Help identifying old Oklahoma Joe

[Timstanek]

Hello, relatively new smoker here.

I recently purchased an Oklahoma Joe that I don't really know much about. I know that it's one of the originals from Perry, OK. But beyond that I'm not sure. It's incredibly heavy, guessing around 400ish lbs.

I saw it's similar to the Banderas that OK Joe makes and also have read about Banderas on the Bandera 101 doc. Not sure what mods I need to make because I'm not sure what differences there are with mine and the ones on in the doc that seem to be made by a different company.

Got it for $80 on Facebook Marketplace. I'm not sure if that was a fair price, but I was happy to get it.

Here are a few pics, maybe you guys can help me out?

https://i.redd.it/837jiylmjrb31.jpg (outside)
https://i.redd.it/eqsjn7dqjrb31.jpg (inside)
https://i.redd.it/mou2hsfvjrb31.jpg (tag)

I can take more pictures if needed.

Thanks!

[Nuco59]

That seems to be a very clean Bandera - an "original" if the tag is any indication. (that's all I could go by- I've had not hands on a real one- just the China produced in the stores these day)

I will leave it to the site's Old Timers to tell you how well you did and how to proceed to get the most out of it.

But you did good.

[FrkYrPrk]

Congrats on the score! It's a good looking survivor, for sure.:clap2:


Mine isn't that old, there are a few differences - I don't see a water pan in yours, it looks like a heat baffle in the bottom of the cook chamber.


What's the inside of the firebox look like? Do you have a fire grate that would keep the coals up off the bottom?



This is a stickburner - I use about a chimney full of lump and two small splits to start it up, then feed it pre-warmed splits about every half hour.


I would run it a couple times with simple cooks - maybe biscuits and fatties for the 1st run to see how even it cooks before I went down the modification trail.

[Timstanek]

Here are a few pictures of the inside:

https://i.redd.it/1a811g9v1pc31.jpg
https://i.redd.it/8u1q4efy1pc31.jpg
https://i.redd.it/8omdr2h02pc31.jpg
https://i.redd.it/dlwelz572pc31.jpg (took heat disperser out for better look)

I was thinking of starting here with improvements/mods:
1) Removing rust with angle grinder brush and painting with several coats of high heat paint.
2) Adding fire brick to bottom of fire box as recommended in Bandera 101 doc.

Is this a good place to start? Am I going to need to make a charcoal box?

In regard to the smoker itself, were these Banderas on the production line like the horizontal smokers? Or were they more like special orders or made in smaller numbers? Not much info out there about all this.

[Huskres]

How do you tell the difference when just looking at pics. Lots of them pop up in the area since I’m in Oklahoma.

[FrkYrPrk]

This thread shows my firebrick and fire basket:


https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3861121#post3861121


Since your fire box only has two grate levels, if you line it, you'll need to suspend the fire grate or basket off the floor to get enough air under the fire.


If you go the firebrick route, try to find them at a tile / stone / brick specialty store. The cost was 25% of the big box hardware stores.


I can't say that lining the firebox made a huge difference in the amount of fuel burned, maybe added 5 or 10 minutes to the time between adding splits to the fire.

[FrkYrPrk]

In regard to the smoker itself, were these Banderas on the production line like the horizontal smokers? Or were they more like special orders or made in smaller numbers? Not much info out there about all this.


I haven't seen too many with the original OKJ serial number tag. I don't know that the original OKJ operation really had a "production line". I would assume the cabinets were made in smaller quantities than the horizontal offsets, since you see more horizontals in the wild.



How do you tell the difference when just looking at pics. Lots of them pop up in the area since I’m in Oklahoma.


Logo on the door: This one has the original OKJ brass tag. New Braunfels have a silver plaque with the outline of Texas to the left side. Mine has a decal that says New Braunfels, which I believe means it was made after the Char-Broil acquisition. The original OKJ firebox intake is different, as is the door latch.

[Willowe1980]

Nice score!!! I have an original 16" offset from Perry. Great little cooker.

[Timstanek]

Ok, I bought some firebrick I'm going to cut to fit here soon. Also going to build a new grate.

I have a few questions though. How much space should there be between brick and new grate. As it stands, there would be 3 inches. Is this too much?

Also, this would put it the charcoal grate a little over an inch from the cooking chamber. Is that too close?

Pics to help: https://imgur.com/a/NgCKWDT/

[FrkYrPrk]

Ok, I bought some firebrick I'm going to cut to fit here soon. Also going to build a new grate.

I have a few questions though. How much space should there be between brick and new grate. As it stands, there would be 3 inches. Is this too much?

Also, this would put it the charcoal grate a little over an inch from the cooking chamber. Is that too close?



3" should be OK - It's airflow space at the start, fills with ash during the cook. I don't think the grate will be too high - you can drop it with some angle iron if you need to tune after a few cooks.

[allenb12]

I owned tow of the Oklahoma Joe smokers from Perry. Both were offsets with the vertical chamber as pictured on the brass tag. A 16" and 20" both made of 1/4" steel. The brass tag looks just like the ones on mine. Bought both at the state fair at separate times. The wheels also look like the ones I had.
The fresh air intake is different from any I saw on a Oklahoma Joe. But I am sure they changed as they progressed. Also when I bought mine all of the grates were expanded metal.

[Timstanek]

I owned tow of the Oklahoma Joe smokers from Perry. Both were offsets with the vertical chamber as pictured on the brass tag. A 16" and 20" both made of 1/4" steel. The brass tag looks just like the ones on mine. Bought both at the state fair at separate times. The wheels also look like the ones I had.
The fresh air intake is different from any I saw on a Oklahoma Joe. But I am sure they changed as they progressed. Also when I bought mine all of the grates were expanded metal.

That's just great info! I wonder if you have any old pictures?

The air intake you're referring is the "OK JOE" pattern punched out? I love that about this smoker. It just reeks of craftsmanship.

I think I'm the 3rd owner of mine. I got it in southern IL. I wonder if mine came from a fair as well? Which state fair did you get yours at? I would guess that there were fewer verticals made than horizontals. That would lead me to believe the verticals might not have ended up in stores. Pure speculation though.

[allenb12]

No pictures that I have found. When I purchased mine at the Oklahoma State Fair I do not think they were sold in stores. This was around 1990. The intake damper was cut with a torch that resembled a figure 8. A corresponding torch cut out was made in the fire box.

[campdude]

Here's what an original New Braunfel Bandera looked like.

https://i.imgur.com/th7Ulxr.jpg

[SMOKE FREAK]

I found this interesting.


https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/check-out-this-email-about-how-to-identify-an-original-okj-unit.257180/


I thought my Longhorn was original till I saw this post.

[ModelMaker]

I have never desired to go the wood burning route, but Lord help me if I ever stumble on to one of those. Just love the looks of it.
If it were me I would send it out for a full sandblast, repaint and reseason and then just get after it.
You be blessed.
Ed