Great vid. Couple things on the Akorn. I have found that chips work well vs. chunks for smoke. Also, I was able to set up a "poor mans" slow roller double indirect setup on the Akorn using a round stainless grate that fits on the rim of the charcoal kettle and a Pizza stone on top eliminates the uneven problem from the bottom deflector shape.
James! Thank you for finally using an akorn! I have wanted to see you used one and today it finally happened! I’ve had countless cooks where the smoke ring is not there hut the meat taste good, its nice to see that it wasn’t an error on my part but a characteristic of the cooker itself
I just purchased my first Kamado Joe Series 3 Big Joe today. Had been looking at the offset and kamado world for a few months and was struggling to decide. Well, decision was easy after I started binge watching your videos. Not only did you help me make the right decision, but you also gave me the confidence to pull the trigger knowing I'd have somewhere to go for advice, tips, recipes etc. Its very daunting getting into smoking grilling when you know absolutely nothing, so thank you for all your help!
If you want more even deflector protection put a Weber charcoal grate on the tabs over the firebox and place a 15" corderite pizza stone on top of that with a very thin opening around the edges (can use a 14" stone if you want more flow).
I had an Akorn for five years, and I always used chips buried and around the perimeter and got plenty of smoke. I have now had the Kamado Joe II for about 4 years, and can vouch that the Akorn is considerably more efficient. I'd say it burns 30-40% less charcoal for an 8 hour smoke, and comes up to temp maybe 25% faster. On the other hand, if you overshoot your temp significantly, it is very difficult to bring it back down where you want it: as he says, maybe too efficient? I do also miss the second level grate of the Akorn for sides. I switched because I had left the Akorn in the elements, and it had significant rust and was basically falling apart. Other than that, I have found no other differences in cooking and outcomes between the two.
It's actually really easy to lift the cooking grate off the Akorn while cooking in order to drop chunks down the side of the heat deflector instead of putting them in the ash pan. Works so much better that way.
James, nice to see you present options to everyone, especially those getting into smoking/grilling and don’t want to pay the price of a more expensive Kamado. I have the Kamado Joe Big Joe III, but can appreciate the capabilities of Acorn and Kettle grills. Thanks
I have the akorn. I use cherry wood chucks mixed in with jealous devil. Harry with Slap you daddy bbq does this. It gives great smoke flavor throughout
ALso the Joe tissery is 100% fit. Done 3 birds now and all turned out amazing despite my lack of experience on chicken trussing. Thanks for the video! Upped my bbq game for about half the $$$.
I own a charcoal Weber Summit and I owned a large big green egg previously. In terms of efficiency and general performance chararistics in its kamado configuration, I believe it's very comparable to the BGE and Kamado Joe's larger ceramic grills. The smoke tastes the same as far as I'm concerned. Although I haven't tried it, I can believe this is more of an issue with the Akorn because it's considerably smaller, more air-tight, and better insulated, i.e., I don't think it's a generalizable characteristic of "metal" grills. Incidentally, I highly recommend the Weber Summit over BGE and Kamado Joe's ceramic offerings. It's a better grill and certainly a better all-in-value IMO. The main reasons (1) ceramic is much heavier and more prone to breakage (2) ceramics near this price point have much smaller diameter cooking grates and (3) this works better for classic grilling (you can easily place charcoal on the second level and cook like in a kettle grill.... also works well for two-zone low-and-slow with the charcoal off to the side (4) easy ash clean out and easier to deal with the heat deflector since it's not as heavy or breakable). If you're in the market for a kamado grill I'd give Weber a serious look.
The trick with the akorn is to use just enough charcoal for the cook and careful payment of the wood. It's so efficient that it is a delicate art to get it down. It's capable of outstanding bbq when you get it sussed. After you get a feel for it you just know. Weighing out the charcoal is a good start to get a feel for your target. If you do this relatively good you can get smoke flavor because it will mostly or totally get used. The efficiency of the unit dictates very little wood to be used can result in outstanding flavor getting the coal to nearly totally combust. It was a fun cooker. I cooked in it in below zero temperature with no problems. I did use a temperature control with mine eventually for long slow overnight cooks.
I added a high temp gasket around the edge of the slow roller. 100% seal and did 12 hour test@ 275. The gasket held up fine 👍. BTW Used the large green egg extender grate. Works great on the chare griller!
