Bought a Weber Kettle to Vs. my Kamado Joe

[J-Rod]

Keep em both. Nothin wrong with having a few different tools for different jobs. Fwiw I would give up any of my webers, and I have many other cookers. There's just some thing beautifully simple about a weber kettle.

 

[Moose]

Please don't give up on your Kamado. After 3 rib cooks on my Vision, I sold my WSM the difference was so dramatic. As others have mentioned, there are many factors that could be contributing to your brisket issues. Just keep at it and you'll get it dialed in.

 

[ebijack]

I've read that the air management is much more efficient with a kamado and that you can go much longer with one load of coals. Can anyone comment on this?

There is no comparison between long cooks on a kettle VS a Kamado. The kettle will require the addition of coals doing long cooks, more than say 3 hrs. Kamado's will go for 17 to 27 hrs with one load without having to do anything if you are able to control the air flow.

 

[Moose]

There is no comparison between long cooks on a kettle VS a Kamado. The kettle will require the addition of coals doing long cooks, more than say 3 hrs. Kamado's will go for 17 to 27 hrs with one load without having to do anything if you are able to control the air flow.

Actually, that's not quite true regarding needing to reload fuel in a kettle after 3 hours. Using the snake and or other methods, one can get 6-8+ hours on a kettle without ever having to reload.

 

[1buckie]

Ebijack, I routinely get 11 & 12 hours on standard kettles.....granted, that's not 17 to 27 hrs or really even close, but I just got a '61 or '62 Wood Dale 26-3/4"
that I'm going to shoot for an extra long cookup on.....whole clod or something like that.....:wink:

 

[Grain Belt]

I think the ceramic cookers are simply amazing. They are great on fuel and can cook absolutely everything in the BBQ/Outdoor cooking world. That being said, I don't own one because I cook at several locations and can afford to have a 22 inch Weber kettle at all these locations plus an 18 inch Jumbo Joe for a travel grill. I can run multiple kettles at home, away for tailgates, at fishing and hunting camps, and on family vacations. I do not have to vary my recipes or techniques. I always know how a kettle, some Kingsford, and some applewood will handle the meat, no matter where I am.

 

[mcease]

Loved Buckie's post. Would also love to see a comparison of kamado vs kettle. All I have is a kettle but with a charcoal basket, foiled charcoal grill, fire bricks, and a couple water pans I love it!! I can keep it steady for hours, but I might be weird because I sort of like to watch the temp and add charcoal when needed.

 

[Rockinar]

I've read that the air management is much more efficient with a kamado and that you can go much longer with one load of coals. Can anyone comment on this?

On my Kamado Joe you fill up with charcoal, get it to temp (was using a DigiQ) then go to bed. You can wake up 10 hour later and the temp will still be the same.

 

[ebijack]

Yeah, I was talking my experience, I never knew about any snake method 20 some years ago when I used to use kettles. It is good to know that you can get that long. It is nice that with other cookers you can get how ever many hours you want and know you don't have to add coals. I like/need my sleep.:biggrin1:

 

[aawa]

Yeah, I was talking my experience, I never knew about any snake method 20 some years ago when I used to use kettles. It is good to know that you can get that long. It is nice that with other cookers you can get how ever many hours you want and know you don't have to add coals. I like/need my sleep.:biggrin1:

I love my sleep too, but I can cook on my kettles and get a good nights sleep. It is all about what fire management method you are using and temperature range you are cooking at on kettles.

Hot and Fast is a god send to people cook on kettles though. I can get 8+ hours with the snake method at 300-325 degrees. That is enough to do a brisket or pork butt and do the sides over the remaining coals. I can also get a pork butt and brisket ready with the sides and fixings for a 5pm dinner by waking up at 7-8AM after a good nights rest.

 

[ebijack]

I can also get a pork butt and brisket ready with the sides and fixings for a 5pm dinner by waking up at 7-8AM after a good nights rest.

Whoo boy, I sure wouldn't want to risk that time frame. A lot of you guys love your kettles which is good. Me, I don't plan on ever going back.
For those interested, the Wally mart near my work has the Weber table models for $225 right now.

