Just mentioning this for your consideration:
http://www.goldenscastiron.com/ig
Cast Iron Kamado style cooker made in the great state of Georgia.
http://www.goldenscastiron.com/ig
Cast Iron Kamado style cooker made in the great state of Georgia.
I have several kamado's and really think that bang for your buck the KJ is the way to go. Bobby Brennan has really outdone himself with the new 2017 models. The innovation puts them in the lead of the "big three" KJ, BGE and Primo.
New hinge system, vent cap (for cooking in rain), flexible cooking racks, new gasket and the newly designed firebox all in 2017 not to mention rotisserie.
I have upgraded to the Komodo Kamado and they are a very fine piece of equipment. They are the last cooker you will likely ever buy. Very pleased with them but you are stepping up in price range. If money not a huge concern, look at the 23" Komodo Kamado Ultimate. It is the best grill that I have ever owned, pure luxury
I have several kamado's and really think that bang for your buck the KJ is the way to go. Bobby Brennan has really outdone himself with the new 2017 models. The innovation puts them in the lead of the "big three" KJ, BGE and Primo.
New hinge system, vent cap (for cooking in rain), flexible cooking racks, new gasket and the newly designed firebox all in 2017 not to mention rotisserie.
I have upgraded to the Komodo Kamado and they are a very fine piece of equipment. They are the last cooker you will likely ever buy. Very pleased with them but you are stepping up in price range. If money not a huge concern, look at the 23" Komodo Kamado Ultimate. It is the best grill that I have ever owned, pure luxury
What do you like better about the KK than the BJ for a 3k increase in price? I've seen you praise the KK a lot and I may bite the bullet someday.
Whoa, whoa, whoa .... get rid of WSM for a kamado? I think you meant add a kamado to your arsenal that already includes your WSM. There you go, I helped you right there. Your welcome.
I have five eggs and a bubba keg. I doubt the KJ is much different than the eggs, pick your favorite color, and also base it on price. Now the bubba keg, that's an efficient machine right there. Sometimes I think too efficient. Fine grill but I find I use the eggs more. But my favorite smoker is the WSM. Food is better on it than on the kamado. Yep, I said it.
The KJ is a fantastic product, nobody can deny that. The customer service makes it outstanding!
I remember always reading the hype from owners of the KK and just started looking into them one day. I tried to find a negative review on them and couldn't. No warranty complaints anywhere and I thought this is to good to be true.
I went through some fire bowl and other replacements with the KJ, and started to wonder more about the KK. This is a hobby and like most hobbies we want the best.
When I finally pulled the trigger I was all in and totally excited.
Cooking on the KK is an experience. These things cook without a doubt better than any other kamado that I have owned or operated.
The KK is built like a tank, refractory cement instead of ceramic, a two piece fire bowl to prevent fire bowl cracks, built in charcoal baskets (no need for a kick ash basket), the beautiful tile finish with all sorts of technology that reduces the heat from escaping the grill. I can cook pizza at 550 and put my hand on the outside of the grill without burning myself.
Top damper allows me to cook in any environment without having to worry about rain getting in.
The stainless grates are all oversized industrial strength. Everything is designed perfectly and when you see them in person you know exactly why they cost what they do.
As for the cooking, once I started cooking on them, I noticed several things.
The KK is designed with a firebox that forces air through the charcoal basket. With a standard kamado, the air flows in and if the charcoal is compressed in the bowl air may struggle to flow through the charcoal. Air can escape and flow on the outside of the fire bowl and out the top vent.
On a standard kamado I had troubles sometimes getting my temps up. This was because the lump was packed to much. It was recommended to place larger pieces in first to create air gaps to help with the air flow. Also this creates more air intake than required, ultimately this could affect the moisture level inside of the kamado.
With the KK, the air flows freely through the wire basket. Air flow has no where else to go as the kk fire bowl is wedged in the bottom. I found that the smallest setting can make a world of difference. Minimal air flow is required to obtain temps. With less air flow, my fuel consumption dramatically improved and the moisture level is unbelievable. I noticed immediately how moist the cooking environment was compared to my other cookers.
The design of the KK also creates an excellent vacuum. With minor vent sexting tweaks, I can dial the temp in 1 degree increments without problem. I have way more control over my temp and temp stability is amazing. The 32 KK has been tested with burning for over 80 hours on one single load.
Cooking on the KK, I learned two things that I absolutely love. I love the smoking on a kamado. I would set my deflectors and make sure that they were in the right place to ensure that the food didn't burn up on low and slows. I hated getting the deflectors dirty as the creosote would build up on them and require burn offs.
With the KK... they come with a large deflector stone, however, you don't need it. You can cook low and slow without a deflector. Simply place a piece of foil on the lower grate and put your food on the main grate and you have perfect smoking set up. I don't wrestle with stones and clean up anymore. They say because the fire to grate distance is further away than most ceramic kamado cookers you can afford to do low and slow without the stones. I love this!
Also, pizza setup is simple. I place the super thick baking stone on the upper grate and done. No set up with deflectors and air gap then pizza stone. I just add one stone and let it heat soak and done.
The second cooking feature I love is that I really don't worry about burning meat or flareups anymore. As was mentioned above, the fire to grate distance is greater, allowing me to cook without worry of burning meat. If I want to get close to the fire, I just put the food on the lower grate and done.
I use to always set up two zone cooking with deflectors, and now, I can cook 2 zone with just the lower and main grate.
Three levels of grilling come standard with the KK, opposed to 1 level on most kamados.
And the best part.... in all the reading and learning about KK, I have never seen a single warranty issue.
Is it worth it? I think so. But I chose the kamado style cooker as my preferred method of cooking. Some spend way more on offsets etc, but different strokes for different folks. If you are into the kamado style of cooking, honestly the KK is worth it.
I agree.
I have a KJ Classic and two Smokey Mountains, a 22.5 and an 18.5. Hands down the WSMs over the Kamado Joe for smoking.
The KJ is however great for grilling. But I'd never replace a WSM with a Kamado for smoking.
That said though, I have been more than happy with the KJ. The warranty and customer service are outstanding, and the accessories which come with it are top notch.
If you look at the KK forum there are owners that are listed in areas that you can contact to see one in person.
If you are ever in the Toronto area, I'll let you see them and even cook something to snack on while you are viewing them
I completely agree.
I own a Primo and a WSM.
Dont waste your money on a Kamado if you are looking for a smoker or a grill for that matter, a Weber kettle is just as capable a grill
I think that you are way off on your assessment personally. I call kamados the Swiss Army knife of BBQ. They can do everything well but there are other things that do it better. A WSM is a great smoker but that's about it. With a Kamado you can low and slow, grill and high heat cook.
I won't take anything away from the kettle but the Kamado is a superior grill to a kettle in every possible way.
I agree that a dedicated smoker is of great value, but to call it a waste of money is so far from the truth. I am not sure where you have drawn that conclusion from.
Whoa, whoa, whoa .... get rid of WSM for a kamado? I think you meant add a kamado to your arsenal that already includes your WSM. There you go, I helped you right there. Your welcome.
I have five eggs and a bubba keg. I doubt the KJ is much different than the eggs, pick your favorite color, and also base it on price. Now the bubba keg, that's an efficient machine right there. Sometimes I think too efficient. Fine grill but I find I use the eggs more. But my favorite smoker is the WSM. Food is better on it than on the kamado. Yep, I said it.
I completely agree.
I own a Primo and a WSM.
Dont waste your money on a Kamado if you are looking for a smoker or a grill for that matter, a Weber kettle is just as capable a grill
You make good points above.
My experiences have been varied, and thus far, I have not not been fortunate enough yet to find the jack of all trades Swiss Army knife of BBQ.
However what I have found is that there are some cookers which are "good" at multiple things, but not necessarily great at that same number of things, or more things. There is some compromise with all of them.
Case in point, my Kamado Joe Classic. A great cooker for what it is.
For smoking however, the KJ vs my WSM, I have found that it is difficult to keep temps in the 225* range in the KJ, and sometimes even a struggle to keep it at 250*-275* because over time, the clay from which the KJ is made will heat up and hold heat. It's effectively a kiln. The interior of that Kamado gets hot, stays hot, holds heat, and allows heat to build up as that clay gets hotter.
Also I've discovered that butts and briskets that I have smoked in the KJ tend to be dryer than those smoked in the WSMs.
I do use water in my WSMs, and even went so far as to use a large cake pan with water in it in my KJ after repeated results of what was dry meat, and struggling to keep temps even in the 275* range in the KJ after it had been going for a while and the heat had built up in it.
This when it was practically new, and thus with new gaskets.
Now can I smoke in a KJ? Yeah, sure. But I've found that I get both moister and more consistent results in my WSMs for smoking, and better temperature control than in the KJ. Just better results to the point that I no longer even attempt to smoke in my KJ when I have two WSMs to choose from.
I've dried out a few briskets, butts and racks of ribs attempting to smoke in my KJ. Edible, but still not the best results that I have gotten. My best smoking results have been on my WSMs, this is why I would never get rid of a WSM for a Kamado if I were smoking.
Again though, that said, the right tool for the job. When I need to really bring the heat, such as for searing a steak, making pizzas, and such, I can't beat the Kamado, and especially not with my old Weber Kettle which is out of service now.
The above statement is why I agreed with the initial comment by cokingdude555 when he said:
I definitely agree with this.
The only reason, or I should say the biggest reason that I have seen for my KJ was for when I really wanted high temps for searing steaks and such.
Using lump charcoal, I eventually, and it didn't take me long to do it, cracked the enamel and did some other damage attempting to bring my now retired Weber Kettle to temps approaching what can easily be obtained in a Kamado. I was pegging the stock lid thermometer in the Kettle using the Vortex and/or using lump charcoal too beneath cast iron grates.
After a little while, and not very much of that, the Kettle had had it. Weber sent me a new lower section, but I never used it, because I bought the KJ.
So while I would agree don't waste your money on a Kamado if you are looking for a smoker. But for certain high heat grilling and searing chores, I don't think that a Kettle can match the high heat performance capabilities of a Kamado. Especially over time.
If you asked me to pick one ceramic grill and accessorize it, it would be the xl big green egg. the xl egg lends it self to more set-ups than the others .....can do purdy much what bosco mentioned with his kk when it comes to cooking.
t
Can you elaborate on this? Just curious in what way it's more versatile then a Kamado Joe.
I have a L BGE and I'm looking to upgrade to an XL either BGE or Big Joe. Thanks