Great video, James. I think the main difference with the Akorn is that it is just too efficient. The insulation on those things is just too good which makes it harder to burn a clean fire at low temps. I had my Akorn for 3 years and I have been cooking on it at least once a week since, so I am glad to say that I found a way to overcome this issue as I am now able to burn hot clean fires at low temps as low as 225F. I can see that you went ahead and added extra gaskets, I am not sure if that is a good idea, you are just going to make it even more efficient! Now with my technique: I first would arrange the charcoal and lumps very similarly to how you would do it on your videos but I make sure that two chunks are in the middle and are slightly exposed at the top. I also make sure the the level of charcoal is higher on the edges than it is in the middle. Next I follow something similar to the Minion method by lightning up have of a chimney of charcoal, once fully lit, I through the charcoal on top right in the middle and I add 2 chunks on the sides (left and right) making sure that they partially touch the lit coals ant not completely on top of it to allow them to burn slower. I then quickly place the deflector and the grates, close the lid and completely open both vents until the thermometer placed at the grates level tells me it reached 200F. I then dial down the lower vent down to make it just cover the screw between the 0 and 1 settings, anf the top vent dialled to just after the half moon. You will see that your temp will be stable at 225 to 230 and you quickly achieved clean smoke. I always use a water pan with maybe 250 ml of warm water using a BBQ aluminium pan which I add after achieving desired temp. With this method I get crazy smoke rings and amazing clean smoke flavor. I always am able to achieve good crusty bark as well. Give this a try next time .. I hope you find it helpful.
Hey man! Your technique sounds great, would you be open to taking a couple photos or a short un edited video of you setting it up? Thanks man, great insight and skills here. Really want to upgrade my bbq to show off my mates! Thanks
@@SmokingDadBBQ you have to use fire starters on the akorn because if you light all the charcoal at once it gets smothered out when you close down the vents and creates a dirty smoke. I also like briquettes on the akorn because of the consistency as the fire burns to each briquette. I always see more temp variations with lump. I don’t think their is a substitute for a ceramic kamado, but with a little technique, the akorn is great bang for your buck. I wouldn’t say it’s harder to cook on an akorn, just different than a ceramic kamado, and will give similar results.
My Akron and akorn jr is the reason why I haven’t bought a series 3 big joe, blaze Kamado or even a kamodo Kamado, the quality of bbq I can achieve cooking/smoking with the right temp/charcoal on my Akorn …makes no sense for me to pay more other than appearance/aesthetics
For what it’s worth - I went down the Smoking Dad rabbit hole a couple of years ago and decided to give it a go. I purchased an Akorn as I didn’t want to outlay the money for the Joe brand. Never looked back and don’t see a reason to upgrade as I’m very happy with my Akorn.
Great comparison. I wonder if adding more flavor wood in the CharGriller might make the two more similar. The Big Joe burned more charcoal, so maybe adding more wood to the Acorn would even the playing field a bit... I also wonder if the Acorn's heat deflector has too large gaps between the body and the side; it seems the Joe's deflector is pretty close to covering the whole opening, which adds to that convection. With the difference in prices between the two, it seems you could spend a bit to make the Acorn better and still end up way ahead on price.
So, I started with an Akorn, because I didn't want to drop a ton of money into something I wasn't sure about. It was a great way to discover that I did enjoy using a kamado grill, and that might not have happened if I was faced with spending $1-2k to get in. Speaking to your comments about how to get a better fire, I found that lighting a single fire starter and letting the charcoal burn from that small, single point, gave me better results and also allowed me to better control the temperature in the Akorn. When you light a big fire with a torch or a chimney, you get a lot of burning coals that you then have to choke down to get the Akorn to run at a low temp. If only a few are burning, they can burn more intensely, and this is shown by the better smoke ring I used to get. A huge advantage of the Akorn (and other metal kamados) is that they don't break if there's an oopsie. My nephew knocked over my Akorn, and it just continued to work. The downside to the Akorn's mild steel construction is that it can rust out. I'm 6 miles from the Pacific and my grill has to live outside on a deck. I needed a new ash pan after 5 years (not expensive and easily available) and I could see that the bottom of the main body was also starting to go.
G'day mate, your comments on how to get a better fire in the Akorn is spot on. It's great to see someone other than myself using logic and understanding how to light an efficient fire from an efficient Kamado like the Akorn. Most people on these videos use the same system of lighting all BBQs and wonder why they get different results. Your comments were a joy to read, especially this "If only a few are burning, they can burn more intensely, and this is shown by the better smoke ring I used to get. " This shows you understand the process of lighting different BBQs. Thanks again.
@@RowanTasmanian From one end of the Pacific to the other! I donated my Akorn to another newb, to get them started, and demonstrated how to use it effectively. I replaced it with a Weber Kamado, which is very nice and hopefully a bit less susceptible to rust. But it works best the same way, and, as you've said, it's only logical. If there's only so much oxygen available, you can use it to get a better fire in a smaller spot or a smolder in a larger area. Have a great summer down under! 😀
@@darrylrichman Thanks Mate, the Weber is a wonderful Kamado.Probably the best there is. The Weber will be my next purchase. A Fantastic Design. BTW you could teach some of these presenters on TH-cam how fire and charcoal work (optimally)for different cookers. All the best.
the key in the akorn that i have found is to leave the bottom closed or barely cracked and open the top as much as you can while maintaining i used to try to crack the bottom and the top just a hair and you are just closing all that smoldering smoke and charcoal in instead of allowing as much air as possible in
Great review. As an Akorn user, I would agree it is a bit harder to to run a cleaner fire at those temps. I have to choke it down a lot like you have shown. I have added wood chips through the bottom vent, instead of taking the whole bottom off. They have seemed to burn out on longer cooks. I would love to see you modify the Akron for a double indirect and see what your thoughts are.
