I bought so many grills trying to find the right balance of smoke. I finally figured out I was looking for the open pit flavor. I bought a gateway drum and it is hands down the absolute best for open pit style. The dripping fat onto the coals creates a steam bath of flavor. I still love my Kamado Joe big Joe , and my Lang offset. Just for different things. All of them will always be in my backyard.
I just recently picked up a Big Joe to replace my aging kettle. So far it works great as a grill replacement, I am excited to try pizza with it, currently doing a hot and fast smoke on a meatloaf, but I cant replace the stick burner offset for brisket. Dont get me wrong, the last brisket I did on the kamado was tasty and I was able to get some sleep during the cook, but there is a reason most professional bbq chefs in Texan run offset stick burners. I could tell a difference in the smoke flavor and the taste of the bark specifically.
@@stephanszymanski9348 just do a search for "gateway drum smoker" Also pit barrel smoker. They are not made quite as well as a gateway but would be a good entry into barrel style smokers. I owned a pit barrel brand at first and sold it for a 22 inch gateway.
Nicely done, James! You have quite the enviable outdoor kitchen! I’ve never done head to head cooks, but have cooked on both offset and kamado, as well as a number of other grills/smokers. I’ve found the kamado allows for slightly higher cooking temps while preserving moisture, which I attribute to the efficiency of the design, as well as the ceramics. I’ve been able to achieve excellent bark on both, and would have cooked at a higher kamado temp in the comparison in order to utilize the best of each tool. Given that virtually identical results can be achieved, the kamado is hands down the easier of the 2 to manage. As you note, once the temp is dialed in, there’s virtually no fire management, no cutting wood, and cooks tend to be shorter than on the offset. Those are huge advantages for me, but I can appreciate that many enjoy the process of the offset. Interestingly, my favorite smoker for ribs is the Pit Barrel Cooker. I don’t know why, but it seems to deliver the best of both worlds - great bark, fast cook, delicious ribs. Keep the videos coming - I always enjoy them!
Lately I’ve been clipping probe thermometer to the grates of my kamado Joe and cooking at grate temp rather than dome temp. I’ve been getting great results that way. The double indirect is a game changer too. Thanks for that tip.
Hey James! Great video, love the comparison! I’ve got a quick tip for ya’ regarding fire management on your Carlisle. Try keeping your fire closer to the door as opposed to the centre or the throat of the cooking chamber. Also, putting in your splits horizontally across the coals throughout the cook as opposed to vertically helps as well with keeping the heat manageable. I bought a Carlisle as well recently based on your videos. I was actually quite fortunate with my timing as Smoke North is upgrading the overall size of the Carlisle (24 x 42 cook chamber, 24 x 24 firebox, 5 diameter smokestack, new water pan/baffle).
Thanks Sam, i have been playing with different orientations and damper settings trying to get the fire i want. on a larger offset with multiple splits i know how to place them to limit the air flow and knock down the fire but on this guy more splits is too much heat. With the damper 60% open the flame doesnt get sucked into the firebox (pardon the door being open to spray / fresh split) so i haven't noticed much difference between the front or the rear of the firebox, especially with the water pan there. I have seen the gen 2 plans... i am half debating selling and upgrading as i think the new dimensions will be perfect at giving this space / flexibility
Hence why I suggested it! The gen 2 specs as soon as I saw them, it was a no-brainer I was onboard. The firebox of 24 x 24 I think should be the defacto standard at minimum to meet the performance needs for these pits,, much like it is with Mill Scale/Workhorse - such a tremendous difference. I would highly suggest upgrading for sure! Keep up the great offset content!
