Here are the links to the other videos mentioned in this one: Smoker Wood Choice: kzread.info/dash/bejne/pKSVpaiwY7Tcnbw.html Smoker Fire Management: kzread.info/dash/bejne/hZiuq8uzY5fUcdo.html Patriot Pits Test Burn: kzread.info/dash/bejne/fG16la-whZm-odo.html Old Country Brazos Review: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qGSDzbSBd8SXnaQ.html Patriot Pits Freedom 94 Walkthrough: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qYegrsSmmN3dc7Q.html Here is a link to the academy sports website where you can purchase an Old Country Brazos: www.academy.com/p/old-country-bbq-pits-all-american-brazos-smoker Here are the links to Patriot Pits website and instagram. If you reach out with questions or to order a smoker, be sure to use the code "Fattys" to receive a handmade charcoal chimney AND a firebox tool! Website: patriotpits.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/patriot.pits/

Absolutely great video!!

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Very good content and you make good points.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Great video! The only point where I might have a different opinion is the cowboy firebox. Where one of these is put on a hefty smoker with a big fire box, like say, Workhorse, it can be an excellent way to reverse sear steaks and tri-tip, not trying to cook low and slow and hot and fast at the same time with different cuts of meat, but low and slow for a while with a single cut of meat, and then searing at the end over the fire.

@FattysFeasts

6 ай бұрын

I get what you're saying, but I still disagree. A firebox like that is added work, which means added cost. It also adds variables to performance of the smoker, which most of the time would be unnecessary, since you wouldn't be doing those things at the same time. I would rather take my coals out of my smoker and put them on a cheap kettle to sear than have a firebox that was cut into.

@toddpower4674

21 күн бұрын

I fire up my primo ceramic grill to do a reverse sear it's hot and easy to fire up ​@@FattysFeasts

Just when you think you know a lot about smokers Josh goes and proves you wrong! Great video buddy!

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

😂 thanks man!!

great video. thanks for introducing me to this brand. it's about time for me to upgrade my brazos

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Hope this helps! You will not be disappointed if you get this one, trust me.

I agree with everything you said in this video. I have an old offset I got in the 90's. It's 3/16" steel but only 16" in circumference. It works great but maintaining 225 F with a good open fire is a real challenge and requires a lot of attention. Like you, I enjoy hanging out by the smoker for the day, but it took me years to get a system that worked for fire management and clean blue smoke due to the small size. And to reiterate what you said about cheap/thin smokers, yes they are complete pieces of sh*t that people will quickly throw away in anger if they want good quality BBQ. Mine is nearing 30 years of age and still works like a champ...I paid $200 for it brand new way back when.

@FattysFeasts

Ай бұрын

That's awesome! Just goes to show, these things will last forever if you take care of them!

The Old Country Brazos is the sweet spot for someone finding out if they want to get into offset BBQ. The two best things are price and with 1/4" steel construction it will last and will retain value if you find out "offset smoking" is not for you. The one thing that will really be a game changer for someone if fire management isn't something they enjoy, would be to rework the firebox and enclose it in a larger diameter pipe and insulate the firebox. It would require welding ability or investing in someone to do the work, but it would be a game changer for wood consumption and time between having to fiddle with the fire. For someone that wants to up their game, a 200 - 300 gallon with 30" - 36" cook chamber with a large insulated firebox is the sweet spot. you can cook 6-8 briskets at a time. Brisket goes on sale these days just a few times a year. I separate flats from points and vacuum seal them. I've had them up to 6 months in the freezer and if you use a 150 F warmer or sous vide to heat it, it comes out just like a well-rested brisket.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

All great info! Thanks for commenting!

Good info... Thanks.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

You bet!

I have the two Oaklahoma Joe offsets, the highland and the longhorn. I have had both for well over ten years and I understand that they are the bottom of the barrel but I still get told that I need to sell my bbq.

@FattysFeasts

5 ай бұрын

That's awesome! I'm glad they work for you!

I'm happy with the starter $500 model (funny it's the boxed assembly required model). It's a good thing for me to learn how to start being an offset cook. Once I'm more comfortable, I'll eventually get a $5000 model. Just like you mentioned. Great video.

