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MCS getting worse, but hope is in sight

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    MCS getting worse, but hope is in sight

    Ok, so a week ago I was to cook 2 briskets for a large-ish family gathering. My Weber 22.5" kettle was going to be pushed to its absolute max in terms of capacity. I chickened out at the 11th hour and borrowed a buddy's big Masterbuilt gas smoker. It got the job done, but I have been on a mission ever since to find myself a bigger cooker that will fit within my budget. Upper management (wife) would go along with $1,000, maybe $1,200, which puts me right in the ballpark of an entry-level Lang. Problem is, at that price point it's not enough increase in cooking real estate to justify spending that money, at least in my mind.

    So then I was at Academy Sports a few days ago and the Old Country Over/Under smoker caught my eye. It has thicker steel than the El Cheapos at the other big box stores and seems to be aimed at bridging the gap between the bolted together stuff and the $1,000 brands.

    Brought it home last night for $599 and promptly seasoned her up with a thin coating of safflower oil on all the interior surfaces and some charcoal and oak sticks. Today has been a dry run using the fuse method and some strategically placed bricks in the firebox. I soon realized, as the cooking chamber struggled to get up to 225, that I should use small splits of wood rather than chunks on the coals. The other realization I had at around the same time is that the the cooking chamber really benefits from a good preheating with a propane weed burner. Since those 2 tweaks I have found the sweet spot for the past 4 hours or so. Some really nice smoke coming out the top vents with a hot fire going. Dipped down to 208 once when I foolishly opened the firebox lid to look around, but came right back up. Messing with the top vents gets results in seconds. So far, I'm encouraged!

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    #2
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ID:	214858 Front view. Cooking chamber with 2 shelves in front, firebox in back. A steel baffle in the bottom of cooking chamber blocks the heat and smoke from going straight up the chimneys. I may add a larger baffle to bring it further out toward the front, as the back does run a little hotter than the front.

    Comment


      #3
      Nice looking smoker and truck! Hope to see some great cooks soon. Congrats on your purchase!

      Comment


        #4
        I've seen those at Academy. Looks like a good smoker. Congrats!

        Comment


          #5
          Congrats and it looks like you have already tamed it.

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            #6
            Awesome score! I'm trying to keep my MCS in check until I find out more about the smoker Aaron Franklin is going to be releasing.

            Comment


            #7
            It's a thinner gauge metal than some of the higher priced offsets in the Old Country line, but I think the more vertical air flow makes that less of an issue. It's a bit of a fuel hog; that whole 3 wide snake went in under 5 hours. A small split of wood about every hour brings it right back though.
            Last edited by Steve R.; August 28, 2016, 05:32 PM.

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              #8
              Looks similar to The Good One. A much lower price.

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              • JCBBQ
                JCBBQ commented
                Editing a comment
                Thought the same thing.

              #9
              Nice!..

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                #10
                Super Fun!!

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                  #11
                  Great buy! Like you say, with that air flow (those are some serious smoke stacks) it will definitely hog fuel, but I'd rather have a smoker do that than smoulder or choke. Better, cleaner smoke. Congrats!

                  Comment


                    #12
                    Nice cooker AND you still have $601 in the MCS Budget!! Your Board of Directors will love you and maybe even give you a raise in the near future.

                    Comment


                      #13
                      Nice cooker! But there is one flaw in your reasoning. There is NO HOPE for MCS!! The symptoms may subside for a while, but it will creep back on you.

                      Comment


                      • Fine Swine
                        Fine Swine commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Sad, but True😂

                      • Breadhead
                        Breadhead commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Exactly... Buying inexpensive gadgets helps too, for short fixes.😎

                      • Steve R.
                        Steve R. commented
                        Editing a comment
                        The "hope" that I mentioned is in reference to the fact that I come from a long line of frugal Scotsmen who farmed in SE KY once they emigrated to the US generations ago. I enjoy a great bargain nearly as much as I enjoy cooking and eating. So, there's that.

                      #14
                      Originally posted by jgjeske1 View Post
                      Nice cooker! But there is one flaw in your reasoning. There is NO HOPE for MCS!! The symptoms may subside for a while, but it will creep back on you.
                      ^ Truth! In reality, though, I'm truly not a gearhead and I like doing more with less. In golf, my first real addiction, my motto has always been that the good players spend their time on the range while the bad players head for the pro shop.
                      Last edited by Steve R.; August 29, 2016, 08:19 AM.

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                      • Thunder77
                        Thunder77 commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Good Point! Sometimes people can't believe what I can do with Weber kettle and SnS.

                      #15
                      Nice pick up .... Looking forward to seeing what you produce with it.

                      Comment

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