Kamado Big Joe Question

[smokingmeats]

I got a Kamado Big Joe about 9 months ago. Up to that point I had been cooking on a WSM. My brisket and ribs cook much fast in my Kamado Joe than they did in my WSM at similar temps. Today for instance, I am cooking a full costco prime packer brisket in my Kamado Joe. Grate temp is about 265 with dome temp reading a little above 250. 5 hours in the brisket is already probing at 192-193.

Last week I cooked a 3 rib slab of beef short ribs, at similar temps to today's cook, in only 5 hours. Both cooks had a water pan in the cooker.

Any thoughts on the cook times?

 

[BKING!]

I own both a wsm 22 and kamado joe big joe and have noticed the same thing on all types of cooks. I think of it as a good thing! I'm not sure why the cook times are different though.

 

[tenpenny_05]

Some will say cooking in a kamado is like cooking in a sauna. I don't know what that means, but thats what they say...

I've cooked a lot on both and never noticed a huge difference in time between the two.

 

[Battleborn]

I think the size and shape of the dome creates a natural convection effect.

 

[EdF]

You might try a cook or two without the water pan. I've never found it useful in the BGE.

Just to see if there's an effect.

I typically run 5 hours for baby backs, and 6 for spares in that cooker.

 

[Pyle's BBQ]

The biggest difference in the two cooker is the thermal mass. The KBJ will store heat in the ceramic where the WSM does not have that ability. If you can find a way to insulate the WSM you can decrease cooking times on that also.

 

[retfr8flyr]

In my Bj I like to do slow cooks at lower temps then I did in my WSM. I like 225° for BB ribs, Brisket and pork butts. My last Brisket cook was also a Costco Prime full packer and I had it on for 11 hrs at 225. It came out great, very moist, tender and a great bark. I never us a water pan in my BJ, just a drip pan to save the diffuser plate. Sometimes I just wrap the plat in foil and don't even use a drip pan.

 

[One Drop]

As mentioned, more radiant heat from all sides as the ceramic stores it instead of transferring it to the outside (actually, technically, the cold transfers to the inside from out but the result is the same, less heat on walls radiating to the meat.

I don't think it is a convection effect, WSMs draw more air over the surface of meats then Kamados do, I would think.

 

[smokingmeats]

You might try a cook or two without the water pan. I've never found it useful in the BGE.

Just to see if there's an effect.

I typically run 5 hours for baby backs, and 6 for spares in that cooker.

I never use to cook with a water pan, but I added the water pan for my last two cooks and the meat has turned out really good.