Old Country BBQ Pits Wrangler Smoker Review

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Academy was no help so I just treated the rust myself. I bought some Rustoleum from Home Depot, wire brushed it, sprayed White vinegar, and sprayed Rustoleum High Heat black paint on the treated spots. On the inside, I wire brushed it and applied white vinegar, wiped the residue, and sprayed pam. Hopefully it will hold.

Fisher, I believe they said that the thicker the tuning plates, the better it will hold heat in the cooking chamber longer. If I had the option, I would like to have 1/4 inch also.
 
Academy was no help so I just treated the rust myself. I bought some Rustoleum from Home Depot, wire brushed it, sprayed White vinegar, and sprayed Rustoleum High Heat black paint on the treated spots. On the inside, I wire brushed it and applied white vinegar, wiped the residue, and sprayed pam. Hopefully it will hold.

Fisher, I believe they said that the thicker the tuning plates, the better it will hold heat in the cooking chamber longer. If I had the option, I would like to have 1/4 inch also.
i just placed an order to my local metal shop for 1/4 inch plates. excited to see how it turns out. that whole using of the charcoal support was okay and i really want something that will work well. I ended up getting 5 plates of 1/4 inch mild steel dimensions i got from iHamilton on here at 4 inch by 15.75 inch. I guess my next mod is to put the stove gaskets around the edges. and get ceramic bricks to hold even more heat. im thinking the initial bringing up of temp will take a little longer but shoot hopefully it will hold heat for longer. 

Koch, i started seeing rust in the very bottom of my main chamber. i just sprayed oil on it and i dont wash it out with water unless i know i will wipe it down and add more oil. otherwise i dont really see any rust on the outside of my wrangler or inside. except in my firebox. but not sure if we can do anything about that since im always scraping the sides in there. 

anyone have suggestions for ceramic bricks
 
I just received mine. The weld on the right hand side of the lid was snapped off and there was paint chipped off as well. We had a rain a few nights ago and I wasn't able to cover it enough so it is already rusting in the spots where the paint chipped off. Needless to say I'm angry. I live out in the country and it was a hassle to get it unloaded. I really don't feel like sending it back and waiting a month the get a replacement. Do you think the weld is something that could be fixed? It's the hinge on the lid and when I open it, it is uneven and it's difficult to close the lid properly. 
 
I just received mine. The weld on the right hand side of the lid was snapped off and there was paint chipped off as well. We had a rain a few nights ago and I wasn't able to cover it enough so it is already rusting in the spots where the paint chipped off. Needless to say I'm angry. I live out in the country and it was a hassle to get it unloaded. I really don't feel like sending it back and waiting a month the get a replacement. Do you think the weld is something that could be fixed? It's the hinge on the lid and when I open it, it is uneven and it's difficult to close the lid properly. 

I would contact Academy and tell them your situation. I could not be helped because I bought mines in the store. I would tell them you recieved it with shipping damage, snap some pictures, and tell them to send you one while you keep the current until the new one gets to your house.
 
maybe its the size of the splits - i have 9" splits that i chop in half lengt
 
I just received mine. The weld on the right hand side of the lid was snapped off and there was paint chipped off as well. We had a rain a few nights ago and I wasn't able to cover it enough so it is already rusting in the spots where the paint chipped off. Needless to say I'm angry. I live out in the country and it was a hassle to get it unloaded. I really don't feel like sending it back and waiting a month the get a replacement. Do you think the weld is something that could be fixed? It's the hinge on the lid and when I open it, it is uneven and it's difficult to close the lid properly. 
you did report the damage to the shipping company, correct?
 
Yes I reported the damage upon arrival. They are refunding the money. I just hate when people don't take care of stuff.
 
