Updated: September 13, 2026

Disclosure: Everything Grill Reviews may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

The Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Series Barrel Grill, model 23302166, is not a traditional covered barrel grill and it is not an offset smoker. It is a hands-on, open-fire charcoal and wood cooker built around two independently adjustable cooking grates positioned above an exposed firebox.

I have been cooking over grills and smokers since 1970, and this style of cooker appeals to a different type of backyard cook than a pellet grill or gas grill. Instead of setting a temperature and walking away, you work with the fire by changing the fuel, coal placement, airflow, and distance between the food and heat.

I have not personally cooked on this exact Firecraft model, so I am not going to invent temperature tests, cooking times, searing results, or long-term durability claims. This review is based on Oklahoma Joe’s current specifications, design, manuals and support information, along with decades of experience cooking over charcoal and wood fires.

Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill at a Glance

What Is the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill?

The Firecraft is basically a backyard live-fire cooking station built around an open barrel-shaped firebox.

That distinction matters. Someone searching for an ordinary barrel grill might expect a hinged lid, fixed cooking grate, charcoal tray, and enclosed cooking chamber. The Firecraft takes another approach.

The fire stays accessible from around the grill, while two round cooking grates attach to vertical stainless-steel elevation poles. Each grate can be moved higher or lower and secured with Oklahoma Joe’s Twist-Lock handle system.

Instead of controlling all your heat with vents and a lid, you can physically move food closer to or farther away from the fire.

That is closer in spirit to traditional live-fire and Santa Maria-style cooking than to a conventional kettle grill.

If that cooking style interests you, also see our Argentine Santa Maria Grill Review for another approach to adjustable-height live-fire grilling.

How Does the Adjustable-Grate System Work?

Grate height is one of the Firecraft’s most important temperature controls.

Lowering food toward the coals increases the intensity of radiant heat. Raising the grate reduces that intensity without requiring you to move the fire itself.

Because there are two separate cooking grates, they do not have to stay at the same height.

For example, you could theoretically:

• Keep steaks lower over stronger heat while vegetables cook higher.
• Start chicken farther from the fire and lower it later for browning.
• Keep finished food higher while another item continues cooking closer to the coals.
• Move delicate food away from a flare-up without disturbing the other grate.

Those are cooking techniques made possible by the grill’s design, not claims that I personally tested those foods on this exact unit.

How Do You Control Heat on an Open-Fire Grill?

The Firecraft gives you several ways to influence cooking intensity:

1. Change grate height. Move food closer to or farther from the heat.
2. Change the amount of fuel. A larger active coal bed creates more heat than a smaller one.
3. Arrange the fire. You do not have to spread hot coals evenly across the entire firebox.
4. Manage airflow. Side dampers provide another way to influence the fire.
5. Add or reduce wood. Wood changes both fire intensity and smoke character.

This is also why the Firecraft is not a set-it-and-forget-it grill. You are the temperature controller.

For people who enjoy tending a real fire, that is part of the attraction. For someone who wants to dial in 250°F and check back several hours later, it may become work instead of fun.

Can You Cook With Both Charcoal and Wood?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s states that the Firecraft can use charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, wood chips, wood chunks, and full log splits.

The company also says charcoal and wood can be used together during a cook.

That gives you several approaches.

Charcoal Only

Charcoal is the simplest place to start because it provides a predictable coal bed for direct grilling.

Charcoal With Wood

You can establish the fire with charcoal and add wood chunks or chips for additional smoke and wood-fire character.

Wood Fire

Full wood splits move the Firecraft farther into true live-fire cooking. That requires more active fire management because a flaming wood fire changes as each split ignites and burns down.

If you have never cooked over charcoal before, our Charcoal Grill Buying Guide explains how charcoal cookers differ from gas, pellet, and other grill styles.

Is the Firecraft Good for Steaks?

Its design is particularly well suited to the kind of high radiant heat used for steak searing.

I am deliberately saying “well suited” rather than claiming a certain steak temperature or searing time that I have not personally measured.

