Hello Smokin’ Smokers from Oakland, CA

[TexStace]

Hi All,
I’m new to SMF and it looks like a great community! I am originally from Texas but now live in Oakland, CA. Just got an Oklahoma Joe offset smoker and today will be only my 3rd official smoke (although I did smoke a brisket once on my charcoal Weber dome). I’m still a novice, so any advice is welcome.

Last night I smoked salmon and today I’ve got a 12 lb brisket & 3 racks of ribs going. I’m finding it extremely difficult to keep my temperature up and consistent on this OKJoe. I know I’ve got to be doing something wrong I’m just not sure what...perhaps not getting enough oxygen to the wood? Anyway, trying to not panic but my brisket temp keeps going down instead of up because I can’t get this darn temp up.
Looking for and to chatting with you all, thanks in advance for your help/advice! :)

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome to the forum.
There are a lot of guys on here with your smoker, & there are a lot of mods that can be done to them to get better temp control. Here is what a quick search brought up.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search/2415630/?q=ok+joe+mods&o=relevance
Al

 

[TexStace]

Thanks SmokinAl! I’ve actually made some mods already: baffle plates, silicone sealant and heat resistant “fabric” seal around lid, firebox basket. I’ve got little smoke leakage due to those mods. I’m wondering if I’m being too stingy with my wood, or using too much too early. Not sure what a good burn rate is, it’s hard to find good sized logs here in Oakland - had to order logs online and get chips locally, but it seems like I’m running through all of it real quick today.