Thinking of upgrading to a Kamado. ??

[JS-TX]

I'm also surprised it takes that long to get your kettle ready to cook on. Have you tried lump? Less ash which chokes your fire and less frequent cleanouts. I have a metal kamado (bubba keg) and it's an awesome grill.

How about this crazy idea.. get an Akorn (cheaper kamado) and use the extra $ for a network enabled auto temp controller. In the morning, fill it up with lump and light it with a weber cube in the kamado, set the temp controller for 225-250.. about an hour before you head home program it to 400*+.. it will be ready to cook on by the time you get home. :loco: .. just an idea :wink:

 

[mjpmap]

I have both the Akorn and Primo XL, and love them both. I use a firestarter stick from Diamond Match Co that I get from ACE Hardware. I make a little hole in the lump, light a 2inch piece of firestarter, cover it with lump, and cooking in minutes. There is a little bit of learning curve for controlling your temps, but after that its "set it and forget it". I'm sure that Primo, Egg, KJ, are all great quality. I chose the Primo because of the oval shape and use it at home. I chose the Akorn because it was cheap, and light enough to put it in the back of my truck for travel. Good luck with your choice, I'm sure you'll like whichever you choose.

 

[dgaddis1]

I've got a large BGE and LOVE it. It's my only grill/smoker/etc and I don't feel the need to have anything else.

It does take some time to get going, but it's really not a problem IMO. I don't get home till 6:30 most nights and the wife likes to eat dinner as early as possible, so time is of the essence for us, but I still cook on the Egg a few nights a week. As soon as I get home I get it lit (note below), then go inside and do whatever else I need to do (season the meat, prep sides, etc) and by the time I'm actually ready to cook, it's ready to go.

I used to use a starter cube, and those are slow. But then I saw Aaron Franklin uses butcher paper under a chimney, so that's what I do now. I bought a roll of butcher paper when I did my first brisket and then wondered what I would do with the rest of that paper since briskets will be a very rare cook for me, so this works.

 

[CakeM1x]

Not what i wanted to hear. :caked: I could always steal my q from the camper since it just sits in there not in use

I use my gasser(ng) all the time for ease of use and being right outside my kitchen door. I don't want to fire up a kamado when I do quesadillas, grilled fried chicken, 1 minute crisp on foods, etc. Get both

 

[Seed]

I have both a big joe and now a joe junior. The grills are excellent for cooking. The best steak I have ever made came off a 700 degree cook. They do take a little time to get up to temp though but are very fuel efficient. Once you're done cooking just close the vents down and fire up those leftover coals the next time. If you do get a big joe try and get one from a Costco road show in your area. You'll save hundreds.


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[Whisky]

I have a Weber kettle, L BGE, Yoder YS640 and old Weber gasser. The last grill I'd be without is the gasser. Sorry but the convenience is what it is. Yeah, when I have time I'll grill over the BGE or kettle as the food DOES taste better. But there are times where I pick convenience over taste. A lot of times actually.

I use a weed burner to get my L BGE going at times and startup doesn't seem too bad, maybe 15-20 minutes. The kettle to me seems like it takes longer to get going especially to the higher temps the Egg can get to. Fuel consumption on the BGE is WAY better then the kettle, so no worries there. If only used for grilling, a bag of lump will last you longer then you think (in comparing it to a bag of charcoal and a kettle).

I think you'd be happy with a kamado over the kettle for grilling, but I don't know if you'll miss the convenience of the gasser or not. I would.

 

[Whisky]

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.

It does sound good in theory to have that option, but I've had my YS640 for a year now and have used it as a grill exactly 0 times. Just a pain in the butt to removed grates, diffuser plate, etc. Especially considering I have other more convenient options sitting right next to it.

When I purchased it was a consideration to me, but now I say it's an overrated option. At least for me.

 

[m-fine]

I can get mine up to grilling temps in 15 minutes or less using lump and a weed burner to light. If you want to heat a pizza stone to a stable 600+ it will be more like 40+.

 

[mattmountz94]

I have a Weber kettle, L BGE, Yoder YS640 and old Weber gasser. The last grill I'd be without is the gasser. Sorry but the convenience is what it is. Yeah, when I have time I'll grill over the BGE or kettle as the food DOES taste better. But there are times where I pick convenience over taste. A lot of times actually.

I use a weed burner to get my L BGE going at times and startup doesn't seem too bad, maybe 15-20 minutes. The kettle to me seems like it takes longer to get going especially to the higher temps the Egg can get to. Fuel consumption on the BGE is WAY better then the kettle, so no worries there. If only used for grilling, a bag of lump will last you longer then you think (in comparing it to a bag of charcoal and a kettle).