@FattysFeasts

5 ай бұрын

That's awesome! I'm suprised it cost so much when you had to assemble it. But I'm glad you agreed. No sense spending up until you know you enjoy it!

@E3fieldservices7144

3 ай бұрын

Once you get the hang of that $500.00 smoker the big 500 gallon smokers will be no problem whatsoever the bigger pits are actually alot easier cook on they draw air better and the fire management is alot easier they don't take near as much babysitting throw a couple sticks in the fire every 45 minutes to a hour and let it roll I started out on a 500 gallon offset on a trailer I built in shop class in high school and still have it 20 years later had to replace the grate and make a few minor changes and repairs

@FattysFeasts

3 ай бұрын

@@E3fieldservices7144 So true. I believe starting on a smaller beginner smoker really enhances your skills for when you move to the big boys!

With the Brazos, I agree not to use charcoal or wood in the cook chamber. However, on your 3/8" thick patriot pits cook chamber, so long as you are using a real charcoal pan with grates, there should be no issue getting to 500 degrees in the cook chamber for a large hot, and fast cook. That steel isn't going to warp. It's built solid with great welds. Do not use the baffle plate, if patriot pits have one, to put hot coals or wood on. The ash and water combined are acidic which can cause long-term damage beyond rust and oxidation. Besides that, good pointers for those looking for a custom offset smoker. This patriot pit looks awesome, has nice options, and quick turnaround times from ordering to delivery as compared to similar premium custom fabricators

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

You definitely can get it to those temps, however, I just wouldn't recommend it even with the amazing craftsmanship. I've seen people getting the expanded steel to glow red hot, which is definitely not good. Offset smokers are just not designed to be grills. But this thing is definitely a beast and you can't go wrong for sure!

@Dan-fc1nc

Жыл бұрын

Patriots Pits does NOT recommend using your Freedom 94 as a grill or ever recommend using live fire in your cook chamber. Hardware, shelving, door handles, and temperature gauges were not designed with direct fire in mind. The Freedom 94 is designed as pure smoker that (we believe) is the best in the industry. We offer fully custom Santa Maria/Argentina grills to meet all your live fire cooking needs.

@liltonysoprano

Жыл бұрын

@Dan Got it. It sounds from the way you have presented this great info that you either work for Patriot Pits or own one. Either way the feedback you provided is great for the entire community who have an interest in purchasing one of these pits. Thank you for sharing!

Brazos was my first offset. I drilled the holes at grate level and put 2 thermometers there as you said. But I have a workhorse 1975-t on order. But the brazos awesome smoker for the money and learning to cook on

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Hell yes! I would have done the same thing, but I literally break everything I touch, so I just used my thermoworks. Couldn’t agree more. It’s perfect for just starting out.

Nice Video. Thanks for the Input. #STAYSAFE #PHILLYPHILLY 🇺🇸 #FLY EAGLES FLY 🦅

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Happy to help!

A cord of wood for $180....dang, what a great price! How nice it is to be in CT where hardwoods are abundant! Here in Arizona, a full cord of a good smoking wood - oak, pecan or hickory is pushing $600 Mesquite is less, but a bit too strong and somewhat bitter flavor for a long cook like a brisket. Being originally from MN, I was spoiled with having so much firewood available...

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

That’s probably one of the only perks about living here 😂 but damn…$600? I mean, I get it since it’s the desert but that’s gotta suck! I’m a bit jealous of your weather at the moment, not gonna lie!

@stuartschindler9435

Жыл бұрын

Full cord? 4x4x8 or a face cord? Face cord is 4x8x 16 inches.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Mine was a full.

Sorry if I missed it, but did you mention if this offset has a baffle of any kind? Or is it just an unrestricted open throat? Thanks!

@FattysFeasts

10 ай бұрын

It's a very small baffle. maybe 3 inches. The hot spot is still close to the firebox.

