pining for a bbq pit - no more

I wrote awhile back that I have been thinking seriously of getting a good barbecue pit. In my recent road trip to Louisiana I have a chance to go see the Wrangler Old Country barbecue pit sold by Academy Sports and Outdoors store while passing through Texas.

actually this is the big brother of the Wrangler that I planned to buy

the Wrangler is built with lighter 3/16" steel and weight in at 225 lb

Having inspecting it in person I was satisfied with the design and build quality. I ordered it a week ago and today it arrived by freight. Unlike a lot of gas grills and barbecue grills this thing comes in one piece no assembly required. Except the removable grates everything is welded to together.
All along I was expecting it been built in China. It turned out it was made in Mexico. I guess for something so heavy it make sense to be made in Mexico.

At this price point and the heavy construction that is built by hand some roughness is totally expected. Time is money and they cannot afford to put more than a man-hour or so of labor. If I were to buy it off the floor of the store I would have the luxury to hand pick one that have the best construction. Since I ordered it online what I receive is a crab shot.

There were quite a bit of work to remove 4 labels with the usual bad adhesive as found in everything you buy in this country. Eventually I fire it up to begin season it. Actually I really don't know if there is a right way of seasoning it expect to burn off the harmful oil and the anti-rust treatment. As the grill heats up I can smell very pronounce phosphoric acid which I believe is black treatment on the outside. You certainly don't want that on your food.

There are some smoke leakage around the door seams but is not objectionable. The more expensive All-American Brazos costing twice as much has better fit and finish should have less leakage. In all I find the Wrangler to be quite acceptable for how little it cost.

I went and picked up a piece of brisket. I would report back on the success or failure of my first Texas style smoke brisket attempt.

Update - April 5:
I am adding the closeup photos of the barbecue pit below. I am very pleased that I chosen this smoker. It is probably the best on at this price point. I have seen a lot of "toy" barbecue pits for sale at big box stores. Many are so overpriced for very light construction.
fire box door and damper - i add the copper wire to take up the slack so the damper would stay in place

a handy warming shelf or just a place to put a pair of tongs

 the steel loop keeps the flip up lid in place - you never want to leave the lid open unattended; it can chop off a child's finger; note also the beefy hinges

 a solid handle

 for direct heat grilling

 the case iron plug is for adding a thermometer

 in the smoke chamber here you see the baffle to direct the heat and smoke

 a drip port for the liquid - the weld-in hook is for hanging a can to capture the grease/liquid

chimney and integral damper - i would always leave it wide open when in use; here you can see the heavy construction

 even this fold up shelf is very sturdy

With this smoker I am looking forward to making a lot of smoked sausages. I ordered this 100 yard package of hog casing from Syracuse Casing Co. Just $33 for enough to make 130 lb of sausages. The price includes shipping via first class mail.

 installed a 3" thermometer

here are some "toy" barbecue pits found at local big box stores; this one is $71 cheaper but look at the flimsy construction