Good first attempt on that new smoker man. I had an Old Country mobile rig built out in Laredo some years ago and LOVED it!!! He makes great models that are sold at Academy that are more affordable for the backyard cooks. I did see your Academy excursion in Grapevine covering that as well. Good video content and helps us newer UA-cam content creators. Thx!!! And oh yeah, on that Franklin BBQ video. I love how you said to do it maybe ONCE. LOL!!! I live here and NO WAY will I sit out there for all those hours.
I have the Assasin 28 Gravity feed at my restaurant. Great video. I’d like to share a couple things that may help you... 1) start at a cook temp of 225, after 3 hours raise to 265. Then wait for meat to reach 165. 2) wrap at 165, the meat has achieved its bark, ring and smoke at this point. This is the “stall”, you want to wrap it now to help push it through the “stall” and yet, maintain all the moisture as you push the temp up through the stall. 3) put it back in, wrapped, and raise temp to 285-300(not critical now, because it’s wrapped) and his will get the meat temp up through the stall without any sacrifices of moisture, bark or smoke ring. 4) pull it out at 199-203 meat temp and put it directly into a cooler with a couple scoops of ice. This stops the cook, preserves the moisture and allows the juices to distribute evenly. Let stand in the cooler for about 2 hours before packaging it for later consumption, or for 45 min- 1 hour before slicing for immediate consumption. This kind of temp control is best achieved with the help of a controlled fan. I use the “CyberQ cloud” with “Pit Viper Fan” and it works great. AND, with this method, there is no need to open the cabinet EVER, to do any spritzing. (Losing cabinet temp). The CyberQ will display the Meat Temp and the Cook Temp throughout the whole process so the door only opens one time for the wrap. Give this a shot and Good Luck! Enjoyed the video.
In addition to this...Smoke rings develop from combustion of the cooking material...ie wood, coal etc and interaction of the myoglobin and gases nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. This happens better with the protein being moist. To sum it up, always keep a water pan with liquids in smoker during the first hours of the smoke and keep the meet moist and you will ALWAYS have a rock solid smoke ring! Its all about the science!
@@tdallenkk thats where i messed up. I spritzed every hour but i eneded up with red outside. Its weird but I didnt get a bark on it until after i wrapped it in foil for a few hours.
@@TheJollyMage Bark is a little different but also Science baby! Its caused by what is called the Maillard Reaction. A good rub with salt n pepper along with onion powder and whatever else you wanna rub on the protein. Notice that I didn't say sugar! Add moisture, smoke and old father time....a chair and beer and the outside of the meat turns wonderfully dark but not charcoal tasting. Depending on the day and my schedule I've mastered starting a brisket on a stick burner for the until the meat hits and internal temp of 165 Degrees, usually 3 to 5 hours depending on the size and then wrap it and finish it off in my pellet grill. This is the best of both worlds. Letting my get that nice good bark and smokey taste, then set it and forget it untils the brisket is done on the pellet grill and I can go about my day. That is why I call it a the Art of BBQ, people can argue the merits of different forms but like Art..its open to interpretation....sure you need a good solid base of understanding the technical aspects of BBQ, like fire management, choosing and preparing the meat, and the quality of the equipment but outside of that....the sky is the limit!
I bought an old country gravity bbq pit because of you.understanding it was a curve. Best decision I have made. Can get it really hot for steak/ etc just need more tine to get to temp.
This is a really detailed walkthrough of your typical process. It can be applied to any smoker. You do a really good job of pointing out things to look for while cooking. This is great.
Couple things I have found with my OCB Gravity Feed after over 3 years of use. 1. Temp on top rack is much hotter at the very back (under the vent). So if I am cooking 4 or more racks of ribs, lots of shuffling to keep things even. 2. Layering wood in chute does give more concentrated smoke as the wood is smoldered by lump from all sides, where in the box, it's a slower burn as embers fall on the top of the wood only, unless you light the wood completely on fire, like when opening the box door, which then gives a sooty black smoke. I add wood in the box as needed, or will load the chute with oak, and put stronger woods like mesquite below for better control. 3. If you're going to load the box with wood, wait until just before adding meat, otherwise it's wasted. 4. Run probe wires down the chimney so the door seals better, also less damage to probe wires. 5. Stock temp gauge is garbage and way too short. Measures right by the door where temps are lowest. Get a longer stem thermometer and still ignore to use probes. 6. Noticed the top left corner of door is warped out when closed on several units. Mine is the same, as is a friend's. Both of ours still seal, just disappointing to look at. Guessing this would have been fixed by using 2 latches instead of 1 in the middle. 6. If you are not using a temp controlled fan on the air valve, it's game changing on this smoker. I can load the chute before bed and have no worries about should the outside temp change. I'm in the Florida Panhandle where winter temps go from 80* in the day to 40* overnight. The insulated box is great, fantastic actually, however a 40* swing needs an adjustment. 7. I use lump only, however for long brisket cooks, I start with lump and switch to briquets after the first 6 hours when smoke is no longer adding as much flavor. Reason? A chimney of lump lasts me 6-8 hours or so at 225* depending on piece size, briquets 10-12 hours. So for the over night portion it's less risky of running out of fuel. 8. original wheels are garbage. Will not move at all across anything other than pavement. They also rust easily. swap out to taller, better wheels off amazon. Went with 5" wheels and overall height is much better to work with. Finally, I wish they had put the larger version in the video into production. I can do 2 large and one medium brisket, or 6 to 8 racks of ribs. Could use one more rack. Would put this up against other insulated boxes costing $3-5k any day.
I have the production version of this smoker and it’s outstanding. Get it to temp first, set your coal/chip mix. Throw the chunks in every 2.5 hours until you wrap it. My 25lbs Briskets are done in 6-8 hours MAX and they are AS GOOD as my offset smoker. What’s good is that I usually smoke up some sausages and chicken as the brisket rests. It’s essentially an oven that smokes your meat too.
