I am terrified

[357mag]

My new Oklahoma Joe highland is being delivered tomorrow. The only other smokers I have ever used has been first, a vertical propane, wood chip smoker and then a pellet smoker , like a treager. I am afraid of the hot spots and fire management. My pellet smoker was pretty much set and forget, I am afraid that I will not be able to maintain a constant temperature on the OK. I bought a rack of St. Louis style ribs the other day On sale for just $10. I could't pass that up. So I am just going to jump right in and give that a try to see how I do.If I don't try I won't fail and if I don't fail I don't learn. Pray for me please.

 

[old sarge]

Unlike set and forget, you will now be the Master of the Smoke! Enjoy!!

 

[gmc2003]

Enjoy that new toy, and don't overthink it. You'll do just fine and produce some best tasting ribs.

Chris

 

[Smokin Okie]

You won't be able to " maintain a constant temperature " .... doesn't happen with a stick burner. If you keep it within 50* , you'll be OK. When you get more experience with it, you can shoot for a 25* range.

Relax, enjoy it, don't feel pressured.

 

[philpom]

Have fun! Take plenty of time building a nice fire and letting it mellow, it'll be A-OK.

 

[357mag]

You won't be able to " maintain a constant temperature " .... doesn't happen with a stick burner. If you keep it within 50* , you'll be OK. When you get more experience with it, you can shoot for a 25* range.

Relax, enjoy it, don't feel pressured.

To me a constant temp is an average between 225 and 275 If I can get that I would be happy.

 

[HowlingDog]

Don't be terrified, be excited about your new toy..... I am still learning fire management but I have had a bunch of really good smoked meats learning the process. Tuning plates can work wonders.

Can't wait to see some pics of it in action. New toys are the best!!

 

[civilsmoker]

The hardest thing to learn or realize is that a clean burning fire is the right kind of fire….. ie very little smoke with a fragrant tone….

The best way to do the above is to start with a good set of coals (ie a full chimney, fully engaged) you can then just add 1-2 2-3 inch splits at a time…..ie don’t over load it just let them burn cleanly….

Here are a couple of examples of a clean burning fire with healthy coal base….

Oh and get your new okJ good and warmed up before you put your protein on….it will help it be more unified with nice clean smoke at the start of the smoke!

 

[eaglewing]

Have fun! Take plenty of time building a nice fire and letting it mellow, it'll be A-OK.

^^^^That's the best advice for what you're getting. I have an OKJOE longhorn, you WILL lose a lot of heat off the top of your firebox, probably something you are not used to, also, seal your lid someday down the road. Other than that, enjoy.

I am afraid of the hot spots and fire management.

I put a damper plate over the intake hole to make the heat travel further in, it works pretty good to smooth some hotspots I was getting

 

[Fueling Around]

Chill out. Learn the cooker after you get it and do a few trials.
I miss my off set even though it was a cheap thin metal Brinkmann as they went out of business.
I bought it for the charcoal grilling tray in the cook chamber tray.
I flipped the meat many times to even the cooking

 

[chilerelleno]

Great replies here so far for you.

Enjoy the new smoker.

 

[boykjo]

The hardest thing to learn or realize is that a clean burning fire is the right kind of fire….. ie very little smoke with a fragrant tone….
The best way to do the above is to start with a good set of coals (ie a full chimney, fully engaged) you can then just add 1-2 2-3 inch splits at a time…..ie don’t over load it just let them burn cleanly….
Here are a couple of examples of a clean burning fire with healthy coal base….
Oh and get you new out good and warmed up before you put your protein on….it will help it be more unified with nice clean smoke at the start of the smoke!

Civilsmoker got you covered. I add small splits that are dry as a popcorn fart that catch fire very easily and burn. I'll split a fire place sized log into 3 or 4 splits so the splits are pretty small.

Baby backs on RF offset

Baby backs, deviled eggs and some corn cob. ribs were smoked with pecan. I would like to reiterate fire management on an offset. First load with a few sticks to get temps up. Don't rush to get food on. You don't want to smoke food with the fire hitting the top of the firebox. It will give you a...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[grillmonkey]

All good advice. The only thing I can think of to clarify is keep your fire burning and use the size of the fire to regulate your heat. Find a happy medium for split size. Too small and you'll be adding wood every few minutes, too large and your temps may swing wildly.

 

[chopsaw]

very little smoke with a fragrant tone….

I haven't used an offset in a long time , but that's what your shooting for . Don't let " lack of smoke " trick you .
As far as temp goes , focus on the average , not the swing .

 

[jcam222]

I got real caught up in perfectly stable temps when I first started with the Lang. I’ve learned to not sweat it much. Main focus I have is a nice cleans fire with clean smoke. If my temp stays +/- 50F, even 75F depending on what I’m cooking I’m fine and the foods fine. As far as the smoke I also no longer sweat “dirtier” smoke when adding wood at times. Causes no issues for me and frankly many things benefit from a few hits of that heavier smoke. This is usually more in the beginning as when the coal bed is good smoke stays clean.

 

[Smokin Okie]

There's no law that says you have to put meat on the smoker in order to build a fire. Do a practice run to get a feel for the temp swings. While you're doing that, spread some biscuits out on the grate to get an idea of potential hot spots. Or better yet, spread some wings on the grate. Its all about learning.

 

[oscar]

So don't put anything on your first few times. Grab a box of beer, start a fire, and keep good track of how it behaves. Think of it as breaking in a wood stove, if you've ever done that. Great advice above. The only two things I would add: let all that steel get up to temp before adding food, and put your next few splits on top of your firebox before adding. Less of a heat sink and therefore fewer minutes of "dirty" smoke. The beer and note taking are the most important.

 

[Smokin Okie]

So don't put anything on your first few times. Grab a box of beer, start a fire, and keep good track of how it behaves. Think of it as breaking in a wood stove, if you've ever done that.

He will need to do that anyway, to season the smoker.

Just spray the inside with Pam or some cooking oil and run a good fire for an hour or two.

 

[fxsales1959]

My new Oklahoma Joe highland is being delivered tomorrow. The only other smokers I have ever used has been first, a vertical propane, wood chip smoker and then a pellet smoker , like a treager. I am afraid of the hot spots and fire management. My pellet smoker was pretty much set and forget, I am afraid that I will not be able to maintain a constant temperature on the OK. I bought a rack of St. Louis style ribs the other day On sale for just $10. I could't pass that up. So I am just going to jump right in and give that a try to see how I do.If I don't try I won't fail and if I don't fail I don't learn. Pray for me please.

You'll be fine. as others say, the firebox will try and trick you or make you overthink. Have plenty of beer and a chair near the firebox use you'll be feeding it until you get the smoker sealed up. there's lots of tutorials out there to read later. if the chamber gets hot, open it. stickies aren't set it and forget it. The left side is almost always more temperate the the firebox side. Have fun and don't sweat it....

 

[uncle eddie]

I have used my Brother in Laws a few times when staying at his lake house ... which is the absolute best way to have a lake house. Watch some YouTube vid's on fire management. Don't forget you can move the ribs closer and further away from the fire box. Enjoy!

What I found is, even making something that I considered was not my best effort, gets devoured by the rest of the family. No leftovers!

Hard to beat smoked meat made in a stick burner. Best flavor IMHO.