Question for the Kamado ceramic owners

So, thanks to Wisconsin and Duke advancing, I managed to win the big bracket challenge I was in (regardless of tonight’s outcome), so I’ll be pulling in a little over $400 in “found money” here shortly.

I’m thinking it’s time to replace some cooking equipment, as my current gas grill is probably about 2 years beyond its “last legs”. Now, I can’t get what I want for $400, but that’s enough of a bump to give me an excuse to do some spending

I was thinking of another gasser, but the more that I think about it, the less I want gas. I’m thinking it might be time to get a BGE (or equivalent), and then maybe sell off my current gas smoker (Masterbuilt XL40) since I’ll have a kamado.

Question: is your BGE large and versatile enough to serve as your family’s only smoker/grill? Or do you also maintain a separate grill (gas, Weber kettle, etc?) for day-to-day cooking and other foods?

I’m just wondering if a kamado grill will be “enough” for the family, or whether it’s only useful when in combination with other equipment? If I was going to get other equipment, I'll probably opt for a $149 Weber kettle since the price and capability is right, and getting a decent gas grill is expensive enough that I can't justify it *and* the kamado.

I have a Large BGE and I also still use my other grill. Some foods you just don't want that charcoal flavor on....(well not everyone thinks that way)

I love the BGE though!

Thanks. The follow-up question would be this...

If a BGE equivalent isn't enough to be the "only" grill, would a Traeger Texas Pro do the trick?

http://www.traegergrills.com/pro-series/texas

Looks like it's got plenty of versatility, but there's still just something that seems "right" about charcoal...

I have a BGE and in my opinion it definitely fits the only grill requirement. I can hardly think of anything you could make on a weber or traeger that you couldn't make on an egg. Can that traeger bake a pizza at 550F because I do that with my egg all of the time. The only thing an egg can't do is something that's too big. Think roasting a full pig, or brisket for 100, though I did cook 4 pork butts on mine for a high school grad party. You can impart as little or as much smoke flavor as you want. I've baked a couple of apples pies on mine. Why? I say why not. No smokiness in the result.

Primo Oval XL FTW. More than $400, but I can smoke 6+ pork shoulders on it at once.

http://www.primogrill.com/index.php/products/grills

I have this and it is my only grill. I cook everything on it, even made Smores on it once

Thanks.

My only concern with some of the BGE and Primo options is that I'm going to blast out my budget, and still not have anything to set it on. I was thinking of going the budget route with the Vision grill available from Home Depot, which includes the legs and wheels...

Are there any good options for BGE or Primo to mount them, with the full understanding that my woodworking skills are terrible and it would be a disservice to a fine piece of ceramic craftsmanship to house it in anything I build?

bwarbiany said:

Thanks.

My only concern with some of the BGE and Primo options is that I'm going to blast out my budget, and still not have anything to set it on. I was thinking of going the budget route with the Vision grill available from Home Depot, which includes the legs and wheels...

Are there any good options for BGE or Primo to mount them, with the full understanding that my woodworking skills are terrible and it would be a disservice to a fine piece of ceramic craftsmanship to house it in anything I build?

Click to expand...

Mine is on my concrete slab patio on top of a few 1' paverstones. Some build carts, etc. I may get around to building a rock wall to raise mine up but I just put the food on and leave it until it is done.

"If you're lookin', you ain't cooking"

It is easy to get good results on ceramic. I will NEVER go back to gas. I can hold heat so well in my ceramic that I won't go back to metal walled either. My wife complained about the money I spent on the Primo before she had food I cooked on it, now if it broke in half tomorrow she'd gladly pay 2x as much to replace it.

If you want to go the BGE route and save a few bucks, find an eggfest or similar event near you. They will pre-sell the eggs used at those events and have full lifetime warranty. You typically save 200+ for an egg used once.

grrickar said:

It is easy to get good results on ceramic. I will NEVER go back to gas. I can hold heat so well in my ceramic that I won't go back to metal walled either. My wife complained about the money I spent on the Primo before she had food I cooked on it, now if it broke in half tomorrow she'd gladly pay 2x as much to replace it.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess I could mount it on pavers...

More than likely I'd go with the large Primo if I went Primo. Not sure if I'd go XL.

What size do I need to fit brisket, or multiple racks of ribs? I worry that the 18-19" round size of either the BGE or Vision is too small. Because after all, if I can't fit a brisket, it's useless!

Even with a round you should easily be able to fit a brisket on the Kamado style Primo. For ribs buy a standing rib rack. You can fit a lot more on there when they are standing on edge versus flat on the grill.

bwarbiany said:

Thanks.

