Yeah I did that too but on the left side, it terribly reduces the usable space since the left end must also remain free because it's the opening allowing the smoke to go up to the second level of the cooking chamber and it's a too hot zone for cooking. I have also tried putting my water pan on a grid directly in the fire box...but I doubt the effectiveness of this method.
@@purpleheartbbq576 I have a char griller grand champ xd with heat deflector and I can't use my water pan right next to the fire box so I keep mine main grate above deflector 👍🏼🍻🍻🍻🍻
The “right” sized splits have helped me a lot. Too small = replacing too often, and sometimes too clean of a smoke. Too big = massive temp spikes or doesn’t catch easily. Right size and you get sustained heating and great smoke
I've got a medium sized, about 100 gallon offset. What seems to work best so far for me is to add a chimney of lump and about 6 small splits. 2 one way, next 2 crossed, top 2 crossed again same as the first like a Jenga stack. Lots of air flow, let that all burn into a nice large bed and then the rest of the cook is a breeze. People seem to focus on the wood when they should be focusing on the coal bed. The wood's only there to replenish.
Two things that really helped me maintain temp in my Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn were sealing the door to the firebox with that shiny metal furnace tape stuff that Lowes type stores sell. The door was loose fitting and leaked air in like crazy, making the damper pretty much useless. It looks awful, but works great. The second thing was adding six fire bricks to the bottom of the food chamber, mostly close to the fire, under the water pan. The fire bricks stay hot, so there's less of a disruption to the temp when I open the big door, and I get back to temp faster than I would without them. Once I had those two things going, maintaining a steady 250 over pretty long periods got kind of easy.
Something I just added and worked great during a 10 hour pork butt smoke is adding fire bricks to my firebox. I pulled out the charcoal basket, and added 3 firebricks side by side at the bottom of the firebox. Then I cut two more in half so I can add another 3 halves to create a sort of insulated bottom to the firebox. Then I started my coals, about 20 or so, directly on the firebricks and start my first couple of splits right on top of the coals. I never had to replenish my coal bed with new charcoal and ran some of the most even temps I have had in my brief smoker experience. I had one mishap where a split went out faster than expected and I did not notice, but the combination of the heat retention from the fire bricks and the small amount of charred splits let me recover my fire quickly without needing to add more charcoal. I still need to run a few more smokes with this set up but I'm liking it so far and the fire bricks cost me a total of $5 at my local SiteOne. This is all in a OJ Highland, running in reverse flow configuration.
I've got the same smoker and since today i used 7cm long eco coconut tubes. Before i used a lot of wood like you say.....now i have cut the wood in half and need it every 40min. The coconut is burning clean and long on a real steady temp. Tomorrow I'll do a Boston butt and I'm curious ❤😂 Thanks a lot because your videos helping a lot❤
I guess you've come to a point where can comfortably hold temps on your pit and that's basically what it's all about, every pit is different. Well thought out, I do the same thing except for adding additional coal with splits. I have a Lang 48 trailer, the fire box is 18 x 18 with a large flat grate with legs to build your fire. Now although I've had good fires, on some occasions if I wasn't watching the fire would change and smoke or it would dwindle to nothing leaving very little coals. I saw the LSG V-basket and liked the concept but they didn't offer a size for my Lang. I called Lang and they weren't in any rush to provide one so I designed my own. Based on the LSG with a few changes being 3/16 vs 1/4, half the airflow holes, and a short wall in the front to hold the coals in it was finished last week. Two cooks, chicken wings and ribs and the performance results were beyond my imagination. Used about half the splits I had previously, the smoke was always clean and the temp maintained a rock solid 250 once I found the sweet spot between fuel and time and the additional bonus was a greater time between adding splits . It required a little manipulation in placement and tending, but far less than the old method. I keep my splits warm on the fire box and slip in a couple beside the basket inside, the ignition when added is almost instant. It's almost like set it and forget it, too bad Lang is stuck in time and unwilling to see the alternatives, others would find their smokers a bit more enjoyable.
Thanks again for another great video! Have been using Jealous Devil from day one on WSM with great results. My question is actually about offset smoker steel gauge. Keep researching cheap offset smokers, trying to determine what's the minimum gauge you can get away with and still turn out some decent meals. Don't want to spend a fortune, as I might just go running home to the WSM, being lazy as well. Some of the offsets in question are the Char Griller XD 12 gauge=2.78 mm (7/64") and the Char Griller Competition Pro 14 gauge=1.98mm (5/64") Reviews are mostly favorable, with some calling them junk. Wondering if you or anyone has any thoughts? Cheers!