Yep short awnser is no. Best BBQ often comes out of a ghetto grills made of toxic materials operated by a dude whos been doing the samething for 35yrs.
Interesting. The only thing I felt made this kinda an unfair test is that the expensive Kamado had more bells & whistles that currently couldn't be applied to the lessor expensive Kamado. Had the test been limited to what you could do equally to both, that'd have been a more fair test. As upgrades are added that are reasonably equivalent, rerun the test. Any professional realizes the quality and selection of tools to perform work (be it bbq-ing, woodworking, automotive repair, etc) makes a big difference in the output of the work and ease of the job. If you have a home garage to work on cars and you don't have a lift to make it easy to work on the car from underneath, you can be well skilled but not be nearly so efficient in repair having to slide under the vehicle potentially many times before repair is complete. Maybe the choice of repair depends on your limitation of tools.
100% you can also adapt the cooking to your grill and get similar results, using chips to help with smoke, also unfortunately the thermometer on the akorn is not acurrate, always runs hotter
Gheeez this wasn’t biassed wasn’t it?? 🙄 Even with the slanted opinions, it was obvious they’re pretty close. Maybe this guy can afford to spend that kind of money, but if the akorn gives his “fancy kamado Joe” such a run for the money for a HUGE difference in price says a lot! I will go with the “regular” man’s akorn and laugh all the way to the bank!!
Great stuff! Would love to see you review the new rotisserie basket. Also, have you ever tried doing the double indirect with the deflector plates directly on the charcoal basket and the slow-roller on top of that? In theory it might allow for more deflection and less interference with the airflow coming out of the slow roller
Ok James, since I've been considering the new cousin to the Akorn, the Auto Kamado, now I'd like to see you jury rig a double indirect on that Akorn. Thanks. Great Video, by the way.😊
KJ is about selling silly, overpriced accessories for an already overpriced kamado...SloJoe, Joetusserie, DoughJoe... Akorn= same performance at a fraction of the cost without the silly gimmicks.
Quick question can you get the impact of double indirect without the SloRoller? I have 2 sets of heat deflectors and a X-accessory rack for my Kamado Joe classic
And the Meater+ probe is pretty shit when it comes to keeping connected to my phone if I get more than a few feet away from the base. And then they are god awful at reconnecting. Both of the units I have are terrible at staying connected. I don't recommend them for this reason.
Here are some instructions that they sent me to try for another viewer that wasn’t getting the connection range which might solve your issue as it did for them. Pasted below it sounds like your probes may be paired directly to your phone rather than your Block. May I ask you to try the following steps to reset your MEATER Block? We recommend unpairing the Block from the app before trying these steps, but it's not required Turn off Bluetooth on our smart device. Make sure all 4 of the probes are docked in the Block. Start the Block in Standalone Mode. Hold down the Settings button (the gear icon) for 10-15 seconds until the "Erase All Settings?" notification appears, and select "Yes." Start your Block in Standalone Mode again, and wait for the check mark to appear next to all 4 probes. Enable Bluetooth on your smart device, then start the Block in WiFi Mode to connect to the app.
I don’t recall saying the big joe is 7x better in food to match the 7x price premium… what I did say is the results where far closer the price alone suggests and that the Akorn is a great starting point for those interested in a Kamado style grill. The kj is easier to burn a cleaner fire and doesn’t rust and comes with more accessories so depending on what people want can make a decision around what’s right for them vs assuming you just need to spend more to get better which isn’t a rule that applies in bbq
I had the same thought as well. Or to put it another way, arrange and light the coals in such a way that only a few are burning simultaneously at any given time
You have so much content and are constantly learning new methods. With that being said which video would be your go to for cooking a whole chicken these days?
I appreciate that! This one for spatch - th-cam.com/video/_YuE6-MzhGo/w-d-xo.html and i would follow my turkey video (butter injected) for the JoeTisserie
Haha it's so cool to see your backyard evolving inline with the channel... every month or so there's a new bbq monster in the yard. Everything gets better along the way. I use a non branded cheap kamado style bbq and try to keep up with your cooks, and it's working! Thanks for all the useful info. Can't wait for the next cook
Nice video James. I’ve had my Akron for 7 years and it doesn’t disappoint. I also own the kamado Joe series 2 classic. The Akron is a great entry into kamado cooking without shelling out 1500+ dollars. I bought the heat deflector for the Akron on Amazon for 35 dollars. 2 things I don’t like about the Akron is the cooking grate is made from cast iron and no matter what you do it will rust and crack in a few years. It’s also 20 inches in diameter so finding a replace grate is impossible unless you order it direct from them.
I just got an Akorn, but I have cast iron grates on another (inexpensive) charcoal grill and it's got no rust after 10 years. Also, I googled stainless grate for Akorn and the first thing that came up has one on Amazon, lots of pics in the reviews of people using it on their Akorn.
Hey James. I'm curious whether or not the Kick Ash basket would help the Akorn (more air flow) along with double indirect. According to KA Website both the Jr. and Classic basket should work.
i have an Akorn. I place ceramic spacers on the deflector and then a 15" pizza stone and then a foil wrapped stainless steel drip pan to create your double indirect method. I am not an expert but I am happy with the results I get. Thanks for the idea!
I bought an Akorn before I got my KJ. First gen classic. The thing James doesn't know about here is the quality over time. I had it covered, but kept it outside in Chicago over one winter. Just over one year out and the akorn rusted the rods on the ash pan making what I thought was a clever feature unusable. Of course, they were not interesting in helping me with warranty support (was about 13 months after purchase.). I'm now 7 years into my Classic 1 and it still performs like a champ, and KJ's support is nothing less than spectacular. I've had a few issues (first gen firebox cracking kinda things), and they took care of them all easily and quickly. You definitely get what you pay for. The akorn is really good to get your feet wet, but don't expect it to be your forever grill!