A steak benefits from being able to cook close to a hot coal bed and then move farther away when less intense heat is needed. The Firecraft’s adjustable grate design gives the cook a simple mechanical way to change that distance.

You can also move one grate independently of the other, which is useful when cooking foods that need different heat levels during the same meal.

For other charcoal grills aimed at steak cooking, see our Best Charcoal Grills for Steak guide.

What Else Can You Cook on the Firecraft?

The Firecraft makes the most sense for foods that benefit from direct heat, live-fire interaction, or multiple cooking heights.

Good candidates include:

• Steaks
• Burgers
• Chicken pieces
• Pork chops
• Sausages
• Skewers
• Corn
• Peppers
• Onions
• Other grilled vegetables

The important point is not that the Firecraft magically cooks these foods better than every other charcoal grill. Its advantage is that the cook can quickly change the food-to-fire distance rather than being locked into one grate position.

Can the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Be Used as a Smoker?

It can be used for smoke cooking, but I would not buy the standard Firecraft primarily as a dedicated low-and-slow smoker.

Its basic design is deliberately open. That is excellent when you want direct access to a live fire, but an enclosed offset, drum, kamado, or other purpose-built smoker is designed around containing and directing heat and smoke.

Oklahoma Joe’s sells a separate Firecraft smoking lid. The accessory gives owners another way to contain heat and smoke over part of the cooking area.

That expands the grill’s versatility, but it does not change what the basic Firecraft was built around: hands-on open-fire cooking.

Does the Open Design Have Any Downsides?

Yes. The same open access that makes the Firecraft interesting also creates its biggest compromises.

Wind Matters More

An open fire is more exposed to moving air than a fire inside a covered kettle or smoker. Oklahoma Joe’s even sells a separate Firecraft wind guard, which tells you wind control is a legitimate consideration with this design.

You Need to Pay Attention

Wood and charcoal fires change as fuel ignites, burns, collapses, and turns to coals. If your idea of grilling is setting a temperature and going inside for an hour, this is probably the wrong style of grill.

There Is No Traditional Grill Lid Included

Buyers expecting the usual covered-barrel cooking experience should understand this before ordering. The standard Firecraft’s identity is the open fire.

It Is Not a Small Portable Grill

Oklahoma Joe’s lists the grill at 82.4 pounds and approximately 62.9 inches wide. It is meant to function as a backyard cooking station rather than something you casually throw into a vehicle for a picnic.

Firecraft vs. Kettle Grill vs. Santa Maria-Style Grill

The Firecraft sits somewhere between the familiar backyard charcoal grill and a more traditional live-fire cooking station. That is what makes it unusual.

Two Independent Grates Are More Useful Than They Sound

The Firecraft has 480 square inches of total cooking area, divided between two 240-square-inch grates.

Normally, splitting cooking space could be viewed as a limitation. Here it is part of the design.

Because each grate can sit at a different height, the two surfaces can serve different jobs at the same time.

One might be close to the coals for browning while the second stays higher for gentler cooking. You can also tend the fire without having to move every piece of food off one large fixed grate.

That flexibility is more important than simply quoting “480 square inches” as though all cooking areas work the same way.

Cleanup and Maintenance

The full-size removable ash pan is one of the Firecraft’s practical features.

Oklahoma Joe’s specifically recommends emptying ashes after each cook. Ash can retain moisture, which can contribute to premature rust and deterioration if it remains inside the grill.

Do not empty hot ash into a combustible container. Make sure the fire and ash are fully extinguished and cold before disposal.

The manufacturer also recommends seasoning the grill before first use. That initial seasoning burns away manufacturing residue and begins creating a protective cooked-in surface.

For ongoing interior care, Oklahoma Joe’s recommends maintaining a light coating of vegetable oil on interior surfaces.

A custom-fit Firecraft cover is available separately. With an open steel cooker like this, keeping rain and standing moisture away from it makes sense.

Who Should Buy the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft?

