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It’s never a bad time to grill or BBQ. A good cook, however, depends heavily on the type of smoker. A BBQ enthusiast knows that a good grill or smoker makes all the difference. If you, too, are looking for a smoker to prepare tasty treats for yourself and others, this article would be a great help to you. Here, we will review some of the best famous Oklahoma Joe Smokers.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Oklahoma Joe Smoker
- OUR TOP PICK: Oklahoma Joe's Charcoal/LP Gas/Smoker Combo
- RUNNER-UP: Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset Smoker
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker
Comparison Chart of the Best Oklahoma Joe Smokers
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Who is Oklahoma Joe?
Oklahoma Joe Smoker came into existence after Joe Davidson sold all 12 of his handmade smokers at the Oklahoma State Fair. His smokers sold like hot buns, and he even received an order for 100 more.
He poured his craftsmanship into building the best smokers that would cook meat to perfection. Soon after, outgrowing their initial factory, they moved to a bigger one in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where they set the grounds to manufacture the most sought-after smokers in the world.
Decades later, Oklahoma Joe Smokers are still living up to their name, bringing innovation to suit comfort without compromising on the result. Today, they manufacture numerous grills and smokers individually and in combos along with spare parts. They manufacture a versatile range from offset smokers to portable smokers, drum smokers, and even rider pellet grills.
How Does Oklahoma Joe Compare to the Competition?
A lot of different features set the Oklahoma Joe Smokers products’ bar higher. These smokers are designed with attention to detail. They are upgraded to suit the needs of the grillers over time. A few things that make these the champion are discussed below.
Combo Smokers
One way they facilitate the growing community of grillers is by manufacturing combo units. These combos are versatile. They may combine a griller with a smoker to give complete functionality in one unit. In other products, they might combine different fueling options such as LPG Gas and coal smokers. The combos provide great convenience to all users.
Portability
Oklahoma Smokers don’t just stop at combos; they have launched grilling units that are portable too. These compactly designed units produce results as good as any other smoker/grill. Yet, they can be carried for picnics, off-road adventures, and in RVs. You can even buy them for your home if you have a small living space.
A Wide Range of Products
Unlike most brands that only excel in one or two types of smokers/grills, Oklahoma Joe Smokers produces versatile products, each a master of its own trade. It manufactures both grills and smokers and their further variations, such as offset smokers, reverse flow smokers, pellet grills, drum smokers, and charcoal grills, etc.
All of their units are stylish with a smooth finish and are great for preparing all sorts of meat.
Willy's Top Picks - Best Oklahoma Joe Smokers
Here are the best Oklahoma Joe smokers:
Review of the Best Oklahoma Joe Smokers
Now that we know what Oklahoma Joe Smokers can offer, let’s dive into getting an overview of some of the best grills or smokers manufactured by this front-runner company.
Best Overall:
Oklahoma Joe's Charcoal/LP Gas/Smoker Combo
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers have grilled like a pro using this smoker combo. They’ve noticed that the build is quite solid with easily readable temperature gauges and a storage shelf that comes in handy. The grill maintains heat efficiently, giving even cook on each side every time. The controls are easy to understand and master.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This is an all-in-one smoker grill, not only with respect to the cooking options but also because it can be powered in 3 different ways. This versatility is combined with an intelligent design, which makes the whole process easy to handle.
It has multiple dampers across the smoking clamber and firebox, allowing to readily control the temperature and the smoke. This smoker grill provides an ultimate solution to all your grilling/smoking needs.
Who Will Use This Most
Since this is an all-in-one grill, it is suitable for frequent grillers as well as restaurants that serve such a food type. Since it is quite versatile, it would be very suitable for jobs and places that require the constant running of a grill/smoker to produce various kinds of cooks.
It would, however, not pay off for those who are still beginning to grill or have small spaces where it might not fit.
Bottom Line
In all, this grill smoker is a real workhorse when it comes to grilling or smoking meat in various ways to meet everybody’s cravings. It combines convenience with workability and produces an unbeatable combo. It is a popular choice amongst its users and would serve you well and for long if proper care is taken.
Runner-up:
Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Most recent buyers have enjoyed every cook on this smoker. It imparts a beautiful smoky taste that compliments the juiciness of the meat. The smoker can cook anything of any size from racks of lambs and brisket to smoked chicken and burger patties. The construction is solid and does not need seasoning often.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The smoker is quite convenient when it comes to transferring it between lawns and backyard or indoors. Yet, it has a performance to boast. Efficiently trapping heat and smoke inside, it cooks a large amount of meat in no time and gives it a delicious smoky flavor characteristic of cooking over wood. It is easy to operate with temperature controls, gauges, dampers, and an accessible firebox.
