WEBER SUMMIT CHARCOAL VS BIG JOE

[itskrod00]

Hello all,

I am thinking of getting a weber summit charcoal or a big joe.
does anyone have experience with either of these grills? 

is it just me or does it seem to be more of an eco system (accesories) surrounding the big joe ?
also has anyone seen a summit charcoal installed in a bbq island.  I am currently building one and seems like it would be awkward fitting the summit in an island...

Lastly has anyone heard of any upgrades or price drops happening with future summits?

Thanks everyone!

[au4stree]

I have a weber summit charcoal GC.  I absolutely love it!  I had saved up for quite some time to buy a big joe or primo xl.  Through my research, I discovered the WSCGC.  The summit holds temp like a champ with minimal adjustments.  If I overshoot my temp, it comes back down quickly.  You can forget that on a ceramic cooker.  One of the other selling points for me was the portability.  I do take mine to/from and a ceramic is a beast to handle, even with help.  I bought the GC, so I don't have a need for an island, but it would be cool to see them.  As far as finding a deal, I got mine on eBay, it was a great deal.

My brother has a Big Joe, the previous model, and loves it.  The name Weber come with great customer service.

Lastly, search Baby Back Maniac on youtube, his videos were helpful in my decision. 

[brewtownbeatdown]

Sounds like you've got your mind made up already.  If you're building your bbq island, you should be able to make anything fit, and still be aesthetically appealing.  I don't own a Summit Charcoal, but have seen a lot of posts of happy owners/users.  I'd do a search on the site to get the info needed about the SCG.  Accessories are cool, but the more you have, the more space you need for storing 'em


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[itskrod00]

Hey thanks for the comments WKC Brave.  Since you have the weber and your brother has the Big Joe.  Do you know if they can share similiar accesories like griddles or rotisseries? I def would wanna stay with the weber brand if its worth the money getting the summit.

[SixZeroFour]

Hi itskrod00,

I have a lot of hands on experience with the Summit and we also sell Kamado Joe grills at our store so I'm very farmiliar with the grill...

Bottom line - both are fantastic units that will produce top notch BBQ.

...but that doesn't help you all that much, so I would say these are the advantages/disadvantages of each:

Weber Summit:

Advantages vs Big Joe:
- Swapping between grilling and smoking much quicker/easier.
- VERY easy to move around in comparison to a ceramic (If you are going built-in this obviously doesn't apply)
- Extremely Durable (ie - wont crack or break if set down improperly or hit.)
- Can use any type of charcoal
- Time from cold grill to cooking ready is faster
- Built in burner to get charcoal lit (Some still like to use a chimney, but I LOVE the gas assist. Use it every time.)
- Easy to clean/maintain

Disadvantages:
- Not quite as efficient as the fuel sipping Ceramic, but pretty darn close.
- No rotisserie kit

Kamado Joe Big Joe:

Advantages:
- Maximum charcoal efficiency - These things really retain heat extremely well.
- Available rotisserie kit
- Has a more substantial "upscale" appearance some people like for built in applications.

Disadvantages:
- Can only use lump charcoal
- Have to be more cautious with both the interior and exterior of the grill.
- Ceramic interior can absorb chemicals etc if harsh charcoal with petroleum is used.
- Personally I feel the Summit is better suited for grilling
- Not as easy to clean

In terms of accessories, both offer a lot of options with only the rotisserie as the only stand-out that is only available on the Kamado. The other nice thing about the Kamado units is that they come quite reasonable equipped right out of the box, whereas a lot of other ceramic brands make you purchase things like deflector plates, hanging racks, etc etc.

