Big Joe II

This grill is HUGE, its hard to tell from photos the size of this thing. It is very pricey though so make sure this is what you want. I started off with a Chargriller Akorn and used that for around 2 years before deciding we wanted something bigger and longer lasting. The Akorn is a great grill and I still have it and I'm planning to move that to our cabin, but there is certainly big differences between the two but then you would hope so for a ~$2000 price difference. So far have made pulled pork, pork ribs, beef ribs, spatchcock chicken, and pizza on the new grill. The grill is able to handle everything we've thrown at it and the food all comes out great. The only complaint I have so far is not actually with the grill but with the Amazon "Expert Assembly" I got it because it was free at the time and this grill is so heavy. I tried to reach out several times to make sure they were aware this is a very big and very heavy grill and not a lightweight gas grill like they probably do a ton of. I had no luck getting through to anyone to understand my concern or make sure they're prepared with multiple attempts. As a result of course they sent one small guy to try to assemble my grill all by himself. Of course he couldn't do this solo and we even took a picture of him next to it (he barely stood higher than the crate) which he sent to his boss. Then the next guy to get scheduled was also alone, luckily he was able to get someone else to show up, but it's rather ridiculous that it was so disorganized. Once they had the right number of people they did a great job and I don't blame any of the technicians but the management and scheduling of the service needs to improve. When all the stats of what is being assembled are right there on the item page and I tried to warn them multiple times of the size and weight they should do a better job.

I had the Kamato original 18” grill and loved it but at times the grate space was a little crowded so I ordered the Big Joe 24” and it is huge. I included pics of the two grills side by side. If I had it to do over again I would keep the original 18” Joe. The 24” Big Joe is a great grill but just like a small car vs a SUV, it takes more gas to drive the SUV(charcoal). Both grills cook well but the 18” grill uses less charcoal and I feel was easier to keep on temperature but if you need the extra grate space maybe look at the larger grill. These things hold heat extremely well and will stay at temp for hours. I love the taste of charcoal over propane and while it takes a little more work to charcoal grill, I feel it’s definitely worth it.

This came via scheduled delivery. It was easy to assemble, but you'll definitely need help as it is extremely heavy. I have used it to grill everything from burgers to steaks to scallops. I've also smoked ribs, chicken wings, brisket, pork butt, and whole turkey. Ive seared steaks at over 900 degrees and smoked all day at 220 degrees. Its the most versatile grill I've ever owned and its extremely well built. Highly recommend the Big Joe.

This product is so well made it should last a very long time. You can grill, smoke, roast and do about anything with it. The contained chamber with vents allow you to precisely adjust the heat from 225 to 750 degresss Fahrenheit. Almost all accessories are included in the initial item purchase, One additional Item I bought and recommend if you like smoking meat etc a lot is the slo-roller smoker. The cooker is aluminum with a ceramic fire box. A lower vent and an upper smoker stack vent allow you to precisely adjust the temperature and to also minimize charcoal and smoking wood ( I prefer hickory) usage.

I bought this for my husband to upgrade from a pellet smoker. He LOVES it! I took advantage of the free assembly. Keep in mind that it is very heavy! The installer had to come back the next day with one of his colleagues to help lift it on to the stand. Even if you have to pay for the assembly, I would recommend it. It’s all ceramic so it needs to be handled with care. Hubby has smoked, rib eyes, and brisket so far and the flavor is outstanding! Highly recommend it!

Been thrilled so far. A bit larger than I thought or needed, but maybe it's time to throw a large gathering.