Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker Review
A Thoughtfully Designed Drum Smoker that Balances Capacity, Flexibility, and Real-World Cooking Performance
The Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker is one of those cookers that immediately feels right the moment you start using it. If you’ve never used a drum smoker before, you’ll be in for a treat with this unit. However, there is a bit of a learning curve and a few things to know.
From the overall design to the cooking flexibility (and right down to the small details that improve the experience), it’s clear that Oklahoma Joe’s spent a lot of time thinking through how people actually use a drum smoker in the real world.
And after cooking on it, I have to say: they got a lot right.
Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker.
Drum Smoking Done Right (With One Catch)
One of the biggest advantages of a drum smoker is the ability to hang meat vertically, and that is where the Bronco has a good set-up.
Hanging pork back ribs, chicken, sausages, or other cuts over live-fire hardwood lump charcoal creates a unique style of cooking that delivers excellent airflow, even cooking, and deep flavour development. If you manage things well, the bottom of your ribs won’t be overdone (see below). However, you can also rotate them on the hook (top-to-bottom) mid-cook to lower any risk of that (which is the same for any drum smoker, not just this one).
The Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco comes equipped with three hook hangers and nine hanging hooks, which opens up a lot of possibilities for larger cooks. Depending on the size of your pork rib racks, for example, you could potentially smoke six to nine racks of back ribs at the same time (with the nine small hooks, you would have three fore each for the three hangers). That is a big advantage if you regularly cook for family gatherings, parties, or backyard events. No more cumbersome rib racks on your kamado.
Be careful, however, if you like to smoke side ribs (spare ribs)
If you like to smoke pork side ribs (spare ribs) as I do, however, then you will have to cut them in half in the Bronco. This will reduce the overall number of rib racks you can fit in the unit. When I tried to hang my pork side ribs, the bottom of the ribs were laying the coals, which is obviously not good. There is not enough vertical height inside the Bronco for spare ribs. I tried moving the hook to the third bone, but it still had the ribs nearly touching the coals. Much too close. So I had to cut each rack in half, which uses twice as many hooks.
So just be aware that there may not be enough room to hang side ribs in the Bronco in one piece— depending on the length of your racks. I am still able to hang four racks using eight hooks, when smoking spare ribs (St. Louis cut). If the ash pan was not quite as tall/high, this could have helped a little by adding extra space at the bottom.
The Bronco vents and vent controls allow you to dial in the perfect temperature.
I also hung a pineapple from one of the hooks just to experiment a little (while cooking ribs at the same time), which honestly says a lot about the flexibility of this smoker. The pineapple turned out perfectly, by the way.
Of course, if hanging food is not your thing (or if you want to foil your ribs with a crutch), the Bronco also includes a traditional cooking grate (with 284 square inches of space), giving you the option to smoke or charcoal grill more conventionally whenever you want. The grate is porcelain covered, making it fairly non-stick (which is a bonus). If you want to get more of a sear or high-heat grilling, you can also position the grate to the lower in the drum — where the heat shield would normally rest. That will give you much closer proximity to the coals.
The combination of hanging capability and standard grate cooking makes this a very versatile cooker.
Bronco Accessory storage (include the hook below the hinge for the grate and heat shield).
Smart Design Choices Improve the Experience
One thing I really appreciate is how refined the details are throughout the Bronco.
Everything has a place. The hook storage, accessory storage, airflow management, and fire access all feel intentionally designed, rather than simply added as an afterthought. It is a smoker that feels mature and well thought out and so far there isn’t anything that struck me as missing or out-of-place. All of those hangers and racks have a storage spot right on the unit, as does a handy door to manage the charcoal access — and even a hook on the back to store the grate (and diffuser that also comes with this rig), if you’re not using them.
However, it’s important to note here that the Bronco does not react as quickly to vent changes as a kamado style of smoker. So bear in mind that vent adjustments may take much longer (up to 10 or 15 minutes) than what you are used to if you use a kamado. This may be because of the relatively longer venting pipe structure compared to a kamado style cooker. Either way, don’t walk away until you are very sure the temperature has stabilized after making vent changes.
