oklahoma joe's smoker?

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SMokinBrew,

I was in the same boat you were 2 months ago, looking and debating at the Okie Joe and the Trialmaster.  Then I saw a recommendation on this site.  Check out Craigslist.  I did and happened to find a 1 year old Horizon RD Marshall for $600.  Needless to say, that Horizon is in the backyard right now!  Spent a little time (not alot) with a wire wheel and a couple of cans of high temp spray paint - mostly on the firebox - and it absolutely looks just like new.
 
A few have suggested CL, I will start looking.  Went to Home depot to try and look at OK Joe, none to look at.  None at my area lowes, none at my area ace.  I will keep looking.  From the descriptions online it does seem to be a thicker heavier larger smoker than the BTLE.
 
My OK Joes is sp poorly welded it leaks amoke from all over the pit. Had a welder put quarter inch round an rewelded but door hinges are so bad cannot stop leaks.Paid $350.00 at Academy
 
My OK Joes is sp poorly welded it leaks amoke from all over the pit. Had a welder put quarter inch round an rewelded but door hinges are so bad cannot stop leaks.Paid $350.00 at Academy
wow that sucks

mine has nice welds, they are not perfect , but no problem with them at all. Maybe it was made at a different plant? This is how they look, I took some pics when I bought it to show another guy wanting to buy one

 
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 As I said earlier, the ones at the local Lowes also appear to be good quality.  Maybe you are right, maybe they have different manufactures.         Best thing to do is look over the one your going to buy and double check the quality.
 
I just purchased mine from Lowe's (I work for them). I have wanted one for quite a while and after seeing several I found mine that had real great welds and the doors fit and finish are great. First fire up today and  leaks are extremely minimal, a very nice unit. I am totally happy.
 
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I've had mine for 3 months and used it twice.. I love mine. I used the cheaper offset Chargriller a few years ago and this OK Longhorn I bought to replace my UDS (tired of the UDS lid temp swings).

 found flat fireplace gasket rope and added it between the side fire box and cooking chamber and with new longer bolts I was able to seal the leak that way. I added gasket rope around the lids, 2 new thermometers in the lid, high temp silicone where the smoke stack bolts onto the cooking chamber and tuning plates. All this for half the price  of the Lang. I've always used charcoal and chunks obviously since you can't add when using UDS now with this one I actually did a whole smoke using only splits. 
 
Help. I already have a nice Weber Summit gas grill but I want to do REAL BBQ and smoke. I like the Okie Joe because it is much heavier, sturdier,  and better built than the Char Broil and Brinkman knockoffs.  Can you give some specifics about the mods you are making: diffuser plate, door locks, etc? I appreciate your help.
 
ButtBurner, thanks for the good review. I am trying to decide which smoker to get and am dialed into an Oklahoma Joe. I think $400 is enough to spend and it is twice the metal thickness of all the other brands at Lowes and Ace. It appears very sturdy. My only doubt is that it is HUGE. I home backyard bbq guy and am concerned it may be too big. I think you could put a small pig in that thing,  I was actually rethinking the Ok Jo and was looking at Weber smokers but it just is Weber is just NOT what I want. Any help with this decision will be greatly appreciated.
 
I purchased my Okie back in June and generally, I've been satisfied with the product. However, I do have some minor gripes regarding its construction. I accepted delivery of my Joe w/o actually giving it a good going over. This is my fault entirely as I found several welds not to have held and gaps in the cooking area between where the lid rests and the cooking chamber. It appears as though my Joe had been dropped at some point either during shipment or assembly at Lowes. The Lid was out of plumb and I noticed several scratch marks on the edge of the SFB. 

Anyway, I overlooked these things and as a result, the Joe leaked quite a bit of smoke during the seasoning process. I tried several ways of fixing this all with minimal results. It was at this point that I went back to Lowes here in PA where the outdoor manager was a understanding soul. He looked up my order and offered to swap the Joe out or a refund. I opted for the swap as the smoker is perhaps the best at its price point. I was taken around the store and shown several Joes they had already assembled and were available. On a few of them, I saw the same defect in the welding and in the lid alignment. I did find one that was done right and chose that one. The Manager then pulled that one to the side and it will be delivered this Thursday and they'll take the old Joe back. 

I say all of this as a cautionary tale to anyone wanting to buy a Joe from Lowes or any other big box store. Check the body when its delivered for defects in welding. Also look for door alignment issues. If possible, walk the store and if you can spot one w/o any visible issues, select that one for delivery.

You'll save yourself a lot of headache if you follow these simple steps. Especially if you plan on doing a lot of cooking with this smoker as quality control appears to be hit or miss with these.

