It might be interesting to review accessory compatibility across brands and off label. What I like about Weber is the tons of options for accessories and replacement parts.
Love my Webber Summit for it’s simplicity. When I looked at the Egg and the Joe I noticed that to get the type of cook I wanted I needed to “assemble “ the inside of the cooking chamber in various ways with many components. With the Summit the pre cook assembly is much less. The Webber holds heat like a champ and I have cooked 8 hour pork shoulders that turned out great. I would highly recommend this Kamado for a first time buyer, and maybe for an only time buyer. That being said I am sure the Egg and Joe preform at a very high level.
The egg, Joe and Akorns truly are amazing 1 grill to rule them all (you can cook almost every style very effectively) Highly recommend for an only time buyer. These are good but the food quality i get on the double walled or ceramic kamados
I went from BGE to a classic 2, then a junior which I all love. Just purchased the s6 with the cart with the low profile slow and sear and unfortunately haven’t touched my KJ’s in a month, not knocking KJ’s but this is so versatile that I had hot dogs going in 15 min. I’ve done everything but a brisket so far and I’m very impressed. Didn’t like cleaning the charcoal by hand when I wanted to switch from lower position to upper grilling position so now I don’t really do it anymore, just use the sns with the sns drip and griddle wrapped in foil. I keep the grate in the lower position to light my small chimney (with ignitior), with sns in place. Dump the lit coals in the slow and sear, install drip and griddle drip tray and main grate and you’re grilling or doing low and slow in minutes. It’s a kettle/Kamado that’s very consistent with my KJ’s as far as temp stability, and IMO a touch less inefficient which is a plus as I feel it provides a better bark and smoke flavour. Looking forward to seeing some more reviews and cooks on this from you. Funny…I said to my wife when I was researching this that I wish James had a review on this! Awesome grill!
You can get even simpler than that. Toss a couple handfuls of coals on the backside, hit it with a propane torch from Harbor Freight for a min or 2, then once it hits temp, toss some chunks on and off you go cooking on the front half. Seriously --- no need for the SnS or any of that, barebones indirect smoking works great in this thing. Not to say the SnS isn't nifty, esp if you want a water cook.
Glad to see you finally get a summit in for review... you probably already know this, but the big joe grates fit the top of the summit and the standard joe grates fit on the lower area for dual zone cooking.
Weber Summit Charcoal owner here. For reverse sear, I find that removing the heat deflector and raising the grill grate before sear can be quite tricky (but do-able). My approach is similar to kettle: coal grates at the top level, no heat deflector, coals in basket and banked to one side. Once ready to sear, the charcoal baskets make it easy to slide them in/out of position, without losing to much coal. Also, the baskets keep the coals concentrated and raised towards grilling surface, which makes for an amazing sear. Remove cooking grate, let coals glow up (dome closed, full vent open). Once ready to sear, put cold cooking grate and sear: this avoids grill marks and creates real nice maillard reaction. It may be tricky to light using built-in igniter (older model), since coal grate is at top position. I like to use the chimney: put 1-2 chunks of wood at the bottom of chimney, then fill 1/2 to 2/3 with charcoal, and light per usual. I find putting wood chunks at the bottom accelerates the time to create clean blue smoke. Would love to see more videos regarding weber kamado.
This was what I was going to post - use the more traditional indirect "grilling" setup for a reverse sear steak, with the charcoal on the top coal grate position. I like the addition of using the cold cooking grate, too! I'll have to give that a try! (I am always surprised at how many people want the grill marks instead of a more even Maillard reaction.)
I have a Summit and it’s on my channel. Nothing can beat it everything considered for that ‘sports utility’ BBQ. I use the Big Joe accessories for a great divide and conquer set up (shown on my channel) so you already can do that . That’s the best way to do a reverse sear. The new Big Joe fancy steel plancha fits exactly. The Big Joe Flexible Cooking rack does apparently. Slow and Sear does. The Summit is the best, I’m interested to see your cooks going forward. The Summit has no problems with ‘too much’ insulation. It cooks almost identical to a ceramic, but overshoots are easier to manage. Let’s see a brisket and a pulled pork.
