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ngeorgiadave

Newbie
Original poster
May 8, 2015
3
10
Chickamauga, GA
I came across this forum in a Google search for ways to make a fire basket and other mods for my OKJ.  I did my first smoke on chicken quarters and they turned out fantastic!  I got brave and then we for 2 5.5lb boston butts and 3 rack of ribs with no mods.  I thought it really strange that i had to add so much fuel and the had to, at times chase the temp, to keep the heat right.  The one good thing I did buy at the suggestion of this and other forums i visited is this Char-Broil Digital Remote Meat Thermometer.  This was a life saver on that long day.  I started out at 6am with meat on by 7am.  And went through 1 and a half 20# bags of Kingsford charcoal and a 1 and a half bags of large hickory chunks.  The food turned out great just the work and the fuel was exhausting.  I thought there has to be a better way.  That got me looking and searching.  So here I am!  I'm making my charcoal basket tomorrow with the direction of posts by Ski-Freak.  With the help of my brother we will be up and running by dinner!  From what i can tell my Joe is a little different from some i have seen pictures of.  I don't have an ash catch pan (so jelous) on the bottom of my firebox, and the butterfly valve is not as long and its located on the bottom of the door not the top.  Im ramming now.  Thanks for the great post i have seen and i look forward to learning and hopefully posting some new pics of my mods.


 
Welcome to the board, Dave! Tweaking the offsets is like learning to operate a steam locomotive. I'm running a Masterbuilt version of your basic setup - salmon yesterday *G*
 
Yeah I'm seeing that its a complex operation to smoke on an offset.  I didnt realize that there were so many variables to account for.  Its turned in to an obsession for me now. I have done a ton of research and fire that thing up ever chance I get.  But my wife is cool with it because she gets to eat the food that I cook.  So its a win win :) 
 
They can smoke and they can grill, and run large or small batches. Check my sig for some ways I play with mine.

The basic configuration has its drawbacks, like you're not likely to hang sausage or fish in it, but it can produce some good stuff for a lot of people. Since it's a "stick burner" and the definition of "stick" might be rather broad, sometimes you can get free fuel. I'm still burning storm-fallen sugar maple.
 
texas.gif
  Good afternoon and welcome to the forum, from a cloudy and nice day here in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary
 
One difference between mine and that OKJ - I have little plastic wheels good for rolling around on pavement. That OKJ has those bigger spoke wheels, and while it might lend a sort of chuck-wagon look, I'll bet they're way better for rolling over grass and gravel.

 
Yes they are, its a lot smoother rolling with the big wheels in grass. They are flat steel wheels about 2" wide and make for a good foot print when rolling it in the yard. 
 
Mine doesn't go off of the patio, so the wheels don't matter that much. Sometimes they lock when they hit a chip of wood.

I don't have the hot plate on top of the firebox. My shelves are very similar, I really like them. My bottom rack is just wire but it serves well.
 
Welcome to the site, Dave, from a SC boy. You will find this place to be full of folks who are eager to share their vast knowledge of ideas, tips, recipes or anything else that you might need. All you have to do is ask. In fact, just a little tip. If you need more air, just leave the door cracked a little bit. Or install another butterfly where you need it. Good luck and good smoking, Joe
 
Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...
Happy smoken.
David
 
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