 

[J-Rod]

Keep em both. Nothin wrong with having a few different tools for different jobs. Fwiw I would give up any of my webers, and I have many other cookers. There's just some thing beautifully simple about a weber kettle.

Edit- this was sposta say I wouldnt give up any of my webers! Stupid auto correct.

 

[1buckie]

Whoo boy, I sure wouldn't want to risk that time frame. A lot of you guys love your kettles which is good. Me, I don't plan on ever going back.
For those interested, the Wally mart near my work has the Weber table models for $225 right now.

Don't get me wrong at all.....the ceramics are phenomenal cookers......

Just that if he's headed this direction anyway, thought I'd throw down the welcome mat !!!!!


Welcome !!!!

 

[deepsouth]

Yes I used the diffuser. But the heat source is still coming from the bottom with no real way to escape it. Maybe add multiple diffusers? You cant move things around or block it off. Also when doing things such as prime rib the grease drips on the diffuser and burns and leaving a nasty taste to the meat. It will easily ruin a $80 prime rib that way. I just think having the heat source coming from under the meat is not good. In my opinion it's just not true indirect cooking and is the kamado's weakness.

This is all just my opinion. I'm sure there's plenty of people that could cook award winning brisket on it. That person is not me. I'm just not sold on the design. Also it's almost 200 pounds and all you get is 18" of grill space. Yes you can stack, but things get silly at that point. Maybe the Kettle will cause me frustration and I will love the Kamado again. Right now I just don't. I know it's not apples vs apples, but I'm curious to see what a $150 kettle can do against it.

i have a 22.5 and i use it more often than i use my eggs, but when i want to do what i consider a long indirect cook (more than a couple hours), i used one of my eggs. i've never tried to do even one butt on my kettle, but i know i can do 5-6 on my egg. i use a drip pan on my stone for most indirect cooks in the ceramic.

i think you will love having the option to use a kettle as well as the ceramic cooker.

 

[ebijack]

Don't get me wrong at all.....the ceramics are phenomenal cookers......Just that if he's headed this direction anyway, thought I'd throw down the welcome mat !!!!! Welcome !!!!

Oh no problem, I never owned a ceramic, I did buy the Acorn ( could never afford a BGE and when I had a shot at a new Vision for $250 I didn't take it), I modified it a lot so it works very well. It is out on loan as I found that the Acorn Kamado is not for me. Very stingy on coals, I got a 27 hr smoke at 225 out of one load of coals, thought it's not needed, just to see. And that is the smallest amount of coals I've ever used to go that long. Just not enough room for my requirements, and I prefer the taste and room that I get from my UDS's. It is all personal preference. And learning how to cook on each type grill/smoker out there and experimenting. But I do believe the OP with a few tips will like his ceramic. If he works with it. If not, I'm sure he can sell it. Just like some really like their gas grills. To each their own. I'd guess Weber has the largest following of any manufacture.

 

[martyleach]

I have a large Egg and most Webers amongst other stuff. The Egg is my go to for brisket and used to be for ribs until I got a Backwoods Chubby. That is now the rib machine. The ceramic cookers are awesome because very little air passed through the cooker therefore very little moisture loss. Keep at it. All cookers have personalities and you just have to figure them out.

 

[Rockinar]

Did a whole chicken on the kettle last night. I did the offset method as described in the manual. The legs and wings came out dry (because the heat source coming from the side, but the breast was really good. It was REALLY windy when I was trying to cook so it was not the best conditions to give much of an opinion on. I used Kingsford BB (first ever experience with briquettes) and it seemed to eat them like candy. Started with 25 on each side. They were gone in an hour. Temps were all over the place. Was not sure where I should be taking a temp at. Grate level or lid level. On the Kamado I went by grate. What I DO like so far is you can add fuel, wood chunks, etc at any time during the cook. With the Kamado, once the place setter and food is in, you can't add anything once you're cooking. You CAN, but you have to pull off all the food on the grate, the place setter, etc which is probably a risk of dropping it all on the ground.

Other than the dry legs and wings, I thought the flavor was just as good the Kamado with lump. The Kamado for sure cooks more evenly across the board.