Who Will Use This Most
Suitable for beginners and professionals alike, this smoker is suitable for your backyard cooking as well as for producing restaurant-quality food. You would particularly find it useful if you entertain large audiences and if you love smoked food. A great choice for BBQ enthusiasts, this smoker is an incredible option for anyone who wants to cook different sorts of meat themselves.
Bottom Line
A strong, sturdy kitchen appliance with a sophisticated finish, this smoker compromises on neither convenience nor performance. It is able to cook a large amount of food in no time whichever way you like. You can easily access the firewood and the meat through openable doors and regulate the cooking to your likeness.
Best for the Money:
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Users report that with this reverse smoker, their cooking efficiency has increased manifolds. It allowed them to tend the fire and control the cooking as they liked. The reverse flow captured the heat and smoke inside efficiently, giving an even cook throughout the meat. Not only that, the trapped heat decreases cooking time as well.
Why it Stands Out to Us
For a good even cook on all sides of BBQ meat, the trapped heat plays a very important role. Not only does it make sure that heat or smoke is consistently present in the enclosed chamber, but the insulation also reduces the amount of fuelwood used. This reverse flow smoker supports both the reverse and conventional cooking, producing a consistent and delicious smoky taste and a very nice cook.
Who Will Use This Most
The smoker is an excellent choice for all grillers. It is very easy to transport due to the mounted wheels present. Moreover, the two modes of cooking are capable of producing any type of cook from rare to well-done on any type of meat, no matter how big the piece. Chefs around the states use it as well as a backyard griller.
Bottom Line
To sum up, this is an incredible cooker for all your meat cravings. Set it up easily indoors in winters or on rainy days or outside on a warm spring afternoon and cook to your heart’s content. The smoker is designed to perform uninterrupted for long stretches of time and adds convenience with its openable lids and the supported racks.
Best Oklahoma Joe Reverse Flow Smoker:
Oklahoma Joe's Highland Reverse Flow Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Like all other Oklahoma smokers, this one too provided a versatile cooking experience. The buyers reported that with this smoker, they kept getting better and better at BBQ. With it, they were also able to control smoke by adjusting the wood rather than the oxygen, which affected the cost of fuelwood as well.
Why it Stands Out to Us
What more could you ask for in a grill that creates an environment where the heat is evenly distributed inside the chamber, could be transported, has dampers to control heat, and a sensitive temperature gauge to motor the temperature inside? This Highland smoker provides all of these features at a very affordable rate, making your BBQ the best in town.
Who Will Use This Most
The results that this smoker produces are unmatched. They are a dream of every griller. The smoker is easy to use with features that put all the control in your hand, which is perfect for novice learners as well as professional chefs for whom every rise and drop in temperature is important. It would find its place in any kitchen, grill station, or backyard.
Bottom Line
Put simply, this is yet another one of Oklahoma Joe’s incredible smoker available at a great price for the feature it offers. Even, quick-cooking of any kind and size of meat and sensitivity to change in temperature are its two main features. It is transportable between places as it is wheel-mounted and has a solid construction, which would last long with occasional seasoning.
Best Oklahoma Joe Drum Smoker:
Oklahoma Joe's 19202089 Bronco Charcoal Smoker
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Those that invested in this have cooked everything on this smoker. From butts and ribs to steaks, hotdogs, chicken patties, and salmon, you name it; the smoker can cook it. What delighted the grillers the most is that due to its drummed shape, the heat does not escape out, and a lump of charcoal is sufficient for several hours.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The drum smoker comes with features that enhance usability and are simply impossible to ignore. The drum shape helps warm air to rise and cook the parts farther from the fire while the damper at the top of the sealed lid efficiently regulates temperature. This smoker allows you to cook giant chunks of meat and turn them into juicy, tender deliciousness. It is small in size and easily portable.
Who Will Use This Most
Given its different shape, this unit can contain various sizes of meat from small pieces that could be cooked on the grate to large ones such as whole pieces. This smoker is large enough to hold full bodies of small animals and huge chunks of larger ones to cook them to tenderness. People who enjoy cooking meat in whole parts to incorporate all the flavors of bone and meat will find it very useful.
Bottom Line
A drum smoker is a great addition to your grilling station. This one, in particular, has a strong build and intelligent mechanisms to ensure a perfect cook every time. It eases the whole process with added features like meat hangers, supported racks, and removable ashtrays.
