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OFFSET SMOKER - INSULATED FIREBOX | How to insulate a firebox on a COS
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- čas přidán 23. 06. 2022
- I'm back with another modification video. This time I'm insulating my firebox with Rutland firebrick. Join me as I run some test and see if it really makes a difference.
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You can watch my other Offset Smoker videos here:
Stack Extension
• Offset Smoker Stack Ex...
Baffle Removal w/ Brisket Cook
• OFFSET BAFFLE REMOVAL ...
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You can find Rutland Firebox firebrick at online or at your local hardware store:
HOME DEPOT
www.homedepot....
ACE HARDWARE
www.acehardwar...
#rutland #rutlandfirebrick #smokermods
I’m telling everybody right now. This guy’s got it going on. He has the best channel for offset smoking out there. Period.
I don’t know about all that, but thanks!
Your videos are great, especially for us folk that cant drop $4000+ on a high end offset. Keep em coming! Yesterday I added layer of fire brick to my brazos just like you did, and I'm fairly confident that it did make a large difference in the stability of my temps, which in turn led to some really tasty spare ribs. My fire was easier to manage than usual, which would make sense given the results that you observed. More insulation=more heat retention=hotter firebox=wood splits catching faster. My fire didn't threaten to go out even once. I did let it did burn down low a few times, but a new split caught right away with no issues.
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
@@RaleighSmoke Hey man I got an old country pecos smoker too, I really choose that one because the stack comes into the smoker at grate level. I just watched your video (pretty cool) and I was wondering how much you paid for the bricks.
Dude you're a God send. I just order my Workhorse 1975 wagon and it's probably going to get here (8months) in February in MN. So I'm trying to brain storm how I can have my first cook in sub temperatures. Thank you for looking up food safe materials because I see a lot of vids of people using unsafe materials when cooking. Fire bricks and a welding blanket and I'm all set for winter smoking. Thanks again.
Congrats on the workhorse order. I’ve been wanting to pull the trigger but now that Jeremy Yoder has endorsed it I don’t want to wait that long. Lol! I think the firebrick will work tremendously well for folks in colder climates. Thanks for watching!
@@RaleighSmoke I was thinking about ordering one before Jeremy's review. And when I saw that. I said " I better order it because now everybody's going buy one". 😆 Thanks again buddy.
Never knew your name was John 😂 welcome back brother! love your vids and glad to see you uploading again 😁
Yes you did. I’ll do what I can….
@@RaleighSmoke hi brother I was wondering how you got the extension on the smoke stack with lid in the way, and it’s welded. I see you didn’t remove yours. Thanks.
@@RaleighSmoke I actually just saw your video on how u did it, but I was considering using a connector piece which would require I break the weld for the lid.
I did fire brick to my OK joe and the results surprised me. I was able to keep an open flame, add more wood at one time where I could keep a coal bed and my smoke chamber temp stayed at a lower temp and more controllable. Before if I kept an open flame my smoke chamber Temps would swing and be hotter around 300 to keep a coal bed. Definitely worth using fire brick!
You were right about fire bricks! Temps were easier to control and only had one up spike and that was my fault. Do more videos because I have pecos and always looking to improve.
Your channel is most helpful. I am designing an offset smoker (with plenty of twists and turns), which I humbly believe is an evolution from the clunky products on the market now, and your postings have been instrumental in helping me understand the mechanics of heat flow from the firebox to the end of the smokestack. Thank you so much for the generous, and thorough experiments, and for sharing them with us : ⁰ )
I love my pecos and how it runs with the firebrick I made for it. Outstanding. I’m considering doing a full insulation on it, with scraps I have laying around, for funsies.
Great video John, very informative.👍🏼
Thanks, Joe!
Fantastic test! I love using firebricks in Santa Maria grill and found that the little ash that formed in crevices actually helped to seal the bottom and did not rust out at all.
Please keep making videos its nice to have someone local!!!
I have a cheap offset smoker myself, and it's hard to get a good temperature unless I use an enormous amount of coal/wood. At LEAST 3 times - probably even much more, than I'd need for my barbecue grill. And it's no wonder, since the surface area of the whole offset smoker is easily 3x the surface area of the bbq grill.
My idea is to insulate the offset smoker - the whole thing - to retain the heat. You can actually buy insulating blankets for offset smokers, but they're pretty expensive for what they are. I'm thinkin about using mineral wool (heat resistant to over 1000°C) to insulate the outside of the offset smoker. I'm just not quite sure how to attach it.. and how to make it not completely ugly. 😅😅
I'm absolutely convinced that insulating it well will completely transform the whole thing into something completely awesome.