Owned some form of Webers my entire life. And, still do. Read my prior reply regarding rust issues with current weber products, not sure if I have ever heard a single complaint regarding how they cook, generally their kettle grills are bought because they are cheap and they work. Currently the trend is pizza ovens and Komodo type grills. I replaced the side burner on my rust prone Summit gas 470, yesterday. It said: made in Malaysia. The burner flame started to be yellow, not as hot, and my pans all have black goo on the bottom when the burner is used. That may tell ya something why all of a sudden severe corrosion issues are developing on even their expensive grills. The new side burner, did solve the issue. Weber has to be kinda feeling the pinch of new trends and has branded this new kettle as a Komodo. Not even seen one, but more or less a semi-knockoff of the steel Akorn. Feeling the need to progress my outdoor cooking a few years ago. I purchased a steel Akorn as I was not familiar with Komodo cooking and didn’t even know if I was going to use it. Replaced a Weber kettle with the Akorn and loved it. In 4-5 years it started showing rust so I replaced it with the ceramic version. I like the steel version better. Gets hot quicker, does pizza great, great pulled pork n brisket. There is a learning curve with ceramic and had to completely change my technique as the more expensive model required a lot of trial n error to figure out Basically what I’m saying is expect great performance, but based upon my Akorn experience, plan on buying another in probably 5 years. Go for it, don’t complain when it rusts apart as you have been enlightened. Denny
Owned an Akorn and couldn’t disagree more. The Weber is built completely different, doesn’t have any insulation material it uses an air gap. So it won’t creep in temps like the Akorn. And the Summit doesn’t trap water like the Akorn either. I’ve had the Summit for 3 years and had an Akorn for 2, both covered. The Akorn after one rainstorm had water in the ash pan, and began rusting after 1 year. The Akorn is great but it’s not comparable to the Weber Summit charcoal. And I get it, if you’re looking to enter the kamado space, I would recommend the Akorn to anyone on the fence. It certainly helped to pull me into the deep end on outdoor cooking equipment.
You are correct. It’s fantastic. You don’t need ceramic, but the marketing of ceramic is better and people ‘think’ they have to have ceramic. No- ceramic has a lot of disadvantages.
I want to see anything and everything you can do w this grill. How quick to get to temp for hot and fast vs Kamado Joe vs propane? How quick you can bring down the temp if you overshoot? How well does it hold temps for low and slow? Rotisserie options. Ease for cleaning. Taste comparison? Accessories. All of it. So happy you are trying it
I actually used my BGE last night for a couple of steaks. I woke up, opened the dome, and discovered my firebox and ring had a giant crack running down the both of them. I live in Georgia, and it was like 65 degrees last evening, so cold temps weren’t the issue. I had just replaced the $189 band and hinge assembly right after Christmas, and put on a new gasket which was $40. Now for a new box and ring, it’s gonna run about $315. They require a lot expensive maintenance just to cook outside. I’ve had my father’s Weber Kettle now for about 14 years. He bought it back in the mid 90s. I’ve only had to replace the grate and the One Touch System on it once. By far the BEST GRILL IN THE WORLD. I’m sorry but BGE doesn’t hold a candle to the Weber. Every single thing about a BGE is super expensive. Go with Weber all day!
You are 100% correct my friend. My uncle just gave me his old Egg right before Christmas which I’m very grateful for. But knowing what I know now, I probably would go with the Summit if I were in the market to buy a brand new Kamado. I already own the 18” WSM, and the old Kettle. Weber is best in the business. First class all the way.
Excellent. You're really plugged into what ordinary BBQ folks at home are wondering about nowadays. The Camp Chef was one, gravity charcoals were another, now this! Thank you for doing *timely* & *relevant* reviews of BBQ equipment us folks out in the real world want info on.
