# How much wood do I use?



## Davelebon (Jul 5, 2018)

First of all I am completely new to barbecue so I am sorry for not knowing stuff like this.I am looking to get an Oklahoma Joe Highland smoker to use and I am wondering how much wood will it take to cook a brisket  for 12 hours. I am not trying to be a professional pit master or something I just want something for me and my family to enjoy. I also don't really know where I should be buying wood from also. The wood part of smoking is the only thing I don't have a grasp of. If anyone can educate me a little bit about this I would highly appreciate it.


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## Smokin Okie (Jul 5, 2018)

If you're completely new to barbecue,  IMO ... it would be best to start with a WSM ,   either the 22" or 18" .    You can learn the other aspects of smokin meat,  without having the adding difficulty of controlling a fire in an offset smoker.

After a couple years of eating great food from the WSM,  you can sell it for half what you paid for it and then make the jump to to the offset.

I smoked on WSM's for 16 years ( still have two of them and will still use them ) before I made the jump to an offset.    I've done two smokes on my Old Country Brazos and frankly,  I'm wondering what I got myself into.    I'm dedicated to learning how manage the fire in an offset because I firmly believe the barbecue has a better smoke flavor,  but I'm also glad I've got a lot of experience with all the other aspects.

Lots of people have bought offsets and then get discouraged and have them up for sale in short order.   I bought my Brazos, which has a $1,000 new price tag,  for $600 from a fella who only did three cooks on it.


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## banderson7474 (Jul 5, 2018)

If u can find the large bags of smoke logs then i would get two. If u can only find the smaller chunk bags, i would get 4. Plus get a cpl bags of charcoal. U probably wont need them but just to be safe. A lot of us start with charcoal though. I have a joe too. Wuite a challenge popping your smoke cherry on a brisket. Good luck


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## Davelebon (Jul 5, 2018)

I completely understand you but because  I forgot to mention I'm getting this smoker for free so I really have no choice. That's my style too I also start in the deep end with everything I do.


Smokin Okie said:


> If you're completely new to barbecue,  IMO ... it would be best to start with a WSM ,   either the 22" or 18" .    You can learn the other aspects of smokin meat,  without having the adding difficulty of controlling a fire in an offset smoker.
> 
> After a couple years of eating great food from the WSM,  you can sell it for half what you paid for it and then make the jump to to the offset.
> 
> ...


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## Davelebon (Jul 5, 2018)

banderson7474 said:


> If u can find the large bags of smoke logs then i would get two. If u can only find the smaller chunk bags, i would get 4. Plus get a cpl bags of charcoal. U probably wont need them but just to be safe. A lot of us start with charcoal though. I have a joe too. Wuite a challenge popping your smoke cherry on a brisket. Good luck


Would the two large bags of logs get me through 1 12 hour cook or more?


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## Rusty Long (Jul 5, 2018)

When burning in an offset, your using a Oklahoma joe assumimg that there is no mods done to it and you have no tuning plates you will need to be careful.

Step 1: open all vents, open your exhaust chimney. (this needs to stay open throughout your cooking.
Step 2: lite half a Charcoal chimney worth of coals.
Step 2: put the coals in the middle of the firebox.
Step 4: put two logs on top of the coals. wait for the wood to catch alight (Do not close the box)
Step 5: once you have a good fire going on your wood close the firebox
Step 6: watch your temp gauge. when it hits 225 close your air intake down to about half way
Step 7: wait a bit and see if your temp is steadying out between 225 and 250
Step 8: once your temps are steady put on your brisket.

Things to watch out for on a stick burner
1. Temp. so if you have a temp probe system make sure one is at grill level.
2. Thick smoke coming from the stack. you want a thin smoke coming from this stack. if its bellowing smoke this is bad.

if you start getting lots of smoke, it means that your wood is not burning cleanly. open the vents or open the firebox all together and get the fire going again (DO NOT OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR MAIN CHAMBER) you do not want the temperatures to fluctuate lots.

as far as how much wood you will need would depend on the wood you use. hard woods burn longer than soft woods.
lets assume you are using a hard wood you would need at least 6-10 splits to cook a brisket that requires 12 hours of cooking. remember once you wrap the brisket you don't need to use wood for your heat anymore you can use charcoal (depends which fuel is cheaper for you).
it would also depend on the ambient temperature of when the cook took place
and it would also depend on the thickness of the metal of the cooker (the joes are real thin)


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## Smokin Okie (Jul 5, 2018)

Davelebon said:


> I completely understand you but because I forgot to mention I'm getting this smoker for free so I really have no choice. That's my style too I also start in the deep end with everything I do.



Free ,  well hell, then jump in with both feet.

But also keep in mind, that an offset is not necessarily the pinnacle.   It may not be better, its just different.


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## banderson7474 (Jul 6, 2018)

There is def some cons with my offset.  I basically cant do a brisket or refuse to stay awake that long.


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## Smokin Okie (Jul 6, 2018)

A WSM compared to this stick burner,  is almost " set and forget " .   I appreciate now how easy it was to get consistent steady temps on the WSM with little to no attention.

I've also found myself in the world of wood.   Trying to source good smoker wood has become tricky.   I've found some local sellers on Craigslist, but due to my inexperience,  I'm not sure of what I'm buying or whether I'm paying a fair price.  Not to mention how much wood I should buy.

And I'm now the proud owner of a Kindling Cracker and a wood moisture meter, and am thinkin strongly about a miter saw.   These are things I never envisioned when I bought the stick burner.


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## banderson7474 (Jul 6, 2018)

Lol i have used my saw a few times on wood. Unfort i didnt know using pine as heat is bad.


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