If you want a platform to build from in the Akorn you can drop a standard Weber charcoal grate on the 3 tabs. It fits perfect and they're really cheap. then you can lay anything you want on that... split it side to side, super hot sear area, whatever. When I had mine I never bothered getting the fancy plate setter. As you noticed, it has gaps. You can reduce that by finding a good fitting kiln shelf or piece of cast iron and just laying it on a grate. Hmmm, maybe that's a video. 😀
I’m retired and on a fixed income so I have to be a little careful about spending money these days so spending 500 on a smoker wasn’t something I could bring myself to do but luckily I found the Kettle Joe on sale at Lowes last summer for 200 and I jumped on that deal. I was instantly impressed with how well it’s made but I did need to add gaskets to reduce the smoke leakage so the fact that the acorn comes with a gasket and a latch is something that jumped out to me but that said I love my Kettle Joe. Over the past week I’ve smoked a 8 pound pork shoulder and a 13 pound brisket and both came out delicious and in the past I’ve smoked pork and beef ribs, tri tip, shotgun shells, rib roast, and salmon and other stuff and have never been disappointed. I was a little surprised that you used the temperature gauges on the domes and not a probe, I find my gauge is not accurate on the dome although there’s probably a way to calibrate it and you’ve probably already done it lol.
I put much less charcoal in, with the chunks on the bottom. They tend to burn up that way. Also, if you can cobble together something resembling your double indirect deflection, that seems to help with cleaner smoke as well.
Hey James, Interesting seeing the charcoal burn patterns. I have always buried the wood as well. With the acorn my first thought is as a future test try the wood chunks in the centre and still bury but not quite as deep. Would be an interesting experiment for the acorn. Thanks (long time viewer, first time commenter)
Walmart has the Auto-Kamado on sale for $224.00 right now. I have one already but for that price I ordered a spare. Free shipping also in the U.S at least. I don't know about Canada or if you have Walmart.
That's an insanely good deal. Right now the normal Kamado is $400 on Walmart's website. I'd have bought the Auto-Kamado a few weeks ago instead of the Kamado Kettle if it'd been on their site for that price.
Great video i personally like the look of the kettle joe and as its 22inch all the accessories from the 22inch weber fits which are much cheaper then the kamado joe accessories.. So i have just ordered one to go with my collection of bullet smoker's, eco zoom rocket stoves, 6 burner gas bbq, fire pits with tripods and grates, hot plates and dutch ovens... Thank you for your reviews 🙏 Maybe one day i might get a full ceramic kamado 🤔 but currently i have no desire too own one 😅
Can’t wait to see what cross-over accessories you might find for the Akorn … I’ve loved my Akorn for the past 3yrs now but I do wish they had a more even cooking surface .. vertical rib racks have been a winner so far.
I really appreciate your attention detail with everything you do on your vids. I recently bought the Kettle Joe for grilling, since i use an offset for smoking bigger cuts of meat. I also am wanting to do direct heat cooking. Have you or could you experiment or vid on if we can do this or not?
I've not heard the best reviews on Chargriller products previously, but as of late there seems to be a rather large increase in positive reaction to their products at least from a value proposition perspective. Great stuff as always SDBBQ!
James, using a Akorn myself for about a year. My experience has been the smoking wood works best on top and in the middle of the pile. I find it burns up and out rather that out and up, if that makes sense. I did add the extra gasket as you suggested and it’s been magical.
I owned a Chargriller Akorn and I had a good experience with the quality of the of the cook. However, After 4 seasons of use, moisture corroded the metal to the point of rust through and it was no longer useable.
I would concur with your results with the Akorn. I am happy with my Akorn as an intro to Komota style cooking. The smoke is not great, but the fuel efficiency leads to nice low and slow cooks, which has produced some tender, moist meats.
awesome video, after watching the amount of charcoal that the kettle consumed it was kinda obvious that the ribs were going to be more smoky,all that smoke past through the ribs leaving the great flavor, but you can adapt the cooking with the akorn, using chips intead o chunks of wood can help with the smoke as its need so little fuel to cook for those 3 hours, also the ribs on the kettle looked better to me, more beefe and more well round it, thanks james for the video!
My Akorn was great until it rusted out. The ash pan went, and it spread to the body. After it bit the dust, I bought a recteq, but I've been eyeing a Komado joe 2
Next time I’m going to try putting a lit piece of charcoal in my ash pan along with some wood chips or pellets. I’m hoping that will improve the smokiness of the food.
@@SmokingDadBBQ Hey thanks for the follow up. I watch your uploads pretty regularly so already saw it! 3/3! I'm hoping the sloroller closes the performance gap between Kamado Joe and Akorn, since it seems like there's still a big difference in smoke penetration/texture based on your first head to head. Let's just say my prior comment was motivated because I have an Akorn myself, but it's the Jr. So I wonder if I can get away with the trick you do with the Kamado Jr, just using the top part.
