OK Joe Highland Horizontal versus Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Offset Smokers

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Horizontal versus Vertical

  • Oklahoma Joe Highland Horizontal Offset

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  • Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Offset

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try these but you can locate them at walmart, kmart, target, Bed bath and beyond as well.


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My grandparents' cousins happened to bring those in back at Thanksgiving time, they use them to cook jerky in the oven! Those are pretty neat racks, and can be found fairly cheap.  We first saw them on Cabela's website, but after doing some searching around they were much much cheaper everywhere else.  
 
Before you burn it in, take the firebox apart and seal its two halves with stove sealant. The firebox airflow control is greatly improved and its just a few screws. I did the plenum also, both in the firebox and the junction to the chamber. Its the one thing thats important beside obvious gaps from shipping. The second thing is the curing of the paint. When you fire it, plan on 2 firings without a great deal of fuel. They arent kidding about starting out at a low temp for a couple of hours then cooling it all down before firing a second time to a higher temp for a second couple of hours. If you fire high the paint will wrinkle and make the biggest mess you have ever seen. And then you have to repaint to top it off. Have fun, I love mine!
 
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Before you burn it in, take the firebox apart and seal its two halves with stove sealant. The firebox airflow control is greatly improved and its just a few screws. I did the plenum also, both in the firebox and the junction to the chamber. Its the one thing thats important beside obvious gaps from shipping. The second thing is the curing of the paint. When you fire it, plan on 2 firings without a great deal of fuel. They arent kidding about starting out at a low temp for a couple of hours then cooling it all down before firing a second time to a higher temp for a second couple of hours. If you fire high the paint will wrinkle and make the biggest mess you have ever seen. And then you have to repaint to top it off. Have fun, I love mine!
Thanks for the advice!  We bought some high temp stove sealant for my MES at Thanksgiving, I can't remember the name of it offhand.  Maybe that will work for what you said.  I will look into it tomorrow and get back to you.  Also, when you say start off slow, how much charcoal would you use?  I am completely new to stick burning and have never used a charcoal grill before, so here on out is a an all new learning experience! 

I know there's a stick burning tutorial video around here somewhere... I found it once but can't seem to find it now in the search bar.  I did get a chimney starter to get the charcoal going.  
 
Those first burns run a half load of fuel, maybe 2 chimneys on the first one with the firebox vent closed to 1/3. The second burn maybe 3 chimneys, it will be hotter..I forget the temps but they are in the manual. 200 and 400? Its a chemical cure. The lignin in the wood will coat it when you season the rig. The problem with spraying a veggie oil inside the cc is that it doesnt really get hot enough to cure especially down low, so it rots and stinks, unless you really crank it up like cast iron if its even possible to get the bottom of the cc that hot.

How much wood? Well the TMV can burn pure wood or pure charcoal. The purists will get a charcoal fire bed going and put one small log or a couple of chunks on top of it. They use at least one chimney (5-6 lbs of charcoal). When its gone, if the wood coals havent replaced it they might add more as needed, but usually the fire can be tended such that the oxidize wood charcoal takes over and one new stick is added every so often. Thats for you to learn. I like to just use wood charcoal, which is a little bit of a hybrid idea along the same lines. Pure wood has a downside, that being when wood is used in larger amounts it also produces wood gas. Methane. And some other flavorful particles. If you are using small amounts of dry wood, the firebox combustion of the "small hot fire" cleans it all up pretty well since its only one stick or a couple of small chunks or even shavings. Those cooks will often foil after a few hours to soften the meat, and finish on coals, when it comes out of the foil and cant accept more smoke

For my tastes I will burn my wood down a bit before I expose meat to it. My fire will be a bit hot at first, because I will have collagen containing meats like ribs or butts in foil with spices. They cook in their own juices for a while before the fire settles in and the temps settle and the foil comes off. Maybe an hour or two depending on the meat. This does not produce a strong smokey flavor. I like layers of flavor, and foiling in the middle of a cook drives the smoke throughout the meat, where I have been flavoring the meat while foiled and then coasting it to finish with more of a external finish of smoke, bark and or baste. I dont do a lot of 12 hour cooks. I like to eat the same day I put the meat on. And I dont eat smoke anymore than I enjoy too much salt. Its nasty. So go easy with it until you find out how to make thin blue smoke.
 
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So you do not recommend using any type of oil to rub down the smoker?  I am hopeful to get it fired up today, because it is suppose to be the last warm day for a very long time lol.. 
 
Gavin, wipe the thing down with oil. The low temp warming prepares the metal to accept the oil you have put on. The high temp helped to seal it. Use a hot burning wood suchb as hickory or oak to get the temp us. I would also look at spraying it down with some high temp(1200) header paint before you cure it. Good luck!
 
