Showing the OK Joe Highland mods I have done. Photo heavy.Thanks everybody.

[Tallbald]

I'm very new to smoking meats and such and financial constraints limited what I could spend on a new, serious smoker. With some help from here and some time spent on study of Youtube videos I've made what I hope are helpful modifications to my wonderful affordable OK Joe Highland smoker. Materials were mostly free (the old smoker) but did require my determined time.
One mod, the smokestack extension inside the cook chamber to just above the main grid,, is unlike any I've seen before and is my own approach. It uses a cheap steel bread loaf baking pan cut on one end and rolled over to eliminate sharp edges. I used BBQ RTV and BBQ gasket to seal it against the end of the cook chamber with the closed end above the exhaust opening in the chamber. Open end of course at the bottom about a half inch above the grid. It seems to take very little grid space and can't be bumped out of place easily. Two homemade flat steel clamps with a bent long edge, and one bolt each hold it firmly in place.
The steel baffles are made from the old rotted out smoker cut to size and hammered flat on my bench but they may be spaced too closely. I'm learning and suggestions appreciated.
The upper firebox vent was salvaged from the old smoker, trimmed to shape, and a template was made from the old smoker vent hole and transferred to the OK Joe firebox upper half. Drilling, saber sawing , and filing to shape gave me an adjustable vent I can be happy with. I did spray paint it too thickly and got some runs----I have that trouble a lot.
The stack extension is cut from a section of the stack from the old smoker too and a short, 2 1/2 inch section was cut and trimmed, then cut lengthwise and a small slice removed to make an inner sleeve to splice the added section, giving me a 23 inch tall stack plus the bread pan duct inside. Hoping for better draw.
The drip pans are $1.00 steel cookie sheets from the Dollar Tree, and are held above the baffle plates by strips of scrap poplar.
The cook chamber has 6 foil wrapped fire bricks for the heat mass I've read about here and the firebox has thinner firebrick below the grid supporting the charcoal basket.
The charcoal basket is a drilled and deburred stainless steel surplus surgical room dish and has done really well for me so far.
The wood shims next to the wheels are pressure treated scrap that will give me the needed tilt toward the drain. From the factory the cook chamber is flat level and won't drain well.
I've never posted photos here and have a new Imgur account so I hope these post OK. With time I may be able to put these captions with the appropriate photo too.
I appreciate all the guidance and comments to my "new member" posts. Tomorrow I will be smoking an 8 pound Boston butt that's I injected and rubbed this morning. I'll use hickory and oak and along with the two new thermometers and a digital meat thermometer I'm hoping for success.
Some have asked me why I put so much time and energy into a Big Box Store smoker when for a few hundred dollars more I could just buy a better smoker than my Highland. I politely answer that I like improving things, I have the skills, interest, tools and materials, and that I only spent what I can afford. I'm proud of the results too. I'm tickled for those with top shelf smokers and love seeing their results. I have learned from so many folks here, and appreciate being welcomed into the forum!
Moderators please move this posting if I've placed it in the wrong category. Thank you all again. Don.





https://imgur.com/Xc78mFC
https://imgur.com/5Knz56G
https://imgur.com/uji2UEC
https://imgur.com/cIT46HY
https://imgur.com/L7PaFd9
https://imgur.com/Xc78mFC

 

[Tallbald]

I guess I'm limited on the number of photos that can be shown. I'll try the others here, including one of a low profile ash scraper cut to fit the contour of the firebox with the firebrick in the bottom. A salvaged thin wall steel rod with an angled steel plate scraper end and a turned wood knob at the other end. Don.





https://imgur.com/cIT46HY

 

[Tallbald]

 

[SmokinAl]

Nice job!
Now let's see it in action!
Al

 

[gmc2003]

Putting your personal touch on something to make it work better is always gratifying. I had a hard time comprehending the bread loaf pan mod, but your picture made it clear as a bell. Nice job.

Point for sure

Chris

 

[Tallbald]

Thanks for the kind words. Here in about 30 minutes I will start a fire and get the smoker heated up for first try with the new extra FB vent and stack. Smoking an 8 pound butt, and mid morning will put on some plain burgers for a late lunch. I believe I will try removing one baffle though this time to see if the heat comes up better in the CC without any ill effect. Don.

