This Oklahoma Joe tries to cover every base


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Here’s a grill that really does try to do it all:

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https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/app/d/saint-petersburg-oklahoma-joes-longhorn/6814171708.html

So, you have a gas grill, a gas side burner AND a charcoal grill. But not only a regular charcoal grill but also an offset charcoal smoker.

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I suspect like most “jack of all trades” things it probably doesn’t really excel at any function. But it is an interesting idea.
 
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I have seen a few different versions of that. Especially the coal burner and gas burner side by side. The offset smoker is less common. But, I think you are really better off with a larger grill when using the offset smoker.

If it was me, I would much prefer two dedicated grills. Those remind me of the old TV's with build in DVD or VHS players. I would rather have the VHS or DVD player separate.
 
Not to mention the fact that the sheet metal is only a tiny bit thicker than tin foil. Fit & finish on every one of those combo styles I've looked at has been awfully bad as well.
 
My Father-in-law had the Chargriller version of this. Always kept it covered
when not in use. Rusted out junk, hauled off by scrappers when it was 5 years old.
However, it could have been scrapped at the end of the 3rd year.
 
Its cheap junk made by Charbroil in China. Designed to sell to the sucker at the big box store.

The cheapening of the Oklahoma Joe name seems to never end.
 
I bought the Char-Griller hybrid and really liked it. I made a lot of good smoked ribs on it. Yea, it had air leaks everywhere and I had to monitor the temps during the cooks, but I didn't mind. And I didn't know then what I know now. I also did a lot of grilling on the charcoal side and the propane side. I liked it so much that when it finally rusted to the point of no return I bought another one.

This is the second one I had when it was new and still looked good.




I got about three years of hard use from both of them. When the second one died I decided that I wasn't going to spend the money on more because of the quality and I would get a better quality dedicated propane, and a second quality charcoal grill/smoker. I found a (what I thought was a) nice propane BBQ at Sams Club and bought it. Then started looking into something for charcoal and smoking. In the meantime I discovered you can smoke on a kettle. So I stopped actively looking for a smoker. Fast forward less than two years and the Sams Club BBQ I bought was rusting out internally. l decided it was a nice grill and I just need to replace some parts to keep it going. When I tried to take it apart to get the bad parts off I realized it had rust on places and parts that could not just be swapped out. At this point I could have taken it back but I was so mad I rolled it out to the curb on one of the bulk garbage pickup days. Someone came by and picked it up before the garbage people even came. I had my kettle and a new performer to keep me going until I found or could afford the good propane I wanted.

That's when I decided that I am going to save up for a *good grill. I was looking into things like Bull, Wolf, Viking, and Weber and discovered this place. It wasn't too long after I joined that an old genesis came home with me.

Fast forward to now and I still have my Genesis, and six projects on the side of my house due to something very contagious called Weberitis that I contracted from here.
 
Jason, they are working on a cure for that ailment. But, last I checked, no one had been cured. There was one guy from Idaho that claimed to be in remission after spending several weeks sleeping in the dog house, but the last report I saw said that it returned with vengeance. The good news is that he and his wife have decided to live with it to make it easier, they have built a pole 20x30 pole barn on the property. The dog is happy too, he has his house back.
 
I wasn't really advocating this grill. I just thought it was interesting and might generate some conversation. I am glad that it has, since it has been a little quiet with our northern friends snowed and cold weathered into hibernation.

If I see something else off the beaten path, I will be sure to post:rolleyes:!
 
Mine did cook good. It just couldn't hold up. For someone that doesn't use it a lot it might last a while. I still had a good condition cover for mine that I gave to a neighbor that recently bought the same grill a couple months ago. Maybe that's why he is trying to give me the Spirit grill.
 
Conceptually, it does have some merit - especially if your spouse can't see why you need more than one grill:eek:!

It is too bad that they apparently didn't use the best choices o materials. This would be a harder than average grill to keep really clean and protected from rust. Still very interesting. If the smoker part "leaks" you can at least use high heat felt or similar material to hold in the heat and smoke better. I would rather have an old Genesis and a cool old kettle, but this grill does have its own unique appeal.
 
There are people that seal up the barrel and smoke box on those grills. But it did a surprisingly good job holding temp once it got settled in a little. Although it had to be a fairly calm nice day for it to settle in. I think they work better than a lot of people give them credit for. The problem is the material it's made of just will not hold up. It's all thin gauge metal that they use. And looking at the one my neighbor got a couple of months ago I think they have gotten thinner than they used to be. The ones I had didn't seem as flimsy as the one my neighbor just bought, and mine only lasted about three years. I don't know if they changed the materials they used to make them, or if looking back I just don't remember mind being that cheap. At least we could have been the same I just don't seem to think it was for some reason.
 
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