I really appreciate your explanation of how the offset smoker works and the different types of heat transfer that it does and does not do well along with the amount of air flow and/or flow and wood consumption.. The old school pitmasters always seem to favor offset smokers and just claim they're better but never really explain why that is. Actually they may not know. You and your channel have become one of my favorite training instructors and training training institutions. Thank you.
thanks so much, this is why i started the channel (to share what I know works, and to try new things and see if we can make what we think is best... better)
Love the head to head. It's always interesting to see the color differences and to learn about timing. It takes more time to cook in an offset and it requires a bit of a learning curve when you try and compare to a Kamado. So good info there as well. Good vid! 🍻
Maybe next round, try to use logs in the kamado. Since the offset is primarily using splits, not hardwood charcoal as the primary heat source. sounds like a good experiment!👍
You alluded to it when you mentioned using pellets. One big variation between those two cooks is that you used wood for one, charcoal for the other. It would be interesting to see the result if you were to repeat the head-to-head using the same fuel in both. In my experience, wood makes a much darker bark than charcoal. Thanks for the videos, I've been enjoying them. I like the whole idea that you're working on optimizing results from each different grill type.
Been using a tube smoker in the ash tray for cold smoking salmon and it works great! Would imagine that it could also work to add more smoke on hot cooks! Great video, I love your work keep it up!
I've got an offset and a Kamado and the differences are exactly as you described. There is less smoke flavor on Kamado cooked ribs. I love my BGE and have had it for 20+ years but the offset wins in the taste comparisons. The offset's only con is the effort and attention you have to pay attention to the fire but if you know how to get a clean burn going it will beat a Kamado style as far as taste goes. That indirect heat and real smoke just can't be beat. I do use my Kamado for long cooks where I don't want to touch the fire like pork shoulders, turkeys, whole chickens. The Kamados are super efficient and maintain temp way more easily. So if you want something you don't really have to tend the Kamado style is better for your style of cooking. If you have access to a steady supply of wood and the willingness to maintain a fire, I would get an offset.
I have a wide variety of wood on my ranch. I worry that the offset won’t let me entertain, if people are over I’ll be babysitting the fire. Do you ever have that problem?
I agree with what you’ve stated. For me the taste results from an offset are hard to beat but the convenience of a kamado is definitely an advantage of that style of smoker.
James - was there a moistness difference with the kamado rib? It looked like it was glistening more. Also, was the extra smokiness pleasing to your family who doesn't like smoke as much as you, according to your previous videos? Great job as usual!
i didn't notice any difference, they both seemed as equal as two different animals potentially could be cooked on two different smokers. i wish i recorded my kids reaction, eyes rolled back and a yum so its not too smokey.... in some ways you could describe the smoke in an offset as LESS smokey than the Joe but thats a struggle to explain what you are actually tasting. The offset smoke is almost more like a spice / seasoning.... so while the type of smoke that I am used to getting from a Kamado style grill might be less, the flavour / spice of smoke is completely different and pleasing. Hope that helps explain something thats not so easy to explain lol
@@SmokingDadBBQ interesting! Thanks! I love my kamado (Primo, formerly Keg) but more for grilling and baking than smoking. I've always thought that if I wanted a smoker I would get a smoker. I do the occasional smoking (say once a month or two) but I always thought I would get better smoke but dryer food from a smoker, given the increased airflow. Maybe this would only be true of leaner cuts. The odd part, as I'm sure you would agree, is that all foods seem more moist and succulent in the kamado than any other grill.
@@codyc.964 it’s definitely an advantage over many categories of grills, one of the first things you notice especially coming from gas with burns very dry and is in a chamber that’s. It air tight which exasperates the moisture leaving the food
This is a great video and makes me want a ceramic now. I currently have a broil king keg, similar to your acorn, and now wonder if it's too efficient. I have a basic diffuser pan and may start putting my fibrament pizza stone in there as well (assuming I can get it to fit) to see if I can get an actual live fire going without overshooting. I suspect probably not, but I now want to try! Quick question: When you have actual live fire going, are you able to sustain a long cook like a pork shoulder without having to refuel?
