Anyone Familiar with Oklahoma Joe's Offset?

[overeasy]

I have the old country pecos and believe its more or less the same cooker. the baffle plate helped a lot as did the insulation on the doors. other than that your getting what ur paying for. they work ok with lots of attention devoted to them during ur cooks

[overeasy]

for a relatively small price you can experience, with lots of frustration, an off set stick burner. they can make good Q with lots of attention. learning curve will be steep, and quite frankly, I like that. some others may not want to be so severely challenged.
that being said, i have been relying heavily on my cabinet smoker for most of my cooks lately. werkin gud! dang gud!

[phbern]

My wife bought me one for Christmas. I was finally able to take it out of the garage, do the mods and fire it up a few weeks ago. I did the gasket and seal around the CC an FB doors, got a tuning plate, added a dryer vent to the inside of the smokestack. I cooked a chicken a couple of weeks ago and it came out pretty good - family raved about it anyhow :-) I did two racks of ribs this past weekend, and though the family raved again, I thought they were a little overdone - easy enough to fix, just take them off sooner! I didn't expect perfect the first time out, so I'm not disappointed! I'm still having a bit of a time trying to regulate the heat - started with charcoal just to get it hot a start the wood and used all wood (hickory) after that. Next cook I'm going to try charcoal with chunks for smoke. The charcoal burns more consistently. Still, I'm very happy with the Longhorn!

[JeffJ]

That's good to hear. I've heard that Wal Mart will put them on clearance. I will probably pick one up if that happens this fall.

[Scout789]

I "gave" my son a Ok. Joe Highland for Christmas this past year. The quotes are due to the fact that it will be me doing the cooking on it when at his house. I posted pics of two racks of baby backs that I cooked last weekend. It has definitely taken some adjustment to get used to it. My first couple of efforts on it were pretty mediocre. I have figured out that, compared to my heavily constructed offset (Lyfe Tyme), I have to really put the fuel to it and maintain a higher temp than I would expect. It would appear that it is going to be a serviceable cooker however.

[BobsBlowdownQ]

Based on limited experience...three weeks and 18 cooks...I think I've gotten a good...good, not great...inexpensive (NOT "cheap) offset smoker after doing a few inexpensive mods.

• Got LavaLock gasket material and sealed the fire box and cook chamber doors (top door on the firebox, not the door on the end with the damper in it.). One thing about the gasket material...There are reviews on Amazon that say it doesn't stick well. It does. What DOESN"T stick well is the paint on the OKJ. If you don't sand/grind the paint off where the gasket will be the gasket will be sticking to the paint, not the metal, and when the paint comes off (It WILL where the gasket is) the gasket will come with it.
• I raised the coal/wood grate about two inches. You can spend money on something storebought to do it OR you can take two pieces of 1" steel angle iron or square tubing cut to length and laid across the firebox with the grate that came with the OKJ sitting on top of it. That is about $1.50 worth of steel. Now there is room to clean out the ash.
• A coal/wood basket is critical to the life of your OKJ. Its not sheet metal garbage but its not 1/4 inch steel either. Chunks of hot coal and wood falling off the sides of the grate and laying directly against the side of the firebox will vastly accelerate the time it takes for it to rust out. Limit the amount of time the coals spend against the firebox shell by using a coal basket.
  
  If you insist on spending lots of money they can be bought on Amazon for about $100.00 and up OR make your own. My local welding shop sold me a piece of 3/16 inch expanded steel big enough to make two of them for $12.00. Either cut one piece the appropriate shape and bend the sides up and wire the corners together (its a BEAR to bend without a metal brake, BTW) or cut seperate pieces for the bottom and sides and wire them together or if you have a welder (as I do) weld it up. HINT: I bent the first and cut 5 individual pieces for the second. I will NEVER try to accurately bend even 3/16 metal again. Wire it together or weld it, but don't try to bend it unless you love getting frustrated.
• The thermometer that comes with the OKJ, and ALL bi-metal thermometers, are garbage in two ways. First, it is WAY above the level where the meat is and its 20-30 degrees hotter at the top where the thermometer installs PLU the thermometer is about 30 degrees off. Combined it makes it useless (ask my first rack of ribs on the OKJ).
  
