I just bought one and have installed the mods you talked about except the seal around the lid - I thank you for letting us know about the paint! I will have a basket made from expanded steel as well to keep them coals off the sides! Thanks for the tips! And God Bless!
You are going to love your Highland. Is it a Lang or Yoder? No...but it doesn't have their pricetag either...and does a great job. Have an awesome day!
@@RHEC1776 I considered that, but decided to wait and see if there was a smoke leak there and if there was how bad it was. As it turns out very, very little smoke leaked.
Yep! I also took the firebox upper and lower haves apart (mine was built) and made a high temp silicone gasket there and at the firebox/smoke chamber also installed the tuner plates from Island Outdoor,LLC.com - also had a 12x12x6 expanded steel coal basket framed with 1/2 x1/2 angle. Thanks for the tip!@@RHEC1776
In answer to your last statement, yes indeed He is! Second, thanks for this video, I just bought one of these grills and saw the aftermarket products to create the reverse flow to get a more even air flow. And also the part about sanding the paint off the edges for the door gaskets. I ordered that and the heat resistant caulk. I’ll have to look into the probes.
Yep...It's that time of year (actually, ALL year is that time of year...LOL) and tomorrow me and ol' Joe do a pork butt for some pulled pork and Wednesday we pull an all-nighter smokin' a brisket. Yum!
Great video! I just ran across your channel and subscribed. If you wind up putting tuning plates in that, just cut out a few pieces of 4” flat bar and move them where your hot spots are. And yes sir, the tomb is empty!
Well, it's not a Yoder or a Lang...but it doesn't cost over $1000 either. For an inexpensive smoker it does a great job. And yes, there is a difference between cheap and inexpensive and the Oklahoma Joe is inexpensive, not cheap.
I got the OK Joes 3n1, because I have no gas. I find that my biggest maintenance issue has been the leaky smoke, I wish I had done that because now I have issues with creosote dribbling out...so definitely put that Lavalock seal on the barrels, it's the BEST preservation move you can make aside from buying a cover
Picked mine up for $120 on the off-season. Right before x-mas, Wally world sets them cheap. I got my original 'learner' smoker for $75 two years earlier.I have several Walmarts in my area and had to wait for the right opportunity to get this thing at the price I wanted.
I have had smokers I modified for many years. The basket is a good idea. I had something similar. But it is important to get all the ash out after using. The ash will attract moisture and in time rust the fire box out. I would remove all ash and spray the inside and outside with the aerosol oil "PAM". But any similar product will work. It keeps the moist air from the metal and prevents rust. I had one smoker for 12 years (outside with grill cover) and no rust. Also I took a piece of metal flashing and rolled it up and put it down the chimney until it was right above the grate. It keeps the heat down against the meat instead of going to the top and escaping out the chimney.
The Pam or similar is a good idea, and I've already modified the chimney, I just hadn't done it when I made this video. It might be time for an updated video. Thanks for the input...and there are more smoker/outdoor cooking videos coming. Consider subscribing and ringing the notification bell so you know when new videos come out.
Very informative video. I have a ceramic grill (Primo Oval XL) but I'm interested in adding an offset-smoker. Yoder/Lang is out of the budget for the time being, but this OKJ is a doable price point. I certainly don't expect it to perform like a higher end smoker (as you pointed out in your video), but if it performs acceptably that may be ok!
Thanks uncle!!! This is exactly the video and walk through I needed to get me to buy it. I was in reddit getting information about Oklahoma, WSM and all the other cookers. I’ve been going back and forth about the joe and this helps! Subscribing now.
I'm glad you enjoyed it... The video that is... And I think you will be happy with an Oklahoma Joe Highlander. I got mine just about a year ago and right now I am sitting outside watching the smoke come out of the smoke stack as I smoke the first pork butt of the season. With many more to go. Subscribe to the channel if you like my content and keep coming back.
Turning the basket sideways raises it plenty and you can still lower it by turning the basket back to normal which is needed when using the firebox as a small grill. Thanks for watching my video...keep coming back.