I started smoking with a cheap offset smoker. It worked well but you had to tend it to maintain a steady temp; For a 14 hour brisket cook that was a huge time investment. Now I have a kamado style cooker and that is all I use ( I have the green one, not the red one ;) }
the ease of use for a result is a HUGE point of consideration here. I had 4 eggs at one point too, all part of the family On my Kamado i can sleep, go to the gym, church, hike or whatever and everything turns out great. with my offset, i have about a 30min leash i need to stay within so its a different experience for sure
Great video, as always! Could you do one one cold smoking in the Kamado? Seeing winter coming, that would be awesome. Things like cheese, whiskey, fish and salt would be very interesting.
Funny how you have to basically jump through hoops with attachments and techniques with the Joe to match what comes naturally to the offset. I am an offset man myself. They take a bit more babysitting but I think the result is worth it. I am enjoying the videos.
oh you definitely need to Macgyver up some hoops to jump through to try and close the gap. i love the experience of the offset but sometimes i do like the walk away (after installing the arsenal) for a day now and then too
I have a Primo and have been struggling with the same problem. What I have started doing with ribs and brisket, is that I will start the fire on the side, add wood chunks and immediately put the meat on without letting the cooker come up to temp. On my Primo (I don't know what your damper system looks like) I will keep the damper below the fire fully open, and on the top damper I only open the wheel looking thing. With this setting, it takes about 90 minutes to come up to 250 and you have to close down the dampers. Seems like this has helped the bark some as more smoke/air is moved over the meat than if I had let the Primo come up to temp and then put the meat on.
First off thanks for the videos, they helped me decide to get a big joe series 1 on a Black Friday sale. I’ve watched your videos on and off so I subscribed because you’ve got the kamado cooking dialed in pretty good. I was wondering have you tried wood chunks instead of chips in the ash pan. I was thinking you could split them a little thinner maybe between chips and chunks then put them in a old cast iron skillet and get them smoldering before putting the in the ash pan kind of like the Campchef smokepro that mad scientist reviewed. When mine comes in I’m going to give it a try. I built my own Franklin style offset and it works great but hope this works for fast cooking on the big joe with similar results. Have you ever considered doing a Cajun brisket.
Great comparison. Interesting how noticeable the differences are. As to bone pullback, at times when cooking several ribs at the same time in a smoker, one of the racks does not produce a significant amount of pullback. Though pullback is a must for BBQ competition, in theory, contraction of muscles could indicate squeezing of fat juices out of the meat. There are airflow meters that you can find such as UEI DAFM3B
Your results make perfect sense. Even your KJ vs the Kettle Joe bore this kind of thing out. More airflow from a less-efficient cooker = lots of smoke, more bark, smokier bbq on average. Pros/cons to each but for me I think the Kettle Joe offers a good mix of both types of those cookers' attributes whilst yielding very good tasting bbq. One of the things with the Kettle Joe I think people are doing wrong is trying to get them to be way too much like ceramic KJ's when they should embrace the inefficiencies which produce great tasting food.
Great video James. I really enjoy these head to head videos and appreciate the time and detail you put into them. Because of this, I have a request for another rib head to head comparison that I think you might appreciate. Have you ever tried direct heat ribs similar to how Chud cooks them on the Chud box? I cooked some the other day on my Kamado III and they were fabulous! Definitely a different flavor profile than using the double indirect. I'd be curious see what you thought about it. I started with 2 wood chunks on the bottom of the charcoal bed when I did my cook, so I had a little wood smoke as well as smoke from fat/mop sauce dripping on the coals. 300 deg F for about 3 hours. Started bone side down 1 hr, meat side down 1 hr, then back bone side down last hour while mopping every 10-15 min. What do you think?
You've put your finger on something. I think the head-to-head is interesting for sure. Once the baseline is established, the next thing to do is to find out the best techniques to get a superior result on the KJ. My personal opinion is that the offset is a one-trick pony. It's probably a great "trick" but I would never buy one even if I had the space and a place to stack a cord of wood. I think it's time to pull out the stops and see how a KJ can meet/beat an offset without the pure "head-to-head" methodology..
