Bronco Pro Drum Style Charcoal Smoker and Grill in Orange

Well I thought it was time to write a review for The Bronco Pro I picked up last June. I am a hobbyist smoker. I usually smoke 2-3 times a month in summer less in winter. For the past 8 years I have been using a very high quality pellet smoker exclusively. I loved the ease of use but never was really happy with the amount of smoke my cooks were getting. I even purchased pellet smoke tubes to try to add more flavor. I still wasn’t happy. My main meat to smoke are baby back ribs. My entire family loves them and smoking them a few times of month never gets complaints! I debated getting an off-set smoker but a friend told me to check out the Bronco. I knew off-set smokers are to go-to smoker for Pros I also know they need a lot of attention while smoking to keep temps steady. That made me a bit nervous. He said the Bronco was easier to use and a great stepping stone to the off-set. So back in June 20’ I tried my 1st smoke on the Bronco Pro. 4 racks baby backs hanging. Loaded up the coal bin and added 4 wood chunks of hickory. I was a bit nervous on being able to keep the temp at 210-230. After about 30 min. of startup I was seriously amazed how well it was keeping a steady temp. I thought I was going to have to stay by the smoker to regulate temps but after the 1st hour I realized once you get the in/out take set the Bronco holds temps only fluctuating only 3-5 degrees. Being able to hold a temp with minimal attention was a bonus. I did not add BBQ sauce while smoking. Choosing to have them bare and add sauce after they rested. I have to say the ribs were incredible! I didn’t even put sauce on them (they were rubbed well) My 13 year old son who usually soaks his ribs in BBQ sauce didn’t either! The smoke flavor was awesome. Finally I smoked a rib that looked like it was smoked LOL! Since June I have smoked ribs 10-12 times and every time consistent temps, consistent smokes & consistent awesome Ribs! I have also smoked a few full Packer Briskets. I was a bit worried about running out of coal/wood in the basket during a long smoke. After my 1st Brisket was finished, I think around 12-14 hrs the basket was still 1/3 full of charcoal! I could not believe it. Since getting the Bronco I have not smoked meat on my pellet grill. I have only used it for appetizers during a few back yard parties. My only cons are a bit of grease leaking out the seams, which did get better after more use. And the gasket between the lid & the body comes loose once in a while. Trying to figure out a way to secure it better. All in all I could not be happier with my Bronco Pro. Highly Recommended!!!

Normally I wait a few months to review a product like this, but I also own a regular Bronco and a Judge grill, so I have experience with Oklahoma Joe's products. I absolutely love my regular Bronco, it's my go to cooker for day to day grilling and smoking. It's my favorite of 10 cookers owned because it offers outstanding bang for the buck. This Pro is basically just a larger version of my favorite, and based on the burn in temp results I expect this device to perform every bit as well as the smaller Bronco. I did consider a couple other 55 gallon size drum smokers, but ended up with the Pro mostly because it not only will smoke as well as those other ones, it has grilling capability that is far better. The sealed lid and the two dampers give superior temp control. Having a grate that is accessible without having to reach down into a hole to turn/flip foods is a benefit. The mobility from the large diameter wheels is far better than the tiny casters most competitors offer. All in all, the Pro meets or beats the drums on every point. So, why only 4 stars? Nothing about the regular Bronco disappointed me, this one has a couple things that are not up to that standard. The orange color is really fun and adds interest. Unfortunately the lid and the bottom drum section are one shade of orange and the center piece is a different shade. Doesn't affect the cook, just looks bush league. If you get the black version then this complaint goes away. The other annoyance is the ash pan support ring. On the regular Bronco it sits flat on the drum floor dead center. On the Pro it can't do that because the fasteners for the legs interfere. While it's not a real operational problem for the fire box/ash collector to be just slightly offset during a cook the problem is when the cooker is tilted on the wheels to move it. The fire box components end up sliding around rather than being held in place as happens on the regular Bronco. Both those are admittedly nits being picked. But starting with the regular Bronco spoiled me I guess, I expect the Pro to be it's equal, just larger. Bottom line is this is a cooker, and there is no reason it shouldn't cook just as well as the regular, I guess I'm just fussy.

This is my 3rd OKJ barrel smoker. I use the regular Bronco 3-4 times a week, and it’s my main smoker for just about everything. Decided to finally upgrade to the Bronco Pro and I’m glad that I did. Love the color but more importantly I love the extra cooking space. The Bronco has surpassed all of my expectations!

I bought this about a month ago. I haven't had a charcoal grill in a long time. But I have used it twice, and the perfect grilling made me a star!

just got aweek ago,easy to put togeather,only problom was gasket on lid fryed in shiping but no leaks. love this thing