Officially became a member of the Joe family last summer. I used your channel to decide on my purchase. I picked up and Classic Series 2 and I absolutely love it. One thing to note. My grill came with metal shelves, NOT plastic. Using the Komodo is my favorite way to grill. I was a pellet grill guy before my purchase. I will never look back. Love cooking over a live fire. Nothing better. Thanks so much for all the great information.

I bought a KJ Classic Series 2 from Costco last year (February 2023) for an incredible $840 new. The cart had metal shelves and a cover. It’s the perfect size for our household, and now I’m debating a Joe Jr. Thanks for all the great content, always enjoy the content you produce.

My top 5 is: 1. Big Joe serie 3 2. Big Joe series 2 3. Konnected Joe 4. Kettle Joe 5. Joe Junior 👌🤩👌

Wonderful feature James. Being a BGE user and fan of your channel who has seriously contemplated a move to Camp Red this was an excellent reference video. Thanks much

I have the classic 2 I bought years ago at top price right around the time the classic 3's were coming out. I wasn't educated on the differences until I found your channel years ago and after I bought. I feel my dealer sold me to clean out his inventory on his series 2 models which has always burned my ass. Over the years watching you cook on your series 3 and your "double indirect method" looks fantastic but for those of us with the series 2 it's been a hard few years watching you cook on that thing. My fault for not being informed when I bought. I still have my classic 2 and enjoy a lot of great food off it but still always wish I had the extra space of the classic 3 to try your cooking methods. Can't blame you for showing most videos using your 3. I still might sell my 2 for a big Joe 1. Thanks for years of watching your cooks and all the time you've spent on them! I'm sure I'm not alone when I say we've all learned a lot from you when it comes to ceramic cooking!.

Hey James, thanks again for that great video on how to change the KJ gasket. I did exactly as you said and she has been running great.

I just picked up a used classic 2 for 400 dollars and am loving all of you content!

Although I wanted a Big Joe, I was very fortunate to get a new Classic III on Amazon for $1054 not including another 5% discount for using the Amazon card. A week earlier I was able to get a new Joe Jr for $179 from Walmart. With those two, it didn't make sense to get a Big Joe anymore. I'm mostly cooking for two anyway, so these two Kamado Joe grills have been just perfect for us. Love them. Thanks James for another great video. 👍👍👍

As a techie and avid griller I went with the Konnected Joe and absolutely love it.

Last April I decided to purchase the Classic Series II. I absolutely love my grill. With that being said, I wished I had purchased the Big Joe Series III in a 24” grill.

I purchased a Kamado Joe Classic III, and I must say, it has exceeded my expectations. While the Big Joe was initially on my radar, after experimenting with recipes, I found that the Classic III better suited my needs. I am thoroughly enjoying my cooking experiences with it and couldn't be happier.

Great video James, Ive had the Joe Jr. for a couple years now and love it. Finally convinced the wife to let me get a big joe for our new patio. I was able to get the big joe 2 for $1499 US. We went and looked at a classic one and the lack of air hinge really sold the wife on series 2+

Well I started with the JR realy impressed in everyway except the size. So I looked at what is really necessary. I aopted for BJ1. I bought size veses the hipped features. I bought the basket for air circulation. I might buy a Smokeware vent stack in the future for better control. Now I have a great one for the weekday cooks and a big one for simultaneous cook meat and sides. I like the other features in the others but not at the price they are asking for it.

Great info as always James!

Great thought James, I’ve got a Joe jr. And used to have a different brand equivalent of a classic. Now I’m eyeing the Big Joe series 1. It seems like everything but the airlift hinge can be added to the series 1 (maybe it can idk), so it’s a good price for people who want the space and are willing to upgrade for sure.

Thanks James for all the great videos. I'd love to try the potatoes cooked on the coals that I saw a brief clip of in this video. Do you have a video for that or could you make a short one? Cheers!

I got my KJ classic in 2016 and haven’t looked back. I’ve done a few upgrades over the years, control tower top, multi piece fire box, and kick ash basket to name a few. Since then I have added KJ Jr to my arsenal. I love em. 2 of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Now I just need to get that Big Joe… 😂

Thank you James! I went and compared a Big Joe Series III vs one of the 18” models and I was surprised at the size difference there is once you see them in person! When the money is there it will be a BJ III

Extremely thorough analysis James!