 

[keithu]

Nice work! I'm really interested in the extra firebox intake that you installed. Does it seem to help with airflow? I wonder if it truly works as an intake, or do you lose some smoke and heat through the opening?

I also have a Highland and feel the FB intake isn't large enough. I sometimes run with the clean out door partly open to let in more air.

 

[Tallbald]

Keithu what I learned yesterday, while using my Highland for the first time with the longer stack and the upper firebox vent was this:
With my Highland firebox vents facing into a gentle breeze on our patio, and with the lower factory vent all the way open, there was significant smoke coming out the new upper vent if it was wide open too. However. With the new upper vent open to only about 1/3 wide, the smoke coming out it stopped mostly. And at 1/3 upper vent there was indeed more smoke exiting the stack than before when I had no upper firebox vent at all. Hoping that means more air flow through the firebox.
As an added benefit I am now able to look through the new, upper vent to see if I have good flame in the coal basket as I've read I do want. No longer do I have to lift the lid or use a little mirror to see in through the factory vent( can't bend as I have spinal damage and can't get down on knees because of a fake knee) I feel after last night I have a new adjustment tool at my disposal.
With wonderful, appreciated advise from another member here, and a formula to figure vent size, I did my best math (not any good at calculus) and found that a I needed about 4 more square inches total of vent to the firebox than the oddly shaped factory vent gives. The same member shared that an upper vent should be about 20% of the total and the lower should be about 80%. Sadly, the factory lower vent as best I can calculate only allows about 6 1/4 inches square of opening. So no matter how big the upper vent is, I cannot presently get the proportions that are ideal. After I clean the firebox from yesterday's smoke (raining and very windy today) I'm going to look closely and see if I can modify the lower vent door opening a little, to tweak some more flow through it.
Yes I would add my upper vent again. Maybe not make it as big as I did but the sliding closure was already mostly cut to my needs from the scrapped out old smoker and using it was best for me. Especially with its welded adjustment handle already there.
Oh. One last thing I did early on when I got my Highland. Since I too found a need to keep the firebox door cracked open a tiny bit at times, I took a thin flat file and notched two 3/16 inch deep extra notches in the top surface of the door latch that's welded to the firebox. I removed the burrs with a emery cloth, and now I can lock the entire door open at two extra "just cracked" amounts. The door doesn't swing open or shut and a breeze doesn't blow it closed or open either, and I have another tool for dealing with the firebox needs.
Hope my experience benefits someone. Thanks everyone. Don.

 

[yankee2bbq]

I like your mods. I have an Oklahoma joe highland too, and did some mods. It was trial and error for my first couple of smokes. My latest mod was completely moving my smoke stack, like Aaron Franklin does.

 

[Tallbald]

I like your stack modification. I wish I had a wire welder. Too late in life though I feel to add one to the shop. Trial and error rules my smokes so far.
Don.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Never too old my friend!

 

[keithu]

Don, thank you for the update on the vent, great to hear real-world experience after testing.

About the notches on the clean out door tab: brilliant! I'm definitely doing that.

 

[Tallbald]

Keithu I hope it does help. I cleaned my Highland today and in the next couple days I will be looking at the lower, factory vent again. I'm wondering if I can drill and trim a half inch or so deep notch in the vent door window frame where the welded steel rotating vent handle touches the vent opening frame when the vent's wide open. If there's clearance for the inside sliding portion of the vent assembly, a rounded notch for the handle would allow me to open the lower vent thing a little more, and maybe enough to gain another 1 square inch or so of opening. That would get me more toward the 80/20 lower/upper vent ratio. If it works out I will share a photo here.
Heading to GFS restaurant grocery store tomorrow where they have whole pork loins on sale for $1.89 a pound this week here in my town. That's not a great summer price for here but of course we're in the dead of winter. And it's still cheaper than hamburger here. I want to try a stuffed smoked loin next time.
Good things to you. Don

 

[Abiskay]

Keithu,
I seem to be having the same issue with my OKJ Highland. It seems the FB damper isn’t a large enough opening for adequate airflow. I’m constantly having to open the damper door to provide enough air to get my smoke right. Sometimes I even have to crack the FB lid door to get enough air. Being new to smoking, I was wondering if it was a rookie problem or design issue. Either way, I’ve only done a couple cooks. I’m still trying different things to get better results.

-Aaron