I have the Summit Charcoal Grill for about 4 years now. Best BBQ I ever cooked on. I love mine so much. I holds temps like rock, is really easy to move around/lift AND.... cools back from very hot to low temps in a really small time period. The latter is my absolute biggest plus on this BBQ. Plus pricewise... It can't be beat.
James, as one of those who requested the Summit, thanks for obliging good sir. I recommend trying the 'slow-n-sear' type two-zone cooking....or even using the charcoal baskets off to one side. I fabricated my own, and it works awesome for reverse searing and similar cooks.
At last! I’ve been cooking on the original Weber Summit that had the gas ignition (which I never use!) and the higher spec heat deflector. Whilst I lust after a Big Joe III, but it is way out of my price range the Summit is a really good alternative. I’ve got 5 different Weber grills - obviously the Summit, the master touch premium - which I’ve had for 10 years and is my use and abuse pizza oven (!), Smokey Mountain, Go Anywhere charcoal and a Smokey joe. With your SUV analogy you are spot on - I can honestly say that I could cut down my BBQ collection to just the Summit and the GA. Thanks for doing this James - really looking forward to your next cooks on the Summit!
Nice video! I have one for a year and since then I didnt touch my two other barbecues, which I really liked. The Weber Summit is extremely versatile, efficiency is JUST in tbe right spot for clean smoke every time, easy to control and quick to reflect changes. The size is a big deal also, you can do a lot of food in it and even in the same level you can several different heat zones. Additionaly, there a lot of accessories from other branda that fit and the Weber GBS all fit. Plus, the steel will never crack. It is lighter, easy to move, etc etc etc. I live in Europe and paid 1049 euros, while Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Primo, Monolith or Bastard on equivalent size would be from 2600 to 3000 euro. The Weber Summit has unbeatable value and it does at least everything the others do. I recommend to anyone.
Glad you got the Summit to review. I currently have an Akorn and thinking of upgrading maybe next year. The Big Joe III and Summit are the 2 models I am looking at. Looking forward to more cooks in the future on the Summit. Thanks for all you do James!
'Bout time! The one thing I use ALL THE TIME in my Summit Kamado is a Slow n Sear. Pretty much anything that takes 5 hours or less, the SNS is good. For that Tomahawk, I would run the SNS at a low temp with the steak indirect, then as you did, open the vents and get it hot. The sear could then be done right up to the coals for an excellent crust. SNS makes a low profile version just for the Weber Kamado, but I had an original model and that works ok, even though it does hold the grid up slightly.
I have the original one. The one with the stainless steel cart and Solid bottom cart, not a grate like the new cart brings. Also the Heat Deflector the original one weighs about 8 pounds by itself it is Double walled and opens on both sides so you can add charcoal without having to remove the heat deflector. The New heat deflector is much much thinner and must be removed to add Charcoal to your Weber Kamado. So they gave you much less but kept the price the same 🤦🏻♂ Good stuff and thanks for sharing.
Couple ideas for future vids on this: 1. Paul’s Q channel did a vid using some of the Kamado Joe racks and deflectors in the Summit Kamado. Seemed to fit. Would love to see what you could do with that topic. 2. They say one advantage of Summit Kamado over ceramics is it’s considerably easier / faster to bring the temp down in you overshoot. Would love to see you run an experiment on this to see how true that is.
It is considerably easier and it's because ceramics cook on thermal mass, this cooks on insulation. The Summit actually has a little bit of airflow to it unlike ceramics (which leads to struggles with getting enough smoke ring).
Have been a huge fan of the channel for a while now and excited to see you review the Summit - I've had one for coming up on 2-years now and absolutely love it. As others have mentioned, many of the KJ grates/accessories will fit the Summit (not the rotisserie though - have to get a special one from Holland (Spit on Fire)). I've had great experience for steaks using a KJ standard grate and soap-stone on the bottom level, directly above the charcoal, and then a KJ big joe half moon on the other side of the cooker - allows for 2-zone cooking for a reverse sear and leveraging the great crust you get on the soap stone. One thing I'd love to see is if the Slo Roller fits on the Summit and if its an improvement over using the standard diffuser for something like a brisket. Cheers!
