Kamado Joe Jr. Charcoal Grill

I purchased a Akorn Jr previously from Walmart.com. I really liked it but after 3 years even leaving the smoker covered outside, it completely rusted out causing the grill temp unable to be controlled. The Akorn was purchased on sale for less than half of what it sells for normally, so I decided to upgrade to a ceramic grill. The Kamado Joe Jr was on sale for a hundred dollars off regular price and with free shipping. It arrived perfectly intact from FedEx ground shipping. Nothing to put together. I made a nice table for it since it is too short to use without something to lift it to a comfortable height. It has proved to be easy to light and adjust the temp. It gets hot quickly. Looks nice too.

I've been learning to smoke using a 22 inch Weber charcoal grill and it's been pretty good so far. Obviously, it's an art, not a science and it takes great patience and dedication to get the temperature just right. Considering that it's winter here in Ohio, that's been quite a challenge. I've been dying to get a Kamado Joe for over a year but I just couldn't pull the trigger. Until now that is. I wanted the bigger model, but didn't want to spend $750-$1,200. So, I bought the little guy and started using it this weekend. It's small and not good for a big family or for massive cookouts. But, it's just me and I'm willing to give it a shot to see if this is the route for me. So far, I love it!!!! I cooked a ribeye on it the other night and used the deflector plate to get a reverse sear. Then, when the temperature was close to 115°, I pulled the deflector plate and went naked on the open flame. That was really interesting because it got really hot really fast!!!! The temperature outside was about 35° and the kamado held steady temperature of 275° without any problems and with no effort on my part. I decided I wanted to smoke ribs Saturday and it was cold, rainy and we got some snow. That did not impact the cook one bit. I was able to light the kamadao Joe jr, let the fire burn with the lid open for about 10 minutes and then, I got the temp to about 185° and it held there for 3 hours. Shoot. I took a nap and came back to check the most after 3 hours. The temperature never budged and the ribs turned out great!!!! Clearly, I'm still getting used to this one and I have a lot to learn about temperature control and different cooking methods. So far, I'm pleased with the quality and convenience as well as the ease of use. Worth the extra money if you are looking to upgrade from standard charcoal grills to a bad mamajama.

Ive owned a large Big Green Egg for over 20 years. The quality is excellent and I love grilling/smoking on it. But cooking for me and my wife the large egg is sometimes overkill. Firing it up for a couple steaks or pork chops seems extreme. Id been looking at the Mini Max but couldnt justify the price. I started looking at the Joe Jr, its the same size as the Mini Max, at a more budget friendly price. It was delivered to my home packaged very well! I unpacked it and set it up on my deck. The quality is every bit as good at BGE it also includes standard the heat deflector, ash tool and grill gripper which are options on the BGE. I fired it up and did a reverse sear on a Tri Tip roast. It held 250° easily for the smoking period. I removed the roast, took out the deflector, opened the top and bottom vents fully. The temp quickly rose to over 600° for searing. The Tri tip turned out perfectly! Im very pleased with this grill/smoker and would recommend it to anyone!

This is the perfect size for my wife and I as we are empty nesters. Its much easier to use than I thought it would be, and weve done smoking, grilling, roasting. It will fit an 8 pound pork butt as well, and is perfect for prime rib.

I have owned a large BGE for about 15 years and wanted a smaller BBQ for our cottage. I purchased a Joe Jr. I am amazed at the quality of the BBQ and it is a perfect size for two people to make a full out BBQ with steaks, potatoes and veggies. If you have a few friends over it will hold 7 large burgers. The price was more than fair, quality exceptional and the extras that came with it (grill lifter, ash rod cleaner and round cooking stone) are awesome. The BGE came with no options. If I were buying a new large BBQ, it would not be the BGE! The Joe Jr. cooks flawlessly and the only bad thing about it is I have put on weight because of the great meals I have made. You will not go wrong buying a Joe Jr. or any of their other BBQs. Love my Joe Jr.!

Awesome KJ JR grill! Package was over the top. Value superlative. Have owned BGE that now lives with my son in law. He is jealous of my KJ JR! Would buy again!

I absolutely love my big Joe series 1, It is a beast just what I needed so I can do multiple items at a time. It takes a bit of practice to dial in the temps but once I get a handle on that, it will be perfect.

Dude! Walmart sent me this item and the ceramic part was completely smashed. Whoever sent it clearly did not look inside the box at all or/ they did it on purpose. What a waste of time and my energy. Never will I buy an item like this from them again. Un-friggin-believeable!

Be very careful with shipping. Can’t comment on its use as we just received. Driver dropped the grill on the street with box opened. Brought to door with chips. Never spoke and not apologetic. Driver had to make 3 more trips to truck to get the rest of the items, styrofoam and box as we insisted. Very very disappointed as this was early gift for hubby. Need to get top replaced or paint and chip repair sent. Given our age and it’s weight, tough for us to return which is why we ordered online. Very very disappointed.

After waiting a week for this to deliver, I received a broken item probably because the Fedex delivery guy dropped it so hard on the ground. Just unbelievable service. Very disappointed. All of my time wasted.