Oklahoma Joe's Marshal Centerbox Smoker - 23202164

Oklahoma Joe came to my radar as I started using more charcoal in my smoking methodology. After following the blueprint to build a 150 lb pig roasting pit in my back yar from Myron Mixon, I quickly fell in love with the concept of slow and steady and getting in touch with what you are cooking via older style methods. This Marshal Centerbox Smoker is a perfect tribute to our forefathers and how they have poured their blood, sweat and tears into smoking brisket, pork-butts, ribs and so fourth. When it arrived, I was delighted at how well it was all packaged together and how well it fit into my back yard. It was the perfect size to step down from a pig roasting pit and step up from your traditional vertical smoker. The assembly of this by myself took 2.5 hours, however I will note that I am OCD when it comes to bolts being tightened and that there should not be any gaps for that precious smoke to escape from outside of it's correct airpath. Once I was done, I seasoned it for a good six hours, and the following day while watching the tutorial videos that Oklahoma Joe provided, I felt empowered to be able to successfully smoke a brisket for the first time. Overall, this product is beautifully designed, pays homage to traditional smokers and produces great smoked product.

7 users found this review helpful

The Marshal was shipped in a timely fashion without damage to the box or smoker. It is a heavy-duty product that was fairly easy to assemble. The expected OKJ quality was evident right out of the box. There is plenty of grill space and the large-capacity center box delivers plenty of smoke.

6 users found this review helpful

I have been shopping around for a new barrel smoker and when I saw this product, I got very excited. Finally something like a barrel smoker that you can add fuel into. I drove across town to the only store in town that had one in stock, and then spent all night putting it together. The next day when I loaded it full of charcoal to begin the seasoning process, I noticed many flaws. As the smoker began to heat up and run, even more flaws became evident. First of all, smoke leaks out of several different places on the grill that it's not supposed to, including the back corners of the grill, the smoke stack gaps, the firebox itself, the side air supply, and worst of all the lid. More smoke pours out of the lid, than the smokestacks themselves. My barbecue came with the lid, already crooked and not sitting correctly flush on the grill, but even when I force it into the right position and hold it there with my hand smoke still pours out of gaps on the lid. This grill boasts about even heat flow, however, my temperature gauges were about 75° apart at almost all times. Either the heat flow is way off or the temperature gauges were broken from the factory. There are so many air leaks and smoke leaks in this thing that it is impossible to choke off your charcoal. It's just going to burn itself all the way down every time, because even if you shut every smokestack off and every air source off, there are still plenty of leaks for it to burn. There were also many parts that had the paint grinded off. I am thoroughly disappointed. They just don't make things in this country like they used to. With just a little bit of pride and workmanship this could've been a revolutionary smoker design and instead it's just a flimsy piece of garbage that I'm going to have to return to the store. Sad

16 of 20 found this review helpful

I bought this a couple weeks ago and my first time using it went fantastic! It was easy to assemble and is a solid smoker. I made ribs for my first trial run and they came out amazing! The temp control is fantastic!

7 of 8 found this review helpful