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

  • Did you catch much juices/fat from the chicken in the veggie pan? A lack of juice/fat could indicate too lean a bird and a lot of juice/fat could indicate that the skin was unable to hold it in and self baste the meat, only two things I can think of why you would end up with dry meat aside from overcooking it, which when cooking to temp is basically impossible.

    Smite The Shepherd And The Sheep Will Be Scattered!

  • There was quite a lot of juice/fat in the veggie pan, perhaps more than usual so that could be it. Incidentally I was very impressed with how evenly the Kamado cooks. I'm used to variations of up to 10F (and sometimes even more) between the 2 sides of the chicken. I probed this one all over the place and temps varied from 165-167.

  • Incidentally I was very impressed with how evenly the Kamado cooks.

    Quite a few people have noticed how well the Kamado Joe's cook so evenly. It is due to the round deflector design.

    I have an Akorn with a Y shaped deflector and a KJ with the round deflector. The round deflector does cook more evenly. the Y deflector I find creates some hot spots. But the Y deflector is good for running the probe leads as you run them in over the Y section and it protects the leads from the below heat.

  • A few more pics of cooks:

    Boerewors (South African style sausage). This was really good:

    Chicken cooked direct/indirect. Direct to get the colour and char that I wanted plus the smoke from dripping on the coals. Very good, hard to say whether it was any better than chicken that I have cooked this way on the kettle but it is easier to not burn the chicken on the higher grill setting on the Big Joe vs the kettle.

    T-Bone steaks. Not bad but slightly more rare than I intended. I need to adjust my cooking times because I cooked with the lid open and I am used to cooking with the lid closed on my Webers. Lid closed means the side facing up gets cooked via indirect heat while the bottom side gets cooked via direct heat.


    I also cooked another pork collar butt for pulled pork and it was the best that I have done. I attribute that to the Killer Hogs BBQ rub that I used (awesome) and the smoke flavour that I got via a mixture of hickory and apple chunks.

    I reckon it's a fantastic easy to use and versatile cooker. So far my only minor criticisms are:

    • Takes a while to get up to temp. My kick ash basket is being delivered tomorrow and should help with that.
    • After I finished cooking my t-bones, I closed up all the vents. That evening there was a strong wind and it blew the top vent completely open which resulted in a firebox full of gidgee being burned through.
  • A lot more successful cooks later, I still think it's an awesome smoker and griller but not as good as roasting as a Weber Kettle. As an experiment, I tried to see whether I could somehow replicate the kettle experience.

    I decided to use the charcoal bins from the kettle, but first I needed a flat surface at the bottom of the Big Joe. I couldn't put the charcoal bins on a lower level food grate with the chicken on the higher level because that would have put the charcoal above the fire box and could have cracked the kamado. The bottom fire grate from the 47cm WSM fit perfectly:

    Then I added the charcoal bins:

    One chicken and lump charcoal was added:

    The outcome was roast chicken as good as anything I have made on the Weber. My older son made a comment "the skin is so crispy". I won't do it again because it was more effort than the kettle and I had to top up the charcoal. For me this is further evidence that the Weber Summit Charcoal would be the ultimate kamado because the charcoal bins can go at any level without cracking the body and you can use briquettes so it won't need a refill i.e. it can work as a bigger kettle.

    On another note, the Kick Ash Basket reduces start times and makes cleanup a piece of cake. I bought a cheap plastic bin from Bunnings that is the perfect size for the ash cleanup:

    I also recently received my FlameBoss 300 controller. Manual temp control isn't difficult but it does require a little bit of fiddling during a cook. The FB 300 makes it all automatic.

  • On another note, the Kick Ash Basket reduces start times and makes cleanup a piece of cake. I bought a cheap plastic bin from Bunnings that is the perfect size for the ash cleanup:

    The KAB is one of my favourite accessories for my KJ. :thumbup:

    I use a cheap metal bucket from Bunnings for clean-up in case there are some hot ashes.

    Using Kettle basket is a favourite trick used by quite a few Kamado owners. It helps with two-zone cooks and to minimise and control users loads of charcoal to burn.

    To simulate it put a piece of metal down the middle of your KAB and fill up one side like this.

    Edited once, last by 12x7 (July 12, 2017 at 12:07 AM).

    • Official Post

    A lot more successful cooks later, I still think it's an awesome smoker and griller but not as good as roasting as a Weber Kettle.

    In what way Turkey? Reason I ask is that I've always thought the opposite. I agree that crackling is trickier, but I find that roasts cooked in my Kamado are usually more moist than the equivalent in a kettle.

    • Official Post

    I agree that crackling is trickier, but I find that roasts cooked in my Kamado are usually more moist than the equivalent in a kettle.

    I'd agree with that. My ceramic kamado gets a lot of use while to poor kettle sits on the deck as a storage container for the accessories. I still love the kettle but it's a lot more of a pita to clean and use. And while it does do better crackle, it's nowhere near as versatile as a kamado.

    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

  • In what way Turkey? Reason I ask is that I've always thought the opposite. I agree that crackling is trickier, but I find that roasts cooked in my Kamado are usually more moist than the equivalent in a kettle.

    Mostly the crackling / crispy skin. It just feels like the kettle was designed for roasting when I use it and the kamado can roast but it's not its primary purpose if that makes sense. When I google pictures of roast chicken/pork/lamb/whatever, the colour looks pale in the kamado versions compared to the kettle. Not bad by any means but not quite there ... kind of like NSW in Origin!

    • Official Post

    When I google pictures of roast chicken/pork/lamb/whatever, the colour looks pale in the kamado versions compared to the kettle.

    I'm not sure I agree there, here's a chuck roast I did low and slow in the kamado.

    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

  • I'm not sure I agree there, here's a chuck roast I did low and slow in the kamado.

    I'm guessing that took quite a few hours + you smoked it?

    Maybe the kettle is less indirect than a kamado, the heat doesn't have to go as far to get to whatever you are cooking indirect compared to a kamado where it has to go all the way around the deflector plate and the air flow is lower.

    E.g. here is a picture of a roast chicken that I pulled off the web that I would say is fairly typical of the colour on a kettle for a chicken cooked from 1 to 1.5 hours depending on size. Is there a way to get something similar on a kamado i.e. same colour from the cooking process and not smoke and similar crispiness?

    • Official Post

    'm guessing that took quite a few hours + you smoked it?

    Yes it did and it had a rub on it too. No smoke but I know what you mean, smoke can give it colour (my wife hates it when I smoke a roast and the spuds which are also in there turn darker. :D

    There's no doubt that you'll get a different effect in a kettle compared to a kamado and crackle is easier, but a hot kamado will give you good skin too, just maybe no quite as crispy.

    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

  • Set up your Big Joe and D&C like below with charcoal/divider, half deflector and grates.

    If you don't want to use the divider, ok to use one Weber charcoal basket instead.

    Place chicken on grate. Cook at @180C with more vent than usual to get more air flow to brown.

    The chicken being closer to the dome can help to brown it from the reflected heat.

    For extra browning I have also use a cast iron D plate instead of the half moon deflector.

  • ok to use one Weber charcoal basket instead.

    Excellent tip. I've done that many times and it works great.

    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

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