Old Country Brazos DLX Smoker Review

Is the Brazos the king of the mid-tier? The DLX is a slight modification to the standard Brazos that comes at an added cost. Is it worth it? How does it cook? We'll answer both questions!
Quick Jumps:
00:22 - The Walkthrough
08:29 - The Prep
11:54 - The Cook
13:56 - The Wrap
17:31 - The Tasting
21:05 - The Finished Product
21:29 - Bonus Tasting!
23:51 - Verdict

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

Welcome to Cold War Barbecue! Do you own a Brazos DLX (or maybe the standard Brazos)? What are your thoughts on it? What other smokers compete well at the $1200-$1500 segment? Let us know!

[@gregjaussaud7198]

"You'r gonna have a good time" Golden

[@timothysteadham331]

How does the old country gravity fed charcoal smoker? Compare to this Brazsos offset smoker?

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

Hello! So, we had a comparison between the two (specifically on brisket) here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2XJiGaQr5yqoqc That said, we're going to do a feature to feature comparison very soon. But here's a short summary: the Brazos delivers a better finished product (bark, texture), but it requires that you're constantly maintaining the fire. It's also got a much smaller cook surface, so if you're making food for a lot of people, the gravity smoker will be better. The gravity smoker is also cheaper and easier to run, as you just load the hopper with charcoal and occasionally add wood in the firebox. But again, the finished product (while good) isn't quite as good as you get on an offset. I hope this helps at least a little! Keep watching because shortly I'll do a pros/cons type video covering both.

[@stevejensen6210]

Ribs look great. What's the length of your stack extension?

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

Thanks! It’s a 3 foot extension. Just a 3 foot piece of stove pipe and an adapter.

[@berniestewart1738]

I am seriously considering getting one of those. I have a longhorn and the highland. I’m big into baseball and bbq. You will never get above average at either if you don’t practice. 😊

[@aarongonzales-zw1ic]

Thank you for this information you did great

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

I'm glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@gunsrulecommiesdrool]

Very good job on this video, I don't have a Brazos but it's the one I want to get ,when m my cheapo commie built one burns out , Yes the Franklin and Lone Star Grills are nice too . But I prefer Women . If I was loaded I might snag the Franklin but I think the Brazos is sufficient . Some people can't even afford the Brazos (me) but when I retire I'll have plenty of time to justify one. I'm in Colorado and it can get cold , for the peeps in Tejas the Pecos might suffice being 3/16 in. Or pour some coals in the cook chamber to fortify the smoke box but experiment with cheap meat first. Again very good video ! 😊

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

Thanks! Yeah, it's a bit of a steep barrier to entry on cost, but it'll last forever.

[@karlrussell4956]

Really liked your video. I’ve been looking at old country pits for two years now have yet to pull the trigger but I’m looking at the new GEN two right now.

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

I can't recommend them highly enough. For the price, they're a great cooker.

[@MrSoonermadman]

Love your video, well done man. I don’t have the brazos smoker, I have the one just under it, I believe it was only like $500 bucks at my local academy store. I absolutely love it, my only issue is keeping the temp consistent with this damn firebox. Some days it’s easy to control and some days I want to throw dynamite into the firebox to get it out of here, lol I have picked up a 6’ piece of 1/4” thick steel pipe from a local pipe yard, cut a 4’ body and the 2’ left is for the firebox and I’m about to get started on building it into a smokin’ demon. Hopefully it will be better for controlling and maintaining temp.

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

Yeah, as long as you’re doing 1/4” (well and your welds are good/doors seal well) you’re going to do well on temp control. There isn’t really any magic in building a good smoker. Thick steel is key. The Brazos is a good value because it’s the same thickness as smokers twice the price, but at the end of the day, you’ll do just as well (probably better) with a custom build. Thanks for watching…and good luck with the build!

[@fabianrios5539]

Very interesting and helpful video I've been looking at the Deluxe grills at Academy and Buckeyes every time I get a chance I've tried calling Old County in Laredo TX and told me they only sell to retail stores and won't even tell me where in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico do they make these grills but for now I'll just keep researching through websites and videos and thank you and your blessed family for this video I'll be looking for more future videos. 😊

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

You’re right: they don’t seem to sell direct. The only places I’ve ever found them were Academy and Buc-cee’s. For me, it was kind of a process of just continually checking back in to Academy to see what they had in stock. And waiting for their 20% discount sale :)

[@zachgoering2259]

I have a Pecos and I love it. I have looked at this one since it is thicker steel question how long and wide is the cooking chamber?

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

The cook chamber is 34" long by 17" wide on the bottom. Top shelf is 34" by 6.75". There's 6.25" between the two shelves vertically.

[@johndoe-ek6vl]

It's a much better deal than the pecos despite being over twice the price because it is a serious piece of equipment. 1/4 steel is the gold standard of a quality smoker.

[@ColdWarBarbecue]

Agreed. I think the cook surface is about the same, but it's much thinner steel on the Pecos. I believe the Wrangler would be the better option if someone was looking to start cheaper. Not much cook surface, but a little thicker steel and good build quality.