Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Drum Smoker: 15 Hours On A Single Load Of Charcoal

https://www.bbqdryrubs.com/oklahoma-j... I ran a little test to see how long the Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Drum Smoker could run on a single load of charcoal and ended up getting 15 hours of burn time. The most important trick to getting a long burn time on the Bronco is to light the charcoal from the side of the charcoal bed and NOT in the middle. If you light the charcoal in the middle of the bed then you will only be able to get 6-7 hours before you are out of fuel. The outlet vent was kept 100% open for the entire cook session. The inlet air vent started out at 1/3 open and was gradually opened more during the cook as needed. Ideally the inlet air vent would not need to be adjusted but since you can't reach the charcoal to knock off the ashes I think the cooker does not use air as efficiently as the cook progresses. If you do not want to adjust the vents then it should be simple to connect a digitally controlled blower like a BBQ Guru to the inlet air vent to maintain a constant temperature. The Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Drum Smoker is well insulated and, as long as you are not opening the lid very often, does not need a lot of fuel to maintain low smoking temperatures. Getting a long burn time from a single load of charcoal is important because refilling the charcoal basket on the Bronco is not easy to do in the middle of a cook. If you want to smoke large cuts of meat like a brisket or some pork butts then you will need to follow this technique. The ease of getting long smoke times combined with the affordability of the product makes the Bronco one of the best smokers for beginners. Another reason that the Bronco is great for beginners is because it is highly versatile and gives you options like hanging ribs from the meat hooks over open flames for an entirely new style of cooking.