Well done & timely video. I went thru the "consternation " of which grill do I get about 18 months ago. This after watching your channel for about a year prior. I have been using a WSM for about 10+ yers though & still do. So I decided to start small with a JR. Having an RV this allowed me to take it on our travels & use it at home. LOVE IT ! Now looking at getting a home unit as well. I am amazed just how much less fuel is used by the KJr vs the WSM. I use them both though and will not divest. They offer two completely different cooks. For now I separate the point from the flat when using the KJr.

Always a pleasure to watch your videos! I love my Dalstrong knife collection and the wife loves hers!!! I have the BJ series 3 - love it and while very expensive I cannot live without it now! ( also added soapstone and the Joetisserie) So versital - reverse sears, Thanksgiving turkeys, It DOES Everything! The only thing I would do knowis add a second one! LOL ( This video has be considering a Classic size or even the jr.) I have had it since early 2020 and was so much fun during that special time around the house!!!! It has held up well Keep up the good work!

Nice video. The classic 2 is my main kamado im using. That is because 90% of the time I'm cooking for me and my wife (babies like milk above meat 😂). The other 10% is when we are having family or friends over for eating and even then the size is stil big enough for the main dish. But.. If i need more grill surface, I fire up the Weber and have 2 grills running. Works fine for us

thanks so much for this video James. Really appreciate it I have been debating on getting a kamado cooker for a very long time thinking the Big Joe series 3.

I have 3 Big Joes. One series 2 and two series1. Also a Joe JR. About to order a Classic 1. After 25 years of Green Eggs I am going to keep the BJ 2 and the JR. Sell the other 2 Big Joes Will be a complete trio. I'm a charcoal snob. The series one is a great grill and Kamado Joe has the best value package on the market.

Bought series 2 classic last year..it came with metal shelves

Thanks for the really helpful video. Your videos were huge helping me to pick Jr. over BGE's smallest offering. It's still my favorite cooker for steaks and chops. I hadn't heard that they revised the specs on the SloRoller. I too have cooked many things above 300-never over 450-and the top ring no longer fits perfectly on the bottom ring. It's close enough but not ideal.

Great video I have a Joe jr and classic 2. It works great for me.

Bought my first KJ four years ago... KJr for half price at Walmart Black Friday. Stumbled at first but now have gotten pretty good mostly through SDB videos. Just stepped up to Big Joe 2. Local store had a killer sale and I just couldn't say no... Keeping the Jr just to have it... :)

My 2 definately came with steel shelves. Also at least here in nz series 1s now also come with steel shelves and full divide and conquer set up

I wish I had this video 3 years ago when I bought my classic 3. Hindsight, I would have gotten the Big Joe 3. Still love it, but just wish I had that extra wiggle room for brisket and full racks of ribs.

Classic PLUS Junior--I personally think that is a sweet spot. Brisket on the classic and pork shoulder on the Jr. makes for a lot of BBQ.

Ive got the Classic II…I’ll be adding at Big Joe to the backyard

Great Job on this video! Thank you James.

Very good information on what each size brings or doesn't have that is a great guide to help people decide what is needed. I have an 18" kamado for my family of 2 but I cook a couple times a month for 6 people. I love that I can do a brisket, 2 racks of ribs, large pork butt and 2 chickens on my grill at once. The only time I wish I had a larger grill like 24" is when I have two cooking zones. I finding that I like two cooking zones a lot more often as I expand what I cook and how I cook. It is not that hard to do a low fire to do the main cooking and remove the deflectors for high heat to sear. I do have an LP grill too that is very easy to heat up for the sear or other cooking. The LP grill also has two gas burners that I use a lot to cook other stuff like sauces and veg. I copied James double indirect method using to stones and was very please in the in increase in taste of my meats that I have decided not to buy a slwroller. The stones don't have the max temp concerns either. At times I wish my kamado was taller but not often, more likely when doing a double rack cook. I haven't had problems using a standard dome, just had to move the meat to the right place to shut the dome. I do cook on an open patio when it is snowing and near 0 degrees F without problems, I just let the kamado warm up with a smaller fire to not shock the grill. I have cracked a firebox after 15 years of cooking 2 to 3 times a week on the cooker. I ordered a new firebox that did take about 4 months to get a new one. I was lucky that I noticed the forming crack before it broke in two. I would like the separate firebox panels over the one piece. Just my 2 cents.