You just earned a subscriber. I have a ground pit and a kettle. The bbq taste good on both. I hear everybody talk about offset smokers. I’ve been to bbq restaurants. I do not know the way they smoke there food. I do not know if the food I received was left overs. I was not amazed. I was thinking of trying a offset myself. It could also be the way the restaurant seasoned the food. Seasoning is subjective. Maybe I should just be happy with my bbq but; we all strive to do better!!!
Love your videos as always, outstanding content and techniques. I was wondering if you could help me make a correction and decision. I have a Classic Joe II I bought from Costco. I do not have a slo roller or any other extension racks. I also do not have a charcoal basket. I am having difficulty with getting the temps above 375-400 degrees to cook indirect foods such as bone-in chicken thighs with the skin per your recipe of 475-500 degrees for crispy skin. The charcoal I am using is the good charcoal company acacia wood charcoal. It produces a lot of ash even during the cook. I am thinking of trying the fogo or B/B. Could you offer some advice for a very frustrated beginner. Love the Kamado, just want to master the heat and improve the cooking experience.
This is a curious comparison. Why the Big Joe when the Classic is the same size as the Acorn???? Kinda like comparing a 50 gallon offset with a 500 gallon offset.
the classic is 18, the Akorn is 20 and the big joe is 24 so it sits in the middle.... that and i sold my classic and bought a big joe 1 to use the same accessories on each so thats the comparison i have available... you could always do 4x the price classic vs 7x and everything else would be the same
I have what I would consider an entry level grill. my lifesmart has been good to me only downside is amount of cooking space I picked it up for a steal and can't complain but my issue going forward is cooking area .
Interesting fun comparison big Joe is high-performance gear. Akorn performed efficiently only for the fact you’re an expert cooking food products. Valuable video. Cheers
So my local Costco has 2 classic Joe II's marked to move at $599. Is that a "holy crap, buy it on pure principle of just being that cheap!" Or is the 3 series worth holding out for?
if you add a second stone and do double in-driect in the series 1 ... the results are barley perceptible to the series 3... you can also add the sloroller - th-cam.com/video/xO8AjvUZvCc/w-d-xo.html and do double indirect for identical results. i would say go for it
The akorn is in some ways too efficient but that's partially due to its smaller compact size(plus double wall steel).. like trying to keep heat in a small room vs a large home.. more air flow.. my barrel cooker would be closer in that aspect compared to the ok joe. Just trying to dial in the akorn to promote a lill better airflow( possibly with a slow roller) could better offset that difference. But just figuring out th science of it all is half th fun. Good video.. thanks for posting
I have a Big Joe 3, and also a smaller £370 ceramic kamado from Aldi. Honestly, aside from the size, the results are damn near the same. I find quite often if I can fit my cook in my small Aldi one I’ll use that rather than wait for the big Joe to fire up and be ready. You can absolutely get excellent results from a cheap kamado. The downsides to my Aldi one are that there’s no aftermarket accessories. So for example a bonus of the Big Joe is the extras like the JoeTisserie I just can’t do on the Aldi one.
As soon as you see someone comparing two things that are so apart in price, they are usually a sponsored reviewer that is just trying to upsell the "preferred product". Who uses (or even would buy) a $200 dollar pepper grinder? A sponsored reviewer that was probably given all of the products he promotes.
@@SmokingDadBBQ Great. I just don't understand comparing a $300 Kamado to a $1500-$2000 Kamado. It's like comparing a Dodge Dart to a Ferrari. We all know who wins.
@@robrobbins4906 I hear you …. But brands like to convince you that more expensive is always better and sometimes it’s just not so I like to test what sometimes seems impossible. This was way closer than the 7x price delta would suggest. And change the dodge … neon srt4 has slayed many dragons costing many times more so sometimes cheap and cheerful wins the day
@@SmokingDadBBQ If it was way closer than the 7x price delta, that should have been the gist of the video. A more apt video would have been comparing a BGE and a Kamado Joe.
I’d love a series on double indirect setups on non-KJ kamados! I’m currently experimenting with my Vision, which I think is a much better value than the Acorn, at $500 on sale from HD.
on my akorn the grill runs hotter than what the thermometer says, try using an independent meter i notice a 40 to 60 degrees difference and that affects a lot the cooking time, great work James! beatiful job.
James, I just got a smokin deal on a Broil King Keg ($400) so I'm hoping it is the same quality/functionality as you Akorn. Thanks for the video. Wondering if you have experience with that Broil king kamado? Love the channel.
yes i used it before an akorn ... its very similar in form and function and comes with an option for a trailer hitch which is cool. it too is also more efficient and struggles with a clean open flame like the akorn
I think it’d be worthwhile to try to do the double deflect on the Akorn. I know it doesn’t come with the Akorn, but fact is the Akorn would still be significantly cheaper. So the question is could the Akorn with “help” produce results closer to the kamado joe? I know if I had an Akorn I’d try to use these “tricks” before spending money on the Kamado Joe.
Just bought the big joe! Wat a lot of extra stuff to play with. Thanks for all your info! The only thing i did not get in the netherland is the grill blazer gun.
I think ceramic is not as efficient as the metal as even in my series 1 I have been able to get results nearly as good as the series 3 so I think it has to be more than just the accessories but I agree they do help make a difference
You've come up with some great ideas to improve kamado style cooking, and I do like using the double indirect method, but James absolutely no other cooker makes better beef ribs then an offset.
Not only the KJ comes with more features such as the Slo-roller, but you have taken it to another level by your techniques such as indirect cooking and so forth. It sure is worth spending more on equipment for people dedicated to great BBQ, provided they use them right, learning from the experience of those such as you.
