Just ran across this today. A new improved version of the Oklahoma Joe Bronco - which is, or was, a drum smoker.
Smoke like the pros with the Oklahoma Joe’s® Bronco Drum Smoker & Grill
www.oklahomajoes.com
I bought one of these six years ago, and it's a great vertical smoker. It looked like this.
Here is a Weber Smokey Mountain, which is a water/bullet smoker, for comparison. These are very popular.
This original OK Joe drum smoker puts new meaning in the phrase "tight as a drum" because it is tight, it has no leaks. The air enters below and comes out above. But mine is a drum or a pit in the purest form; it is a cylinder with a flat top and a flat bottom and no doors. The top opens on a hinge. The lid has insulation around it just like on a kitchen oven door. It doesn't leak and it accepts temperature probes without pinching the cables. It's made of very thick steel and weighs 140 lbs which is why it comes with wheels.
I can cook a brisket all night on my Bronco without a fan or an alarm. Just stabilize the temp and go to bed. Eight hours later, it's still running just like you left it.
I love it, it makes great juicy smoked bbq. But even so, I always thought it would benefit from a round top, such as what's on the Weber Smoky Mountain. The WSM benefits from the round top because when the heat rises from one area of the bottom of the pit (e.g. the front), the heat hits the curved ceiling of the top and circulates around to the other side (the back), providing a more even cook than a flat top. However, it also has a door on the side, which is a source of leaks, and it tends to leak at the lid as well. The door is nice to maintain the fire, but it does leak heat and smoke. However, the WSM is not a drum smoker - it's a bullet smoker aka a water smoker, and so that's different. Very similar since it's vertical, but still different.
A drum is heavy, it has a flat top and no doors. It usually doesn't come with a water pan, but can be purchased and used as an accessory.
A water/bullet smoker is lighter weight, rounded top, includes doors, and comes with a water pan. A water pan is deemed necessary due to the thin walls of a water/bullet smoker - a water pan will allow the cook to more easily stabilize the cooker temp via thermal density as well as provide moisture. But one can still cook without a water pan on a well built water/bullet smoker such as the WSM.
So, I would consider this new model OK Joe Bronco to be a hybrid of the water/bullet smoker and the drum smoker, taking the best of both. I love that the side door of the new model of the Bronco is wide enough to conveniently completely remove or install the charcoal pan and the ash pan. The whole pan just swings out on a hinge. Are you kidding me?
Both these smokers, the 18" WSM and the Bronco were already rated five-star smokers at
www.amazingribs.com, but that was before this new model was released. I suspect this new model will be very favorably reviewed. At $400, it's a pretty good deal. But now, apparently, you can get the older version for under $300. I paid $300 for mine six years ago.
Spring is coming! If you're in the market for a new smoker, you might take a serious look at this new Oklahoma Joe Bronco.
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