Oklahoma Joe's Blackjack: hinged-lid kettle, shelf

Build and cooking surface

The fire bowl and lid are porcelain-coated heavy-duty steel, and the cooking grates are porcelain-coated heavy-gauge wire, both for rust resistance. The 21.5 inch grate gives a 382 sq in cooking surface, a little under a 57 cm Weber but enough for a family meal.

A charcoal tray sits beneath the grate, which the listing says lets you cook either with high heat or low and slow.

Air control and temperature

Oklahoma Joe's lists a 360° air intake system at the bottom and an adjustable smokestack at the top, plus what it calls a professional temperature gauge. The smokestack is a feature borrowed from its offset smokers and gives a single, easy-to-read exhaust control. For indirect cooks, banking coals on the tray to one side and setting the vents low is the usual approach, although the listing does not include a manual for this.

Practical extras and weight

This is where the Blackjack differs most from a basic kettle. It has a modular side shelf and towel bar, a bottom storage shelf and large wagon-style wheels. A removable porcelain-coated ash pan handles cleaning, and the warranty is two years on all parts.

All of this adds weight: Amazon lists 29.5 kg and an overall footprint of about 70 x 99 x 104 cm. It rolls well on its big wheels but is not a grill to lift into a car.

Against the Weber kettles and the smokers

Compared with the Weber Original Kettle 57 cm, the Blackjack trades some grate area for the hinged lid, shelf and smokestack. In the smoker guide it sits next to dedicated offsets like the Oklahoma Joe's Laredo 1100 with 1,100 sq in, and the Weber Smokey Mountain 14.5 in bullet. Those hold more meat for long cooks, while the Blackjack doubles as a capable everyday grill.