itskrod00 7 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 Hello all, I currently own a weber summit charcoal and i am not sure if i will keep it or not. I love the thing cooks awesome. But the innovative seamless accessories ex. DoJoe and Joetisserie that the Kamado Joe come with look super awesome, and I feel like Weber seems to neglect their bigger grills with the accessories they currently have for smaller units. That being said am i crazy for wanting to switch over? Is it true that the Joe (ceramics) take long to heat up and if you overshoot (good luck bringing the temp back down) ?? Is it a pain only cooking with lump or briquettes? Would like some some feedback if you think i should switch and about the heating up of ceramics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DWFII 151 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 Well, I'm not an expert and I've never even seen the Summit in person. That said, while it is true that kamados take longer to get up to temp than, say, a Weber kettle, or a barrel cooker, there's not a lot of difference between the Akorn, for instance, and a Weber Smokey Mountain. Both take about 20 minutes. And once at temp, the kamado will hold temps better than anything I've used over the last 40+ years. I've never had a problem getting up to or controlling temp with either of my kamados--BGE and Akorn. Cool-down...to zero or close by...on the other hand, takes three to four hours. It really depends on what you want to do. Open air grilling isn't really a thing on Kamados. But pizza is! 'Nuff said. WoodyT 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
itskrod00 7 Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 Yeah on my summit I dont really do open air grilling. Lid is usually always closed. Only open to check the status of whatever it is im cooking. honestly it takes about 15-20 min for me to light a chimney full of charcoal. I did rad that ceramic take longer to bring up ot temp and then if you bring them up to fast that it may be hard for you to bring temps back down (in timely manner) if you over shoot? Any truth to this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Setzler 14,889 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 The summit charcoal grill is an amazing grill. I wish I could convince myself to shell out for one of them. They have their advantages and disadvantages over ceramic kamados. If I were you and I was considering the option of having a ceramic kamado, I would not SWITCH. You should just get a ceramic kamado and see how you like it compared to what you have. If you find a reason not to have both in your arsenal then get rid of the one you like the least. itskrod00, WoodyT, au4stree and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DWFII 151 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 30 minutes ago, itskrod00 said: I did rad that ceramic take longer to bring up ot temp and then if you bring them up to fast that it may be hard for you to bring temps back down (in timely manner) if you over shoot? Any truth to this? Probably. But the trick is not to bring it up too fast. I light one starter cube in the center of my charcoal and let it come up. Start closing vents about 75-100 degrees before your target. Not really that difficult esp. if you read some of the posts here and take note of where vents want to be for any given temperature. The only time you might want to dump a chimney full of coals into a kamado is if you're shooting for a high heat cook--like pizza. Even then vent management can easily keeps things in control esp. if you anticipate. And somewhat out in the weeds...why worry about how long it takes? Why barbecue at all if it is just gonna be another of those frantic, rush-rush activities that weekends are supposed to free us from? itskrod00 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
itskrod00 7 Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 I guess the better question i should ask is, do i have to take any different precautions then i already do on my weber summit. Cooking wise and lighting wise? or pretty much the same? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WoodyT 81 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 56 minutes ago, itskrod00 said: I guess the better question i should ask is, do i have to take any different precautions then i already do on my weber summit. Cooking wise and lighting wise? or pretty much the same? Yes burp the Grill before raising the Lid all the way . Meaning to open the lid a little to let the air slowly come back in balance then raise the lid . itskrod00 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
prowe 1,806 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 1 minute ago, WoodyT said: Yes burp the Grill before raising the Lid all the way . Meaning to open the lid a little to let the air slowly come back in balance then raise the lid . dude, burp the summit too itskrod00 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
itskrod00 7 Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 I DO. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
prowe 1,806 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 5 hours ago, itskrod00 said: I DO. Well there’s a rose ina fisted glove and the eagle flies with with the dove and if you can’t be with the one you love honey, love the one you’re with Stuart 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
prowe 1,806 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 That summit is pretty mint. So is kJ, and yeah lottsa toys to go with kJ. And there is just more and more toys as time goes by. But at the end of the day I gotta say you Got a beautiful cooker ( I’m fairly familiar with it. Never cooked on it, but handled it, eaten from one and read reviews and Justin’s videos). I would be hard pressed to part ways with such a wonderful cooker. But...always follow your heart. And wallet. itskrod00 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Polar Bear 347 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 As someone with a Big Joe II, if the Summit was availble in Australia when i was kamado shopping, it wouldve been really hard to go past it, IMO I love my BJ, but there is a lot to like about the Summit (especially the one in the cart) I'd either stick with what you've got or follow Johns advice and buy the KJ, see which you use more and then sell one. Aside from the Joetissery, there arent many KJ only accessories that add that much to the whole cooking experience , IMHO so you're not missing out on much itskrod00 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fbov 336 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 21 hours ago, itskrod00 said: That being said am i crazy for wanting to switch over? Is it true that the Joe (ceramics) take long to heat up and if you overshoot (good luck bringing the temp back down) ?? Is it a pain only cooking with lump or briquettes?... This is the wrong place to ask if buying another grill is crazy. I've run mine at 400 F for an hour, then done low-n-slow. I just kept all the removable parts cold until I added food, and then set vents for 225 F. It peaked around 250 F, settled lower in a couple hours. I'm in love with lump, especially with KJ's ash removal system. No disassembly required. HOWEVER, you must avoid the acrid white smoke from a young fire. I ran mine up to 400 F above because I put in a bunch of new, cheap fuel, and it took an hour for the white smoke to die off. Yes, cooking the lump is a practical necessity. Have fun, Frank itskrod00 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ckreef 19,937 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 14 minutes ago, fbov said: This is the wrong place to ask if buying another grill is crazy. You got that right JB58, Stuart, KismetKamado and 1 other 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Likes Big Butts 295 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Different strokes. I love my KJ and wouldn't trade it for anything. With the Akorn Jr. I feel like I have all my grilling and smoking needs answered. But everybody ain't me and if you aren't satisfied then make a change. Any of the downsides to a ceramic are negligible to me. Yes, if you overshoot it can be tough to bring the temp back down. So don't overshoot, take your time and enjoy the day. And a lot of meats (not brisket!) can tolerate some high temps for a bit while you cool it back down. itskrod00 and Daz 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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