What the hell temps you running to cook a 25lb brisket in 6-8 hours? That's not recommended my friend. Not trying to be rude at all but you need to slow those cooks down by at least double and likely more than that. 20 hrs would be too quick even. That's also the heaviest brisket I've ever heard of. Maybey you typed in the wrong weight. I hope lol I wouldn't even cook a brisket that big if they even exist
Nice job on showing the new charcoal smoker. There's so many ways to smoke/bbq briskets. I believe is an individual thing, I personally like to cook my briskets at 240-260 , I wrapped them at 160 and take them out at 195-198. To some I'm probably not doing the right thing, but I enjoy cooking. Keep up the good work Jeremy I won't be buying a charcoal smoker soon but it's good to see the improvements over the years.👍👍👍
I agree with one of your main assessments. Temperature is key and each cooker/smoker has it's sweet spot or manageable spot. I have and Old Country Pecos offset that I have modded considerably. It makes a fantastic brisket but fire management is crucial. Mine does not like a big fire in the firebox. Once I get the fire going with some seed lump charcoal (mesquite or oak) I will add no more than 3 logs to start, usually using live oak trimmings from my trees in the back yard, sometimes mesquite. This will get the cook chamber to just above 300° F according to my TelTru thermometer. That is when I add the brisket fat side up at the far end of the cook chamber. From then on I get into a serious session of fire management and beer drinking always keeping the fire tended and never adding more than two logs at a time. This keeps the temp at between 210-225°. Yeah, that's a little low, but I have found out the hard way that if I try to push the temp upwards of 285° I will easily lose control of it and it might spike up to 400° or more, NOT GOOD! And if I try to control it by shutting down the air supply I just end up getting dirty smoke, also NOT GOOD! So, I chug along at 225° as my target temp with nice clean nearly invisible smoke. I'll usually let the brisket cook for 6 to 8 hours before I spray it like you do and then wrap with the pink paper. Then I will add 2 more larger logs and then a new pile of lump charcoal to keep the fire going all night. By this time it is just about 2:00AM and I hit the sack. At around 9:00 AM the next morning I take out the brisket and check to see that it is done. Fully rendered fat and soft and jiggly consistency. If it needs a little more cooking I simply put it on a wire rack over a sheet pan and cook it in the oven at 250° for another 3-4 hours. Some say that is cheating, but I don't care. The meat has absorbed all the smoke flavor it needs and I save a lot on wood. Besides, all the Central Texas joints do this to some degree or other, they just won't admit it. I seen them pull whole briskets from the back. Hmmm, where did that come from, LOL! Anyway, great video. Lot's of insights and your documented trials help all of us become better pitmasters.
Great job Jeremy. Got to love it when "the sound of freedom" flies overhead when filming. Love the video. Very educational. I really need to get me a smoker. Keep crushing it!
I think people are being a little too hard on you on this smoker. You did say "First Brisket on my Old Country BBQ" so obviously like most first cooks, there's somewhat of a learning curve. I also don't know what people are talking about "no smoke ring" 16:13, what's that??? The flat did look a little dry but unless they're marbled well, flats can get dry REALLY fast. I've also found that cameras sometimes don't do good bbq justice. A lot of keyboard cooks on here being a little harsh for the circumstances lol. I will somewhat disagree with the pellet smoker comment though. If you're doing 225-250 you get a really nice smoke flavor that's not in your face. Personally that's what I like. Nice video and nice cook man.
An Insulated cook chamber is a great thing. It's way more consistent than a thin wall can cooker or propane tank. I've converted several commercial ovens to hybrid smokers and they work excellent. I'm a believer that you need to involve sticks of wood to achieve honest BBQ, but they certainly do not have to be a log. A mix of charcoal and wood is what I use in my hybrid rigs.
Smoke ring isn't a big deal, IMHO. At 15:07 that was a nice meteorite! I'd bet there was plenty of smoke flavor. Good look pit too! I've been eyeing a vertical gravity fed smoker.
Love your videos Jeremy. I agree with your assessment of temperature being a bit lower. Since this is your first try on this style of smoker, you have learned a lot about it. I use an Offset and a Barrel Style smokers for different cuts of meat and time. Keep up the good work!
Great review. I would have liked to watch you load your fuel and add a little more commentary on the subject, ie. What type of charcoal and or wood you used, the rate at which it burned, how much was left over, etc. Thanks for everything, this is a great channel.
Thoughts on using less butcher paper when you wrap? I think the point of paper is to let it breathe and that much wrap will be more akin to foil (steam).
You must put a log below the burning coals so the hot coals fall on the log. That's how you get the smoke that you really want. Also , try and place oven temp on each rack so you can see how even the temps are. I have a feeling that the middle rack might be the best position.
I want one of these smokers! I've been eyeballing a gravity feed for a long time. I have an Old Country Pecos and absolutely love it, made some delicious and a lot of not so delicious BBQ on it. It was my first smoker and I learned a lot with it. One thing the Old Country gravity feed smoker needs, though is a slam latch on the door. The handle is nice and all, but a slam latch on a cabinet is very convenient. Also, a folding shelf on the side would be a nice addition.
Excellent maiden voyage and trial run Jeremy. I agree 235 to 260 F. ... from most say... seems to be the sweet spot with these gravity fed smokers. You should get a more moist and more tender product at the 235-260 F. range. I'm most curious about fire management... how much charcoal did you use for this cook and did you put the wood chunks underneath or did you mix them in with your charcoal. Some guys tell me they get better results by using small wood chunks mixed in with the charcoal in the charcoal shoot, rather than placing them underneath and having the hot coals/ashes drop down on them. Also I'm curious as to what is the maximum load of charcoal and how does that translate into burn time at about 250 degrees. Best wishes Koka...
Hey Jeremy cook cook, and wait to see what they’re wanting to sell this smoker for. Just because it didn’t look like there was much of a smoke ring, I know the camera can miss it sometimes due to lighting, what kind of wood and how much wood were you using for this brisket?
I am not an expert but I get great reviews on my brisket so I do have some smoke cred in this area. I usually don't go past 6 hours before wrapping my brisket in paper, been taught that after 6 hours they've absorbed enough smoke and can pick us some bitterness if it goes longer. Never misted before wrapping but I think it would somewhat steam the meat which would make the meat more pot roasty (if that's a word). I'd also not go on the top shelf because all the heat is reflecting down onto the meat (I would be interested in the heat difference in the temp difference between the top, middle and bottom of the smoke chamber). All in all, I agree with stonecoldtrk, first cook so there is going to be a learning curve. I am looking for a vertical smoker but I don't know how I feel about the auto feed method. I'd be interested in hearing more about the results.