Yes! I was starting to think this wouldn’t happen. I’m a big fan of this channel. James sold me on the Kamado lifestyle but I went with the Weber as the weight of the joe, unfortunately wasn’t something I wanted to deal with, so I’m super excited to learn some tricks to get a Kamado joe like experience on the Weber. Keep up the great work!
I've had the Weber Summit for 2 years and have found if you add the low profile slow&sear with the drip pan, you will find it's much more versatile than any grill you have ever owned. I have alot of high end grills and have found myself using the Summit more than anything else.
This channel always seems to have the best reviews, and I keep coming back. Looking to get into the Kamado scene for the first time. I'm really interested to see how this Weber Kamado style compares to the traditional ceramic Kamados. Looking forward to a more in-depth review of this!
I bet the Slow N Sear attachment would fit and allow for a better sear by getting the coals closer to the grate. I have one and it fits perfectly in the Weber Kettle and my Kettle Joe.
Hi James Good morning! I was looking at the weber Summit as well but i went with big Daddy KMJ . I dont regret buying the KMJ, price wise its definitely cheaper and thats a nice thing for some folks who want a really good smoker and w Weber is a really great company to buy from. My wife had 21ih kettle witch I broke it in and started make me think witch Kamado style to buy and after watching when you were using the Kamado Joe is where i cam to my decision. So i have no regrets buying my KBJ. My wife would've rather i bought the Weber Summit because it was cheaper , but i said i just bought you the Cadillac of washing machine and dryer ..... So the rest is history lol . Cheers James, Happy Sunday!! Brad.
The Summit has become my go to for smaller smoking cooks like ribs, single brisket & so on, Lone Star Grillz IVS for larger cooks. I recommend getting a “Slow n Sear” for it Thanks for your efforts. I also enjoy your pizza videos.
The obvious ask is for something forgiving like a pulled pork and something more difficult like a brisket. Looking forward to next vid on Weber Kamado. I think this is something that I didn't know I needed!
Very interested to hear more about your experiences and see if they mimic mine, and if my hypotheses that I have about why a KJ is superior will come through (as an owner of a WSK who bought it based on compromise). Some of the things I would like to get your impressions on down the road: - which is easier to light / takes less time to be ready - how you feel about the flat fire box vs the tall fire box in a KJ - if the damper is useful being just a piece of tin - vs your double indirects, etc. - which KJ accessories fit - ceramic deflectors, sloroller, etc. - how you feel about the upper and lower dampers - overall feel of quality.
Very excited to finally see this grill in your backyard. I look forward to the comparisons with the Joes. As a current Weber Performer enthusiast the Summit E6 is on my radar as the upgrade path, but as a regular viewer of yours you have no doubt also made me think of getting a Joe. The lower price and not having to worry about cracking ceramics are two major pros for the Summit to me but its not a done deal on what I would choose yet. I may even just say to hell with fuel efficiency and just getnthe 26" kettle lol.
I can not wait for more experiments and cooks on this! This is the grill that I have, can't wait to see what you do with it so I can mimic it, take it through the ringer!!
I have one of these and it's now the only BBQ that I use, it just cooks stuff so well! My only gripe is that there is no official rotisserie for it, there is something called the "Spit on Fire" which is apparently very good, but I keep holding out in hopes that Weber release one officially.
Yes! I love my Summit Kamado. Can't wait to see what you can do with it! Also after a couple cooks the top vent will gunk up a little bit and keep your settings when you open/close the lid. Brand new it spins quite freely. Looking forward to more content with this grill.
Great video. I was trying to decide between this, a kamado joe, or a weber 26. I ended up going with a weber 26, using the slow n sear for my 22 kettle I already had inside it. Kamados in general are just so pricey. But, I would love to see you put in a low profile slow n sear in the summit. It can turn it into a top down smoker. I would love to hear your thoughts on that, since that emulates offset cooking.
