So I got a new to me/used Oklahoma Joe Longhorn offset smoker. Couple pics of the refurb here: New (to me) toy After burning all day yesterday we are finally ready for its maiden voyage. Wife decided she wanted to do a rib cook-off. I am going to use the same stuff as last time. Mustard binder, McCormick applewood rub. She used a gochujange paste binder then 2 rubs. We’ve been watching the BBQ Brawl shows and lots of people are using that chili sauce. Started the show with Kingsford charcoal. Just got 2 16# bags at the local Giant grocery store for $10ea. Then added several splits of cherry. The water pan has 2 cans of cola. Ribs are on. Let the fun begin.
2 hours in, both of us put in foil. Little brown sugar, little sauce, little butter, little apple juice concentrate. So far I love this thing. Temp is staying very consistent and very easy to control. Adding a stick or two every 45-60 minutes.
Shoot, guess the meat coma messed me up. They took a longer to do than normal. My fault as we wanted to try different methods of making some jalapeño poppers, so I kept opening the smoker. Won’t to that again.
that is no longer an Oklahoma Joe's its a Pennsyvania Jason's! Greast restore and first run. Did you fire it dry to harden the paint?
Yes I did run a low heat fire for several hours. Unfortunately after the long smoke, I had a couple spots of the paint peel up. I re-wire wheeled it, cleaned with denatured alcohol and re-sprayed. Fingers crossed it sticks this time. More mods.. 1/2 of the firebox lid gasket was missing so I just scraped it all and bought new. The smoke chamber gasket was fine but why not just freshen it up. The door is not sealing well either way so I need to bend it a little. Wife and I tried but couldn’t get it. I’m going to need some more help with that. It’s bowed a little in the middle. And I got a new hanger for the stainless drip cup. One that was on there was crazy rusty. Probably trim some of the treads off at some point.
Congrats, that's a great pit and going to make some dam fine BBQ. I loved and enjoyed my OKJ pit......Enjoy!!
I actually watched the whole video. Seems easy enough if you put the time in, like any other extended smoke. Maybe I'll give it a shot soon. Cooler weather is almost here. I had some of buzz-saw's bacon and it was fantastic. Cherry peppered cured.
Is it that critical to have it that airtight? Obvious on a wood stove or insert. Our smoker leaks smoke around the lid when the pipe lid is closed off. She bought our smoker last Summer. Im thinking its a cheapo Amazon special. Steel is thin guage and started rusting badly above the firebox.
If you investigate his channel further, I think you'll find a lot of good ideas. My kinda cookin. 'Can't get full on fancy' is one of his mottos. The most complicated thing about immitating his cooking for me is the need for coals and a dutch oven. A product of actual Chuck Wagon work, he is.
I don't think, all smokers leak a little bit even the ones that are I think lots of folks get hung on that, put clamps, gasket seals, etc...if your smoker is drafting correctly it's not going to leak that much. That's the problem with lots of cheap offsets, thin metal and can be a PITA to manage a fire and hold stable temps. But if you can on a cheap offset your learning to be a hell of a pit master.
Just like learning how to use a wood stove, without chasing you out of the room, or how to have a coal bed in the morning for relight.
Totally agree. My smoking journey began with a rather inexpensive thin walled (don’t remember brand) and made some surprisingly good Boston butts and ribs on it. The more I learned the more I realized that to keep steady predictable temperatures I was going to have to upgrade. That, and my el cheapo smoker rusted out. Found a very lightly used Yoder made in Kansas and it made a significant improvement in smoking process. Very heavy gauge steel throughout and heavy gauge vented baffle plate under the cooking grate. Worth every penny and these better smokers will last a lifetime with just a little care and maintenance.
Couldn't agree more, if your into stick burning and truly love it having a larger FB and thick steel is a flat out game changer in terms of holding temps, keeping a nice coal bed. It really ups your BBQ game.