Good cook, you hung in there with it. I agree with your points using this and what you recently did on your offset. Very interesting smoker with some nice features. Like the insulation value built into it. I finally got around to another brisket a week ago and followed your guidelines. It turned out really well IMO. Check it out if you get time. Seeya-Phil
I had better luck smoking at 250°, 225° is good but it adds another 3 hours to the over all cook. I pulled the brisket at 201° and it was too tender and close to falling apart, so next time I’m going to take it out at 195° internal temp. Isn’t experimenting fun?
Mr. Yoder when will that BBQ Grill be available and what would be the cost on that I am very interested in it thank you I would look forward to hearing back from you thank you very much I enjoy your video sir
I am still working on my BBQ game. I have never had a brisket look as good as that. Is it you or the smoker? Probably both. Question: If you would have added more wood could you achieve the smokiness level you were looking for? THANKS!!!
always looking forward to the new content and glad to see we got a fresh upload, thanks for sharing this cook. I wanted to point out my observations. 1. Apparent lack of prominent smoke ring when compared to your previous cooks, perhaps the brisket wasn't as cold prior to placement on rack compared to previous cooks, or simply the nature of the gravity fed smoker, or as I observed in your previous video where you seasoned this grill, you used chunks, perhaps more chunks are needed in ratio to charcoal or simply larger chunks while still maintaining to the standard 4oz of wood for the first 2 hours or every 30 minutes. 2. At the 15:45 mark I noticed during slicing that the top of the brisket showed some jelly-like fat at the top of the slices, is this unrendered fat or just the fat cap glistening in the light? 3. The color of the brisket looked a little unique and the pieces looked a little stiff, did they pass the bend and tear test? I would have loved to see the juice in the point. Either way, interesting smoker, thanks for the review and cook. I'm a huge fan of your Brazos and fatstack smoker cooks, I'm looking to get the Old Country BBQ Pits All-American Angus Smoker here soon, hope it cooks as well as your Brazos. Cheers bud, P.S. these are merely my subjective observations and they are from an amateur cook, no offense intended, merely conversation and dialogue in effort to understand more. Thanks.
OCB teased the world with this smoker, then when everyone went crazy over it, decided to not make it? Crazy. Every email is answered with soon. Waiting over a year and nothing. Going to order a smaller, more expensive Assassin gravity fed. Sigh.. You are a lucky guy to have scored one! Edit: Just scored one at Academy 3 hours away. Driving to get tomorrow morning. Guess they heard me. lol. Still scarce, only unit with in 5 hours of the Florida Panhandle. So stoked!
I have a pellet smoker and I've never experienced this lack of smoke flavor you are talking about. Mostly it varies on what type of wood i use and what meat i'm cooking will determine the type and amount of smoke i'm getting into the meat.
Hi!! how do you know the fat has rendered? when you press your finger over the fat, does the finger have to sink in without finding resistance? Thank you!
I really enjoy your videos. I saw one of your Old Country gravity fed smoker cook, you felt this type of smoker was next best to offset smoker. How do you feel about insulated vertical smokers like lone star xl
Cool your trying out new things. Going to attempt my first brisket tomorrow morning. Going to do it on my traeger. I figured it would be hard to mess up if I did it that way. Thanks for the content.
nimo921 Good luck! I started with the Traeger about 12 years ago and still have it and still use it occasionally. If you like a really smoky flavor keep it under about 225°. Even at this temperature the smoke flavor will be mild but quite pleasant. Over the years I found it I can adjust my smoke profile several different ways. First I use Lumberjack pellets. 100% of the whatever woood I choose ie pecan, oak,cherry etc. Don't believe the Traeger bullshit that you have to use their pellets because they are some of the most sorry rotten pellets on the market. Barbecuers D lights are another good choice. Louisiana smokers make some good pellets as well. I normally take from 2 to 15 to 20 charcoal briquettes and line them up starting at the burnt pot heading back on the auger cover. They will ignite and burn their way back like a snake for an hour or two giving charcoal flavor. Same goes for small chunks of wood. They will ignite and depending on how many you use you'll get all the smoke flavor you would out of almost any stick burner or other type of grill. You're going to have fun. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. No one and I mean no one knows everything about barbecuing. I thought I was pretty good and I am but I picked up tips during my 14 months in Iraq and 24 months in Afghanistan from the locals. Most were awful but some were quite useful especially the Afghanis on cooking kebabs.
Rus ridge thanks for the tips man. I’m pretty pumped about it. when were you in Iraq? And what unit? I over there in 2004 in the 18th airborne out of fort Bragg NC.
Regarding the brisket cooking faster in this smoker, the temperature is the temperature, whatever you maintain it at. The fact that this smoker is insulated means that you will use less fuel to maintain your temperatures.
2 questions, how do I get a gig like this, testing smokers? And where is this video taken? Beautiful background. I would have no problems setting and baby setting my smoker and looking at the mountains.
Looks a lot like kirt the welders design but compacted down. 1 min in I can say off set and only half the rack space is no good. Why dint you use a water pan on the free shelf’s? Honest curiosity as I don’t have space for one on mine and recently learnt I apparently should be. Got to the end of the vid and can’t see where you add wood
Great video very informative. To be honest I have never see butcher paper used to wrap just tinfoil. Is there a reason you use one vs. the tother? Does it effect the juiciness of the meat? I wold think that one, the butcher paper would sock up the grease/fat vs. the tinfoil the meat would sock in the more in the grease/fat.
Butcher paper allows the meat to still breathe, unlike aluminum foil. The bark, then, doesn't suffer with butcher paper like it does with foil since some of the juices are still able to evaporate. Aaron Franklin has a good video on here where he does one unwrapped, wrapped in butcher paper, and wrapped in foil and shows the difference in end results.
Jeremy, excellent review and love the added humor!!! I’m on the fence between the brazos and waiting for this gravity fed system by Old Country. In your opinion, which is best for consistent taste and overall enjoyment of the cook? Thank you for all your amazingly informative reviews.