I have a large bge and love it for searing and cooking steaks. I recently bought a joe jr to cook one or two steaks when we are not entertaining. So far I've struggled to get the great sear and heat I get from the large bge. Any advice? I recently ordered a kick ash basket and expect airflow and heat will improve.

I just got the Big Joe series 1, after having the Joe Junior for a few years. I've been able to fit three ribs on the junior (by using a rack) with great results. But when cooking for friends it's difficult to comfortably fit everything I want. When bbq'ing I'm still using my home oven for the sides and I hope that with this new purchase I can manage to do most of it on one grill. WIth some of the deals I see mentioned here I might have gone for a series 2 or 3 but I have yet to see great deals here in Europe. The main upgrade from 1 to 2 is the air-lift hinge and I don't feel like the €600 it costs justify it for me. If I feel like it I could still get the newer gasket and Kontrol top if I wanted down the line as well as the sloroller.

Great in information on the Kamado Joe lineup!

Connected Joe for older me. Plug her in and charcoal lights.

I HAVE A JOE JR AND CLASSIC 3…IF I DID IT AGAIN, I WOULD DO THE JOE JR AND BIG JOE 3

Nice comparison with in depth explanations. How about a cook off between a series 3 and your Primo oval xl ?

You and Rum and Cook sold me on the BJ3 and I’ve not been sorry.. I cook on a Vision Pro when its just me and the wife but drag out the Joe for guest. Bigger is not always better but size does matter!

Series 1 does all it needs to do for me . Including big game cooks like brisket and ribs . Man even Turkey fits great .

Looking forward to your Weber kamado 6 month review. Ive been stuck between brands.

Hi James, excellent video as always! I recently purchased a Big Joe 2 and placed my thermopro pen on a shelf. To my surprise, the pen magnet attached itself to the shelf indicating that it is made of metal. I'm not sure if Kamado Joe has made the metal shelves a standard across all Big Joe 2s but I am a happy camper.

A video of how you store all your KJ accessories would be appreciated

A great guide. KJ offers so many options, it confuses the buyer. I'll refer friends who inquire, to this clip.

For us poor people, is the Akorn Kamado close enough? I have watched your excellent review and the rest of your videos on the Akorn but I am still unsure how far behind the Joes the Akorn is? Just can't stretch to a Joe with my small budget.

Considering a series 3, but I heard that the sloroller has teflon and is harmful. What's your opinion on that? I might go with a BJ2 instead to avoid teflon!

I have a BIG green egg and 3 Kamado joe. Green is mostly my grill. 3 tier Joe is my smoker or large bbq

James, how about a video on how to keep the exterior of your Kamados looking like you just bought them. I know you’ve done videos on cleaning the interiors, but your kamados always look like they’re brand new out of the box. How do you do that?

Great video James! Good info for folks new to the ceramic grill world or for folks thinking about upgrading his/her KJ grill series. I have the Classic I and the JR. Love both of them! The recent addition of the new JR cart (which you did an unboxing video) has made that grill even more enjoyable to use. Are you familiar with the "WOO RING"? Its an aftermarket "divide n conquer" system for the JR. If yes, would love to hear your opinion. #DontBeAfraidToFireItUp 🔥🔥🔥

I should have got the Big Joe and I'll tell you why. You can always cook less on a big grill but you can never add more space to a small grill. If I had it do over again I would get the Big Joe 1 and not the Classic 2 like I did.

Thank you James for another great video! Very informative.

What about the kettle joe? Great video btw

I need the 24 inch space, so decided on a Big Joe. The biggest decision is 2 vs 3. Can get the BJ 2 for just under $2000 while the BJ 3 is $3000. I understand the 2 is about 4 inches shorter but it also comes with a better looking stand. But in today's economy a $1000 dollars is a big chunk.

Hi James - great video as always! I saw an add the other day for a Kamado Kettle BBQ with a 22inch cooking surface and a ceramic fire box at $549 Cdn - do you know anything about them or have you had any experience with them?

They are petals not pedestals. Great information throughout.

Really enjoy your YT page. Being a complete newbie to this space, why would one go with the KJ vs. BGE? I see the egg at Home Depot an Ace hardware but KJ is harder to find.