How to Use an Oklahoma Joe Smoker
Setting up a smoker and using it is a simple task. However, a lot of things might be ignored through the process, or there might be things you don’t know about that can greatly improve the overall cooking. Below we have mentioned in steps how to use an Oklahoma Joe Smoker so that you don’t miss out on anything.
- Open your firebox.
- Remove the charcoal basket.
- Below you’ll see a charcoal grate that keeps coal from touching the bottom metal.
- Take it out and turn it the other way so that when it is placed inside, it sits there lengthwise.
- As you do so, you’ll notice that the space between the grate and the bottom of the box has almost doubled.
- This would give you more time before you have to scrape the ashes out as the ashes have a larger area to sit.
- Now place the coal basket back on top. This time, it would be higher as well.
- This heightening would give even more consistent heating for a longer time, giving a nice even cook on the meat.
- The improvement in the airflow thus achieved gives more consistent temperatures that eventually help in the cook.
- Next, ignite your charcoal.
- Let the heat warm the cooking chamber and grill away.
For a better understanding of grate positioning for better airflow, follow the video given below
Brand Comparison Overview
A leading name in smokers and grillers manufacturing, Oklahoma Joe, has been in the market for over 3 decades. Their appliances have a painted exterior with around 2 years warranty.
They have metal handles on the body for moving the smoker/grill and opening/closing lids. They have doors to remove the burnt ash from the smoker or the grill and have a sturdy construction that might be prone to rusting after some use.
There are some models where a gap is seen between the lid and the wall that doesn’t completely seal the chambers. They have a single grill per chamber, which, with the addition of another grill, could give more cooking space. They usually last up to 3-4 years and longer with better care, such as regular seasoning.
Oklahoma Joe vs. Char-Griller
Char-Griller is relatively newer to Oklahoma Joe and, like the latter, manufactures smokers and grillers individually and in combos as well as accessories and spare parts.
Their appliances are powder-dusted on the outside and usually support a 1-1.5 year warranty. They have plastic handles on their appliances, which are not as reliable as metal ones. The temperature gauges are irreplaceable with other brand’s alternatives, unlike Oklahoma Joe’s gauges.
They, however, have a better mechanism to remove ash by pulling out a drawer. They have a less sturdy construction that faces the trouble of gapping as well. Their products tend to survive for a lesser time when compared to Oklahoma Joe’s appliances. They have an upper grill in the chambers as well, which provides more room for cooking.
Oklahoma Joe's Charcoal/LP Gas/Smoker Combo
Oklahoma Joe vs. Smoke Hollow
Smoke Hollow has been launching appliances since 2005. Unlike OKJ and CG, they do not produce spare parts and accessories. The appliances are made from worksheet steel, which is pretty low-grade and would not last long. The products are supported by only a 1-year warranty.
For ash removal, they have 2 drawers that make the process easy. They have metal handles for lifting lids. Only some of their smokers have a round temperature gauge. Due to their sheet steel construction and porcelain coating, they do not work for very long.
The coating peels off easily, exposing the thin sheet to corrosion and rust, creating holes in the body. Their products also face the problem of gaps and improper closing, leaking out the smoke and heat.
Conclusion
Oklahoma Joe Smokers have been around for a very long time. They continue to put the same effort and precision in their apparatus and appliances that earned them their fame. They have released a lot of grillers and smokers, covering the need for almost everyone. Apart from a few flaws that can be worked around, the company provides a good enough range for its price.
People Also Ask
In this section, we will answer some of the questions and shed light on areas that remained unattended during the above discussion. This would greatly benefit buyers as it would only increase their insight and help them with their decision to purchase.
Who Makes Oklahoma Joe Grills?
OKJ used to manufacture its products in Oklahoma for a long time, creating top of the quality, unbeatable appliances, and accessories.
But in 1998, they were sold to Char-Broil. Char-Broil moved the manufacturing to China as the company faced a drop in the manufacturing quality.
Where are Oklahoma Joe Smokers Made?
Oklahoma Joe Smokers had setup manufacturing rights in Oklahoma and Nebraska before the company was sold to Char-Broil. Char-Broil moved manufacturing totally to China.
Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset Smoker
Who Owns Oklahoma Joe?
After running Oklahoma Joe Smokers for several years, perfecting the art of manufacturing that showed in their incredible appliances, Joe Davidson sold the company to Char-Broil. Since 1998, Char-Broil has headed the company and overseen all production.