One thing I learn with my gravity feed smoker is they like green wood 25% - 20 % moisture. They like more moisture wood then say like a traditional offset pit. I use split wood instead of chunks. That gives me a better smoke and taste profile. You really need a Temperature controller like a guru.
Love your videos can’t wait to see the smoker in the market. Did you use a water pan in the cooking chamber or does it have a reservoir in the bottom for holding water? Thanks for the video review.
Ha ha! I find it amazing that young people many times do not know Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, etc. I genuinely feel bad for them. You may wanna rotate your brisket 90 deg and use 1 roll of butcher paper instead of 2. Just flip the brisket longways as you wrap it and use 1/2 the paper! Unless you want a lot of layers of paper.
Nice cooker. Here’s how I make smoking a little less work while still taking advantage of the superb smoke flavor of an offset stick-burner. Once the bark looks right from a judicial amount of hickory smoke, aprox half way through the cook, I’ll then move the brisket or up to 3 pork butts from my Texas Pit Crafters PM100 over to my 26” Weber kettle and finish indirect with lump, utilizing a temp controller. Thanks for the videos. I’ve picked up a few things, especially from your brisket videos.
Nice brisket. Light smoke ring and a little dry. Perhaps add addtl wood for a better ring. Wrapping in paper always makes brisket more crusty as opposed to Reynolds wrap which delivers a tender juicy end result. Carving knife may do a better job at slicing.
Really really awesome. I have always wanted a gravity fed smoker. I would love any real fire smoker come to think of it, just don't have it in the budget ever. Great vid as always Jeremy.
Hey Jeremy. Long time sub. You inspired me to get a Pecos. Some people have asked with no response, so I'll try. Any word on when this unit is going to be available? Very interested in it. Thanks man
At the 4 hour mark it had hit 166 it only needed another hour before wrapping, but he kept it going for another five hours and it burnt and was over cooked. I understand it was his first cook on a gravity feed but internal temp is a key factor to smoking. Also he didnt show what wood he was using.
Hey , really like your page. I was wondering if you used a water pan in the smoker and what was your total hours of cook time? Interested in this smoker!
Love your videos. Gotta ask though, where did you get that apron? I have been looking for a good one for a long time and have never seen one as heavy duty as yours.
Jeremy what effect does the apple cider vin give to flavor and have you used a quality brown stock before. For a first cook on that cabinet you did a great job.
I honestly don't notice the vinegar in the final flavor. I have tried a few different sprays but I just like the results of using the vinegar and water mix. The boiling point of acetic acid is around 250F so it presumably evaporates pretty quickly after it gets sprayed so that the vinegar flavor isn't left behind. I think that the low pH is responsible for softening up the surface of the meat. That is something I want to test in a future video
It's crazy to wTch this video now after watching how far you've come. I'd bet this was a stellar brisket at the time, but I bet it is nothing to what you cook now.
I love your videos just this one you really didn't show how to use this new smoker, ie fire management, how much wood and coal did you use. was it hard to maintain the temp, etc. I think you tried slamming pellet smokers a little to hard. I have seen some huge competitions won by pellet smoker pit masters. I know that's a whole different heated topic. I would like to see you spend as much time talking about fire management and how the smoker works as you did talking about seasons that beast.
I got excited to see how the smoker would work, but at the end I got disappointed to see the brisket was overcooked. Could you please do another video with a lower temperature? Im highly interested and did you stop using wood? Please go in more detail on how the smoker works
Hey bro. Love the vids. Just wondering if you were from Cali. Im from Long Beach. I saw your vid at fat stack smokers and was interested in getting a smoker from there. Just curious on your thoughts.
Quick suggestion for camera person, clean your lens please. JY, brisket looked a tinch dry to me and as other noted, weak smoke ring. To be fair, smoke rings aren’t necessary for good bbq. It seemed in the views of cut flat the smoke ring was more noticeable on one side than the other. I wonder if the fat side got more smoke since it was down.
Crusty as a week old biscuit notice the edit when he cuts. We all been there with crusty bark. 165 is the ticket to wrap I like foil better cause you can add liquid if its getting dry or not as much fat. Done butcher paper a lot but for backyard consistency and only 1 shot to get it right I like foil. My 2 cents
Good first attempt on that new smoker man. I had an Old Country mobile rig built out in Laredo some years ago and LOVED it!!! He makes great models that are sold at Academy that are more affordable for the backyard cooks. I did see your Academy excursion in Grapevine covering that as well. Good video content and helps us newer UA-cam content creators. Thx!!! And oh yeah, on that Franklin BBQ video. I love how you said to do it maybe ONCE. LOL!!! I live here and NO WAY will I sit out there for all those hours.
I have the Assasin 28 Gravity feed at my restaurant. Great video. I’d like to share a couple things that may help you...
1) start at a cook temp of 225, after 3 hours raise to 265. Then wait for meat to reach 165.
2) wrap at 165, the meat has achieved its bark, ring and smoke at this point. This is the “stall”, you want to wrap it now to help push it through the “stall” and yet, maintain all the moisture as you push the temp up through the stall.
3) put it back in, wrapped, and raise temp to 285-300(not critical now, because it’s wrapped) and his will get the meat temp up through the stall without any sacrifices of moisture, bark or smoke ring.
4) pull it out at 199-203 meat temp and put it directly into a cooler with a couple scoops of ice. This stops the cook, preserves the moisture and allows the juices to distribute evenly. Let stand in the cooler for about 2 hours before packaging it for later consumption, or for 45 min- 1 hour before slicing for immediate consumption.
This kind of temp control is best achieved with the help of a controlled fan. I use the “CyberQ cloud” with “Pit Viper Fan” and it works great. AND, with this method, there is no need to open the cabinet EVER, to do any spritzing. (Losing cabinet temp). The CyberQ will display the Meat Temp and the Cook Temp throughout the whole process so the door only opens one time for the wrap.
Give this a shot and Good Luck! Enjoyed the video.
Very helpful ,thanks.
Thank you for the detailed instructions
In addition to this...Smoke rings develop from combustion of the cooking material...ie wood, coal etc and interaction of the myoglobin and gases nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. This happens better with the protein being moist. To sum it up, always keep a water pan with liquids in smoker during the first hours of the smoke and keep the meet moist and you will ALWAYS have a rock solid smoke ring! Its all about the science!
