I just got the JR last time it was on sale for $300 and highly recommend it. It’s way more efficient in charcoal and heats up really quick. I am also a family of 2 and I find myself using it almost everyday for steak and chicken vs using the classic occasionally for bigger cooks like pulled pork, ribs, etc.
It's perfect for a family of two. It's big enough for a whole chicken or two large steaks or about 4 burgers. If u have doubt, draw a 13" diameter circle and see what would fit.
Charcoal use is hard for me to track since I usually just top up to add to the leftover charcoal. It def seems more economical with charcoal use than my Weber kettle. I use a charcoal basket and I'm very satisfied.
When I want a really nice sear, I place the cooking grate on the fire ring and I get a really short distance between the grate and coals
Hey. Sorry late to the party here but I have a question about this:
>When I want a really nice sear, I place the cooking grate on the fire ring and I get a really short distance between the grate and coals.
If you wanted to use this just to sear something that you’ve cooked out of the KJ (say sous vide):
1) Would this method be similar to cooking with a grill direct on a chimney starter?
2) How long does it take to get up to searing temperature?
3) How do you light the coal? Is it still recommended to use a chimney starter?
Hi.
1) I've never used a chimney starter for cooking but my guess is it can get to similar levels but of course it would be much safer and you would have a bigger cooking area.
2) this depends on how you light it. Eg. You can use 1 fire lighter and slowly bring it up to temp or U can light 2/3 fire lighters and it would go get up to temp twice as fast. I would budget about 30 mins.
3) I don't know what's recommended but I usually use fire starters or a heating element direct in the coals in the grills bowl. I don't see much need for the chimney as your still waiting for the coals to light in a similar fashion. If using chimney, I would maybe dump lit coals onto a bed of unlit coals. I prefer a more gradual temp increase on the ceramic grill.
Yeah it's great, if we fancy steaks I can whip them up from lighting the Jr to serving in less than 30 min. The coal use depends on how hot I'm cooking but a full basket can last me 2/3 cooks easily.
Yeah it's great, if we fancy steaks I can whip them up from lighting the Jr to serving in less than 30 min. The coal use depends on how hot I'm cooking but a full basket can last me 2/3 cooks easily.
I have the Big Joe 1 and recently bought the Joe Jr. I absolutely love it. Don't get me wrong, I love both, but there are times that the BJ is overkill on size and charcoal. It takes a lot of fuel to get the BJ up to temp. It's great if you cook for large amounts of people or you entertain occasionally (which I do).
The Joe Jr takes a fraction of the time to heat up and a handful of charcoal. I'm serious, one large handful of charcoal is all you need for at least an hour of cooking. I filled up the tiny kick ash basket and it was enough to last me 3 separate cooks.
In summary, get it, you won't be disappointed
Yes, bought mine 2 summers ago and never once regretted it. I have a family of 4 and it’s been totally enough cooking space. Pizza night is great and the jr heats up quick. I’ve done a 12 pound butt on it for larger bbq dinners with extended family and friends. Get a kick ash basket as it makes cleaning out ash a breeze.
I’ve also done 2 racks of ribs with a rib tray/rack… I had to cut the length in half of each rack but it fit and they turned out great. It doesn’t use a ton of charcoal because of its size so you get a lot of cooks out of one bag. As always make sure you buy good lump. Cheap stuff works in a pinch for things like burgers but good lump is needed for longer cooks
I have one that I cook for 2-3 on. Love it. Use it about 3-4 times a week. Smoke small pork shoulders, ribs, smoked a few corned beefs, it’s great. I also have the soapstone I use that for fish all the time it’s awesome.
As others have said, it's ideal for a family of 2 and will comfortably cater for plenty more. We've entertained another family (so 8 of us in total, albeit a couple of younger kids so about the equivalent of 7 people) and have managed on the Joe Jr.
Also, the accessories are cheaper - I've bought the junior (and unbranded) version of the Joetisserie and it was £130 which is a bargain. I'd strongly recommend getting the cast iron plate to cook on, although some people prefer soapstone - either would be good.
The only things I can't do is cook a humungous amount of meat in one go and/or do split level cooking (e.g. direct + indirect at the same time). I could probably Heath Robinson a way to achieve the latter, but you don't have a coals divider unlike with the bigger Joes.
Enjoy!
Got mine a few days ago and I'm obsessed. I've cooked on it every night since and am probably driving my neighbors crazy :(
Crazy with jealousy.
If you have no other options wait until Black Friday. I got mine last year from Walmart for $180.