@@emmgeevideo the Kj is by far the more versatile of the two which is why I am a huge fan. That being said it’s too easy to judge results within a bubble of what we’re used too so I do like the idea of the offset benchmark to help inform the ideas and adjustments needed to maximize results from a Kamado
I went back and rewatched your rotisserie beef ribs and the only difference I could see in this technique versus what I proposed is the charcoal bed. I piled the coals in the center of the basket, then spread them out evenly after the the dome hit about 250. The temp will rise after doing this, but will eventually drop after letting it sit with the dampers dialed back. This gives the rendered fat a better chance of landing on hot embers and burning off, along with more event heat distribution on the spare ribs. I purposely didn't aim to get the dome heat soaked, since I was shooting to get color and radiate heat from the direct coals. Like I said, the smoke created from the rendered fat drippings is a totally different flavor profile than wood smoke alone. As far as the head to head is concerned, I was thinking more along the lines of KJ double indirect vs KJ direct. Definitely need to use a KJ III to take advantage of the increased distance between coals and grate. I also failed to mention I believe I did wrap the ribs somewhere towards the end of the cook just to get them a bit more tender. Anyways, happy cooking! PS - I am an engineer as well. If you want to measure air flow of the offset, your best bet would be to built a basic sealed enclosure around the firebox using some high heat rated material. Viton may be a good solution. Maybe get a sheet of 1/8" viton to roll into a cone, with a major diameter large enough to cover the inlet damper and minor diameter around the size of a cheap anemometer. Seal it against the firebox using high heat foil tape, and tape the anemometer to the opening of the cone. Another alternative would be to use a Piezo inserted into the stack. Piezo meters are more expensive though, but would be easier. If you can get the Piezo far enough into the stack, you won't necessarily need to calculate volumetric flow (CFM), but can simply compare velocities, which is what Piezo and anemometer will output.
Sorry, you've got my brain turning thinking about increased airflow so here I go again. I dont recall all the chemical reactions that take place when combustion carbon based fuels with air, but I do know that the only way to increase air flow without raising temps would be to either: A) create a higher internal heat gradient by removing heat from the ceramic or adding an internal heat sink that is continuously cooled with a water circuit of sorts (ie add a radiator inside the cool chamber with a fresh supply of cold water) B) supply the coals with lower concentrations of oxygen. My thought were if you could recirculate the exhaust fumes back into the smoker, which would essentially be an oxygen deficient atmosphere, you could boost volumetric flow. But this is easier said than done. I've got some ideas I could pitch if you're willing to listen. I'm just not sure what that would do to the meat with higher CO levels. Or it may just end up being a wash since your pumping hot air back into the chamber.
I'm very interested in understanding the differences between offset and kamado smokers, and replicating the same results on kamado. I think you are pursuing the right things.
Hey there Smoking Dad! First off, I have to say I really appreciate your videos. I have learned so much about grilling and smoking since I've been watching them. I think you have some of the best, most informative videos on this subject on RU-vid. Thank you for making them. Second, I wanted to let you know that I purchased my first Kamado Joe about a month ago. I got a Kamado Joe Classic III and have done several cooks on it so far ranging from simple burgers, to spatchcock chicken to slow cooking a pork butt. All have turned out great. Before I got the Classic III I had a Traeger Pellet grill for 5 years and was not very impressed by its performance. I do have one question though. How loose is the top of the Kontrol Top supposed to be? The settings on mine do not always hold in the same spot when I open the lid up and the top of it has fallen off before when I've taken the cover off the grill to get it started. It really seems pretty loose. I reached out to Kamado Joe service and they sent me a replacement (very quickly I might add) but the new one they sent me isn't any more snug than the original. Are my expectations unrealistic? Oh Also, I see you have started using pellets in the ash drawer for added smoke. Doesn't seem like they'd last very long. Have you ever thought of using Bradley "biscuits" in the drawer? Seems like they would ignite as easily as wood chips but last longer. Just a thought. Thanks!
