First yardbird on the Wrangler

[mlm74]

Smoked my first birds on the Old Country Wrangler today.... WOW. Fantastic. And easy!

Here's some pics:

Brined and rubbed

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• mlm74
• Jun 15, 2014

Tuning plates dialed in!

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• mlm74
• Jun 15, 2014

Halfway there:

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• mlm74
• Jun 15, 2014

Done. My tongs shredded the skin. Oops.

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• mlm74
• Jun 15, 2014

Pulled chicken sandwich with apple maple dijon slaw and new potato salad. Crushed it.

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• mlm74
• Jun 15, 2014

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• mlm74
• Jun 15, 2014

 

[glocksrock]

Looks great!

 

[mlm74]

Thanks glocksrock! This smoking is addictive!

 

[knifebld]

Now that is a fine looking sandwich! Bet it tasted amazing!

Good work!

 

[mlm74]

Thanks knifebld! They were great! Really good smoky flavor and still moist.

 

[smokeintarheel]

I got my eye on one of these Wranglers up here in Western NC. I have a place out back for it. This chicken makes my mouth water. Great photos. I can't wait to pick it up and get her seasoned!! Those sausages look good too! Do you have a preferred brand? Nice job!!!

 

[mlm74]

Thanks smokeintarhill!  The chicken was my 2nd smoke on the Wrangler.  I'm really liking the it although I don't have much to compare it to.  I added the tuning plates and still need to seal up around the cooking chamber door as it has a few leaks.  The sausage I used this time is Big Easy jalepeno, may be my new favorite.  I used another one last week called Opal's (I think) made in Fredricksburg, TX that was really good too.  Got both of them at the local grocery store.

 

[smokeintarheel]

I put a hold on the last Wrangler at our local Academy in Hickory, NC. (the one with some leaks) I talked them down $100 but there is work to do to close some of the gaps in the firebox. One is a 1/8" gap on the back part of the top fire pit hinged lid. It's on the left side and will certainly let smoke and heat out. They told me that they aren't expected to get any more Wranglers from now on. I'll add the tuning plates and work on the sealing. They had a Pecos smoker that is longer, but the diameter of the smoking chamber is smaller and the steel is 1/8" instead of 3/16". I believe that extra 1/16" thickness overall will make a huge difference in holding heat. I' so excited!!!!

We don't have any of those sausages up here in north carolina that i know of, but I'm going to shop around. Those sound great. Thanks for sharing!!

What part of TX are you from?

Lee

 

[mlm74]

That's a great price! I looked at the Pecos too but decided on the Wrangler as well. Mine leaks mainly around the cooking chamber door but not bad. A small amount of smoke leaks out in a few spots but I don't feel a lot of heat coming out when I hold my hand over it. Still going to sealing though, just to be safe. We live in Texarkana, half the city is in TX, the other half in Arkansas.

 

[smokeintarheel]

I'm picking it up this weekend, but heading up to the mountains for the weekend. Early Sunday evening, I'll fire it up and season it. I'm so excited, I can't wait!

Are you close to the Ozark mountains?

 

[mlm74]

Ozarks start about 3 hours north of us. Really pretty country up there.

 

[smokeintarheel]

Great Smokies and Blue Ridge Parkway are 1.5 hours away.

I'll bet it's beautiful up in the Ozarks. 

Have you smoked beef brisket on the Wrangler?

Lee

 

[mlm74]

I had a buddy that went to Boone and loved it out there!

I haven't smoked a brisket yet...just ribs and chicken so far. Soon though! I may smoke a pork butt next, just to get a little more practice before I attempt the brisket. Can't hardly wait!

 

[smokeintarheel]

Boone's not far from here. I can certainly understand the wait on the brisket. They are expensive!! 

I'm going to try a butt after I get mine seasoned. I'm going to pick it up in the next day or so. I've done plenty of beer can chicken's on the kettle style grill and they turned out great. I'm looking forward to doing a turkey at some point. Heck, I might try a couple chickens after checking yours out!

Been nice chatting with you. Stay safe in Texarkana!

 

[mlm74]

Haha! You too!

 

[smokeintarheel]

Hey mlm74,

I brought home the wrangler tonight. That was a heavy sucker! 

Gonna work on getting the thing seasoned Sunday after our mountain trip. Gonna also have the tuning plates made and will install the OCP temp gauge so that the probe is closer to the cooking grate. Wow! Last week I had never even heard the term "tuning plate". Quite different term than tuning a guitar.....

I'm excited aplenty. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I'll have the last laugh when she tastes the wonderful chicken, pork, and beef in the future.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'll be in touch.

Lee (smokintarheel)

 

[mlm74]

Nice! You're gonna love it! Good luck and post some pics of that BBQ!

 

[smokeintarheel]

I started a fire tonight on the Wrangler and it's gonna be great. I burned off the oils present from manufacturing and look forward to using it.

I'm going to reinstall the temp gauge so that the probe is closer to the grate. I'll be using the Maverick dual probe as well.

This is going to be fun!!!

Have a great week everyone. I smell like smoke and love it!!!

 

[smokeintarheel]

All right the weather has not been great. I've added my tuning plates and tonight bought aand trimmed a 3 lb fresh pork ham shank. I trimmed the fat and rubbed it with my mix. I bought a rack of back ribs, removed the membrane and add my rub. I've wrapped them up and tomorrow after church, I'm going to have some fun. I also found a small 2 lb beef brisket to throw on for fun. I'm going to have fun as all these cuts of meat were on sale and It's going to be a great day.

I'll take some photos tomorrow afternoon. 

Thanks for everyone's encouragement!!!

Lee

 

[mlm74]

Sounds great! So how'd it go?