Buy the Firecraft if you:

• Enjoy working directly with charcoal or wood fire.
• Want independently adjustable cooking heights.
• Cook steaks, burgers, chicken, vegetables, and similar live-fire foods often.
• Want easy access to the fire while food remains on the grates.
• Like creating separate high- and lower-heat cooking zones.
• Want the option to burn charcoal, wood, or a combination of both.
• Prefer mechanical fire control over electronics.

Skip the Firecraft if you:

• Want digital temperature control.
• Want a charcoal grill that requires minimal fire tending.
• Primarily cook overnight briskets and other long unattended smoking sessions.
• Need a small portable charcoal grill.
• Want an enclosed grill with a standard hinged lid.
• Do not enjoy learning how a live fire behaves.

Pros and Cons

Is the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill Worth It?

Yes, if you actually want the live-fire experience.

The Firecraft is not trying to outdo a pellet grill at convenience or an offset smoker at enclosed low-and-slow barbecue. Its reason for existing is much simpler: it puts the cook close to the fire and gives you a practical way to change cooking intensity by moving the food vertically.

That is its strongest feature and its biggest dividing line.

If managing charcoal, adding wood, watching flames, moving grates, and reacting to the fire sounds enjoyable, the Firecraft offers a genuinely different backyard cooking setup.

If that sounds like unnecessary work, there are easier grills to own.

Everything Grill Reviews rating: 4.2 / 5 for the right live-fire cook.

This rating is an editorial assessment based on verified design, specifications, versatility, maintenance requirements, and buyer usefulness. It is not presented as a hands-on performance test of this exact grill.

See the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Series Barrel Grill official product page for current manufacturer specifications, accessories and availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cooking space does the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill have?

It has 480 square inches of total cooking space divided between two 240-square-inch cooking grates. Each grate can be positioned independently at a different height above the fire.

Can the Firecraft use both charcoal and wood?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s says the Firecraft can use charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, wood chips, wood chunks and full log splits. Wood and charcoal can also be used together.

How do you control temperature on the Firecraft Barrel Grill?

The main controls are fire size and arrangement, airflow through the dampers, and distance between the food and fire. Raising a cooking grate reduces direct radiant intensity, while lowering it moves the food closer to the heat.

Is the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft good for steak?

The design is well suited to steak because food can be positioned close to a hot charcoal or wood fire for strong radiant heat and then raised farther from the fire when less intensity is needed. I have not personally temperature-tested this exact grill.

Is the Firecraft a smoker?

It can be used for smoke cooking, and Oklahoma Joe’s sells an optional smoking lid, but the standard Firecraft is primarily an open-fire grill. Buyers focused mainly on long low-and-slow barbecue may be better served by a dedicated smoker.

Does the Firecraft have a lid?

The standard Firecraft does not use a conventional full grill lid. Oklahoma Joe’s offers a separate Firecraft smoking-lid accessory for additional covered cooking options.

Does the Firecraft have wheels?

It is not built around a conventional wheeled grill cart. Oklahoma Joe’s lists the unit at 82.4 pounds, so buyers who plan to move their grill frequently should consider that before purchasing.

Do you need to season the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s instructs owners to season the grill before first use to remove manufacturing residue and begin creating a protective cooked-in surface.

Should you remove the ash after every cook?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s recommends emptying ashes after each cook because ash can collect moisture and contribute to premature rust and decay. Wait until all ash and fuel are completely cold before disposal.

Is a cover available for the Firecraft?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s sells a custom-fit Firecraft cover separately. A wind guard and smoking lid are also available as separate accessories.

About the Author

Frank W. Roberts has been grilling since 1970 and has participated in barbecue cookoffs. Everything Grill Reviews combines more than five decades of outdoor-cooking experience with manufacturer documentation and buyer-focused research. When Frank has not personally cooked on a specific grill, the review says so rather than presenting research as hands-on testing.

Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Series Barrel Grill Review: Is Open-Fire Cooking Worth It?

