You’ve been smoking a stupidly expensive cut of meat for hours, the anticipation building all day long. Finally, your digital thermometer readout informs you that you’ve hit the safe eating temperature — the time has come! Another great thing about the stand is the place where the grill sits on is quite far from the ground. This is important because the bottom of the grill tends to get hot after cooking for a while (think pizza). If you put the Joe Jr on an expensive table, you don’t have to worry about the heat destroying it or anything. That said, we’d still advise you to put something there to catch the falling ash and hot embers. Handle, Hinge & Gasket

Some of Minimax’s designs are a little outdated. And BGE is slow with innovations. We don’t know when BGE will update the Minimax. Maybe the grill just works. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right? But who knows? A Handy Comparison Table You may be thinking, based on what we said earlier, that with such perfect insulation, once you’ve hit your target temperature, your job is done? Your Kamado will now hold that temperature forever and ever. Well, yes and no. Lid closed for reaching temperature, but you can leave it open for short grilling sessions (hot dogs, very thin cuts, vegetables, etc.) You really don’t want to run out of charcoal part way through a smoke session because re-filling is, quite frankly, a pain in the you-know-what.We have a more in-depth review of the Kamado Joe Jr here if you’re interested. Similarities Material You can still fit other accessories for larger grills in the Joe Jr (hint: Flame Boss 500), but some tinkering and creativity are required. The most important consideration is the cooking space. If you have a small family and don’t think you’ll need a large grill, the big green egg is a good option. Otherwise, Joe Jr. is the perfect choice for those with a large family or who want to buy a barbecue for special occasions and get-togethers with friends and relatives. The mini max has a size of 148 square inches as compared to 133 square inches. If you don’t think this size is big enough for you, go for the big green egg. Is Kamado Joe Jr better than Big Green Egg? Keep in mind that there is no cap to protect the daisy wheel from the rain. Because of that, water can easily get inside the grill. It’s also easy to rust away since it’s cast iron after all. Fuel Miser

The bottom vent is the stainless steel draft door on the body. Same design as seen on other kamados. Versatility At first, KJ was aiming to make high-quality ceramic kamados, loaded with bells and whistles, at prices slightly below BGE. But KJ soon realized that they could further establish themselves as a premium brand by focusing on constant innovations and improvements. Fast forward to the present day, KJ grills have gained plenty of public attention. And they’ve truly become a leader and an innovator in the industry. On the MinMax, they’re screwed in instead. As a result, there is a chance that they might come undone after a while, which is not safe for the grill at all. Fits Kamado Joe classic I, II, III, Big Green Egg Large, Monolith classic, Primo LG300 and many more. If you want a portable kamado grill for camping or tailgating, then the Kamado Joe Junior is a great choice.

With a regular grill, you’d want to spread your charcoal around, but since we want a pyramid shape anyway, there’s no need to touch anything after lighting. Chimney Starter However, ceramic is more responsive when it comes to temperature changes. Opening up or closing down the vents and the temperatures will adjust accordingly in a few minutes. Due to its high quality parts and material, the Kamado Joe Jr commands a higher price. Thus higher resale value if you’re planning to sell it later on.

Don’t forget a spatula, too, for easy flipping of burgers and items that need a little more support.The BGE Minimax, on the other hand, isn’t sold online or at any big box store. You can only buy your BGE Minimax through BGE’s authorized dealers from coast to coast. A Looftlighter is, essentially, the world’s most intense blow-dryer. It employs super-heated air and a powerful fan to heat charcoal until it fires up. Not going to lie — they’re pretty cool. Pyramid Method One thing we want to mention is that the Joe Jr’s cooking grate has a hinged opening. This lets you add coal or smoking wood if needed. But if you do longer cooks, the heat deflector will be in the way so the opening is useless in that situation. The one thing that makes this grill stand out is its oval shape. Unlike the round kamados, this allows you to set up the two zone cooking with ease. The Primo Junior also has a larger cooking space compared to the Joe Jr and the Minimax.