Steve from cookout Coach uses one of those. Look him up on youtube he probably has a review. They look like good units to me if you need something affordable.
Hey, Did you do a time dependant cook comparison to see if the humidity from the water pan use conveyed more heat to the meat? Does a water pan decrease cook time? Or does a water pan increase smoke ring depth?
I use a charcoal basket in my New Braunfels Black Diamond. I put on unlit chimney of charcoal on the smoke chamber side, on the fire door side I put chunks of wood. I then put a 1/2 chimney of lit charcoal charcoal on top of the wood. This will burn up to 3 hours with constant temps. Every 2-3 hours, depending on how it is burning, I will move all the charcoal over to the smoke chamber side then place more wood on the fire door side and push all the charcoal over to that side on top of the wood. Then I put a full chimney of unlit charcoal on the smoke chamber side again. Take about 15 minutes to level out the heat, adjusting the stack and fire door. It will settle back down to temp and go for another 3 hours. I repeat until the cook is done This allows for no spikes and even temps. I am using hickory or apple and Kingford blue
In many of your earlier videos you did a V grate. And now I see a charcoal box. I did watch your video where you compare these, but in it you sounded like you wanted to do more experimentation. So can I assume you’ve decided you prefer the box to the V?
The v grate is good if you're sitting outside tending the fire all day, going for temp control. But the basket is better if you are just going outside every 20 mins to chuck a split on and aren't worried about perfect temp control too much
Hi Micah, I burn primarily apple, cherry and birch. Birch is a softwood but it burns clean. I also sometimes get oak and other imported wood from bbq supply stores like wicker land.
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ Thanks! would love to find some Oak, 10 hour drive to Manitoba though. The $50 bags of it at BBQ Land aren't sustainable for a big pit unfortunately
I love Jealous Devil Lump and have used it frequently, but I found that Thaan Thai Style Charcoal works better to keep my temps consistent. and I have an Oaklahoma Joes offset as well.. and yes it needs to be a meater + because the original meater will not go very far.
Great tips. You have mastered OJ, which can be finicky to control. Do you feel you might need to add charcoal periodicaly in your Yoder smokeer as well?
I’ve found that the Meater ambient thermometer is not an accurate read. Google/RUclips has other users reporting it, and explanations relating to the position in the food affecting the read. What has been your experience?
I had a super cheap Char Griller and the water pan helped a ton. I recently upgraded to an OJ reverse flow and I was wondering if you have an opinion on where to place the water pan for the reverse flow.
@@truckjunkie01 It's great! Compared to what I was working with, it holds temperature extremely well and cooks great food. It takes longer to preheat, but that's because the metal is thicker, so it's a good problem. I've heard some people talk about the smoke getting choked, but I've never had that problem, and the food is always great.
I have been playing with a thin metal cabinet and and older cheaper barrel and I got a buddy wanting to sell me his OJ reverse flow and I truly love the concept of these .... but im a guy that researches shit to death lol thanks for the info
I'd love to hear you opinion but I personally like kiln dried as my workhorse splits for my small offset. I might lose out on some flavor and moisture, but they catch fast, burn clean, are easier to split. For my big offset I'll use seasoned or kiln dried, or both. The fire is big enough it doesn't matter.
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ tbh have only used store bought kiln dried bc that’s all I really have available but I’ve heard that seasoned leads to much longer lasting splits that burn more evenly. Maybe a head to head experiment is needed?
Here’s an idea…. While water, is without a doubt, a large, dense, mass, to hold and help maintain heat, when it evaporates, adding more will lower that temp….. why not use bricks or something that will not self canibalize, like a chunk of iron wrapped in foil..? Just a thought.
Great idea Steve! It's a viable option. However, water is an ideal heat sync because it has a higher specific capacity to hold energy than steel. It has a maximum temp of 212 before it evaporates, whereas steel keeps going up in temp and hitting the food with more radiant heat. Additionally, the energy required to phase change water into water vapor is massive, which further increases its ability to act as a heat sync. In short, it holds a ton of energy, doesn't burn your meat and adds moisture to the chamber. Water is the bomb!
because science.. humidity stabilizes temps.. In essence, cold air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air. In a closed environment such as a smoker, there will be a fixed amount of water vapor, referred to as absolute humidity. If the temperature inside the smoker falls then the relative humidity will rise. If the temperature rises the relative humidity will fall. Adding a water pan will ensure the temperature stays consistent!!
I'm a big fan of your channel, however I can't say I agree with the Meater recommendation. I have the Meater Block and its been awful, constant disconnects, lack luster support, needs to be within 2' of the probe and I still get disconnects, I'd recommend a cheaper wired thermometer over it.
