Oklahoma Joe Pellet Smoker Review: Rider 900 DLX vs 1200 DLX

Oklahoma Joe’s sells two pellet smokers in late 2026, the Rider 900 DLX and the Rider 1200 DLX, and the 900 at $799 on Oklahoma Joe’s site and at Home Depot in October 2026 is the one I’d buy. Owners report it does two things most pellet grills under $1,000 can’t: put real smoke on a pork butt and crust a steak at 650°F.

It’s not the most refined grill in my pellet grill reviews. There’s no app, the lid leaks smoke, and you’re told to empty the hopper after every cook. For a cook who wants smoke and searing on one cart and doesn’t care about a phone, those trade-offs are easy to live with.

This page is built from Oklahoma Joe’s spec pages, retailer listings, owner reviews on Home Depot and the barbecue forums, and long-term reviews. My own cook logs will be added with a date.

One lineup note that trips people up. The Oklahoma Joe’s Tahoma is not a pellet smoker; it’s an auto-feed charcoal cooker with a hopper. The pellet grills are the two Riders, both second-generation (Gen 2) units that fixed the auger jams the original Rider was known for.

Who the Rider DLX is for

The Rider 900 DLX suits a cook who wants Saturday pork butts and Sunday ribeyes without buying a second grill. Sear Mode is the reason to buy it. Pull the two heat baffles and the fire pot sits open under the grate, and owners report grate temperatures around 650°F. That’s hot enough for a real crust.

It also suits anyone coming off a Traeger Pro or Pit Boss who wanted more smoke. Owners say the Rider doesn’t struggle to put smoke on meat the way the thin, clean-burning grills do. Part of the reason is a pit that runs a little warm and a lid that doesn’t seal tight, so the smoke comes with those two quirks attached.

Choosing between the two Riders is simple. The 1200 DLX has the same 578 sq in primary grate and a bigger upper rack (1,234 sq in total), plus about 70 lb more steel. If you don’t cook for a crowd regularly, the 900 is the better buy, because the extra space is all on the upper rack.

Skip the Rider if you want Wi-Fi; there is no app on the Gen 2 units. Skip it too if a tight lid matters to you. The leak is cosmetic, but it’s the most repeated complaint.

Rider 900 DLX and 1200 DLX specs

From Oklahoma Joe’s and retailer listings in October 2026:

Spec	Rider 900 DLX	Rider 1200 DLX
Price	$799	$899 at Home Depot (November 2026)
Cooking area	906 sq in (578 primary, 328 upper)	1,234 sq in (578 primary, 656 upper)
Hopper	20 lb QuickDraw with dump chute	20 lb QuickDraw with dump chute
Weight	about 185 lb	about 256 lb
Temperature range	200 to 650°F	200 to 650°F
Warranty	2 years limited	2 years limited

Both use the Pit Control 2.0 PID controller with two chamber sensors (front and back), 25° adjustment steps, and four probe ports with two probes included. Grates are porcelain-coated cast iron. Oklahoma Joe’s Rider FAQ lists the range as 175°F to 650°F plus, slightly wider than the spec sheet. A pellet bucket kit for the dump chute is sold separately.

The 25° step is a quirk. Most grills adjust in 5° steps. Owners who want 240°F set 225°F and accept that the pit runs a bit warm anyway.

How the Rider cooks: smoke, temperature and searing

Owners praise two things, smoke and the sear zone. Reviewers who have cooked on most of the field say the Rider puts a darker bark and a clearer smoke ring on a pork butt than a Traeger Pro at the same set temperature. The fire pot design is part of it, the leaky lid pulling more air is part of it, and the pit running above set point, which burns more pellets, is the rest.

That last point is the main temperature complaint. Owners say the Rider runs warmer than the controller reads, by a modest margin, not the wild swings reported on cheap grills.

Pit tip: Set the Rider 25°F below your target and check with a probe clipped at grate level for the first few cooks. When searing, point the controller at the back chamber sensor so the reading isn’t skewed by the open fire pot.

