Well since you said new braunfels. There is or used to be a place called New Braunfels Smokers... In New Braunfels of all places. My grandmother bought me, my brother, and my dad each a pit from there several years ago. They are built heavy and have held up well. Not cheap but not expensive for a well built pit. Maybe check them out.

68Rustbucket, I would flip those cooking grates over before you cook on it. It will be much easier to use a wire brush on it the other way.

Unfortunately New Braunfels was bought out in 1997 & Oklahoma Joe's I think in 2014 by Char Broil , both are now cheap thin metal products. So everyone be aware if you buy a used one of either, lift the lid to the smoker if it feels light, it is the Char Broil cheap version!

{In 2002 the owner of New Braunfels Smoker Co. plans to close its New Braunfels manufacturing facility in coming months, throwing about 170 employees out of work.

With the plant closure, New Braunfels Smoker products will be produced at the main plant of Char-Broil, one of the largest U.S. makers of outdoor gas and electric grills}

The one I have is 3/16 inch thick metal so your only talking a 16th inch less than 1/4.

I was thinking about that.
Thanks

Burned a couple seasoning fires last week, now it's time to cook! Thought I'd start with a rack of pork spare ribs first, hard to mess them up.

Sorry about the sideways iPhone pic

Careful, as those grates age your grate/meat may fall. The welds on that think grate don't hold up too well long term.

Really nice looking pit too