Thinking of adding a Kamado. Good idea or not?

[Chester]

Ok. I am contemplating on adding a Kamado to be inventory. It will be mostly used for 350+ Baking and grilling, as I have a Gravity Fed smoker now for the low and slow. I already have a gasser and a 22” kettle, so it is a little redundant.

However, the Kamado Joe classic II has caught my eye. I like the standard large size (not the Big Joe), and a few accessories, namely the pizza attachment and the joetisserie. I don’t have a rotisserie and it doesn’t interest me for the gasser, but charcoal..yes. Anyone have one of these, or are their better attachments for the kettle?

One of the reasons I am interested in the Kamado, is that I can use my Fireboard controller and fan to run it at a higher even temperature with just a simple Guru adaptor. Does anyone run their Kamado at higher temps like this? I suppose I could use this on the kettle, but I think the thick ceramics and design of the Kamado would be better than the kettle hooked up to a temp controller, but I don’t know. Also, I believe I would have to drill a hole into the Kettle, and I would rather not do that. Again this would be for higher temps to bake at so to speak.

I have never had a Kamado, and only recently started looking at them to purchase. Seems like many here have had them and got rid of them for some reason or another.

Any thoughts or recommendations? Any others to consider like Primo or Big Green Egg or more? Thanks.

 

[JVM59]

Excellent idea. Since I purchased my Egg, my Weber doesn't see much use.

 

[gtsum]

I had a primo oval xl for many years and liked it for overall cooking. Good at many things, not great at any one thing. Couple of downfalls for ceramic cookers - when you overshoot a temp, it takes awhile to bring it down. And firebox cracks are typical although I’m pretty sure kamado Joe figured this out with a multi piece firebox. Smoked foods cant hold a candle to other types of cookers but you have smoking covered with your other units.

I recently ordered a weber summit charcoal kamado I will try that out for grilling and 2 zone cooking. More durable and less fragile than ceramic, easy to bring temps down and slightly bigger size (except for an xxl bge). Will see how that goes.

 

[Dweverett]

First, you've been around here long enough to know that "adding" is always considered a good idea.

I can do higher temp cooks on the kettle with S&S but it burns through the charcoal pretty quickly. On the KJ you won't have that problem -- it will cruise along much longer.

I never found a need for an electronic controller with mine either. Once dialed in it would sit there for hours without doing anything. I got to try it again a few months back when visiting my daughter and I'd forgotten just how stupid easy it was.

At most it would slowly creep up a little and I might have to make a very small adjustment every three hours or so. For doing overnight cooks I think the controller is probably valuable. My guess though is that at 300 you're probably not thinking about doing a lot of overnights with it.

 

[4ever3]

Not trying to talk you out of a new purchase by any means, but like gtsum talked about I would give the weber summit charcoal a long look.

 

[jkief]

I had the Kamado Joe original classic for a while and sold it. Like said before, it was good at a lot, but not great. Now adays though, there are more attachment, accessories. A nice rotisserie attachment and pizza attachment are worth looking at. I like the gen 3 carts a lot more. Honestly though, I sold it because my MAK scratched my 300-500 degree itch. Had a pizza oven so I didn’t need to get to 700.

 

[Chester]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I will add the Weber Kamado to the shopping list. Wish it had a rotisserie for it (maybe it does and I don’t know about it). I have never seen one in the flesh though. Will have to make a point of finding one to look at.

I looked at the Kamado Joe at a local shop the other day. I really liked the way it felt. Seemed substantial with good quality hardware and gaskets. It does have a good warranty, but that assumes I don’t knock it over, which is the more likely thing to happen around here.

 

[16Adams]

I was in Lowe’s yesterday buying the wife a new cooker. She was looking at Kamado Joe. The big one. It’s a beast. There was a sign that said free assembly free delivery on Cookers over 399$. Another sign hanging in KJ said 20% off. If applicable they also offer a veteran discount.

All that being said I have a Primo Oval XL. The Oval design is awesome but I wouldn’t recommend it over the others on quality. BGE KJ And Primo are all great. Warranty difference in each one. If you’re 60 the 20 year Primo is probably good enough. If you’re 25 check the warranty limits on all. I’m sure from Brethren here that the Weber is as good as they get. Personally, right or wrong when I think of Kamado Cookers I think Ceramic. Again not everyone thinks like that, just the way Of the era I was brought in Accessories from what Ive seen goes to KJ.
If manufacturers country of origin matters check that.

Yes, you need a new cooker, probably need a new one to hold you over why you decide on a new one.

 

[Bob C Cue]

Eight posts and only one mention of capital m capital a capital k. Perhaps I'm on the wrong site! But by all means it's always a good to have another cooker to your arsenal.

 

[mjpmap]

I currently have a Primo XL and a Vision B Diamond. I also burned through an Akorn. I love Kamado style cooking, but it is not the end all be all of cookers. The smoke profile can be as clean as stick burners once you get to know your cooker. It can also give you some acrid taste if you don’t know your cooker. More than any other style, it demands patience. There literally is nothing that you can’t cook on it. Cast iron is a Kamado’s best friend. A lodge pot will make the best smoked beans & even lasagna. A cast iron griddle on the kamado will cook fish, burgers, etc. Pork butts are set it and forget it. 700 degrees and a pizza stone will make a great pizza. I’ve never used temp controllers and really don’t see a need for one. Just learn the upper & lower vents and you’re in business. Good luck on your choice & may your smoke run true and blue!

