List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $59.99
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
Ah, the fun of getting to the cabin or campsite that "...has it's own grill!". If I'm lucky it's one of the $29 clamshell, self-corroding ones with non-functional ventilation, but those will at least trap the heat and more or less prevent flameups. If I'm unlucky it's one of the 3-sided open ones that are safety hazards and require a squirtgun in hand at all times. Then there are those dark looks and whispers from the relatives and friends as they cut into their charred yet undercooked food: "...I thought he was the one that knew how to bbq...".
I've been wanting a portable for some time, but the 14" Webers just seemed too small, and the Platinum had been discontinued. Also, the Platinum apparently had some problems with the vents. So I was delighted to see the new Jumbo Joe available at Amazon. I had a few questions, primarily about room under the kind of squatty looking lid, but I wasn't able to find answers online, so I ordered it.
First, here are the dimensions that I wasn't able to find online:
Distance between lid and grill: 4.5" throughout about a 15" diameter area
Distance between grill and grate: about 3.5" over the 13" grate diameter
Air space under grate: Varies up to about 2.75"
Bottom vents: 3, symmetric on kettle axis, 1.5" x 1"
Yes, it's tight vertically. I wish they'd domed the lid about another inch--that'd get it into bone-in turkey breast or whole chicken range. Plenty of headroom for chops, burgers and roasts, though, and the 18" grill provides multi-item capacity and the room to do indirect cooking or reverse searing. A spatchcocked chicken would fit, but I'd want a drip pan large enough to control the grease, and I'm not sure there's enough room for a pan that large.
Packaging and Shipping:
It was shipped in the retail box. No shipping damage on mine. Packing looks good except that the top of the lid is up against 1 layer of cardboard that is directly against the top of the outer package. Since the lid is flat there's quite a bit of it up against the top of the box, potentially a ding risk. Everything else was separated and padded by cardboard and the only wear/dings I saw were a couple of light scratches on the aluminum ash catcher, probably from the legs packed underneath it. Documentation is a picture book assembly manual (inaccurate, see below) and the obligatory multi-language liability disclaimer booklet (has a little info about the number of briquettes and cook temps but basically: don't use it in the bathtub). Packing is all recyclable except for 2 small plastic bags.
Assembly:
Assembly time was about 15 minutes. Would have been faster, but the instructions make a *huge* deal about not confusing the phillips head screws with the slotted head screws. There are no phillips head screws. Nada. All 6 screws are slotted and are the same thread, but 4 of them have larger diameter heads. The 2 with smaller heads are for the vents. The only other potential gotchas are the ash pan--it goes under, not above, the clips and is completely secured, and making sure the bottom vent and lid holder arm are oriented correctly. The assembly instructions are pretty good other than the phillips-head confusion. Weber provides a nice t-wrench to use on the springnuts used for the handle and vents, as well as on the other nuts. Only a largish flat screwdriver and the provided wrench are required for assembly.
Fit and Finish:
Up to Weber standards. The material and finish on the kettle appear identical to that on my Performer. It feels solid, no sway on the legs, not tippy, and the vents can be adjusted to whatever tension wanted, particularly nice when transporting it. The combo lid retainer / lid holder works very well and the unit is totally secure when the lid is clipped down. My only concern is that the lid retainer rod is hinged by just running it into the kettle through some holes. The holes are porcelain covered, but the rod puts pressure on the porcelain covered edges, potentially a rust problem. Wish they'd provided a way to grommet the holes or something. They do provide washers to protect against wear from the rod against the side of the kettle. The ash catcher is a shallow bowl and it looks like a strong wind might be able to blow live coals out of it. Not really any more of a problem than the big kettles, though.
Cooking:
Great. Ventilation is as good as my 22" Performer, thanks to the large, centered bottom vents. Even heat across the grate: multiples of corn and steaks are no problem. I underestimated the number of briquettes required on the first cook--it's actually got a lot of area. Haven't tried indirect yet, but there appears to be room and the ventilation appears to be good on the sides. One nice touch is that the bottom vent has a positive stop when fully open / closed. The bottom vent only has an uninsulated tab for adjustment, but it's no problem to just tap it with the tongs. The ashcatcher works, but I haven't tried to see if it can be gracefully removed for dumping yet--it's in there pretty securely. I've just been dumping the whole unit. No swing up sides on the grill--have to raise it up to drop in wood chunks. No thermometer, and, really, there's just no room for it under the lid anyway.
Misc.:
WAF: "It's cute."
No travel bag/cover available yet. Note to Weber: I'll buy one as soon as it's out.
Note to readers: Amazon may recommend a cover/carrier--as of November 2012 it's the one for the 14" series and won't fit.
