Kamado Joe Classic II

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

My wife bought me a Kamado Joe Classic II for Father’s Day… at little early. I’ve cooked a whole Prime ribeye and a 5.5 lb. free range chicken. Both were incredibly tender, moist and very flavorful! Controlling and maintaining the the temperature has been breeze.

KJ has made significant upgrades to the Classic Joe in 2017, all of which are highly useful and welcomed. If you’re in the market for a Kamado, I recommend looking at the Kamado Joe Classic II. I did a bunch of research and found some videos comparing it to the BGE - KJ Classic II won out. This was primarily based on the new features and you get with the Classic II. Additionally, BGE’s require you to buy everything you need ala cart, which jacks up the price. On KJ’s everything you need comes standard. The ceramic is also thicker on a KJ.

2

You can’t beat the Kamado joe. They are light years ahead of the green egg as far as innovation.

3

I’ve been grilling/smoking with the BGE for about 8 years now, and haven’t looked at others. I’m considering adding a second unit…what features drew you to the KJ?

4

Also have one. The “X rack”, half moon heat deflectors, and top vent chimney are all awesome features.

5

I’m approaching 10 years on my BGE adventure and absolutely love it. However, if I was buying new today, I would buy KJ.

All the ceramic grills cook by the same principles. The differences come down to quality of build, accessories available, and warranty. Quality is probably a wash, but KJ wins with the other two. BGE warranty is kind of finicky and highly dependent on your local dealer. I have a lot of accessories with my BGE, but had to purchase them separately. KJ comes with a lot. Plus, I think the price is better but that’s a bit hard to judge because BGE prices are dealer dependent.

6

Generally agree. Superficially, I also like the stylings of some of the other ceramic grills out there including KJ and Primo. That being said, I’m not regretting my purchase of a BGE, just wish I had gone extra large.

7

I love my BGE and would buy it again. But KJ’s “Big Block” hardwood lump charcoal beats any other brand I’ve tried, and is value priced (at my local Costco).

8

Here’s a list of features that drew me to the KJ CII:

  1. Air suspension system for the lid. It prevents the lid from slamming down and potentially cracking the ceramic. You can lift the lid with one finger. It will also stay in any position you rest it.

  2. The thickness of the ceramic beat the BGE.

  3. Multi-level cooking surfaces of their rack design.

  4. Upper vent design. More precise monitoring, plus instead of being open at the top, it’s opening is at the front and back, which prevents water from entering into the grill area if the weather turns bad.

  5. Fiber glass gasket is superior to felt.

  6. Chrome lid latch provides for a tighter seal and gives you an automatic burp when you open it.

  7. The wheel and base unit is better built and more sturdy.

9

Interesting…thanks for posting. If/when I add a second cooker I will give this a look…

10

Only items 1 and 2 seem significant to me. You also didn’t mention that KJ offers-I believe-a rotisserie.
All that said, I am a visual kinda guy. I love the BGE aesthetic and KJ, not so much.
Also, if I had to pick one real weakness of BGE it’s the tendency of the inside fire ring (liner) to crack due to heat stress. The dude at Nakedwhiz claims to ignore it but I’m still glad mine hasn’t cracked (yet). How’s KJ in that regard?