Kamado JoeClassic I 18 inch Charcoal Grill in Blaze Red and Grill Cover Bundle

Let me start by saying I also own a Big Green Egg large. I bought this item from my dad for Father's Day.If you are comparing this to the Egg, deciding between the two, I would recommend this unit over the Egg. It has everything you need included to get started. The Egg is a great grill, virtually unchanged in 20 years, and practicing the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" principle. And of course, they have owned the market for some time. However, what this creates is an incentive for competitors to innovate in order to cut into that market. The Kamado Joe Classic II could not be a better representation of that principle. The lid assist mechanism literally makes open the grill a two finger job, and the lid "stays" wherever you let it go, not slamming down unless it's fully articulated like the egg. The removable ash tray is great, the side tables are more than suitable, and the aluminum rain/vent cap along with all stainless hardware gives you the confidence that this grill will last! The divide and conquer grill system is awesome, but as some may know, since this grill shares the same dimensions as the BGE large, you can purchase this system and use it on the Egg as well.If I were buying my personal grill for the first time today, it would be the Kamado Joe like I got my father. I have nothing against the Egg, it has dominated the market for a long time and has made kamado grilling what it is today. But this unit is just far better thought out, I really can't find a place with the Egg outshines it. The dimensions are the same, warranties the same, but the Red is deep and to me has a better appeal than green too, not that it matters much.Good luck, if you get this grill you will not regret it. It's also full assembled, comes packed expertly in a crate with everything styrofoamed and covered. Well done from tip to tail.

I bought mine at Costco. Mine is the larger version, or "Big Joe" as it's called. I started this venture wanting a "Big Green Egg" or BGE for short. The BGE is only sold through certain stores so I finally found one and went for a look. What amazed me was with the price, you didn't get any accessories and everything was extra. I think you get the ceramic body and the grill. I then started doing my research and ran across the Kamado Joe. As my luck had it, our local Costco was having a road show for KJ so hopped in the car and went over. I was blown away at the quality of the ceramic and wow, all the stuff that came with it. Side shelves, the "nest" what they call the base it sits in, and the neatest grill system I have ever seen. The grill is cut in half and the rack it sits in, lets you place the grill high or low. It also comes with the heat deflector, known as the "platesetter" in the BGE. Plus, the big Joe comes with a ceramic divider to divide the fire box. Of course I bought it, got it home and put it together. Boy it's heavy. I use it nearly daily, my poor Holland grill sits idle now. It can get really hot so does a beautiful job on homemade pizza. I wanted another rack to sit above the factory one, so I bought a regular round grill and used large U bolts as legs. I put my Pizza stone on that, and it works great. If you are looking at the BGE, you might want to look at the Kamado Joe. Same warranty, better deal.If my review was helpful to you, please click the yes button below! :-)

We love the grill so far.However the ceramic inserts came with chipped edges out of the package. For a product this expensive I expect any damaged parts to be replaced.I sent pictures of the damaged parts to Kamado Joe the same day we received the grill. We have been ignored for weeks now.Due to this I can't recommend this brand. I would tell prospective buyers to go with the green competitor instead.The performance of the green egg seems to be equal for about he same price. If they don't ignore their customers, they might have an edge.Thanks for nothing Kamado Joe customer service!

I have loved my Big Green Egg and used it a couple times a week for five years. Problem was that it was a medium size, and I needed larger.I got a chance to inspect the Kamado Joe at Costco and was very impressed. They took everything that's great about the BGE, and made improvements. The fittings are superior. The interior system is upgraded. The hinge is better. The nest is stronger. Stuff like that. But they didn't screw up anything of what is great about the Egg -- that's key.I ended up buying from Amazon because having it delivered to my home, and the free assembly Amazon offered, was work forgoing $200 in savings from buying from Costco.You cannot go wrong with a Big Green Egg. But you can, in my opinion, do a little better, with the Kamado Joe. If you are happy with your Egg, there is no reason to upgrade. But if you are buying your first, or need a replacement, I highly recommend the Joe.UPDATED 2 Seasons Later...I'm just as happy with the Joe. No problems at all, no rust (unlike my Big Green Egg). Highly recommend still.

Wow, never understood the power of charcoal. 15 years of Weber propane and what a difference. Very easy to assemble out of the box. A bit on the heavy side. So far, fire stone pizza, beer can chicken and smash burgers in just 2 days. Has hardly had time to cool down. Passing down my beloved trusty Weber. Very simple to use once you understand how the airflow works. Tons of youtube videos to get your going. I had never heard of Kamado Joe, but once I started looking at the Green one this one stood out. My only wish is the casters were larger for easier rolling. Build like a tank, for years of use. Now back to cooking!

Expensive, but worth every penny. This grill/oven/smoker takes barbecue to a whole new level. So far we have produced meltingly delicious pulled pork (an 18 hour low smoke we could never have attempted before); creamily tender brisket; the moistest, tenderest roast chicken ever; and drop dead gorgeous pizza. Even relatively mundane dishes like pork chops and steak are elevated by the Kamado’s fierce but controllable charcoal grill.We bought this because we wanted to do a better job of hosting summer parties in our garden. Now we can cook for 20+ at a time with much less stress, and people love the wonderful smoky flavours we produce. But we’ve discovered that this BBQ isn’t just for summer: I have no spent several Friday evenings outside with a hea torch and an umbrella: I think we may end up slow roasting the Xmas turkey too.If you decide to treat yourself, invest in some good supporting literature. I recommend “Pitt Cue & Co”, “The Hang Fire Cookbook”, and “Berber & Q”.

I have being using a large Big green egg for over 4 years at my place of work, when needing more cooking space I was really unsure on going for the Kamado Joe, its obviously better priced, but is it as good? Will it last as long? were my main concerns.Well, I have to say the Kamado Joe out ways the Egg on every level that I can think of other than a name with a longer history. The Joe's features are far superior - like the soft close hinge lid, the sealer than ages better, the built in ash tray, even the stand in come with is better and comes with shelves. I did think that quality may suffer with the lower price but please take my word for it. The Joe really is a winner!

Was a bit pricey but was well worth the money. Beer can chicken was so moist didn’t dry out at all, used it quite a few times for different meats & every thing was very tasty & moist can’t wait for the brighter weather it will be used all the time, well recommend it as the tops

These are great. I'm completely bowled over by the quality of this item.With these grills you can do everything. Oven roast, slow cook, grill, sear, smoke -hot and cold and probably more.Item is ready to use out off the box.Once it's fired up it will retain heat for hours.Other makes are available and I haven't tried any of those but I can recommend Kamado Joe.

Takes a bit of learning to use. I’ve had two failed attempts at pizza; lovely top, lovely flavour, but burnt base. Second one was better than the first, so hopefully third time lucky. Have cooked a rib of beef, a little overdone so again I’ll learn from that. A couple of truly excellent sirloin steaks ... mmm and I’ve just put a whole duck on to smoke/slow roast. There’s a lot of recipe/cooking videos on YouTube, but most of them American where the cuts of meat are different to here in 🇬🇧. Nonetheless they give some good ideas/insights. Definitely worth investing in a meat thermometer to check internal heat of the joint when slow cooking. I’m looking forward to lots of meals cooked on it this summer.