New OKJ Highland Reverse

[Sethvel1]

I picked up a new Highland Reverse and am working on getting it set up. I have a few questions I was hoping to get some pointers on.

I was looking to be able to use this as a smoker as well as a standard grill by placing charcoal in the cooking chamber. It looks like these smokers get rather greasy over use. Does anyone have any suggestions as to anything I should do to avoid potential grease fires? Is it not a real concerns or should I create a removable liner for the bottom of the cooking chamber out of sheetmetal? I have some 3/16" steel I am planning to use to replace the factory baffles. Thought there is that the steel will hold more heat. I was also going to add some bricks to also help hold heat. I could create a liner that covers the bottom as well so it would be easy to remove any grease accumulation if it is necessary.

I have also insulated the firebox (almost finished) with ceramic fiber (Kaowool) blankets. Instead of purchasing a welder, which I should have, I used hardware to fasten the new steel liner together and sealed the seams with silver (melting point of 1,450). The bottom half fits right into the chamber and is held in place by the factory lip. I added angle the the sheetmetal to avoid warping. I did not go too heavy on the gauge, I stuck with 22, I didn't want to have to fight it too much. It was a lot of geometrical calculations and figuring how to get it together inside the chamber but the bottom half turned out well. I still need to do the lid on the top half to complete the insulation. There are some spots that could be sealed better around the damper and the bottom door. Is it safe to use the 2,000 degree stove cement in this part of the chamber or will that create health issues and possibly bad flavoring? I have 650 degree RTV but that will burn away in the fire box. I got that to hold the seals in place. Being able to safely use the cement would be extremely helpful in that area. I'm hoping the insulation will help reduce fuel consumption as well as save the paint on the exterior.

I just order the Fireboard Drive (made sure to use the affiliate link) and some sensors and clamps. Think I am going to put a viper fan in the burner door. I am not at all familiar with cooking with wood only so the fan will come in handy with charcoal and chunk cooks until I attempt cooking with wood only. I like the fact I would be able to control the cook while away if need be. I have heard of some people extending the smoke stack due to draft issues. Does the fan correct any draft issues or is that for temperature only? Looks like needing a flue extension would be based of trial and error, depending on how it runs when finished. I saw one that was a heavy 3" pipe for a reasonable price but I'll wait and see. I almost want to get it now, cost of steel has gone way up and I think they forgot to adjust their cost lol! I am thinking the fan would help with the air movement as well as long as everything is sealed up well. I wanted to make sure that the Fireboard was here so I could tune everything in. I was going to start with less holes in the 3/16" steel and add them as needed so I can get the temperatures spot on from left to right. Im sure that steel will take a little while to get heated but it will hold that heat well.

I have the cooking chamber sealed, have not added the seals to the firebox as of yet. Still trying to figure out how to put it on so the lid will lay flat. The lid wasn't designed to have a seal installed so the seal affects how the lid rests. On the cooking chamber, I put the clamps up high. Not sure if I can get clamps on the lid or not once it is installed because the cooking chamber will be in the way. So beyond the seals and the 3/16" baffles, are there any other suggestions I should take into consideration before I get this thing seasoned and can finally use it? I tend to try to make things as good as possible and realize nothing is perfect. I will learn how this thing cooks over time but if there is anything else I should think about before this is 100% put together, I'm all ears.

[Sethvel1]

Anyone have any input? I'm especially curious about the use of stove cement in the firebox.

[58limited]

I have an OKJ Longhorn but I have not made any modifications. I'd like to see some photos of how you insulated the firebox.

I don't think stove cement will be a problem, just do a good burn in before your first cook to get rid of any noxious gasses that might form. As a precaution you might message the stove cement manufacturer to see if there are any potential hazardous fumes which might emit long term.

[STEbbq]

Maybe Uncle Bob has some ideas?

[Uncle Bob]

Nice of you to flag me, but I haven't messed with offsets so haven't invested any effort in learning what is real improvement or not.

[Red Man]

I’d be nervous about the silver solder holding up to the temps in the firebox.

[Mosca]

It won’t. That was the first thing I thought, too.

[Sethvel1]

I’d be nervous about the silver solder holding up to the temps in the firebox.

I am a little nervous about that as well. It does have a melting point of 1,450 and is away (a few inches) from direct flame. If it melts I'll just grind it out and weld it. Should have just bought a welding setup, I was being stubborn. I'll get some pictures in once it's complete. The Fireboard is arriving today so I will be able to check that temps are even during the burn in.

[jfmorris]

I cannot comment to the build and mod questions, but will say that if you want to cook with wood only fires, that use of the blower/fan and temp controller may be problematic. You really need free flowing airflow for a clean burning wood fire, and throttling it with a fan will just lead to smoldering logs with possibly dirty smoke. I would reserve use of a fan controller for when you want to be more hands off, and use charcoal with wood chunks for the smoke source.

[Jerod Broussard]

As jfmorris alluded to, smoking with wood is about fuel management, not so much air management whereby you are cutting off air flow.

[jfmorris]

You said what I meant to say, but in a much more succinct and clear manner!

[Jerod Broussard]

jfmorris I don't have enough sense to make sense for multiple sentences.

[jfmorris]

I was re-reading your post. A wood or charcoal fire will reach temperatures between 1000F and 2000F. Not sure how well that silver solder is going to hold up, but I am guessing you will find out after you use the smoker.