My only concern with some of the BGE and Primo options is that I'm going to blast out my budget, and still not have anything to set it on. I was thinking of going the budget route with the Vision grill available from Home Depot, which includes the legs and wheels...

Are there any good options for BGE or Primo to mount them, with the full understanding that my woodworking skills are terrible and it would be a disservice to a fine piece of ceramic craftsmanship to house it in anything I build?

Click to expand...

Check out Kamado Joe...They are essentially the same thing as a BGE but much cheaper. BGE also want to charge you for the nest and accessories...Joe comes with everything and is still cheaper than a BGE by quite a bit.

FIL has a Kamado Joe. It's a hell of a cooker.

Big props to the BGE. I have a large, and have had it for years. Why every family does not have one is completely beyond me. It is stupid versatile. I have done cold smoked kinfish at 150 degrees and I regularly do pizza at 700+ degrees. I do ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, beercan chickens, thanksgiving turkey, burgers, steaks, and anything else you can imagine.

Did I mention I do pizza? Like once a week! We buy dough from a local pizzeria that we like, grab some toppings, and bang out 4 pies for our family of 4 just like that. I sometimes make the dough but picking it up requires little to no planning. The pizza rivals that of any Italian wood/coal fired oven - crispy bottom and edges with a tender crumb inside, and a hint of smoke. Let me just say when you cozy up to one of these bad boys and a pint of a beer you made yourself... well... all is right in the world.

That being said, I also have a gas grill, that due to weekday grilling, honestly gets more use. Thats only because it is too easy: turn the knobs, press a button, and wait a few minutes. Then, just turn it off. Its built in and connected to nat gas, so the only maintenance required is brushing it before putting the food on. The BGE takes some planning, setup and breakdown time - so I don't use it for a casual cook. That also being said, it does impart a wonderful smoke essence to grilled meats, so you can easily live with it as a daily griller, it is just more work. Kinds like the difference between making homebrew and buying beer at the store... well, not *that* much much more work.

My most important recommendations are:
1. Change the gasket to the nomex model if that is still not the default. If you do a lot of pizza, like I do (hopefully I told you that by now), the regular felt gasket will turn crispy, quick!
2. Get a plate-setter. This is used for indirect cooking and for pizza making and is an absolute MUST.
3. Get quality lump charcoal. Do not buy the junk at the big box stores (Cowboy, Royal Oak, or even BGE's brand). Check out The Naked Whiz for a lump database. I personally buy Wicked Good, Ozark Oak, Rockwood, or The Good One. Firecraft.com sells them for reasonable prices online with good service in my experience. Charcoal makes a world of difference - good ones burn hotter, longer, with less volatiles coming out, and a quicker transition to low smoke/odor. Good lump should be hard to light and take longer to get to temp.
4. Figure out a lighting system that works good. I personally use a propane or MAPP torch. It makes the charcoal spit a bit while I am lighting it, which is probably not the safest idea in the world, but it gets the lump going quickly. I have tried the electric starter, paraffin starters, the vodka method, etc. and I find this the easiest. NEVER use lighter fluid!
5. Clean out the ash regularly. A shop-vac makes short work of it.
6. For the ultimate upgrade, get a pit controller. I have a Rocks BBQ controller that is off-the-charts-amazing. These controllers are PID controlled thermometers and a fan. They hold temperatures to a single degree - no joke!. The one I have connects to the home network via WifFi and is completely controllable from there. It can control unlimited pits, can send tweets, and can be accessed via remote internet (cell phone). Heck, I sometimes sleep with it just because it is so cool. But I digress... When I do a pork shoulder, I put it out at night, turn the controller on, go to bed, and never even look at it again until ~17 hours later when it is time to pull it. Controllers like this make sure that your low and slow cooks never lose the flame - which happens often for these looks because the vent is fairly closed. This is BAAAAD and probably dangerous (food contamination). I think Auber even makes some reasonably priced models.

I recommend the BGE because the community is very large and there are many great contributors on the forums, providing a wealth of experience - much like this one! Their customer service is excellent and responsive. They have sent me replacement parts without delay or question, and I believe everything ceramic is lifetime warrantied. They have been around for many years and are extremely well supported.

Have fun!

-BD

Uh, oh... Now you got me started.

I've had my Kamado Joe classic some years now. Although I do have a 22" Weber that I cook on about once a year as well, I will never go back to kettle, smokers, or gas again. I use this guy at least once a week. Everything from ribs, brisket, meatloaf, pizza, bread, chicken, kabobs, burgers, fish, and brats. If it needs to be cooked, I'll cook it on the Joe.