@@tdallenkk thats where i messed up. I spritzed every hour but i eneded up with red outside. Its weird but I didnt get a bark on it until after i wrapped it in foil for a few hours.
@@TheJollyMage Bark is a little different but also Science baby! Its caused by what is called the Maillard Reaction. A good rub with salt n pepper along with onion powder and whatever else you wanna rub on the protein. Notice that I didn't say sugar! Add moisture, smoke and old father time....a chair and beer and the outside of the meat turns wonderfully dark but not charcoal tasting. Depending on the day and my schedule I've mastered starting a brisket on a stick burner for the until the meat hits and internal temp of 165 Degrees, usually 3 to 5 hours depending on the size and then wrap it and finish it off in my pellet grill. This is the best of both worlds. Letting my get that nice good bark and smokey taste, then set it and forget it untils the brisket is done on the pellet grill and I can go about my day. That is why I call it a the Art of BBQ, people can argue the merits of different forms but like Art..its open to interpretation....sure you need a good solid base of understanding the technical aspects of BBQ, like fire management, choosing and preparing the meat, and the quality of the equipment but outside of that....the sky is the limit!
I bought an old country gravity bbq pit because of you.understanding it was a curve. Best decision I have made. Can get it really hot for steak/ etc just need more tine to get to temp.
This is a really detailed walkthrough of your typical process. It can be applied to any smoker. You do a really good job of pointing out things to look for while cooking. This is great.
Couple things I have found with my OCB Gravity Feed after over 3 years of use. 1. Temp on top rack is much hotter at the very back (under the vent). So if I am cooking 4 or more racks of ribs, lots of shuffling to keep things even. 2. Layering wood in chute does give more concentrated smoke as the wood is smoldered by lump from all sides, where in the box, it's a slower burn as embers fall on the top of the wood only, unless you light the wood completely on fire, like when opening the box door, which then gives a sooty black smoke. I add wood in the box as needed, or will load the chute with oak, and put stronger woods like mesquite below for better control. 3. If you're going to load the box with wood, wait until just before adding meat, otherwise it's wasted. 4. Run probe wires down the chimney so the door seals better, also less damage to probe wires. 5. Stock temp gauge is garbage and way too short. Measures right by the door where temps are lowest. Get a longer stem thermometer and still ignore to use probes. 6. Noticed the top left corner of door is warped out when closed on several units. Mine is the same, as is a friend's. Both of ours still seal, just disappointing to look at. Guessing this would have been fixed by using 2 latches instead of 1 in the middle. 6. If you are not using a temp controlled fan on the air valve, it's game changing on this smoker. I can load the chute before bed and have no worries about should the outside temp change. I'm in the Florida Panhandle where winter temps go from 80* in the day to 40* overnight. The insulated box is great, fantastic actually, however a 40* swing needs an adjustment. 7. I use lump only, however for long brisket cooks, I start with lump and switch to briquets after the first 6 hours when smoke is no longer adding as much flavor. Reason? A chimney of lump lasts me 6-8 hours or so at 225* depending on piece size, briquets 10-12 hours. So for the over night portion it's less risky of running out of fuel. 8. original wheels are garbage. Will not move at all across anything other than pavement. They also rust easily. swap out to taller, better wheels off amazon. Went with 5" wheels and overall height is much better to work with. Finally, I wish they had put the larger version in the video into production. I can do 2 large and one medium brisket, or 6 to 8 racks of ribs. Could use one more rack. Would put this up against other insulated boxes costing $3-5k any day.
I have the production version of this smoker and it’s outstanding. Get it to temp first, set your coal/chip mix. Throw the chunks in every 2.5 hours until you wrap it. My 25lbs Briskets are done in 6-8 hours MAX and they are AS GOOD as my offset smoker. What’s good is that I usually smoke up some sausages and chicken as the brisket rests. It’s essentially an oven that smokes your meat too.
What the hell temps you running to cook a 25lb brisket in 6-8 hours? That's not recommended my friend. Not trying to be rude at all but you need to slow those cooks down by at least double and likely more than that. 20 hrs would be too quick even. That's also the heaviest brisket I've ever heard of. Maybey you typed in the wrong weight. I hope lol I wouldn't even cook a brisket that big if they even exist
What is the name of your commercial smoker?
Nice job on showing the new charcoal smoker. There's so many ways to smoke/bbq briskets. I believe is an individual thing, I personally like to cook my briskets at 240-260 , I wrapped them at 160 and take them out at 195-198. To some I'm probably not doing the right thing, but I enjoy cooking. Keep up the good work Jeremy I won't be buying a charcoal smoker soon but it's good to see the improvements over the years.👍👍👍
I agree with one of your main assessments. Temperature is key and each cooker/smoker has it's sweet spot or manageable spot. I have and Old Country Pecos offset that I have modded considerably. It makes a fantastic brisket but fire management is crucial. Mine does not like a big fire in the firebox. Once I get the fire going with some seed lump charcoal (mesquite or oak) I will add no more than 3 logs to start, usually using live oak trimmings from my trees in the back yard, sometimes mesquite. This will get the cook chamber to just above 300° F according to my TelTru thermometer. That is when I add the brisket fat side up at the far end of the cook chamber. From then on I get into a serious session of fire management and beer drinking always keeping the fire tended and never adding more than two logs at a time. This keeps the temp at between 210-225°. Yeah, that's a little low, but I have found out the hard way that if I try to push the temp upwards of 285° I will easily lose control of it and it might spike up to 400° or more, NOT GOOD! And if I try to control it by shutting down the air supply I just end up getting dirty smoke, also NOT GOOD! So, I chug along at 225° as my target temp with nice clean nearly invisible smoke. I'll usually let the brisket cook for 6 to 8 hours before I spray it like you do and then wrap with the pink paper. Then I will add 2 more larger logs and then a new pile of lump charcoal to keep the fire going all night. By this time it is just about 2:00AM and I hit the sack. At around 9:00 AM the next morning I take out the brisket and check to see that it is done. Fully rendered fat and soft and jiggly consistency. If it needs a little more cooking I simply put it on a wire rack over a sheet pan and cook it in the oven at 250° for another 3-4 hours. Some say that is cheating, but I don't care. The meat has absorbed all the smoke flavor it needs and I save a lot on wood. Besides, all the Central Texas joints do this to some degree or other, they just won't admit it. I seen them pull whole briskets from the back. Hmmm, where did that come from, LOL!