With respect to the Akorn "three legs" on the smoking stone - I keep one leg at the 6 o'clock position (as opposed to the 12 o'clock like you) so that heat isn't rising up from the firebox and directly hitting the dome thermometer, giving you a false reading.
Hey James absolutely love your content. I’ve probably watched your videos more than I’ve watched my own kiddos over the last few weeks 😮 anyways you inspired me to buy a Kettle Joe (soon hopefully a Big Joe) and I’m curious about the ash catcher do you recommend removing it like you do on the Classic or Big Joe?
Curious, why the boat and not fully wrapped? I usually do 3 hrs unwrapped and then fully wrapped to doneness, 45 min to another hour. I do ribs on a pellet smoker, kettle and WSM sometimes, but usually the same method.
I got my kettle joe for $200 on sale at a grill shop. I love the grill, but Kamado Joes website seems to have gotten rid of it and its accessories. Do you know what accessories from the Joe line fit my Kettle Joe?
Love this comparison. I sort of wish the cast iron grates on the Akorn were porcelain coated. I've noticed on my gas grill with porcelain coating, it behaves like cast iron for searing but is much easier to clean and has lasted a long time. My Akorn Jr grates completely rusted out after several years. This was a great video! Thanks!
I loved my Akorn but even in arizona it rusted to being unusable. I just moved to Florida and bought a kettle Joe, disappointed it’s not insulated but we shall see.
A very good and unbiased review. It does seem like Chargriller produces some great value products but they are not made to last a lifetime. Char-Griller gravity fed 980 seems to have a strong following as well.
I have the Char-Griller auto Kamado, which comes with a stainless steel heat shield. It’s concave and convex and will fit on either way. I put a concave and set the stone the opposite way of the openings so you have six openings spaced around. It does not sit on the stainless steel one as it says higher. I have not tried this, and was wondering if you think this will work.
The Akorn was my first smoker. The best way to get a smoke ring is to keep spraying every 15-20 minutes. I didn’t care enough about the smoke ring to keep doing it on all my cooks. It’s a much more efficient cooker especially compared to the Big Joe 1 I have now.
An Akorn won't last a lifetime unless you live in a dessert or keep it really well protected. A small amount of moisture running around the outside will inspire rust as it runs in the seam between the top and bottom and at the ash catcher. Admittedly, usually the ash basket goes first and if you protected it well getting another one of those is kinda cheap. I'd say in Canada their best case is about 10 years or so. I didn't know this and only got about 2 years out of mine in NS. (It's hard to describe but what rusts fastest is that outer shell. The metal is completely unprotected on the other side, the inside that you can't see. If water gets behind it then it rots really fast. The interior metals are porcelain coated on both sides and so are quite robust. Also, that outer metal is really crappy. I got some hot coals that went into the ash basket one time on an Akorn Jr. and lodged between the interior metal and outer shell. There's kind of a gap where that can happen at the air vent. Ordinary charcoal burnt a hole right through that outer shell.)
Great Video as always. Just as question about your new pizza oven. I’ve noticed in the last few videos it has a bit of discolouration from the smoke on the front. Is this easy to clean off or permanent? Looking forward to seeing more videos with the pizza oven!
Thanks for the comparison. Despite the efficiency I wonder if the chargriller Kamado insulation plates are chemically different from those used in Kamado Joes. I’ve seen inexpensive kamados with plates that feel different to the touch. The akorn seems super efficient, so how is it cheaper?
@@SmokingDadBBQ I did some ribs last night, your 3 hour process. My chunk I tossed in the ash basket also didnt light so I took the propane torch to it to get it going, seemed to work well. Also put 2 chunks in the main coals when I started the grill and the front chunk burned up (nearest the vent door) and the rear one just charred a little. Just another data point on a similar cook.
I think most people are buying the Big Joe's ceramic half-moon diffuser plates & using one of those to set up a 'cold' zone for a cook. I did also see someone else make a firebox separator out of expanded metal so his fuel stays on 1 side of the firebox. I don't, & haven't seen any videos where people use the slo-roller assemble for anything other than smoking. Not to say you can't, but for sure what works is hot/cold zones with the ceramic plate & the plus with the Kettle Joe is you can have your sear grate @ the low position & the indirect cook grate in the high position just above the ceramic plate.
