Well, after quite some time I finally smoked the corned beef to Pastrami.
I tried the hot plate in the side box of the Oklahoma Joes without any food and my
hot plate could not ever get the main chamber to any reasonable temperature.
It would be pretty good for a cold smoke, I think.
I ended up buying a gas smoker, a Smoke Hollow vertical cabinet.
I had to modify it to get the electrical plug out of the cabinet.
Just an extra hole large enough for the plug to go thru.
Here's the hot plate sitting in the smoker.
By this time, I had cured a Pork Loin for Canadian Bacon, so here's the Corned Beef and the Loins in the Smoker ready to go.
Hickory chips go into the tray on top of the Hot Plate.
I also made up 15 pounds of Summer Sausage in fiberous casings, and smoked them later in the day.
All of the meats were finished cooked in a roaster oven to proper internal temperatures.
They all turned out very well. The Pastrami was a bit tough, probably just due to the brisket that I started with.
Enjoy curing and smoking!