That’s funny you made this, I just put fire brick in my firebox last week and it definitely made a difference.
Cool! Good to know!!
Did the same on my square fire box, lined it with fire brick on bottom, and cut a section of a 55gal drum for the top inside of the box. This gave it semi- insulated attributes, which doesn't hit a flat surface as heat rises. It would hit a semicircle roof for better flow into the chamber.
Good to know. Thanks for watching!! 🍻
Great video and demonstration with different variables. Subscribed!
Thank you for these videos. I’ve been wanting a good COS and because of your series on this one, I purchased one today. Can’t wait to get these mods done and get to smoking.
Very informative, have been considering buying one of these used & refurbishing / modifying, good info, thanks. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Might try this in my WSM around the charcoal ring.
Great video!! I'm with you on the firegrate, your fire will do better if you put it directly on the bottom of the fire box.
Brick must act as a heat sync too! Great video as usual.
Thanks!
Love your video's showing these mods. Taking ownership of an OC Wrangler tomorrow, hoping to apply some of this knowledge to the new offset
😎
Great video. got the ole bbq wheels in my head turning!
Another great video on modifying your offset smoker for better performance. Thanks!
I appreciate it! Just trying to get all I can out of my COS.
@@RaleighSmoke I totally understand that!
I leave the the firebox top door slightly open and the main door dampers half open but keep the main door closed only messing with the dampers and works like a charm. My splits last about 40 mins.
I purchased a used Charcoal / smoker today with the same thing in mind that you did in this video , just so happens I work at the brick plant that makes these same fire brick that you used, so finding the bricks to use is going to be a breeze, only thing I'm thinking about doing different is using mortar to install the bricks, thanks for the video
Cool! Let me know how it goes
As a heat sink, I lined the cook chamber and firebox of my OKJ Highland with firebrick.
It appears to work well in my opinion.
Good to know. Thanks for watching!
Great videos, friend. Keep it up 🤘
I give it to you man how you are able to do many modifications for the smoker and save so much money. unfortunate there hasn't been any available Brazos smokers online everytime I've checked. I ended up getting the workhorse 1975. A little pricy but hopefully I made the right decision when it comes this December. 🤞
You definitely did. When anyone usually asks about the Brazos I tell them if it were me and I was gonna drop more than $1k, it would be on a Workhorse or something custom. Well done!
@@RaleighSmoke really! Thank you! I can't wait for it to arrive then!
My dream is a Fat Stack 120. However, I'm not prepared to drop close to $6k on a smoker just yet. I'll probably just end up building one on the cheap. Your mods give some good direction :)
Nice video!! I'm going to add the fire brick finally. However, I know it's probably over kill but going to add another step. I'm going to cut off the warming plate, and handle for the top fire box door. I'm going to wrap it up with a welding blanket. It's getting colder here in NC anyway so that will be a plus hopefully.
And may take it a step further finding a cylinder to slide over the fire box after cutting the mentioned items off.
@@jeffreygwinn5081 cool! Let me know how it goes.
Hi, nice video. Btw I just started cooking on one and I found that if you put the chimney inside the firebox and close the lid while it is coming up it will preheat the rest of the smoker, so it will take much less time to start cooking.
Interesting. Make sense. Thanks for sharing!
Another tip I n the Old Country offsets…after removing the factory baffle, stack 4 firebricks inside about 6” in front of the firebox. Hot spots gone.
@@bamacheats inside the firebox or cook chamber?
@@RaleighSmoke cook chamber, about 6” away from the firebox
Very Informative. Great content. The ONLY thing I could suggest would cut down on the camera angle changes. It was a tad distracting, but overall, great script, good info, and good audio🙂🙂
I appreciate it. I wanted to clean it up, but w/ three kids I’m doing multiple takes on different days. It’s hard to get the cameras right. Thank for watching!
Great information! Good to see ya back also! 🤘
Thanks!
Yes Man ! Cheers from Austria ! 👍👍
Good vid. I usually can't sit through something informative.
Thanks!
Excellent video! Thanks
Thank you! I appreciate ya watching!
This was either good timing or nice irony... I was just thinking of adding firebrick to my Brazos given that I too have issues with temp swings. I was thinking of lining the cook chamber with firebrick. I'm very interested in your approach of lining the firebox. I've already extended my stack as you did and that did make some improvements. I'm going to cut off the damper plate this weekend as you did in a previous video. I ordered my two boxes of Rutland firebrick this morning. The best price and fastest delivery time was with Amazon. The local Lowe's, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware all indicated they had to order them for delivery to their store or my home. :( Thanks for your time and energy in these videos! I'm just up I-40 in the mountains from your home.