My offset can also be used as a grill, and for that purpose, I have what is effectively a charcoal tray that fits in the bottom. In my case, there is an end vent on the non-firebox end of the grill which can be totally opened up, in order to slide the charcoal tray in. In my case, there are cross bars that support the cooking grate that would make it difficult to drop a charcoal tray in from the top, but if you don't have anything in the way, I would just fabricate a charcoal tray you drop in, letting it rest on the front and back edges of the smoker's curved interior, and do that. Put down foil in the very bottom when smoking, and you can remove most grease that doesn't reach the drain by simply pulling that out and hosing things down.

The issue I see in using this particular smoker as a charcoal grill is the fact that your ONLY intake vent is at the firebox end of the smoker. In my offset, I have a vent that can be opened up at the opposite end from the firebox for use when using it as a grill, so that the charcoal gets air from both ends of the cooker.

[Sethvel1]

I actually never even thought about the airflow while cooking in the main chamber, I can see that possibly being an issue. I like the idea of a slide out tray, that is convenient. I will have to look into a tray or liner I can put the charcoal in. As for the airflow, if that does in fact become an issue, I would have to cut in another damper in the bottom of the non-firebox side. I could just use the fan during grilling but that would provide more airflow to one side of the coals and create rather uneven temperatures. That may happen without the fan as well actually. I will have to see how that works out. Guess I'll have to start looking for a damper I can put in for the other side in the meantime. Thanks for that point!

As for the wood firing, I'll have to learn that. I understand the combination process of fuels. I would have the fan off and closed when using wood. If I have running to do, it is nice to have the option to load up some charcoal and wood chunks, set the fan and let it go.

[Sethvel1]

Finally got this thing fired up, it is warming up for the burn in now. I have 3 temperature sensors in the cooking chamber. I left the center row if holes out if the plate so I can adjust as needed. You can always add holes but you can't put them back. I'm hoping all goes well after all the work I put in. If not, it will be a learning experience.

Don't mind the ugly seams lol! The cockeyed nuts in the firebox are on bolts going through pieces of angle that I put in to give the metal some support in an attempt to reduce any warping.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Nice work

My Okie Joe Longhorn is over 10 years old and still crankin out really good BBQ (traditional flow)

I do not have the patience or skill to fabricate my own upgrades. So, all of my upgrades are grates and water pans from Yoder or Horizon (esp the charcoal grate); I also have a wire rack that sits about 5 inches high, 10 wide and 22 inched long...it gives me a second shelf.

I did buy a big tuning plate from Horizon, it fits well but I found that I got a better smoke ring without it; probably becusse of the traditional flow

My firebox has held up for me without any mods and I am guilty or running it hot

Love running the firebox hot and essentially cooking indirect in the main chamber and direct grilling on the firebox for searing or throwing my veggie basket into the live fire

Challenges: 1. I have is the thermometer ports and finding a thermometer that fits and work well
2. Running consistent low temps 225-250 for long period s is tough; I have just accepted that I will shoot for 275

I have recently started using Thrmopro probes and that works well

I wipe down the chamber and firebox with an oiled rag after I cook while the smoker is still warm AND I keep it covered


Have some fun and show us the results!!

[Sethvel1]

The right side is still staying warmer than the left by a good bit. I think if I add a water pan that actually sits up against the slanted piece, that will help keep some of the heat transfer down some. I will try that next and see what happens. I ran it up to 350 and left it hot for about 5 hours. It is cooling down now, I have some chicken thighs marinating, gonna try those first later on and see how it goes. I like the idea of a second shelf, that may be down the road. Think I need to figure out a water pan and a simple conversion to a charcoal grill in the main chamber first.

[btuckertx]

I picked up a new Highland Reverse and am working on getting it set up. I have a few questions I was hoping to get some pointers on.

I was looking to be able to use this as a smoker as well as a standard grill by placing charcoal in the cooking chamber. It looks like these smokers get rather greasy over use. Does anyone have any suggestions as to anything I should do to avoid potential grease fires? Is it not a real concerns or should I create a removable liner for the bottom of the cooking chamber out of sheetmetal? I have some 3/16" steel I am planning to use to replace the factory baffles. Thought there is that the steel will hold more heat. I was also going to add some bricks to also help hold heat. I could create a liner that covers the bottom as well so it would be easy to remove any grease accumulation if it is necessary.

I have also insulated the firebox (almost finished) with ceramic fiber (Kaowool) blankets....

I just order the Fireboard Drive (made sure to use the affiliate link) and some sensors and clamps. ...

I have the cooking chamber sealed, have not added the seals to the firebox as of yet. Still trying to figure out how to put it on so the lid will lay flat. ....

That sounds like a lot of work to get a smoker to work correctly... I've been thinking about getting an OJ but am having second thoughts...

[Redwng]

The engineer in me says you are over thinking this. These OKJ's are pretty good cookers but I don't think you gave it a chance to shine. With that said I would run a number of cooks to see if you enjoy messing with an offset which there is a lot of messing with the fire before making any mods, some of that may not be necessary. Different woods (do you have fuel already?) will give different tastes. My suggestion is to use it for a few months as an offset and it may enlightening to you.

Have you seen someone try to run charcoal in a reverse flow?

Good luck, let us know how you get on.....with pics of course. I am sure you have this figured out by now.