Would love to see some creative uses of the Summit (you never disappoint on this front) along with the XL Adjustable Rig from Ceramic Grill Store. 1) does it fit? If so, how well? 2) can you cook raised direct low and slow on the XL rig (like a pit barrel cooker)? 3) would baking pizza on top of the XL rig produce a better outcome (with radiant heat bouncing back off the dome on to the toppings) or is this radiant heat effect only a "ceramic" thing and, of course, 4) would using the adjustable rig allow you to do a double indirect setup (cooking fairly high in the dome - couldn't use the stock Weber grate for this, would need to use oval grates from Ceramic Grill Store) while still having full access to the charcoal (i.e. could add wood chunks or extra fuel whenever you wanted with ease)? This combo has always intrigued me but I've never seen anybody try it.
Thanks for reviewing this, love my BJ3 but like the idea of quickly coming up to temp or cooling down as there is no heat soak. Wish there was a method of rain protection for the chimney
It took over an hour with the vents nearly closed to cool off from 400 for the break in burn so while it’s not heat soaked ceramic the double wall air gap retains heat as well so will be interesting to see
How exciting how exciting James! I bought the original version of thIs platform in the midst of the pandemic May 2020. Mine came with the snap jet ignition which is an awesome feature and the plate deflector with the hinges that open up. I also found your channel during that time and was leaning on getting a KJ but opted for the WSCG because of ease to move around and affordability. For those out there on the fence it’s a great grill. No regrets at all. You start adding slow n sear or the vortex and it raises this platform to another level. Looking forward to your cooks with it and what you think. This is webers best cooker imho
Thank you so much James. I have the weber summit for a year now but haven’t had time to find out what its potential is. With you doing these test that will expedite that for me lol. I thought about more than one selling it and buying the Kamado Joe III. Especially anxious to hear your thoughts on a long cook. Thanks
I’m excited to see you work with this! I’m super impressed by the durability of that finish. I believe the slow and sear fits the summit. I’ve really wanted to try it for searing a steak.
Love my new Summit! Can't wait to see some low and slow videos! Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the thumbnail. Looking forward for the comparison between the grills. Great channel 👍
It would be good to see a comparison of straight out of the box vs hacked - like adding an air-gapped pizza stone to create double indirect (if there’s room…).
I think the ash-box configuration is really smartly designed. I am a little hesitant to make the plunge due to accessory limitations. Would be great to see content of what is compatible and what is available. I think the pricing on this is very competitive so I am really curious on what is on the horizon for this kamado.
Best grill on earth. For reverse searing you can just bang the coals on one side and the meat on the indirect then bump the temps up and sear like a pro. I can tell you didn't let the grate come up to temp enough. Its a learning curve but you will manage.
Great to see you looking at the Weber Summit. Big fan of your channel and find it super helpful with lots of great tips and advice. Upgraded from my Weber kettle to the Summit about 6 months ago, such a great and light weight Kamado. All the benefits with very few drawbacks. As other have mentioned the the Big Joe and Standard Joe grates fit the Summit, so you can play around with sections just like on the other Kamados. Looking forward to the deep dive on this one!
Excellent video as always! Have you looked at Hasty Bake Legacy? You mention cookers that do several things well (hot and fast, low and slow, etc) and the Legacy is fantastic as an all around cooker. The Legacy is a bit unique in that it has a small exhaust near/below the grate. This seems to keep temps pretty even and forces more "smoke" through the food you cook. But probably the best feature is the ability to raise and lower the heat source making it easy to go from smoking to searing. The firebox is also accessible from the side without disturbing the grates. And the cooking area is huge compared to other charcoal grills I've had. I can fit 5 racks of ribs laying flat, or if I were to use rib racks I'm sure I could do 10 racks easily. Admittedly I'm a Hasty Bake fan but I think it would be great to compare against a kamado
I believe I read somewhere that some Big Joe accessories fit in the Weber Summit. Can you test that? Maybe that would open a range of new possibilities for the Weber Summit. Thanks!
i have this it’s great but the middle wheel just broke like 2 weeks ago. I’ve had it for 3 years now. Got it when it’s just called summit. The wheels weren’t the right size to support all that weight. But it’s my go to when i want charcoal grilling/bbq. It’s very efficient.
