A little site about a great portable grill: The Weber Jumbo Joe!
The Weber Jumbo Joe is a great portable charcoal grill. If you are looking for your first Weber grill this is a great place to start. If you already have a Weber grill collection then the Weber Jumbo Joe is a mandatory addition. (By the way, if you already have a Weber grill collection then you know finding the right replacement parts can be confusing. Here is a different site that makes it bone headed simple to find the correct replacement Weber grill parts you need.)
This site shows how I use my Weber Jumbo Joe, compares it against other Weber kettles, and lets you know what upgrades and modifications I have come across. I hope you find the information useful.
Upgrades for the Weber Jumbo Joe
One of the things I love about the Weber Jumbo Joe is since it only costs $60 you can splurge on a few extras. I absolutely recommend upgrading the cooking grate with either a standard hinged grate or the Craycort cast iron grates. Upgrading from the standard grate makes low and slow cooks on the Jumbo much easier. You can also get a set of GrillGrates for the Jumbo which let you utilize more surface area for direct grilling. I have given the KettlePizza a spin on the Jumbo Joe and can report that it works very well and I have also hooked up a rotisserie.
Click HERE to see the full range of accessories that are available for the Jumbo!
Comparing the Weber Jumbo Joe
There are several portable charcoal grills (and larger kettles) you need to look at before you buy a Weber Jumbo Joe.
It is my belief that the Jumbo is a better grill both in price and performance than Weber’s other portable charcoal grills, the Smokey Joe Silver or Smokey Joe Gold. I also like the Jumbo much more than my 18 inch Weber One Touch.
Although I love my Jumbo it is no match for my 22.5 inch kettle in terms of capacity and flexibility. Of course the 22.5 inch kettles aren’t really portable and they take up quite a bit of room. Below is a quick comparison of the different Weber kettles. For a more thorough explanation of the differences click HERE.
Using the Weber Jumbo Joe
You can easily use the Weber Jumbo Joe as a grill or a smoker. When I use the Jumbo as a grill I keep both vents (top and bottom) completely open. When I use the Jumbo as a smoker I keep both vents at 50% open. The performance of the Jumbo as a smoker is excellent and for small cuts like chuck roast is my preferred smoker. Click Here to see how I use the Jumbo Joe to create awesome pulled pork, beer can chicken and a ton of other great recipes!
Modifications for the Weber Jumbo Joe
I have fabricated two modifications for the Weber Jumbo Joe; an extension ring and an air diffuser/heat shield. Both projects were fun but I don’t really use either one very much; the Jumbo does very well as designed. You can click Here to learn more about these projects.
What about other Reviews?
I am not the only person who loves this grill. Below is a snapshot of the Amazon reviews from folks who have bought and love this portable charcoal grill. Not too shabby 🙂
About the Weber Jumbo Joe
The Weber Jumbo Joe was introduced around October, 2012 and is the official replacement for the Smokey Joe Platinum. The Weber Jumbo Joe is designed to be the ultimate portable charcoal grill and Weber did an excellent job. The Jumbo has a locking lid which makes it extremely portable. It also has an 18.5 inch grilling grate which makes it substantially larger than Weber’s other portable charcoal grill, the Weber Smokey Joe Gold. The major flaw with the Smokey Joe Platinum was the location of the air intake vents; this issue was corrected with the Weber Jumbo Joe.
Thanks for visiting the site and I hope you found the information to be useful. If you think you might also need a kick ass gas grill to go along with your Jumbo then let me point you over to the Weber Genesis S 330!
Update 10/16/2014:
I just launched a site to help people find the right cover for their Weber grills regardless of when it was made. If Weber ever starts making a cover for the Jumbo Joe I will have it listed over there. If you need any covers for you other Weber grills then please drop by and let me help you find what you need!