The Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Smoker Grill Combo is a beautiful smoker and gas grill combination cooker that attracts a lot of attention. The idea of a single cooker that can be a wood fired smoker and a gas fired grill is certainly tempting. With a cooker like that you could be slow smoking a brisket on one side and grilling up some ribeye steaks on the other side. That sounds like a great day to me!
The big question though is, “Is the Longhorn Combo worth it?”
Let’s take a look at the grill specifications and customer reviews to see if this is what you want to spend your money on.
This article is meant to help you figure out if the Combo is right for you. However, there are a few things I want to mention before we get into this guide just to let you know where I stand with this grill.
- There are ZERO affiliate links in this article.
- This review is NOT sponsored.
- I get ZERO financial benefit if you buy this grill.
In short, I want to give you the best information possible but do not care whether you buy one of these or not.
Let’s get started!
Longhorn Combo Overview and Specifications
When I first spotted this grill at Walmart I was impressed.
The Combo gives you an offset fire box that you can use as a small charcoal grill or use to feed smoke and heat to the attached smoking side of the unit. You also get a three burner propane grill as well as a dedicated side burner. At first glance this grill looks like it has a lot to offer!
The grill looks rugged and handsome and the badges on this grill are just pretty.
The side burner appears to be put on solidly enough and you will be using it on a regular basis to light your charcoal. A combination grill like this is the only type of grill where a side burner ever actually made sense to me. On most grills the side burner never gets used while on a combo grill it serves as the perfect lighter for a charcoal chimney.
The grates are solidly built out of cast iron that has been coated with a clear porcelain enamel. The grates are thin enough to let you put down some serious grill marks and the cast iron will last a LONG time.
Did I mention that I like the way this grill looks 🙂 Check out the wheels on this thing. SOLID!
The one thing that I didn’t like about this grill is the lack of drainage on the smoker side of the grill. There is a nice grease tray on the gas side of the grill but there isn’t anything equivalent on the smoker side so you are going to have to use a drip pan of some type to have any chance of keeping it clean.
Detailed Specifications
Here is a look at the raw numbers behind this grill.
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Longhorn Combo Specs
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| Smoker Grate Size |
19.25 x 18.5 in (356 sq in)
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| Gas Grill Grate Size |
19.25 x 18.5 in (356 sq in)
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| BTUs | 36,000 |
| BTUs/(square inch) | 101 |
| Weight | 205 pounds |
| Dimensions |
74L x 31.5W x 50.6H (inches)
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| Warranty | Two Years |
| MSRP | $549 |
The gas grill side of the cooker provides just about the same grilling area you get with the two burner Weber Spirit 210 and has burners that provide 35% more heat. This means you should have enough room to grill for a family of four and enough heat to put a decent sear on some steaks.
The gas grill is designed to run off of propane from a 20 pound tank. There is no conversion kit to run the Combo on natural gas.
The smoker side of the cooker offers just about the same amount of cooking area as you get with a Rec Tec RT 340 which means you can easily fit two slabs of baby back ribs and could probably fit in a third if you squeezed them in there!
Oklahoma Joe’s offers the Longhorn Firebox Basket (model # CB053-019) for easier fire management in the fire box. The basket also helps keep coals from laying against the side of the grill which will prolong the life of the fire box.
Customer Reviews of the Longhorn Combo
I compiled all of the customer reviews from Amazon, Lowes and Walmart into a single data set. The final data set (complete as of Jan 9, 2021) had 488 customer ratings and is presented below.
The reviews are okay but not excellent for the Combo.
The Combo has 57% 5 Star and 18% 4 Star ratings for an overall satisfaction rating of 75%. On the other end of the scale the grill has 9% 2 Star and 11% 1 Star ratings which means 20% of owners are unhappy with the purchase. The low ratings for the Combo are in stark contrast with the 90% satisfaction for the offset Oklahoma Joe’s Highland and the 94% satisfaction rating for the Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco.
The biggest complaint about the Combo is that the heat shields and burner tubes on the gas grill section burn out quickly. The paint quickly peels and the grill rusts out. There are also complaints about the heat distribution into the smoker side of the grill.
The biggest problem with “all in one combos” is that by trying to do everything they are not great at anything. They are neither great grills nor great smokers. They are okay at both. This is one of the same problems that makes the Memphis All in One Grill from Pit Boss a disappointment. You can also check out this review for the Pit Boss Charleston and Pro Series 2 1100 pellet/gas grill combos.
Should You Buy the Combo
I am not gong to knock the Combo so bad and say you should never buy one. If you like the way it looks and don’t have unreasonable expectations then it will make you happy.
My biggest issue with the Combo is the $549 price tag and other ways you could spend your money.
You could take the same $549 and spend $299 to get an Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco drum smoker and $250 on a Weber Q 2000. Now, instead of having an “okay smoker” and “okay grill” you will own an amazing smoker and a pretty awesome gas grill.
If I am going to spend $549 then I want something awesome, not something that is just okay.
What About You?
Do you own one of these grills and want to share you experience?
Do you have questions about this grill that this review did not cover?
Either way, leave a comment below and let’s see if we can all learn more together.
