Big Green Egg Rival: Best and Worst of the Kamado Joe BBQ Smoker 

Thanks for the tip. I snagged this deal at a roadshow in Dallas. Happy Father’s Day to me.

I've just recently purchased a Komado Joe Big Joe 2 . I've never had a more efficient grilling/smoking/baking, experience. As you said, they're heavy, and they're fragile. Otherwise I absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and video.

Those dogs are hilarious. Thanks for not editing out their shenanigans!

Thanks, a great review. I recently purchased a big Joe series 1 on sale $1690 AUD (big joe s3 is $4200 in Aus ) . Its brilliant, very happy with everything I've done so far. Thanks for your advice.

Great review! Your information and delivery was spot on.

I enjoy the info on video content. Regards!

Good job. Thanks for validating my want.

Enjoyed watching. Thanks!

I have an old one from way back, love it. Also, I have seen videos of a guy to puts broken ones back together with some type of mortar. So all is not lost if it breaks..

Great review!

I had a BGE for over 10 years, and KJ absolutely fixed all the things that were wrong with the BGE. My next one will be a KJ, or perhaps a Primo. You are correct about the firebox cracking on the BGE. Mine did that. Great video !

Kamado Joe is a superior grill to the Green Egg due to it's design features..and this is coming from a 10-year user of BGE. My hat's off to them! :-)

Thanks for the video. Just picked up the classic Joe floor model for 630.00 couldn't be happier.

The Komado Joe is a great grill. Now on our second season with it and just loving the results.

"PIVAAAAAHT!!" 😂 Thanks for illustrating all aspects of the grill👍

250 pounds is not so bad. I have a Blackstone Pro Series that weighs 225 pounds plus 37 with the propane tank full. The griddle is little hard to move due to being wide as heck but the Kamado looks so much easier to move especially since I have to move stuff alone. I would love a Kamado Joe to reverse sear my steaks and finish them off with a high heat sear on the Blackstone. Great video man! Thank you! Subbed!

I went with a Vision brand ceramic cooker. I like it.

For starting we use an electric BBQ starter. Plug it in and set in coals and is effortless. we had tried various starting blocks, a propane torch and other methods but this is definitely the easiest and best we have tried. Cost was $19 CAD

You killed me with the "pivoooot" lol

1:26 I see plastic tie wraps in hinge mechanism. Is that there by design. Should those be removed before using the oven. I thought it's there for shipping purposes.

That friends clip! Im subbing purely on that!

Hahah, he looks at the plane flying above, but not the dogs zooming around his feet. They are so cute!!

I actually just won the classic 2 at work. Looking forward to trying it out. Never had a ceramic before.

Thanks. Very informative.

That was a nice, informative review, I've had an XL BGE for over 10 years now, use it at least twice a week. The only problem I had was the fire ring (ceramic) broke when I moved, my fault, did not secure it well. And just replaced the cast iron grate at the bottom, was well warped and breaking apart...

Can you do Review on the bono or cooking demo please

This is a great upgrade from the Kamado Joe I have been using. These days, the 'Joe' beats the Green Egg cooker for ease of use, flexibility and, even in the model I use, in ease of controlling heat. I follow guys like Guga Foods on RU-vid: he demonstrates the value of units with larger surface areas that can be 'halved' to allow for direct searing and indirect cooking. Were I to upgrade, I would stick with the brand and go for the new features.

Couple of things. 1) Kamado Joe has lifetime warranty on the ceramics. I had my firebox crack and they replaced it at no charge. 2) re: cost. Compare Kamado Joe pricing to other top line grills such as the upper end Webers, the Weber 24" Summit, Napolean, etc. Pretty close pricing. Most important thing is the flavour of the food cooked on a Kamado vs other grills. Also need to Add the versatility of the Kamados. I have baked cookies, bread, pizza, grilled burgers, steak, roasted chickens, vegetables, etc. Anything a gas grill can do the Kamado can do (possibly better), Anything an oven can do a Kamado can do. Overall Great video!

Paper towel dipped in veggie oil works great as fire starter.

You left out one key point. All ceramic portions of the Kamado Joe are lifetime warranty. If the prior iteration of the firebox breaks at any point, they will replace it free of charge.

Presenting the GOOD and BAD makes your review credible. Good job.

How is it to have it in freezing tempratures ?

