Thinking of upgrading to a Kamado. ??

mattmountz94

mattmountz94

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My gas grill is unfortunately losing its battle and will very soon lose its life. It had a good run for a cheap $200 charbroil that sat out through all the elements for 6yrs.

I was set on replacing it with another gas grill simply due to the ease of startup on weeknights. But recent threads keep provoking me to the world of Kamados. So i have a few questions.. Bare in mind i have a yoder for smoking, so i am looking at the Kamado more for the grilling.

I currently have a kettle which i love but it seems to take forever to get going. I'm talking like 30-45mins till i can throw the first burger on or so forth. From lighting the chimney waiting till it ashes over and dumping it in the grill. What is the startup time on a Kamado? I would think you could use a weed burner to speed up the process?

The other night i made chicken on the roti on the kettle and it was cold out. Maybe 25degrees with 20mph winds. While it held temps good i burned through at least 2-3 chimneys of charcoal for the 2hrs the grill was on. Is fuel consumption much better on a kamado? Same with high heat cooking. I can cook hot on the kettle but it takes a ton of charcoal even in the summer to really get it blazing.

I don't think i will miss the gasser just want to make sure the Kamado has benefits over my standard kettle. When i told the wife i wanted one she asked what is different from what you have now. Hoping you guys and gals give some good answers so i can explain to her how it's not different then the 50 purses she has.

FYI looking at the Kamado Big Joe, as i normally have people over all the time during summer. Seems the big joe has the best bang for buck
 
Primo oval xl for 8 years or so here. I can be ready to cook in 15 minutes. Wind doesn't have much effect on a kamado due to the ceramic construction and the air tight construction. I think the big joe is the best value out there. Can't go wrong with a kamado for grilling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Here are just a few things to consider.

brand loyalty, price, color, origin (country) of manufacture, oval versus round, included accessories, warranty etc etc etc. list these by importance to you- this will get you heading in the general direction of a decision.
 
Dang that's a lot of charcoal. My kettle never uses that much. My kettle was always quicker to be ready to cook then my kamado.

I had a big Joe. I'm probably in the minority but I like my kettle more then ceramics.
I cooked on a primo, I did like the oval shape but the big Joe can hold a lot also and I like the divide and conquer. The big Joe has just been upgraded so the new price is $1999.

They are fuel efficient when smoking lower temp but I seemed to go through lump pretty quick when cooking briskets at 300. Which ever ceramic you get I recommend the xl size. The 18 inch grids are to small for my liking. That's just my opinion. I did like my big Joe. I just wanted a cabinet for smoking and use my kettle for grilling so that's why I sold it.

I also had a grill dome before. I know all ceramics crack but the grill dome fireboxes were the worst. One cook and that think would crack. I went through quite a few of them and the owner would always try and put the blame on the user. Saying you must have not shut it down right or your indirect plate may be to big.
 
Hi Matt I just purchased a Akorn to learn and see if I liked it. so far I'm thinking that I should have done this years ago. low and slow 225 deg. for 9.5 hr.s while 16 deg. temps with half a chimney. I can only see a BGE in my future I knew this was going to get costly. good luck with your search. hope this helps George...
 
Matt aren't you grilling on the Yoder with the split diffuser and Grill Grates? If you do I'd like to here why you would rather grill on something else? Thinking of getting a PG but going back and forth whether I need to be able to get a unit that can be setup for direct grilling or not.
 
KevinJ said:
Matt aren't you grilling on the Yoder with the split diffuser and Grill Grates? If you do I'd like to here why you would rather grill on something else? Thinking of getting a PG but going back and forth whether I need to be able to get a unit that can be setup for direct grilling or not.
Click to expand...

No I use it strictly for smoking. I didn't get the grill grates with it and I like keeping the bottom clean. From what I have read better off grilling on something else so I never tried. Just doesn't even remind me of a good grill setup. One spot with direct heat. Just looks like unevenly cooked food in my mind
 
jsperk said:
Dang that's a lot of charcoal. My kettle never uses that much. My kettle was always quicker to be ready to cook then my kamado.

I had a big Joe. I'm probably in the minority but I like my kettle more then ceramics.
I cooked on a primo, I did like the oval shape but the big Joe can hold a lot also and I like the divide and conquer. The big Joe has just been upgraded so the new price is $1999.

They are fuel efficient when smoking lower temp but I seemed to go through lump pretty quick when cooking briskets at 300. Which ever ceramic you get I recommend the xl size. The 18 inch grids are to small for my liking. That's just my opinion. I did like my big Joe. I just wanted a cabinet for smoking and use my kettle for grilling so that's why I sold it.

I also had a grill dome before. I know all ceramics crack but the grill dome fireboxes were the worst. One cook and that think would crack. I went through quite a few of them and the owner would always try and put the blame on the user. Saying you must have not shut it down right or your indirect plate may be to big.
Click to expand...