Pros:
It's definitely a Weber
It's a real, usable 18" grill that fits in a 20" cube
Ventilation and temp control are excellent
Stable and safe
The lid lock is very secure
The lid holder is clever and actually useful
The joy of owning and using a well-designed, quality product
Cons:
Clearance under lid is tight and, IMHO, could have been improved with a little more of a dome
Nits:
Concern about wear on kettle porcelain from lid retainer rod hinging
Wish they had a carry case available
Summary:
Almost perfect feature set, great performance and Weber quality in this form factor at this price. It's a winner, and now I can actually enjoy grilling while on the road.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
This is a great little grill that I added to my Weber collection. I have it as well as the "Go Anywhere" charcoal Weber grill, and most people would consider that a bit redundant. It's not... The Jumbo Joe can do so much more than just steaks and burgers, and I am no longer handcuffed to my deck when I want to do a low and slow... If you're like me and you enjoy getting out with the family in those summer months, this is a must have. I will definitely be smoking a slab of spare ribs at some of our fishing holes this summer. And it's perfect for tailgating too!!! My other Weber grills are the Weber Performer/26.75 Weber Kettle/22.5 Weber Smokey Mountain...Best Deals for Weber 1211001 Jumbo Joe Gold Charcoal Grill, 18-Inch
Perfect on the go cooker. Cools down in a short period of time with all vents shut. Spill free latch holds lid on during transport. Just bought my second one. First one is still going strong after 25 years.Honest reviews on Weber 1211001 Jumbo Joe Gold Charcoal Grill, 18-Inch
UNBELIEVABLE! Absolutely unbelievable after all these years Rumpelstiltskin (err, I mean WEBER) has FINALLY woken up and returned the Jumbo Joe back to the market place.[Maybe, 13 years ago, a Weber employee must've fell down a flight of stairs and knocked the BEJESUS out of him or herself. Woke-up 13 years later SCREAMING ... JUMBO JOE, JUMBO JOE!!]. Dat's my theory and I'm stickin' to it!
Whatever happened, I am INDEED one happy camper. And it appears this one is better than the original Smokey Joe Platinum, it has vents on the top & BOTTOM now. And unlike the Smokey Joe Platinum, the Jumbo Joe has an ash catcher.
What I like MOST about Jumbo Joe and the long gone Smokey Joe Platinum is that it's IDEAL for apartment dwellers. It's LARGE enough to BBQ a couple of slabs of ribs but SMALL enough to tuck (PUN intended) right under my kitchen table when I'm done cooking. In fact, I'm seriously thinking about buying a second one. I still have some space under my kitchen table for one more Jumbo Joe.
I'm wish-listing accessories left-to-right ... I GOTTA get this, I GOTTA get that ...
THE GOODS:
It was a breeze to assemble 15-20 minutes all of the parts were there, and everything fit like they should, PERFECTLY.
The diagram/instruction sheet is included with the grill and a PDF version at the Weber website.
TOTAL WEIGHT with the lid on and both cooking/charcoal grates inserted is about "20 pounds."
NO scratches or dents. Found a couple of tiny dings in the ash catcher but so what. It catches ash.
The lid fit's perfectly, ESPECIALLY the wired lid latch. The lid latch also serves as lid holder, very convenient.
The assembly instruction sheet is all about ICONS & DRAWINGS, not a written word could be found, except for numbers pointing to different parts of the grill. A very EASY read if you ask me.
Don't know if it is the Jumbo Joe or the lump charcoal I use (Grove Charcoal) but the thing shuts-down in less that 15 minutes after closing the top/bottom vents. Outstanding!
Extremely easy to clean. NO grill brush needed, just a couple of Brillo/SOS Pads, a sponge, slop sink and 15 minutes later I'm done cleaning the grates.
I use Palmolive dish detergent to wash the interior & exterior of the grill & Windex window cleaner to give it a nice sheen. When done, the Jumbo Joe looks almost brand-spanking new.
A VERY fun & easy grill to cook on: baby back ribs, spare ribs, pork steaks, beef ribs, sausages, chicken quarters, thighs, legs, wings all cook to perfection!
I'm SORRY but it may be a LOOOONG time before I buy restaurant BBQ. To have SMOKE RINGS & TRUE SMOKE flavor on my ribs makes it nearly impossible to visit a BBQ shack, ever again ... unless someone pays the check!
Weather permitting, I'm BBQing ribs & chicken almost every weekend!
SEASONING THE JUMBO JOE:
What some owners do when they buy a BRAND-NEW BBQ grill/pit & before they place their 1st piece of meat on it, is to spray or rub cooking oil on the interior (i.e., lid & bowl), then fire-it-up & let it "cook" without any food for about 3-4 hours. I didn't season my grill, and Weber doesn't suggest it either. And I really don't think it's necessary but it can't hurt if YOU decide to do so.
COOKING:
I use the INDIRECT & MINION cooking method almost exclusively. By using these 2 methods, the Jumbo Joe works even better since the cooking grate can ROTATE very easily.
I like to SEAR my meats sometimes over the hot coals for about 5-8 minutes, then rotate the MEAT away from the HOT coals to flip or cook indirectly.
I hardly use my tongs, except to flip the meat, rest of the time is spent lounging around & drinking Samuel Adams beers. What a drag!
I control the cooking temperature by adjusting the top/bottom vents & rotating the grate ever so slightly, either towards or away from the hot coals. I tend to leave the bottom vent wide open, while adjusting the top vent as needed.
I use 1 small drip pan & 1 small water pan to help control the temperature/humidity; one pan directly under the meat(s) and one pan directly over the hot coals.
And I don't even use a thermometer. Though I plan on getting a Maverick digital thermometer real soon. I'm cooking great ribs & chicken without one, just imagine the finish product with a thermometer?
THE UPSHOT:
This thing is a real firebreathing DYNAMO, a Bar-B-Q cooking machine. One wouldn't think a 18.5" portable BBQ grill could work so well.
For me, it's a god-send! KUDOS to the BBQ gods @ Weber!
Bottom-Line:
Very High recommendation.
No comments:
Post a Comment