Need Help Picking My First Ceramic Grill

Not only this thread, but in others there have been comments about "cracks" in ceramics. I've had no issue with that at all. If you are the original owner of a Primo and have any issues with "cracks", the company stands behind the product and will replace it immediately. I had a minor issue with mine after I bought it, and received a phone call from a company VP on a Memorial Day weekend to talk me through the issue (dome thermometer). Ceramics are heavy but as long as you are not taking them up or down stairs they move very easy on their cart wheels. I have no doubt that any Weber product is great, but the "crack" issue is unfounded as far as I'm concerned.
 
I have the KJ Classic. It is a great unit. I've done overnight cooks at -20C with no problems. I'm cooking for the wife and myself so it is a perfect size. Cooking for a family and you might want the expansion grill from time to time.

KJ is fantastic for service. I bought a floor model and discovered an issue with the lower bowl. I got in contact with KJ and a new part was on my doorstep about a week later.

The KJ is very versatile with its divide and conquer system of grates and deflectors. The KJ also comes fully dressed. You don't have to buy a la carte like some of the others.

I'm sure any of the top kamados will work well for you. I'm sold on KJ. You may also want to check out the kamado guru site for further input on kamado cookers.
 
I'd love to say that the KJ Classic would handle the volume you're looking for but I don't think it's going to be ideal. Hopefully the Costco Roadshow option works on a Big Joe.

The Weber is worth looking at as well though I'm not sure that helps your financial situation much.

I know you said that space was an issue but you might want see if you could figure out an option with a couple other devices vs going with a very large ceramic. It will do all of the things you have in mind but there are arguably better options for each piece individually.

For example, (and it's just an example) a 22" WSM, 22" Kettle and Blackstone pizza oven would have equal or better performance on each of your three planned uses than the ceramic at solidly less than $1,000 (in the US)
 
I agree with most, look up the KJ roadshows. The warranty is fantastic! If you can wait a bit for the shows try to get the 2017 model - a lot of new upgrades. Check the group on kamadoguru dot com.
 
Dweverett said:
I'd love to say that the KJ Classic would handle the volume you're looking for but I don't think it's going to be ideal. Hopefully the Costco Roadshow option works on a Big Joe.

The Weber is worth looking at as well though I'm not sure that helps your financial situation much.

I know you said that space was an issue but you might want see if you could figure out an option with a couple other devices vs going with a very large ceramic. It will do all of the things you have in mind but there are arguably better options for each piece individually.

For example, (and it's just an example) a 22" WSM, 22" Kettle and Blackstone pizza oven would have equal or better performance on each of your three planned uses than the ceramic at solidly less than $1,000 (in the US)
Click to expand...

Yep, that's some food for thought too. I've looked into the WSM before and it's still an option for me. Perhaps I could pick one up, and then wait for the KJ to come to Costco, or pick up a cheaper kamado for the hight heat stuff? It'd be tight on my patio, but I may be able to make it work, and would fall in budget.
 
I wanted to try the egg style cookers but couldn't afford the expensive ceramics so I went with the Akorn, it is not expensive and I can cook at 225 for up to 24 hours with charcoal left over or ramp it up to over 600 degrees that I know of because my thermometer only went that high and it pegged out or any temp in between. I have used it for 5 years now and it looks as good today as the day I purchased it.
 
Hipfan said:
Yep, that's some food for thought too. I've looked into the WSM before and it's still an option for me. Perhaps I could pick one up, and then wait for the KJ to come to Costco, or pick up a cheaper kamado for the hight heat stuff? It'd be tight on my patio, but I may be able to make it work, and would fall in budget.
Click to expand...

There is a solution to every problem....:wink:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=240928

For the high heat piece, I've seen two criticism of ceramics -- first, the smaller round ones aren't easy to setup for two zone grilling, second (for pizza specifically) you really want a higher temp above the pizza than the stone below and that's a challenge to rig up.

I think the KJ Divide and Conquer system does a nice job with the first problem -- though I'm not sure it's better than what you can rig up on a basic weber kettle with firebricks or something like a slow n sear.

On the second, I've seen nice pics from folks cooking on ceramics as well as using the kettle pizza oven. I think the key to the ceramic is to not go too high with the heat. There are few pizza styles that require 800+ degree heat and without some gymnastics you're likely to end up with a burnt crust and raw toppings. That said, I have limited personal experience with the former and none with the latter to know which is better. (my Blackstone is better than both but you probably wouldn't want to dedicate the space to that much of a niche product)

One thing I will admit though about my KJ is that it looks much nicer than some of the cheaper options I've mentioned. I have it in a granite top table (was extremely fortunate to pick both up at a going out of business sale for less than the cost of the KJ alone at full retail) It sits in a place where it's very visible during the summer when we're hanging out in the backyard. My deck on the other hand with everything else looks like I'm trying to build a privacy wall out of misc pieces of painted metal.
 
If you have the money, I would suggest the Webber Summit or the Big Joe. The 18" grills are not going to be big enough. The Acorn is a great budget option. Just a bit smaller than the WCS and Big Joe but a fraction of the price.

When in a similar situation as you, I went with the Pitt Boss 24 from Costco, which is similar in size to the Acorn at around 20" of true grid diameter (as opposed to true 24" for the Big Joe and BGE XL), but more expensive and much heavier. There is no confusing the PB quality for a Kamado Joe, but it will cook the same after you add gasket tape and buy some add-one from CGS etc. I went the cheap route because I was new to Kamados and wasn't sure I wanted to commit well over $1000 to yet another grill, but I also wanted ceramic due to rust concerns with the cheaper metal options. The PB will definitely meet your needs, but if spending someone else's money I would get the Webber or Big Joe over it in a heartbeat. For the extra room, the much better hinge, and overall better quality appearance. With my own money I think the PB hit a great sweet spot of functionality for the $$.

I am very pleased with the ceramic Kamado, but I will second the opinion that it will not give the same flavor as a stick burner on a low and slow cook. However, it does other things much better and it is much easier to use for quick cooks or frigid weather cooks.
 
hands down the design of the Primo gives you the most versatile setup. The XL oval is pricey but if you can afford it you'll never need another ceramic
 
Here's another option, it's a cast iron egg cooker:
http://www.goldenscastironcooker.com/

It's made in the great state of Georga.

The Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker is built on two beliefs: First, as a 5th generation family business, products should be built to last, just like our company; and second, while life may be fragile, your grill doesn’t have to be. For the past 134 years, Goldens’ Foundry & Machine Company has cast the parts that have helped build America. The Goldens’Cast Iron Cooker will bring your family together for generations to com
 
i have a large BGE, and although I use it quite a bit I don't think it's worth it's price tag (I got mine used off craigslist for $350, no way was I paying $1000 bucks for a new one).

I'd go with the Acorn. You can pick one up for about $400 or less, it has more capacity than a large BGE and is much, much lighter and easy to use. You can get it up to about 650 degrees (or that's about as high as I've had it). It cooks really good pizza. It's not ceramic, but who cares. It holds temps well. Check it out. I think it's a pretty good deal and works great.
 
Hipfan said:
Just saw this on Lowes.ca...wonder if it's worth getting? It's so cheap, if I find myself using it a lot and wanting to upgrade, I could easily do that down the road. I could also use the left of money to buy a WSM...
https://www.lowes.ca/charcoal-bbqs-grills/char-griller-6719-akorntrade-kamado-kookertrade_g1665622.html
Click to expand...

Those are definitely worth the money. You need to keep it out of the rain when not using it if you want it to last, but they offer more room than a large BGE for a lot less money and weight.
 
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