Lovejoy

18 hours ago, AdamG said:

When i decided to get a Kamado Joe I was torn between the Kamado Joe classic 2, the Kamado Joe classic 3, Aldi Kamado and Monolith classic pro 1.0 bbq edition...ended up going with the Monolith in the end.

I was set on a big green egg large for 2 years, then I was set on a Kamado Joe classic 2 for 3 years...then the classic 3 and Monolith was released! 😕🤔😖🤯

If i ordered on a different day I could have ended up with a different kamado, it was a very close decision. I dont think there is a wrong choice and that just makes it harder lol.

Just like pittmab said, price and personal choice is what it boils down to, Im sure you will be happy with which ever you go with👍

Thanks again Adam. 
coming down on the side of the KJ but will have to wait and see what’s in the pot in a couple of weeks time and what the prices are then.  

18 hours ago, pittmab said:

Aargh, this post has now got me looking at KJ's again - Classic 3 currently available for £1699! 

I don't think you would regret either purchase. But the KJ is bigger, comes with a lifetime warranty on the ceramics and has so many accessories readily available.

It probably just comes down to price and personal choice at the end of the day - not wanting to throw a spanner in the works, the Masterbuilt kamado is £200 less than the KJ and virtually identical.

 

I hadn’t looked at the masterbuilt so have an Aaargh back! 
 

more research required before biting the bullet

4 hours ago, AdamG said:

With the kamado joe you will get a longer warranty, a better quality product and a higher chance of not having a damaged/defected one on delivery.

On the flip side you can get just as good results from the Aldi kamado since its down to the user rather than brand to get great cooking results.

If you plan on kitting out the aldi one with the dual zone cooking grids etc would there be a big price difference?

When I got mine, it worked out roughly £900 to kit out the Aldi Kamado with everything I wanted (this was 3 years ago, so im sure things have changed)...in the end I went with a Monolith Kamado pro 1.0 for £1200. A lot of money I know but this included everything I wanted, longer warranty, all stainless steel metal and better quality materials overall. I dont believe it cooks any better but I do plan to have it for many years and would like the warranty and support to last that long aswell if I ever need it.

I think ultimately it comes down to wether you would be happier with having a better quality product or saving money and getting the same cooking results. The Aldi Kamado would be the clear winner IMO if you didnt want extra accessories.

If I was to buy a second one I would consider all brands including the Aldi Kamado, my most important criteria would be as long as current accessories fit into it rather than brand.

My kamado is 3 years old, zero problems and looks almost new once i give it a clean, Im happy with my investment and expect it to last for many years (so far its basically cost me £400 per year).

Hopefully my opinion help get you closer to a decision👍🍻

Thanks Adam. Your reply is appreciated. Price is an issue. And a full kit out will probably have to wait but yes this is a piece of kit I intend to be living with for a good while. 

Hello. 
This will be my first kamado. My father has a big green egg way out of my price league. 
If I end up accessorising the Aldi with steel deflectors and / or the Ynni divide and conquer which would be the better buy? Any advice much appreciated. 
Thanks 

Hi Wade

Thanks for your message. 

I've so far tried slow cooking pork ribs and slow roasting a chicken. Both of which were great in terms of taste. 

Without wanting to tempt fate  temperature control I've actually found surprisingly easy. Setting up the oven for indirect cooking seems to naturally get it to roughly the right temperature. And I got it hotter for the slow roast chicken by taking one of the water trays out. 

My problem has been with the speed that the coals have been burning. 

I started off using my oven to slow cook and then grilling on my old "pit" which was what made me look into getting a bbq that would be primarily a griller but allow me to slow cook as well. Hence my choice. 

I've now tried two slow cooks on my new bbq. The first time I had terrible coals so I invested in proper ones. Basically I got an hour / hour and half of heat out of a batch. When they're burning the temperature is what it should be but apart from the expence it's just not practical forever having to light new batches of coals and  much as we enjoyed the cook its a bit mad. Five lots to do a slow cook and then a grill. 

Following flearider's advice I've come up with ways of sealing off the gaps around the ash tray. I'm going to try a burn today to see how it works now. Of course it may be that having sealed everything temperature control is going to become a whole lot trickier and / or my coals may go out. 

I'll also get hold of some grease and tape as you suggest. 

I'll persevere. And if I can get the coals right then I can at least use the bbq to grill onh which has been my primary experience anyway. 

If the smoking / slow cooking doesn't work then there's always the oven - am I allowed to say that here?! - and when my boat comes in I'll invest in an Aldi Kamado or wait to inherit my father's Green Egg. 

Will post back here when / if I get anywhere. Thanks. 

23 minutes ago, flearider said:

similar to mine .. i find you really do have to close the vents .. 

a lot of the time (before the offset) for a slow cook i'd close everything and just nip out the dust tray a mm if needed .

there very airy but there a grill and not made for much else .

 

Thanks for this flearider.

I suspected this might be the problem but didn't want to close it down so much that I killed the coals . There's that massive gap at the back behind the dust tray. Will play with that and leave the side vents closed.

Do you close the top vent completely as well?

Hi all, 

I'm hoping somebody here will be able to help. 

After cooking for 20+ years on a bbq that was effectively a cast iron pit with an adjustable grill I bought a new bbq two months ago. Stupidly I decided I didn't want a kettle and was attracted to an American bbq - a landmann tennesee charcoal broiler -  by what felt like a familiar feature as you can alter the height of the coals relative to the grill. 

I would post a link but am not sure about board rules for doing so. 

My problem is that I cannot get my coals to burn for anything like a decent amount of time.

Temperature control seems fine but the coals burn super fast.

I've invested in Weber charcoal and briquettes and heat beads all with the same result. 

The cooker is not airtight. Is this a potential problem? 

Any suggestions / modifications gratefully appreciated.. 

Thank you

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