Still need some input on low temp problem

OP, Is the baffle in there between your CC and firebox?

Notorious Q.U.E. said:

We are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I promise you the OKJ in your photos is not the same rig you can now buy at big box retailers today. I've owned 4 decent pits and 4 that I tossed aside over 20 years doing bbq. I knew this was going to be a contentious item but OKJ is not the same brand it used to be. I've clearly stirred something but I don't want to be afraid to tell people what I know.

A buddy of mine told me I should go into buying and selling pits. I have a knack for finding diamonds in the rough. I've managed to find pits and sell them at a profit even after cooking on them and not doing the best cleaning job. The one in your photos I could move. The one I laid hands on over Memorial Day Weekend at Lowes , no.

Click to expand...

Dude. Seriously your wrong

:frusty:

Edit: you do realize that smity is pretty knowledgeable in cos pits himself. Some would say he's the brethrens resident expert.

smoke ninja said:

Dude. Seriously your wrong

:frusty:

Edit: you do realize that smity is pretty knowledgeable in cos pits himself. Some would say he's the brethrens resident expert.

Click to expand...

It's the power of the free market, people will choose what they will. Even with asymmetric information,people will know about discrepancies, know their products , and still make choices that may not be rational. Over time, it's a personal matter and choice, just not a choice I'd make 20 years in

smoke ninja said:

Dude. Seriously your wrong

:frusty:

Edit: you do realize that smity is pretty knowledgeable in cos pits himself. Some would say he's the brethrens resident expert.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't call a faceless pseudonym Internet forum as the most credible place for finding "expert" knowledge. It's one source of many and a good one, but not gospel. I don't hear so and so said it and then immediately drop my guard! I guess Michigan DMV has your given name as "smoke" (lower case) and surname "ninja" (also lower case)?

You could be a PhD in thermodynamics or an eighth grader. Either way, careful with the more people said it therefore it's true business. If Myron Mixon or Paul Kirk are quoted on record then we've got a different ball game and I will adjust my views.

It's your money, it's a free country, enjoy amigo. Emotional buying is what pads quarterly earnings statements on the S & P 500. I've got a bridge in Brooklyn you might want to check out. I can send you the Craigslist link if you'd like. It says it's pre-paid cash cards only to help in the noble crusade of liberating a Nigerian prince. Send the money smoke ninja or you won't receive your hundred million in diamonds!!

Arguing over who is the better fake expert on metal thickness is asinine. The OP's issue has nothing to do with the gauge of steel used in 2016 vs 2014 or 2012. His problem is he is using the wrong fuel and until he fixes that he and the rest of us are just wasting our time.

Airflow is your problem. Open your exhaust and use splits (log/real wood splits). If you haven't watched the BBQ Franklin videos on YouTube yet, you might want to. Also, briquettes make A LOT of ash. Make sure you remove the ash under your fire grate to obtain proper airflow. I've also seen others raise their fire grates to assist with proper airflow.

OH! and crack your side door of your firebox open to help with airflow and fire management. You want a good clean fire, not a pile of smoldering wood.

Notorious Q.U.E.

With al due respect

Your new so maybe you have yet to experience the community feel around here.

Smitty is not some anonymous figure behind a keyboard. Many members know him, heck i could recognize the man and ive never met him furthermore over years he has demonstrated his knowledge through buying and researching cookers and posting that information here. He is what i call a vetted source.

There are many "experts" on tge board in various subjects. You can head their advice or count all opinions the same, i dont care.

As for me....im notoruous enough around here myself

If Smitty said it and Ninja agrees, I'd go with that.....

The OP still hasn't answered if he runs a baffle or plates or such - unless I have missed it. ?


The Real Ok Joes of the 1990's were 3/16" and 1/4"and may have had a small 1/8" smoker, until Charbroil bought them around 2000. When they first bought them they put out 1/8" or 11 guage units but when they got them placed in Walmarts and Lowes they went to 16 or 14 guage like the ones now - same thing they did with New Braunsfels about same time frame - +/- 2,3 years...
But who cares - that's NOT his issue on this Highland.....

Mookieman said:

I did try backing off on the smokestack a little at a time. It's not the fire in the firebox that's the problem. I can get that hot enough to melt the paint off the sides. I'm have trouble transferring the heat over for some reason.

Click to expand...

The reason is because you insist on using charcoal rather than wood splits. The charcoal has had almost all of the moisture burned out of it, so there aren't a ton of gases being produced when it burns. Wood splits, on the other hand, are full of water (good wood splits have about 15-20% of their mass being taken up by water), so when they burn they give off a TON of steam as well as NO (Nitric Oxide or Nitrogen Monoxide) and CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). These gases moves very easily in warm air so this makes it exceptionally easy for something like the drafting system of a smoker to pull those very hot gases from the firebox, into the smoking chamber, and out the exhaust stack. This is why the offset works so well as it allows for a very clean fire and it the drafting system pulls the air into the smoking chamber and out the exhaust pipe.

As others have already stated you'll need to remove all the bull**** attachments / "mods" you've added and start cooking with the splits. You'll easily be able to get your smoking chamber to 400F with just a few medium sized splits. I also noticed that you said you couldn't get them in your area and that's just not true (if you are located in Flint, MI as your profile suggests).

https://flint.craigslist.org/grd/6162022338.html

Craigslist is your friend when it comes to wood for your smoker and I have found I have the best luck when I search "firewood" rather than something like "bbq wood" or "wood for smoker." Make sure you're getting hardwoods and NO pines, spruces, or furs.

Here's an old post from this forum which lists a ton of woods for BBQ... just make sure what you're getting delivered is on this list.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=492877&postcount=2


I'm pretty sure I posted this video in your previous thread but I'm posting it here again so that maybe you'll watch it and learn something.

[ame]https://youtu.be/0Azfvya6n4Y?t=15[/ame]

Good luck man... we all want you to succeed and enjoy your offset smoker. EVERYBODY is telling you the same thing for a reason... because it works. Cheers!