you might want to add some high heat gasket felt material to secure your control tower top. they might send you some, or it can be found on amazon or smokeware.com for a few bucks. i have a save 10% for smokeware but the price comes out basically the same as amazon for the gaskets
Nice video again James, i get my best ribs from my GMG pellet smoker, but when i use my off set its almost the same . Within my family they are diveded in half when asked witch the like the best. But off the pelletgrill or of set is there favorite on the Kamado they just have less smoke taste. Keep up the good work.
thats interesting, what temps are you smoking at? When I use a GMG Daniel Boone at a friends cottage we run it at a lower temp (sub 220... normally 180 to start) for a few hours before ramping up the temp to get some smoke as if we cook at 270 i find it hardly imparts any smoke as the pellets are burning close to bush fire levels above that vs. smoking lol. The KJ on the other hand, if reckless can be made to be the smokiest of all three, so the fact your family finds it less smokey means you are doing a good job burning a clean fire already which is awesome.
@@SmokingDadBBQ I use GMG fruitwood pellets in my DB al the time, thats the flavour profile my family likes the most. I start at 110 degrees celcius until i like the color of them. After that i ramp it to 135 degrees celcius until the hit 92 degrees internaly then i start poking untill the are soft enough to our liking. I do not wrap them maybe that gives the differnce, a GMG wil give nice smoke even above 110/ 120 degrees celcius, where many pellet smoker stop giving smoke. Keep on the good work and thanks for your compliments.
Take the stainless stack from the pizza oven and put it on a big joe. Watch the convection take off air flow is the difference between these two nice smokers for sure. Great choices
James, the end of the video was like watching a Japanese monster movie. Haha. You cant beat the product coming off the offset, but I agree that if I could only have one smoker it would be a kamado.
Offset is always going to win in terms of taste. I think an offset would be fun to use for a shorter cook like chicken or ribs, but for brisket that just sounds like a pain in the ass.
If you use less charcoal and more wood chunks your smoke will rise along with a darker bark. Also if you add a water pan the bottom of the BJ or GE you will not have a burnt or dry bottom.
You are wondering about measuring airflow -- seems to me that you have a head start on that by your oft referred-to article that discusses airflow increase with the SloRoller. Seems to me a big difference is volume of new smoke from the offset vs. what is produced by the KJ. It struck me that you're adding splits every half hour for four and a half hours plus the start-up fire. That would be an interesting measurement -- weight of smoke wood between the two. I think it's time to throw in the best smoke-wood addition method that you can throw into the KJ to see what happens. And that lonely pizza oven sure needs to see some video love...
I think you could measure the air flow with a low flow (hot wire) annemometer. You can calculate the flow is you know the velocity of air and the cross-sectional area of your intake pipe. I would assume the gasket does not leak. “Rig up” the device to connect to the intake and monitor the flow. Flow into Kamado=Flow out of Kamado.
Instead of igniting pellets, would igniting some wood chunks and placing in the ash drawer be an option? I know you’ve put some in there in the past to catch embers to get it smoldering, but not sure if you’ve tried lighting a couple before putting in there, or if that would just get temps all over the place.
I've been BBQing for well over 30 years,four of those years were in competition and nothing compares to an offset smoker when it comes to true BBQ flavor. I bought my Kamado about two years ago after going back and forth on my need for one as they are rather expensive for a grill. Of course I spent far more on my offset Lang reverse flow smoker but I knew what I was getting. I have to admit it was well worth the money for the Kamado,it's almost a do anything cooker but in my opinion it falls short when it comes to actual BBQ. I have to admit that the Kamado has become one of my favorites and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite between my five cookers. I have a MAK Two Star General pellet pooper that I really wanted to like more than I do. It's fantastic at holding temps and while it turns out some really good BBQ it like the Kamado falls short when it comes to real BBQ flavor. If I had to choose one cooker it'd be a toss up over the Kamado and my Lang. The Lang puts out superior BBQ while the Kamado is far more versatile and it sips fuel unlike the offset. As far as time and temps go the offset reverse flow Lang cooks much faster than a standard offset smoker for the same reason you stated. The steel plate under the grill surface puts out a lot of heat speeding up your cook times. I also use fire bricks in the fire chamber and the smoke chamber which holds heat and keeps temps far more even and steady. The Wife and I have been talking about a Pizza oven for the last few weeks and was glad to hear your comparison between the Kamado and a real Pizza Oven. Sounds like the Pizza oven wins hands down which takes me back to my thoughts on the Kamado,while it really versatile it doesnt do a great job when it comes to certain cooking methods.
