Customer reviews from oklahomajoes.com
Oklahoma Joe's - Longhorn Charcoal Grill - Black
Average customer rating
4.2
(59 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 59 reviews
5 Stars
35
4 Stars
11
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
5
1 Star
3
88%of customers recommend this product.
(
38 out of
43)
Customer Reviews for Oklahoma Joe's - Longhorn Charcoal Grill - Black
Customer Rating
4
Great beginner
on January 3, 2021
Posted by: Buuba Ques
from California Socal
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
I have had two of these units for 6 years. I cook 2 to 3 times a week on the grill or smoker. I also own a pellet. this is still by go to. I love managing a fire. i have modified mine slightly to allow more smoke in a chamber and for better heat distribution. you will see as with any off set a baffle plate is required to allow an even cook through out the whole cook chamber. for the price it is a great beginner.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 11, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
3
It's an OK smoker
on February 7, 2020
Posted by: Matt K
from Bensalem, Pa
Gender:Male
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:3 months
I have had this just under a year now and it fit my budget. I made some modifications that helped a lot
It's all about fire management when it comes to temperature control. I literally can't leave this smoker alone for a period of time because of the fluctuation in temperature. I continually struggle with maintaining a steady and optimal temperature no matter what I am cooking/smoking. I recommend to research a couple videos on this subject
In the firebox, I've used a basket sometimes and I have just used the grate only sometimes. For me, I am having better luck with just a wood fire and no charcoal. It's a work in progress. The basket is a separate purchase
The paint is starting to peel away from the side of the firebox and from the lids
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 10, 2024
Whenever an issue is encountered give us a call at 1-800-318-7744 and we'll be able to further investigate and help.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
1
Ok smoker, but frustrating to control temp
on April 30, 2020
Posted by: Levithan9
from Houston, Tx
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:3 months
First off, i did not buy this smoker, it was given to me by my neighbor, who was just frustrated that he couldn't control the temp on it.
I cleaned it up, and went to get some wood for a weekend test run. Saturday came, and I laid down a bed of coals to get this thing started. Having a welder, i made a temp probe holder that would reach to about 2 inches from the top of the cooking chamber, down to grate level. I made 2 of them, one for the firebox side, and the other for the smoke stack side. I put a few logs of post oak that were cut in half, and let the fire do it's thing.
In about 30 minutes, when i started seeing the Blue smoke, i knew exactly why my neighbor hated this thing. My 4-Probe holder was showing temps on the firebox side at around 350 at the top, 315 on the bottom, and on the other side, about 240 on top, and 180 on the bottom. So you'll either burn what your cooking, or you won't cook it at all.
As i would put in new logs to keep the fire going, the temp would drastically spike, then stay steady for about 10 minutes, then drop. It was a cycle that would be repeated over and over again. Basically, its porpoising...up, down, up down...no steady flow.
In about 30 minutes, when i started seeing the Blue smoke, i knew exactly why my neighbor hated this thing. My 4-Probe holder was showing temps on the firebox side at around 350 at the top, 315 on the bottom, and on the other side, about 240 on top, and 180 on the bottom. So you'll either burn what your cooking, or you won't cook it at all.
As i would put in new logs to keep the fire going, the temp would drastically spike, then stay steady for about 10 minutes, then drop. It was a cycle that would be repeated over and over again. Basically, its porpoising...up, down, up down...no steady flow.
As nightime came, i sat looking at this thing and wondering why it was so hard to control the temp. Then i saw it !! I saw the flames of the fire BETWEEN THE HALVES OF THE FIREBOX!! The entire firebox was sucking in un-metered air, causing the fire to be stoked beyond control.
I then took it to work, disassembled it, cleaned the firebox and welded the 2 pieces together. I also added some strip steel around the damper/opening to keep air from leaking in as well.
Next, I got a piece of sheet metal, and made a baffle that bolts on the opening of the firebox going into the cooking chamber. This allowed me to even out the temps from one side to the other to about 20-30 degrees in difference.