Yea for me the roti really needs the charcoal. I was running 375 but there is a lot of leakage around the ring. Same thing when I want to grill a steak, one full chimney only gets me to around 400-450 on a good day. So I generally use well over 1 to grill a few steaks and then when I shut it down I get alittle bit of unused charcoal but nothing to exciting
 
Hi Matt
I’ve had my Classic Joe now for three years, easy to use, loads of different cooking options and great temperature control great for high temperature grilling/searing. I’ve even made my own rotisserie for it. I use it all year round, snow, rain or shine. I do use it for smoking, (wood chips in a metal tube and not burnt directly on the coals) its very easy to control low temperatures but I suspect here in the UK what we class as smoked is a mile away from the real American way.

The biggest factor I have found that affects start up time and temperature is the quality of charcoal, I only use good quality restaurant grade which is at least double the price of some of the branded, I never use brickets either. I’ve always used a chimney to start all my BBQ’s so start up times are always very similar.

Gavin
 
I have a big joe and I love it, but if you dislike the kettle due to time it takes to get going I really don't know that a Kamado is what your looking for.

I guess if you use a weedburner you could have it rocketed up to grilling temps pretty quick. The fastest I get mine ready to grill is about 20 minutes (bare minimum). That's a full chimney burned for 15 minutes and dumped in then at least 5 to see where the temp is. 30 minutes is more average.

FYI.just saw the big joe at Costco (road show) for $1199
 
Thanks for the feedback Matt and good luck in your search for a Kamado.
 
Great idea! I have an Akorn. While not ceramic (and, by extension, much less $$$$), it has drastically changed my game. Heats up quick, holds temps real well, and most importantly, it can be used in a number of ways (low and slow, cold smoke, vortex, straight grilling, etc). My wife asked the other day why I don't use my other cookers as much these days....
 
I've got the regular size Kamado Joe. I can be cooking in 15 minutes, but I use a Wagner Paint Stripping gun (costs about 20 bucks from Amazon or Home Depot). I get the charcoal lit in a few spots if I want to get it up to temp quick- or want to exceed 300 or so. They are easy to clean up after you are done cooking as well since all you do is open up the vents and let 'er rip- -scrape the hot grates, and then shut all the vents to save some of the charcoal. The only issue I had with it was for smoking and lack of capacity- -but sounds like you've already got a solution for that with the Yoder.

Oh- also, I got mine before the divide and conquer came out- so I ordered the adjustable rig extender from ceramic grill store out in texas. it was made for the bge, but I shaved down my fire ring to make it all fit. I really like the flexibility of cooking at different heights/options.
 
fnjay said:
I have a big joe and I love it, but if you dislike the kettle due to time it takes to get going I really don't know that a Kamado is what your looking for.

I guess if you use a weedburner you could have it rocketed up to grilling temps pretty quick. The fastest I get mine ready to grill is about 20 minutes (bare minimum). That's a full chimney burned for 15 minutes and dumped in then at least 5 to see where the temp is. 30 minutes is more average.

FYI.just saw the big joe at Costco (road show) for $1199
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yea that is my biggest concern is starting time. I work long hours and till i get home i don't have 30 mins every night to wait for the grill to get hot. Yea the roadshows is where its at but the closet one to my location that i saw in the upcoming months was about a 6hr drive one way. Doesn't make it to cost effective for me.
 
chet8888 said:
I've got the regular size Kamado Joe. I can be cooking in 15 minutes, but I use a Wagner Paint Stripping gun (costs about 20 bucks from Amazon or Home Depot). I get the charcoal lit in a few spots if I want to get it up to temp quick- or want to exceed 300 or so. They are easy to clean up after you are done cooking as well since all you do is open up the vents and let 'er rip- -scrape the hot grates, and then shut all the vents to save some of the charcoal. The only issue I had with it was for smoking and lack of capacity- -but sounds like you've already got a solution for that with the Yoder.

Oh- also, I got mine before the divide and conquer came out- so I ordered the adjustable rig extender from ceramic grill store out in texas. it was made for the bge, but I shaved down my fire ring to make it all fit. I really like the flexibility of cooking at different heights/options.
Click to expand...

Yea i have seen videos on youtube that people can be up and running within 15minitues just didn't know if it was true. I would use a weedburner or something similar to what you have to help.
 
I love both my Kamado BJ and Jr but I would never go without a gasser. Quick, easy, no cleanup.
 
Hello,

I have an XL BGE and really like it. I light it with with a MAPP torch and can be up to temp and blowing good smoke in about 20 minutes. Outside temps and wind don't affect kamados too much.

The Kamado Joe seems to be buiilt very well and comes with most of the accessories that you'll need initaly. Find a dealer that you trust and buy from them (A good dealer is always worth spending a few more bucks). If you haven't found a good dealer yet, check out Stone BBQ in Lancaster, really good people.
 
BGWolf said:
Hello,

I have an XL BGE and really like it. I light it with with a MAPP torch and can be up to temp and blowing good smoke in about 20 minutes. Outside temps and wind don't affect kamados too much.

The Kamado Joe seems to be buiilt very well and comes with most of the accessories that you'll need initaly. Find a dealer that you trust and buy from them (A good dealer is always worth spending a few more bucks). If you haven't found a good dealer yet, check out Stone BBQ in Lancaster, really good people.
Click to expand...

Yup been there a few times. Will be where i purchase from if i go this route
 
Look at the Weber Summit Charcoal cooker too. It is basically a Kamado that comes with a charcoal starter and easy sweep ash clean up.
 
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