  Get a dual probe (internal meat temp and cook chamber temp AT MEAT LEVEL) electronic digital thermometer. I got a ThermPro TP-08 and am happy with it. Also, get a grommet (Made by Weber) to run the probe wirees thru to the inside without losing smoke/heat. Yes, you COULD just close the lid on the wires and lose very little smoke/heat BUT it is hard on the probe wires. You will need a 1 1/4" step-drill bit to drill the hole for the grommet. Both are available on Amazon.
• A tuning plate? Maybe, maybe not. I have one but find I don't really need it. If you decide you need/want one you can spend $75.00-100.00 for it OR...do like I did and make it yourself. A $10.00 piece of 1/8" steel and the same step drill bit mentioned in last suggestion makes one in about an hour.

Do you need anything else? Yes. AmazingRibs.com and some expirience.

[Mudbeaver]

I have one as well, w buying it n doing the mods, aside from a guru, your looking at having a pretty good smoker for around 450, I love mine, holds temp like a dream

[Barrettd]

I just bought the Highland at WalMart, had it for $235, so it made the decision easier for me. I was looking for an inexpensive entry level offset, and my decision was either the Highland or spend $150 more and get the Old Country Pecos. I figured neither would last a lifetime, and I wasn't sure I'd really get into it. Living in Oklahoma, we don't have great smoking weather all year round. I really wanted to get it for football season, since I spend most Saturdays on my back patio watching the Sooners.

This weekend I put it together and did a seasoning run on it. I sprayed it down, inside and out, with canola oil, then lit a chimney of lump charcoal. Dumped it, then started burning splits of pecan. My Fireboard grate temp helped me a lot to manage the fire (I've done zero mods). After burning wood in it for 4-5 hours, I was able to get a bit of a feel for the temperature flow of a wood fire, as opposed to my pellet grill I've been using the past year or so.

I did get some smoke leaking from the doors, but I feel like that will decrease the more I cook on it. I ran chimney and fire door both wide open, and kept logs queued up on top of the firebox warming plate. That helped get those new logs to catch right away.

I don't know whether I'll do much in the way of mods, to be honest. I'm going to play with it and take it for what it is, a cheap offset smoker. Maybe after a year or so, I'll want to spend money on a big-boy offset smoker, but for now I'll just play.

[customtrim]

Congratulations, I have the highland reverse flow. Absolutely love it, enjoy your cooking

[JeffJ]

Congratulations. PLEASE post some pics of your cooks with it.

[phbern]

Well, I've been using mine a little over a month now. I've done ribs a couple of times, butt, and a couple of chickens. The firs ribs came out a little overdone, the other were great, as were the chickens and butt. So, I'd say I'm pretty happy with it! Still trying to get the temp to stay more consistent. I put a chimney and a half og unlit down, then a chimney of lit coals (KBB). I can get it up to about 200 with that. Then a put a small log of wood and that can get it up over 300. I've had some luck adjusting with the firebox door. Really though, it's trying to keep an even temp throughout the cook I'm having trouble with. Maybe I just need more practice! Any suggestions would be most welcome!

[customtrim]

I use maybe a chimney full out to get started and throw a small split or two in with that. I keep my splits kind of small i find it easier to maintain a smaller fire than a large one

