Smokey Joe, Smokey Joe Premium, Jumbo Joe or ???

[BuffettFan]

Mrs. Fan and I are planning a Gulf Shores, Alabama getaway in a couple of months.
Right now, just the 2 of us and our pup, so we could get by without taking my Travel 22 Weber, one that I made some removable legs for to be able to fit it back in the box for travel, so naturally I see this as a need for another grill.
Considering the 3 mentioned and wondering what the brethren thinks of these candidates.
I like the extra features of the Smokey Joe Premium, but am concerned about the vents on the side vs on the bottom.
Not sure we need the capacity of the Jumbo Joe, especially considering the extra cost, and it's not that much smaller a footprint when packing than the Travel 22.
Any others I should consider, or since this is a grill that will be used a handful of times per year, should I just buy a cheapie when we get there and leave it behind?
There is a full size barrel style charcoal grill with the house we are considering, in case we need more capacity for some reason, BTW.

Looking forward to learning even more from this great group!
(And having you all help me spend more money! :laugh:)

[KevinJ]

Mrs. Fan and I are planning a Gulf Shores, Alabama getaway in a couple of months.
Right now, just the 2 of us and our pup, so we could get by without taking my Travel 22 Weber, one that I made some removable legs for to be able to fit it back in the box for travel, so naturally I see this as a need for another grill.
Considering the 3 mentioned and wondering what the brethren thinks of these candidates.
I like the extra features of the Smokey Joe Premium, but am concerned about the vents on the side vs on the bottom.
Not sure we need the capacity of the Jumbo Joe, especially considering the extra cost, and it's not that much smaller a footprint when packing than the Travel 22.
Any others I should consider, or since this is a grill that will be used a handful of times per year, should I just buy a cheapie when we get there and leave it behind?
There is a full size barrel style charcoal grill with the house we are considering, in case we need more capacity for some reason, BTW.

Looking forward to learning even more from this great group!
(And having you all help me spend more money! :laugh:)I like my Weber Go Anywhere, make sure you head over to Pensacola and hit up Joe Patti's, great seafood market. Hope you enjoy your trip.

[4ever3]

You’ll appreciate the room you’ll have in a Jumbo Joe and the bale that serves as a lid rest and a lid retainer!


Y’all enjoy Lulu’s!

[BuffettFan]

Kevin, We're Planning on hitting Pensacola, so thanks for the tip on Joe Patti's, we'll definitely put it on our list!
We were thinking about hitting the Flora-Bama too, is it worthwhile or too touristy?
I have a Weber Propane Go Anywhere that we kept on our boat, didn't realize there was a charcoal version.
The burner was a bit close to the cooking grate on it, but we survived. Is that a concern on the charcoal version as well?

Jeremy, the lid bale and upgraded handle on the 14" premium are what I like about it as well, My only concern on the 18" is the footprint when packing the back of a Dodge Journey!
Mrs. Fan don't travel light!

[KevinJ]

Kevin, We're Planning on hitting Pensacola, so thanks for the tip on Joe Patti's, we'll definitely put it on our list!
We were thinking about hitting the Flora-Bama too, is it worthwhile or too touristy?
I have a Weber Propane Go Anywhere that we kept on our boat, didn't realize there was a charcoal version.
The burner was a bit close to the cooking grate on it, but we survived. Is that a concern on the charcoal version as well?

Jeremy, the lid bale and upgraded handle on the 14" premium are what I like about it as well, My only concern on the 18" is the footprint when packing the back of a Dodge Journey!
Mrs. Fan don't travel light!Flora-Bama is must see and not a tourist trap, you'll find everything there from high rollers, college students of drinking age to bikers and every walk of life in-between, never a dull moment at Flora-Bama, even on a Sunday afternoon. If you have a rain day make sure you visit the Navy Air Museum at Pensacola NAS it's impressive and it doesn't have to be raining to give you a reason to visit. Ft Pickens which is out on Pensacola Beach is a great visit if you're into Civil War history and the early 19th century plus the beaches are empty for the most part on the Gulf side other than a few people fishing here and there. Takes a special swell and wind to make waves out there but love surfing out there when the conditions are right.

On the Go Anywhere if you overload it with charcoal then yeah it's pretty tight, a full Weber compact chimney of coals which is half the full size fills up about 2/3rds of the grill and you can do some 2 zone cooking if need be. Used mine the other night to cook up some marinated boneless chicken breasts for the wife and I.

[tom b]

Another vote for a WGA

[thirdeye]

I have two of the Smokey Joe Silver models, these have the vents on the bottom. The grate is 13" so it's great for smaller cooks, but with the snake method I can get about 5 or 6 hours of burn time. I have the tamale pot mod (mini WSM) for one, so now I have a small smoker. When I cold smoke cheese, I use the tamale pot and put a A-Maze-N dust tray in the bottom. For camping or fishing at the lake I can grill or smoke foods.

The Smokey Joe Gold, has the vents on the side and I've cooked side-by-side with a Gold and like the bottom vented Silver better.

I've only been around a Jumbo Joe once, but liked it well enough that I'm considering one. The 18" grate is the same size as my Large BGE, and I'm comfortable with that size. I like the locking lid, and the cradle for the lid. I could see this as a larger option for camping or fishing trip, or as an easy spare grill to take along to a barbecue.

[SMOKE FREAK]

I like my Weber Go Anywhere,


The charcoal go anywhere is a fantastic portable grill.

[Sid Post]

I have used a Smokey Joe a lot for just myself. For two adults who don't eat like Farmhands, it should serve you well. That being said, I'm considering a Weber Go Anywhere model for ease of packing/transport.

However, my Smokey Joe sits in a 5-gallon bucket just fine! :wink:

[BuffettFan]

Thanks for the input all, it is appreciated.
For strictly packing purposes, I see a definite advantage for the WGA. A rectangle packs much better than a sphere.
I may have to drag the LP WGA out of storage and maybe try a few test cooks with the A-Maze-N tube knock off I just got.
The WGA hasn't seen the light of day since we sold our boat 3 1/2 years ago and I still have about 20 cylinders of fuel.

Kevin, Thanks for all of the great info on the area. Good to hear that the Flora-Bama is actually worth all of the hype.
We have some friends who have been there a couple times, ~10 years ago, and had a blast, but they were staying within staggering distance, so we'll probably be a bit more reserved than they were. Anxious to try the Oysters McClellen, I've seen them on the Travel or Food Network, maybe both.
Need to see if Dad remembers the name of the place in Pensacola that he and Mom used to go to for oyster loaf.

Now to get Mrs. Fan to decide on a rental before everything is booked!

[BuffettFan]

Y’all enjoy Lulu’s!

Mrs. Fan ran into a friend of ours from 20 years ago and she said the same thing!
It's on the list!

[4ever3]

Mrs. Fan ran into a friend of ours from 20 years ago and she said the same thing!
It's on the list!

Y’all will LOVE IT!

Ask to sit on the water, ya never know what will come by!

[food4thot]

My 2 cents. Bought a Smokey Joe years ago for camping. Was difficult to get a hot fire going in it...not enough air space. Was fortunate to later sell it at a garage sale. Started taking my 22" OTS on camping trips/picnics and all was well. It broke down easily. Kept it wrapped in a tarp for travel.

Bought a Jumbo Joe on sale for $40 at Target 5-6 years ago. Compact and portable. Enough air space to get a decent fire going. Enough grill space for direct/indirect. Use it at home instead of the Performer when cooking for just myself. It's one of Weber's finest creations IMO

[Badjak]

I would go for the 14.5" WSM if you got the money, or if you can find one second hand

Then for your travels, you leave the mid section and water pan at home

[BuffettFan]

I would go for the 14.5" WSM if you got the money, or if you can find one second hand

Then for your travels, you leave the mid section and water pan at home

Hmmmm...
And add another smoker for the cause...
I like it!

Found out that Dad's oyster place is in Apalachicola, not Pensacola, so we won't be going there for oyster loaf.

I got Mrs. to whittle the list of possible rentals down to 3, so my goal is to have a place rented today.

[BuffettFan]

Well, the search for another travel grill has ended. For now.
Just booked a house off of Fort Morgan road and as luck would have it, it comes equipped with a Weber kettle and what looks to be a Q series gasser.
Hmmm...
Might have to stay another night with the $$ saved!

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[4ever3]

Ahhh Ft. Morgan... LOVE IT!!!

[BuffettFan]

Looks to be within staggering distance of Tacky Jack's.
Sounds like my kind of place!

[4ever3]

We like Sassy Bass, you should check it out too!

[BuffettFan]

They have shopping at Sassy Bass, Mrs. Fan will be all over it! :doh: