Last year, after extensive research and mental debate, I picked up the Oklahoma Joe Bronco. I don't believe one can properly review a product until they have some time using it so I have held off until now. With a solid 20+ cooks under my belt I can tell you that all that emotional turmoil trying to select the right smoker for me worked out perfectly. I love this thing and it is the perfect complimentary cooker to my Weber gasser.
The build quality is excellent and it went together easily. And by that I mean my oldest boy had no problems assembling it as I sat in a lawn chair drinking sweet tea and criticizing every step of his progress. Don't worry about him though, I let him eat for free when he visits and I donated the materials of life that brough him into this world so he still owes me. I purchased a tube of black RTV sealant and as he put it together it was sealed up nice and tight. Every seam, every nut, every bolt. We had no missing or extra parts and every hole was drilled in the right spot at the factory. Once together it was nice and stable, although I would have liked it to be 4" or so taller at the grate. But that's my gripe about almost every grill/smoker so don't consider that an actual complaint. Played around as I conducted a burn off and seasoning. Was very impressed with how easy it was to control and maintain temps and equally as impressed with how long that charcoal basket lasted. Around 10 hours I closed the intake and chimney and found another couple hours worth of charcoal left in the basket the next morning. And I did not even load the charcoal basket to it's max capacity. I have since tested that out and pulled 14 hours off single fully loaded basket. And I might add that I do not gently place briquets in like a mother placing babies into a crib. I toss 'em in like my youngest boy puts cereal into a bowl; fast and wild with a few Cheerios ending up on the table and a couple more on the floor. I am impatient, don't have OCD, and want that fire going asap.
My first cook was a simple Tennessee pork chop using thick cut bone in chops with a BBQ glaze made from pinneapple juice, Tennessee whiskey, BBQ sauce, butter, and garlic. Tossed some Royal Oak briquettes in the basket with a couple chunks of apple wood and fired it up. Locked in the temps at 235 degrees and according to my ThermoPro they never varied more than 5-6 degrees either way. All said and done they were smokey, tender, and delicious. I snapped this picture after my second coat of glaze, but after that I was too hungry to take pics. And yes, that is a potato probe holder.
After that first cook I removed the thin wire push handle on the left side and added a second wire shelf from OKJ. Otherwise I have not felt the need to change or mod anything. Also since that first cook I have smoked pork loin, pork shoulder, turkey breasts, chicken wings, chuck roasts, ribs, hot links, and more. I only used the hangers once, but they worked as advertised and produced some half chickens that made by PBC owning neighbor confess they were delicious. Each and every cook was simple, fun, and produced great food. I can set the temp I want and lock it in without much effort and I can choke off the fire to save charcoal as soon as I want. Getting the ash out is easy and most of the other mess just burns off on its own. And after sitting outside covered all winter, here in the great white North, I am not seeing any rust or other concerns. And no, I don't use my smoker in the deep winter. We have two really good BBQ restaurants in town here (that deliver) and the days of me standing outside in -15 temps & 20mph winds wrapping a welding blanket around a smoker are long behind me. Not to mention the fact that my three daughters are always freezing to death inside the house so I won't be able to train them to do it.
If I could go back in time I would buy the Bronco Pro versus the Bronco. The little Bronco is perfect for the fam but even with the second grate it is a touch on the small size for feeding a large crowd. Of course that also depends on what I'm cooking. With the current state of inflation and price increases (insert curse words here), I will probably just buy a second standard Bronco at the end of the "season" if I can find one on sale or clearance. But for now I am flip-flopping between adding a Weber Performer or an SNS Kettle to the arsenal. My sugar-momma likes to spoil me on Father's Day and I feel like I need a kettle in my life. Plus how else I am supposed to continue making my PBC owning neighbor jealous? My large patio and wealthy (good-looking) wife can only go so far to instill envy as he stands on his tiny concrete pad with that 30 gallon oil drum watching his ribs hang from rebar.
Long story short, the Bronco is worth every penny and then some.
The build quality is excellent and it went together easily. And by that I mean my oldest boy had no problems assembling it as I sat in a lawn chair drinking sweet tea and criticizing every step of his progress. Don't worry about him though, I let him eat for free when he visits and I donated the materials of life that brough him into this world so he still owes me. I purchased a tube of black RTV sealant and as he put it together it was sealed up nice and tight. Every seam, every nut, every bolt. We had no missing or extra parts and every hole was drilled in the right spot at the factory. Once together it was nice and stable, although I would have liked it to be 4" or so taller at the grate. But that's my gripe about almost every grill/smoker so don't consider that an actual complaint. Played around as I conducted a burn off and seasoning. Was very impressed with how easy it was to control and maintain temps and equally as impressed with how long that charcoal basket lasted. Around 10 hours I closed the intake and chimney and found another couple hours worth of charcoal left in the basket the next morning. And I did not even load the charcoal basket to it's max capacity. I have since tested that out and pulled 14 hours off single fully loaded basket. And I might add that I do not gently place briquets in like a mother placing babies into a crib. I toss 'em in like my youngest boy puts cereal into a bowl; fast and wild with a few Cheerios ending up on the table and a couple more on the floor. I am impatient, don't have OCD, and want that fire going asap.
My first cook was a simple Tennessee pork chop using thick cut bone in chops with a BBQ glaze made from pinneapple juice, Tennessee whiskey, BBQ sauce, butter, and garlic. Tossed some Royal Oak briquettes in the basket with a couple chunks of apple wood and fired it up. Locked in the temps at 235 degrees and according to my ThermoPro they never varied more than 5-6 degrees either way. All said and done they were smokey, tender, and delicious. I snapped this picture after my second coat of glaze, but after that I was too hungry to take pics. And yes, that is a potato probe holder.
After that first cook I removed the thin wire push handle on the left side and added a second wire shelf from OKJ. Otherwise I have not felt the need to change or mod anything. Also since that first cook I have smoked pork loin, pork shoulder, turkey breasts, chicken wings, chuck roasts, ribs, hot links, and more. I only used the hangers once, but they worked as advertised and produced some half chickens that made by PBC owning neighbor confess they were delicious. Each and every cook was simple, fun, and produced great food. I can set the temp I want and lock it in without much effort and I can choke off the fire to save charcoal as soon as I want. Getting the ash out is easy and most of the other mess just burns off on its own. And after sitting outside covered all winter, here in the great white North, I am not seeing any rust or other concerns. And no, I don't use my smoker in the deep winter. We have two really good BBQ restaurants in town here (that deliver) and the days of me standing outside in -15 temps & 20mph winds wrapping a welding blanket around a smoker are long behind me. Not to mention the fact that my three daughters are always freezing to death inside the house so I won't be able to train them to do it.
If I could go back in time I would buy the Bronco Pro versus the Bronco. The little Bronco is perfect for the fam but even with the second grate it is a touch on the small size for feeding a large crowd. Of course that also depends on what I'm cooking. With the current state of inflation and price increases (insert curse words here), I will probably just buy a second standard Bronco at the end of the "season" if I can find one on sale or clearance. But for now I am flip-flopping between adding a Weber Performer or an SNS Kettle to the arsenal. My sugar-momma likes to spoil me on Father's Day and I feel like I need a kettle in my life. Plus how else I am supposed to continue making my PBC owning neighbor jealous? My large patio and wealthy (good-looking) wife can only go so far to instill envy as he stands on his tiny concrete pad with that 30 gallon oil drum watching his ribs hang from rebar.
Long story short, the Bronco is worth every penny and then some.
