My beginner's luck is running out

[M1keym1ke]

He ya'll. I'm about as newby as a newby could get. My daughter bought me an Oklahoma Joe's small smoker and grill for Christmas. I started using it two weeks ago and have become obsessed. The first day I made burgers. They were great. The second day I made T-bones. The grill was like 700 degrees. I didn't know anything about controlling the temp. The steaks cooked really quickly, of course. By a miracle of beginners luck, everyone agreed they were the best steaks they'd ever had. Third day I smoked some peppers. I figured out how to keep the temp low but it was too low, I think. I couldn't get it above 210 degrees and the coals were exhausted after three hours. Day four I smoked a whole chicken. 5 pounder. I maintained 275 for two plus hours but then the coals slowly died out and I had to finish it in the oven. It was great. Probably should've covered it because it could've been more moist. But good.

I'm so out of my depth but somehow the stuff is turning out pretty good. I can't wait until I figure out what I'm doing! That's why I'm here. I really need to learn how to maintain a smoking temperature for eight hours. That's a total mystery to me. I don't know how many briquets to use. The smoker manual doesn't give any clear directions on the matter.

Anyway, I've read through threads on this site and everyone seems well-informed and patient with beginners. Any and all advice, suggestions, and wisdom will be received with humility and gratitude.

[Panhead John]

Congrats man! Looks like you’re figuring this stuff out in fairly short order. Oklahoma Joe makes some pretty good stuff, I used to have their Bronco. I’m thinking the grill might be a little small to maintain an 8 hour smoke on it, not enough room for more charcoal without burning stuff up or getting too hot. But, I’ve never had a grill like yours so I could be wrong. But…..if you want the best charcoal briquettes for low and slow, I’d try some B & B Charcoal Briquettes. Many of us here in The Pit swear by them. Keep your questions coming, lots of folks here more than happy to help.

[M1keym1ke]

Thank you! Do you have a regular retailer where you buy your B&B charcoal? I've been using Royal Oak because I liked the color of the bag!

[Panhead John]

Sure do! Walmart carries them online and sometimes in the store. If you live near an Academy Sports and Outdoors, they have them all day every day for $9.99 per 17.6 lb bag. Ace Hardware carries them, but except for a sale that ends today, they’re usually way more expensive. I believe they’re $9.97 per bag at Walmart.

[realdocBBQ]

I agree with John, that smoker is a little on the small size, but... people manage to do 12-14 hour cooks on Weber kettles. You just have to learn how to manage your coals.

I'll give you some things to look into.

First off, do a search on this site on setting up a grill for indirect or 2-zone cooking. That'lll give you some concepts.

Then research a charcoal snake or something called the "Minion method".

These things will open up whole new worlds for you, man.

And welcome!





<edit> Oh yeah... and I'll give you a heads' up - start saving up now.

You're gonna want a bigger cooker in no time flat. And us folks here... well, let's just say we're not the best at discouraging people from spending their hard earned dollars on "More Cookers" - hence our AR Pitmaster Club coined term MCS or... "More Cooker Syndrome". The illness that leads to a patio or backyard filled with more cooking devices than many of our spouses really want us to have!

[realdocBBQ]

He doesn't want you to know that is more about hookers and blow than anything we've tempted him into buying!

[Allon]

Word

[RhodeHog]

M1keym1ke Yesssss....feed that desire. MCS is good.

[LA Pork Butt]

Unless you can add some type of diffuser your low and slow cooks will be limited in size of cook. The principle you will need to work off of is two zone fire. That simply means you use coals on 1/2 of the grill. That way you can keep direct heat off of what you are cooking low and slow. Also, a two zone fire enables you to move food that is cooking too fast to the cool side of the coals. That way you keep the food from burning. Another use for the two zone fire is to reverse sear steaks. Put steaks on the cool side until they are within 10 degrees of your target temperature. Then you sear them off on the hot side until they reach the target temperature.