I think you'd be happy with a kamado over the kettle for grilling, but I don't know if you'll miss the convenience of the gasser or not. I would.

Thank you for your honest feedback. Answers were what i was looking for. It's been in the back of my head about missing the gasser. Tough call

 

[Fwismoker]

Matt I'd look at having a 007 setup fabricated. From lighting to cooking in 5 minutes and nothing beats cooking with and over a wood fire. Roti, grill, smoke etc...all in the same cooker. That said I'd love to have a kamado also. Most definitely want one in the arsenal at some point and I'd look at one with the most accessories and different ways to cook like the KJ

BTW Ted W did a great job on getting his rig fabricated.

 

[m-fine]

In contrast, I have a Webber gasser that has not had the cover off since I got the Kamado. In reality, it was quicker to light but still took a while to get up to temp, and it is FAR less capable and flexible than a Kamado.

 

[dgaddis1]

I have both a big joe and now a joe junior. The grills are excellent for cooking. The best steak I have ever made came off a 700 degree cook.

If you haven't tried a reverse sear yet...do it on your next steak cook. Adds to the cook time, but the result is totally worth it!

 

[Whisky]

In contrast, I have a Webber gasser that has not had the cover off since I got the Kamado. In reality, it was quicker to light but still took a while to get up to temp, and it is FAR less capable and flexible than a Kamado.

Yup, just goes to show different strokes for different folks. People really just need to figure out what works best for them. Unfortunately, or fortunately:grin: that has to come at the cost of time and money. And learning some things the hard way.....

That said, there is only one right answer here....buy both :razz:

 

[tom b]

I have an Akorn, cooking in 15-20 min as stated above, it is a cool little cooker and since I got it the kettle only get attention when I rotisserie. I hardly ever use the gasser but will keep it forever just too convenient.

 

[Norm]

I have a large and XL BGE plus a 26.75" weber kettle. With a weed burner the large egg and kettle get up to heat about the same. I prefer my kettle for high temp cooks as I bank the lump on one side and can do indirect and direct. My only complaint about my eggs is that I can't do that. As for lump burn the eggs tend to be a bit better but not by enough to be concerned. I really think it comes down to personal preference, a bit like chevy ford or dodge.

Good lump makes a big difference, spend the extra money for it no matter what you decide to buy. Good luck!

 

[TowneSA]

I cook on an XL Green Egg. I started with the Vision brand and it performed very well but just wasn't large enough. On the XL egg I do mostly smoked meats. On the smaller vision (equal to a Lg Green Egg) I grill steaks, burgers, etc...

Ambient temperature is not an issue for me living in San Antonio, TX and I can usually have either of my ceramic grills ready to cook in about 30 - 40 minutes depending on the set up.

 

[Jason TQ]

I have both a big joe and now a joe junior. The grills are excellent for cooking. The best steak I have ever made came off a 700 degree cook. They do take a little time to get up to temp though but are very fuel efficient. Once you're done cooking just close the vents down and fire up those leftover coals the next time. If you do get a big joe try and get one from a Costco road show in your area. You'll save hundreds.


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Ditto on if you have a Costco near check it out. The had the display at ours this weekend and their Big Joe with all the accessories is $1199 and a really good deal. I have an xl egg, but if I had no ceramic cooker and saw this deal I'd probably snag it up if I was in the market for ceramic.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I love my Green Egg Matt It holds Temps in any weather I have seared steaks at over 600 and smoked salmon and bacon at 150 We have some members from the North Pole that use one in the minus 0 degrees I do have a problem with wind and rain as I do not have a cover and it is directly in the wind so at times it is hard to light You usually can get a good price if you preorder at an Egg fest on one of the Demos. Warranty is lifetime for the original owner glad to answer any question

 

[bubbamac00]

I don't necessarily mean to add confusion to this discussion but have you considered a Blackstone or Camp Chef griddle instead of a traditional gas grill? I own a 26.75" Weber, an Assassin 24 gravity feed and will be picking up a Kamado Joe Big Joe from Costco this Sunday when that roadshow concludes. However, with all of that said, I love my Blackstone griddle as well for quick cooks and the versatility. From breakfast to quesadillas to burgers, that thing rocks. Currently $291 on Amazon. You can tell that I have a bit of an addition to cookers but if I had to get rid of it all, I would keep the Blackstone and Weber.

 

[bubbamac00]

Not to mention that griddles are just a hell of a lot of fun to cook on.