Thanks for your feedback Newman. I've just started using the MEATER block and it will be some time before I come to a definitive opinion about it. However, so far I'm having a great experience with it. The probes are lasting for 24 + hours after charging, it holds a charge well with new batteries, and I've even had no problem with connection even when I'm on the other side of the house from the Meater block. It seems to have much better range than my meater +. These are all preliminary findings of course and we'll see how it holds up over time, but I do respect your experience and have heard others say they have issues with it. Perhaps they've made some improvements to it recently? I hope you keep on contacting their customer support until you are satisfied. Persistence and politeness goes a long way.
I don't recognize that guy in uniform... is it our beloved Smoke Trails host in younger days? Or, is it poor John (who lost his finger)? At any rate... our host has a beard the soldier doesn't. Our host's eyes are visible ('bout the only animated part on his face that we may recognize) yet, the soldier's eyes are masked in glasses. So, who's the gun tot'n desperado?
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ Yah, I had the same thing goin' on way back when... long hair, beads, 'n tie-dyed underwear. Ya won't recognize me now... all high 'n tight hangin' 'round my Okie Joe's just smokin' up a storm!
According to you guys, where is the best position for the water pan when you use an oklahoma reverse flow?
I've never used a reverse flow so no idea! I'll pin this comment in case anyone knows the answer and wants to chime in.
I leave mine on the side of the firebox
Yeah I did that too but on the left side, it terribly reduces the usable space since the left end must also remain free because it's the opening allowing the smoke to go up to the second level of the cooking chamber and it's a too hot zone for cooking. I have also tried putting my water pan on a grid directly in the fire box...but I doubt the effectiveness of this method.
I put mine on the side with the firebox (its the hotter side ambient temp wise)
@@purpleheartbbq576 I have a char griller grand champ xd with heat deflector and I can't use my water pan right next to the fire box so I keep mine main grate above deflector 👍🏼🍻🍻🍻🍻
The “right” sized splits have helped me a lot. Too small = replacing too often, and sometimes too clean of a smoke. Too big = massive temp spikes or doesn’t catch easily. Right size and you get sustained heating and great smoke
Honestly you can't have too much of clean smoke lmfao you serious
Figuring this out is my hardest trouble right now
@@savagebastard191He is right if the smoke is too clean, you dont get much of a smoke flavor.. The wood have to somewhat smolder a bit
I've got a medium sized, about 100 gallon offset. What seems to work best so far for me is to add a chimney of lump and about 6 small splits. 2 one way, next 2 crossed, top 2 crossed again same as the first like a Jenga stack.
Lots of air flow, let that all burn into a nice large bed and then the rest of the cook is a breeze.
People seem to focus on the wood when they should be focusing on the coal bed. The wood's only there to replenish.
Two things that really helped me maintain temp in my Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn were sealing the door to the firebox with that shiny metal furnace tape stuff that Lowes type stores sell. The door was loose fitting and leaked air in like crazy, making the damper pretty much useless. It looks awful, but works great. The second thing was adding six fire bricks to the bottom of the food chamber, mostly close to the fire, under the water pan. The fire bricks stay hot, so there's less of a disruption to the temp when I open the big door, and I get back to temp faster than I would without them. Once I had those two things going, maintaining a steady 250 over pretty long periods got kind of easy.
Certain fire bricks are full of asbestos !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Something I just added and worked great during a 10 hour pork butt smoke is adding fire bricks to my firebox. I pulled out the charcoal basket, and added 3 firebricks side by side at the bottom of the firebox. Then I cut two more in half so I can add another 3 halves to create a sort of insulated bottom to the firebox. Then I started my coals, about 20 or so, directly on the firebricks and start my first couple of splits right on top of the coals. I never had to replenish my coal bed with new charcoal and ran some of the most even temps I have had in my brief smoker experience. I had one mishap where a split went out faster than expected and I did not notice, but the combination of the heat retention from the fire bricks and the small amount of charred splits let me recover my fire quickly without needing to add more charcoal. I still need to run a few more smokes with this set up but I'm liking it so far and the fire bricks cost me a total of $5 at my local SiteOne. This is all in a OJ Highland, running in reverse flow configuration.
Awesome. Will have to try that charcoal idea
I've got the same smoker and since today i used 7cm long eco coconut tubes. Before i used a lot of wood like you say.....now i have cut the wood in half and need it every 40min. The coconut is burning clean and long on a real steady temp.