I google a bit .. And i could have one for 1380€ here ... A bit expensive for bbq i think .. I saw a junior version for 500€ .. Huge difference

I was torn between the Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg and Summit Charcoal. I went with the Summit Charcoal. I haven't had any issues yet, the metal seems to be holding up well. I mainly use it for cooking pizzas so it takes a beating. I was impressed at how hot it can get given its not ceramic, 900° has been the hottest it's gotten. If you can try one sometime, it seems to be the Kamado that is most underrated and overlooked in my opinion.

Well, they didn't have any at our local Costco. Decided to get the Louisiana grill for $600 yesterday as they only had two left. Will be putting it together here in a minute then doing couple slow burns on it to season it. Thanks for the video just unfortunate they didn't have any in stock as I'm sure the build quality is awesome. But then again not sure if it's $1000 better than the one I got. We'll see. Off to putting it together!! Woohoo! Again, great vid & thanks for the inspiration. Cheers.

Thank You. I think a major PLUS for BGE is the annual Eggfests held around the country. Great comroderie .. nice to meet up with other eggers and just hang out. KJ doesn't offer anything like that.

I paid about $800 for my classic/ showroom model. Ive had to replace the heat diffuser once(under warranty). I love mine and , No a weber isn't as good. A ceramic will hold heat in the winter or if it rains where as a Weber will cool down in the rain and winter.

Good video

For lighting I like fat wood, a cheap propane torch, and I use a small shop vac to blow air into it.

Did anyone see the Primo testing video where the Kamado Joe starts to melt and the Vision Grill from Sams Club turns into a pile of mush? Primo and Green Egg stand unscathed. Crazy stuff.

What can you tell us about the Joe Junior ? Does it behave the same way that the classic does ? What are the pros and cons compared to the classic, besides size of course.

Ok, the friends clip was a great surprise!

Got a Vision grill with all essential accessories and it only ran me $550.. same size too.....and built a bit better than the Joe or the Egg....

You didn’t name a single thing bad about Kamado Joes. Ceramic grills? Yeah. Everything you said was true. But those negatives are common to every ceramic grill. KJ user for three years. Best grill purchase I’ve ever made.

i've got the first gen Kamado Joe (Classic). love it. My fire box cracked in about 3 places so far, and i have a crack almost all the way through the bottom of the outer ceramic. Just placed a warranty claim through the shop i purchased it through, they think it should be no problem to get it replaced. From what i have seen on line Kamado Joe seem to offer very good customer service and warranty. i hope so, because i love my Kamado!

I agree with most everything you said but would like to share. Price, well same same for the big names and same same for the midrange cookers. KJ showed up at my Costco, the show special included a grill cover, box of fire starters, and in my case a bag of lump, the lump bag was torn and could not be sold at retail so the sales guy threw it into the deal. so an apples to apples online order vs the show I saved a bit over $300.00. I can't stand the plastic side tables. Yes they will " last longer " than the wood counterparts, BUT! (Yes that's a two finger quote in the air) They melt, not from the heat of the grill but from things placed on them. If you have to set something down and it is hot!! Well then you get a groove or a warp, so DO they last longer? I would say depends!. If all you have next to your grill is the KJ side tables then no matter how careful or good one is it is inevitable.... The side tables though plastic, have a rougher surface than one would think, this is both a curse and a blessing, less slip but harder to keep clean overall. Because of these issues I bought a stainless steel table and will be removing the side tables. I think the food cooked on most any ceramic cooker will come out the same. So its just the features and so far the KJ is feature rich compared to other brands.

Solid ceramic fire basket will always crack as it ages, as there is no thermal relief in it. The multipart will probably run decades without cracking, though the edges of the plates will be chipped as they move against each other, and the top holding ring will rust away. Nice looking unit.

You got me on the friends clip! lol

I have heard complaints about air flow with this grill. A High-Que charcoal grate would solve it if that were the case.

I want one since my family we grill a lot but damn it’s expensive.

I bought my Kamado Big Joe from a local auction for $1160 brand new never used returned because of damage guessing because it had a broken latch and they sent me a brand new latch made out of stainless steel which is way better than the one it came with. They gave me full warranty and replaced it, along with sent me a gasket for the to smoke vent and touch up paint because there was a scratch on the side. I had no problems customer service was fantastic.

You didn't show the ash cleanout?

Your dogs are so cute!

Sure it came with a Warranty, for that price?

Just picked up a Classic Joe for $650 at Lowe's

Love it, but does it come with a husband and a warranty?

These features aren't on the KJ Classic that I just ordered I guess. Bummer, but $699 is a great price for a kamado.

I managed to get my Kamado Jr at TSC, in box, clearanced at $54.

I have an extra large big green hog love it why do you compare a large Komodo Joe and a small Big green egg Doesn’t make sense to me

pueden indicarme el contacto, deseo comprar desde Peru.