Anyway, great video. Lot's of insights and your documented trials help all of us become better pitmasters.
Great job Jeremy. Got to love it when "the sound of freedom" flies overhead when filming. Love the video. Very educational. I really need to get me a smoker. Keep crushing it!
We need another brisket video!!! Taking what you learned from this one.
I think people are being a little too hard on you on this smoker. You did say "First Brisket on my Old Country BBQ" so obviously like most first cooks, there's somewhat of a learning curve. I also don't know what people are talking about "no smoke ring" 16:13, what's that??? The flat did look a little dry but unless they're marbled well, flats can get dry REALLY fast. I've also found that cameras sometimes don't do good bbq justice. A lot of keyboard cooks on here being a little harsh for the circumstances lol. I will somewhat disagree with the pellet smoker comment though. If you're doing 225-250 you get a really nice smoke flavor that's not in your face. Personally that's what I like. Nice video and nice cook man.
I agree but for youtube comments it's par for the course. UA-camrs know EVERYTHING at all times
Right? Not only everything I said before but he also stated the smoker was a prototype lol.
An Insulated cook chamber is a great thing. It's way more consistent than a thin wall can cooker or propane tank. I've converted several commercial ovens to hybrid smokers and they work excellent. I'm a believer that you need to involve sticks of wood to achieve honest BBQ, but they certainly do not have to be a log. A mix of charcoal and wood is what I use in my hybrid rigs.
Smoke ring isn't a big deal, IMHO. At 15:07 that was a nice meteorite! I'd bet there was plenty of smoke flavor. Good look pit too! I've been eyeing a vertical gravity fed smoker.
Love your videos Jeremy. I agree with your assessment of temperature being a bit lower. Since this is your first try on this style of smoker, you have learned a lot about it. I use an Offset and a Barrel Style smokers for different cuts of meat and time. Keep up the good work!
Great review. I would have liked to watch you load your fuel and add a little more commentary on the subject, ie. What type of charcoal and or wood you used, the rate at which it burned, how much was left over, etc.
Thanks for everything, this is a great channel.
Amen
That was a AH-1 Cobra! Brisket looks great!
Thoughts on using less butcher paper when you wrap? I think the point of paper is to let it breathe and that much wrap will be more akin to foil (steam).
You must put a log below the burning coals so the hot coals fall on the log. That's how you get the smoke that you really want. Also , try and place oven temp on each rack so you can see how even the temps are. I have a feeling that the middle rack might be the best position.
Are you ever going to use this smoker again?
Oh man I want that gravity fed smoker so bad!! Very nice looking unit & brisket!
I want one of these smokers! I've been eyeballing a gravity feed for a long time. I have an Old Country Pecos and absolutely love it, made some delicious and a lot of not so delicious BBQ on it. It was my first smoker and I learned a lot with it.
One thing the Old Country gravity feed smoker needs, though is a slam latch on the door. The handle is nice and all, but a slam latch on a cabinet is very convenient. Also, a folding shelf on the side would be a nice addition.
someone 'failed to communicate' that they were rolling camera. I'm glad they did . great video man.
Glad I am not the only one who wears aprons after ruining shirts while using the smoker.
Excellent maiden voyage and trial run Jeremy. I agree 235 to 260 F. ... from most say... seems to be the sweet spot with these gravity fed smokers. You should get a more moist and more tender product at the 235-260 F. range.
I'm most curious about fire management... how much charcoal did you use for this cook and did you put the wood chunks underneath or did you mix them in with your charcoal. Some guys tell me they get better results by using small wood chunks mixed in with the charcoal in the charcoal shoot, rather than placing them underneath and having the hot coals/ashes drop down on them.
Also I'm curious as to what is the maximum load of charcoal and how does that translate into burn time at about 250 degrees.
Best wishes Koka...
Hey Jeremy cook cook, and wait to see what they’re wanting to sell this smoker for. Just because it didn’t look like there was much of a smoke ring, I know the camera can miss it sometimes due to lighting, what kind of wood and how much wood were you using for this brisket?
I am not an expert but I get great reviews on my brisket so I do have some smoke cred in this area. I usually don't go past 6 hours before wrapping my brisket in paper, been taught that after 6 hours they've absorbed enough smoke and can pick us some bitterness if it goes longer. Never misted before wrapping but I think it would somewhat steam the meat which would make the meat more pot roasty (if that's a word). I'd also not go on the top shelf because all the heat is reflecting down onto the meat (I would be interested in the heat difference in the temp difference between the top, middle and bottom of the smoke chamber). All in all, I agree with stonecoldtrk, first cook so there is going to be a learning curve.
I am looking for a vertical smoker but I don't know how I feel about the auto feed method. I'd be interested in hearing more about the results.
I know this is an older video, but what happened to the smoker in this video? I like it over the current one being made by old country.
Good cook, you hung in there with it. I agree with your points using this and what you recently did on your offset. Very interesting smoker with some nice features. Like the insulation value built into it. I finally got around to another brisket a week ago and followed your guidelines. It turned out really well IMO. Check it out if you get time. Seeya-Phil
I had better luck smoking at 250°, 225° is good but it adds another 3 hours to the over all cook. I pulled the brisket at 201° and it was too tender and close to falling apart, so next time I’m going to take it out at 195° internal temp. Isn’t experimenting fun?
Mr. Yoder when will that BBQ Grill be available and what would be the cost on that I am very interested in it thank you I would look forward to hearing back from you thank you very much I enjoy your video sir
I am still working on my BBQ game. I have never had a brisket look as good as that. Is it you or the smoker? Probably both. Question: If you would have added more wood could you achieve the smokiness level you were looking for? THANKS!!!