It does come with a leg set, but I built my own cart along with other things. As far as price goes, as with any ceramic cooker, it's going to be pricey. You get what you pay for though. If you spend 200 bucks on a cooker, that's what you're going to get. Might as well go get a Weber. You buy an Egg or a Joe, that's the last grill you're going to buy for a while... a loooong while. Here are some pics...

The grill.


I made matching handles for my tools and grill lid.




Inside the cabinet and drawer.




And of course, the bottle opener. (it's supposed to be a .gif....I'll fix it later)

So, here's my current plan:

My local Costco is having a Traeger road show this weekend. If I can get something like the Texas Pro in the $800 plus tax range, that pretty well seals the deal. It has ease of use and capacity, even if it's not my preferred pellet smoker. It's good enough and the advantage of having a grill that my wife knows how to operate definitely counts for something.

If I can't get it in that range, i.e. if they sell it closer to the web price of $1K, then I'm in a conundrum. I think I can rule the Vision grill at Home Depot out of the running. It's too small, and some of the videos I've seen online of the cooks were not inspiring.

That leaves me with two options:

Kamado:
Primo Large Oval - I like the size, and the oval shape helps for longer things like brisket and ribs. Suggested MSRP is ~$1K and there are local dealers. Downsides are that I don't have a table or legs for it, I'll have to pay sales tax, and on top of that there are probably necessary accessories (such as the indirect cooking plates to allow me to do real BBQ) that I'll have to pay for. With all that, I'm probably at least spending $1200. If I had to buy some sort of table for it, I'm probably adding another $300+.

Pellet:
Rec Tec - From everything I read and see, this is a very badass grill and smoker. Some say that pellet grills don't put out enough smoke, but I already have an 18" Amazen tube smoker, so I'm sure I can supplement it if I need to. Everyone considers build quality and temp stability to be better than the Traeger, so I'm willing to spend for it. Cost is $1K. Downside is that since it's internet-only, it will cost me ~$200 to ship, and adding in a cover for it gets me close to $1300 at my door. Also a bit more than I wanted to spend.

If I can't get the Traeger at a good price, I'm still torn between the ease of a Rec Tec vs the versatility of a Primo Oval kamado...

FloppyKnockers said:

Uh, oh... Now you got me started.

Click to expand...

BTW your table is gorgeous. Unfortunately my woodworking skills do not compare to yours, so I'm not at all convinced I can even build something passable like that.

Thanks for the compliment.

No matter what cooker you go with, there is a vast selection of tables you can get. The manufacturers of the grills make them (and offer packages that include them) as well as third party companies. Here's just a few to get you going. HayNeedle, WoodlandDirect, BirdDogWoodDesign (etsy)

If all else fails, the Joe does come with a leg-set and side folding shelves. an auxiliary cart can be used if more storage and counter space is needed.

At the end of the day, no matter what you go with, it looks like you're doing your homework and won't be disappointed. As long as in the end you have a hot grill and a cold beer.

bwarbiany said:

So, here's my current plan:

My local Costco is having a Traeger road show this weekend. If I can get something like the Texas Pro in the $800 plus tax range, that pretty well seals the deal. It has ease of use and capacity, even if it's not my preferred pellet smoker. It's good enough and the advantage of having a grill that my wife knows how to operate definitely counts for something.

If I can't get it in that range, i.e. if they sell it closer to the web price of $1K, then I'm in a conundrum. I think I can rule the Vision grill at Home Depot out of the running. It's too small, and some of the videos I've seen online of the cooks were not inspiring.

That leaves me with two options:

Kamado:
Primo Large Oval - I like the size, and the oval shape helps for longer things like brisket and ribs. Suggested MSRP is ~$1K and there are local dealers. Downsides are that I don't have a table or legs for it, I'll have to pay sales tax, and on top of that there are probably necessary accessories (such as the indirect cooking plates to allow me to do real BBQ) that I'll have to pay for. With all that, I'm probably at least spending $1200. If I had to buy some sort of table for it, I'm probably adding another $300+.

Pellet:
Rec Tec - From everything I read and see, this is a very badass grill and smoker. Some say that pellet grills don't put out enough smoke, but I already have an 18" Amazen tube smoker, so I'm sure I can supplement it if I need to. Everyone considers build quality and temp stability to be better than the Traeger, so I'm willing to spend for it. Cost is $1K. Downside is that since it's internet-only, it will cost me ~$200 to ship, and adding in a cover for it gets me close to $1300 at my door. Also a bit more than I wanted to spend.

If I can't get the Traeger at a good price, I'm still torn between the ease of a Rec Tec vs the versatility of a Primo Oval kamado...

Click to expand...