I got my Kettle Joe this year and it's already turned out some great food. My only qualm with it though is the ash catcher and ash drawer. I've found that it tends to get stuck and gets hard to pull out. It's either the heat of the kettle is causing the metal to expand or sometimes small bits of charcoal falls and lodges between the ash catcher and the slide out ash drawer. How were you able to get your ash drawer to be so kind (especially on camera)? Have you had similar experiences with it?
Get rid of the ash drawer altogether & use a small charcoal ash rake to pull the burnt ash out when you need to. Unit will flow air way better & you won't have to fuss with the thing getting jammed in there. As an aside, I'm not sure why anyone would put smoking wood in an ash tray/catch basin in any smoker/cooker of these types.... smoking wood is placed on or under the charcoal in the fire box. Good luck.
Loving your videos, I have a similar version to the acorn (Dragon) I have always looked at the Joe. You are helping me with making that decision. I live in Australia, we love our BBQs thank you for your in depth videos.
Losee Rich, where are you finding those prices? I would buy one in a heartbeat for that price! Cheapest price I am finding is $399 cyber Monday sale from Kamado Joe directly.
@@nickweaver3343 Lowe's. Not just in my part of the U.S. either.... saw others on Reddit subs saying they were same in their areas. It does matter which Lowes though. Closest store to my work had probably a dozen of them they were discounting out. Closest store to my house had none at all for any price.
Love charcoal but once I started smoking on my outlaw smoker there's no comparison between wood and charcoal. But after watching this looking that cheaper char-griller for charcoal
@@thomaswyrick4648 you didn't season it. There are many Akorns still running 5+ years later. You just killed yours. Mine is still pristine with 100+ cooks on it. I grease the wheels and axle and that's it.
I somehow just noticed this go around watching this. The title says Akron, I wonder how many people in Ohio are wondering what this video has to do with their town. 😉
Great vid. Couple things on the Akorn. I have found that chips work well vs. chunks for smoke. Also, I was able to set up a "poor mans" slow roller double indirect setup on the Akorn using a round stainless grate that fits on the rim of the charcoal kettle and a Pizza stone on top eliminates the uneven problem from the bottom deflector shape.
James! Thank you for finally using an akorn! I have wanted to see you used one and today it finally happened! I’ve had countless cooks where the smoke ring is not there hut the meat taste good, its nice to see that it wasn’t an error on my part but a characteristic of the cooker itself
have you tried chips instead of chunks of wood?
@@altec227 I have but feel like I have to put whole bunch more. I get A smoke ring just not as pronounced either way
I just purchased my first Kamado Joe Series 3 Big Joe today. Had been looking at the offset and kamado world for a few months and was struggling to decide.
Well, decision was easy after I started binge watching your videos. Not only did you help me make the right decision, but you also gave me the confidence to pull the trigger knowing I'd have somewhere to go for advice, tips, recipes etc.
Its very daunting getting into smoking grilling when you know absolutely nothing, so thank you for all your help!
thanks and enjoy the new Big Joe
If you want more even deflector protection put a Weber charcoal grate on the tabs over the firebox and place a 15" corderite pizza stone on top of that with a very thin opening around the edges (can use a 14" stone if you want more flow).
I had an Akorn for five years, and I always used chips buried and around the perimeter and got plenty of smoke. I have now had the Kamado Joe II for about 4 years, and can vouch that the Akorn is considerably more efficient. I'd say it burns 30-40% less charcoal for an 8 hour smoke, and comes up to temp maybe 25% faster. On the other hand, if you overshoot your temp significantly, it is very difficult to bring it back down where you want it: as he says, maybe too efficient? I do also miss the second level grate of the Akorn for sides. I switched because I had left the Akorn in the elements, and it had significant rust and was basically falling apart. Other than that, I have found no other differences in cooking and outcomes between the two.
It's actually really easy to lift the cooking grate off the Akorn while cooking in order to drop chunks down the side of the heat deflector instead of putting them in the ash pan. Works so much better that way.
would love to see more cooks with the akorn
you're in luck... new one tomorrow
James, nice to see you present options to everyone, especially those getting into smoking/grilling and don’t want to pay the price of a more expensive Kamado. I have the Kamado Joe Big Joe III, but can appreciate the capabilities of Acorn and Kettle grills. Thanks
thanks!
I have the akorn. I use cherry wood chucks mixed in with jealous devil. Harry with Slap you daddy bbq does this. It gives great smoke flavor throughout
Good stuff
ALso the Joe tissery is 100% fit. Done 3 birds now and all turned out amazing despite my lack of experience on chicken trussing. Thanks for the video! Upped my bbq game for about half the $$$.
