Seasoning Oklahoma Joe's Highland Reverse Flow Smoker

[Wasi]

I just assembled my Oklahoma Joe's Highland Reverse Flow Smoker. I replaced the stock thermometer with 2 LavaLock thermometers and added 2 more grate level thermometers as well. I also added a WSM grommet on the side for adding probes. The question I have is when I installed it I noticed there was a sticky residue that was on the inside of the smoker. I know you have to do a seasoning burn before you cook and the question is to I do the burn to cook off the residue before I add the oil to prevent rust? Have already whipped it down with soap and water and then rinsed it.

 

[xray]

Nice looking smoker.

You will be fine. Especially since you washed with soap and water. Go ahead and season it before you start your first fire.

When I seasoned mine, i just wiped away whatever oil I could and then seasoned.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I painted my OKJ with a brush and vegetable oil. I would recommend that just buy a couple of cheap cans of cooking spray to coat the inside and outside before you fire it up. That will make the job way easier. And don't forget to get under the firebox and the bottom of the cooking chamber. I will add that I've heard from others that they had great results using WD40 on the OUTSIDE only. I think that I am going to do some touch up paint on mine and then use the WD40 on the outside as well. Just my two cents.

George

 

[Wasi]

Thanks for the information. I was going to get the cooking spray to cote it but was wondering if I should get regular PAM or PAM for grilling.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I doubt that the brand matters as long as the spray is some kind of vegetable oil. Really all you are doing is bonding that initial coat of oil to the inside surfaces. Over time you will get an awesome buildup inside from the smoke. One other suggestion that I have not followed myself but wish that I had from the get go is to line the bottom of your cooking chamber with aluminum foil. The cleanup will be so much easier when you do it. I am going to have to do a serious scrub of my own smoker then season it again. After that, I will start using foil on the bottom. That way you can just peel it out every few cooks and the inside stays relatively clean.

George

 

[xray]

Thanks for the information. I was going to get the cooking spray to cote it but was wondering if I should get regular PAM or PAM for grilling.

I forgot to add that I used regular PAM. I just sprayed the inside of the CC and rubbed in with some paper towels.

Riverside makes an excellent point about aluminum foil. I line the bottom of my CC and discard when there is accumulated gunk. I also put those small plastic shims under my wheels. That way the smoker has a slight pitch towards the drain.

I clean my smoker after each use because I store it in my basement.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I need some of those shims. I have been trying to come up with something that was not wood. Steel would be fine too I suppose. Did you make them or did you purchase your shims Xray?

George

 

[xray]

I need some of those shims. I have been trying to come up with something that was not wood. Steel would be fine too I suppose. Did you make them or did you purchase your shims Xray?

George

Hi George. You could purchase them at any hardware store. I got mine at Lowe’s for 2$ a 12 pack. I like the composite ones because they’re longer and have a nice taper, that way you’re not trying to lift a heavy smoker onto an edge. You could even stack them if you need more height. I find that one shim underneath each wheel is enough to where the grease doesn’t pool at the bottom. Kinda like shimming a steam radiator to get rid of the water knock.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I'll take a look the next time I am at Home Depot. I have improvised something at the moment but I'd like a simple and semi permanent solution. Thanks for the heads up.

George

 

[Wasi]

Never thought about shims. What if I adjusted the legs length so that there is a slight pitch towards the grease drain?

 

[SmokinAl]

I'm assuming that your grease drain is not on the firebox end.
If that is the case then raising the firebox end up will give you a hot spot at the fire box end of your cook chamber.
You can do a little to even the temp out by putting a water pan on the bottom grate, next to the fire box.
But under normal circumstances you would raise the nose of the smoker, not the fire box end to even out the temps across the grate in an RF smoker.
Al

 

[atomicsmoke]

Nice rig.

Have you done other mods? Like sealing between firebox and cook chamber, cook chamber door, lowering the stack?

You mention a probe on the side? Where exactly?

How is the wire charcoal basket?

 

[atomicsmoke]

One more thing: what are the aprox dimensions (in the box)?

 

[atomicsmoke]

Riverside
How do you deal with the peeling paint on the firebox?

 

[Wasi]

atomicsmoke

Yes I sealed the firebox to the chamber, vent stack. I also put on a gasket seal on the chamber door. I did not lower the stack. I just picked a spot on the side opposite of the firebox to add the probe grommet. The charcoal basket seems very nice and sturdy. I have not fired it up yet so I am not sure about paint peeling. Here is a link to specs of the unit. https://www.oklahomajoes.com/smokers/highland-reverse-flow.html

 

[xray]

Never thought about shims. What if I adjusted the legs length so that there is a slight pitch towards the grease drain?

How would you do that? Seems like a lot of work. When i have my wheels on a shim, you wouldn’t even notice the smoker was pitched. It’s just an ever-so-slightly slope towards the drain just so the grease doesn’t pool at the bottom.

 

[atomicsmoke]

What mount did you use for the grate level therms.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Atomic, I have to say that for now I have just ignored the paint peeling issue. The only areas that peeled for me were the areas that I did not get oil on before I did my first seasoning burn. It was the bottom of the firebox and the lower side of the firebox under the cooking chamber. It was just me being a bit lazy when I first applied the oil to the outside. The inside is perfect. No problems at all for me on the internal part. I am going to do a full cleanup of my smoker soon and then reseason it. I will just get some of that high temp paint and touch those affected areas up before I fire it up again. Of course, I will let the paint set and then do an actual rub down with WD40 on the outside I believe. My friend from work with the same unit has had no trouble at all with the finish on his and he rubbed down the exterior with WD40 before his first seasoning. So I figure it's worth a try. Once that paint is really bonded to the metal through that seasoning process I hear it is pretty tough to get off. Hope that helps.

George

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

As far as the temp probe mounts on that grate are concerned. I bought a set of two from Amazon. I don't recall the brand but they were less that $10 and just clip on the grate with pressure. I'll try to find a link to something like the ones I purchased.


That's not the same brand but the design is almost identical. Anything like this will work. The ones I bought had three different sized holes to accommodate a variety of sizes.

George

 

[atomicsmoke]

What mount did you use for the grate level therms.

I meant the lid thermometers.