As a beginner, why is it not good to buy a cheaper $100-200 offset cooker online? I feel as a beginner with this type of unit I feel it is good to start off small and go big if it suits me of course, I am only cooking for a family of two and would potentially upgrade once I get the hang of everything.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

I definitely recommend starting small, with something like the Pecos from Old Country. The reason I said to spend around $500 minimum is because I've seen a lot of really cheap smokers that are poorly made. As a beginner, they will frustrate you more than help you as they would be near impossible to run cleanly and maintain. Most of them would probably rot out in a year or two. The last thing I'd want to see anyone do is buy a really cheap smoker and hate it because they can't run the thing at no fault of their own.

How does getting the inside up to 500 damaging to the inside? I’ve seen people take blow torches to the outside. 3:50

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

The outside is a completely different story than the inside. Yes, the inside can withstand high temps, but you risk damaging the welds and the expanded metal if you continuously use it for a purpose it's not designed for. When you talk about cheaper smokers, those are not at all designed for very high temps. Point being, if you want to cook low and slow, buy a smoker. If you want to grill, get a grill.

I would like to see some commenting about the height of the chimney and how and why it varies in relation to the cooking chamber size. Also something that I haven't seen anyone mention is the fire hole/entrance to the cooking chamber... Should it be at the meat rack level and why? Could it be higher or lower and why...

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

I'm no spec expert, so I will have Dan from Patriot Pits reply to this also. What I can tell you is that the taller / wider the stack, the better draw you will get. The firebox size is supposed to be related to the cooking chamber size. Typically, the entrance should be below the grate. You want the heat to rise and to be somewhat turbulent throughout the cooking chamber, hence the circular design. If the opening is up above, it will not only look extremely odd, but the heat will just stay there and get drawn through up top until it gets to the stack.

@PeroXepatonio

Жыл бұрын

@@FattysFeasts thank you for the swift reply.

@PatriotPits

Жыл бұрын

The stack size and height is more so determined by the throat opening. So if you change the throat size to a wide open design, then the stack size/height would change drastically. So it’s all about finding optimal flow. As for rack placement, the best location is centered in the chamber to get the most available space, if you cook above or below the center the temps change and that’s mostly due to where the collector exits, not the firebox throat location. There are other variables that we take into consideration as well, but the biggest variable will always come down to the user and their fire management ability.

@PeroXepatonio

Жыл бұрын

@@PatriotPits thank you so much for the reply.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

@@PeroXepatonio No prob!

Although I DO AGREE with you on most points regarding the offset, I highly disagree with you in regards to "do not use it as a grill". I use mine as both, an offset as well as a direct fire grill. Being that most of what we cook on the Offset is typically "low n Slow", creosote tends to build up from time to time within the main cooking chamber as well as within the chimney. Stoking up a hot fire from time to time not only Helps the seasoning to harden further, it also helps to Clean Out the unavoidable and inevitable bits of creosote left behind from the fuel used while cooking "low n slow". TO me; A good hot burn is necessary to maintaining a cleaner cook as well as creating and maintaining an even better seasoning bond. Just my opinion.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

What kind of smoker do you have? I would never use this particular smoker as a grill. Some are designed for that, like the pellets or the kettles, but not this one. Also NEVER burn a really hot fire to clean out your smoker while cooking food. You do not want that crap getting on your food...

@Dan-fc1nc

Жыл бұрын

Patriots Pits does NOT recommend using your Freedom 94 as a grill or ever recommend using live fire in your cook chamber. Hardware, shelving, door handles, and temperature gauges were not designed with direct fire in mind. The Freedom 94 is designed as pure smoker that (we believe) is the best in the industry. We offer fully custom Santa Maria/Argentina grills to meet all your live fire cooking needs.

@EloxRF

Жыл бұрын

If you have build up you should clean it. Cooking at a certain temperatures release cancerous heterocyclic aromatic amine (HAA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which is increased the higher the temperature and the longer food is exposed. I worked for food services for years and trust me you may want clean it with actually cleaning supplies once every few months doing a reset with seasoning depending how much you cook on it determines how often you need to do a clean. Restaurants do this every week or every two weeks due to how long and how often the unit is used. Anyways you can use any smoker as a grill, but not recommended and could possibly be unsafe for the food.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

@@EloxRF Awesome explanation!