Searing is where owners get enthusiastic. Remove the baffles, run Sear Mode, and a steak gets its crust in two to three minutes a side over the fire pot. A Traeger Pro has no equivalent. Camp Chef’s standard Woodwind has a flame slide that does a similar job, but the Woodwind Pro needs the $399.99 Sidekick add-on.

Pellet use is average, about 1 lb an hour at 225°F in mild weather and more in the cold. A 10-hour pork butt burns roughly half the 20 lb hopper. The Rider’s odd habit is Oklahoma Joe’s advice to empty the hopper after every cook. With the bucket kit the dump chute makes that a 30-second job, but the auger starts empty next time and startup takes a few minutes longer. Owners in dry climates skip the dump and report no trouble; in humid climates, follow the advice, because damp pellets swell and jam.

Build, controls and the warranty

Build is heavy for the money. The 900 DLX weighs about 185 lb and rolls on rubber-coated wheels with locking casters. It has porcelain cast iron grates, dual grease buckets and a removable ash cup under the fire pot. Owners like the side access panel into the auger, which turns a jam into a five-minute fix instead of a teardown. Gen 1 Riders had a reputation for auger jams; Gen 2 reports are much quieter.

Fit and finish draw the complaints. Some owners report assembly alignment problems and a lid that never sits square, which is where the smoke leak comes from. A few early buyers left scathing reviews. The second generation reads better, but it’s still a Char-Broil-family product with Char-Broil-family quality control, so inspect the lid fit during assembly and contact support then, not after the warranty clock has run.

There is no app. The controller is a PID with a screen and a knob, and nothing more. Some buyers count that as a plus. For overnight alerts, add a thermometer from the best wireless meat thermometers list.

The warranty is 2 years, the shortest among the brands I cover. The Traeger Pro and Camp Chef get 3, Pit Boss 5, and recteq 6 on its big grills.

Rider prices and the alternatives

About $800 for the Rider 900 DLX in October 2026 at Oklahoma Joe’s and Home Depot. The 1200 DLX was $899 at Home Depot in November 2026, $100 more, and bundles with pellets and covers come and go on Oklahoma Joe’s site.

Grill	Price (Oct 2026)	Cooking area	Sear	Wi-Fi	Warranty
Oklahoma Joe’s Rider 900 DLX	$799	906 sq in	Sear Mode, 650°F	No	2 years
Traeger Pro 575	about $800	575 sq in	None, 500°F max	Yes	3 years
Camp Chef Woodwind 24	$749.99	811 sq in	Flame slide	Yes	3 years
Pit Boss lineup	about $400 to $1,000	518 to 1,598 sq in	Flame broiler	Some models	5 years

The Traeger Pro 575 costs the same, with Wi-Fi and the dealer network, a smaller grate and no sear zone. The Camp Chef Woodwind 24 is $50 cheaper with Wi-Fi, a cleaner-running PID, four probe ports and a flame slide, and owners who’ve run both say it makes less smoke than the Rider. The Pit Boss lineup gives more square inches per dollar and a 5-year warranty, with a controller owners report swings more.

For the full field, see the best pellet grills.

First cooks on the Rider

Use the Rider’s two strengths, smoke and searing, on the first few cooks.

• Pork chops on a pellet grill: smoke at 225°F, then pull the baffles and sear in Sear Mode.
• Smoked chicken wings: 225°F for 30 minutes for smoke, then 400°F to crisp the skin.
• Smoked pork butt at 250°F, the cook where owners say the Rider’s bark shows. The pulled pork internal temp chart covers the finish.
• Burgers on a pellet grill: smoke at 225°F, then finish over the open fire pot instead of cranking the pit to 450°F.
• Smoked meatloaf, a 3 lb loaf at 250°F that takes the Rider’s heavier smoke well.

The smoke time calculator gives starting times for each.

Should you buy an Oklahoma Joe pellet smoker?

Buy the Rider 900 DLX if you want smoke and steaks on one grill for about $800 and can live without an app. Buy the 1200 DLX only if you regularly fill a second rack. If Wi-Fi or a longer warranty matters, the Camp Chef Woodwind 24 is the closer match at $749.99, and the Pit Boss review covers the 5-year-warranty alternative.