Wampus
05-07-2011, 11:36 AM
I've had my OK Joe Upright offset smoker for about a year now. I've ALWAYS and ONLY burned wood in it up until today. Here's the cooker:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/wampusbbq/OK%20Joes%20Upright/IMG_0076.jpg
Here's the FB:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/wampusbbq/OK%20Joes%20Upright/IMG_0080.jpg
NOTE: I don't use the top rack in the FB. I only have the bottom grate in.
I have a very large cook coming up in a couple of weeks, so I wanted to test out loading the FB up with charcoal today and see what happened as I plan on cooking 20 butts overnight the night before the party I'm serving at and really want to get some rest as I'm loading up all the next morning and taking smokers over to the party to cook 15 chickens and pull the pork.
HERE'S my dilema....
I loaded an entire bag of Kingsford Competition Briq's in the FB. Spaced a couple of large chunks of cherry within the coals. Used the Bernzomatic torch to light maybe 10 briq's on the top of the pile first thing this morning. I'm trying for a long burn that I won't have to babysit, so I only lit coals all the way to the right (against the FB door). Within about an hour, the smoker was purring at 230. :thumb:
Put on (2) 10 lb butts and a picnic and I've managed to find the sweet spot on the intake vent on the door (I always leave the exhaust full open) to keep it humming at 225. BUT...after only 2.5 hours, all the coals are now burning and I'm anticipating them all fizzling out soon.
I honestly thought this thing would burn from one side to the other and allow for a long burn without reloading. What gives?
I've not modified this thing at all. I know that mods will make it more efficient to some extent, but.....?
I could, of course, completely fill the FB up with 2 bags of briq's next time, but if that only gets me 5-6 hours then that's not nearly as good as I expected.
Any advice from the other bandera users out there? Should I be spending next weekend putting on fiberglass rope? I didn't really figure that fabricating a charcoal basket would help any with length of burn, but am I wrong?
:confused:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/wampusbbq/OK%20Joes%20Upright/IMG_0076.jpg
Here's the FB:
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/wampusbbq/OK%20Joes%20Upright/IMG_0080.jpg
NOTE: I don't use the top rack in the FB. I only have the bottom grate in.
I have a very large cook coming up in a couple of weeks, so I wanted to test out loading the FB up with charcoal today and see what happened as I plan on cooking 20 butts overnight the night before the party I'm serving at and really want to get some rest as I'm loading up all the next morning and taking smokers over to the party to cook 15 chickens and pull the pork.
HERE'S my dilema....
I loaded an entire bag of Kingsford Competition Briq's in the FB. Spaced a couple of large chunks of cherry within the coals. Used the Bernzomatic torch to light maybe 10 briq's on the top of the pile first thing this morning. I'm trying for a long burn that I won't have to babysit, so I only lit coals all the way to the right (against the FB door). Within about an hour, the smoker was purring at 230. :thumb:
Put on (2) 10 lb butts and a picnic and I've managed to find the sweet spot on the intake vent on the door (I always leave the exhaust full open) to keep it humming at 225. BUT...after only 2.5 hours, all the coals are now burning and I'm anticipating them all fizzling out soon.
I honestly thought this thing would burn from one side to the other and allow for a long burn without reloading. What gives?
I've not modified this thing at all. I know that mods will make it more efficient to some extent, but.....?
I could, of course, completely fill the FB up with 2 bags of briq's next time, but if that only gets me 5-6 hours then that's not nearly as good as I expected.
Any advice from the other bandera users out there? Should I be spending next weekend putting on fiberglass rope? I didn't really figure that fabricating a charcoal basket would help any with length of burn, but am I wrong?
:confused: