Photos of the New Kamado Joe 2017 available 1st/2nd Qtr

  • Thank you everyone for your responses!

    I'm thinking Gumb is right, wait until it arrives to make the final cuts. I'm tiling the top so that's the safest way to go. As 12x7 suggests I will certainly post pictures when it arrives.

    Spook and macca, we ordered it from a local ACE Hardware for $1,199.00 with a 2-3 week delivery. I'm very eager to see how well the air hinge works.

    Thanks 12x7 I will reach out to them for some assistance. I sure wish the new models were in the stores. This would make things much easier. More to come!

    I'm guessing since you bought it from Ace Hardware you live in the US?

    • Official Post

    Sounds like BBQG will have it available in Spring just in time for Christmas.

    It would be a few Christmases before I paid that much for it. They may be great but my trusty old Royal was less than half that and would cook just as well.

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • It's pretty good there's lots of options from the Akorn/Dragon to the Auplex copies and then more expensive again the name brands such as Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg and then if you win the Lotto the Komodo Kamado.

    They all cook great food and available for all sort of BBQ budgets. There was a time when Kamados were really expensive compared to a Kettle.

  • I would guess they may do something like Costco did in the US to the clear stock.

    They waited for Winter and then cleared the stock.

    I suspect BBQ Galore buy the Kamados by the container load. So watch for the winter sale!

    When they are sure they won't have any left they will order the new model.

  • I got my new 2017 Big Joe from the Gold Coast BBQ's Galore today. I wandered in and asked when they would be available and they checked their system and said they could courier one from Brisbane today.

    First impressions are:

    • It's so much bigger at your house than it looks at the shop (I had seen the previous model in store before).
    • The air lift hinge is amazing. Tested and verified one finger operation.
    • 3 people are better than 2 for set up and safe assembly. This thing is big and heavy.
    • I bent the bottom air vent slidey thing because I gripped the bottom air intake when lifting it into its nest and caught it in the ring when dropping it in. It was buckled and wouldn't fit in its track but a bit of gentle massage with a mallet fixed it.
    • The new gasket looks good and it had no air leaks.
    • I threw some steaks on. Not the best quality steaks but the flavour was lovely. I can already tell that this BBQ is a winner.
    • Official Post

    Got to be happy with that Turkey :clap::thumb up:

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • Yep, very happy based on my initial impressions. My dream BBQ is the 32" Komodo Kamado but that will have to wait for when a rich relative that I've never met carks it and leaves their fortune to me...

    Going to throw a chook on tomorrow, will try to take some pics.

  • Price is up considerably compared to the old model, $2995.

    Very similar to what I was quoted for the BGE XL + nest + conveggtor.

    I went for the KJ mainly because of:

    • The air hinge. The BGE has the second best hinge of the ceramics that I tried, Primo Oval XL felt wobbly and the lid was heavy and the old KJBJ's lid required a lift, clean and jerk to lift.
    • The ash drawer. Easy cleanup is a major factor for me. My WSM produces great food but I hardly use it because cleanup and setup is a PITA. I will get a kick ash basket to make things even easier.
    • The metal and fiberglass gasket that will hopefully last a long time. I am DIY challenged (I take selfies if I manage to change a light bulb) and the thought of installing new gaskets fills me with terror.
    • Being able to set up a direct zone and indirect zone at the same time out of the box (I believe there are certain mods/accessories to do this on the BGE)
  • BBQG Big Joe Mk1 $2295 vs Mk2 $2995

    I would have bought the old one for sure if the lid had been lighter to lift and I hadn't read about several peoples' catastrophic hinge failure. Any PITA in operation or cleanup is a deterrent to using a BBQ for me and at the moment the KJ ticks the "least PITA on the market" box for me. If the Weber Summit Charcoal was available in Aus I would have bought that, but that's another story.

  • The new lid, gasket and particularly the firebox probably added a few bucks to the R&D cost and cost per unit. I reckon the majority of the price increase is due to the new hinge, it's massive (see the can for scale). There is a big-ass spring hiding in there, but it's a bit difficult to take a picture of it.



    Boring whole chicken with light dusting of Plowboy's Yardbird:



    Sunset Kamado:



    Plated up. Had some chopped up potatoes and butternut in the drip tray under the chicken. The veggies were tender, smokey and delicious. The chicken had a great flavour but was surprisingly dry, dryer than it usually comes off my Kettle. Cooked at 350-400F and I took it to 165 in the breast (Maverick was in the whole time and the Thermapen probed the same temp). I hope it was just a dud chicken.


    This is on at the moment. I'm surprised at how quickly it formed a dry crust, much faster than on my WSM if I was cooking with water in the pan or even no water and without a blower. It was probably similar to the WSM with a blower in terms of bark formation. I had to spritz a few times before wrapping (it only looks moist in the pic because I had just spritzed). I was expecting the Kamado to be a moister environment based on everything I have read. Perhaps it's due to the general lack of humidity at the moment; I will try adding a small water bowl next time.

  • Odd that the chicken came out dry. I think the temp was too hot.

    There should be no need to add a water tray in any Kamado.

    I see you have the best set-up for a moist chook.

    Delectors in, drip tray on accessories rack and chook in the upper grill position. I like cooking vegies in the drip tray basted in the juices from the chook too. tasty!

    Try a chook au natural. eg fresh Steggles.

    You should be able to take it straight from the fridge. Set-up indirect as you did before and it should come out really moist.

    I cook mine around 150-170C,300-340F

    Edited once, last by 12x7 (May 26, 2017 at 8:49 AM).

  • The pork (kinda) turned out great. It had a thin crusty bark but was juicy and tender underneath. Unfortunately I was lazy and used Plowboys on it instead of my usual homemade rub and it was way too salty. It's a pity because it was otherwise up there with the best that I've made.

    It was a Stegglers Family Roast chicken. I always use those because they seem to be brined and usually turn out really juicy. About 1 in 10 go wrong on my kettle or WSM and turn out a bit tough, perhaps this was that one in ten. I've always wondered why the same type of chicken cooked at the same temp to the same IT will occasionally turn out totally different. Could it be a weird chicken or is it sometimes not handled correctly e.g. frozen too slowly?

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