Help me decide between Webber charcoal summit or Kamado big joe.

SmoothBoarBBQ said:

Weber Summit by a large margin.

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rob g said:

Kamado Joe has a fantastic warranty. I purchased a floor model at the end of the season. After getting it home I found the mounting holes in the base for the lower vent to be chipped away. A couple pics later and a new base was on my step. A couple years later my firebox had cracked and the upper vent was losing its paint. Again a couple pics had replacements sent straight away. I use the KJ in the dead of winter at -20C for overnight cooks with no issues. I have been quite happy with the smoke flavour on anything coming off my KJ.

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sudsandswine said:

I would go with the WSCG as well. I have owned numerous ceramic Kamados and a Chargriller Akorn, and I think the Akorn was superior to the ceramic grills in many ways, including my Primo that I currently own. Double walled metal with high temp insulation pancaked in between transfers a lot less heat to the exterior than ceramic, I could lay my hand on the outside of the Akorn when it was 500* and it didn’t feel that hot. The Ceramic grills would feel like....500*. Not bleeding off all that heat made it even more efficient. Also, the ceramic grills are much heavier and not a lot of fun to move...even if you don’t plan to go portable, if the need to move it ever arises (new house, new deck or cooking area, etc) it’s not fun.

I will second rwalters comments on the flavor profile...I first experienced that after buying my Shirley and much prefer the flavor of my Mak pellet grill for low and slow cooking compared to the Primo. I did find that using a good quality lump charcoal (my favorite is Rockwood) and using wood chips instead of chunks did help to minimize the smoldering wood/camp fire flavor inherent to the low oxygen environment. In the case of the WSCG or Kamado Joe...I cant imagine one will be much different than the other for low and slow cooking. Never used a WSCG but they are certainly nicer made than the Akorn I did own.

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Lawnguy said:

I have a Vision Kamado that I have been using for 5 years now. No complaints. Best grill, smoker I ever had. I've held temps for over 20 hours on one full load of lump. Steady like a rock temps. A few years ago I bought a flame boss controller. Not that I needed it, more for peace of mind on overnight cooks.

The controller makes smoking on it even easier and allows me to bring the temp up to where I want it with no real input from me. Set it and forget it.

I think the problem with acrid smoke or campfire smoke taste is from user error. You can have that problem on any smoker. Knowing your individual smoker and how to set it up and when to put the meat on is key. Sure I screwed up a few times when I first got it and had some not so pleasant cooks and results, but that was due to me not knowing the grill and not setting it up properly or rushing the cook in the beginning.

When you get a Kamado you will read about how you want to only light one small area and bring the temp up slowly. I get it. That is to ensure that you are not getting a large fire going that will overshoot your target temp which will be difficult to get back down.

That is great advice for a newbie and it works to a degree. But your not getting the whole story and you will make mistakes due to you not knowing the grill. You also have to have common sense and use your past experience as a guide. That is if you have past experience to fall back on. If you never smoked before and or have not had much experience with grilling or smoking then there is going to be a learning curve.

First off I don't light my smoker like they suggest. I did in the beginning because that is what was suggested and what the manual said to do. If you do light the smoker like they suggest you have to wait until the smoker reaches your desired temp...which could take up to an hour or more. Most people will get in a hurry and throw the meat on too early before the fire is really ready.

When you get to temp and add the deflectors and the meat you will see the temp drop and the airflow get reduced. That is what causes the problems. Too small of a fire and the reduced air flow make for an acrid taste. To remedy that I light 3 to 4 areas at the beginning leaving the lid open and the bottom vent wide open. Usually about 30 minutes or so. I don't worry about overshooting the temp too much.

Once I see that the fire is going the way I want it I then add the wood chunks and set everything except the meat in the smoker and then let it come to temp and adjust the vents if needed. Let that go about another 20 to 30 minutes. By this time you should have a good airflow as indicated by looking at the top vent. Adjust vents as necessary and let it ride a few minutes until its steady and humming along. Then put the meat on and crack a beer.

I've been grilling and smoking a looooonnnng time. Never owned a quality offset..a bunch of cheap ones over the years. Like most I started with a weber kettle. When I got the kamado I was blown away. The ease of using it and the way it holds temp and the amount of fuel it uses were mind boggling to me.

Have I had that acrid or campfire taste on some cooks....yep. Was it the fault of the cooker? Nope. Its all in experience and knowing your cooker and how to set it up and when to put the meat on. You can have that issue with any smoker. Every smoker is going to be different. You just have to figure out how to use it to get the results you want.

Using the controller also helps with that. I can set things up, light the smoker, setup the controller and let the controller take me up to temp. The controller will keep a more even airflow too in the first few hours of the cook. Which is when most of the issues with acrid or campfire taste happen. Once the grill is chugging along the controller doesn't really have to do much. But the airflow by this time is consistent and the temp is holding steady.

If your getting dirty smoke taste or campfire taste or acrid taste.....well your doing something wrong. Does a kamado compare with a stick burner as far as taste and smoke profile.....not really. Nothing beats a stick burner. But a Kamado will put out some really good Q and its one of the easiest ways to smoke will little to no input from you.

Now as to which one to get....either one will put out great food. Both have pros and cons. I think you would be happy with whatever you decide. I do like having the Joetissorie and I use if from time to time....but that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

Good luck on whatever you decide to go with.

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WBDubya said:

I had a Kamado Big Joe for several years (still have my Jr. but I'm thinking about selling it). Since I've switched over to a pellet my cooking life has been much easier (wifi, set and forget, etc.) and I'm cooking out more. Now I wonder why I waited so long to switch.

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rwalters said:

In my opinion, yes... pellet munchers are great all around cookers. Although I have a Weber kettle for those times I need a charcoal fix or screaming hot sear, I find myself using the MAK for 95% of my grilling/roasting/smoking needs. Personally, I find pellet cooking really hard to beat on numerous levels

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rwalters said:

My thoughts. In your original post, you mentioned that you are 39 and just now starting to get serious about grilling. As to what cooker is best for YOU, in my opinion there is no one better than YOU to decide that. After 25ish years, and having spent way to much $$ myself trying to figure out what is going to best meet MY needs and THOSE I cook for... I have found the pellet/kettle combo to be the best for how I cook. I also have a large outdoor griddle that sees a ton of use.

So, to you and your needs.
-What does your new cooker budget look like?
-How many people do you cook for on a regular basis?
-Do you enjoy entertaining, and if yes, how many mouths do you need to be able to feed at once?
-What types of foods do you think you’ll be cooking most often and what style of cooking do you think you’ll be doing most often (low n slow or grilling).
-Do you have kids? Do you have a busy lifestyle? Do you enjoy the process of starting/maintaining a live fire... or are you more a set it and forget it kind of guy?
-Do you enjoy a heavier smoke profile or a lighter smoke profile?
-What type of weather climate do you live in?
-Are you only looking for an all-in-one cooker, or are you open to having 2 cookers... 1 being strong at smoking and the other grilling?

I honestly think you’ll get better and more accurate feedback as we get to know you and your specific situation

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