I really enjoy your side stories lol
always looking forward to the new content and glad to see we got a fresh upload, thanks for sharing this cook. I wanted to point out my observations. 1. Apparent lack of prominent smoke ring when compared to your previous cooks, perhaps the brisket wasn't as cold prior to placement on rack compared to previous cooks, or simply the nature of the gravity fed smoker, or as I observed in your previous video where you seasoned this grill, you used chunks, perhaps more chunks are needed in ratio to charcoal or simply larger chunks while still maintaining to the standard 4oz of wood for the first 2 hours or every 30 minutes. 2. At the 15:45 mark I noticed during slicing that the top of the brisket showed some jelly-like fat at the top of the slices, is this unrendered fat or just the fat cap glistening in the light? 3. The color of the brisket looked a little unique and the pieces looked a little stiff, did they pass the bend and tear test? I would have loved to see the juice in the point. Either way, interesting smoker, thanks for the review and cook. I'm a huge fan of your Brazos and fatstack smoker cooks, I'm looking to get the Old Country BBQ Pits All-American Angus Smoker here soon, hope it cooks as well as your Brazos. Cheers bud, P.S. these are merely my subjective observations and they are from an amateur cook, no offense intended, merely conversation and dialogue in effort to understand more. Thanks.
Looks like nicer smoker I enjoy the BBQ video please upload more :)
OCB teased the world with this smoker, then when everyone went crazy over it, decided to not make it? Crazy. Every email is answered with soon. Waiting over a year and nothing. Going to order a smaller, more expensive Assassin gravity fed. Sigh.. You are a lucky guy to have scored one! Edit: Just scored one at Academy 3 hours away. Driving to get tomorrow morning. Guess they heard me. lol. Still scarce, only unit with in 5 hours of the Florida Panhandle. So stoked!
I love Foghorn Leghorn too.. I liked the ones with the Weasel.. Those were the funniest ones ever.
Looks like the test model has a bigger chamber than production?
I have a pellet smoker and I've never experienced this lack of smoke flavor you are talking about. Mostly it varies on what type of wood i use and what meat i'm cooking will determine the type and amount of smoke i'm getting into the meat.
Hi!! how do you know the fat has rendered? when you press your finger over the fat, does the finger have to sink in without finding resistance? Thank you!
Bout damn time you made another video!!!! Lol I was going through withdrawals
Fat side up here in Texas. Keeps the meat moist big time.
Where’d you buy the Apron?! I love it, would come in handy. No more ruined shirts.
Can you do a video of the Old Country Vertical Smokehouse?
I really enjoy your videos. I saw one of your Old Country gravity fed smoker cook, you felt this type of smoker was next best to offset smoker. How do you feel about insulated vertical smokers like lone star xl
Cool your trying out new things. Going to attempt my first brisket tomorrow morning. Going to do it on my traeger. I figured it would be hard to mess up if I did it that way. Thanks for the content.
nimo921
Good luck! I started with the Traeger about 12 years ago and still have it and still use it occasionally. If you like a really smoky flavor keep it under about 225°. Even at this temperature the smoke flavor will be mild but quite pleasant. Over the years I found it I can adjust my smoke profile several different ways. First I use Lumberjack pellets. 100% of the whatever woood I choose ie pecan, oak,cherry etc.
Don't believe the Traeger bullshit that you have to use their pellets because they are some of the most sorry rotten pellets on the market. Barbecuers D lights are another good choice. Louisiana smokers make some good pellets as well. I normally take from 2 to 15 to 20 charcoal briquettes and line them up starting at the burnt pot heading back on the auger cover. They will ignite and burn their way back like a snake for an hour or two giving charcoal flavor. Same goes for small chunks of wood. They will ignite and depending on how many you use you'll get all the smoke flavor you would out of almost any stick burner or other type of grill. You're going to have fun. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. No one and I mean no one knows everything about barbecuing. I thought I was pretty good and I am but I picked up tips during my 14 months in Iraq and 24 months in Afghanistan from the locals. Most were awful but some were quite useful especially the Afghanis on cooking kebabs.
Rus ridge thanks for the tips man. I’m pretty pumped about it. when were you in Iraq? And what unit? I over there in 2004 in the 18th airborne out of fort Bragg NC.
Regarding the brisket cooking faster in this smoker, the temperature is the temperature, whatever you maintain it at. The fact that this smoker is insulated means that you will use less fuel to maintain your temperatures.
2 questions, how do I get a gig like this, testing smokers? And where is this video taken? Beautiful background. I would have no problems setting and baby setting my smoker and looking at the mountains.
what kind of things can you cook with using this type of smoker? Lump? Wood chunks?
Looks a lot like kirt the welders design but compacted down. 1 min in I can say off set and only half the rack space is no good. Why dint you use a water pan on the free shelf’s? Honest curiosity as I don’t have space for one on mine and recently learnt I apparently should be. Got to the end of the vid and can’t see where you add wood
Great video very informative. To be honest I have never see butcher paper used to wrap just tinfoil. Is there a reason you use one vs. the tother? Does it effect the juiciness of the meat? I wold think that one, the butcher paper would sock up the grease/fat vs. the tinfoil the meat would sock in the more in the grease/fat.
Butcher paper allows the meat to still breathe, unlike aluminum foil. The bark, then, doesn't suffer with butcher paper like it does with foil since some of the juices are still able to evaporate. Aaron Franklin has a good video on here where he does one unwrapped, wrapped in butcher paper, and wrapped in foil and shows the difference in end results.
Jeremy, excellent review and love the added humor!!! I’m on the fence between the brazos and waiting for this gravity fed system by Old Country. In your opinion, which is best for consistent taste and overall enjoyment of the cook? Thank you for all your amazingly informative reviews.
One thing I learn with my gravity feed smoker is they like green wood 25% - 20 % moisture. They like more moisture wood then say like a traditional offset pit. I use split wood instead of chunks. That gives me a better smoke and taste profile. You really need a Temperature controller like a guru.
Interesting... I'll have to try it out. Thanks!
Nice video and instruction. What is a good method for achieving that dark colored bark?
Ps do u think you can make a video using a pellet smoker? Maybe another brisket? Thanks man!
Where can I buy an old country gravity fed smoker. Academy say no longer available. Did they stop making them
Good vid. I suggest a small garden sprayer
Why should mix vinegar to water? What does the vinegar do with the bark?
Half apple cider half water! Keeps the bark edible instead of getting like a rock.
