# 1st Smoke w/ Okie Joe (Lengthy Post)



## ReelFaster (May 29, 2018)

Got my 1st smoke in this weekend (actually yesterday) with my new Okie Joe smoker. Some tweaks, pro's & con's but all mostly pro's for sure!! Overall I was very very impressed and extremely happy so far. For my first try I started off w/ 2x whole chickens, just in case I completely botched it wouldn't be a huge $$ loss.

For my baffle/heat plate, I contemplated buying the aftermarket one online but after being scared off by the price I checked around for a cheaper alternative solution. I found one on youtube using the existing racks wrapped in heavy duty foil and figured what the hec give it a try. I couldn't have been more happy with such a cheap solution. Below is a pic of the setup (more on this later).

I started off with lump charcoal (in a homemade basket using this forums instructions) to get the fire going and added my pieces of wood. I did a mix of Oak and Hickory (not sure if your suppose to do that). One of my worries was getting high enough temps probably because my prior electric vertical smoker had major issues with keeping a temp north of 200 - 225. 

So my one small con to the smoker so far was the paint peeling. Which I knew already and have heard of many many times, not a big deal but on the 1st smoke is just disintegrated. I had rubbed with oil, sprayed with WD40, I prepared it as much as I could to get some longevity out of the paint in that area. Again no big deal at all!! 

On the cook temps, I had zero trouble at all getting a higher temp in the CC. I also worried about getting an even cook temp across the CC. Well I couldn't have been more happier, I had a flat out even cook temp within 5 degrees across the entire CC. I was blown away, that little cheap baffle/heat plate worked like a charm. It's extremly extremly hard to see in the pic but both my gauges were lined up in the same direction and both were spot on. I was shocked, it stayed like that the entire cook!! 

Chickens came out awesome, extremely smoky flavor, very very juicy on the inside, skin was pretty colored but I knew that going in from what I had read on chickens that the skin can get little cooked. I had brined the chickens the night before as well and rubbed them down with a simply poultry rub.

There were about 2 small smoke leaks around the lid but they were minimal and didn't affect the outcome at all. My temp probs (which are new) acted up on me as I noticed the internal temp stuck at 145 for probably 20 - 30 minutes. After popping the lid and re-adjusting the prob it started reading correctly again. Other prob did same darn thing so I'll have to research that issue. I had no problem with the prob wires hanging out or causing a leak, the door shut on them nicely and I am glad that I didn't kill myself trying drill a hole through the side for a gasket to fit the probes through. 

I also need a bigger grease catcher. Just before I threw the birds on I realized I didn't have anything to catch the grease, so I quickly improvised with a nice beer can. However it was a little small, lol so I will upgrade that!! 

Overall I am extremely extremely pleased with this smoker so far. Well built, simple modifications to it made it even a little better. This was extremely fun for me, I love to cook and I really love to burn wood in the fireplace, fire pit, and now in the smoker. Thanks to this forum for the awesome information on getting my smoker up and running!!!


----------



## weedeater (May 29, 2018)

Sounds like a successful cook! 
Where are the pics of the birds?
No pics....... It didn’t happen. LOL
The paint blistering like that stinks!
Glad your happy with the new smoker. 
Now let’s see some pics of those smokes!

Weedeater


----------



## ReelFaster (May 29, 2018)

I know right the most important part, LOL!!!! It was a great experience!!!


----------



## xray (May 29, 2018)

It sounds like you’re well on your way. I bet the chicken was delicious. I promised myself to smoke more poultry this summer to slim down.

I tried the homemade baffle with the aluminum foil wrapped grates. It worked nicely when it worked but it tended to be too inconsistent when I smoked. Sometimes the temp varied across the grates by 5 degrees, other smokes it was by 40-50 degrees. I haven’t figured out why it did that. So I went ahead and bought an aftermarket baffle (that I still haven’t used yet)

I like the “what would MacGuyver do” moment with the beer can. I bought metal pail for 3$ at Lowe’s.


----------



## tropics (May 29, 2018)

Good luck with the smoker
Richie


----------



## xray (May 29, 2018)

Ooh, nice chicken!, didn’t see that when I posted.


----------



## ReelFaster (May 29, 2018)

tropics said:


> I can't believe I am seeing LIGHTER FLUID yikes
> Good luck with the smoker
> Richie



LOL..what's wrong with lighter fluid? Some of the best pro's start the fire with it, it burns off very very fast....!


----------



## SmokinAl (May 29, 2018)

Nice job on the chickens!
And that smoker looks real good sitting out on your patio!
Congrats on your new toy!
Al


----------



## lancep (May 29, 2018)

Sounds like a great first smoke! Sorry about the paint but it’s pretty common. Was it just the firebox or the CC as well? Nice looking birds!!


----------



## ReelFaster (May 29, 2018)

lancep said:


> Sounds like a great first smoke! Sorry about the paint but it’s pretty common. Was it just the firebox or the CC as well? Nice looking birds!!



Thanks so much! Just the firebox, CC still looks like new so hopefully that stays in tact.


----------



## Smoke23 (May 29, 2018)

Glad pretty much everything worked out well for you! Great job on the chickens too. I don’t use a stick burner but it’s perfectly ok to mix wood. I really like oak and maple together.


----------



## gmc2003 (May 29, 2018)

Looks like a great smoker Reelfaster, I'd be careful using WD40 you don't want the over spray to get into the CC, and it can be flammable. 

Chris


----------



## sauced (May 30, 2018)

Congratulations on a very successful first smoke!! The OK Joe is a really good smoker especially for the price.
I oil mine with vegetable oil, never used WD40. I had the peeling paint as well, wire brush it, get some black high temp spray paint. Think that will be a fairly regular event!!


----------



## RiversideSm0ker (May 30, 2018)

The chicken looks amazing. Congrats on that. Just wondering about the paint peeling. My own experience was that the pain gave out underneath where I didn't get enough oil coating. When you did your seasoning cook did you let it go for about 3 hours around 250 degrees or so? My paint seems to be fine everywhere that I applied it and then rubbed it in initially. I figure for my own setup it's been about six months so I am going to give it a thorough cleaning and then reseason after a bit of paint touch up. I did try the foil wrapped grates myself and had similar results with a nice even temp but I like having that hot zone near the firebox. It actually works well for chicken. I also got a tip from a co-worker who does contests on the side. Pricking the skin of the chicken helps to crisp it up pretty well. The small holes in the skin allow the fat to emulsify and leak out from under the skin. I use a corn cob holder for it and it works great. Give it a try the next time you do a chicken with skin on and see what you think. Have a great day.

George


----------



## ReelFaster (May 30, 2018)

George I totally missed that step on seasoning it and letting it cook for a few hours, eeks!! I seasoned it about 2-3 days prior to my smoke. 

I will def try that corn cob holder trick on the skin, thanks so much for the tip and thanks for the reply much appreciated.


----------



## RiversideSm0ker (May 30, 2018)

It happens to everybody. So you sprayed or brushed with oil but then did not light a fire until you actually cooked a few days later? That would be my guess why the paint may have popped on top. Apparently the lower heat cures the paint to the metal over the course of a few hours. Nevertheless you are going to do fine. Keep on working at it and you will find some mighty fine meals are in your near future. Let me suggest a pork butt or shoulder. It's pretty cheap and oh so good. It's going to be pretty much an all day event but then that's part of the beauty of smoking barbecue. Enjoy.

George


----------



## SmokinLogs (Jun 18, 2018)

Looks like a successful first smoke. You can wear the paint peeling proudly like a battle scar. The chickens look mouthwatering, Love the Q view.


----------