Updated: September 13, 2026

Disclosure: Everything Grill Reviews may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

The Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Series Barrel Grill, model 23302166, is not a traditional covered barrel grill and it is not an offset smoker. It is a hands-on, open-fire charcoal and wood cooker built around two independently adjustable cooking grates positioned above an exposed firebox.

I have been cooking over grills and smokers since 1970, and this style of cooker appeals to a different type of backyard cook than a pellet grill or gas grill. Instead of setting a temperature and walking away, you work with the fire by changing the fuel, coal placement, airflow, and distance between the food and heat.

I have not personally cooked on this exact Firecraft model, so I am not going to invent temperature tests, cooking times, searing results, or long-term durability claims. This review is based on Oklahoma Joe’s current specifications, design, manuals and support information, along with decades of experience cooking over charcoal and wood fires.

Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill at a Glance

What Is the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill?

The Firecraft is basically a backyard live-fire cooking station built around an open barrel-shaped firebox.

That distinction matters. Someone searching for an ordinary barrel grill might expect a hinged lid, fixed cooking grate, charcoal tray, and enclosed cooking chamber. The Firecraft takes another approach.

The fire stays accessible from around the grill, while two round cooking grates attach to vertical stainless-steel elevation poles. Each grate can be moved higher or lower and secured with Oklahoma Joe’s Twist-Lock handle system.

Instead of controlling all your heat with vents and a lid, you can physically move food closer to or farther away from the fire.

That is closer in spirit to traditional live-fire and Santa Maria-style cooking than to a conventional kettle grill.

If that cooking style interests you, also see our Argentine Santa Maria Grill Review for another approach to adjustable-height live-fire grilling.

How Does the Adjustable-Grate System Work?

Grate height is one of the Firecraft’s most important temperature controls.

Lowering food toward the coals increases the intensity of radiant heat. Raising the grate reduces that intensity without requiring you to move the fire itself.

Because there are two separate cooking grates, they do not have to stay at the same height.

For example, you could theoretically:

• Keep steaks lower over stronger heat while vegetables cook higher.
• Start chicken farther from the fire and lower it later for browning.
• Keep finished food higher while another item continues cooking closer to the coals.
• Move delicate food away from a flare-up without disturbing the other grate.

Those are cooking techniques made possible by the grill’s design, not claims that I personally tested those foods on this exact unit.

How Do You Control Heat on an Open-Fire Grill?

The Firecraft gives you several ways to influence cooking intensity:

1. Change grate height. Move food closer to or farther from the heat.
2. Change the amount of fuel. A larger active coal bed creates more heat than a smaller one.
3. Arrange the fire. You do not have to spread hot coals evenly across the entire firebox.
4. Manage airflow. Side dampers provide another way to influence the fire.
5. Add or reduce wood. Wood changes both fire intensity and smoke character.

This is also why the Firecraft is not a set-it-and-forget-it grill. You are the temperature controller.

For people who enjoy tending a real fire, that is part of the attraction. For someone who wants to dial in 250°F and check back several hours later, it may become work instead of fun.

Can You Cook With Both Charcoal and Wood?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s states that the Firecraft can use charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, wood chips, wood chunks, and full log splits.

The company also says charcoal and wood can be used together during a cook.

That gives you several approaches.

Charcoal Only

Charcoal is the simplest place to start because it provides a predictable coal bed for direct grilling.

Charcoal With Wood

You can establish the fire with charcoal and add wood chunks or chips for additional smoke and wood-fire character.

Wood Fire

Full wood splits move the Firecraft farther into true live-fire cooking. That requires more active fire management because a flaming wood fire changes as each split ignites and burns down.

If you have never cooked over charcoal before, our Charcoal Grill Buying Guide explains how charcoal cookers differ from gas, pellet, and other grill styles.

Is the Firecraft Good for Steaks?

Its design is particularly well suited to the kind of high radiant heat used for steak searing.

I am deliberately saying “well suited” rather than claiming a certain steak temperature or searing time that I have not personally measured.