Ah...that charcoal bucket is the key, isn’t it? I don’t think most smokers come with that. I’m gonna look into that and buy my neighbor ironworks guy a case!
Yep...that basket will greatly lengthen the life of a grill or smoker, keeping the hot coals off the sides of the firebox. There are two ways to use that basket. I'll be shooting a video today...hopefully putting it up today or tomorrow...on the two ways to use it.
I'm not sure what you mean by finished, but I can tell you that most of what I've done to my Oklahoma Joe to improve it...gaskets on lids, etc...is not necessary. The biggest advantage to a Yoder (or Lang...Yoders start at about $1800 and Langs at about $900) is the thickness of the metal. While the Oklahoma Joe is about 1/8 inches thick the Yoder and Lang are both 1/4 inch steel. This doesn't sound like a big deal but it is HUGE. The single most important part of successfuly smoking meat right is heat control, and the thick metal beats thin because of its better "heat sink" properties. Once you get the smoker to temp it is FAR easier to maintain that temp with the thicker metal...especially in rain and cold weather.
Mark...I've seen both the Lang and the Yoder...Looked them over closly...And the "fit and finish" looks excellent. I don't think the mods I did to improve the usability would be necessary, mods like the gasket around the lid. Other mods, like the hole I drilled for the temp probe wires, would probably have to be done by you. I don't think either has anything like that. The Yoder and Lang seem about equal. If I could afford either I think I would go with the Lang and save about $900. Actually, if I could afford it, this is the smoker I would buy: www.langbbqsmokers.com/lang36/lang36_original.html
The Longhorn IS bigger, but at considerably higher cost. I paid $267.00 for my Highland while right next to it was a Longorn at $499.00...You might as well say $500.00. At this point you are approaching the cost of a Yoder Cheyenne at something just over $800.00, and the Yoder (or Lang) is a better smoker. The Highland is big enough for MOST home BBQ-ing. It would be tight but with good heat management you could smoke 6 butts or 5-6 racks of babybacks on the Highland. For more than that its the Longhorn, Yoder, Lang, and beyond!
Food cooked over Open Flame beats the Daylights out of any other method, unless it happens to be a pig cooked in the ground over a hot bed of coals until ready for chowing upon! I'm trying to renovate an old outdoor grill I was given, but it's a slow process given limited funds! I look forward to every single video you post, and I am really, really, really, looking forward to an update on the piglets, which should be good sized wieners by now!
I put tuning plates in mine and it's not worth it. Go stock. I dealt with heat problems for 4 years and you don't need tuning plates. Took the plates out and no more problems.
Its actually just a tiny bit short of 1/8...16 ga now that I put calipers on it. As for the rust issue...you are wrong. Constantly heating to coal temps and then cooling over and over, WILL accelerate rusting.
Mountain Crest Farm Keeping ash in it will rust it out. Get every bit of ash out and keep it oiled and you are good to go. My OKJ is 21 years old....no rust ever and no basket. Many times not even a grate. I burn the fire right on the bare metal. Same thickness as it always was.
@@@digitalayon "Same thickness as it always was." No, if its 21 years old it was made before Charbroil bought the company, and its NOT the same thickness "as it always was". 21 years ago it WAS made of 1/4 inch pipe.
Mountain Crest Farm correct it’s an original and thick. Got it at Walmart for 199 in Tulsa and had it shipped to California. However I meant it has not had rust in the firebox and has not lost any of its thickness. What are ya smoking for New Years?
@@@digitalayon " My OKJ is 21 years old...Got it at Walmart for 199 in Tulsa and had it shipped to California" Um...wrong (lie?) and wrong (lie?). According to your video "Oklahoma Joe Highland mods and Old Country Pit" from July of 2016 you bought it at Lowes just up the street from you about 2 years prior, which would be 2014, HARDLY 21 years ago. Troll? Know-it-all pretender? Both?
Love that I am still able to watch Bob’s videos. I know he has passes away.💕NonnaGrace 🐓
great video ty..............