I have had similar results. Have had a kamado now for a couple months and agree it is a very versatile cooking tool. I think it will be a good compromise to building an actual pizza oven, and it does an excellent job on reverse sear steaks or something like tri tip. I recently did a brisket on it, and the bark and bbq flavor doesnt compare to my big Klose offset. It was a tasty juicy brisket, but I have been spoiled by my big offset. Next brisket I do, I am thinking of a hybrid approach. Start on the offset and cook until the stall or I get tired, wrap and transfer to the Kamado for a stable temp overnight run, then finish with a long cooler rest for a mid afternoon meal. I hope that is the best of both worlds. Thanks for the review of the reverse flow. I have some pipe and a tank waiting for my next pit build and I think I am going to build a reverse flow setup for that one.
@@danielh4995 I'm getting too old for those 20 hour smokes these days. I'll start a brisket in the offset and pull it 8 or so hours in and put it in the pellet pooper to finish. That way I get the best of both worlds and some shut eye. The pellet pooper has a remote I set on my night stand that will let me know if everything's going as planned.
i have started playing with that after the results in this video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-58Q4DVFMumM.html Its definitely going to be part of the solution
Interesting video. What I did miss was how much smoking wood that was added in the Big Joe? Surely there is a difference there also? Interested to hear your thoughts..🔥👍
I just started cooking on a small offset.. what I have found is the position of the fire in the firebox is a big factor on temps within the cook chamber.. I try and keep my fire away from chamber towards the back of the firebox.. near back door..
100%... i nearly have it falling out the door sometimes but at 18" I do wish occasionally for more space to pull the fire away from having flames being sucked into the cooking chamber. I only need a split to maintain 275 in summer weather so normal tricks of knocking down the fire with how you arrange the splits dont work as well. in reality i need to get the saw out and reduce the size so that i can build the fire i want without getting the massive flames
the rib on the offset should have been turned 90 degrees. It also looks like you should have spritzed the ribs on the offset as well. You shouldn't have "burnt" looking ends. But the video was very well done.
James , Great video ! Could you please let me know where to get good quality twine in Ontario for Joetisserie that won't burst into flames after 15 minutes ? Thank you
haha mine is combustable too, i soak it but it eventually goes. the trick is to bank the coals to the back and cook at 300f so that things stay together and then rake the coals under and blast at the end to finish to your liking which will get the string but at that point its fine
Stop James! How can you eat those plump lovely ribs like that in front of a starving audience!! One question unless I missed it, did you wrap any of these racks for this cook? And on the subject of infusing a more smokey profile on the Joe do you (or can you) use the BBQ Guru in an effort to move more air as well as assist in a more steady temperature profile? I use it all the time on my Komodo Kamado with great results and worry free temp spiking and although it cannot match the unique smokey flavour of my Meadow Creek offset it puts it very close. Thanks for another great video.
haha cheers. No i didn't wrap either to try and keep the variables to a min (i.e. 3hr joe vs. 5, when do you wrap in each and how that might change the results etc.) I had an iKamand but found the food tasted worse... it might be just the iKammand algorithm but it shuts the air flow completely, then stokes the fire over and over so the fire goes from burning clean, to nearly dead repeated so 50% of the time the food is cooking to a fire thats struggling to breathe
I've found the first 60 min of a double indirect to be a "magic hour" when you can get away with bigger vent settings and more wood, because the second stone is still cold, which keeps the temperature from running away. 3-4 chunks below and two on top added just before the food goes on. I can get bark that looks like it's from the offset ... but does it taste the same? I don't know. Also definitely not for the beginner because you have to know when to start shutting down the vents.
