Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Review, Nov(2024)

Looking for Oklahoma Joe’s Highland review? Right in the place to make it simpler for you..

If you are not ready enough to buy the high end smoker. .

But you still want to get something with a value at a low cost. You are good to go with this smoker. 

I have discussed about its quality, thickness, goods and the bads etc…

It is still one of the best Oklahoma Joe’s Smokers out there.

Let’s dive in…;

Explore More on Oklahoma Joe’s Smokers:

– Best offset smokers for beginners
– Portable Oklahoma Joe Smoker
– Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Mods
– Oklahoma Joe Accessories
– Best Offset Smoker for Beginners
– Offset Smoker Mods

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#1 Few things to consider before buying a Offset smoker

Oklahoma Joes Highland Reverse Flow Smoker.

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Built Quality : The material used for building the smoker is important. Leakage of smoke is common if the quality of the smoker material is low. Also cheap smokers can be a nightmare.

Cooking Area Size:  You don’t want to go out of space in your smoker at  parties.

Always its gud to identify the size requirement before you buy..

Portability: What if you want to move the smoker to a new place because of the weather changes.

You should be able to easily do it right. This is important too..

Temperature variations: It is the most important thing to consider. I don’t want my half food to be left uncooked.

Temperature variations are very common in offset smokers. We want these variations to be as least as possible..

Ease of cleaning: Before  every cook it is a good idea to clean up the smoker. But if the process of cleaning is really hard..

It  might not be worth it for many people…

#2 Why Oklahoma Joe’s Highland?

Oklahoma Joe’s Highland is an absolutely a great buy especially if you are starting. To get the built quality and the features at a nominal price it makes it unique from other smokers..

1) Built Quality

Oklahoma Joe’s Highland smoker is made from real steel. It’s heavy and retains heat well..

2) Offset Mechanism

This smoker has two models both normal and reverse  offset mechanisms. Observe the Chimney position carefully.

Offset Smoker 

What it means is that in the normal offset smoker the firebox and cooking chambers are separated..

The smoke travels from the firebox through the cooking chamber and finally exits through the chimney. This is a very direct, traditional and considered very effective way of smoking. .

Reverse Flow

In reverse Flow the smoke is actually reverted back to flow from the other side of the cooking chamber towards the firebox again. This saves a lot of smoke and heat. It is very effective..

5) Cooking

You can easily cook Brisket, Chicken, Turkey, Pork Butt etc. 

The size of the smoker is a decent size of 619 square inches. The main cooking chamber is 35’’ long and has a diameter of 17.8’’.

What it means is that it  can easily occupy around 9 Boston butts (each of 9 pounds) total up to 81 pounds..

6) Firebox Dimensions

The size of the firebox is 17 inches in height and the width is 16. It’s pretty big. You can fill it with half a bag of charcoal at a time.

This can burn up to 16 hours continuously without dumping ashes..

7) Overall Built Quality 

The metal thickness is around 16th of an inch.

It is not very thick in comparison to the expensive ones. But it is thick enough to handle most of the cooking easily. 

And with little care and modification this can last very long…

8) Price 

This is the best part..

With the quality, the features and the effectiveness it’s really hard to get a smoker at the same price category..

Specifications

Brand	Char-Broil
Model Name	15202031
Fuel	Wood /Charcoal
Cooking Space	900 sq in of Total.
Temperature Gauge Type	Lid Mounted
Firebox Door Type	Swing Open
Front Shelf Provided	Yes
Grates Material	Porcelain
Handles	Cool Touch Handles.
Firebox Warming Area provided	Yes
Weight	178 lbs
Wheels Type	Wagon style wheels
Dampers for Heat and Smoke Control provided	Yes

#3 What are the other features of Oklahoma Joe’s Highland?

1) Cooking Grates

Most cooking grates have the problem of cleaning as well as withstanding very high temperatures.

This is not the case in Oklahoma Joe’s Highland.

Oklahoma Joes highland use 2 sets of  porcelain grates with an upper rack. 

These grates can easily withstand 500 degrees and have no problem cleaning..

2) Fire Box Basket

Oklahoma Joe’s provides its own Charcoal box. This can be purchased online. And you don’t have to worry about getting the right sizes..

Charcoal Boxes are important to protect the firebox too. It can also help clean out the ashes in the firebox..

3) Wheels

Unlike other smokers, Oklahoma uses metal wheels . This means that it is sturdy enough to hold the weight of the smoker.  

But it might also mean that it is hard to move around to distances. It might not be a very smooth experience. 

If your requirement is to move around the smoker often then you might need to reconsider..

4) Front shelf

It is a medium sized front shelf. This is to keep the food or any other stuff that accompanies the cooking. 

5) Drip Bucket

While you cook, the food can leave grease, especially the meat. You need some place to collect these greases. For this purpose the Oklahoma Highland provides the drip bucket..

#4 Smoking in Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker

Smoking is easy in highland smoker. Here is  one way of doing it..

Brisket :

#5 Grilling on Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker

Grilling is too possible in Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker. This  might not be very convenient as Oklahoma Joe’s Highland is actually a smoker.
This is how we can do it…

#6 What’s not so good about Oklahoma Joe’s highland offset smoker

So, for people who are looking for zero smoke leakage, this might not be so good. 

You can expect smoke leakages from the highland smoker.

This is very common in low end smokers. 

But still is far better than any of the smokers in its category. 

This is not a problem at all if you are willing to add a few small modifications into it.

If you need some help in modifications check out our detailed guide on “ How to modify Offset  smokers ”

#7 How to use it ?

1) Assembly

It does not come assembled. It needs to be assembled. But the assembly is quite easy and can be done in about 45 minutes..

2) First burn

When you buy any smoker it is always a good idea to leave it heated up empty for some time. This is called First burn.

It is also sometimes referred to as seasoning. 

First burn is required in Oklahoma Joe’s Highland.

You can spray the whole inside of the cooking chamber and firebox with cooking spray.

Light the firebox and leave it burning for 3 hours.
This will burn all the excess oil left behind by the manufacturer.

It  is very important as not doing so may give a negative impact to the smoker..

3) Ash pan

Below the firebox is an ash pan.

As the name suggests it collects the ash. We can take it out and clean the ashes once it is full..

#8 How to modify for maximum output ?

The major issue is the leakage of smoke due to the way the lids are designed. 

Gaskets are an easy way to fix these problems. 

Charcoal box can also be used to improve the flow of air inside the firebox.

Go to our detailed guide on “ How to modify Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker? ”

#9 How is it different from Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn?

The only difference lies in the size. Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn is bigger in size than Oklahoma Joe’s Highland..

#10 Where to buy ?

There are multiple options to buy online. We can buy online directly through the Oklahoma.

#11 Alternatives

In case you are looking for a bigger size of this smoker then you can go for Oklahoma Longhorn Smoker.

Longhorn gives you the similar option of  both normal and reverse flow.

# Conclusion

In conclusion, the Oklahoma Joe’s Highland smoker provides exceptional durability and performance..

It’s a great option for both novice and experienced pitmasters thanks to its strong construction, ample cooking area, and effective heat dispersion.

The adaptable design enables a range of cooking methods, from high-temperature grilling to low-and-slow smoking.

Adjustable dampers and a temperature indicator on the Highland smoker give you fine control over the cooking process.

Overall, it’s a dependable and adaptable smoker that will enable you to consistently produce delectable barbecue..