Just a quick update as I finished my mods on my Old Country Brazos yesterday (03/08/23). The Rutland firebricks arrived and were quickly laid out in the firebox. I cut the baffle out as you and Jeremy Yoder had done. That was relatively easy to do using my grinder with a cutting wheel. I cut through the two lower welds and then used vice grips attached to the bottom of the baffle to simply work it back and forth until the upper welds broke loose. That was the easiest part of the baffle removal. I extended my stack by 16" last season so that was already in place. I built a fire on the new brick to burn them off just in case there was any residual chemicals that would affect the quality of future foods. The fire caught quickly and the smoke chamber temps rose quite nicely with the improved air flow. I had clean smoke much quicker than in the past. I let the temp rise to around 400 degrees for a few minutes and then closed the firebox door to see how quickly the temps would drop. I was very pleased to see a slow drop in temps in the cook chamber and not the usual rapid drop and then rise when readjusting. I came away very pleased with the initial burn. I'm looking forward to an upcoming day of smoking meat! Thanks again for your content!
@@ZekeYount thanks for the update. How’s it been working for you since then? I’m getting a Brazos this week.
Hey John, not sure if others mentioned this already. Maybe adding refractory mortar to fuse the bricks together will improve the overall cleanup and performance of the firebox.
Interesting idea. I’ll consider it if I continue to use them. I like the idea of traditional offset cooking, but it’s a big undertaking, especially w/ a bunch of little ones running and crawling around. For the first time in my life I see now why folks settle for a pellet cooker. 😔
Another great idea!
Thanks for watching!
I wonder if theres a way to adhere brick to the back wall to further insulate? Im impressed with the fire and no grate. I always felt airflow through the splits was a must
I think you could probably do it if you build some sort of metal supports, but I’m not so sure it’s worth all the effort. I think elevating the fire is necessary when you have poor draw/pull. The stack extension seems to have solved that problem.
Alright this may have been the branding iron to get my ass moving and finally do this. Great video!
Lol! Try it out. I think you’ll be happy w/ it
Excellent video thank you.
Nice video. What if you throw a welding blanket on top with the fire bricks. And test to see how much that helps.
I need to do this in my offset. I have the bricks already. Just haven’t put them in. Cheers!
I like this guy
🫠
great idea!
I bought a second hand custom made $1800 smoker. Only thing is that they have a baffle and it’s completely welded to the pit. It’s also 1/4 thick. I think. Not sure if I should remove it. The guy before me said it cooks fairly evenly
Did you try a biscuit test? That’s a good way of telling if there are hotspots.
Good content...very helpful👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks!!
Yes worked great! Im going to do a BBQ workout vid lol😅 but serious, and going to mention your channel for mods. Curious if you put more fire brick into the cook chamber? Oh wait that would make for a mess and hinder the fat draining.
You definitely could put firebrick in the chamber, but you’re right… cleanup would be tough.
Fantastic content 👌 👏 👍
Makes sense bro
Great video bro!!
Great vid man keeper comming
Thanks, bud!
So when are you going to make a video of you cooking on the Pecos with all 3 mods? Enjoy your content and cant wait for that video!
I should have. Life gets in the way sometimes
Pumice grill, grate & griddle cleaners must be considered food safe. I hope firebrick is safe as it's already in my smoker.
Depends on the chemical compound. Always best to call the manufacturer. I did before doing this video. All of the pumice fire bricks that I found online we’re not food safe
Great video!
When are you doing your next cook on this set up and how is it holding up?
I hope to film another one soon. Seems to be holding up great.
Thank you sir!!!
Awesome vid Jon per usual. Did you know Fatstack Smokers makes a cradle for the bottom of the OK Joe firebox to kind of insulate it? Probably something that can be tried for the Pecos too haha
Yeah, I recently saw that. Its a really good idea. I think right now they’re geared/designed for Cargriller & Oklahoma Joe though. I’m interested to see if Jeremy Yoder does some testing on it.
? I can't find anything related to that. Do you have a link or something?
@@ElJoeRN - czcams.com/video/piMFuzTiU1I/video.html
Great video! Thanks for the fire box tips for my new Pecos!
Not sure if you'll see this but can you tell me where you got your grill grate from?
I've got a Brinkman and my smoker vent hole is small is that a problem also
I see where Rutland has printed on their box "NOT FOR FOOD CONTACT"
I mean, I wouldn’t cook food directly on it. It’s probably there because some people think you can use those as pizza stones. The company assured me they were safe for use in an offset smoker as I discussed.