i think you are on to something here Jim. The #1 question i get is about Yo-Yo temps so i might have over corrected on the grill setup to get rock solid temp control to address the frustration that so many reach out about at the cost of maximizing smoke quality so we might need to walk back a little towards the middle on this
i have wondered about that but the way it works is blowing or stopped / sealed so i find the fire tastes worse as its almost dead, and then gets stocked back to life over and over but i am sure there is something we can modify for the fan part
I've been using your double indirect method and have recently become curious about something. The slow roller isn't supposed to be used over 500 deg F because of the teflon coating. Even though our dome and grilling surface temperature are kept low, are we still exposing the slo roller to temperatures over 500 degrees F?
i used my IR temp gun and it was not exceeding the limit.... keep in mind the temp warning is using the gauge which is at a higher level, the real danger zone for teflon is 620f / 327c so KJ is helping us stay in the safe zone by ramping back temps 120f to account for the difference between fire and dome temps
is the overall flavour on the KJ 90-95% of the offset? If it is then it wins in terms of fuel efficiency, speed, ease of use. That should do unless you have to cook for a large crowd
thanks Mark... if I am honest I wish it was that close. I didn't mention it this time, but you are right as you do need to add the convenience factor. When I cook on my Joe, I can go to gym, church, hike with the kids, or even overnight sleep... whatever and get a great result. A short ish cook like 5hrs is not the end of the world, but on my offset thats a minimum of 10 interactions with the fire and splits, meaning i can't really wander further away than what 30min provides me so its a very different work life balance to get the results. This is where the joe shines so my goals is to take tips / tricks / learnings on how to get the best result on my KJ... if I could get even 85% of the result but for a fraction of the effort i'd be happy. Rough guess but maybe I have closed the gap to about 60-70% at the moment so i still want more / believe more is possible
Is it possible to do a head to head using your normal method of lighting with smoke wood underneath vs normal method of lighting where you stir the coals and place you smoking wood in after it comes up to temp (or you could compare with just charcoal). I feel alot of the smoke wood buried underneath burns off before the meat is put on.
i am doing lots of experimenting in the background with different options to try and close the gap like not waiting for the grill to be up to temp to make sure the protein gets smoke, to adding more wood and cool deflectors to buy more time with open combustion etc. more to come on this topic
thats an interesting idea, but since i don't want to bring the quality of the offset down instead of bring the quality of the Kamado up closer to the same i think the secret lies more in the setup on the KJ than changing things on the offset
If your serious about applying metrology(the science of measurement) to your bbq. Then get with Tréscal. They are one of the largest metrology lab corporations in the world. I imagine sales can point you to the correct measurement instruments you need for your experiments. Air flow, temperature, pressure ECT.
You can buy a decent offset for the same price as a Kamado Joe, maybe even cheaper, based on your test, the offset flavor is unmatched, so why would it make sense to buy a Kamado Joe (or any Kamado)?
The KJ I call the SUV of bbq. It’s not first place here against a premium backyard offset but then comes pizza, steaks, wings and the effort to use etc which is where a Kamado gains some points
@@SmokingDadBBQ yea, makes sense. I do think kamado's make a damn good smoked food, unless you have the two side by side, very difficult to tell the difference.
i did add wood into the ash drawer to try and amp it up but i might resort to using the torch to fast track it as a short cook like three hours isn't maybe giving enough time to develop the same flavour profile as the stick burner
Ok,you lost me when you said "dry brine". There is no such culinary thing as a dry brine. If there is no liquid it's not a brine at all. What you did use is called a cure. This technique has been around a few thousand years and can work wonders. Please understand I'm not trying to disrespect you. As to the Kamado vs offset you could expand this further. A Kamado is just one type of vertical smoker/cooker. Just like your offset is one kind of offset. Both offsets and vertical smokers have both good and bad aspects. I like both but they tend to shine with different kinds of cooks. For ribs I prefer a ugly drum or WEBBER smoky Mountain with the water pan removed so the drippings fall onto the coals below creating those wonderful additional flavors that can't be created in either a offset or Kamados unless you remove the diverter plate. Anyway nice video. There's one thing for sure, it's nice having the different types of cookers for different situations. Have a great day 🌤.