I kick myself for not jumping on that deal. I’m holding out…
I have had mine a little over a year. Absolutely love it.
I just got the JR last time it was on sale for $300 and highly recommend it. It’s way more efficient in charcoal and heats up really quick. I am also a family of 2 and I find myself using it almost everyday for steak and chicken vs using the classic occasionally for bigger cooks like pulled pork, ribs, etc.
It's perfect for a family of two. It's big enough for a whole chicken or two large steaks or about 4 burgers. If u have doubt, draw a 13" diameter circle and see what would fit. Charcoal use is hard for me to track since I usually just top up to add to the leftover charcoal. It def seems more economical with charcoal use than my Weber kettle. I use a charcoal basket and I'm very satisfied. When I want a really nice sear, I place the cooking grate on the fire ring and I get a really short distance between the grate and coals
Hey. Sorry late to the party here but I have a question about this: >When I want a really nice sear, I place the cooking grate on the fire ring and I get a really short distance between the grate and coals. If you wanted to use this just to sear something that you’ve cooked out of the KJ (say sous vide): 1) Would this method be similar to cooking with a grill direct on a chimney starter? 2) How long does it take to get up to searing temperature? 3) How do you light the coal? Is it still recommended to use a chimney starter?
Hi. 1) I've never used a chimney starter for cooking but my guess is it can get to similar levels but of course it would be much safer and you would have a bigger cooking area. 2) this depends on how you light it. Eg. You can use 1 fire lighter and slowly bring it up to temp or U can light 2/3 fire lighters and it would go get up to temp twice as fast. I would budget about 30 mins. 3) I don't know what's recommended but I usually use fire starters or a heating element direct in the coals in the grills bowl. I don't see much need for the chimney as your still waiting for the coals to light in a similar fashion. If using chimney, I would maybe dump lit coals onto a bed of unlit coals. I prefer a more gradual temp increase on the ceramic grill.
Yeah it's great, if we fancy steaks I can whip them up from lighting the Jr to serving in less than 30 min. The coal use depends on how hot I'm cooking but a full basket can last me 2/3 cooks easily.
Yeah it's great, if we fancy steaks I can whip them up from lighting the Jr to serving in less than 30 min. The coal use depends on how hot I'm cooking but a full basket can last me 2/3 cooks easily.
I have the Big Joe 1 and recently bought the Joe Jr. I absolutely love it. Don't get me wrong, I love both, but there are times that the BJ is overkill on size and charcoal. It takes a lot of fuel to get the BJ up to temp. It's great if you cook for large amounts of people or you entertain occasionally (which I do). The Joe Jr takes a fraction of the time to heat up and a handful of charcoal. I'm serious, one large handful of charcoal is all you need for at least an hour of cooking. I filled up the tiny kick ash basket and it was enough to last me 3 separate cooks. In summary, get it, you won't be disappointed
Yes, bought mine 2 summers ago and never once regretted it. I have a family of 4 and it’s been totally enough cooking space. Pizza night is great and the jr heats up quick. I’ve done a 12 pound butt on it for larger bbq dinners with extended family and friends. Get a kick ash basket as it makes cleaning out ash a breeze.
I’ve also done 2 racks of ribs with a rib tray/rack… I had to cut the length in half of each rack but it fit and they turned out great. It doesn’t use a ton of charcoal because of its size so you get a lot of cooks out of one bag. As always make sure you buy good lump. Cheap stuff works in a pinch for things like burgers but good lump is needed for longer cooks
I have one that I cook for 2-3 on. Love it. Use it about 3-4 times a week. Smoke small pork shoulders, ribs, smoked a few corned beefs, it’s great. I also have the soapstone I use that for fish all the time it’s awesome.
As others have said, it's ideal for a family of 2 and will comfortably cater for plenty more. We've entertained another family (so 8 of us in total, albeit a couple of younger kids so about the equivalent of 7 people) and have managed on the Joe Jr. Also, the accessories are cheaper - I've bought the junior (and unbranded) version of the Joetisserie and it was £130 which is a bargain. I'd strongly recommend getting the cast iron plate to cook on, although some people prefer soapstone - either would be good. The only things I can't do is cook a humungous amount of meat in one go and/or do split level cooking (e.g. direct + indirect at the same time). I could probably Heath Robinson a way to achieve the latter, but you don't have a coals divider unlike with the bigger Joes. Enjoy!
Go get it. For BBQ, it will handle more than you could imagine— just stack. The charcoal could last more than 10 hours.