A steak benefits from being able to cook close to a hot coal bed and then move farther away when less intense heat is needed. The Firecraft’s adjustable grate design gives the cook a simple mechanical way to change that distance.

You can also move one grate independently of the other, which is useful when cooking foods that need different heat levels during the same meal.

For other charcoal grills aimed at steak cooking, see our Best Charcoal Grills for Steak guide.

What Else Can You Cook on the Firecraft?

The Firecraft makes the most sense for foods that benefit from direct heat, live-fire interaction, or multiple cooking heights.

Good candidates include:

• Steaks
• Burgers
• Chicken pieces
• Pork chops
• Sausages
• Skewers
• Corn
• Peppers
• Onions
• Other grilled vegetables

The important point is not that the Firecraft magically cooks these foods better than every other charcoal grill. Its advantage is that the cook can quickly change the food-to-fire distance rather than being locked into one grate position.

Can the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Be Used as a Smoker?

It can be used for smoke cooking, but I would not buy the standard Firecraft primarily as a dedicated low-and-slow smoker.

Its basic design is deliberately open. That is excellent when you want direct access to a live fire, but an enclosed offset, drum, kamado, or other purpose-built smoker is designed around containing and directing heat and smoke.

Oklahoma Joe’s sells a separate Firecraft smoking lid. The accessory gives owners another way to contain heat and smoke over part of the cooking area.

That expands the grill’s versatility, but it does not change what the basic Firecraft was built around: hands-on open-fire cooking.

Does the Open Design Have Any Downsides?

Yes. The same open access that makes the Firecraft interesting also creates its biggest compromises.

Wind Matters More

An open fire is more exposed to moving air than a fire inside a covered kettle or smoker. Oklahoma Joe’s even sells a separate Firecraft wind guard, which tells you wind control is a legitimate consideration with this design.

You Need to Pay Attention

Wood and charcoal fires change as fuel ignites, burns, collapses, and turns to coals. If your idea of grilling is setting a temperature and going inside for an hour, this is probably the wrong style of grill.

There Is No Traditional Grill Lid Included

Buyers expecting the usual covered-barrel cooking experience should understand this before ordering. The standard Firecraft’s identity is the open fire.

It Is Not a Small Portable Grill

Oklahoma Joe’s lists the grill at 82.4 pounds and approximately 62.9 inches wide. It is meant to function as a backyard cooking station rather than something you casually throw into a vehicle for a picnic.

Firecraft vs. Kettle Grill vs. Santa Maria-Style Grill

The Firecraft sits somewhere between the familiar backyard charcoal grill and a more traditional live-fire cooking station. That is what makes it unusual.

Two Independent Grates Are More Useful Than They Sound

The Firecraft has 480 square inches of total cooking area, divided between two 240-square-inch grates.

Normally, splitting cooking space could be viewed as a limitation. Here it is part of the design.

Because each grate can sit at a different height, the two surfaces can serve different jobs at the same time.

One might be close to the coals for browning while the second stays higher for gentler cooking. You can also tend the fire without having to move every piece of food off one large fixed grate.

That flexibility is more important than simply quoting “480 square inches” as though all cooking areas work the same way.

Cleanup and Maintenance

The full-size removable ash pan is one of the Firecraft’s practical features.

Oklahoma Joe’s specifically recommends emptying ashes after each cook. Ash can retain moisture, which can contribute to premature rust and deterioration if it remains inside the grill.

Do not empty hot ash into a combustible container. Make sure the fire and ash are fully extinguished and cold before disposal.

The manufacturer also recommends seasoning the grill before first use. That initial seasoning burns away manufacturing residue and begins creating a protective cooked-in surface.

For ongoing interior care, Oklahoma Joe’s recommends maintaining a light coating of vegetable oil on interior surfaces.

A custom-fit Firecraft cover is available separately. With an open steel cooker like this, keeping rain and standing moisture away from it makes sense.

Who Should Buy the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft?

