thermometer is made to screw into a hole and seal itself, not requiring a nut, gasket or sealant. (It's a plumbing thing....)

[@RaleighSmoke]

Yeah, someone else mentioned that in an earlier video. Just weird they no matter what I did, it would always seal itself or get “stuck” upside down

[@MrPS316]

I just removed my deflector plate to allow heat to rise and cook top vs bottom

[@RaleighSmoke]

Good move!

[@stevenwilson6948]

My thermometer did the same thing. A buddy told me to put a half inch wrench on the plug and turn it on in then back it out then turn it in more then back out. After I did that the old country thermometer screwed right in no problem.

[@RaleighSmoke]

Interesting. I might give that a try. Thnx!!

[@stangfan93]

I just turned my fire grate upside down to see what happens. Haven’t had the chance do smoke since doing that. But I will soon.

[@harrypennington1395]

Great video. I've watched the few videos you have on this cooker and am thinking of getting one from Academy (Apex, pretty sure that's where you got yours). Anyway are you still happy with it? It looks much better made than the one I got from home depot several years ago, and I made some good bbq in that one. Lmk and keep up the videos

[@RaleighSmoke]

I did get mine at the Apex store. They had 6 or seven on display, but none in the back. Sometimes they do and will let you look at them too, if you ask. I’d definitely take your time and inspect them all. Everyone will have an issue, the real question is what issue can you live with. If there’s one with something simple, but apparent you can talk to the manager and see what they’ll do. Also, it might be worth taking a coupon, I got one in the mail recently for 15% off. For the money, even with its issues, I still think it’s worth the money. I do wish OCBP would do a little bit of oversight. It could much better and would also, IMO, be worth more.

[@tracycastleberry9040]

Just thought of something. What if you want to cook over direct coals but what you are cooking is more than will fit on the small grill in the fire box. Could you get two or three replacement grates put them in the top and pour your charcoal on them for direct heat? Many times I will do a bunch of chicken leg quarters and don't want to spend several hours cooking them.

[@RaleighSmoke]

You could use the cook chamber for grilling, but I’d recommend using a kettle or similar charcoal grill.

[@tonytastes]

Start em young 😂

[@greatjuankenobi217]

what length are your logs?

[@RaleighSmoke]

Idk, probably 8-10” maybe. These cookers seem to like them that length and about as thick as your wrist

[@robertobalderas7899]

How big is the cast iron grate?

[@RaleighSmoke]

I’m not sure. Maybe 12 x 10 or 14 x 10. 🤷‍♂️

[@GroolDog666]

Did you put gasket strips on your firebox as well? If so, how are they holding up?

[@RaleighSmoke]

I did. Pretty good. Maybe a little bit wore off, but not much

[@GroolDog666]

@@RaleighSmoke thanks

[@johnanderson6614]

Maybe using some charcoal would help maintain some heat?

[@RaleighSmoke]

True, but isn’t that cheating?

[@johnanderson6614]

@@RaleighSmoke hell no! Charcoal is awesome and is still wood basically. Love the flavor.

[@tracycastleberry9040]

Unfortunately they won't let you build a fire in it before you purchase it to see if or where it leaks. While at first glance it looks like a quality BBQ pit you would think they would have worked out the kinks before putting it on the market. I have watched other videos of the mods people had to do to theirs to get it to cook better instead of putting up with it's deficiencies or lack of quality control during the manufacturing process. I had talked myself into purchasing one in the next few days but after watching several videos I don't know if it's worth the time and effort. Might just stick with a cheaper brand even though it won't last you could buy 5 or 6 for what the pecos cost

[@RaleighSmoke]

Did you watch my baffle removal video? That and the stack extension led me to cook the best brisket I’ve ever cooked. For $450 or whatever it is, I still think they’re a great entry level offset (with a few mods that will cost you less than $50).

[@jonaslove4579]

put a fan at the fire box

[@RaleighSmoke]

🤔

[@emcalone]

I think some of your splits are a bit too big. They should be able to catch within 30 seconds without much work. You will have to watch it even more because you they burn up faster, but that is what happens with small offset cookers.

[@raytrout8272]

Awesome video! Great Channel. I Wish I could share pictures on KZbin I got an awesome setup for brisket warming oven it's amazing You can keep it outside You can run it at 250 and run at 140 150 160 whatever you want It's electric and set it forget it Send me a link I'll send you a picture it's awesome !

[@RaleighSmoke]

Sounds interesting. You can send it to me at [e-mail]

[@johntrailer1604]

Why worry about some smoke coming out lol? Gasket on a smoker? Lol

[@RaleighSmoke]

It’s heat loss really. Not flavor

[@johntrailer1604]

@@RaleighSmoke I understand, but putting gaskets on a cheap smoker? if you're that particular about a bit of heat/smoke coming out, then buy a different smoker. now you removed the heat deflector? just move up already. you seem like you can afford it.

[@RaleighSmoke]

@@johntrailer1604 - Perhaps, but many folks can’t and that’s partially why I chose it.