I own a charcoal Weber Summit and I owned a large big green egg previously. In terms of efficiency and general performance chararistics in its kamado configuration, I believe it's very comparable to the BGE and Kamado Joe's larger ceramic grills. The smoke tastes the same as far as I'm concerned. Although I haven't tried it, I can believe this is more of an issue with the Akorn because it's considerably smaller, more air-tight, and better insulated, i.e., I don't think it's a generalizable characteristic of "metal" grills.
Incidentally, I highly recommend the Weber Summit over BGE and Kamado Joe's ceramic offerings. It's a better grill and certainly a better all-in-value IMO. The main reasons (1) ceramic is much heavier and more prone to breakage (2) ceramics near this price point have much smaller diameter cooking grates and (3) this works better for classic grilling (you can easily place charcoal on the second level and cook like in a kettle grill.... also works well for two-zone low-and-slow with the charcoal off to the side (4) easy ash clean out and easier to deal with the heat deflector since it's not as heavy or breakable). If you're in the market for a kamado grill I'd give Weber a serious look.
I was thinking the same thing. If anything, the Akorn is more insulated and “efficient” than the Weber Summit Kamado.
The trick with the akorn is to use just enough charcoal for the cook and careful payment of the wood. It's so efficient that it is a delicate art to get it down. It's capable of outstanding bbq when you get it sussed. After you get a feel for it you just know. Weighing out the charcoal is a good start to get a feel for your target. If you do this relatively good you can get smoke flavor because it will mostly or totally get used. The efficiency of the unit dictates very little wood to be used can result in outstanding flavor getting the coal to nearly totally combust. It was a fun cooker. I cooked in it in below zero temperature with no problems. I did use a temperature control with mine eventually for long slow overnight cooks.
LOL... I'll never buy either of these grills but love to watch James explain things. He's the David McCullough of grilling...
lol
I added a high temp gasket around the edge of the slow roller. 100% seal and did 12 hour test@ 275. The gasket held up fine 👍. BTW Used the large green egg extender grate. Works great on the chare griller!
If you want a platform to build from in the Akorn you can drop a standard Weber charcoal grate on the 3 tabs. It fits perfect and they're really cheap. then you can lay anything you want on that... split it side to side, super hot sear area, whatever.
When I had mine I never bothered getting the fancy plate setter. As you noticed, it has gaps. You can reduce that by finding a good fitting kiln shelf or piece of cast iron and just laying it on a grate.
Hmmm, maybe that's a video. 😀
I’m retired and on a fixed income so I have to be a little careful about spending money these days so spending 500 on a smoker wasn’t something I could bring myself to do but luckily I found the Kettle Joe on sale at Lowes last summer for 200 and I jumped on that deal. I was instantly impressed with how well it’s made but I did need to add gaskets to reduce the smoke leakage so the fact that the acorn comes with a gasket and a latch is something that jumped out to me but that said I love my Kettle Joe. Over the past week I’ve smoked a 8 pound pork shoulder and a 13 pound brisket and both came out delicious and in the past I’ve smoked pork and beef ribs, tri tip, shotgun shells, rib roast, and salmon and other stuff and have never been disappointed. I was a little surprised that you used the temperature gauges on the domes and not a probe, I find my gauge is not accurate on the dome although there’s probably a way to calibrate it and you’ve probably already done it lol.
I hope Chargriller gets you to review the new Akron Auto Kamado!
I put much less charcoal in, with the chunks on the bottom. They tend to burn up that way. Also, if you can cobble together something resembling your double indirect deflection, that seems to help with cleaner smoke as well.
Hey James,
Interesting seeing the charcoal burn patterns.
I have always buried the wood as well. With the acorn my first thought is as a future test try the wood chunks in the centre and still bury but not quite as deep.
Would be an interesting experiment for the acorn.
Thanks (long time viewer, first time commenter)
great idea, thanks for commenting!
Walmart has the Auto-Kamado on sale for $224.00 right now. I have one already but for that price I ordered a spare. Free shipping also in the U.S at least. I don't know about Canada or if you have Walmart.
That's an insanely good deal. Right now the normal Kamado is $400 on Walmart's website. I'd have bought the Auto-Kamado a few weeks ago instead of the Kamado Kettle if it'd been on their site for that price.
@@loseerich493 Mine came today. You really cant pass up that deal.