My KJ1 I got the charcoal basket as a bonus at the store. The KJ1 also came with the firebox in separete pieces. The felt and gasket are temporary untill they are worn out. Then I will get gasket as well and am at the same tier as the KJ2. In a couple of years when the daisy wheel is worn out I can replace it for a control tower. The hinge is then for me the only noticeable difference.

Have you ever had the kamado joe jr fire box break due to it being 1 piece? Is there any special way to travel with the jr? I’m worried about it breaking or cracking the ceramics.

James, I can't get my top lid on my big Joe 3 to line up anymore, it's got an over bite that makes it hard to stay latch. I've adjusted it multiple times in the past using the tips in your videos, but it seems like it just won't sit right anymore. Do you know if the bands on the side have a recommended torque?

Is it possible to place a dutch oven and grill on the Classic joe 2 the same time? If not, is that possible on the bigjoe 2? I'm on the fence because of these questions.

Great video as usual! How do you like the smoekware top vents vs both the daisy wheel and the kontrol tower.. I would love to see or hear your thoughts.

hi, nice videos, im a new subscriber from Canada. Here the big joe is hard to find and expensive. Im looking at either the classic 1 or classic 3. they are 1k cad$ difference. What do you think about the sloroller?

Love your content…I recently acquired a Big Joe 3 shell. I’m now slowly buying parts to get it cooking. I’m having a hard time finding the 3 tier divide and conquer for sale anywhere. Any suggestions? I messaged customer care at KJ but haven’t heard back.

I own three already because of you 😆

My current grill is the same size as a JOE JR, and its enough size for me, Maybe if I am gonna get a different one, I would get a JOE classic. just so I an get larger cuts of meat on it. though with me living on my own, I wouldn't need more than the JR, since its big enough for 5LBS bacon ribs [2-4 servings, depending on how hungry I am]

Try a cook on the breeo smokeless fire pit

You said Big joe went through a charcoal basket in 56 hours! Wow how long would a classic joe basket last if i wanted to do a brisket?

What about the Kettle Joe?

IMO, best advice for a newbie is...get the biggest KJ that you can afford and have the space for. This gives you room to 'graduate' into the BBQ hobby. The Series 3 would be my first choice, but it's not worth it to me to upgrade from the Series 2. I have a Series 2 Big Joe and I have never regretted the purchase. The only reason to get something bigger than a Big Joe is if you think you're going to regularly cook for large groups of people. The KJ is the best insulated cooker for cookers like me in the Midwest throughout the long winters. I can easily cook 4-6 packer briskets (for reference). I was not interested in the Konnected Joe. IMO, it's NOT worth it. My Series 2 paired with a Fireboard 2 Drive on it is near stress-free BBQ'ing. Thanks for the video.

Konnected Joe all the way, auto or manual

Why has no youtuber not addressed the Konnected issue with AFS tripping GFCI outlets? I’ve read several customers experiencing this including myself. My house is only 2 yrs old and has 6 GFCI outlets on the covered patio-20A circuits. Everyone of them is tripped when attempting to use the Konnected. Seems to work fine on my non gfci--but i’m not going to run a cable from inside to outside. Customer support has been the worst--esp. due to the awful website that fails to submit forms (captcha issues). Now I’m stuck with having to return this massive grill--without proper packaging/pallet.

Team big joe 3❤❤❤ with flame gun the game is on faster then you can get your meat to room temperature😂

Howdy James. I got an Akorn and after your fixes, it is my 'go to' smoking method. My favorite protein to smoke is beef cheek. It is easy and quick to smoke and is more tender and flavorful than brisket. You should try it. Prepare it like a brisket, season it with SPG, cook about five hours, low and slow. If you try it, don't let your family know what it is. They'll love it, trust me....Thanks for the great videos. Fred.

I just bought a grilla grills kong

Should test a pit boss Kamado grill

Where does the kettlejoe slot in here?

Hey James, wish you put out this video before I bought my BJ series 3. I do have a classic series 3 but found that a larger brisket I would need to prop in the middle with balled up foil. So since I just got my BJ, it’s colder outside here in Maryland and my control top won’t go down on the lid. Do you think wait for warmer weather and it will go down?

Why are we not reviewing alternative brands, especially if cost is a focus?

Where can you find a big joe for $1100?

Bigger is typically better if you have a family. Simple.

Buy the biggest one you can afford.

Or Weber Summit Kamado for half the price?

Erster!!! Kein 🤖!!! ❤

Chinese Kamado with an American name.

Weber is the answer.