 

[jkief]

I was in Lowe’s yesterday buying the wife a new cooker. She was looking at Kamado Joe. The big one. It’s a beast. There was a sign that said free assembly free delivery on Cookers over 399$. Another sign hanging in KJ said 20% off. If applicable they also offer a veteran discount.

All that being said I have a Primo Oval XL. The Oval design is awesome but I wouldn’t recommend it over the others on quality. BGE KJ And Primo are all great. Warranty difference in each one. If you’re 60 the 20 year Primo is probably good enough. If you’re 25 check the warranty limits on all. I’m sure from Brethren here that the Weber is as good as they get. Personally, right or wrong when I think of Kamado Cookers I think Ceramic. Again not everyone thinks like that, just the way Of the era I was brought in Accessories from what Ive seen goes to KJ.
If manufacturers country of origin matters check that.

Yes, you need a new cooker, probably need a new one to hold you over why you decide on a new one.

20% off KJ...Sign me up. If I were to buy another Kamado, it would be a Kamado Joe for sure. I think they are the best in the ceramic game. My 18” classic was just too small and having to move it once (so fragile) being military, was too much for me to keep it. Heavy isn’t the problem moving, the fragile nature is the issue. These moving companies don’t care if they break your stuff. Honestly, a KJ is a ton of fun to cook on and as stated above, thermometers not needed. It holds temp perfect !!

 

[sudsandswine]

I’m partial to the Primo Oval...I’ve owned several round kamados from various brands and the shape sets the Primo apart from the rest of the pack IMO. I most frequently cook with the divider in and use half the grill for direct drilling, or a 2 zone setup.

 

[Chester]

I currently have a Primo XL and a Vision B Diamond. I also burned through an Akorn. I love Kamado style cooking, but it is not the end all be all of cookers. The smoke profile can be as clean as stick burners once you get to know your cooker. It can also give you some acrid taste if you don’t know your cooker. More than any other style, it demands patience. There literally is nothing that you can’t cook on it. Cast iron is a Kamado’s best friend. A lodge pot will make the best smoked beans & even lasagna. A cast iron griddle on the kamado will cook fish, burgers, etc. Pork butts are set it and forget it. 700 degrees and a pizza stone will make a great pizza. I’ve never used temp controllers and really don’t see a need for one. Just learn the upper & lower vents and you’re in business. Good luck on your choice & may your smoke run true and blue!

This is actually music to my ears. Wanting something that takes a bit of work and knowledge and skill to get proficient with. I’ve got patience, just not the time to devote to an offset, so my new gravity feed, and a probably soon to be had Kamado I believe will give me what I am looking for, at least for now...LOL

 

[Chester]

Eight posts and only one mention of capital m capital a capital k. Perhaps I'm on the wrong site! But by all means it's always a good to have another cooker to your arsenal.

Someday, we will all be MAK Brethren LOL... But not now for me. :sad:

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

I think you will enjoy owning a kamado cooker. They are similar to the kettle but there are enough differences in how they cook and how you can set up the fuel that you will find you enjoy certain thing cooked on the kamado and others on the kettle.

If $ was really a factor of say but a bunch of accessories for the kettle and get more bang for your buck.

 

[ssv3]

Started it off with a kamado and loved it. Then as my q arsenal grew the kamado sat for two years before I sold it. It was a lot of hassle and too many parts and accessories, with deflectors, racks, grates etc etc. compared my other cookers. IMHO a Weber 26 with an SnS will do way more in it's simplicity than a hefty kamado with a million parts and accessories. Basically I found it cumbersome compared to my other cookers. My $.02.

 

[glitchy]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I will add the Weber Kamado to the shopping list. Wish it had a rotisserie for it (maybe it does and I don’t know about it). I have never seen one in the flesh though. Will have to make a point of finding one to look at.

I looked at the Kamado Joe at a local shop the other day. I really liked the way it felt. Seemed substantial with good quality hardware and gaskets. It does have a good warranty, but that assumes I don’t knock it over, which is the more likely thing to happen around here.

I love my WSCG when I feel like hassling with charcoal. Weber doesn’t make a rotisserie for it, but I know of two options. First the Big Joetisserie, all you have to do it grind a little off the bottom lip for the back 1/3rd of the ring with an angle grinder. I did mine in about 30 mins. Second is Spit on Fire from overseas.

I was drawn to it because I have horrible luck and feared a ceramic cracking or tipping over. I love it. It has a port already for the weber guru adapter to be installed, grills like a kettle, smokes like a kamado. It’s pretty efficient on coals, but temps can be lowered if needed and not take hours. I don’t cook pizza though, so can’t offer much there other than you can get it screaming hot.

 

[Chester]

Does anyone know if the manufacturing move from Georgia to Missouri have affected Primo quality? Apparently the business was sold to Empire (they purchased Broilmaster Grills some time back), a year or two ago. Just wondering how much has changed with the company, and quality.

 

[Dweverett]

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290012

Decision made!

 

[sudsandswine]

Does anyone know if the manufacturing move from Georgia to Missouri have affected Primo quality? Apparently the business was sold to Empire (they purchased Broilmaster Grills some time back), a year or two ago. Just wondering how much has changed with the company, and quality.

Can’t answer to that but they appear to be looking into minor design changes and new features like a rotisserie, which seems to be responding to customer demand.