Good to see you can pull off some great results on the Akon. Interesting to hear about the taste difference, I think the KJ really shines in accessories as well. I'm always of the mindset, buy once cry once. I've never regretted but something high end, but have definitely regretted when I cut corners. And of course I then bought the more expensive item later lol. 🍻
Nice test James and thanks for your views on what happen. I have a Kamado and wish that I could get a stick burner, but not enough room for a large stick burner. One of these days I be back into my house were I will have access to my Kamado again to do some BBQ. Miss the food so much but I enjoy watching you doing your thing and watching your face as you bite in!
Curious for your thoughts on the slow roller James. I'm on #2 and the paint on it (why do they paint it is beyond me) is peeling off again. Have you had that happen? Any workaround? I've personally stopped using mine.
@@danreid4344 From what I gather searching online, as there has been lots of questions on this: seems to be there for rust prevention. Though there are still question marks as to whether it is teflon or paint (though people have said KamadoJoe told them it's not teflon but I have not seen anything official). Whether teflon or paint, I'm not keen in having it burn while I cook, so I've just decided to stop using the slo-roller. That being said, you can probably contact KJ and get a replacement, I did for my first one but now am finding it a futile exercise to keep asking for a replacement if it will keep doing this.
Great video. Maybe you can make the comparison using the Akorn Auto which I picked up for 1/2 off. They just went off sale for half off from Walmart, bummer. I am thinking maybe to get more smoke flavor put wood on top of charcoal but it is easy to over smoke so will need to experiment.
@@SmokingDadBBQ looking forward to watching them! I realized I'll need to make a gap between the jr deflector and the wall of the charcoal "basket" for airflow and I'm thinking using tin foil balls like I do in between pizza stones if that makes sense
i need to do a new version as its been a few years .... one of my first 10 videos lol th-cam.com/video/w4YySqZKzmI/w-d-xo.html but the nitrate free recipe from small foot print family we still use - www.smallfootprintfamily.com/how-to-cure-bacon
i tried getting the same utility out of it as i do on my ash drawer from the KJ where hot coals fall into it and there is enough to add supplemental smoke ... works on the KJ, not so much here
Hi James, these comparison videos are great -- what I'm really interested in as a fellow Canadian is how each of these cookers stand up to each other in the dead of a Canadian winter! Cheers
I live 6 miles from the Pacific in the other CA, and my experience with the Akorn was that the mild steel construction will eventually rust (my grills have to live outside on a deck). After 5 years, the ash pan needed to be replaced and I could see that the bottom edge of the main body was also going. Char Griller parts are cheap, however; a new ash pan is about $40.
@@mechmat12345 no lol... I have 4 smokers and a awesome weber gas grill when I feel like using gas saving for either the new Ford ranger or Nissan Frontier.
Great video, James. I think the main difference with the Akorn is that it is just too efficient. The insulation on those things is just too good which makes it harder to burn a clean fire at low temps. I had my Akorn for 3 years and I have been cooking on it at least once a week since, so I am glad to say that I found a way to overcome this issue as I am now able to burn hot clean fires at low temps as low as 225F. I can see that you went ahead and added extra gaskets, I am not sure if that is a good idea, you are just going to make it even more efficient! Now with my technique: I first would arrange the charcoal and lumps very similarly to how you would do it on your videos but I make sure that two chunks are in the middle and are slightly exposed at the top. I also make sure the the level of charcoal is higher on the edges than it is in the middle. Next I follow something similar to the Minion method by lightning up have of a chimney of charcoal, once fully lit, I through the charcoal on top right in the middle and I add 2 chunks on the sides (left and right) making sure that they partially touch the lit coals ant not completely on top of it to allow them to burn slower. I then quickly place the deflector and the grates, close the lid and completely open both vents until the thermometer placed at the grates level tells me it reached 200F. I then dial down the lower vent down to make it just cover the screw between the 0 and 1 settings, anf the top vent dialled to just after the half moon. You will see that your temp will be stable at 225 to 230 and you quickly achieved clean smoke. I always use a water pan with maybe 250 ml of warm water using a BBQ aluminium pan which I add after achieving desired temp. With this method I get crazy smoke rings and amazing clean smoke flavor. I always am able to achieve good crusty bark as well.
Give this a try next time .. I hope you find it helpful.
great tips. thanks!
Hey man! Your technique sounds great, would you be open to taking a couple photos or a short un edited video of you setting it up? Thanks man, great insight and skills here. Really want to upgrade my bbq to show off my mates! Thanks
Bro would you make a little video?
@@SmokingDadBBQ you have to use fire starters on the akorn because if you light all the charcoal at once it gets smothered out when you close down the vents and creates a dirty smoke. I also like briquettes on the akorn because of the consistency as the fire burns to each briquette. I always see more temp variations with lump. I don’t think their is a substitute for a ceramic kamado, but with a little technique, the akorn is great bang for your buck. I wouldn’t say it’s harder to cook on an akorn, just different than a ceramic kamado, and will give similar results.
My Akron and akorn jr is the reason why I haven’t bought a series 3 big joe, blaze Kamado or even a kamodo Kamado, the quality of bbq I can achieve cooking/smoking with the right temp/charcoal on my Akorn …makes no sense for me to pay more other than appearance/aesthetics
its a remarkable value
It is remarkable value.
For what it’s worth - I went down the Smoking Dad rabbit hole a couple of years ago and decided to give it a go. I purchased an Akorn as I didn’t want to outlay the money for the Joe brand. Never looked back and don’t see a reason to upgrade as I’m very happy with my Akorn.
