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dt
06-18-2017, 09:10 AM
I posted this in the Cattle Call but figured I would do it here too. We are headed into the city and at this point I am wondering if we need to just go and buy a different kind of smoker today! Is there hope for me and the Oklahoma Joe COS?

"Good morning. I just joined yesterday for my husband who doesn't do a lot of internet posting. He bought an Oklahoma Joe for himself last week and we were reading for information. Sounds like we should have read for information long before buying the thing!!

Quick bio and then the horror story. We are both 57. Parents of 4 grown kids. He is a plumber and I am the director at the local animal shelter. We have a lab and a german shepherd. Enough of that.

So we thought we were all ready. DT has been doing the worlds best ribs for years using the oven/grill to glaze method. I have done butts in the oven and crock pot. So we bought four racks of ribs and 2 butts. Used charcoal and small chunks of oak. The temp gauges on top of the cooking side were reading really good and high (right one was up to 400 a few times) but we had an oven thermometer down on the cooking grate and it never got to 200. Highest I saw was 194 (when the top gauge was reading 400). Smoke was escaping all around the lid, btw. We put a big pan of beans under the cooking grate to catch the drippings also.

After about 8 hours we pulled the ribs and tried (key word here) to eat them. They were delicious in taste, but tough and dry. Bottom was black (creosote?) They were not good. We left the butts on there because I could barely get any meat to flake off. Finally at 1:00 this morning we pulled them off (too old to stay up much later...), wrapped them in foil and put them in our good marine cooler. This morning we checked the temp to see if it would be safe to continue to cook them in the oven instead of wasting them and the internal temp was not even 100. Thrown away :(

Also, I went to get pot holders to remove the pan of beans that were sitting on the fire bricks in the bottom of the cooking chamber and didn't even need them. The beans were barely warm and I could life the pan out with my hands. Now granted, there had been no wood addded to the fire for an hour or so at that time.

So, bottom line...we stink at smoking and need an intervention. What in the world did we do so very wrong? LOL."

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Stlsportster
06-18-2017, 09:17 AM
Welcome DT. Good news is you're not alone. We can help get you back to great ribs and butts.

First issue is your fuel source. The OKJoe is designed to run on wood. You can use a chimney of charcoal to start, but add 2-3 sticks on top. Also make sure your exhaust is wide open. You can use the intake to adjust the temp. Start with the intake open and let it run for 20-30 minutes. Then adjust the intakes until you get to a stable temp. Then add a stick every 45 min or so.

Ribs should only take you 4-5 hours at 250. A butt..if you don't wrap it part way through...will take about 1.5 hours per lb.

There's a good YouTube video on managing a wood burning smoker. I'll see if I can find it and post it here. Good luck and welcome. Don't give up yet.

Stlsportster
06-18-2017, 09:20 AM
https://youtu.be/BS1veMrDOC4

sleebus.jones
06-18-2017, 09:30 AM
T-Roy is a good choice...lots of good info in his vids. I agree, fire management is the problem.

longhair75
06-18-2017, 09:47 AM
dt, I have an Oklahoma Joe. There is a small learning curve to fire management, but that T-Roy video will be a great help.

There is also an Oklahoma Joe Owner's group on facebook with a lot of tips and tricks

Mikebeme
06-18-2017, 09:55 AM
Try this thread. http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=247475

dt
06-18-2017, 12:50 PM
Ok then...watched the video. Thanks! We saw some things we did different or can improve on. Our smoke wasn't "clean." Very white puffy smoke so maybe not enough oxygen. Maybe we need to leave the vents on the firebox open more. We did use mostly wood after starting it with charcoal, but they were smaller chunks, not logs. Was it bad to put fire bricks in the bottom of the cooking chamber? We have done no other modifications. We will give it another go! I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I we had a roaring fire in the fire box and couldn't get the cooking pit up to 200. We had a LOT of smoke escaping around the sides of the lid and it seemed a little warped in spots..would not making a good seal make that much difference? Should we attempt to modify the seal?

SmittyJonz
06-18-2017, 01:20 PM
Build or Buy an UDS. Easiest and Best Beginner Smoker........

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23436

But keep the Ok Joe as everyone should have BOTH a Charcoal smoker and a Stick burner...... :heh:
.

Fizzerpilot
06-18-2017, 03:17 PM
This makes me want a stick burner...

LMAJ
06-18-2017, 08:16 PM
Welcome to the party. Once you learn fire management you will be fine. I had a stick burner, and realized I didn't want to babysit a cooker every hour, so went with a Big Green Egg. But, before that I had a stick burner for a long time, so it can be done. You may need to do some mods to keep yours from leaking, but should be minimum. Keep your exhaust open all the way and a small clean fire - and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

PnkPanther
06-19-2017, 08:05 AM
very good tips. I don't know anything about stick burners so will defer, but try a few cooks without meat to get your temp control.

frognot
06-19-2017, 08:46 AM
Don't give up. A lot of good info posted above. Fire control and clean smoke is the goal.

Another option for long cooks is to have a few hours of smoke then foil the butts and finish them in the oven. I work night shifts so on my first night off will start a butt or brisket around 5:00 or 6:00 pm and put it in the oven around 10:00 at 220 degrees and let it cook overnight.