Kamado Joe Classic I

Is the Kamado Joe Classic I worth buying?

Yes, the Kamado Joe Classic I is worth buying for four to six people who want a proper ceramic kamado at £764.15, because that money buys 1,613 cm² of cooking area. That is £47.38 per 100 cm², and it is £552.19 less than the Kamado Joe Classic II, which gives 582 cm² less grid. It arrives fully assembled and the ceramics carry a limited lifetime warranty.

A 4.4 average from 333 owners is a solid base rather than a huge one, and it sits behind the Kamado Joe Joe Jr's 4.8 from 764 owners. Buy this one if you smoke more often than you sear, and if you want the two-tier half-moon grate, the slide-out ash drawer and the cart in one order.

What does the Kamado Joe Classic I cost per cm² of cooking area?

The Kamado Joe Classic I gives 1,613 cm², which is 250 square inches on two racks, for £764.15. Divide the price by the grid and it lands at £47.38 per 100 cm², while the £1,316.34 Classic II asks £127.68 per 100 cm². This model hands you 582 cm² more cooking area for £552.19 less money.

In use that 1,613 cm² means a full packer brisket on the lower half-moon grate with a tray of vegetables or a chicken sitter on the upper level, because the Divide & Conquer system splits the grate into two half-moon plates at two heights. The fire runs on 16,000 BTU, and the Control Tower top vent holds anything from 107°C for a long smoke to 400°C for a fast sear.

What comes with the Kamado Joe Classic I, and how big is it?

The Kamado Joe Classic I stands 88.4 cm tall and measures 74.9 cm deep and wide on its cart, at 85.3 kg. It arrives assembled, so the first decision is where it lives rather than which spanner to use, and the glazed Blaze Red ceramic dome carries bamboo handles.

In the box you get the built-in thermometer, two cooking racks, ceramic heat deflectors for indirect cooking, a grill gripper and an ash tool, plus the slide-out ash drawer built into the cast-iron cart. That drawer is the piece that makes weekly cooking realistic, because you dump the ash without lifting out the firebox or taking the grate off the grill.

Where does the Kamado Joe Classic I fall short?

The Kamado Joe Classic I weighs 85.3 kg, which makes it a fixed garden installation rather than a grill you wheel out for a picnic, and it is 69.1 kg heavier than the £169.99 Char-Griller AKORN Jr at 16.2 kg. It is also 649 cm² behind the 21-inch Kamado Bono on grid, which gives 2,262 cm² for £84.85 more.

The 18-inch dome limits what fits in one piece, so a very large bird or a full brisket needs the half-moon split to sit flat. The 4.4 average from 333 owners trails the Joe Jr's 4.8 from 764, and the £764.15 outlay is £594.16 above the AKORN Jr, which is the money question every buyer faces at this level.

How does the Kamado Joe Classic I compare with the Classic II and the AKORN Jr?

Against the Kamado Joe Classic II, the Classic I wins on both money and grid: £552.19 less and 582 cm² more cooking area, at 1,613 cm² against 1,031 cm², with two racks rather than one. The Classic II runs to 105 kg against 85.3 kg. Buy the Classic II only if you want its cast-iron cart with locking wheels; buy the Classic I for the cooking area you actually get.

Against the £169.99 Char-Griller AKORN Jr, the Kamado Joe Classic I costs £594.16 more and gives 613 cm² more grid, at 1,613 cm² against 1,000 cm², in ceramic rather than insulated steel. The AKORN Jr weighs 16.2 kg and can be carried and stored, while the Classic I stays put and holds heat through a longer smoke. The AKORN Jr suits a small garden and one or two people; the Classic I suits a family that cooks outdoors most weekends.