Jumbo Joe tips

[jmahc]

I'm thinking about a SS grate from killagrilla, but I'm also tempted to buy grillgrates. I have those on my gasser, and they're good. Maybe I just get one panel GG?

[dbhost]

Okay since this is somewhat relevant tot he OP's question... For those that use them, are the charcoal baskets worth it? I have some basically fences that clip tothe charcoal grate that I use for indierect cooks, or just pile the coals up on one side and use a drip pan on the other.... But the weber coal baskets look interesting. Maybe a little easier to manage.... What say those with experience with them?

[TXFlyGuy]

Okay since this is somewhat relevant tot he OP's question... For those that use them, are the charcoal baskets worth it? I have some basically fences that clip tothe charcoal grate that I use for indierect cooks, or just pile the coals up on one side and use a drip pan on the other.... But the weber coal baskets look interesting. Maybe a little easier to manage.... What say those with experience with them?

Absolutely! I have 4 of them, and use them every time I cook. It makes clean up a little easier too. Plus it concentrates the heat in that location. Use two (on each side), or use one for indirect cooking. Slow 'N Sear? No way! Way over priced, and these baskets do the job!

[Kneab]

Spare baskets can also be joined together to create Marty's bigger better basket.
Just made my third one of these.
At least half of my cooks are with it.

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[Jules V.]

Okay since this is somewhat relevant tot he OP's question... For those that use them, are the charcoal baskets worth it? I have some basically fences that clip tothe charcoal grate that I use for indierect cooks, or just pile the coals up on one side and use a drip pan on the other.... But the weber coal baskets look interesting. Maybe a little easier to manage.... What say those with experience with them?

Just make your own baskets. You decide the size and shape to suit your needs.

[jmahc]

I probably should have done that, but I purchased the adrenaline BBQ charcoal baskets. 35 bucks.

[vwengguy]

Ok boys and girls.. my turn to put my 02 cents in to this.
My opinion on the New JJ ... love it!
You don't need to go ape shit and buy everything for this grill because it works great almost as it is out of the box.
Things to remember that effect what you can cook and how you can cook in this grill.. the grate to lid clearance is shorter than a standard 18" so I would be careful about buying grillgrates and super thick killagrilla grates as both of these will lower your total height. Both of these are great items but in my opinion are NOT needed in this grill.
I have the SS Slow'n Sear charcoal basket and I love it. SS is no longer offered and yeah it costs a lot at the time but I had 1 chance to pick up ALL my S'nS toys when I was on vacation in Michigan .. so I did it and I'm happy with it. It could have been done with a Weber basket but I never thought about that before I ordered it.
As far a cooking grates go.. get a SS 18" flipper grate from Weber if you can find one. I use this grate 98% of the time and I think it's the perfect upgrade for this grill. It's not super thick so it does not crowd your cooking height.
Another easy trick I have is using a SJ cook grate with 4 SS bolts and washers with acorn nuts to make a raised extra great! This comes in super handy to put veggies on and maybe chicken legs or something under it. It's the perfect size and makes the JJ almost 2x the size and costs almost nothing. Win win in my opinion.
I did change my lid out for a 18" Premium lid with a factory thermometer but this was only for the looks.. I always cook with my charcoal basket on the back side and the vent in front so the thermo is always over the coals and shows way hotter that the indirect side making it useless but looks cool. Another note about swapping lids.. you will have to use a cut off grinder and cleanly cut the lid hook off so you don't end up poking the hook into the foil from ribs or pulled pork !
Speaking of pulled pork.. yes you can easily make a small PP in this kettle. I have done it many times with my Pulled Pork for 2 posts and my Sn'S basket.
I LOVE my JJ with my modded Weber roti ring using my Sn'S basket because the coals are closer to the chicken the skin gets super yummy and crispy!! Rotisserie on the JJ is a Win Win because it makes better chicken and uses less coals than my MT !
A lot of the upgrades and mods I have are not needed for the every day cooks and I did them only because I could get my hands on the parts here.
Over all.. this is one BAD ASS cooker with a little $ upgrade can do it all!
I did not even touch on the fact that it's small, portable, cheap & with the lid holder / clamp when you are done cooking you can close all the vents and easily move it as it cools down fast.

Now.. as far as the 22" JJ goes... I would love to see some one put the JJ legs on that and make a Super Sized JJ !
I never checked to see if the leg kit would fit.. but it would be cool to see someone do it.


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[TXFlyGuy]

My JJ is brand new, never used.
The top damper on the lid is not riveted in place like most Weber's, instead a bolt, washer and acorn nut hold it in place.
When tightened to hold it securely, the damper scratches the lid finish when rotated. And it is very difficult to turn from closed to open.
When the nut is loosened just a bit, the damper plate is very loose, not creating a good contact with the lid for closing the air flow.

Any ideas?

[vwengguy]

Been there done that!
Best thing to do is pull the vent off and lightly sand the edge smooth almost to the point of polishing the bottom edge and out side edge smooth.
Then before you reattach it to the lid .. lightly push down on the center of the vent to flatten it out just a little bit. I placed the vent on 2-3 layers of shop towels on a hard FLAT surface and using the heat of my hand gently push it to form it flatter to match the lid.
NOT totally flat! By looking at the air gap around the 4 air holes you will know when it is sitting better.
Doing this will make your air control way easier and also help when you shut the grill down!
And do not tighten the snot out of the bolt!! You have to play with it to get the correct feel!
Now is the time to replace the nut and bolt with SS hardware and SS washers!
Hope this helps.


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[pancho2017]

Just picked up a Weber 18" Jumbo Joe today at Lowe's for $15. That makes two, the other is a 22" Jumbo Joe Premium I got a week ago from a lady on OfferUp brand new and assembled for $25.

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[dbhost]

Just picked up a Weber 18" Jumbo Joe today at Lowe's for $15. That makes two, the other is a 22" Jumbo Joe Premium I got a week ago from a lady on OfferUp brand new and assembled for $25.

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what a score! absolutely love my Jumbo Joe premium although obviously there's not a lot of Love here for this particular model. I'm sure you'll find once you get to using it that it's a fine Grill. I got mine on a sale but nowhere near his cheap is that I think I paid $50 for mine and I had to assemble it!.

[TXFlyGuy]

Got mine for $29 at Lowe's, and that was half price!

[jmahc]

Smoked some ribs and vortex'd some chicken on this grill this weekend. It is definitely a capable grill, and hardly uses any charcoal! I'm already liking this thing more and more.

[vwengguy]

Something told me you would like it!

Another TIP... when and if the bottom vent acts like it has sand and grit between the vent and the kettle.
You can easily clean it out by flushing the crud out by LIGHTLY pressing the garden hose from the inside on the closed vent and the flowing water will blast the stuff out! Compressed air blasted the same way will work also.
Do this often as hearing the vent grind is the same as chewing on a ball of aluminum foil.. just not cool !


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[jmahc]

Yeah, I initially tightened both vents too much, so I had to back them off a bit. I actually drilled a new vent hole and popped on my Heatermeter to see how it would hold up, and it was basically off/closed the entire cook, because I lit too many coals initially. stayed around 260-275 the entire time. It'll be nice to use the ATC or the vent depending on what I'm cooking.