Great comparison. I wonder if adding more flavor wood in the CharGriller might make the two more similar. The Big Joe burned more charcoal, so maybe adding more wood to the Acorn would even the playing field a bit... I also wonder if the Acorn's heat deflector has too large gaps between the body and the side; it seems the Joe's deflector is pretty close to covering the whole opening, which adds to that convection. With the difference in prices between the two, it seems you could spend a bit to make the Acorn better and still end up way ahead on price.
So, I started with an Akorn, because I didn't want to drop a ton of money into something I wasn't sure about. It was a great way to discover that I did enjoy using a kamado grill, and that might not have happened if I was faced with spending $1-2k to get in. Speaking to your comments about how to get a better fire, I found that lighting a single fire starter and letting the charcoal burn from that small, single point, gave me better results and also allowed me to better control the temperature in the Akorn. When you light a big fire with a torch or a chimney, you get a lot of burning coals that you then have to choke down to get the Akorn to run at a low temp. If only a few are burning, they can burn more intensely, and this is shown by the better smoke ring I used to get. A huge advantage of the Akorn (and other metal kamados) is that they don't break if there's an oopsie. My nephew knocked over my Akorn, and it just continued to work. The downside to the Akorn's mild steel construction is that it can rust out. I'm 6 miles from the Pacific and my grill has to live outside on a deck. I needed a new ash pan after 5 years (not expensive and easily available) and I could see that the bottom of the main body was also starting to go.
G'day mate, your comments on how to get a better fire in the Akorn is spot on. It's great to see someone other than myself using logic and understanding how to light an efficient fire from an efficient Kamado like the Akorn.
Most people on these videos use the same system of lighting all BBQs and wonder why they get different results.
Your comments were a joy to read, especially this "If only a few are burning, they can burn more intensely, and this is shown by the better smoke ring I used to get. " This shows you understand the process of lighting different BBQs.
Thanks again.
@@RowanTasmanian From one end of the Pacific to the other! I donated my Akorn to another newb, to get them started, and demonstrated how to use it effectively. I replaced it with a Weber Kamado, which is very nice and hopefully a bit less susceptible to rust. But it works best the same way, and, as you've said, it's only logical. If there's only so much oxygen available, you can use it to get a better fire in a smaller spot or a smolder in a larger area. Have a great summer down under! 😀
@@darrylrichman Thanks Mate, the Weber is a wonderful Kamado.Probably the best there is. The Weber will be my next purchase. A Fantastic Design.
BTW you could teach some of these presenters on TH-cam how fire and charcoal work (optimally)for different cookers. All the best.
the key in the akorn that i have found is to leave the bottom closed or barely cracked and open the top as much as you can while maintaining i used to try to crack the bottom and the top just a hair and you are just closing all that smoldering smoke and charcoal in instead of allowing as much air as possible in
@@kackmciby1945 Thanks, I'll try that tonight.i appreciate the feedback.
Will be good to see a comparison when you rig some sort of double indirect method with the Chargriller
Great comparison James! Can’t wait to see your double indirect on the Akorn!
Great review. As an Akorn user, I would agree it is a bit harder to to run a cleaner fire at those temps. I have to choke it down a lot like you have shown. I have added wood chips through the bottom vent, instead of taking the whole bottom off. They have seemed to burn out on longer cooks.
I would love to see you modify the Akron for a double indirect and see what your thoughts are.
Agreed. How do you add through the vents? I’ve tried poking them through but it’s 50/50 if I get to a place where they ignite.
yes will be doing that, got a few more fun ideas to work through
@@SmokingDadBBQ patiently awaiting this double indirect on the akorn
Yep short awnser is no. Best BBQ often comes out of a ghetto grills made of toxic materials operated by a dude whos been doing the samething for 35yrs.
you mean using a 55 gallon drum cut in half...
Interesting. The only thing I felt made this kinda an unfair test is that the expensive Kamado had more bells & whistles that currently couldn't be applied to the lessor expensive Kamado.
Had the test been limited to what you could do equally to both, that'd have been a more fair test. As upgrades are added that are reasonably equivalent, rerun the test.
Any professional realizes the quality and selection of tools to perform work (be it bbq-ing, woodworking, automotive repair, etc) makes a big difference in the output of the work and ease of the job.
If you have a home garage to work on cars and you don't have a lift to make it easy to work on the car from underneath, you can be well skilled but not be nearly so efficient in repair having to slide under the vehicle potentially many times before repair is complete. Maybe the choice of repair depends on your limitation of tools.
100% you can also adapt the cooking to your grill and get similar results, using chips to help with smoke, also unfortunately the thermometer on the akorn is not acurrate, always runs hotter
i have a video coming out where i give the akorn the sloroller
sir, i think you should really have some blind taste testers to compare.
We can start a sign up sheet here lol
We're splitting hairs....I'll take the Akorn for the huge value. If small difference in price no
I agree.
I think the only difference might be temperature control.
I have an Acorn and it works well.
Sunday morning tradition. Cup of coffee and a new SDBBQ video. Great as always.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Gheeez this wasn’t biassed wasn’t it?? 🙄
Even with the slanted opinions, it was obvious they’re pretty close. Maybe this guy can afford to spend that kind of money, but if the akorn gives his “fancy kamado Joe” such a run for the money for a HUGE difference in price says a lot!
I will go with the “regular” man’s akorn and laugh all the way to the bank!!
Agh... That teaser from the pizza oven -- when are we going to see the "James Treatment" from the pizza oven?
lol coming soon
Great stuff! Would love to see you review the new rotisserie basket.
Also, have you ever tried doing the double indirect with the deflector plates directly on the charcoal basket and the slow-roller on top of that? In theory it might allow for more deflection and less interference with the airflow coming out of the slow roller
basket review on the video dropped yesterday
Great video James! I’ve always thought 80% is technique, 20% what you cook with. It’s good to know the results with your side by side.
thanks!
