Kamado Joe....man I like this thing

berettafan · 07-09-2020, 04:57 AM

Got the classic II a few days ago. Pizza and burgers first night then wings and bone in breasts last night. Sorry no pics of the pizza but I promise it was perfectly cooked.

The chicken really showed off the unique flavor of lump coals. It gets crazy hot and while not terribly easy to manage temps it’s doable I think. Ribs and butts will be a bigger challenge but this puppy is already a winner for hot cooks.

If I can get ribs to come out good I’ll be tempted to let the pellet grill go. Love it but takes up a lot of garage space.

These wings were crispy like they came out of a fryer. All I did was baste with a little butter.

Doing more pizza this week and will get pics.

berettafan · 07-09-2020, 05:47 AM

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Nice and nice size compared to their monstro ones (e.g., Big Joe III)

My pal has the big Egg and it took him a while to get the hang of pizza baking but that was in the beginning. Good that yours turned out great first time.

Enjoy.

berettafan · 07-09-2020, 07:36 AM

I had the advantage of youtube to tell me how pizza works on these. KJ says put your stone directly on top of the stone heat deflectors but apparently that heats it up too much and crust burns before cheese cooks. Put spacers between the deflectors and pizza stone and voila, perfect pizza.

Shuie · 07-09-2020, 08:14 AM

my ceramic is a dedicated smoker. Look into some kind of temp controller if you are going get into longer cooks. I bought the cheapo version of the controller below and it really helped with the consistency of my Q. No more babysitting the cooker messing with the vents or wondering how much temp is flaring up and down.

https://pitmasteriq.com/

vash · vash's Garage

how heavy is that thing? you bear hug it to move it?

berettafan · 07-09-2020, 09:40 AM

She's heavy for sure. Bought a set of moving straps (forearm forklift) at HD to help before we got it off the pallet.

Shuie the long cooks are gonna be the real test. Can't beat the simplicity of pellet smokers for overnight cooks and the flavor is great BUT it sure would be nice to combine the kettle, gas grill and smoker into one appliance. I'm ready to ditch the gasser but wife isn't. Was looking at the 'smobot' as an option. Gonna try some 5-6hr rib cooks to build confidence then move on to a shoulder.

Shuie · 10:21 AM

I posted a thread here a few years ago when I was thinking of ditching my ceramic and going to a pellet smoker. I owe TimT a beer for recommending the controller. I tried the temp controller as a last resort before putting the ceramic on craigslist. That combo worked so well that I am now sure I will never need to buy another smoker. It's so simple, the temp controller is the only thing that could ever break or need to be replaced on it, if the controller does ever break I'm not stopped and just use the vents the old fashioned way to finish the cook, I can always get lump anywhere and it holds heat better than anything else I have ever cooked on once it's up to temp. It works well as a grill too, but mine takes so long to start and get up to temp that I just use it for long cooks.

billybek · billybek's Garage

I like the fact that Kamado Joes come with so many of the accessories included with the purchase of the cooker.
I don't have much trouble with the temperature control on the BGE but the used Broil King Keg had a nasty air leak at the inlet damper and would run away. It is so effective at retaining heat that I find the BGE easier to maintain heat. With the Keg, if it overfires, it is hard to get the temperature down. I probably just need to spend more time with it.
I do use the DigiQ on long cooks like full pork shoulders with good success on the BGE.
Having a kamado cooker is a great hobby that will crank out countless great meals!

berettafan · 07-09-2020, 10:42 AM

Have you guys seen the smobot device? Controls top vent rather than fan. Any thoughts on that vs fan?

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by billybek

I don't have much trouble with the temperature control on the BGE but the used Broil King Keg had a nasty air leak at the inlet damper and would run away.

One of my buddies picked up a Vison Kamado from Sams Club for about $399-$449. He was having trouble, so I bought some of the gasket material and we resealed the control vent on the front, better than new.

I found the same one on a closeout (older model) for $349. Before my first run, I used the gasket material. It has been great!

billybek · billybek's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-beard

One of my buddies picked up a Vison Kamado from Sams Club for about $399-$449. He was having trouble, so I bought some of the gasket material and we resealed the control vent on the front, better than new.

I found the same one on a closeout (older model) for $349. Before my first run, I used the gasket material. It has been great!

Nice! I did reseal the inlet damper frame and it was much much better!

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Kamando Joe II (classic)- 250 lbs
Kamando Joe III (classic) - 232 lbs
Big Joe III - 445 lbs

berettafan has the (Classis II) which may be just a little bigger than the one on the left which I think is the Classic III.

What I want to show is the size of the Big Joe III relative to the normal sized ones. I would hope someone would have a genuine need for it rather than springing big coin for that monster just for bragging rights.

I'm hungry.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

I've actually considered getting one of the small ones, so I can smoke fish for Mrs. Beard at the same time I am smoking beef or pork, for everyone else!

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

You can get a 13" "table top" model for $249

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-beard

You can get a 13" "table top" model for $249

That would be perfect for the wife's fish or my occasional burgers or steaks. I suspect it would not be up for a long haul smoking experience without heavy tending.

I have a small Weber propane grill which is spiffy and frankly, was expensive, but it basically only cooks stuff.

Steve Viegas · 07-09-2020, 12:38 PM

I have a Digiq, similar to what Shuie wrote about. It is amazing and can make the coal last for multiple cooks. I do have a hard time keeping wood burning for the smoke when it is on as it does not allow for much air in the chamber. I am now trying an AMZN smoke maze. Not sure if it is working the way I want yet.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

That would be perfect for the wife's fish or my occasional burgers or steaks. I suspect it would not be up for a long haul smoking experience without heavy tending.

I have a small Weber propane grill which is spiffy and frankly, was expensive, but it basically only cooks stuff.

There would be an advantage in fuel consumption on the small one for small cooks. I can get my lump charcoal grill burning hot in 10 minutes, with MAPP gas and a leaf blower.

cabmandone · cabmandone's Garage

One of those things almost followed me home from Menards today.

And Bob, Weber Smokey Mountain. Fill it with coals and smokin chunks (I use the Minion method), fill the water bowl, fire it up, get it to temp with the meat you're smoking, and then walk away from it.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

There is one form Home Depot, $279, but it includes everything including the deflector stone, stand, etc. 15"/13" grid. Small, but might work for someone in an apartment or condo. Or as a secondary or small unit.