If you're in the market for a pellet grill in that price range I IHIGHLY recommend Green Mountain Grills. I have a Daniel Boone and it is amazing. The huge difference between this grill and a Traeger...at least from the information I have gathered, is the temperature controller. Traegers are/were known for having temperature swings. I have never owned one but I know a few people that do and get these swings. Small inconvenience, but for me...if im spending that kind of money I want to get my full moneys worth. I have owned a GMG for a little less than a year and the temperature rarely deviates from the set temperature. They are quality grills for a decent price. Good luck!

johnmac22 said:

If you're in the market for a pellet grill in that price range I IHIGHLY recommend Green Mountain Grills. I have a Daniel Boone and it is amazing. The huge difference between this grill and a Traeger...at least from the information I have gathered, is the temperature controller. Traegers are/were known for having temperature swings. I have never owned one but I know a few people that do and get these swings. Small inconvenience, but for me...if im spending that kind of money I want to get my full moneys worth. I have owned a GMG for a little less than a year and the temperature rarely deviates from the set temperature. They are quality grills for a decent price. Good luck!

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Thanks. From offering the same question on smokingmeatforums.com I've determined that I should eliminate the Traeger in favor of the GMG Jim Bowie. It's cheaper than Traeger and generally seen to be more reliable. There's a dealer nearby so I'm going to check it out on Saturday. If it looks good, it might jump ahead of Rec Tec for cost reasons, even though I think the Rec Tec is the superior model.

I've also got a lead on Primo doing a tax day promotion. If the local dealer will honor that promotion, I might still go that route... The more I think about it, the more I like the kamado. As I've said, I've not found a single person unhappy with a kamado...

So my decision...

I saw the GMG. I liked the GMG. But with my head increasingly moving towards kamado, I'm just not going that direction.

I was going to aggresively go Primo, because the Oval looked like the way to go due to capacity. Then I visited one of my local stores where they carry both BGE and Primo. And they have the XL BGE for $1099, but the Large Primo Oval for $1008. At that price, the BGE is a better deal. And at the same time, that price makes the XL BGE a better deal than the $1269 XL Primo Oval as well.

So my gut said to go XL BGE, because hell, that's a great price.

Then I did a bit more research. Costco is doing road shows for Kamado Joe. Kamado Joe is basically a carbon copy of BGE (and the reviews I've read say that it's equal in reliability, efficiency, and performance), but comes with all the accessories that the BGE lacks, such as the nest & side shelves, the firebox divider, the heat deflector, and the grill expander, etc.

Costco's price for the BigJoe, essentially the same thing as the XL BGE but with all the accessories included, is $1199. And they're doing a road show in San Diego in 2 weeks.

Sold! That's now the plan!

Sounds good. But do your research... bigger is not necessarily better unless you have a large family to feed. The XL, being larger, takes longer to heat up, uses more fuel, etc. If you do normal stuff for a regular 3-5 person family, it will be a bit much, and you would find the large good enough. Heck, BGE even makes a few sizes below the large - must be a reason!

Either way, I think ceramic is the right call... but then again, I am biased as I have one.

-BD

BrunDog said:

Sounds good. But do your research... bigger is not necessarily better unless you have a large family to feed. The XL, being larger, takes longer to heat up, uses more fuel, etc. If you do normal stuff for a regular 3-5 person family, it will be a bit much, and you would find the large good enough. Heck, BGE even makes a few sizes below the large - must be a reason!

Either way, I think ceramic is the right call... but then again, I am biased as I have one.

-BD

Click to expand...

My motto: Go big or go home!

Actually, the idea is simple. Long-term, I could entirely see myself with another smaller cooker for more day-to-day stuff, or when I need to cook multiple things at different temps.

But if it's going to be my *sole* cooker, I'd better well make sure that I'm not left wanting for capacity.

I'll throw out some love for the Big Steel Keg. Have done tons on it: smoked pork shoulders, briskets, whole chickens, nuts, ham, bacon, Canadian bacon... also done countless burgers and chicken thighs/breasts, wings, did a leg of lamb, a couple racks of lamb, stuffed Cornish game hen, steaks galore, veggies, potatoes... It definitely can be a standalone grill. I love it for smoking and grilling steaks and wings. When there's leftover burgers they have a bit too much smoke flavor for SWMBO so we have a small gasser as well. As with all charcoal grills the big drawback is the time to prep the fire. But as opposed to the ceramic kamados, the BSK can be taken to camp or when you move apartments and not be in danger of cracking.

I have the Vision Grill from Sams, was 500ish if I remember, but it works wonderfully... though I have never cooked Pizza on it but you can cook a bunch of different things/temps with it... and in 2 yrs its held up perfectly.