I was close to getting a classic 3 the other day then did some burgers on my Weber kettle and some short ribs,so bought a performer deluxe lol
congrats on the new grill
Ok James, since I've been considering the new cousin to the Akorn, the Auto Kamado, now I'd like to see you jury rig a double indirect on that Akorn. Thanks. Great Video, by the way.😊
I am looking forward to trying that to see if we can’t bump up the burn
KJ is about selling silly, overpriced accessories for an already overpriced kamado...SloJoe, Joetusserie, DoughJoe...
Akorn= same performance at a fraction of the cost without the silly gimmicks.
It’s good to reset every now and then and remember great bbq can be made in a filling cabinet
Quick question can you get the impact of double indirect without the SloRoller? I have 2 sets of heat deflectors and a X-accessory rack for my Kamado Joe classic
100%... near identical - th-cam.com/video/0yXnjW9kEfY/w-d-xo.html
And the Meater+ probe is pretty shit when it comes to keeping connected to my phone if I get more than a few feet away from the base. And then they are god awful at reconnecting. Both of the units I have are terrible at staying connected. I don't recommend them for this reason.
Here are some instructions that they sent me to
try for another viewer that wasn’t getting the connection range which might solve your issue as it did for them. Pasted below
it sounds like your probes may be paired directly to your phone rather than your Block. May I ask you to try the following steps to reset your MEATER Block?
We recommend unpairing the Block from the app before trying these steps, but it's not required
Turn off Bluetooth on our smart device.
Make sure all 4 of the probes are docked in the
Block.
Start the Block in Standalone Mode.
Hold down the Settings button (the gear icon) for 10-15 seconds until the "Erase All Settings?"
notification appears, and select "Yes."
Start your Block in Standalone Mode again, and
wait for the check mark to appear next to all 4
probes.
Enable Bluetooth on your smart device, then start the Block in WiFi Mode to connect to the app.
All this video shows is Big Joe bias. Don't want to feel bad about spending that much on a kamado after all.
I don’t recall saying the big joe is 7x better in food to match the 7x price premium… what I did say is the results where far closer the price alone suggests and that the Akorn is a great starting point for those interested in a Kamado style grill. The kj is easier to burn a cleaner fire and doesn’t rust and comes with more accessories so depending on what people want can make a decision around what’s right for them vs assuming you just need to spend more to get better which isn’t a rule that applies in bbq
How about using less fuel in the Akorn and open the vents more
I had the same thought as well. Or to put it another way, arrange and light the coals in such a way that only a few are burning simultaneously at any given time
You have so much content and are constantly learning new methods. With that being said which video would be your go to for cooking a whole chicken these days?
I appreciate that! This one for spatch - th-cam.com/video/_YuE6-MzhGo/w-d-xo.html and i would follow my turkey video (butter injected) for the JoeTisserie
Haha it's so cool to see your backyard evolving inline with the channel... every month or so there's a new bbq monster in the yard.
Everything gets better along the way. I use a non branded cheap kamado style bbq and try to keep up with your cooks, and it's working! Thanks for all the useful info. Can't wait for the next cook
thanks!
Nice video James. I’ve had my Akron for 7 years and it doesn’t disappoint. I also own the kamado Joe series 2 classic. The Akron is a great entry into kamado cooking without shelling out 1500+ dollars. I bought the heat deflector for the Akron on Amazon for 35 dollars. 2 things I don’t like about the Akron is the cooking grate is made from cast iron and no matter what you do it will rust and crack in a few years. It’s also 20 inches in diameter so finding a replace grate is impossible unless you order it direct from them.
My Akorn lasted five years of heavy use. I loved it. Replaced it with Big Joe 2
I just got an Akorn, but I have cast iron grates on another (inexpensive) charcoal grill and it's got no rust after 10 years. Also, I googled stainless grate for Akorn and the first thing that came up has one on Amazon, lots of pics in the reviews of people using it on their Akorn.
Curious what the result be if you use the Akron heat deflector, pizza stone on the grate and cook on the heating shelf?
i think we need to find out
Some of the best barbecue I’ve ever had have been from the sketchiest of roadside stands.
Hey James. I'm curious whether or not the Kick Ash basket would help the Akorn (more air flow) along with double indirect. According to KA Website both the Jr. and Classic basket should work.
good point, my next video is fixing the smoke leaks as that helps a ton
i have an Akorn. I place ceramic spacers on the deflector and then a 15" pizza stone and then a foil wrapped stainless steel drip pan to create your double indirect method. I am not an expert but I am happy with the results I get. Thanks for the idea!
I bought an Akorn before I got my KJ. First gen classic. The thing James doesn't know about here is the quality over time. I had it covered, but kept it outside in Chicago over one winter. Just over one year out and the akorn rusted the rods on the ash pan making what I thought was a clever feature unusable. Of course, they were not interesting in helping me with warranty support (was about 13 months after purchase.). I'm now 7 years into my Classic 1 and it still performs like a champ, and KJ's support is nothing less than spectacular. I've had a few issues (first gen firebox cracking kinda things), and they took care of them all easily and quickly.
You definitely get what you pay for. The akorn is really good to get your feet wet, but don't expect it to be your forever grill!
You just earned a subscriber. I have a ground pit and a kettle. The bbq taste good on both. I hear everybody talk about offset smokers. I’ve been to bbq restaurants. I do not know the way they smoke there food. I do not know if the food I received was left overs. I was not amazed. I was thinking of trying a offset myself. It could also be the way the restaurant seasoned the food. Seasoning is subjective. Maybe I should just be happy with my bbq but; we all strive to do better!!!
At 1:17 into the video- this looks like Lebanese mountain bread. Very clever use of your K-Joe!!