Great video i personally like the look of the kettle joe and as its 22inch all the accessories from the 22inch weber fits which are much cheaper then the kamado joe accessories..
So i have just ordered one to go with my collection of bullet smoker's, eco zoom rocket stoves, 6 burner gas bbq, fire pits with tripods and grates, hot plates and dutch ovens...
Thank you for your reviews 🙏
Maybe one day i might get a full ceramic kamado 🤔 but currently i have no desire too own one 😅
Can’t wait to see what cross-over accessories you might find for the Akorn … I’ve loved my Akorn for the past 3yrs now but I do wish they had a more even cooking surface .. vertical rib racks have been a winner so far.
I agree having a rotisserie would be nice.
@@johnkufer4190 joetisserei fits the akorn
@@johnkufer4190 that would be AWESOME
an Akorn accessories video dropped 4 days ago, hope you enjoy!
I really appreciate your attention detail with everything you do on your vids. I recently bought the Kettle Joe for grilling, since i use an offset for smoking bigger cuts of meat. I also am wanting to do direct heat cooking. Have you or could you experiment or vid on if we can do this or not?
Great head to head the Ribs looked amazing Thanks for sharing James Cheers
cheers!
I've not heard the best reviews on Chargriller products previously, but as of late there seems to be a rather large increase in positive reaction to their products at least from a value proposition perspective. Great stuff as always SDBBQ!
James, using a Akorn myself for about a year. My experience has been the smoking wood works best on top and in the middle of the pile. I find it burns up and out rather that out and up, if that makes sense. I did add the extra gasket as you suggested and it’s been magical.
Good tip on the wood placement thanks
I owned a Chargriller Akorn and I had a good experience with the quality of the of the cook. However, After 4 seasons of use, moisture corroded the metal to the point of rust through and it was no longer useable.
I would concur with your results with the Akorn. I am happy with my Akorn as an intro to Komota style cooking. The smoke is not great, but the fuel efficiency leads to nice low and slow cooks, which has produced some tender, moist meats.
Right on... it's in action again tomorrow but vs. the big joe
my biggest Akorn gripe is I just can't get it to go low and slow...its either flaming out or heading to 500+ degrees.
My money is on the kettle ribs tasting better simply because the fire is less efficient, so they should get more smoke.
Would the Akorn benefit from using wood chips instead of chunks?
awesome video, after watching the amount of charcoal that the kettle consumed it was kinda obvious that the ribs were going to be more smoky,all that smoke past through the ribs leaving the great flavor, but you can adapt the cooking with the akorn, using chips intead o chunks of wood can help with the smoke as its need so little fuel to cook for those 3 hours, also the ribs on the kettle looked better to me, more beefe and more well round it, thanks james for the video!
Ribs looked more porky to me ! Lol! 🤣 Pork ribs look more beefy, all the beef i cook on one , all turns out sooo porky. 🐃 🐷 💥
Great video James! I never knew those brands were part of the same group.
glad you liked it!
I have the Joe jr and akorn jr and use 1/2”” spacers on top of the akorn deflector and put the Joe soapstone on top for much better coverage.
great idea
I know you were attempting to minimize your variables but with a better set up in your Akorn you can get more smoke and burn less charcoal.
My Akorn was great until it rusted out. The ash pan went, and it spread to the body. After it bit the dust, I bought a recteq, but I've been eyeing a Komado joe 2
Love the video, i am honest to say i even get more smoke ring with the ketle joe than on my kamado within the same time span. I love my my litle R2D2
Next time I’m going to try putting a lit piece of charcoal in my ash pan along with some wood chips or pellets. I’m hoping that will improve the smokiness of the food.
so long as the basket is not over filled stoping embers from falling down it works great
Great video James!!! I appreciate the way you approach your content.
thanks!
Can cooking times be impacted If the ribs were cut in half length wise to fit on the grill better
Would be interested in seeing if the SloRoller works for Akorn. Your double indirect heat needs to flourish!
check out the video that dropped 4 days ago on accessories that will fit.
@@SmokingDadBBQ Hey thanks for the follow up. I watch your uploads pretty regularly so already saw it! 3/3! I'm hoping the sloroller closes the performance gap between Kamado Joe and Akorn, since it seems like there's still a big difference in smoke penetration/texture based on your first head to head. Let's just say my prior comment was motivated because I have an Akorn myself, but it's the Jr. So I wonder if I can get away with the trick you do with the Kamado Jr, just using the top part.