Love your videos can’t wait to see the smoker in the market. Did you use a water pan in the cooking chamber or does it have a reservoir in the bottom for holding water? Thanks for the video review.
Which old country is this? I would love to get this 4 rack instead of the 3 rack one that we have available here.
Ha ha! I find it amazing that young people many times do not know Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, etc. I genuinely feel bad for them. You may wanna rotate your brisket 90 deg and use 1 roll of butcher paper instead of 2. Just flip the brisket longways as you wrap it and use 1/2 the paper! Unless you want a lot of layers of paper.
Nice cooker. Here’s how I make smoking a little less work while still taking advantage of the superb smoke flavor of an offset stick-burner. Once the bark looks right from a judicial amount of hickory smoke, aprox half way through the cook, I’ll then move the brisket or up to 3 pork butts from my Texas Pit Crafters PM100 over to my 26” Weber kettle and finish indirect with lump, utilizing a temp controller. Thanks for the videos. I’ve picked up a few things, especially from your brisket videos.
Would this be a good smoker to start with for a BBQ trailer. I want to keep with wood only no propane
Sorry,, what's the room temperature inside this smoker? I mean what the best temperature and haw many hours,, thanks
I think the smoker did a fine job .
What do you think of the Electric smokers, can you do a review on some of them
Ill keep watching if you keep cooking ! keep it up sir
When is this coming out? Because i will for sure buy it instead of making one myself
LOL I was going to leave a comment saying it was a Cobra! LOL beat me to it! HA Great video!
What does that Pit run and where can you purchase them?
$800 at Academy
my bad. That price was for the Smokehouse Vertical Smoker - without the gravity feed.
Nice brisket. Light smoke ring and a little dry. Perhaps add addtl wood for a better ring. Wrapping in paper always makes brisket more crusty as opposed to Reynolds wrap which delivers a tender juicy end result. Carving knife may do a better job at slicing.
Never use foil, needs to breath not be mushy on top! Foil holds in steam!
Wish they would make this available again
Really really awesome. I have always wanted a gravity fed smoker. I would love any real fire smoker come to think of it, just don't have it in the budget ever. Great vid as always Jeremy.
Hey Jeremy. Long time sub. You inspired me to get a Pecos.
Some people have asked with no response, so I'll try. Any word on when this unit is going to be available? Very interested in it. Thanks man
I like to talk about the white gloves under the black gloves are they heat proof? Where can i get them from?
At the 4 hour mark it had hit 166 it only needed another hour before wrapping, but he kept it going for another five hours and it burnt and was over cooked. I understand it was his first cook on a gravity feed but internal temp is a key factor to smoking. Also he didnt show what wood he was using.
Cobra never mind u know that now just watched more of video
I'm interested in that leather apron, where'd you get it
Great job and awesome vid! Preciate you giving up so much great advice!
Hey , really like your page. I was wondering if you used a water pan in the smoker and what was your total hours of cook time? Interested in this smoker!
Would you recommend the wrangler pit ?
Love your videos. Gotta ask though, where did you get that apron? I have been looking for a good one for a long time and have never seen one as heavy duty as yours.
Jeremy what effect does the apple cider vin give to flavor and have you used a quality brown stock before. For a first cook on that cabinet you did a great job.
I honestly don't notice the vinegar in the final flavor. I have tried a few different sprays but I just like the results of using the vinegar and water mix. The boiling point of acetic acid is around 250F so it presumably evaporates pretty quickly after it gets sprayed so that the vinegar flavor isn't left behind. I think that the low pH is responsible for softening up the surface of the meat. That is something I want to test in a future video
It's crazy to wTch this video now after watching how far you've come. I'd bet this was a stellar brisket at the time, but I bet it is nothing to what you cook now.
Can you please tell me what's the model name for that gravity fed smoker
Which model old country is this and where can I buy one?
I love your videos just this one you really didn't show how to use this new smoker, ie fire management, how much wood and coal did you use. was it hard to maintain the temp, etc. I think you tried slamming pellet smokers a little to hard. I have seen some huge competitions won by pellet smoker pit masters. I know that's a whole different heated topic. I would like to see you spend as much time talking about fire management and how the smoker works as you did talking about seasons that beast.
Are they going to put this on the market ?
Hi. Cant seem to find a lot of info on this smoker. What size are the racks?
I got excited to see how the smoker would work, but at the end I got disappointed to see the brisket was overcooked. Could you please do another video with a lower temperature? Im highly interested and did you stop using wood? Please go in more detail on how the smoker works
Wrapped it too many times! Wrap the butcher paper just twice around to let it breath
Does it make a difference if you use tin foil instead of butcher paper? I have a smoker on the way, so I'm trying my best to learn!
with that type of smoker 225 12-16 hours, lower temp allows for better smoke penetration
Hey bro. Love the vids. Just wondering if you were from Cali. Im from Long Beach. I saw your vid at fat stack smokers and was interested in getting a smoker from there. Just curious on your thoughts.
Quick suggestion for camera person, clean your lens please. JY, brisket looked a tinch dry to me and as other noted, weak smoke ring. To be fair, smoke rings aren’t necessary for good bbq. It seemed in the views of cut flat the smoke ring was more noticeable on one side than the other. I wonder if the fat side got more smoke since it was down.
NItrates in the smoke is the main ingredient for creating the "smoke ring". Thus, any meat protected (sealed) by fat isn't exposed to the nitrates.
That nodule on the smoker door is that a place for a Thermometer?
Would you consider selling that test model
any word when this gravity smoker will be on the market
I touched base with Enrique at Old Country, he said mid August they should be available at Academy. Previously he had said late June so who knows.
Crunchy on the bottom, would a foil pan with water underneath help that.
How long did a bag last
Nice that looked amazing
Bottom looked burnt by the struggle the knife had cutting at the bottom
Good eye. I was wondering if anyone noticed that.
@Flatus Antiquitous dull means rugh cut, not a snapping / crunching cut at the end like what we saw and heard.
Crusty as a week old biscuit notice the edit when he cuts. We all been there with crusty bark. 165 is the ticket to wrap I like foil better cause you can add liquid if its getting dry or not as much fat. Done butcher paper a lot but for backyard consistency and only 1 shot to get it right I like foil. My 2 cents