If I had it to do over, I would probably save my money and get the Horizon 20" or the Yoder Wichita. A lot more money true, but I have a feeling you'll get what you pay for in the end. 

Hope this helps!
 
The display at my local Lowes as the flange sprung loose on the left side of the door, I have mentioned to the employees there several times as I have walked through the grill section, but they dont seem to care or dont know what to do about it.    I would think there would be a lot of missed sales from using a defected smoker as a floor model.
 
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Here is the first mod I did on the OKJ. Uses less space on the grill than the pipe duct.
 
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I just got my replacement OKJ today. I inspected it thoroughly and found no issues so I signed and accepted delivery. The delivery guys took my old Okie w/o any problem although I did take the time to point out the issues. I also registered this new OKJ with Charbroil and called their CS. Be advised that the actual model number for the OKJ is 13201747-05 as the instruction manual neglects to add the -05 and this will prevent you from completing the registration. I advised Charbroil CS that there are more than a few OKJ's at various Lowes that are defective in some form or fashion. The young lady sounded understanding as Charbroil doesn't want to be known as a company that sells garbage. I asked her to forward this QC issue to corporate and confirmed that if anything with this new OKJ is found defective, they will replace it free of charge. 

I'll let you guys know just how much modding i'll have to do to keep the smoke in the smoker. I already brought the X-large replacement felt gasket for the BGE and will use that if I have to on the lid. Probably will go with the Hi-temp liquid RTS silicone gasket between the SFB and the cooking chamber.

Cman out...
 
I picked up an OK Joe about a month ago for $100 on CL and have used it three times now and love it. I need to do a couple of mods but even without them I can keep it between 220 and 250 with no problems at all.I think mine is an older model as the smoke stack comes out to the top right corner and is straight not the side with an elbow. and the serial number in under 5000.
 
Do yal grill on halls okie joes too or y'all have to keep em seperate
Depends on what I'm cookin Raas. I did some 1.5" Bone in Ribeye steaks on the SFB directly and they came out better than Texas Roadhouse's steaks. I don't think I'll ever need to grill on the smoking chamber side as the cooking area is huge. 
 
I can't add anything to this thread from experience, but I looked at OKJs a couple years ago and was about to buy one when SWMBO convinced me to get the MES. If I were looking to get a wood smoker now, I would consider the OKJ as I think is has a good price point (and I'm poorer than a churchmouse).

I can't find the post, but someone mentioned considering a Weber kettle vs an OKJ. I'd get the OKJ then shop CL for a Weber Kettle. I found a 22.5" one in nearly new condition made in the mid '90s - the one with the ash catcher pot - for $25 last summer. There are lots of folks getting out of charcoal going to gas Weber's. There are enough of them out there that you can be picky if you have the time and patience.
 
There is a big difference from the “OLD” Oklahoma Joe's BBQ, compared to the “NEW” Char Broil Oklahoma Joe's BBQ. First off the OLD was built using 1/4" steel. which will last you a lifetime. Everything about it is lifetime. The NEW Char Broil Oklahoma Joe's BBQ is made of maybe 1/8", if that steel, which once it starts to rust will not last you very long. Now as far as the Horizon BBQ's they are exactly like the OLD Oklahoma Joe's BBQ's. That is why the cost of one is about twice that of the Char Broil model. My recommendation would be to purchase the Horizon and you will not have to by another BBQ ever again. I know that you will not be sorry. Also, as a side note, the NEW Char Broil Oklahoma Joe's BBQ are known to leak smoke which inhibits temperature regulation.
 
The costs of "modding" the new OKJ is a lot easier on the wallet. The Horizon's will cost over $1900 just to be in the game. The one I was looking at came in at $1975 ish and wifey in no uncertain terms said "fuggedaboutit". With small investments like Olive Oil to coat the outside of the grill and a cover, the OKJ will last. You can also buy the BGE gaskets on a roll to seal the OKJ's cooking area.

You do have to do a careful inspection of the unit before you buy and make sure that the unit you pick is the unit delivered. I sent my first OKJ back to Lowes because it appeared that it had been dropped on one side somewhere in the shipping process. Lowes didn't have a problem with that and I actually went to the store, looked at all their floor models and handpicked the best one which they delivered. Once I modded the unit with the gasket and added 3 extra thermometers, I now have a smoking machine and the product this thing produces is to die for. Temps of course have to be monitored as with any offset smoker.

Just like with anything else, the better you take care of it, the longer it will last you. If you got the 2G's for the Horizon, by all means buy it. The weight alone of that beast will set you back quite a bit in shipping costs.

Me, I have a wife and a happy life sooooo......... 

JMHO
 
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