Sugar in mustard? I think its the vinegar that helps. Love the comparison since i have a new kamado joe for 175$ from lowes.
you might be right on this one, will have to check my label
With respect to the Akorn "three legs" on the smoking stone - I keep one leg at the 6 o'clock position (as opposed to the 12 o'clock like you) so that heat isn't rising up from the firebox and directly hitting the dome thermometer, giving you a false reading.
good call out
I am a huge fan of the CharGriller Akorn!
me too
Is this guy sponsored by KJ as his backyard grill collection is worth more than my truck.
I have bought about half. This akorn and the big Joe 3 were sent to me at no cost
@@SmokingDadBBQ 👍
With any grille. you have to master your calibration technique. Each grill cooks differently
For sure
Any tips for a joe jr user who can’t build or maintain heat without having the bottom vent all the way open?
Hey James absolutely love your content. I’ve probably watched your videos more than I’ve watched my own kiddos over the last few weeks 😮 anyways you inspired me to buy a Kettle Joe (soon hopefully a Big Joe) and I’m curious about the ash catcher do you recommend removing it like you do on the Classic or Big Joe?
Curious, why the boat and not fully wrapped? I usually do 3 hrs unwrapped and then fully wrapped to doneness, 45 min to another hour. I do ribs on a pellet smoker, kettle and WSM sometimes, but usually the same method.
Super slo mo on the opening of the charcoal bag please, still have no idea how to do it 😀
I got my kettle joe for $200 on sale at a grill shop. I love the grill, but Kamado Joes website seems to have gotten rid of it and its accessories. Do you know what accessories from the Joe line fit my Kettle Joe?
Love this comparison. I sort of wish the cast iron grates on the Akorn were porcelain coated. I've noticed on my gas grill with porcelain coating, it behaves like cast iron for searing but is much easier to clean and has lasted a long time. My Akorn Jr grates completely rusted out after several years. This was a great video! Thanks!
Cast iron grates will last forever just like cast iron pans if you take care of them properly.
I loved my Akorn but even in arizona it rusted to being unusable. I just moved to Florida and bought a kettle Joe, disappointed it’s not insulated but we shall see.
the fact its not insulated i think helps the food taste better than over insulated like the akorn can be
@@SmokingDadBBQ I will find out this weekend! Thanks for the videos!
Hi! Do you know if you can do the dubbel indirect method on the kamado kettle joe and which reflector should I use in that case?
A very good and unbiased review. It does seem like Chargriller produces some great value products but they are not made to last a lifetime. Char-Griller gravity fed 980 seems to have a strong following as well.
Nothing you can buy for $300 will last forever. Plenty have had their Akorns last a decade with proper care.
I have the Char-Griller auto Kamado, which comes with a stainless steel heat shield. It’s concave and convex and will fit on either way. I put a concave and set the stone the opposite way of the openings so you have six openings spaced around. It does not sit on the stainless steel one as it says higher. I have not tried this, and was wondering if you think this will work.
the idea checks out, i don't have one to run down and try but i think it might
The Akorn was my first smoker. The best way to get a smoke ring is to keep spraying every 15-20 minutes. I didn’t care enough about the smoke ring to keep doing it on all my cooks. It’s a much more efficient cooker especially compared to the Big Joe 1 I have now.
An Akorn won't last a lifetime unless you live in a dessert or keep it really well protected. A small amount of moisture running around the outside will inspire rust as it runs in the seam between the top and bottom and at the ash catcher. Admittedly, usually the ash basket goes first and if you protected it well getting another one of those is kinda cheap. I'd say in Canada their best case is about 10 years or so. I didn't know this and only got about 2 years out of mine in NS.
(It's hard to describe but what rusts fastest is that outer shell. The metal is completely unprotected on the other side, the inside that you can't see. If water gets behind it then it rots really fast. The interior metals are porcelain coated on both sides and so are quite robust. Also, that outer metal is really crappy. I got some hot coals that went into the ash basket one time on an Akorn Jr. and lodged between the interior metal and outer shell. There's kind of a gap where that can happen at the air vent. Ordinary charcoal burnt a hole right through that outer shell.)
The giveaway, I assume that's North America only? In which case I don't need to attend?
Great Video as always. Just as question about your new pizza oven. I’ve noticed in the last few videos it has a bit of discolouration from the smoke on the front. Is this easy to clean off or permanent?
Looking forward to seeing more videos with the pizza oven!
very easy to clean off with barkeepers friend
Another great video!!🔥🔥
Glad you enjoyed!
This is great James!
thanks!
