1st cook in my O.K. Joe

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rober49

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Nov 29, 2015
80
13
I bought an original O.K. Joe Longhorn this summer. since it's usually just the wife & I, I usually smoke in my weber performer/Cajun bandit. I'm getting ready to smoke my 1st brisket so i'm doing a trial run in the O.K. Joe with some whole chickens, a rack of ribs, & a pork butt. the fire is started & i'm waiting for the wood to reduce to coals. the meat was brined & is covered with rub & waiting for the fire. once the fire is ready how often does it need to be checked? everything I've read says these wood burners need a lot of tending.

also- I was at bass pro yesterday & got a good look at the horizon offset smokers. they are exceptionally well made. there's a sealing flange around the doors & the firebox dampers are tight. really nice units. if I was still looking i'd go that route. for fit & finish i'd say they are even slightly better than the Yoders that I've seen.
 
For your first smoke you will want to sit by the smoker the whole time.

Once you get the coal bed you will probably need to add a split every 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

Make sure you don't loose the coal bed, add the wood when the temp starts to drop just a little.

Don't fool with the vents too much, adjust them & see where the smoker temp settles in at.

Then you can give them a slight adjustment, but don't be too concerned if the smoker wants to run at a different temp than you like.

My Lang likes to run around 260, so I just let it.

It is definitely a learning experience, and the more you use your offset the easier it will get.

You will know just when to add wood & what size split to use.

Have fun & relax by the smoker with a few cold ones!

Good luck!

Al
 
I already see a modification I want to make. i'm going to weld a pair of washers on the inside of the lid at each end so I can use them to hold the probes of my maverick thermometer. i'm also going to buy a 2nd thermometer. i'm seeing a 20* difference from 1 end to the other. I do not have a baffle at the firebox yet but I did line the bottom with firebrick & installed a smoke shelf. I haven't installed gaskets at the lid yet as I plan to sand blast & paint it. so far I've been able to maintain 225* at the center of the cooker.
 
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