The one thing that bothers me every time i look at this smoker is the placement of the smoke stack, and that it's mounted so high, like right near the top of the cooking chamber. This allows the heat to come up, travel across the chamber, and make an easy exit out the chimney, barely touching the food it's supposed to be cooking. This is a massive waste of thermal energy. Your only option is to either weld shut the hole and lower the smoke stack exit, or create a exit baffle inside the cooking chamber to force the heat to go down, and then exit.
So, after doing these mods, the smoker is a lot easier to control the temp once you get a nice bed of coals going. I did add some thermal gasket to the cooking chamber door, and that caused it to not close as well as it should. But i bought a few latches online, and it keeps it pretty well sealed now. My next mod is to add 2 temp gauge lugs at the bottom of the chamber door, so i can visually see what the temp is at the grate level....where i'm cooking food.
Final Verdict:
At the price point that this is now selling for, and with all the mods that need to be done in order for it to be considered a somewhat decent smoker, this Oklahoma Joe should be a EASY PASS. There is just TOO much that needs to be done to get this functioning like it should. If you don't have the tools necessary to make the mods yourself, you'd be better off spending a little more for something that's miles ahead of where this smoker will start you off at. There is a lot of extra add-ons that you can purchase online to improve every deficiency this smoker presents, but after everything is said and done, you would have been better off buying a quality product, rather than a quantity-produced item.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 8, 2024
Whenever an issue is encountered give us a call at 1-800-318-7744 and we'll be able to further investigate and help.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
3
Great smoker... after modifications
on November 24, 2020
Posted by: JoJo
from Mount Olive, Alabama
Gender:Male
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:1 week
I bought this November 7th 2020.. the welding on it is sketchy at best. Rolled part of still on bottom of firebox isnt even close to the weld or close to being weld.. the door on the smoke chamber at the top.. the piece the door rest on inside chamber. It wasnt weld flush so theres a gap a foot long. Door doesn't seal. Not even with lava lock gasket. Other than that it has potential..lol
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 9, 2024
Whenever an issue is encountered give us a call at 1-800-318-7744 and we'll be able to further investigate and help.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
4
Too Short
on July 26, 2020
Posted by: Anonymous
from Chicago
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:6 months
6ft tall Chicago, IL. Cook good and good smoker, but would be perfect if it had a second rack and was taller. I had to place mine on a cinder block and a paver just so I don't break my back cooking. But, if your really really short or wheel chair bound, this might be the perfect smoker for you. Oh and I've had it for about 4 years and it's finally starting to show rust.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 11, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
5
Buy this thing
on March 12, 2021
Posted by: Jmesser
from Golden ms
Gender:Male
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
My dad bought one around 2013 and it outlasted him. When our house burned in 2015 it was on the front porch. Naturally we pushed part of the house off of it and made hamburgers on it that evening. It's now 2021 and the firebox has just now began to fall apart. Quality made and darn near indestructible.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 17, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Smoker
on August 17, 2022
Posted by: Slaybbq
from Columbia, MO
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:6 months
I bought this smoker last year and I have used it for about 18 months. It was easy to put together, I was pleased with the gauge and durability of the materials for what I paid. It was tricky to get consistent temperatures early on but after some trial and error it is not hard to figure out. I spent a few dollars and an hour or so on some aftermarket gaskets, silcone and latches, I have almost no smoke leaks. I will say the firebox door on the side is a little wonky, the sliding vent doesn't really get enough O2 even fully open so I use the whole door as the vent, usually open a couple of inches. I would aslo recommend a basket for the fire box to help with air to your fuel.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy SME, January 16, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com
Customer Rating
5
Real Happy with It!!
on May 22, 2024
Posted by: Real Smoke
from Florida
Gender:Male
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:6 months
I've had this Smoker just over a Year now...Works Great...takes some Figureing out to Control Temps..but once you get it...it's all Good.
Response from oklahomajoes.comBy Stacy, SME, May 23, 2024
Thank you for your review.
Written by a customer while visiting oklahomajoes.com