Thanks for the comparison. Despite the efficiency I wonder if the chargriller Kamado insulation plates are chemically different from those used in Kamado Joes. I’ve seen inexpensive kamados with plates that feel different to the touch. The akorn seems super efficient, so how is it cheaper?
There aren't any insulation plates. the entire bowl is insulated and the fire box is a metal drop-in.
vid request kamado v master built gravity series thank you
I wonder if the acorn needs the smoking wood closer to the top of the coals
or a smoke tube in the bottom since it doesnt drop enough coals to ignite them
@@SmokingDadBBQ I did some ribs last night, your 3 hour process. My chunk I tossed in the ash basket also didnt light so I took the propane torch to it to get it going, seemed to work well. Also put 2 chunks in the main coals when I started the grill and the front chunk burned up (nearest the vent door) and the rear one just charred a little. Just another data point on a similar cook.
My Kettle Joe came with the red heat deflector. Is that enough for indirect cooking? Or should I purchase a ceramic plate as well?
I think most people are buying the Big Joe's ceramic half-moon diffuser plates & using one of those to set up a 'cold' zone for a cook. I did also see someone else make a firebox separator out of expanded metal so his fuel stays on 1 side of the firebox. I don't, & haven't seen any videos where people use the slo-roller assemble for anything other than smoking. Not to say you can't, but for sure what works is hot/cold zones with the ceramic plate & the plus with the Kettle Joe is you can have your sear grate @ the low position & the indirect cook grate in the high position just above the ceramic plate.
I got my Kettle Joe this year and it's already turned out some great food.
My only qualm with it though is the ash catcher and ash drawer. I've found that it tends to get stuck and gets hard to pull out. It's either the heat of the kettle is causing the metal to expand or sometimes small bits of charcoal falls and lodges between the ash catcher and the slide out ash drawer.
How were you able to get your ash drawer to be so kind (especially on camera)? Have you had similar experiences with it?
Get rid of the ash drawer altogether & use a small charcoal ash rake to pull the burnt ash out when you need to. Unit will flow air way better & you won't have to fuss with the thing getting jammed in there. As an aside, I'm not sure why anyone would put smoking wood in an ash tray/catch basin in any smoker/cooker of these types.... smoking wood is placed on or under the charcoal in the fire box. Good luck.
@@loseerich493 Thanks! That's a great tip
Cool comparison.
thanks!
Loving your videos, I have a similar version to the acorn (Dragon)
I have always looked at the Joe. You are helping me with making that decision.
I live in Australia, we love our BBQs thank you for your in depth videos.
happy to help
Kettle Joe's are going for as little as $199 nowadays at Lowes in the U.S. I purchased one about 3 weeks ago at that price point.
great price!
Losee Rich, where are you finding those prices? I would buy one in a heartbeat for that price! Cheapest price I am finding is $399 cyber Monday sale from Kamado Joe directly.
@@nickweaver3343 Lowe's. Not just in my part of the U.S. either.... saw others on Reddit subs saying they were same in their areas. It does matter which Lowes though. Closest store to my work had probably a dozen of them they were discounting out. Closest store to my house had none at all for any price.
@@loseerich493 I have yet to see any of these at any of our local stores. I’ve been watching since they came out too.
@@nickweaver3343 Bummer. At $199 the thing is worth it. As much as I like the thing I'd never had paid over $300 for it, let alone their MSRP.
Love charcoal but once I started smoking on my outlaw smoker there's no comparison between wood and charcoal. But after watching this looking that cheaper char-griller for charcoal
Agree wood is best but charcoal convenient
I had the Akorn previously. It completely rusted away in 2 seasons. I have since moved on to BGE and Weber. Both products I feel built for a lifetime.
Should have covered it instead of leaving it sit in the elements. My two year old Akorn looks almost new. Not a bit of rust.
@@jwamerica84 It was rained on once during a cook. Garaged the rest of the time. Too much cast iron and non-stainless steel in the design.
@@thomaswyrick4648 you didn't season it. There are many Akorns still running 5+ years later. You just killed yours. Mine is still pristine with 100+ cooks on it. I grease the wheels and axle and that's it.
There is no sugar in mustard..
you're right, my honey mustard (frenches) is a one off
I somehow just noticed this go around watching this. The title says Akron, I wonder how many people in Ohio are wondering what this video has to do with their town. 😉
oh my gosh lol ... doh
Cool shirt
thanks!
To me the Akorn is more of a Kettle/Kamado hybrid. I really don't think of the Akorn as a kamado as it isn't ceramic
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
cheers!
Wow those ribs look dark. Look like boar ribs.