OJB Burn-in And First Cook

[Sid P]

Got some baby backs we plan to have for dinner, but that’s down the road a bit. Got the OJB oiled up and a third of a chimney of coals in to start the burn-in. It’s cloudy and 36°.

[Sid P]

15-20 minutes after I dumped the coals she hit 215°, and has barely budged since. Both vents are set at 1.

[Sid P]

I opened both vents to 2.5 (of four), and the temp stabilized around 375°. I wonder what it will hit with both wide open?

[Panhead John]

Not sure in your weather, but should be able to hit 400-450 with a full pan of charcoal. Can’t wait to see your ribs and how they turn out. You gonna hang or grate em?

[Sid P]

Panhead John I was thinking I’d hang them, although I’m only doing two racks so there’d be plenty of room on the grate. Which do you prefer?

[Panhead John]

They’re great both ways, but hell, we’ve got hangers, I’d use them for your first cook, then the grate on your next cook. Gives you a comparison. You familiar with how to daisy chain them when hanging?

[Jerod Broussard]

Don't mess with both vents. Open one up and leave it alone, mess with the other.

[Sid P]

Thanks.

[Sid P]

They just went on. I used a Honey/Garlic/Sriracha rub my wife bought at a farmer’s market with some MMD layered on top. The little woman is off salt, so the little chunk in the bottom right is rubbed with Mrs Dash’s Garlic and Herb seasoning. She had some like that a couple weeks ago that she claimed were "really good", but I just took her word for it .

Panhead John I’m already behind schedule so I decided to just cook on the grate.

[Panhead John]

That honey, garlic, sriracha rub sounds great..and looking good so far! Whenever I’m behind schedule, I’ll cook 275- 300 if needed. But really, most anything you slow cook is gonna be fine at 225-275. Like DTro said, let it ride. I usually don’t mess with the vents unless it stays at 300 for too long and I’m on schedule.

[DTro]

Late to this post sorry- Hope your cook is going well. On my Bronco I usually adjust the intake vent for larger temp swings and the exhaust for smaller incremental changes. Each fire is different and will require slightly different adjustments. Once you are in range of your target temp leave it alone and let it cook. Don't chase exact temperatures, just let the cooker cook where she wants. Ribs look good!

[Sid P]

The built in thermometer looks pretty good, at least down low. My grate thermometer said 226° when I took this pic. How are yours?

[Panhead John]

And also how wide it is from the end of the shelf to the other side at its widest point. And then how wide is the other side, from the outside edge of one wheel to the outside edge of the other wheel…Thanks

[Sid P]

Panhead John That’s pretty funny. Are we going on a snipe hunt tonight, too 😜?

[Panhead John]

Sid 😂 all of the above is true. I left my Moms house this morning and am now at my own house. She lives 105 miles from me and I can’t measure my Bronco. I won’t be back at her house for another week and a half.

[Sid P]

Panhead John I’ve attached the dimensions from O Joe’s website, and here’s what I came up with (nominal):

Ground to top of lid: 37-1/4
Lid to top of stack: 6-1/4
Outside of wheel to outside of wheel: 22.5
Outside of left-hand handle to outside of right-hand shelf: 35-3/8
From front of lid handle to back of lid hinge: 25-1/2

I’m not sure how they got a width of 30.3", but it’s more than that with the right hand shelf in place.

[Panhead John]

Thank you Sid! I’d gone to their website also before I asked, but they didn’t have all the measurements I needed. And I also, just from memory, thought that width from the shelf to handle was a little short. I want to bring the Bronco home with me, for good, but need to make sure it’s not gonna be too crowded. My truck takes up a lot of my 2 car garage. Thanks again.

[Sid P]

You’re welcome, I’m happy to help.

[bardsleyque]

my garage is for motorcycles only! (and maybe a lot of clutter stuff).

[Sid P]

In order these are the finished product, two hours in, and right before saucing.

[Panhead John]

Beautiful! How’d they turn out? probably as good as they look I bet.

[DTro]

Yes!

[Sid P]

They were very good, but not as good as the ones I cooked a couple weeks ago. Costco’s ribs aren’t always butchered evenly, and both of these racks have a big hump that’s somewhat visible in the pic. The last couple racks of Smithfield I did were butchered perfectly, and cooked more uniformly.

The Bronco is great! Temps were very stable, and after I sauced them and fully opened both vents the temp shot from 260 to 340 in just a few minutes.