I welded my firebox together at the seams before i bolted it too the main cooking chamber,i dont use any gaskets at all.its gonna leak no matter what guys im telling you because it not a high quality stickburner you get what you pay for.if you want a leak free stickburner you gonna have too get 1/4 inch steel like a Yoder,or horizon,or gator pit . And many more online.these are all over 2000 dollars but will last a lifetime.for 400 bucks Oklahoma joe is a decent home owner bbq in my view. I had mine over 10 years and it kicks ass.just keep them well seasoned with canola oil inside and out .,and clean out ashes after every cook and that baby will cook some damn good grub im telling you.

Any time you put gasket material or silicone on metal, you'll wanna sand the paint off for better adhesion. The adhesive will stick to the paint, which will eventually flake off at high temps, and the adhesive will come off with it. You also don't wanna double layer the gasket. You do wanna put gasket material on 3 sides of the cooking chamber, none on the top, and then use lid latches to ensure no leaks.

I'll look forward to seeing your maiden smoking adventure!

Great video, it's always helpful when people share ways to make improvements, ones specifically that anyone can do without any special tools.

I got the Oklahoma Joe's only just seasoned it an used once at the end of last summer but now the weather is starting to break here in Wales I'm really looking forward to getting some cooking done thank you so much for the tips 👍

The “I have no idea what I’m doing” had me weak 😂

You sir are a damn life saver. I've been trying to find a smaller profile lowering kit for the smokestack and hadn't found anything 'reasonably' priced.

Thanks for the video. I like what you did with the smoke stack outlet. And I agree with the spray on oil. The only thing I hate is trying to battle rust.

I was told by many people to remove the bark before you smoke great video by the way those gaskets are gonna work better than the silicone that I use that caught fire while smoking in a different smoker so thank you

I have the same stickburner,you dont need too spend a crapload too get good quality bbq.,i leave my door on the firebox wide open always and start fire with a good hot coal bed with charcoal then go straight into small sticks off real wood . Whatever type your like my favorites hickory and almond wood.,just dont overload your firebox otherwise your main barrel cooking chamber will be way up in high heat. And it takes along time too bring down the heat unless you open your Main chamber too release massive overheat.Just a few sticks every half hour and you will be fine .i learned after cooking on the Oklahoma joe .

Good detail, getting ready to buy Oklahoma Joe's tomorrow

Temp probes on the grilling surface will give you a better idea of the temp as the outside ones will read about 75-100 degree hotter than the grilling surface is.

Awesome video Sir! Where did you find the tape and what brand is it?

Awesome vid, thanks.

Thank you for that Video. Greetings from Bavaria.

Ok here's what may be a wacky idea. I don't own an offset yet so still doing research. The negative reviews that I've seen regarding lower priced thin sheetmetal smokers is that the main chamber end cap on the hot side tends to warp and the firebox can sag. So what if the end cap was reenforced by bolting a couple of lengths of angle iron to it. Like wise the firebox could be supported by bolting a couple of L bracket to the bottom and tie it to the end cap.??

Flashlight 🏆

love the video great ideas

Nice video. I'm really considering getting an OK Joe's smoker. It's a shame that you have to do all the sealing mods to a new smoker, but it beats nothing I guess.

Not sure that I would want RTV sealer near my food. I use the same smoker without doing anything to it.

Why not seal all the way around and use some lava locks?

You will get a better and cleaner smoke if your splits have no bark on them and bark Burns hotter

Where did u get that basket from...and what size is it

Yep that tape is going to fall off. You’d have been better off with an RTV gasket on the fire box. You need to get the lava lock baffle system with the water tray. You also need to get the lava lock hinge locks to hold the doors shut.

seems like dirty smoke tbh

Not sure I would want to buy a smoker that needs all these mods. I am sure there are better products available.

Didn't know that there were smoker enthusiasts out there, and I didn't know you were getting bullied by them. L + ratio + you fell off + you do not have The Meats™

Um, hey buddy, hey guy, just keep smoking in that beeeyaitch and Joe will know! Smoke juices in stuff like that make the seal. If you looking you ain't blazing the smoke...

By spending so much time, effort and money trying to seal your smoker, you wasted much effort on something that is very inconsequential for smoking food. The insignificant amount of smoke loss around those areas is barely worth a mention. I have been cooking in an offset smoker that I built for 25 years and it's not sealed and have won awards with the food. You need to study more about the cooking than the sealing of the smoker. The percentage of efficiency you are trying to create in such a small smoker is not worth the time, effort or the money.

your firebox is literally sagging, looking at the top. Learn how to operate tools before giving advice