Tomorrow I'll do a Boston butt and I'm curious ❤😂
Thanks a lot because your videos helping a lot❤
I guess you've come to a point where can comfortably hold temps on your pit and that's basically what it's all about, every pit is different. Well thought out, I do the same thing except for adding additional coal with splits. I have a Lang 48 trailer, the fire box is 18 x 18 with a large flat grate with legs to build your fire. Now although I've had good fires, on some occasions if I wasn't watching the fire would change and smoke or it would dwindle to nothing leaving very little coals. I saw the LSG V-basket and liked the concept but they didn't offer a size for my Lang. I called Lang and they weren't in any rush to provide one so I designed my own. Based on the LSG with a few changes being 3/16 vs 1/4, half the airflow holes, and a short wall in the front to hold the coals in it was finished last week. Two cooks, chicken wings and ribs and the performance results were beyond my imagination. Used about half the splits I had previously, the smoke was always clean and the temp maintained a rock solid 250 once I found the sweet spot between fuel and time and the additional bonus was a greater time between adding splits . It required a little manipulation in placement and tending, but far less than the old method. I keep my splits warm on the fire box and slip in a couple beside the basket inside, the ignition when added is almost instant. It's almost like set it and forget it, too bad Lang is stuck in time and unwilling to see the alternatives, others would find their smokers a bit more enjoyable.
Thanks for sharing the tips brother.
Great tips! Have a great weekend!
Thanks again for another great video! Have been using Jealous Devil from day one on WSM with great results. My question is actually about offset smoker steel gauge. Keep researching cheap offset smokers, trying to determine what's the minimum gauge you can get away with and still turn out some decent meals. Don't want to spend a fortune, as I might just go running home to the WSM, being lazy as well. Some of the offsets in question are the Char Griller XD 12 gauge=2.78 mm (7/64") and the Char Griller Competition Pro 14 gauge=1.98mm (5/64") Reviews are mostly favorable, with some calling them junk. Wondering if you or anyone has any thoughts? Cheers!
Steve from cookout Coach uses one of those. Look him up on youtube he probably has a review. They look like good units to me if you need something affordable.
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ Many thanks for quick response! Cheers!
Hey,
Did you do a time dependant cook comparison to see if the humidity from the water pan use conveyed more heat to the meat? Does a water pan decrease cook time?
Or does a water pan increase smoke ring depth?
Good stuff. May have to try jealous devil
I use a charcoal basket in my New Braunfels Black Diamond. I put on unlit chimney of charcoal on the smoke chamber side, on the fire door side I put chunks of wood. I then put a 1/2 chimney of lit charcoal charcoal on top of the wood. This will burn up to 3 hours with constant temps. Every 2-3 hours, depending on how it is burning, I will move all the charcoal over to the smoke chamber side then place more wood on the fire door side and push all the charcoal over to that side on top of the wood. Then I put a full chimney of unlit charcoal on the smoke chamber side again. Take about 15 minutes to level out the heat, adjusting the stack and fire door. It will settle back down to temp and go for another 3 hours. I repeat until the cook is done This allows for no spikes and even temps. I am using hickory or apple and Kingford blue
In many of your earlier videos you did a V grate. And now I see a charcoal box. I did watch your video where you compare these, but in it you sounded like you wanted to do more experimentation. So can I assume you’ve decided you prefer the box to the V?
The v grate is good if you're sitting outside tending the fire all day, going for temp control. But the basket is better if you are just going outside every 20 mins to chuck a split on and aren't worried about perfect temp control too much
Great Tips 😀
Hey Steve, i'm in YYC and have a 120 gallon offset. What are you burning for wood? I've only found apple and cherry locally. Thanks
Hi Micah, I burn primarily apple, cherry and birch. Birch is a softwood but it burns clean. I also sometimes get oak and other imported wood from bbq supply stores like wicker land.
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ Thanks! would love to find some Oak, 10 hour drive to Manitoba though. The $50 bags of it at BBQ Land aren't sustainable for a big pit unfortunately
Fast and easy! Thank you sir!
Kick ass content brody. Learning a ton.
What would you recommend
char griller super pro
Or
Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe
I love Jealous Devil Lump and have used it frequently, but I found that Thaan Thai Style Charcoal works better to keep my temps consistent. and I have an Oaklahoma Joes offset as well.. and yes it needs to be a meater + because the original meater will not go very far.
Great tips. You have mastered OJ, which can be finicky to control. Do you feel you might need to add charcoal periodicaly in your Yoder smokeer as well?
Curious, why haven't you upgraded to a new offset, like an Old Country Brazos or Pecos?
Can't get them in Canada
You had me at "advanced". Great vid, keep it up.
I’ve found that the Meater ambient thermometer is not an accurate read. Google/RUclips has other users reporting it, and explanations relating to the position in the food affecting the read. What has been your experience?
