You do not know how to use Oklahoma Joe smoker. Then, it becomes a useless bulky thing even when you choose the best and most expensive product on the market.
But there is no need to worry much about it. Our user guide will help throw your trouble away.
How to use Oklahoma Joe smoker?
In comparison with other types like kettle grills, smoker grills are more complex to use. However, with proper usage, the device can deliver surprisingly tasty results.
Now, let’s follow the simple seven-step instruction below to make it real!
Step 1: Setting Up Temperature
225°F is an ideal temperature that you should keep it stable when grilling.
Cheaply-made smoker grills with only one temperature probe often require you to track the temperature fluctuation carefully. It is not a story for the Oklahoma Joe versions due to their a couple of digital temp probes.
We suggest you drill a small hole at the position near the cooking chamber’s end. The closer the hole is to the food, the more excellent results you will get.
Step 2: Firing Up the Grill With Charcoal
With this step, all the food that you are about to grill must be ready. Especially for meat, frozen meat can absorb smoke better than the room-temperature one.
Next, use a chimney starter to light all the charcoal needed. If the coal is not available, the wood will be the best supplement. Both of them give you excellent food flavors. However, wood fires may leave some ash on the meat.
In general, the second step can take you about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Controlling the Oxygen Intake
The oxygen intake is an important part that helps the smoker run as a heat maker. The better you can control the flow of oxygen, the more stable your Oklahoma Joe smoker’s temperature will be.
Firstly, you keep two baffles, including the intake baffle and chimney baffle, fully opened. Secondly, add some fuel into the smoker, wait for it to heat up, and then adjust the baffles. Then, filling the firefox with coals will be the next step. And you add the meat into the smoker only when the temp reaches the desired level.
Unlike the baffle, both the firebox door should be closed to reduce the temperature fluctuation.
Step 4: Maintaining the Temperature
In Step 3, we have already mentioned two baffles that will do different functions to maintain the temperature. The heat is under the control of the intake baffle while the baffle at the chimney controls the smoke. When the temperature starts to decrease, it is time to replenish the smoker with coals.
Step 5: Adding Flavor by Wood Chunks
As for wood chunks, it will be better to choose large pieces for smoking instead of small chips. For every cooking cycle, about one or two pieces are adequate to infuse smoke into the meat.
Moreover, if you love to add more tasty flavors into the meat, some wood types like hardwoods and fruitwoods come as potential options. Plus, soaking wood chunks is unnecessary before adding coals since moisture can affect the burning coal.
Step 6: Adding Some Moisture
In this step, you can add some moisture to gain a deliciously smoky taste without affecting the burning coal.
You can do the step in two ways.
The first way is to use a metal frame on the coal layer along with a water pan. The steam from the pan will provide the extra moisture for smoke and then for the meat.
In case that the meat dries out while smoking, the second way will be worth trying. You can spray some mineral water or fruit juice into the meat to keep it juicy and add some additional flavors.
How to Clean the Oklahoma Joe Smoker
Even when your Oklahoma Joe smoker comes with high quality, it cannot last for long without proper care. And cleaning properly and regularly is one of the most important things to lengthen its lifespan.
Maintenance
After smoking, it is a must to remove all of the ashes on the smoker. If you skip this step, the ashes, along with humidity, will cause the rust for days. So, you should wait for the ashes to cool and sweep them out.
Then, you moisten a cloth with warm water and wipe sauces and marinade left on the smoker. For grates, you can use a nylon bristle brush to clean them up.
Also, in the cooking chamber, there may be some grease off the meat. In this case, a four-inch putty knife can help. In terms of starting-rust spots, buffing with some high-temperature cooking oil will be the best solution.
Cleaning
Now, we turn to a deep and thorough cleaning task.
A clean burn is an optional solution in which you use a kitchen torch to burn off all the residues left. You must keep the smoker away from combustible materials during this step.
The cleaning will be more efficient with warm water and degreaser detergents (if needed). Next, you let it air dry.
Tips for Smoking With Oklahoma Joe Smoker
In this final section, we would like to share with you some useful tips. After reading this article, let’s give them a try and you will see surprising results.
- Don’t over smoke: While cooking, you had better maintain a thin white or blueish smoke to make the perfect meat color.
- Spray to keep moist: As we mentioned above, you can spritz apple juice or cider vinegar to retain the meat juiciness. But with too much moisture, the top layer of spice will be washed away.
- Calculate smoking time: There is no need to prepare a clock. We recommend you use one wood chunk for every hour of cooking.
- Don’t peek: Opening the lid will lengthen the cooking time. Consequently, it may affect the perfection of the smoked food for both taste and color.
- Use peach butcher paper: This tip is to keep the moisture of the meat while smoking. You wrap the meat with an FDA approved peach butcher paper and place it again inside the smoker.
- Use a water pan: Filling an aluminum foil pan with water and putting it into the smoker will help keep the temperature between 225 to 275°F.
- Use a marinade injector: You use this tool to inject the meat with beef or chicken broth.
- Collect dripping: Never waste the marinade sauce dropping on the grill. You can use it later for gravy or au jus sauce.
Conclusion
Do you have any question about how to use Oklahoma Joe smoker? If you do, we are willing to give you tons of helpful answers, then.
In this guide, we have walked you through usage, maintenance, and tips for better use. Let’s explore and try them together!
How exciting it is to wait for your picture sharing of tasty smoking meat with amazing Oklahoma smokers! See you all with dozens of fascinating topics!