In the end there is no bad choice, but as you've prob picked up on I am a little biased to the Weber

Hope this helps,

Matt

[itskrod00]

SIX-ZERO-FOUR
THANKS FOR THE AWESOME BREAKDOWN!  YEAH I MEAN I OWN A KETTLE 26INCH AND AM USED TO THE KETTLES. BUT COUPLE OF MY FRIENDS HAVE BIG JOES ANS SWEAR BY THEM AND SAID THEY ARE AWESOME. I HOPE WEBER OR SOME 3RD PARTY COMES THROUGH AND MAKES A ROTISSERIE FOR THE SUMMIT. IT SEEMS LIKE WEBER FORGETS ABOUT THE BIGGER KETTLE AND ONLY MAKE A ROTISSERIE FOR THE SMALLER KETTLE.....

[WhaleinaTeardrop]

I have a weber summit charcoal GC.  I absolutely love it!  ....  As far as finding a deal, I got mine on eBay, it was a great deal.

Did you happen to get it from the guy who was selling them for $1499?

By the time I got my money together, he was sold out....

[mobiledynamics]

New WSC owner here. Have not done alot of cookouts on it. Are you guys getting any drip stains on the back bottom bowl.Noticed it twice - which was on my radar to observe furter

[SixZeroFour]

So its dripping down the back of the bowl? Sounds like you may need to re-align your lid or possibly check the gasket for leaks at the rear seal. Give Weber a call and they should be able to sort you out...

New WSC owner here. Have not done alot of cookouts on it. Are you guys getting any drip stains on the back bottom bowl.Noticed it twice - which was on my radar to observe furter

[mobiledynamics]

There's not alot of slop/play on the hinge. When I put it together, I did check the gasket, lifted the lid up, moved the cover, etc - just to make sure it was as ~aligned~ as possible

[au4stree]

I have a weber summit charcoal GC.  I absolutely love it!  ....  As far as finding a deal, I got mine on eBay, it was a great deal.

Did you happen to get it from the guy who was selling them for $1499?

By the time I got my money together, he was sold out....

Yep, fortunately I had my money saved and was looking to purchase a grill around the first of the year.  I began researching/shopping in earnest around that time and ran across that eBay deal.  I set up an eBay notification and woke up one morning to that in my email inbox.  I jumped on it.  Funny thing is, I was working a deal with a local guy and he told me I should jump on the eBay deal.  I have ZERO regrets, the Summit is a boss.

[au4stree]

SIX-ZERO-FOUR
THANKS FOR THE AWESOME BREAKDOWN!  YEAH I MEAN I OWN A KETTLE 26INCH AND AM USED TO THE KETTLES. BUT COUPLE OF MY FRIENDS HAVE BIG JOES ANS SWEAR BY THEM AND SAID THEY ARE AWESOME. I HOPE WEBER OR SOME 3RD PARTY COMES THROUGH AND MAKES A ROTISSERIE FOR THE SUMMIT. IT SEEMS LIKE WEBER FORGETS ABOUT THE BIGGER KETTLE AND ONLY MAKE A ROTISSERIE FOR THE SMALLER KETTLE.....

It sounds like you're more interested in the ability to use a rotisserie and a built in unit.  From that desire, you might be happier with the Big Joe.  I'm on a FB group for Kettle Table builds, there are some really great ideas out there.  I love seeing everyone's builds......however, I have yet to see one for the Summit.  Maybe you can be the trailblazer for us.....   

[WhaleinaTeardrop]

I have a weber summit charcoal GC.  I absolutely love it!  ....  As far as finding a deal, I got mine on eBay, it was a great deal.

Did you happen to get it from the guy who was selling them for $1499?

By the time I got my money together, he was sold out....

Yep, fortunately I had my money saved and was looking to purchase a grill around the first of the year.  I began researching/shopping in earnest around that time and ran across that eBay deal.  I set up an eBay notification and woke up one morning to that in my email inbox.  I jumped on it.  Funny thing is, I was working a deal with a local guy and he told me I should jump on the eBay deal.  I have ZERO regrets, the Summit is a boss.

I'm still torn Big Joe vs. WCGS as I hardly use my Kettles since I got my Classic Joe, my only knock on it is the size.   Like the OP, it may come down to which fits best in my ever evolving set up as I like the idea of a Big Joe mounted in an outdoor kitchen.