Great review and explanation of why you did your mods to that pit. That pit is one mean rib cooking machine
Ribs...brisket, pork butt...ANYTHING smoked. I've even smoked meatloaf! Watch for an upcoming video.
Amen thank God be the glory
I just bought one and have installed the mods you talked about except the seal around the lid - I thank you for letting us know about the paint! I will have a basket made from expanded steel as well to keep them coals off the sides! Thanks for the tips! And God Bless!
You are going to love your Highland. Is it a Lang or Yoder? No...but it doesn't have their pricetag either...and does a great job.
Have an awesome day!
Another tip. Get some high heat caulking and put it where the smoker meets the grill and tighten bolts.
@@RHEC1776 I considered that, but decided to wait and see if there was a smoke leak there and if there was how bad it was. As it turns out very, very little smoke leaked.
Yep! I also took the firebox upper and lower haves apart (mine was built) and made a high temp silicone gasket there and at the firebox/smoke chamber also installed the tuner plates from Island Outdoor,LLC.com - also had a 12x12x6 expanded steel coal basket framed with 1/2 x1/2 angle. Thanks for the tip!@@RHEC1776
In answer to your last statement, yes indeed He is! Second, thanks for this video, I just bought one of these grills and saw the aftermarket products to create the reverse flow to get a more even air flow. And also the part about sanding the paint off the edges for the door gaskets. I ordered that and the heat resistant caulk. I’ll have to look into the probes.
Nice info on the gasket install i will definitely remove the paint off the lip before hand!
Great video! Cheers from LA. I’m gettin to smokin me some meats now on my own Oklahoma Joe
Yep...It's that time of year (actually, ALL year is that time of year...LOL) and tomorrow me and ol' Joe do a pork butt for some pulled pork and Wednesday we pull an all-nighter smokin' a brisket. Yum!
I'm getting one this coming weekend. Thanks for the tips.
I love mine. I've got surgery coming up next week and the first thing I'm doing after I get home from the hospital is smoke a brisket!
Love the hat and the man under it keep up the good work
Thanks Louis. Soon there will be a Wagyu brisket on the Oklahoma Joe and there will be a video of it...probably the first half of December.
Great video! I just ran across your channel and subscribed. If you wind up putting tuning plates in that, just cut out a few pieces of 4” flat bar and move them where your hot spots are. And yes sir, the tomb is empty!
Thanks for the tip...and its nice to have another subscriber who is also a believer! Welcome.
Nice video! Love the smoker
Well, it's not a Yoder or a Lang...but it doesn't cost over $1000 either. For an inexpensive smoker it does a great job. And yes, there is a difference between cheap and inexpensive and the Oklahoma Joe is inexpensive, not cheap.
Brother, that intro got me :) you nailed it!
"a tool not a toy" haha, I do the same thing! keep cooking my friend!
I got the OK Joes 3n1, because I have no gas. I find that my biggest maintenance issue has been the leaky smoke, I wish I had done that because now I have issues with creosote dribbling out...so definitely put that Lavalock seal on the barrels, it's the BEST preservation move you can make aside from buying a cover
Picked mine up for $120 on the off-season. Right before x-mas, Wally world sets them cheap. I got my original 'learner' smoker for $75 two years earlier.I have several Walmarts in my area and had to wait for the right opportunity to get this thing at the price I wanted.
I have had smokers I modified for many years. The basket is a good idea. I had something similar. But it is important to get all the ash out after using. The ash will attract moisture and in time rust the fire box out. I would remove all ash and spray the inside and outside with the aerosol oil "PAM". But any similar product will work. It keeps the moist air from the metal and prevents rust. I had one smoker for 12 years (outside with grill cover) and no rust. Also I took a piece of metal flashing and rolled it up and put it down the chimney until it was right above the grate. It keeps the heat down against the meat instead of going to the top and escaping out the chimney.
The Pam or similar is a good idea, and I've already modified the chimney, I just hadn't done it when I made this video. It might be time for an updated video. Thanks for the input...and there are more smoker/outdoor cooking videos coming. Consider subscribing and ringing the notification bell so you know when new videos come out.