Cool video. Do you keep your smoker outside in the elements year round?
I do, but covered by a OCBP cover from Academy Sports
@RaleighSmoke where you been dude?!
Life….
I have a question 🤔I have a pretty thick piece of hard plastic that connects to the end of my yard blower that's about 16 inches, it fits in the inside of my pecos stack, could I maybe use that as a extension, the part I'm talking about connects to the yard blower to suction up leaves.
What about adding the bricks in the cooking chamber under the grates? It seems like they would help hold heat where you need it.
True that can retain heat, but the cook chamber is all about convection and airflow. If it really was necessary, I think a lot of manufacturers would insulate their cook chamber as well.
Great Idea. How is it working 3 months later. Still using the firebricks?
Do you have a video of making the stack extension
Yes!
Good vídeos. Have you ever thought about redirecting the defector plate in the upward direction to force the smoke/heat up ?
I had, but just didn’t get around to it. I know there a lot do folks who have done it in the meantime and really like it
@@RaleighSmoke appreciate the reply. I think I’m going to try it on my brazos. I’ll share my thoughts
Do you still use your fire bricks when you cook? I have been cooking with the fire just on the bottom of the fire box and its been pretty good, but I went ahead and bought some of these to try out. I never have used the steel "plate" that comes with the Brazos, would just build my fires on the floor of the fire box. Hopefully building a smoke collector soon so I don't know if I'll try a cook with the bricks in place before I put the smoke collector together or not. Interested in trying it out though!
Say John, why haven't you added a top rack to the smoker ?
Nah, would be cool tho
Rub fine sand between the bricks, it will seal it.
Yeah, that could be done
Would adding the firebricks be better than a charcoal basket? Just purchased a Pecos and am teying to decide.
Have you ever thought of adding fire brick to the cooking chamber?
Crossed my mind early on, but not anymore. I like the idea of smooth airflow
John, what have you found to best the best way to maintain temps vs swings ? Using bigger splits or smaller chunks ? Im sure the insulated firebox with the brick will help
Thanks man,
George
There’s no perfect way to run a pit this small without swings. Anyone who says they can are running a really hot fire or are lying. A good coal bed is key, IMO. Especially in these smaller pits. I generally use spilts that are about the width of my wrist and 8-10” long. Even still, it’s a roller coaster for sure.
@@RaleighSmoke Thanks for taking the time to reply. Found some brick at my local Tractor Supply and used a whisk broom to clean em off and then after installation, ran smoker for about an hour to burn off any residue from the brick. ( 3 butts on smoker now, so will get better thought of how the firebox maintains heat ) Spot on as far as good coal bed and i think if i can keep the swings within 20* degrees up or down then she would be good. Hate going into panic mode !!
Hey John any concern that the weight if the bricks will affect the not so amazing welds on the pecos?
It was certainly a question I asked myself, but it’s holding up. I don’t expect it to last forever. One of these days I’ll sell it an make an upgrade. Hopefully that will happen before it gives out. If it does, we’ll I got my monies worth. 😆
How about adding extra legs to the firebox to support the extra weight?
Where did you get the cool wood splitter your son used to make the split at the end?
I'd much rather use a sledge than an axe to make splits!
It’s called the Kindling Cracker. You can order them online or find them at Northern Tool. They’re great
Kinda new to this, but have ppl/you ever put bricks inside the cook chamber, sry if that's an obvious question just learning.
People certainly have. A lot of gas grills back in the day used to have lava rock or something similar to retain even heat. I don’t think theirs any harm in it, but it might affect airflow and be a pain to clean once grease gets all over it.
Thanks for watching!!
At last, its been to long brother.
Tell me about it.
With the raised fire bed, are you concerned with the damage a raised fire will have on the underside of your fire box lid? Do you have any remedies for insulating the lid, short of welding on a protective plate? I love the idea of insulating the firebox with firebrick.
The brick only elevates the fire about an inch, if you’re not using the fire grate. It’s probably the same height without the brick and using fire grate. If you watch the early mod video by @FiksBBQ, he used an elevated fire and welded plates on the underside of the lid. For the firebrick mod tho, I don’t think you need it.
@@RaleighSmoke good to know! I just bought a Pecos this week and have been watching your videos for a while, so I’m excited to try these mods. Thanks!
Would the theory follow that you could use the firebrick inside the chamber as well to maximize efficiency i.e. less wood?
That's my thought as well. You would effectively turn it into a sideways kamado, which has a large amount of thermal mass and a lot of insulation.
