
Old Country BBQ Pits
Old Country BBQ Pits Pecos Smoker
The Pecos is the entry point into all-welded offset smokers and the model that exposes the gap between a $430 box-store pit and a real one: 14-gauge steel with 11-gauge doors, welded rather than bolted, at 222 lbs on a 630 sq in grate. Old Country BBQ Pits is a Texas manufacturer that sells almost exclusively through Academy Sports + Outdoors, which is why the brand is under-covered relative to how well regarded it is.
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Specifications
Pros
- ✓All-welded construction — no bolted seams to leak, which is the single biggest failure mode of budget offsets
- ✓14-gauge chamber with 11-gauge doors holds temperature far more steadily than the painted sheet steel at this price
- ✓Lifetime limited warranty rather than the 2 years typical of mass-market offsets
- ✓Slide-out cooking grate makes loading a full brisket and cleaning the chamber genuinely easy
- ✓222 lbs for $600 undercuts every bolted competitor on steel-per-dollar
- ✓Stainless steel handles stay cool without gloves
Cons
- ✗Academy Sports exclusive — no Academy store nearby means freight shipping or no purchase at all
- ✗630 sq in is less grate than a $450 Char-Griller Competition Pro; you are paying for steel, not space
- ✗Ships needing assembly and the paint is utilitarian high-heat, not a finished powder coat
- ✗No counterweight on the chamber door at this trim level — the Brazos and Wrangler get one, the base Pecos does not
- ✗Thermometer is basic; most owners replace it with a Tel-Tru
Compare the Old Country BBQ Pits Pecos Smoker
Related grills
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Old Country BBQ Pits Wrangler Smoker
The Wrangler steps the Pecos up from 14-gauge to 11-gauge steel with 3/16-inch doors, and adds a hot plate over the firebox for searing and pot work. Total grate area is 920 sq in across a main and an upper rack. At $750 it is the cheapest 11-gauge offset sold new in the US, and the thickness jump is the reason it runs noticeably steadier in wind and cold than the Pecos.
Old Country BBQ Pits
Old Country BBQ Pits All-American Brazos Smoker
The Brazos is the pit that made Old Country's reputation: quarter-inch plate steel, all welded, 429 lbs, with a 5.5-inch grate-level smokestack that pulls smoke across the meat rather than over it. It is the cheapest quarter-inch offset sold new in the US by a wide margin, which is why it is the default recommendation for anyone who wants Texas-pit behaviour without a two-thousand-dollar custom build. The All-American trim is the current Academy configuration and includes the counterweighted door.
Oklahoma Joe's
Oklahoma Joe's Bandera Vertical Offset Smoker & Grill
The Bandera is the odd one in Oklahoma Joe's line: a vertical cabinet with the firebox offset to the side, so smoke rises through four stacked racks rather than travelling sideways across a barrel. It is the revival of a cult 1990s Oklahoma Joe's model and takes a 39-inch footprint instead of the 64 inches a Longhorn needs. Capacity is 744 sq in primary across four adjustable racks, plus a 248 sq in secondary, and it ships with a rib rack set.
Char-Griller
Char-Griller Grand Champ Offset Smoker
The Grand Champ is the top of Char-Griller's offset line and the heaviest thing the brand sells at 254 lbs — meaningfully more steel than the Competition Pro at 151 lbs for the same nominal capacity class. It runs 780 sq in of primary grate and 1,200 sq in total, with an EasyDump ash pan and a folding front shelf. It is sometimes badged 'Grand Champ XD' at Lowe's and Home Depot; the underlying model is the 8250.
Oklahoma Joe's
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Classic
The Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Classic is the larger, heavier-gauge sibling of the Highland, built from 2.5mm cold-rolled steel for better heat retention and more cooking capacity — 751 sq in on the main chamber, 1,060 sq in counting the firebox grate. Oklahoma Joe's added "Classic" to the name without changing the grill: it is the same SKU (13201747-50) people still search for as plain "Longhorn".
Char-Griller
Char-Griller Competition Pro Offset Smoker
Char-Griller's Competition Pro is a Home Depot retailer exclusive that pairs a barrel grill with a bolted-on side firebox — the same architecture as the Smokin' Champ already in the catalog, but with 720 sq in of primary grate instead of the Champ's smaller chamber, and an insulated body. It is the cheapest true offset in Char-Griller's line that ships with the firebox included rather than as a $99 add-on.