Outside oil sure..the inside is where it gets interesting. The lower part, bottom pan really doesnt get that hot. The heat rises, and the plenum is off the bottom already. Cleaning it hot with water/oil is what I usually spray, but what worked on my horizontal isnt quite the same. Just cleaning it out is where I am now, no real rust issues due to cooking and wood cure so I am just rolling with it.
 
Gav this is what I mean by wood charcoal I like to cook on. Dang near unburnt hickory chunks.
How I know I am having a good day.
The inside bottom isnt as big a problem for rust as is the firebox. I would shield the inner walls with metal and never let fire touch them as much as possible. At least its a bolt on box and easily replaceble.
 
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That's quite the fire there! And a lovely full smoker! lol I may research some more on charcoals once I get things figured out.  For now I just went up town to the local store and bought a 16 lb bag of kingsford, that'll get the job done this weekend.  Got distracted by a lot of things today, beautiful weather today and it's hard to not take advantage of it! Especially when it's suppose to turn cold tomorrow! 

I managed to seal up some of the firebox.. the sealant I have was so freaking difficult to get out of the bottle, and it may not even stay on the box so I'll wind up redoing it eventually.. It is a high temp stove "ciment" of sorts we bought a while back.  Works great! Just a mother bear to put on, and I didn't have a chance to go to a hardware store today.  So I did what I could, and got impatient and decided to go ahead and rub the inside down with oil, and ran it for 2 hours at around 200 degrees.  Ran out of daylight and time, tomorrow morning first thing I'll shoot it to 400 for an hour or so, then it'll be ready! 

It only took 1 chimney to stay around 200, and I was excited how easy it was for me to keep it there!  Something I didn't think about doing, and I'll definitely do tomorrow.. Place an aluminum pan underneath the charcoal! Then I won't make near the mess I did putting out the coals tonight.. Super easy to clean, and potentially save years on the box.  I decided I also need to look into making a charcoal basket soon, think it will be much easier to control the coals and such.  

Thanks again for all of the advice, it is so great and helpful to get tips from those who own the smokers.  Another reason why I like this forum community so much! 
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I havent had time to blaze away lately. They come in handy when a crew comes to my house though.

Try some of that kingsford that has the hickory already blended into it. Its s great way to start and kill two stones.
 
I will say that you deffinately need to oil the bottom for 2 reasons. 1. You will get moisture in the bottom of that smoker when it rains unless yu use a vent cap. 2. If you are going to use the water pan to put moisture, beer, or your choice of juice in the chamber, you will want protection of the whole cooking chamber.
 
Yeah but its not welded so there is a gap to trap crap. I filled mine with stove sealant, but it came out due to heating and cooling movement. The drippings and stuff handle it well enough. Silicone would be better for movement but I will wait for spring cleaning, since its still football season. Mine stay outside uncovered, so they dry well. And they have a hole drain in the bottom. Those covers make them rust so I just keep the outside painted.

I would most definitely get oven thermometers for the interior. The outside door thermo wont show interior temp in the flue stream, just the metal cooled air near the door. I get about 40-50 degrees different inside and outside. One high, one low inside should be enlightening. I usually just use one midway.

Rust comes from oxygen joining the metal so I treat them like a cast iron an dont scrub them raw. The least coating works between cooks, and I sanitize before cooking anyway. I should say it takes a while to get my coating going. I am gonna try some flax oil though. I was reading a thread that said its the best because of the high levels of Omega 3.
 
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Ugh but I have to clean it. Or both of them actually. That will cost me a set of clothes I have to explain to She who sleeps with cats. I actually have the seal kits with the door clamps for both of them, but just havent really needed them with the firebox sealed. The second one I fired before I sealed it and the temps rode high compared to the first TMV I had modded already.
 
Well at least you don't have to clean much to get the door seals and the door clamps on. If your going to seal them up, go or it. But you must really enjoy it to have 2 of them.
 
Pure lazy. When it comes to a party, I enjoy the crowd. The food can all come at once and I dont have to go through a bunch of motion. Or Church fundraisers. Or Golf course tournaments. This is what I tell myself anyway. Tractor Supply had the second one on clearance and it kept looking at me every time I walked in. 155 inc tax. It came home.
 
Don't Blame You!I am getting one in the spring for he same reasons. People want my Brisket and Pulled Pork. So who the heck am I to argue. Plus we have chuch BBQ's 4 times a year. Butt the have a big pit. Will do two hogs at a time. But I do all the brisket.
 
TMVs run a long time without sealing. I am curious what it will do once I truly get it tight. The thinner metal probably needs insulating to really go long though.
 
Just too lazy. I havent met a problem foil wouldnt cure. I dont do briskets though. I just havent gotten past the wifes corned beef dinner. It may be years before I want something else.
 
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