Offset cooking is def an investment and a way of life, but it's def worth if you want to really get in to barbecue

@FattysFeasts

5 ай бұрын

Absolutely! I wish more people agreed!

Why didn't you mention reverse flow smoker or vertical smoker along with your offset direct flow stick burner smoker?

@Dan-fc1nc

Жыл бұрын

I'll take, cause he didn't want to for $200.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

This video was mainly about offset smokers you’d purchase as your first. I don’t typically see reverse flows as a widely available option. Vertical smokers weren’t mentioned specifically but they are the same concept as a kettle.

@Lykapodium

Жыл бұрын

​@@FattysFeasts Check out Johnson pits in Texas. They offer reverse flow smokers at reasonable prices.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

@@Lykapodium Will do!

Nice video, but sadly, I bought my offset a week ago. From what I saw in the video, I'm gonna have a hard time maintaining the temperature, my offset took me 2 hours to assemble it completely.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

What brand did you get? It's not going to be impossible, but it will definitely be a learning curve.

@metrovision2100

Жыл бұрын

@@FattysFeasts Mr. Beef, to be honest there were not many options. In the country I'm in, there is not a big BBQ culture, so it's hard to find good equipment.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

@@metrovision2100 That makes sense, as I can't find anything online about those smokers. But hey, at least you have one! You'll make the best BBQ around!

Can I buy your old country offset.?

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I don’t want to sell it yet! But where are you located?

Drum smokers have become the most often used pit in competition bbq.

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Those are badass too! I just wanted to make this video regarding smokers you'd buy. Most of the drum smokers I've seen are homemade.

THANKS FOR YOUR VIDEOS GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON FRANKLIN OFFSET SMOKERS

@FattysFeasts

9 ай бұрын

No prob! I've never used a Frankin smoker and I don't have plans to use one unless I get sent one. I feel like the price is a little high due to the name. I understand why he designed him the way he did, but I don't really care for some of the features, such as the fact there are giant vents in the firebox that cannot be controlled. There are some other assumptions I could make, but I really don't want to make blanket statements as I've never really touched one. If I can get my hands on one, I will make a video.

He pulled out the ol brazos 😂😂😂

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Yessir!! Will be in my next video!

oh the heck with that...I'd never buy an offset that''s not portable.....bringing it to friends or events is the reason to buy a big smoker like that....Go big or go home.

@FattysFeasts

4 ай бұрын

This is more designed for someone who's not planning on transporting it. That being said, you should check out the 120 video I did. Amazing rig that comes on a trailer. Jason stopped making them temporarily due to space, but should start back up in a few months.

this guy IS SHILLING FOR A 4 THOUSAND DOLLAR SMOKER...? GOOD GRIEF. RICH KID LIVING AT HIS MOMS HOUSE SHILLING FOR A NICE NE COMPANY MAKING SMOKERS.. OK. WHO CAN AFFORD THIS? 1 PERCENT. HE BASHES BRAZOS AND HIS NOW PUSHING SOME UBER EXPENSIVE UNIT? WOW. OUT OF TOUCH.

@emmapeach6574

Жыл бұрын

uber expesive? bro stop wasting money and save up like everyone else. and turn off the caps

@FattysFeasts

Жыл бұрын

Once again, I live in my own house, not my moms. I am not what most would consider "rich." Yes, I promote this company because they make a high quality product. Most people can afford this with proper saving habits, especially compared to other smokers of the same quality but a higher price point. It is not an "uber expensive" unit in the realm of smokers. It's apparent you did not watch the entire video, as the last 10 minutes were about how much I love and support the Brazos smoker. Maybe you could develop some patience in your life. You'll find you won't get as worked up over the little things.

@Dan-fc1nc

Жыл бұрын

To put it into perspective. Old country, who makes the Brazos makes an offset that is $2000. 3/16 steel, 20" diameter, so just steel costs would make a smoker that is 3/8 and 24" diameter significantly more expensive.