[M1keym1ke]

How long at 120-160 does it take to dry them out?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

M1keym1ke 12ish hours. You could try to get some smoke on some peppers in your grill then transferring to your oven if it has convection and it should go much quicker with only a little less smoke flavor. You do em til they snap cleanly and then throw in a coffee grinder.

[M1keym1ke]

My buddy said he finished his in the dehydrator which we also have.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So that thing is just a hair bigger than my PKGO, and while you can smoke on those things, you have to get creative.

For the particular cook you are showing, I would rotate the pan the bird is in (I also wouldn't even use a pan) slide it to the left or right side and bank your coals to the opposite side. You may also want to invest in some firebrick to create a thicker coal bed in as narrow a spot as possible. Being in a small area you'll want to rotate the protein every hour or so (thinner stuff more like every 30 minutes), but then that adds the problem of the coals heating up every time you open the lids. You have your coals directly under the pan so you're kinda grilling and baking at the same time which could have contributed to your dry bird, but you didn't mention an internal temperature of the meat. Do you have a standalone thermometer? If not I would suggest grabbing one.

There are lots of great options out there, on the buy once side you have expensive stuff like Thermoworks and Fireboard... but you can also start off with a much cheaper Thermopro unit. I had the predecessor to this unit, and it gets the job done (but I do believe the Fireboard I now have IS significantly better) Amazon.com: ThermoPro TP08 500FT Wireless Meat Thermometer for Grilling Smoker BBQ Grill Oven Thermometer with Dual Probe Kitchen Cooking Food Thermometer: Home & Kitchen

It's a fun dance (or frustrating if you're new) and I personally enjoy the challenge of smoking things on a small cooker that might not actually be made for what you're using it for. Once you master it, you'll feel like a grill god!

One thing I didn't learn until last year...

While your brain may tell you that to get 2 zone cooking you want to bank coals to the left or right side, often with these small cookers it's actually best to bank the coals in a line across the back wall. This will allow near 2 zone cooking for things like ribs, half chickens or whatever and expands the usefulness of it.

Also experiment with different fuel. I've found the most success with lump charcoal. It lasts longer than briquettes but can get hotter too, so you'll want to light a small bit and dump onto unlit fuel. I've been able to get 10+ hours on a cooker that some people say won't go longer than 4-6 at a time.

[Panhead John]

Not sure I wanna constantly dig through a bag of charcoal looking for this size or that, busting up big pieces, etc. He’s a newbie and I think it would be easier for him with briquettes. Plus, so many of them shoot sparks all the time when lit… Can you tell I hate lump? 😂

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Panhead John only a little But yeah, being a newbie maybe briquettes would be best, just harder to do longer smokes on these tiny cookers with the stuff.

[Panhead John]

Greg, shhhhh! I’m fixin’ to recommend a smoker to him. Keep it on the down lo…..

[Draznnl]

Those folks above covered the basics:
1. 2 zone, indirect cooking
2. Minion method
3. MCS - Be ready to spend more money

It really is a fun hobby.
Welcome to the Pit.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I was looking to see what mods people are doing to these things and the gasket and latches this guy did seem like a no brainer. I would NOT put another dome thermo on it, they aren't accurate anyway and ideally you'll be using a wired or wireless probe system at some point.

Must Have Modification’s to The Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler Portable Charcoal Smoker-Grill! / Chicken! - YouTube

[M1keym1ke]

That was a very informative video. I ordered the thermometer. It's crazy the difference in readings he was getting from the factory thermometer and the grill-level one. Seems essential.

[HawkerXP]

Welcome to the PIT!!

[HawkerXP]

The next thing you need is a quality meat and grate temperature device.

https://www.thermoworks.com/search.php?search_query=dot

I suggest the ThermoWorks DOT and POP.

Low cost but accurate equipment.

