Shoutout to the guy who showed me why kamado grills beat offset smokers for weeknight cooks

Been backyard BBQing for about 3 years now, mostly on a cheap Oklahoma Joe offset. Loved the flavor but man, it's a project every time - getting the fire dialed in takes 45 minutes easy. Last Tuesday my neighbor John brought over his little Kamado Joe Jr for a quick burger cook and I watched him light it, close the lid, and have it at 350 steady in maybe 12 minutes. The fuel efficiency was crazy too - he used maybe half a chimney of lump and it held temp for 45 minutes while we ate. I mean, I get that offsets give you that thin blue smoke magic, but for a Tuesday night when I'm tired from work, the kamado just works better. Has anyone else switched from one to the other and regretted it or am I missing something?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma_mitchell5d ago

I read a thread on one of the BBQ forums where a guy named Tom said he sold his offset after getting a kamado... he was a competition cook too. He said for weekday cooks he'd never go back, but he still missed the bigger capacity for when he had people over. That kinda stuck with me, because I work nights and getting home at 2am, I wouldn't want to babysit a fire for an hour just to cook a steak. The efficiency part is what got me... half a chimney for a whole cook is wild compared to feeding an offset all evening.

emma725d ago

Exactly, that fuel efficiency is a game changer once you try it, you really see the difference.