Excellent
Amen brother
Looking good
More to come on outdoor cooking...good for the budget and good for the stomach!
Great video, loved the music
Could you tell me where you got the rubber grommet the wires go through
Preciate that info Pops
I recently looked at the OJ’s but they have cheapened up the build and design. I opted for the Char-Griller Grand Champ $550 delivered.
Just bought the highland yesterday. I’m excited to try it out. But what was the sealing that you used called? You said you had a link somewhere?
Hi Julian...I forgot to add the link. Here ya go: amzn.to/2RobGOo
Mountain Crest Farm Thank you very much.
I got an old school brinkmann cimmaron 1/4" thick for a steal on facebook 🤙
I always grilled on my firebox.
Which meat thermometer are you using with all the different props? Thanks
where did you get the gasket material for your smoker? What's its heat rating?
800 degrees F, get it here: amzn.to/30jTpFB
Very informative video. I have a ceramic grill (Primo Oval XL) but I'm interested in adding an offset-smoker. Yoder/Lang is out of the budget for the time being, but this OKJ is a doable price point. I certainly don't expect it to perform like a higher end smoker (as you pointed out in your video), but if it performs acceptably that may be ok!
Thanks uncle!!! This is exactly the video and walk through I needed to get me to buy it. I was in reddit getting information about Oklahoma, WSM and all the other cookers. I’ve been going back and forth about the joe and this helps!
Subscribing now.
I'm glad you enjoyed it... The video that is... And I think you will be happy with an Oklahoma Joe Highlander. I got mine just about a year ago and right now I am sitting outside watching the smoke come out of the smoke stack as I smoke the first pork butt of the season. With many more to go. Subscribe to the channel if you like my content and keep coming back.
Did you end up getting a tuning plate
No, but after I recover from surgery I intend to make one.
@@MountainCrestFarm put a water pan, in the cook chamber, up against the opening to the fire box. It will work as a baffle and add moisture.
You can add some bolts off a could inches off the bottom to raise your basket up in the fire box
Turning the basket sideways raises it plenty and you can still lower it by turning the basket back to normal which is needed when using the firebox as a small grill.
Thanks for watching my video...keep coming back.
need a good clean from what I see but nice pit
How many packs do I need for 1 grill
What size hole did you drill in the side for the grommet?
New tool not toy ..that's what I told my wife ..classic
Nice!!
Ah...that charcoal bucket is the key, isn’t it? I don’t think most smokers come with that. I’m gonna look into that and buy my neighbor ironworks guy a case!
Yep...that basket will greatly lengthen the life of a grill or smoker, keeping the hot coals off the sides of the firebox.
There are two ways to use that basket. I'll be shooting a video today...hopefully putting it up today or tomorrow...on the two ways to use it.
I made the baffle plates for less than half the cost of buying them!
Terri...ALL the accessories that the trendy BBQ sites recommend are WAY expensive. Well...you see me in the video. Do I look "trendy"?...LOL.
What dimensions do you recommend on the lavalock? My highland is leaking a bit as well.
Not familiar with Yoder, are they more “finished” coming straight from the factory? Nice vids!
I'm not sure what you mean by finished, but I can tell you that most of what I've done to my Oklahoma Joe to improve it...gaskets on lids, etc...is not necessary. The biggest advantage to a Yoder (or Lang...Yoders start at about $1800 and Langs at about $900) is the thickness of the metal. While the Oklahoma Joe is about 1/8 inches thick the Yoder and Lang are both 1/4 inch steel. This doesn't sound like a big deal but it is HUGE. The single most important part of successfuly smoking meat right is heat control, and the thick metal beats thin because of its better "heat sink" properties. Once you get the smoker to temp it is FAR easier to maintain that temp with the thicker metal...especially in rain and cold weather.
Mountain Crest Farm thanks for the reply, I just meant do they require fewer modifications in order to be effective cookers. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mark...I've seen both the Lang and the Yoder...Looked them over closly...And the "fit and finish" looks excellent. I don't think the mods I did to improve the usability would be necessary, mods like the gasket around the lid. Other mods, like the hole I drilled for the temp probe wires, would probably have to be done by you. I don't think either has anything like that.