I was a 19k as well nice
Man Thank you for this information
I have a chargriller Texas trio and it is SO HARD to maintain temperature. Really struggling to get it to work how I want it.
Thanks! Will give this a try 👍🔥😀
I had a super cheap Char Griller and the water pan helped a ton. I recently upgraded to an OJ reverse flow and I was wondering if you have an opinion on where to place the water pan for the reverse flow.
How do u like the reverse flow
@@truckjunkie01 It's great! Compared to what I was working with, it holds temperature extremely well and cooks great food. It takes longer to preheat, but that's because the metal is thicker, so it's a good problem. I've heard some people talk about the smoke getting choked, but I've never had that problem, and the food is always great.
I have been playing with a thin metal cabinet and and older cheaper barrel and I got a buddy wanting to sell me his OJ reverse flow and I truly love the concept of these .... but im a guy that researches shit to death lol thanks for the info
Thoughts on seasoned splits vs kiln dried?
I'd love to hear you opinion but I personally like kiln dried as my workhorse splits for my small offset. I might lose out on some flavor and moisture, but they catch fast, burn clean, are easier to split. For my big offset I'll use seasoned or kiln dried, or both. The fire is big enough it doesn't matter.
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ tbh have only used store bought kiln dried bc that’s all I really have available but I’ve heard that seasoned leads to much longer lasting splits that burn more evenly. Maybe a head to head experiment is needed?
What is normal temperature spikes? How many degrees??
Honestly, like + - 50 for a small offset
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ nice. Im right around there. I thought i was royally messing up. Thanks for answering the question.
Came for the awsome tips, upvoted for the well placed smileyface.
Thanks John. Lol!
my biggest issue is having to add wood every 25 min.... any help?
That's pretty much par for the course.
Here’s an idea…. While water, is without a doubt, a large, dense, mass, to hold and help maintain heat, when it evaporates, adding more will lower that temp….. why not use bricks or something that will not self canibalize, like a chunk of iron wrapped in foil..? Just a thought.
Great idea Steve! It's a viable option. However, water is an ideal heat sync because it has a higher specific capacity to hold energy than steel. It has a maximum temp of 212 before it evaporates, whereas steel keeps going up in temp and hitting the food with more radiant heat. Additionally, the energy required to phase change water into water vapor is massive, which further increases its ability to act as a heat sync. In short, it holds a ton of energy, doesn't burn your meat and adds moisture to the chamber. Water is the bomb!
I’ve also found the absolute most reliable way to maintain temp in a small offset, is to build a fire in a fire pit, then transfer coals as needed.
@@stevoflint13 a fire pit full of burning coals would be amazing. Maybe I'll try it out.
Thank you for doing your vids and spreading your knowledge.
Keep on keeping on brother.
because science.. humidity stabilizes temps.. In essence, cold air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air. In a closed environment such as a smoker, there will be a fixed amount of water vapor, referred to as absolute humidity. If the temperature inside the smoker falls then the relative humidity will rise. If the temperature rises the relative humidity will fall. Adding a water pan will ensure the temperature stays consistent!!
I'm a big fan of your channel, however I can't say I agree with the Meater recommendation. I have the Meater Block and its been awful, constant disconnects, lack luster support, needs to be within 2' of the probe and I still get disconnects, I'd recommend a cheaper wired thermometer over it.
Thanks for your feedback Newman. I've just started using the MEATER block and it will be some time before I come to a definitive opinion about it. However, so far I'm having a great experience with it. The probes are lasting for 24 + hours after charging, it holds a charge well with new batteries, and I've even had no problem with connection even when I'm on the other side of the house from the Meater block. It seems to have much better range than my meater +. These are all preliminary findings of course and we'll see how it holds up over time, but I do respect your experience and have heard others say they have issues with it. Perhaps they've made some improvements to it recently? I hope you keep on contacting their customer support until you are satisfied. Persistence and politeness goes a long way.
I don't recognize that guy in uniform... is it our beloved Smoke Trails host in younger days? Or, is it poor John (who lost his finger)? At any rate... our host has a beard the soldier doesn't. Our host's eyes are visible ('bout the only animated part on his face that we may recognize) yet, the soldier's eyes are masked in glasses. So, who's the gun tot'n desperado?
I swear it's me! Haha!
@@SmokeTrailsBBQ Yah, I had the same thing goin' on way back when... long hair, beads, 'n tie-dyed underwear. Ya won't recognize me now... all high 'n tight hangin' 'round my Okie Joe's just smokin' up a storm!
Nice one again Steve! Thanks for censoring the 🍑
Second
Dude, where is your wife?? You can't grill with a baby!!!!
Another opinion.🤦♂️