thanks Victor, i tend to not get caught in the nuance of the language as some people confuse curing with pink salt when popular outlets and cooking publications use the term "dry brine" i am more worried about what the biggest % of people will understand and not accidentally have people think they need to add pink curing salt to their food
The cooking time difference makes no sense. If both cooker “A” and cooker “B” are at the same temperature then the cook time will be the same ( assuming items being cooked are the same and the final temperature is the same) If one of the cookers has more air flow it will take less time. A convection oven cooks faster at same temp or equal time at lower temperature Since we know that one set of ribs takes significantly more time, the only logical conclusion is that the cook temp is different, I.e. you are not measuring the actual cooking temperature that is seen by the ribs, but a secondary temp within the grill/smoker
Cook temps does not equal the same time. Convection, conductive energy from the surfaces near the food or radiant energy stored in the ceramics all play a role in cook times. Offsets do not cook as fast as
2:24 I do wonder if putting a better quality mustard, like a basic Vilux from France, instead of this Pantone yellow mustard, wouldn't be an improvement on the final taste. It doesn't need to be a grain Maille or anything, but a basic good quality mustard from France.
I have a bit if an issue with you promoting the pepper canon @ $200+. There has to be better and cheaper solutions and now I am starting having concerns with other products you are endorsing. I love your reviews but don't let success lead you away from your fan base. Not many of us can afford a $6k offset smoker or $200 US pepper mill.
I make my own spices so for me it pays off making my own with precise control. I paid for my grinder and I am not sponsored I have said in nearly every video to try fresh using any grinder or a coffee bur mill. My last 3 videos were on the cheapest Kamado for sale, don’t need to spend a fortune to be part of the family here
@@SmokingDadBBQ I really do appreciate your full disclosure about your testing period and criteria for adding a product to your channel. It just happens that I got very interested by these 2 products because of you reviewing them and wasn't expecting to be so expensive. I watched your video about knives for the exact reason you made it. I think you do a fantastic job and will get a lot more subscribers because of the quality of your reviews and your personal style.
Ben, you are upset that you like a product that Smokin Dad uses that you can’t afford, so you publicly comment frustration towards him for your own financial inability, childish. He works hard to being us these videos. If you can’t afford something use something else.
@@Forrest_Gee marketing tries to convince us in nearly every category of products that spending more equals a better result / product … in BBQ so many times that’s just not true. This is why I bought a series 1 joe to compare it to the series 3 which costs 2x, or why I do videos on the Akorn which costs 1/7th. Every now and then I blow the budget on something where I am convinced it’s better and will last a lifetime and these two examples fit the bill.
I can’t take you serious if you didn’t add hickory or oak chunks. Then it’s really not a fair comparison. I would say most people don’t have the space for your 8ft stick burner. Also I’m glad you didn’t put sauce on your ribs. Real grillers know you put the sauce on the side. There’s an old saying, sauce hides imperfections. Good Luck and make a true comparison video with comparison with the same woods. I’m assuming if you have cords of wood then you had the ability to chop some of that wood into 4 in x 4 in chunks. Do better it’s appalling that you didn’t take the time to do this experiment right.
I added wood chunks under the coals like always and then added wood via the ash drawer twice, once at 60min and another at 120min. i also sprayed each with 50/50 ACV and water, to keep the video length in check i didn't explain the entire process that i cover in my 101 videos for the best results. This was a best foot forward method for each grill, i didn't compromise the joe by withholding the same smoke wood (both oak from the same farm)
@@SmokingDadBBQ Then I stand corrected, by that measure then I’d say it was a great video. Please keep doing good work and remember. Sauce hides imperfections. 🤣