Buy the Firecraft if you:

• Enjoy working directly with charcoal or wood fire.
• Want independently adjustable cooking heights.
• Cook steaks, burgers, chicken, vegetables, and similar live-fire foods often.
• Want easy access to the fire while food remains on the grates.
• Like creating separate high- and lower-heat cooking zones.
• Want the option to burn charcoal, wood, or a combination of both.
• Prefer mechanical fire control over electronics.

Skip the Firecraft if you:

• Want digital temperature control.
• Want a charcoal grill that requires minimal fire tending.
• Primarily cook overnight briskets and other long unattended smoking sessions.
• Need a small portable charcoal grill.
• Want an enclosed grill with a standard hinged lid.
• Do not enjoy learning how a live fire behaves.

Pros and Cons

Is the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill Worth It?

Yes, if you actually want the live-fire experience.

The Firecraft is not trying to outdo a pellet grill at convenience or an offset smoker at enclosed low-and-slow barbecue. Its reason for existing is much simpler: it puts the cook close to the fire and gives you a practical way to change cooking intensity by moving the food vertically.

That is its strongest feature and its biggest dividing line.

If managing charcoal, adding wood, watching flames, moving grates, and reacting to the fire sounds enjoyable, the Firecraft offers a genuinely different backyard cooking setup.

If that sounds like unnecessary work, there are easier grills to own.

Everything Grill Reviews rating: 4.2 / 5 for the right live-fire cook.

This rating is an editorial assessment based on verified design, specifications, versatility, maintenance requirements, and buyer usefulness. It is not presented as a hands-on performance test of this exact grill.

See the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Series Barrel Grill official product page for current manufacturer specifications, accessories and availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cooking space does the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft Barrel Grill have?

It has 480 square inches of total cooking space divided between two 240-square-inch cooking grates. Each grate can be positioned independently at a different height above the fire.

Can the Firecraft use both charcoal and wood?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s says the Firecraft can use charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, wood chips, wood chunks and full log splits. Wood and charcoal can also be used together.

How do you control temperature on the Firecraft Barrel Grill?

The main controls are fire size and arrangement, airflow through the dampers, and distance between the food and fire. Raising a cooking grate reduces direct radiant intensity, while lowering it moves the food closer to the heat.

Is the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft good for steak?

The design is well suited to steak because food can be positioned close to a hot charcoal or wood fire for strong radiant heat and then raised farther from the fire when less intensity is needed. I have not personally temperature-tested this exact grill.

Is the Firecraft a smoker?

It can be used for smoke cooking, and Oklahoma Joe’s sells an optional smoking lid, but the standard Firecraft is primarily an open-fire grill. Buyers focused mainly on long low-and-slow barbecue may be better served by a dedicated smoker.

Does the Firecraft have a lid?

The standard Firecraft does not use a conventional full grill lid. Oklahoma Joe’s offers a separate Firecraft smoking-lid accessory for additional covered cooking options.

Does the Firecraft have wheels?

It is not built around a conventional wheeled grill cart. Oklahoma Joe’s lists the unit at 82.4 pounds, so buyers who plan to move their grill frequently should consider that before purchasing.

Do you need to season the Oklahoma Joe’s Firecraft?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s instructs owners to season the grill before first use to remove manufacturing residue and begin creating a protective cooked-in surface.

Should you remove the ash after every cook?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s recommends emptying ashes after each cook because ash can collect moisture and contribute to premature rust and decay. Wait until all ash and fuel are completely cold before disposal.

Is a cover available for the Firecraft?

Yes. Oklahoma Joe’s sells a custom-fit Firecraft cover separately. A wind guard and smoking lid are also available as separate accessories.

About the Author

Frank W. Roberts has been grilling since 1970 and has participated in barbecue cookoffs. Everything Grill Reviews combines more than five decades of outdoor-cooking experience with manufacturer documentation and buyer-focused research. When Frank has not personally cooked on a specific grill, the review says so rather than presenting research as hands-on testing.