[Alan Brice]

^^^This!!! Yer next best investment is going to be a quality thermometer setup. Wireless or wired. You want to monitor the temp at the grate, where the food is and independently monitor the internal temp of whatever you are cooking. Everytime you lift the lid yer gonna spike temps. Record yer cooks. How much charcoal. Time n temps during n vent settings. Once you get a few cooks under yer belt confidence will rule n you can play with the smaller things that affect the cook. All great advice here

[Alan Brice]

Welcome from Cincy Ohio! Just spent last weekend in the burbs of Nashville. M1keym1ke

[mcook2201]

Greetings from North Carolina. Wealth of knowledge here in the Pit. Question away, everyone started as a newbie

[Richard Chrz]

Welcome, we all started a day 1. There is a wealth of information here being shared willingly, sit down, enjoy yourself, and engage in conversations. You’ll start finding out methods, and questions to ask of your grill. Also show us some cooks, head over to the Summer 2025 Show us What You are Cooking.

Great to hear your addicted

[Donw]

Welcome from Maryland. Yep, many get larger cookers eventually but most of us started with something smaller, learned by experimenting, and produced some great food on whatever cooker we had available. I will add some suggestions:

1. Get yourself an instant read thermometer if you haven’t already. The meat will tell you when it is done, or near done.
The thermometer also allows you to feel the texture of the meat you are cooking, especially things like butts and briskets. No matter what the books say about cooking a butt or brisket to a certain temperature like 203, when the probe glides in like it is in warm butter you know the meat is telling you it is done.
2. Don’t over worry about cooking at a specific temperature, as it isn’t going to happen. The cooking temps will always be in a range. Everything says 225, but I generally cook at 275 and the finished product is still good. If it goes to 250, and sometimes 300, it all averages out.
3. And when cooking some meats consider the effects of carryover heat. That perfect steak you cooked to 132-135 on the grill could easily carryover to 140 and above before it gets served.

Just my 2¢ 🙂

[Panhead John]

THIS! 👆👆

[Alan Brice]

Guess I need to read thru ALL the particular post so I am not saying again, what has already been expressed. Gettin betta.

[Purc]

Welcome to The Pit from Texas. Another vote for 2 zone cooking/smoking. I have never used lump in my Kettle or OKJ Bronco. B&B briquettes and Char-Logs are what I use for low n slow and Cowboy, Kirkland, or KBB Pro briquettes for everything else. Your pit size will limit how much and how long you can smoke without adding more fuel. A good remote/leave in thermometer as well as an instant read are necessary. BTW, don't be surprised in a month or so you have a great desire for a larger smoker. It's ok and many of us have several. We love to answer questions, see pictures of your cooks and especially help you spend your money on more grills, smokers, accessories. etc. Have fun and enjoy the BBQ journey with us.

[Alan Brice]

We love pics!

[58limited]

Welcome!

[Panhead John]

M1keym1ke Here in The Pit we usually don’t start recommending big stuff for you to spend money on this quick, but I feel like now’s as good a time as any. I’ve seen some vulnerability in a few of your posts, so I’m gonna strike while the iron’s hot….. Anywho, when the time is right and you want to get serious about smoking some great quality food without all the fuss of rigging up something that isn’t really a smoker, give this one a look see. It’s the Oklahoma Joe Bronco. There’s a lot of happy Bronco owners here….long story short but I also had one for 2-3 years and loved it! This absolutely is one of the easiest smokers out there in maintaining steady temps. I could smoke a brisket for 9-10 hours and barely had to mess with the dampers at all, once I got the temps dialed in. I think this would be the perfect smoker for someone new to the game, as well as grizzled veterans. Using some good quality charcoal, people have gotten an easy 12 hours or more on one load of charcoal. You can also use it as a grill if you need extra capacity. Hopefully some other Bronco owners will chime in with their thoughts, so you know I ain’t lying to ya’. 😂

Anyway, here’s a link to a review from the free side of AR’s cooker reviews. Give it a look when you have some time.

https://amazingribs.com/grill-smoker-combination-grill-smoker/oklahoma-joes-bronco-drum-smoker-review/

[Panhead John]

Yeah, a kettle is almost a necessity for me. Grill or smoke on it, and that’s what I do on the Master Kettle. And you can’t go wrong with the WSM, it’s a great smoker! I was figuring since he’s already got a grill, it is a little on the small side, the Bronco would give him additional grill space when needed. It’s kind of hard to grill on the WSM, it’s more of a dedicated smoker. And I seriously thought about recommending a kettle instead, but the Bronco would give him more ….continued…

[Panhead John]

smoking area when using the hangars and hooks. But if he doesn’t need all that, then yeah, I’d go with a kettle for sure.

