OK grill/smoking brethern, step inside please

So I am kicking tires at the moment, lots of things I would like to get done, but sadly being the working stiff I am, reality steps in and bites me in the ass, LOL

So I have for awhile now, been looking at a better smoking/grilling set up.

I have narrowed things down to the following,

Weber Summit charcoal, think BGE but steel, everything needed in the box

BGE: ala cart, have to buy everything separately

Kamado Joe: everything included in box

I lean towards the weber, for the main reason it is steel, and I am concerned that a ceramic grill in the event the body cracked or broke I would be out $1000.

They all seem to perform the same, can smoke, and grill and of course get hot enough to cook pizza, I mean who does not like that.

Now I did not put Traeger on this list since primarily since it needs electricity to operate, but I have not completely ruled it out.

I have a local egg dealer, I can order a Visions ceramic grill thru my employer, sadly no discounts, I can drive an hour to reach a kamado joe dealer and a dealer that handles BGE and Weber.

We are also selling traegers now but so are 3 other places in town.

So in your opinion which of the 3 would you jump for and why?

 

I ran a bbq /smoking business for years. with out knowing your plans I would highly recommend a kamado style .don't get a green egg they are over priced

 

Just cooking for myself and friends at times...

 

Kamado Joe!!! great grills and you can do grill, smoke, bake you name it!!

 

I own and use the BGE, Kamado Joe, and Traegers.
With that said, I think the best bang for you buck is the Kamado Joe product. Every bit as good as the BGE, and as you mentioned it comes with a lot of the accessories you will want. They are a great value.
Traegers are nice and easy, but they have a definite shelf life that is way less than a ceramic grill.

As for the ceramic breaking, a very rare event. Now, the ceramic insert (bowl) that holds the lump charcoal can fracture over time, but that in no way impacts your cooking experience. In fact, most of the inserts now come with a gap in the ring to allow for expansion and contraction that reduces cracking.

Good luck in your decision, but I would point you to the KJ lineup. I bought my daughter and husband the Big Joe model and they are loving it.

Also, check with you local Costco or even KJ to see if they will be having a road show at a Costco anytime soon. They normally will be offering them at a discount. If memory serves me right, it usually amounts to about a 100.00 or so off the regular retail price.

 

One thing to consider... The ceramic grills (BGE or Kamodo Joe) hold the heat in a lot better than the steel grills do. I have a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, it does a great job, but probably uses more fuel because the steel body doesn't hold in the heat as well

 

I'm not sure of the quality of the ceramic material used by Kamado's, but I'm guessing pretty darn good. Ceramics can stand much higher temps and stress than steel. That's why the shuttle used ceramic tiles. Exactly for that purpose. We all know what happens when a ceramic tile flies off...

 

I cook often on a WSM, and I agree. The weber Charcoal Summit tho is a layered insulated kamado style cooker it jut happens to be made of steel.

 

If it comes down to the BGE or KJ, I am leaning towards the KJ, will actually save a few $$$.

 

I sold all my big smokers only one I keep was my KJ (and a pit barrel smoker)you can smoker and grill on the KJ and it uses very little fuel