I have the Kamado Joe JR......love it

Nice BBQ

I love that Andrew Santino does bbq reviews :)

Why can't you use a chimney to start these?

Need to update this one. They didn't/don't do the mini joe package anymore.

Quand les vidéo en français...?

Sweet ad bro!

yes ceramic grills are not cheap but if you actually buy a big green egg not a kamado joe you get a life time warranty on all ceramics so if a fire box happens to crack big green egg replaces it for free just got my 19 year old fire box replaced by big green egg no questions asked

so it is heavy, so it will not blow over, check, it holds heat well so i do not have to run it like furnace, check,......it is fragiile? it is 200lbs it is not fragile. why and when would you run it that high. I do pizza's at 700 just fine and have had my classic for ten years. when i first got it i pegged 900 and said WOW it can go that high, there is no reason to go that high

Those firebox puzzle pieces are a total pain in the rear to assemble!

ok hold up. first off i reccomend a grill dome , i got the xl for only around 1100. better warranty than most ceramic smokers on seals and important stuff. yes there bulky to handle and mine did fall once while attempting to transport myself but it did not crack. Smoking on that thing the last 3 years never once did a heavy lid even come to mind. if it is too heavy let somebody else cook. And there can't be any cheaper way to light a grill then using a chimney . ok continue👌

More videos! Of the dogs.

PK Grill for the win

When you unpack this unit be very careful when you pull out the first large piece of styrofoam out of the unit. There are 2 half moon ceramic pieces inserted underneath that piece of styrofoam, and if they fall out onto the ground they will break. I know this from experience.

Traeger ad before this. Hahaha!

Costco same one £500

Home Depot has these on sale

do want

Hi

Family Fun

I can get you the big joe as a costco road show employee for 1499

Nice grill but to heavy. Weber kettle is just as good. More versatile as well

Gosh you have well and truly put me off..... thank you for an excellent video review though....

Want to cool it down quick? Close the bottom vent and leave the top vent open.

Kinda shame, that you dont tell that kamado joe gives a life time warranty on the cermic. (If it breaks because of heat)

Had my Big Joe for 6 months and cooked on it about 2-3 times per month. Loved it. But...the chimney that the top vent is mounted on broke off. It just broke as i was trying to open the vent. I filed a warranty claim on their website and followed up numerous times. They don’t answer their phones and they don’t reply to emails. Really bad customer service. Beware when buying this very heavy and very expensive grill.

Price is the only reason I don’t have one!

3:11 ...supposa.. what?

Holy Fuck man, wish ya started with the 1900.00 price. haha. Damn.

If you don’t have a BGE or a Joe your need to re-evaluate your life. These things are machines at making literally anything an everything you could possibly want and make it better, better than your high end restaurants!

Well I been saving for a few months and 8 have enough to buy the Joe. Not the Joe II, but I can deal with a heavier lid and a cast iron top vent to save a few hundred dollars. I was going to buy it on Friday, but I just got word that my father bought a 36 inch outdoor griddle. A stupid fucking griddle. So now, joe gets to not be bought, because of lack of space, and how dare I buy a new grill, when we have this fantastic piece of trash.

might want to put some $ towards your fence LOL

You use alot of charcoal in grilling LOL

I loved the look of the Kamado Joe and bought the small one at Costco. Grill worked great but within 2 weeks the felt gasket got overheated and it came apart. Lady at Kamado Joe didnt really care and the best she would do is send a new gasket kit if I sent pictures. I told her no way I am doing the work of removing the felt and installing a new gasket, I said that is your job not mine. She said well just return it to Costco and I said wow thanks for your wonderful service, she sarcastically said "your welcome". So, no I wont be buying any more Joe's.

Jeez... $1900 for a knock off?? I paid $1400 for a complete set up like that for an XL big green egg that includes a lifetime warranty. Am i missing something?

I think you should read the warranty that comes with Kamado Joe. If you buy it at what they call a BIG BOX store such as Costco or Sam's Club your warranty is void. Baby Back Maniac states this in one of his videos. I read my warranty and sure enough he's right! I bought my Kamado Joe Classic II at Costco. Google Kamado Joe.com and read the warranty. I love my Kamado Joe Classic II but I'm just hoping I have no carking issues.

err..that's the cleanest looking pit I have ever seen. Maybe you should just start cooking in it instead of advertising it. Get going!! Right now!

1900? Damnn fuck no

Makes my decision hard watching This video. Egg or KJ

Newb!!