2017 Kamado Joe Big Joe new features (video)

So here it is finally. I go over all the new features and try to answers most of*the questions that I was asked when I posted pictures about the new changes.*I also*tried to focus on the stuff*I would be thinking about if I was shopping for a new ceramic and mentioned all the things I liked and didn't like.*

I say this in the video but I'll reiterate here. I don't have any kind of a financial relationship with KJ. I'm not trying to get anyone to buy anything. The only thing that matters to me is getting good information in front of bbq fans so that they will find my channel useful and it will hopefully grow. Let me know if you guys have any follow up questions and I'll try to answer them.*

I hope you guys like enjoy the video. For some reason I found this video more difficult to do than any of the others. I'm not sure why. In the end, I think it turned out great (kinda funny)...it just took longer than I expected.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqVEh7j_p3U"]Kamado Joe Big Joe Review | 2017 new features and included accessories - YouTube[/ame]

unzippy said:

Nicely done:grin:

Lucky chap!

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Thanks, man.

gtsum said:

Love the hinge system


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Yeah, me too. I think it's the best improvement out of all of them...at least for me personally.

ssv3 said:

Great video! :thumb: Don't like the firebox but love the rest of the upgrades.

Off topic, so is $1 USD equivalent to 1M Rus Jones dollars? :becky:

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There are some transaction fees involved but that sounds about right. lol.

Turkey said:

I love your vids and sorry, this is O/T... I was wondering why you bought a WSCG when you already owned the Rolls Royce of Kamados in the Kamodo Kamado (instead of buying something completely different like a pellet grill or offset)?

What I am most interested in is how moist the food is off the KK compared to the WSCG and other ceramic cookers that you have used. I am interested in the KK and am wondering if the extra insulation leads to lower air flow and therefore less charcoal usage and (noticeably?) moister food? Sorry if someone has already asked you this before.

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The build quality and insulation of the KK is otherworldly. Like, literally. (Nasa uses similar stuff on the Mars rover and the Space shuttle.) It definitely burns less charcoal on long cooks and that has less air flow and less moisture being lost. If that's important to you, the KK will be right up your ally.

I sold my KK because I realized after the honeymoon wore off that I just didn't love it as much as I do my other less expensive cookers and I had too much money tied up in it not to be in love with it.

Some features that one guy may love...like 3/8 in 304 stainless grates that will last forever...to me in time just felt unnecessarily heavy (bad shoulders), hard to store, and took forever to heat up. I found I actually preferred a cooker that was a little less efficient because it was easier to maintain a steady fire at low and slow temps. I also prefer the Divide and Conquer to the split firebox design of the KK for 2 zone cooking.

Little things like the lower vent placement that was hard to see at night, no tool hooks in the front, the unability to clean out the ash easily, and mobility around the patio for youtube set ups (it rolls well for it's size...but it's still 600 pounds) and some other stuff like that were more important to me than I realized.

I don't talk about this much because I think the KK is a great grill and respect what Dennis is doing...Plus, it's mostly just personal preference. The problem I have is when people ask me questions like you did, and I just say "I prefer a more traditional ceramic" people who have never owned or who are big fans of their own KK's think I'm crazy. But then when I mention specifics people argue with me about what I prefer (I just can't win.lol) That's why I try not to talk about it much...just moved on.

The only reason I brought it up in this video is because the hinge is so similar to the KK. BTW, the KK is better...but the Big Joe quality is surprisingly really, really good. I don't know why that surprised me though. I guess when I saw the latch was smaller than what I was used to, I thought it would be cheap feeling but it's not.

In the end, it all worked out great. I sold it to a guy locally (Dennis even helped me out with that) and got most of my money back. He's thrilled with it. I got most of my investment back (in cash and my MiniMax) and everyone is happy.

Bacchus2b said:

Start cooking already!!!! Kroger in North Texas has Choice Brisket on sale for $1.77 per pound this week so no excuses! :razz:

Actually the Costco Kamado Joe road show will be near me next week in Lewisville, Texas 3-17 to 3-26 and I am very tempted to buy a Big Joe, so curious to know your thoughts!

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I still really like the Summit, but KJBJ has always been my second recommendation for folks who really want a ceramic, felt the Summit is too expensive, or don't want or need the extra features the Summit offers.

I know the old model was 1200 at costco and that's a steal. It would be interesting to see how much more the new model with the extra features will cost at Costco prices.

Turkey said:

Thanks for your detailed replies bosco0633 and Baby Back Maniac. Plenty to chew on and for the price I don't want to make the wrong decision. I often wish that I could test drive BBQ's.

Moisture is very important to me because the cuts of meat in Australia are often sub-optimal for low and slow e.g. pigs are killed when they are younger, smaller and leaner than in the US (and availability of low and slow meats where I live is not as good as the big cities in Aus). I have also bought BBQ's that I loved and surpassed expectations and have experienced the cognitive dissonance caused by buying a fairly high end BBQ that everyone else was raving about that didn't work out for me. Lots to think about!

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Sounds like you have good information and a good grasp of the questions you need answered. Go with your gut. If moisture is the most important consideration, the KK is the way to go. Also, as pretty as it is, it's built like a freaking bomb shelter. Will last a million years.

Turkey said:

The Summit isn't available in Australia, and the higher-end but still affordable ceramics that are imported to Aus are the KJBJ and the Primo Oval XL. Have you tried the Primo before? It seems to get good reviews because of the ability to set up 2 zone cooking.

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I haven't tried it. I do think it's cool though. I seriously considered it because of the 2 zone set up but ended up not buying one because at the time, they did not have a adequate cart to hold it like they do now (salesman wouldn't sell me one...said it would tip and suggested I put it on cement blocks until the new carts like they had now came in). I was also cooking for groups more often and really concerned about capacity. Even though the have expander racks, at that time there was only 4.25 inches between them and I figured out I could get more in the BGE XL with the Adjustable rig set up from ceramic grill store. There was also something about the grates I didn't like. I think there was a bar that ran down the middle of them when it was in the lower sear position if I remember correctly.

Once the Big Joe came out with the Divide and Conquer for 2 zone cooking and the guy I bought my egg from stopped carrying Primo, it sorta took it off my radar due to the price of the full set up. I want to say it was over $2500 fully loaded and the Big joe was half that at Costco.

I've always thought it was pretty cool though and the fact that it was American made appealed to me...though I could see how that might not be as important in your case. lol.