×

New York Times Best Seller!
Amazon's Best Cookbook of 2016 at Midyear!
Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling

  • More amazing recipes, techniques, science, mythbusting
  • Includes 90 day trial membership in Pitmaster Club
  • "Only one outdoor cooking book this summer? Make it 'Meathead'" Chicago Tribune

To learn more and order:

Not interested.
Take me to AmazingRibs.com

AmazingRibs.com BBQ Logo

Search Our Reviews and Ratings

Click Search to see all our Reviews and Ratings. Use the filters below to refine your search.

*Based on 4" raw burger with 1/2" space on all sides

Kamado Joe ClassicJoe

By Max Good

Manufacturer: Kamado Joe Company

Kamado Joe makes a variety of heavy duty kamado cookers on stands and attractive carts that offer a few unique features. Hardware, particularly the substantial lid hinge, is solid; handles and shelves are bamboo. They make a large, all stainless steel model mounted on a cart with two doors and one drawer. KJ is branching out into the gas grill market with three models on carts, including one that is a combo kamado and gas grill. They also offer accessories such as pizza stones, heat deflectors and rib racks.

Kamado Joe is available throughout the USA at a variety of outlets, including some Ace Hardware stores.

Kamado Joe ClassicJoe

Top Ten Charcoal Grill 2014Kamado Joe ClassicJoe is an elegant, well-crafted ceramic cooker that presents strong competition to other 18" models in the premium priced market. They pay attention to detail and offer upgrades like top quality 304 stainless steel cooking grates as standard features while holding their prices just a bit lower than the other guys. New owners often choose KJs over other top brands because they look just as good on a showroom floor, come standard with features that are usually optional, and cost a couple hundred bucks less. Their customer service consistently receives high praise as well. They just keep trying harder to win more of the kamado market and for many, red is becoming the new green.

With few exceptions, round Kamados cannot be set up for 2-zone cooking, an essential technique that allows cooking on direct hot heat and indirect moderate heat simultaneously. This enables cooks to slide foods back and forth kamado joe divide and conquer grate systemfrom cool to hot zones for crisping skin and reverse sear steaks. Most Kamado aficionados concede the best way to create different heat zones in round cookers is by moving foods closer to or further from the coal. This is typically accomplished using a variety of accessories that can be costly and awkward to use. However, in 2014 Kamado Joe introduced a unique multi-level grate and heat deflection system called "Divide and Conquer", (shown above), that comes standard with this model. While it is not a panacea for the 2-zone issue, some kamado manufacturers charge extra for everything but their logo, so we appreciate KJ throwing this in as a package deal to offer their customers more value and versatility. You also get a grate lifter and ash rake.

One useful device that is a match made in heaven for any kamado is the BBQ Dragon, a well-made, battery operated, clip on, variable speed fan that can convert a charcoal bed from quiet gray to rip roaring red hot in a matter of minutes. Very good for switching gears from low and slow to searing hot. Click here to read more about Kamado and Ceramic Grills and Smokers.

All ceramic kamado parts are warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship for as long as the original purchaser owns the grill. All metal and cast iron parts are warranted for a period of five years. The thermometer and gaskets are warranted for a period of one year.

We found some great Kamado Joe package deals that include a cart. Click on the links below in our Where to Buy Section to take a look.

Price: 

$1,099 Manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), actual price may vary.

Where To Buy (Buying from these suppliers supports this website): 

BBQGuys: Free Shipping

FireCraft: Free Shipping

Primary Function: 

Grill

Smoker

Egg or Kamado Style

Combination Grill & Smoker

Pizza Oven

Fuel: 

Charcoal

Primary Capacity: 

256 square inches ( about 12 burgers )

Manufacturer claims that all or practically all of this device is made in the USA

No

Review Method: 

Looked Closely At It

We have seen this product up close and we have also gathered info from the manufacturer,  owners, and other reliable sources.

Return to top

Please read this before posting a comment or question

grouchy?1) Please use the table of contents or the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help, then please post your question on the appropriate page.

2) Please tell us everything we need to know to answer your question such as the type of cooker and thermometer you are using. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can't help you. Please read this article about thermometers.

3) If you post a photo, wait a minute for a thumbnail to appear. It will happen even if you don't see it happen.

4) Click here to learn more about our comment system and our privacy promise. Remember, your login info for comments is probably different from your Pitmaster Club login info if you are a member.

Return to top

Return to top

LeaderDog.org Ad on BBQ site

About this website. AmazingRibs.com is all about the science of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, and unbiased equipment reviews. Learn how to set up your grills and smokers properly, the thermodynamics of what happens when heat hits meat, and how to cook great food outdoors. There are also buying guides to hundreds of barbeque smokers, grills, accessories, and thermometers, as well as hundreds of excellent tested recipes including all the classics: Baby back ribs, pulled pork, Texas brisket, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, steaks, chili, barbecue sauces, spice rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best all edited by Meathead Goldwyn.

Brought to you by readers who support us with their membership in our Pitmaster Club. Click here to learn more about benefits to membership.

Advertising. AmazingRibs.com is by far the most popular barbecue website in the world, still growing rapidly, and one of the 25 most popular food websites in the US according to comScore, Quantcast, Compete, and Alexa. Click here for analytics and advertising info.

© Copyright 2016 - 2016 by AmazingRibs.com. All text, recipes, photos, and computer code are owned by AmazingRibs.com and fully protected by US copyright law unless otherwise noted. This means that it is a Federal crime to copy and publish or distribute anything on this website without permission. But we're easy! We usually grant permission and don't charge a fee. To get reprint rights, just click here. You do not need permission to link to this website.