This comparison is easy. Buy the Weber Jumbo Joe.
Do not buy the 18.5 inch One Touch Silver or One Touch Gold. If you find one for $10 on Craigslist then go ahead and pick it up but NEVER buy either of these grills new.
You might think that the comparison between these three 18.5 inch grills would be difficult but there are some huge differences.
There are two advantages of the 18.5 inch One Touch Silver and One Touch Gold over the Jumbo Joe.
- The distance between the charcoal grate and the cooking grate on the One Touch grills (5 inches) is larger than the same distance for the Weber Jumbo Joe (3.75 inches). The increased distance is more forgiving on direct high heat cooks.
- You don’t have to bend over when you use the One Touch grills.
I like the Weber Jumbo Joe better than the One Touch grills for four main reasons.
- It is cheaper.
- The decreased distance between the charcoal grate and cooking grate is better for searing steaks.
- The air intake configuration on the Jumbo Joe makes it the better grill for Low and Slow cooks.
- Cleaning the ashes out of the Jumbo is easy. Cleaning the ashes out of the OTS is a PITA!!
The air intake holes on the Jumbo Joe are smaller than on the One Touch grills. The air intake on these grills consists of three oval openings in the base of the kettle. The amount of air entering the kettle is determined by how completely these openings are covered.
The total area of the air intake on the One Touch is much larger than on the Jumbo Joe and I have found that it is much easier to restrict the air flow on my Jumbo Joe than through the larger openings on my 18.5 inch One Touch Silver. The more control you have over your air flow the more control you have over your fire. Control over your fire is fundamental to your success with Low and Slow cooks.
OTS Air Vent
Air Vent on the Jumbo
Lastly you want to give serious thought to how you get the ashes out of these grills. Ash removal is simple with the Jumbo Joe. You take out the two grates, pick up the Jumbo and turn it over. Ash removal with the OTS is such a pain in the neck I stopped using mine. The OTS is too large and awkward to pick up and turn over (the legs come off if you aren’t careful). Using the One Touch mechanism to sweep the ashes into the shallow ash catcher is a joke that takes forever. The ash removal system on the 18.5 inch One Touch Gold is pretty sweet but if you are going to spend over $100 on a Weber kettle then go ahead and buy a 22.5 inch grill.
Here are what other folks are saying about the Weber Jumbo Joe.
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