The charcoal access area (that’s an ash pan beneath the charcoal).
Easy Access Without Disrupting the Cook
Fire management is very well executed. Accessing the charcoal basket (Oklahoma Joe’s notes that this can hold up to eight pounds of charcoal) through the lower front access door makes it easy to recharge charcoal or add wood chunks during a cook without disrupting whatever is smoking above. That is a major advantage during longer sessions because you aren’t constantly lifting lids and losing heat, or having to remove a grill grate to get to the coal bed. So for a long cook like a brisket or pork butt, this is very convenient.
Aside from the long wait times after making adjustments, vent control is also good. The Bronco gives you very precise airflow management capabilities, which is critical on any smoker, and once you get your settings dialed in, it holds its temperature well.
The Bronco cooking grate is 18”.
If I had one minor issue to report, it would be that the lower access door latch on my particular unit is not well aligned. Mine is hard to latch closed most of the time and it takes a bit of effort and multiple attempts to close and lock the charcoal access door properly. It’s a minor frustration, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Hopefully, I will get better at this over time with more use (or I can tinker with it more), but it is worth mentioning. This is one thing I think that they could improve on this unit.
Assembly of the Bronco was fairly straightforward as well. It took me a little over an hour to build the unit from its box, working solo (they recommend two people, but if you’re enterprising and a little handy you can do it on your own). The instructions were generally quite good, although there were a couple of steps where I had to slow down, re-read the diagrams, and think things through carefully. There are steps where two people would be beneficial (and they are duly noted). So if you do decide to do it alone, take care during those steps. I went very slowly and methodically (one involves flipping the unit) and managed to work through it. There was nothing major that I encountered during assembly, and overall the process went smoothly.
Honestly, the worst part of assembly is struggling to remove the gigantic oversized stickers that are all over this smoker. I wish they didn’t do that. It took at least 15 or 20 minutes of extra hassle (along with some Goo Gone) to finally get the stickers off. So be ready for that.
Stock placement of S hooks on the left. My preferred orientation on the right.
One Tip with Respect to the S Hooks
One tip I have has to do with the accessory hooks on the front right side of the Bronco. For some reason, Oklahoma Joe’s has the S hooks facing backwards, meaning to hang your tongs or anything else you have to reach under and hang it from the back side.
This is a minor—but very real—annoyance. However, with a little effort (tilt the hooks) and only a minor scratch to the Bronco (you have to use a little force) you can get the S hooks to face the front, making it much easier to hang and remove anything you like. See photo above for before and after.
Built for Real Backyard Barbecue
Mobility is another strong point of the Bronco. Oklahoma Joe’s equipped the Bronco with large, beefy hard-rubber wheels that make moving it around very easy (on a hard surface, in my case). For a unit with this kind of solid construction, it rolls very well. I would also recommend the custom cover, which is perfectly fitted and well made. There are several accessories as well that you can buy to make it even more flexible, but right out of the box, you are set for just about any smoking or grilling challenge with what is included.
At the end of the day, the Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco feels like a drum smoker designed by people who genuinely understand live-fire cooking. It combines traditional drum smoker performance with smart modern refinements that make the overall experience easier, cleaner, and more enjoyable. Plus, it’s a really nice looking unit and the components feel solid and of good quality.
Have fun hanging things in the Bronco (but be sure to peel the pineapple first).
A Drum Smoker that Encourages Experimentation
Whether you‘re smoking ribs for a crowd, hanging a whole chicken over charcoal, experimenting with different live-fire techniques, or simply looking for a versatile drum smoker that’s enjoyable to use every day, the Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco is an impressive piece of equipment.
Full disclosure, this unit was provided to me to test as part of my global fire Northern Barbecue™ Method of live-fire cooking. That said, if you follow my work, you know that I would not review or recommend any product that did not genuinely perform well in real-world cooking situations. The Bronco Drum Smoker by Oklahoma Joe’s has earned its place in my outdoor kitchen.
By Mike Belobradic
Founder Smoke Fire Grill™ and the Northern Barbecue™ Method of Live-Fire Cooking.