Love your videos as always, outstanding content and techniques. I was wondering if you could help me make a correction and decision. I have a Classic Joe II I bought from Costco. I do not have a slo roller or any other extension racks. I also do not have a charcoal basket. I am having difficulty with getting the temps above 375-400 degrees to cook indirect foods such as bone-in chicken thighs with the skin per your recipe of 475-500 degrees for crispy skin. The charcoal I am using is the good charcoal company acacia wood charcoal. It produces a lot of ash even during the cook. I am thinking of trying the fogo or B/B. Could you offer some advice for a very frustrated beginner. Love the Kamado, just want to master the heat and improve the cooking experience.
This is a curious comparison. Why the Big Joe when the Classic is the same size as the Acorn???? Kinda like comparing a 50 gallon offset with a 500 gallon offset.
the classic is 18, the Akorn is 20 and the big joe is 24 so it sits in the middle.... that and i sold my classic and bought a big joe 1 to use the same accessories on each so thats the comparison i have available... you could always do 4x the price classic vs 7x and everything else would be the same
I have what I would consider an entry level grill. my lifesmart has been good to me only downside is amount of cooking space I picked it up for a steal and can't complain but my issue going forward is cooking area .
Would like to see the Komodo Kamado comparison.😁👍
Interesting fun comparison big Joe is high-performance gear. Akorn performed efficiently only for the fact you’re an expert cooking food products. Valuable video. Cheers
Cheers
So my local Costco has 2 classic Joe II's marked to move at $599. Is that a "holy crap, buy it on pure principle of just being that cheap!" Or is the 3 series worth holding out for?
if you add a second stone and do double in-driect in the series 1 ... the results are barley perceptible to the series 3... you can also add the sloroller - th-cam.com/video/xO8AjvUZvCc/w-d-xo.html and do double indirect for identical results. i would say go for it
The akorn is in some ways too efficient but that's partially due to its smaller compact size(plus double wall steel).. like trying to keep heat in a small room vs a large home.. more air flow.. my barrel cooker would be closer in that aspect compared to the ok joe. Just trying to dial in the akorn to promote a lill better airflow( possibly with a slow roller) could better offset that difference. But just figuring out th science of it all is half th fun. Good video.. thanks for posting
Thanks Pete
I have a Big Joe 3, and also a smaller £370 ceramic kamado from Aldi. Honestly, aside from the size, the results are damn near the same. I find quite often if I can fit my cook in my small Aldi one I’ll use that rather than wait for the big Joe to fire up and be ready. You can absolutely get excellent results from a cheap kamado.
The downsides to my Aldi one are that there’s no aftermarket accessories. So for example a bonus of the Big Joe is the extras like the JoeTisserie I just can’t do on the Aldi one.
Check ceramic grill store, if you take firebox measurements, they likely have something that will fit. They helped me with my Vision
As soon as you see someone comparing two things that are so apart in price, they are usually a sponsored reviewer that is just trying to upsell the "preferred product". Who uses (or even would buy) a $200 dollar pepper grinder? A sponsored reviewer that was probably given all of the products he promotes.
I have receipts including for the pepper cannon I bought
@@SmokingDadBBQ Great. I just don't understand comparing a $300 Kamado to a $1500-$2000 Kamado. It's like comparing a Dodge Dart to a Ferrari. We all know who wins.
@@robrobbins4906 I hear you …. But brands like to convince you that more expensive is always better and sometimes it’s just not so I like to test what sometimes seems impossible.
This was way closer than the 7x price delta would suggest.
And change the dodge … neon srt4 has slayed many dragons costing many times more so sometimes cheap and cheerful wins the day
@@SmokingDadBBQ If it was way closer than the 7x price delta, that should have been the gist of the video. A more apt video would have been comparing a BGE and a Kamado Joe.
@@robrobbins4906 have done that a few times - th-cam.com/video/YnNxq88lBNs/w-d-xo.html
I’d love a series on double indirect setups on non-KJ kamados! I’m currently experimenting with my Vision, which I think is a much better value than the Acorn, at $500 on sale from HD.
Hi James, love your videos as always.
Are your overseas subscribers like myself eligible to join?
Yes they are!
how much does the chargrilled akorn weigh?
about 84lbs
@@SmokingDadBBQ many thanks for kind reply
on my akorn the grill runs hotter than what the thermometer says, try using an independent meter i notice a 40 to 60 degrees difference and that affects a lot the cooking time, great work James! beatiful job.
good point, i am curious to check its calibration now
My favorite at the moment for beef ribs is my GMG Daniel Boone for sure. With just SGP ;-)
right on!
James, I just got a smokin deal on a Broil King Keg ($400) so I'm hoping it is the same quality/functionality as you Akorn. Thanks for the video. Wondering if you have experience with that Broil king kamado? Love the channel.
yes i used it before an akorn ... its very similar in form and function and comes with an option for a trailer hitch which is cool. it too is also more efficient and struggles with a clean open flame like the akorn
@@SmokingDadBBQ thanks for the reply! Cheers.
Hit 100k already I need a series 2, working with only the Junior at the moment
i know right?
Great comparison Jame both ribs looked awesome but you could see the KJ ribs were juicer
cheers Paul
I think it’d be worthwhile to try to do the double deflect on the Akorn. I know it doesn’t come with the Akorn, but fact is the Akorn would still be significantly cheaper.
So the question is could the Akorn with “help” produce results closer to the kamado joe? I know if I had an Akorn I’d try to use these “tricks” before spending money on the Kamado Joe.
i have a double indirect brisket coming out sunday i believe
@@SmokingDadBBQ sounds great, I’m looking forward to it!
Just bought the big joe! Wat a lot of extra stuff to play with. Thanks for all your info! The only thing i did not get in the netherland is the grill blazer gun.
