Oklahoma Joe Longhorn reverse flow AND horizontal baffle plate?

[Ignatz]

Ok, please don't laugh. We just replaced our venerable Brinkmann Smoke'n'Pit (over 20 years of year-round smoking didn't do the firebox any good) with an Oklahoma Joe Longhorn. That comes with a reverse flow system; while getting mods to finish it off (e.g., tape for the firebox and the smoker doors, latches, etc.) on a WTH whim I got a horizontal baffle plate for it. I was thinking of using the reverse flow for things like brisket, and the baffle plate for faster stuff like salmon--still getting rid of (most of) the hotspot by the firebox.

But once I put it all together, I realized both systems can be in place at the same time, and I'm thinking it may not be a bad idea. The baffle plate should direct the heat & smoke across the length of the smoker, more evenly heating the reverse flow plates.

Is this a worthwhile idea, or am I all wet?

 

[Berettaclayshooter]

I have a highland reverse flow, which is the smaller version of your smoker. I think the supplied baffle plates are kinda thin and don't do the best job. Nothing wrong with adding the baffle, it is thermal mass which will help your smoker keep an even temp and hold it longer.

 

[Ignatz]

Thanks for the response. I did my first smoking session this last week--both reverse flow and steel baffle, smoked salmon and a 14-lb. brisket. It worked well--extremely stable, less than 15 degrees difference from one end of the smoker to the other over the all-day session. I hadn't realized how much heat and smoke I'd been losing from my old Smoke'N'Pit.

Yes, the paint did bubble off the top of the firebox; no stress, I expected that and have high-temp engine block spraypaint I'll apply when I have time.

 

[Berettaclayshooter]

The paint on the firebox is a joke, I guess one can only expect so much from something now made in China. I bought some high temp stove spray paint when I bought high temp RTV to seal everything up. I just brush the flaking stuff off and shoot on the high temp stuff. I may have to get a hunk of thicker plate steel from work to help with my heat retention.