Great video. Love my Summit as well as KJ Use your soapstone or CIgriddle from big Joe to sear. Works great. You can also put soapstone from classic on lower level
Great first impressions of the Weber Summit and well wear on it in your future cooks. I love my Summit, currently doing the Sunday roast beef on it and the smell outside is amazing. Pros are the versatility, the fuel efficiency over regular Weber kettles, grill size and price vs ceramics. Cons are the caster wheels are poor, the gasket isn't great and mine leaked smoke where both ends meet and cost vs other Weber kettles. One thing to add and its more a pro for Weber in general is the customer service I find to be top notch. My gasket wasn't great so I emailed them and they sent me a new one.
WHAT !! this is awesome. I have this grill. So glad your going to be trying it out!! It can be a challenge when your trying to smoke & sear. Would love for you to do it webers way & the. Try it doing Kamado parts inside of the WSK. Also. Have always wondered what KJ toys fit inside the WSK.
Nice. I considered the Summit at one point but I considered it overpriced for what it was and went elsewhere. Are you going to put a pizza stone or osmething in there to try and do your double indirect method?
Great review. I think you will find it very quick to heat up and if you overshoot, you can cool it down relatively quickly. I have used a vortex for great wings / chicken pieces. Very happy with it. I would say it's not as good low and slow as my WSM, but it is so versatile, I just love it for that.
I recently found your channel and have been watching your videos on long low-temp cooks for briskets on the Kamado Joe. I'd be interested in seeing techniques on how to add wood during the cook to get more smoke flavor while keeping a clean burn at a low temp with the Weber Summit Kamado like you do with the Kamado Joe. Also, I'd be interested if you have any ideas about how to use a second level of heat deflectors (maybe borrowing the ones from the Kamado Joe) on the Weber Kamado to keep a cleaner burn on long slow cooks.
I've done similar double indirect smoked on my Weber Summit Kamado as James has done on his KJ using a 15" Lodge cast iron pizza pan spaced with a single flat firebrick on top of the Weber diffusor plate since i don't have a slo roller. This allows me to run temps between 275 to 325 for hotter fire, clean smoke for great crust and taste on briskets, butts, ribs.
Great video - I have had a weber summit for about 9 months and you have called the first impressions great. I am in Ireland where the climate can be unstable - I would be interested in how to use in the different weathers.
I there a way to setup a double diffuser with a water pan in the Summit similar to what you've done in the Kamado Joe? I've seen the 18" Slo Roller used but it looked a little high in the bowl.
Second comment as I thought more about it. I often here about ceramic Kamado’s not needing a water pan due to their moisture retention. I’ve never heard that claim made about the summit kamado. Matter of fact I believe all the low and slow videos I’ve seen from a summit Kamado are using a water pan. Are ceramic kamado’s better in this regard?
James, I 2nd this question. I have a WSK, and when doing a pork butt with NO water pan, it gets so moist in that it often fogs out the temp gauge and the top vent gets relatively wet. But... since I don't have a KJ, i have no idea how it compares... and would love to know as well. ...When I put a large shallow water pan on top of the stainless deflector... its a fog machine...
I have a Weber summit Kamado and am trying to figure out the most convenient double indirect method. I ordered a 18" round soapstone to use as a second heat deflector (and as a griddle and searing surface). Am curious what you figure out with your much greater experience level. Also interested what you think of the stock heat deflector vs ceramic heat deflectors that usually come with Kamados.
I started doing double indirect on the Summit because of this channel. I went with two ceramic half moons vs. soapstone. I have the Weber extender grate as well, so my setup is deflector and main grill grate in place as normal. Then the two half moons on the second grate (water pan on top if want to catch drippings or add some humidity), then Weber extender grate above. There you have it!