Thanks and good luck on your first cooks!
The truth is the accessories make Kamado Joe what it is.
I agree. I think a fairer comparison would be to strip the KJ back to the level of heat diffusion the Akorn has, and then compare.
I think ceramic is not as efficient as the metal as even in my series 1 I have been able to get results nearly as good as the series 3 so I think it has to be more than just the accessories but I agree they do help make a difference
@@SmokingDadBBQ in the serie 1 and 2 double indirect is not possible right?
@@Patrickkkkkkk356 they can. - th-cam.com/video/xO8AjvUZvCc/w-d-xo.html
You've come up with some great ideas to improve kamado style cooking, and I do like using the double indirect method, but James absolutely no other cooker makes better beef ribs then an offset.
ya i don't think i will ever ever ever surpass ... but getting close (or closer) is a big win
Not only the KJ comes with more features such as the Slo-roller, but you have taken it to another level by your techniques such as indirect cooking and so forth.
It sure is worth spending more on equipment for people dedicated to great BBQ, provided they use them right, learning from the experience of those such as you.
thanks!
Good to see you can pull off some great results on the Akon. Interesting to hear about the taste difference, I think the KJ really shines in accessories as well. I'm always of the mindset, buy once cry once. I've never regretted but something high end, but have definitely regretted when I cut corners. And of course I then bought the more expensive item later lol. 🍻
Couldn't agree more!
Nice test James and thanks for your views on what happen. I have a Kamado and wish that I could get a stick burner, but not enough room for a large stick burner. One of these days I be back into my house were I will have access to my Kamado again to do some BBQ. Miss the food so much but I enjoy watching you doing your thing and watching your face as you bite in!
lol thanks and good luck on moving back in
Great content. I would also love to see if you can figure out a way to do a double indirect method on the Akorn.
working on it
Curious for your thoughts on the slow roller James. I'm on #2 and the paint on it (why do they paint it is beyond me) is peeling off again. Have you had that happen? Any workaround? I've personally stopped using mine.
Mine is the exact same...Paint peeling off after 2nd cook.. not sure why it's on there either... Cosmetic for looks maybe??
@@danreid4344 From what I gather searching online, as there has been lots of questions on this: seems to be there for rust prevention. Though there are still question marks as to whether it is teflon or paint (though people have said KamadoJoe told them it's not teflon but I have not seen anything official). Whether teflon or paint, I'm not keen in having it burn while I cook, so I've just decided to stop using the slo-roller. That being said, you can probably contact KJ and get a replacement, I did for my first one but now am finding it a futile exercise to keep asking for a replacement if it will keep doing this.
Great video. Maybe you can make the comparison using the Akorn Auto which I picked up for 1/2 off. They just went off sale for half off from Walmart, bummer. I am thinking maybe to get more smoke flavor put wood on top of charcoal but it is easy to over smoke so will need to experiment.
Great suggestion! Will see if i can track one down
I have an akorn jr deflector, maybe I'll put that in along with the regular deflector and try double indirect
100%... i will try that too. i have two more fun experiments before that comes out that i cant wait to share ... hint, it rhymes with sloroller lol
@@SmokingDadBBQ looking forward to watching them! I realized I'll need to make a gap between the jr deflector and the wall of the charcoal "basket" for airflow and I'm thinking using tin foil balls like I do in between pizza stones if that makes sense
Very interesting comparison. I've always been curious about the Akorns, nice to see a good head to head like this.
thanks!
The doggy at 6:10 classic :D Mine is the same when I unwrap meat!
the nose knows lol
Hi from jolly old England love the video's I would like to know how you would do fresh bacon
i need to do a new version as its been a few years .... one of my first 10 videos lol th-cam.com/video/w4YySqZKzmI/w-d-xo.html but the nitrate free recipe from small foot print family we still use - www.smallfootprintfamily.com/how-to-cure-bacon
@@SmokingDadBBQ thank you love the video for jolly old England
Akorn, spell checkers changing this to Akron?
ya they keep getting me lol
The ash tray for the akorn is intended for just ash.
i tried getting the same utility out of it as i do on my ash drawer from the KJ where hot coals fall into it and there is enough to add supplemental smoke ... works on the KJ, not so much here
Great comparison of the 2 brands! Learn a lot of your videos!!
Glad you like them!
Hi James, these comparison videos are great -- what I'm really interested in as a fellow Canadian is how each of these cookers stand up to each other in the dead of a Canadian winter! Cheers
i have nearly 15 years on ceramic in winter, but not so much on the Akorn. will be interesting for sure
I live 6 miles from the Pacific in the other CA, and my experience with the Akorn was that the mild steel construction will eventually rust (my grills have to live outside on a deck). After 5 years, the ash pan needed to be replaced and I could see that the bottom edge of the main body was also going. Char Griller parts are cheap, however; a new ash pan is about $40.
Wallmart had the Acorn for $224.00 a couple of weeks ago!
I wanted 1 but my wife would've probably have left me lol 😆🙃😂
Still on sale as of today. Your life would've left you for spending 224 bucks? Oof.
@@mechmat12345 no lol...
I have 4 smokers and a awesome weber gas grill when I feel like using gas
saving for either the new Ford ranger or Nissan Frontier.
@@mechmat12345 what kind do you have friend
thats a smoking deal.... almost hard to believe how its possible
Would love to see a KJ Jnr Vs. Akorn Jnr.
good idea
The same thing on my kamander, vents almost not open en running steady as a train.
I need to add more gasket material to improve vent control
@@SmokingDadBBQ I had the same on the Kamander, i put in a felt gasket at the bottem en top vent.
Beef ribs its were the smoke lives Great vid
Thanks so much. Cheers
Good comparison for B-team cookers. Offset = A-team.