Hey Fisher6688,

I'm using unglazed quarry tile on my NBBD pit, found em at HD website

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-...Wall-Tile-10-76-sq-ft-case-0Q40481P/202653718

Temp swings aren't as rapid, but since I just added em last month we'll see how it works during winter months
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what are yall doing to prevent and take care of existing rust in and around the firebox. I have the main chamber covered in oil. i checked the outside of the main chamber. if i see any spot starting rust i spray it with a little oil. I might start doing the whole rust o leum high temp black paint thing. 
 
 
i do what you do but my temps rise up to however big a split i put usually up to 270 and slow decline down. this is for about 40 mins max. i start with half chimney of charcoal and use oak. damper open half or less than that. so i dont understand why mine is not steady steady. it goes up a "hill" and down. slowly though. 
I could be wrong but it sounds like you need a smaller, hotter fire with more oxygen in the equation. If your fire is too big in the first place and you have to choke everything off (including the stack) it'll be dirty, and you won't have a good draft through the cooker (hence maybe the hot spot and suction near the exhaust you mentioned previously). If you can get your fire smaller to where you need your damper most of the way open (maybe even the side door cracked) that theoretically should create a better draft and keep smoke/air going out  our exhaust instead of it sucking in and help calm down that hotspot, although it may always be there a little. Better to add an extra split and keep everything running mostly open and running clean rather than choking it off and throwing the draft out of whack, not to mention having a dirty fire. I think the goal is to control the fire with fuel and not the dampers.

This essentially will be my approach as I finally purchase the Pecos and season it up tomorrow.
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I'll report back on my findings and confirm just how much of the above is actually reality, but this is basically what I've learned from the stick burning 101 article as well as BBQ w/ Franklin.
 
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I could be wrong but it sounds like you need a smaller, hotter fire with more oxygen in the equation. If your fire is too big in the first place and you have to choke everything off (including the stack) it'll be dirty, and you won't have a good draft through the cooker (hence maybe the hot spot and suction near the exhaust you mentioned previously). If you can get your fire smaller to where you need your damper most of the way open (maybe even the side door cracked) that theoretically should create a better draft and keep smoke/air going out  our exhaust instead of it sucking in and help calm down that hotspot, although it may always be there a little. Better to add an extra split and keep everything running mostly open and running clean rather than choking it off and throwing the draft out of whack. I think the goal is to control the fire with fuel and not the dampers.

This essentially will be my approach as I finally purchase the Pecos and season it up tomorrow.
439.gif
 

I'll report back on my findings and confirm just how much of the above is actually reality, but this is basically what I've learned from the stick burning 101 article as well as BBQ w/ Franklin.
yes, this is what i do. its a pain chopping splits, but i chop them in 1/2, even 3rds to get the proper size stick. i also buy smaller 9" long splits from my wood supplier instead of the normal 12" or 14" or whatever. i usually only have to add 1 split an hour or so, but yes a smaller hotter fire with damper almost all the way open is the way to go. to get more oxygen i build the fire all the way to the right of the fire box, and do not open the door to add wood but open the top and pull out the bbq grate so i can drop in a new stick. 

i may have to experiment with the ceramic mentioned in earlier posts, if i could go 2+ hours without adding fuel that would be money. then i could get a decent nap in after waking up so early to get it going 
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The damper on the one I used to have was pretty good, and the one my buddy has works just fine too... seems like they are pretty hit or miss though.
 
I also saw that Aaron Franklin was burning his fire without the charcoal/fire support thing, just in the bottom of the firebox. I had planned on doing that at least tomorrow so I could see about using the stock charcoal grate as a makeshift tuning plate. I may just end up needing to have the door open more to compensate for the ash build up. Hoping I can find another grate that will work as a fire support at some point.
 
I also saw that Aaron Franklin was burning his fire without the charcoal/fire support thing, just in the bottom of the firebox. I had planned on doing that at least tomorrow so I could see about using the stock charcoal grate as a makeshift tuning plate. I may just end up needing to have the door open more to compensate for the ash build up. Hoping I can find another grate that will work as a fire support at some point.

Just get a small sheet of expanded metal from home depot for about $20 and cut it to fit your firebox, or bend it into a charcoal basket and use 3" bolts to raise it up.
 
 
 
I also saw that Aaron Franklin was burning his fire without the charcoal/fire support thing, just in the bottom of the firebox. I had planned on doing that at least tomorrow so I could see about using the stock charcoal grate as a makeshift tuning plate. I may just end up needing to have the door open more to compensate for the ash build up. Hoping I can find another grate that will work as a fire support at some point.

Just get a small sheet of expanded metal from home depot for about $20 and cut it to fit your firebox, or bend it into a charcoal basket and use 3" bolts to raise it up.
I wondered about that but wasn't sure whether it would hold up with the high heat. 
 
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