The Yoder and Lang seem about equal. If I could afford either I think I would go with the Lang and save about $900. Actually, if I could afford it, this is the smoker I would buy:
www.langbbqsmokers.com/lang36/lang36_original.html
You made my day. You are talking about the Almighty. The Creator! 👍🙏😊
Do you find the highland a bit small, the longhorn is a bit bigger?
The Longhorn IS bigger, but at considerably higher cost. I paid $267.00 for my Highland while right next to it was a Longorn at $499.00...You might as well say $500.00. At this point you are approaching the cost of a Yoder Cheyenne at something just over $800.00, and the Yoder (or Lang) is a better smoker.
The Highland is big enough for MOST home BBQ-ing. It would be tight but with good heat management you could smoke 6 butts or 5-6 racks of babybacks on the Highland. For more than that its the Longhorn, Yoder, Lang, and beyond!
Good point. The local Walmart had the Longhorn on clearance last year for $150 but I missed it...I'm watching for it this year.
You might be interested in Oklahoma Joe's video on BBQ free or cheap modifications #Oklahomajoehighlandsmoker #smokermods #pitmods
My firebox rusted out and I am hunting where I can buy one for mine. Do you have any idea where to get a new fire box?
Oklahoma Joe is owned by Charbroil in Columbus, Georgia. If you give them a call they can probably set you up.
Real... thanks young man .. all Praise to God in Jesus name
if go to lowes you cand get it for the same price but...you can aso get seniors or veterans discount 10% off!!
Food cooked over Open Flame beats the Daylights out of any other method, unless it happens to be a pig cooked in the ground over a hot bed of coals until ready for chowing upon!
I'm trying to renovate an old outdoor grill I was given, but it's a slow process given limited funds!
I look forward to every single video you post, and I am really, really, really, looking forward to an update on the piglets, which should be good sized wieners by now!
This was a very helpful video! Thank you!
I had bought a charbroiler gas/charcoal grill. Paid over $400 started rusting within a year and was under a patio cover entire time.JUNK!!
It looks like your smoker isn’t level.All of the grease is puddled up near the fire box
Grill needs a good cleaning !
I put tuning plates in mine and it's not worth it. Go stock. I dealt with heat problems for 4 years and you don't need tuning plates. Took the plates out and no more problems.
Out door is the best!! Until the goats show up🤬
Fire basket is only 30 bucks. Must have its a lova lock baffle
Sorry but that is not even close to 3/16....it’s also less than 1/8. Coals touching the metal will not rust it out.
Its actually just a tiny bit short of 1/8...16 ga now that I put calipers on it.
As for the rust issue...you are wrong. Constantly heating to coal temps and then cooling over and over, WILL accelerate rusting.
Mountain Crest Farm Keeping ash in it will rust it out. Get every bit of ash out and keep it oiled and you are good to go. My OKJ is 21 years old....no rust ever and no basket. Many times not even a grate. I burn the fire right on the bare metal. Same thickness as it always was.
@@@digitalayon "Same thickness as it always was." No, if its 21 years old it was made before Charbroil bought the company, and its NOT the same thickness "as it always was". 21 years ago it WAS made of 1/4 inch pipe.
Mountain Crest Farm correct it’s an original and thick. Got it at Walmart for 199 in Tulsa and had it shipped to California. However I meant it has not had rust in the firebox and has not lost any of its thickness. What are ya smoking for New Years?
@@@digitalayon " My OKJ is 21 years old...Got it at Walmart for 199 in Tulsa and had it shipped to California" Um...wrong (lie?) and wrong (lie?). According to your video "Oklahoma Joe Highland mods and Old Country Pit" from July of 2016 you bought it at Lowes just up the street from you about 2 years prior, which would be 2014, HARDLY 21 years ago.
Troll? Know-it-all pretender? Both?
which is less than 1/8" that's 0.125"
No where near 3/16 which is 0.1875 more like 0.100.
But not a POS for sure.