[Danjohnston949]

phbern , Unlike You I Brought My OK JOE HIGLAND Home And Immediately Started The Mods On It‼️ This Was Done Due To Problems I'd Had With A Brinkman Stick Burner❓ See The Pics❗️ First High Temp Self Adhesive Temp Stripping Was Put On The Doors (Didn't Work❓ I'll Use High Temp Silicone To Reinstall)❗️ A Tuning Plate From SmokerMods.Com Was Installed❗️ A Pit Bull Fan Was Installed Per The Tech's At BBQGURU.COM'S INSTRUCTIONS‼️ Temp's And Fan Control Are By Either By DIgiQ DX-2 By
BBQGURU Or By My FIREBOARD Both Will Work‼️ The Other Addition I Made To The OK JOE HIGHLND Was The Addition Of Fire Brick To The Bottom Of Both The Fire Box And The Smoke Box‼️ With The Exception Of The Self Adheslve Temp Stripping I Would Recommend My Mods To Anyone‼️ I Like The Smoke And Cooks I Get From The OKJoe Higland‼️
From A Backyard Cremator In Fargo ND, Dan

[JeffJ]

What is the purpose of the bricks?

[phbern]

Actually, I did most of the mods you mention: Gasket around the firebox and cook chamber, sealed other gaps, and put in the tuning plate.

[Danjohnston949]

@Jeff3, I Think The Fire Brick Helps Stabalize The Cook Temp Swings❓ I Feel This Really Helps With Cold Weather Cooks❗️ Dan

[Mr. Bones]

boftx

The one mod I would like is a heavy duty firebox grate that won't sag after only a couple of cooks.

I've been more than delighted with this product; I also didn't have much use fer th stock fire grate...
I also have his charcoal/wood basket...
Both are hell fer stout, an very nicely/neatly crafted

No affiliation, here; jus a very happy customer...

[boftx]

Thanks! I've that before, except not on eBay and I couldn't find the website again. That said, I'm tempted to get an arc welder and just make my own and put them up for sale.

[Chewey]

Is there enough room to add a second shelf? I'm trying to replace my mod'd COS but want something better built with more room. I'd like to be able to fit 4-6 racks or 2-3 racks plus a couple butts.

[Danjohnston949]

Chewey, As The OK Joe Highland Came It Had An Upper Shelf❗️
I Took It Out, It Was Very Light (Bread Only)❓ IMLTHOP, It Only
Served To Reduce Cooking Space, Better Added With Racks,Trays
And Pans❓❗️❓ From A Backyard Cremator In Fargo ND❗️ Dan

[Chewey]

Thanks Dan, I ended up ordering a Longhorn over the weekend. I've been looking around at the most common mods & I'll order door seals, RTV & thermo's tonight. I'm having a tough time spending $100 for a baffle so I'll try to make one of those & a charcoal basket myself. I'm hoping to be able to weld in some guides for a 2nd layer pull out tray. Guess I'll check it out when it comes in!

[JeffJ]

Chewey

I saw a guy on Youtube make his own baffle by taking the 2 grates for the firebox, wrap tin foil around them and put one over the hole where the fire comes into the cooking chamber at a 45 degree angle and putting the other one flat right next to it. I saw another guy had 3 pieces of sheet metal cut that size and did something similar. Same thing for the first one, then left about a half inch of space and laid the second one flat and then about an inch of space and laid the 3rd one flat. It seems like an inexpensive way to accomplish similar results. I saw 1 Youtube video of a guy whose Longhorn was a year old and he was adamantly against any mods whatsoever. His rant was if it's cared for properly the edges will seal up on their own and he claims to have won contests using it.

[JGo37]

It's just a big version of this:

[Chewey]

JeffJ

I saw those also. I'm figuring I'll give those techniques a shot and see what I think. My last Char-griller COS was mod'd with the normal mods which helped, but it still required more babysitting than I wanted. My goal on the upgrade to the Longhorn is to reduce the babysitting and set up for everyday cooks. I will do some hunting for metal this weekend.

The Longhorn arrived yesterday and accessories arrive Friday so I'm getting the itch! Should be a fun weekend of playing with the new toy!

[Mr. Bones]

Yup, there's room fer a top shelf.

Before ya go to weldin, which is what I was plannin, please, check THIS out...

LOVES my OKJ!!!

[Chewey]

That's similar to the concept I had in mind. Glad to see it worked...time to break out the welder!

[Mr. Bones]

Good Luck, Amigo!

LMK if ya need a Field Tester, lol!