Jumbo Joe and Single Weber charcoal Basket?


 
L

Lance L

TVWBB Fan
I’m needing a new charcoal grill, something portable and for smaller cooks. The big requirement would be having the ability to cook over direct and indirect heat. I’m thinking a Jumbo Joe with a Single Weber charcoal Basket might be the trick. Anyone use this setup and if so how did it work? If anyone could post a pic so I could get an idea of how it would fit that would be great.


Thanks Lance
 
It’s the ideal size for that. Smokey Joe great for direct cooks when you don’t need a lot of real estate but the Jumbo Joe gives you the size for creating the indirect zone and saves some charcoal when you don’t need something bigger.
 
I use my Jumbo Joe for travel and extra rainy day cooks. It cost me under $100.
It works well, it's not the most sturdy but you can keep tightening the hardware as needed....mostly the legs seem to loosen up on my over time.
I also may have built it quickly and really not taken my time.
I purchased the SNS basket for it and picked up a " killagrilla " stainless grill for it.....both the basket and the grill weighs more than the what the grill did when it came in the box. So that changes things, may not be important to some people and maybe it is to others.
The SNS basket keeps a full load of charcoal going for longer than I ever thought.....that is a plus. It also takes up about 40 to 45% of one side of the grill which is not a plus. Saying that.......indirect works well but then space becomes somewhat limited.
The largest cook I did on this was 2......3 pound picanhas in roast form. The indirect side was full, like zero available space every edge was maxed out. I unfortunately do not have pictures for you. It fed 5 adults and 2 kids and people were going back for seconds. There was a bit of leftovers too.
The roast is generally triangle shaped so they fit pretty slick on a half grill at the same time.
I don't use it often, generally 2 trips per year on travel and I use it every day while " cottaging " .

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I really like the SNS basket but it looked a little big for what I think I need. The Weber basket looks it would work.

Looking at the go anywhere also, it looks like a neat grill but may be a little small.
 
Lance L said:
I really like the SNS basket but it looked a little big for what I think I need. The Weber basket looks it would work.

Looking at the go anywhere also, it looks like a neat grill but may be a little small.
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I did get the killa grilla with the hinged grate which I don't need to use much, but sure comes in handy when you need to move your hunk of wood if it gets burning too fast. Yes I even use the J.J. for some smoking.......but it will only do what it can of course. I wouldn't go back to a regular basket personally.......generally I cook for 2 and that means it isn't going to be a brisket or a shoulder.
I would have to look again but it might be possible for 2 halved chickens on the indirect side.....regular sized chickens of course.
I will try to remember pictures when I get home tonight......I have a tight schedule but will try........
 
I generally always use indirect side to move food around while cooking.
For the most part I’ll be cooking 4 burgers OR 3 ribeyes both of those cook fast enough that if I need to split the cook in 2 batches I can.

Now I’m torn on going with the Jumbo Joe or the Go-Anywhere, gonna try to look at them in person this weekend.

Thanks for all the info.
 
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The Jumbo Joe will easily handle 4 burgers or 3 ribeyes and then some in one batch. I don't bother using the charcoal basket for my normal direct/indirect cooking. I just load half charcoal and half empty. I only use it when camping usually feeding 10+ people with several batches of different proteins. It easily handles food for 4 in one batch.

If I were to use it to smoke, I would use two charcoal baskets probably with a tin drip pan in between or maybe just one basket. I have no doubt the JJ can smoke well but I smoke stuff on my other Webers.
 
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Mike-GA said:
Weber Charcoal Basket in Jumbo Joe paired with Weber hinged grate.

View attachment 89715
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This my set up also,great for quick cooks, traveling, or cooks when i do not need to roll out the big guys. it is amazing how much you can cook on this grill. I got mine about 10 -15 years ago when in the fall Target would sell off their BBQ stuff at good discounts to make room for winter items. I paid like 23.00 for mine. only added the flip up grate, which i goat Target the same day.
 
Kevin L (NKY) said:
This my set up also,great for quick cooks, traveling, or cooks when i do not need to roll out the big guys. it is amazing how much you can cook on this grill. I got mine about 10 -15 years ago when in the fall Target would sell off their BBQ stuff at good discounts to make room for winter items. I paid like 23.00 for mine. only added the flip up grate, which i goat Target the same day.
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That an awesome deal on a new one. I got mine lightly used for $20 about 4 years ago. I added the hinged grates, Weber thermometer/bezel in lid, Weber handle on lid damper, and Phenolic handle on bottom damper. The compact rapid fire chimney is a nice add too.
 
Lance L said:
I generally always use indirect side to move food around while cooking.
For the most part I’ll be cooking 4 burgers OR 3 ribeyes both of those cook fast enough that if I need to split the cook in 2 batches I can.

Now I’m torn on going with the Jumbo Joe or the Go-Anywhere, gonna try to look at them in person this weekend.

Thanks for all the info.
Click to expand...
Jumbo joe!
 
Wilmer Cogburn said:
Details please on that chicken!
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Boy, you caught me flat footed on that one. Barb and I do all kinds of different chicken vortex cooks. So many different ways to do them. I checked with Barb and we both agree that the one you are interested in is bone in skin on chicken thighs which is what we use.
We use a coat of yellow mustard binder then rolled in Panko breadcrumbs with a equal mix of Weber's Kick'n chicken and Weber's roasted garlic and herbs and crushed corn flakes. Cooked with the vortex until a temp of 175 is reached.
Chicken stays moist and has great flavor with a little kick to it.
 
Does anyone know if any of the grates of the JJ are compatible with a WSM 18.5"? Or someone could measure the JJ grates? I'm thinking of picking up a JJ that has a nice wood handle......
 
Well I decided on the Jumbo Joe route, I’m dealing with health issues and can’t eat as much grilled food so we will be cooking smaller portions anyway. When the time comes that I need more space I’ll add a 22 to go along with it.

Picked up a Smokey Joe coal grate to play with getting the coals lower in the kettle, also found a set of the Weber coal rails that looked like they been sitting on the shelf forever so for $9 I’ll experiment with them.
 

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Lance L said:
Well I decided on the Jumbo Joe route, I’m dealing with health issues and can’t eat as much grilled food so we will be cooking smaller portions anyway. When the time comes that I need more space I’ll add a 22 to go along with it.

Picked up a Smokey Joe coal grate to play with getting the coals lower in the kettle, also found a set of the Weber coal rails that looked like they been sitting on the shelf forever so for $9 I’ll experiment with them.
Click to expand...
Great grill. Very versatile. I think you’re going to really like it.

The 18” JJ can do so much. Cooks like a full sized kettle while economizing coal usage too… compared to a 22” kettle. Lots of mod ideas on this forum and web if you want to play with it.
 
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