I second the vision $500 with ss stand casters and 2 level ss grill and heavy duty cover.
about 15 min to fire it up.
check at cosco or sams
you will not be disappointed.
jbrown

No-go on the Vision for two reasons.

First, it's too small.

Second, in a head-to-head comparison, I'm not sure it has the quality of other brands. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productreviews/vcb/vcb1.htm

That said, I'm sure it's a fine cooker. But if I'm looking for something that I hope to cook on for family AND friends for decades, I ruled out the Vision.

bwarbiany said:

No-go on the Vision for two reasons.

First, it's too small.

Second, in a head-to-head comparison, I'm not sure it has the quality of other brands. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productreviews/vcb/vcb1.htm

That said, I'm sure it's a fine cooker. But if I'm looking for something that I hope to cook on for family AND friends for decades, I ruled out the Vision.

Click to expand...

Don't rule out the Vision because of one opinion. I own one and love it. There customer service is great. I had a cracked develop in the charcoal bowl and they just shipped me a new one. I added a auber temp controller and I can smoke anything on it. I plan on getting upgraded racks to fit even more but it does well for a couple of steaks or my family of four.

These are some racks / stones to consider http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/vision-big-green-egg.html. I have also seen people get these at the end of the season for under $200. You have to get really lucky but it's possible.

Happy Grilling!

Grilling some ribs. I had just replaced the gasket after 3 years.

View attachment 1429238309329.jpg

Understood. Again, I'm sure it's a fine cooker. And the model you guys are referencing is actually different than the one I have access to, the Vision B series at Home Depot for $699. It's possible that some of the issues discussed in that review were addressed by Vision in this newer (and more expensive) model.

My primary concern is the size. It's only got 56% of the cooking area as an XL BGE or KJ BigJoe. Since it's going to be my only outdoor cooker, I don't want to sacrifice based on capacity.

That said, the KJ Classic is selling for $779 at Costco during their road shows. Given the available reputation, and the fact that KJ includes a lot of the extras, I could still see myself picking the KJ classic over the Vision even at a slightly higher price. The Costco return policies help too.

Check out: http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/smokers/egg_kamado_and_ceramic_grills_and_smokers.html

-BD

"I wish I bought a smaller grill" - said no man ever...

Yes it may take a slight bit longer to heat up, and yes it may burn more fuel, but cook for a family or friend get-together and see how quickly that 'big' grill fills up with food. I'd rather be one and done than stand outside cooking 8 burgers at a time. I can easily do 6 pork butts on mine at once. Ribs, unless you cut them down and have them standing on end, take up a lot of real estate.

Everyone at work who started with BGEs went to Primo XLs. One guy even went from a Primo XL to a Stumps! They talked me into starting with a Primo XL and I don't regret it at all.

If you need to do a big feed, there is nothing better than a grill that gets it done in one go.

bwarbiany said:

I’m thinking it’s time to replace some cooking equipment, as my current gas grill is probably about 2 years beyond its “last legs”. Now, I can’t get what I want for $400, but that’s enough of a bump to give me an excuse to do some spending

I was thinking of another gasser, but the more that I think about it, the less I want gas. I’m thinking it might be time to get a BGE (or equivalent), and then maybe sell off my current gas smoker (Masterbuilt XL40) since I’ll have a kamado.

Question: is your BGE large and versatile enough to serve as your family’s only smoker/grill? Or do you also maintain a separate grill (gas, Weber kettle, etc?) for day-to-day cooking and other foods?

I’m just wondering if a kamado grill will be “enough” for the family, or whether it’s only useful when in combination with other equipment? If I was going to get other equipment, I'll probably opt for a $149 Weber kettle since the price and capability is right, and getting a decent gas grill is expensive enough that I can't justify it *and* the kamado.

Click to expand...

My suggestion is to lose the gas grill and replace it with a kamado grill.

I have several charcoal grills and each has its purpose. I use my Weber Smokey Mountain for smoking ribs since I like the water pan and the grates are spaced far apart to cook plenty of ribs. I use my Vision Kamado grill to cook meats and pizza. I use my Weber kettle grill for rotisserie chicken and vegetables.
With the Weber kettle used for the sides, the Vision is more than adequate in size for the main meat dishes.

It's home! Full album here.

Congrats! Best of luck and fun! You won't be sorry!

Did some taco pizzas on the KJ in preparation for the fight!
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430587615.472681.jpg

Congrats on the new grill!
I have a Kamado Joe as well and I love it. I havent used the propane grill, the Weber Kettle, the Weber Smoky Mountain, or my UDS since I bought it. I do need to get a new gasket however. I burned it out by making many max temp pizza's.