You'll never be short on cooking space for delicious steaks, barbecue, and more with this grill. This grill is a beefed-up version of the classic grills. It combines the same technologies that make grills great, but with more size and added features. With the tried and true flexible cooking system, this BBQ grill has up to 864 square inches of cooking space. That means you'll have plenty of room to cook for a crowd. It also features the airlift hinge, which reduces dome weight by 96 percent, as well as a patented smoke chamber that distributes smoke and heat in recirculating waves for better cooking. This charcoal grill comes with everything you need.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I’ve owned my Kamado Joe for a little over three years now, and I can honestly say it has changed my life.
Not necessarily for the better during Year One.
The first year was less “barbecue enthusiast” and more “terrified man guarding a ceramic volcano.”
There were nights when I got very little sleep because I was convinced the temperature was going to change for absolutely no reason. I’d wake up in the middle of the night, stumble outside, check the vents, check the thermometer, check the meat, stare into the fire like I was negotiating with it, and then make some tiny adjustment that I was convinced would either save dinner or destroy civilization.
I didn’t yet have all the accessories the pros had. No fancy remote temperature monitoring. No fan constantly babysitting the fire. No sophisticated gadgets sending updates to my phone.
I had a thermometer, a pair of nervous eyes, and absolutely no confidence.
There were also nights when I was convinced the fire was going to go out. Other nights I was convinced the fire was going to get too hot and turn my brisket into an expensive piece of charcoal.
Basically, the brisket slept peacefully while I stood watch.
Year Two was different.
By then, I had acquired a few more toys, gained some confidence, and—most importantly—I finally figured out that those little vents on the Kamado Joe actually serve a purpose beyond making the grill look complicated.
I learned how to set the vents to maintain a temperature instead of constantly chasing the temperature.
I learned how much lump charcoal I needed.
I learned how to build and light the fire for the amount of time I wanted to cook.
And eventually, something remarkable happened:
I stopped being afraid of the fire.
I could finally put a brisket on, settle the temperature, and walk away without immediately assuming something horrible was happening.
By the end of Year Two, I was comfortable enough to smoke meat for 18+ hours.
Then came Year Three.
Now I have pretty much all the toys.
Remote temperature probes? Yep.
Fan controller? Got it.
Enough gadgets to make my phone look like mission control? Absolutely.
And here’s the funny part:
I don’t really need all of them anymore.
I can put a brisket on overnight, set the vents, get the fire established, and go to bed.
Sure, the fan and temperature probes are incredibly convenient, and I love having them. But they’re no longer the difference between success and disaster.
I’ve finally learned how to run the Kamado Joe.
And maybe that’s the best part of owning one.
The grill didn’t get easier.
I got better.
At the end of every summer, I give my Kamado Joe the same treatment I give my Jeep: I detail it, clean everything up, inspect it, make whatever adjustments are necessary, and make sure everything is smooth, clean, and intact.
After three years, I don’t look at my Kamado Joe as a complicated piece of cooking equipment anymore.
It’s more like an old friend.
An old friend who occasionally requires 18 hours of attention, several bags of lump charcoal, and the occasional piece of expensive beef.
But after three years together, we’ve reached an understanding.
I set the fire.
It cooks the meat.
And, most importantly, I finally get to sleep.. Iball_indy. Indiana. Sat Aug 22 2026