[M1keym1ke]

Since the Rambler was a gift from my daughter I'm going to ride it out for at least one full season before I explore other options. I'm also a minimalist by nature so I like having to stretch the limits of something very simple. After I build our deck, I'll surely start dreaming of bigger and better.

[Uncle Bob]

What you've got there is an OKJ Rambler, it's primary purpose is for portable grilling. I may be the only other person on this site that has one, so I've played with it quite a bit.

Most of the advice given above is in general helpful, but not all of it will apply to the Rambler because of its design features. Two zone cooking is a very helpful tool but the limitation in your case is how small the grate size is. As for banking the fuel, you should only do that on the right side (looking at the cooker) as that is the air intake side which is best for getting oxygen to the fire. The exhaust stack is on the left side, in the lid so it's great for convection heat flow from the fire on the right and exhaust inducing the heat to flow to the left. Looking at your chicken photo I'd recommend against a high sided pan like that one as it blocks some of the convection flow over the bird. If you bank the fuel to the right side you could put the catch pan on the fuel tray below the grate. That way you'll catch the drippings and get full air flow around the bird. You'll want a fire over 300 degrees to do a chicken usually and cooking time will be somewhere around 1 hour give or take which should be easy for the amount of fuel you can get on a half of the fuel tray. Having the fuel tray at the bottom of it's vertical travel as you did is good for that particular cook. Another advantage of the zone cooking is you could remove the right side grate and have access to add more fuel for longer cooks.

This guy is a tad small for long smoke sessions, it could be done, but it's going to take some fiddling that may not be advisable for a newby. I've done a three hour smoke on mine for a pork tenderloin roast which required choking down the intake and exhaust baffles but knowing how to manage the fire so as to keep the smoke clean enough to not ruin the flavor. Frankly you should consider mastering grilling only on this unit until you've built experience.

It is very capable for grilling with the adjustable height fuel tray. You can slowly cook a protein with it in the lower positions, and sear the heck out of it in the upper......flexibility that many cookers don't offer. While it's a well built product the thermometer on the lid is not very accurate so shouldn't be your absolute guide for cooking temps. As suggested above, an instant read thermometer will be your best friend.

I will make the following comments with some reservations. The video shown above is done by a YouTube creator that, for the most part, does some very good evaluation and commentary. But....he is an inveterate tinkerer and sometimes does goofy stuff. There is no way that lid latches are necessary. My guess is his hinges got bent in shipping and he lacked sufficient mechanical aptitude to figure out how to adjust them (since they're welded they need to be bent). Adding an extra analog thermometer is lipstick on a pig. I did put a lid gasket on mine because I knew I was going to play with smoking (I too like to tinker),but for grilling it's not really necessary.

Welcome aboard, this is one of the best places you could have chosen to expand your knowledge in outdoor cooking.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

With a flush sitting lid, I'm assuming the lavalock or whatever gasket seals just fine? I have only used 2 cookers with a gasket and both have a locking mechanism so I was just figuring that was part of the deal?

[Uncle Bob]

Yeah, I used the Lava Lock material. The mating surfaces are slightly wavy but the build material is heavy enough (the whole unit weights around 50 # IIRC) that gravity compresses it just fine.

[M1keym1ke]

Fantastic! Thank you so much for all that. You answered several gnawing questions I had. I've got so many pepper plants this year that I'm not worried about a fiasco or two as I try to pull off a long smoke on them. I'll research, experiment, and fail. That's how I'm wired. I'm gonna do a lot of steak, chicken, skewers, etc. this summer. I'm already sure of that. The info about two zone cooking and the instant read thermometer will help me pass grilling 101.