Big Joe vs classic

[Mikeincalgary]

Why not get the grill extender and give that a shot first?

[head gamez]

If ribs are the driver, look into a rib rack and grate extender. You may be surprised at how many racks you can cook. I have cooked 5 racks of ribs on the Jr and could cook an additional 12 racks on the classic if needed. Of course this is done with trimmed baby backs so depending on what your rib choice is it could mean much less capacity.

I use the Jr more than the classic for my family of 4. Often times, the boy and I want ribs and the wife and daughter want chicken. (That is the combo we cook most). I just get creative and get it done.

4 racks, 2 chickens on the classic for a pool party.

4 racks on the Jr.

And the normal Jr meal... 2 racks and a half chicken on the Jr.

I have tried to convince myself to buy a Big Joe, and even had the Costco floor model deal with the Jr already sold for the $399 price of I did it. I just couldn't pull the trigger since the Classic / Jr combo fits our needs.

[Jdc]

Thanks guys for the advice. I might go with the junior. Do you havé pictures ok a table That Will fit Both in.

[jimintx]

I find the capacity of th classic to be ... stunning.  I didn't think I could get 4 racks of St. Louis cut ribs on it, and then I realized i could probably easily get 6 and maybe 8.  A few nights ago I had four large NY Strips, and 8 sausage links on it, and there was a ton of space open.  

 

I think part of this consideration has to be your personal sensitivity about the spacing of the meat, and if you are trying to maintain an open edge along the perimeter of the grill.  

 

With the KJ I have learned to just squeeze it in there, and it works great.  My old habits of having wide open spaces between pieces with space all along the edges are the product of years of cooking on a large Weber Genesis; and for a while before I ditched it, a huge side-firebox, stick burner.  

 

I do like the idea of adding a Jr., though.  That would be cool for me.

[Rob_grill_apprentice]

I have classic size kamado and I have the Joe junior. I like Junior when it just for myself and wife but for the family I use the classic size and then when there is a family function I will have both going.

[Rak73]

I wrote this a months back as people kept asking me about the 3 different sizes.  My experience is similar to Andy's but maybe you'll find some tidbit of useful information.

 

http://www.kamadoguru.com/topic/24309-my-experience-with-my-3-joes-and-accessories/

[acs2653]

I have a BJ and Joe Jr. I love the BJ and wouldn't trade it for anything. It dies take more charcoal to begin with but I would say that it uses the same amount as my Jr. I love my Jr because it's much easier to adjust the temps. It takes much longer to move the BJ temp up and down than the Joe Jr.

[Jdc]

I think i am gonna give the expender a shot for the rest of the winter and figure out my need.

The price i ve got for the BJ will be good until this fall anyway.

[Jdc]

Do you know if the grill expender of a classic will fit a big joe......

i could not resist the offert of the big joe....my classic is already sold to a friend

[Chuck0531]

I don't know if the classic expander will fit. It may; you can always try or take it back and exchange it for the Big Joe one. As far as purchasing the Big Joe - congrats, you will be very happy with that decision - maybe with the deal you got you can convince your wife to let you use the savings to get the junior also! (Most agree that is the best combo)

[Gunzzz]

Classic extender fits a BJ, and fwiw, I find it a better fit than the BJ extender since it allows more access to the bottom level.

[Aussie Joe]

The classic with an extender and rib rack can pull it's weight I have the classic and Jr great combo for my needs

[Dawg1811]

I have a classic and jr.  I added the Jr. from the Costco roadshow--and for the price, it's hard to beat.  I probably use them equally, but since I'm cooking for one to two most of the time--the Jr. comes in handy.  Add in a high que grate and you can have the grill to 400 in 10 minutes--which is about the same time the old gasser took to heat up.  Just last night I needed to put together a quick dinner and turned to the Jr. for a quick grilled chicken breast.

 

I still want a Big Joe though.  I haven't cooked anything that couldn't fit on my classic with my extender and rib rack--and I've done 4 racks of baby backs and several brisket cooks...but I still want a Big Joe.  A friend asked me why...and my response was I just do, haha.

[rwalters]

I still want a Big Joe though. I haven't cooked anything that couldn't fit on my classic with my extender and rib rack--and I've done 4 racks of baby backs and several brisket cooks...but I still want a Big Joe. A friend asked me why...and my response was I just do, haha.

"Someone" needs help!!

[bbqboss84601]

I have all three and use them all the time. The big joe for big low and slows and the classic as the everyday versatile workhorse. The jr is usually fired up just in case and most often gets searing station and overflow when the other two are full.