@Larry The BBQ Guy, here is my review!
Part of the problem with the Smokey Joe, is that, while it is great for direct heat cooks, it can be tricky for cooking indirectly. I have been looking for an efficient way to do indirect cooks in a SJ for sometime now and thanks to the BBQItAll, I have found a great way to convert the SJ, (which a lot of Weber fans use more as a stand to put their chimneys on when lighting charcoal) into a legitimate cooker.
Using two sections of the BBQItAll, I did several cooks involving different cuts of meat and different formations to test out the product and I love the results. I have been using my SJ more than ever since receiving this cool gadget.
The first formation I tried was with a Weber mini chimney full of completely lit charcoal on the outside of the ring, banked on 1/2 - 3/4 of the SJ. The included spacers do a great job of keeping your charcoal organized and packed together in the grill - they are also adjustable so you can spread them further apart or closer together depending on how much charcoal you are using. I reverse seared sirloin steaks, cooked chicken breast, cheeseburgers, bratwurst and hot dogs (a lot of the same foods you would cook using the SJ on a campout or tailgating anyway way). The results were outstanding! Just what I was looking for! More zone and temperature control using the small SJ!
I also did Vortex style chicken wings once again using a full Weber mini chimney of completely lit briquettes. The charcoal went into the center of the ring this time, with 12 chicken wings lined around the outer diameter of the cook grate. Since the ring isn't coned at the top, the charcoal didn't heat the grill as evenly as a vortex (which isn't made for a SJ anyway) and I had to rearrange and babysit the wings more than I am used to. However, having said that, the final results were the same. Wings that were super crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! Great for when you are just cooking enough for yourself!
I contacted Larry about testing this product for the SJ and I couldn't be more pleased! I didn't test this product for larger grills (thanks for the extra sections Larry, I WILL be using them in my 18, 22, and eventual 26" Webers!), there are plenty of reviews for those sized grills. For anyone looking to take their grilling to the next level at a tailgate party or when only cooking for 1-2 people (although, most of my cooks were the main entree for a family of 4), I couldn't give the BBQItAll a higher recommendation. 6/5 stars! It provides a versatility never before seen on Weber's smallest grill!
Pros:
-Allows for indirect cooking on the Smokey Joe, whether charcoal is on the inside of the ring or spread on the outside of the ring. This gadget increases the amount of space on your cook grate!
-The spacers/dividers can be adjusted for the amount of charcoal being used.
-Quality stainless steel!
-Can be used for 14", 18", 22", 26" Weber kettles!
Cons (minor!!!):
-Banking against the inside of a kettle. A lot of people, myself included, aren't comfortable banking charcoal against the grill wall after seeing what super high heat banking can do to vintage kettle OVER TIME. HOWEVER, when using larger grills with the BBQItAll, most people are using the snake method for low and slow which shouldn't get the grills walls hot enough to do damage OVER TIME! Most people don't have or cook on colored SJs and aren't as worried about banking damage to a standard SJ.
-The metal was a little hard bend in order to screw together when only using two sections. Not impossible though and not something that would keep me from purchasing this product!
Topic: New Accessory Sneak Preview (Read 6663 times)