I’m not sure. I know Ken from Heavy Metal BBQ has done a few videos on that topic. He put Firebrick in the cook chamber of his Johnson reverse-flow offset. Check out his channel.
I worry that adding the brick to the inside chamber would cause the meat to cook from the bottom too much instead of from the heat moving across the meat. It might cook more like a vertical offset or pellet grill. Just a thought. Plus, cleaning grease off the bricks could be a nightmare.
Where did you get the wood splitter?????
czcams.com/video/iRNVUCoeQAo/video.html
What happens if you put heavy duty foil under bricks to prevent ash going through and rusting?
I don’t know. Can’t hurt.
ok i was wondering if you would get aluminum poisoning from the high heat or not. @@RaleighSmoke
Can I use the same bricks inside my cos smoker to line the walls ?
Yes
Plaster of paris
🤔
Looking to try a cheap off set to see one if it makes that much difference and two if its worth the extra effort running the fire box. Do you have any experience using the Oklahoma joe Highlander? Looking to pick one up and use your tip to insulate the fire box!
I definitely different it takes a lot of TLC to manage a small fire, but the reward can be worth it. As for the OKJ, I don’t have experience, but I know Smoke Trails BBQ does. You can check out his channel.
What did you spray under the bricks?
Cooking oil. Just to help prevent rust.
Hey my fellow pit master friend, I got a question, I removed the baffle and smoked a brisket tonight but I feel like I struggled with the temperature by the smoke stack I had a probe by the stack and I have the old country pecos just like you , so do you think I need to add the smoke stack extension?👌🏾💯please comment back and let me know your opinion. Thank you very much 👌🏾temperature by the smoke stack was off pretty bad, at least 15 to 20 degrees maybe even 30🤔
If there’s no extension as all, you need to add one. That will draw hot air across the chamber. If you watch my stack extension video it explains the principles and results. My baffle removal video shows you how well it worked. Just do it. It’s a cheep mod and I’m certain you’ll be happy with the outcome
@@RaleighSmoke thank you very much 👌🏾I'll be doing it this weekend. As a big favor can you give me the exact measurement of the stack extension add on , how much to cut out to make it fit and the name of the clamp 👌🏾
Please test this with vermiculite firebricks. I heard its better than clay firebricks. Super insulated high heat resistant and low thermal. I heard vermiculite is the next big thing.
It's my understanding that all vermiculite mines have been found to have trace levels of asbestos, which is why you want to check the attic insulation in homes from the 40's through the 60's. It's a great insulator & would be interesting if it could make a consumer grade comeback.
Some firebricks are NOT food safe. A big brand is listed on as “food safe” on websites, but when I reached out and asked about putting them in a smoker they said it was not recommended to be anywhere near food.
What did you spray in the firebox at the end of the video?
Canola oil I think
What if you put fire brick in the Firebox and in the cooking chamber to help hold your temperatures in the cooking chamber also? Do you think that would work
While the bricks would provide thermal mass, thus aiding in some heat retention (think of a kamado cooker), it would just not (IMO) be true to Texas bbq. It would also be a huge mess once all that rendered fat covers them & can’t drain out.
Does the firebrick help with grilling in the box? Any idea if it works better with the 16 inch stack? Might move the hotspot too.
It probably has minimal effect on the hot spot or flow of heat across the chamber. The bricks are for maintaining heat, especially during swings.
So what's your opinion of lining the cook chamber with these bricks??
They work.
Great video! However it's now January 30, 2023, about 7 months since you insulated your firebox. Do you still think insulating the firebox was it is a good idea?
Yes, I do. 😃
Are the firebox welds holding up as far as you can tell with the added weight of the bricks?
But I would assume the welds are just as strong on the Brazos as they are the Pecos.
So far so good.
@@RaleighSmoke Hey just an update, I insulated my Pecos as well. Welds are holding up perfect after about 10 smoking sessions and it holds a much more consistent temperature with less fuel. It's a must upgrade, as well as extending the stack. I do recommend using an ash vacuum to clean out the fire box. It saves a lot of time! Well I look forward to seeing you're next video. Merry Christmas! FYI I've been using LavaLock Baffle Plates on my Pecos for about 10 years with great success.
Why didn't you try building the fire directly on the firebox floor for comparison?
Is 3/16 metal would not have absorbed/retained any heat. I was just comparing the modification to stock. Besides all this testing takes a lot of time.
I can not find a Pecos here in California to save my life, anyone know who sells these in California?
You have to have them shipped. Apparently they violate prop 65z
Don't remove the firebrick and clean, let it go. Just brush it out every once in a while.
I’m not that OCD. 😆 Just trying to give the best advice.