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What about spritzing techniques? Do you usually do that with pork butt or briskets? I saw a squirt bottle but no mention of when to start spritzing or if it’s necessary. Etc…

I just did a cook with beef short ribs. I don’t know what happened. It was 3kg and I did 250 ambient temp on the grill. The cook took 12 hrs and I had 3/4 basket full of kamado joe coals on a big joe and the coals died out. Have you even seen this happen before?

Ill preface this by saying im new to the KJ community and have only had two cooks on my KJ Big Joe 3. When i saw this video I was all in on the technique and decided to try it out. The first red flag for me though was that the instructions that come with DOJO show that with the bottom vent open to one finger and top closed the expected dome temp will be 450 degrees, much higher than the 275 that i was shooting for. But I tried it anyway. I was never able to get below 300 degrees and most of the time it hovered at 310. This was keeping the bottom vent completely shut. This made me concerned about the convection I was getting in the unit vs trying the slow roller that came with the KG big joe. The cook went much faster than i expected with a 15 lb trimmed up brisket about six hours. I didnt get the smoke ring i was expecting but I typically cook with cherry wood and I only had peach available. I also didnt get my fat to render as good as James did in his video. Overall, even though there could be 4 times the airflow using the dojo, considering you have to keep the bottom vent shut to keep the temp down, im skeptical about improved airflow compared with the slow roller. I have the utmost respect for James and I learn a ton from him. However, Im skeptical about this technique if youre going for low and slow. If youre in the hot and fast camp this is probably a great weapon in your arsenal. I think its important to keep an open mind and be fearless in the kitchen so I enjoy these types of experiments. Thank you James for the inspiration!

Many thanks for your show. Am so looking forward to each part, as you help me to become a better home chef. Greetings from Shanghai

This is a fun awesome series! WOW what a difference you made in his brisket. Could he have came close without a slow roller?

What is the difference between using the Sloroller in the Akorn Auto Kamado vs using the double indirect method in your video with the fire bricks on the deflector shield and a pizza stone on top of it? They look very different in terms of what effect they produces but you mentioned they are the same concept - do we benefit from the sloroller or is the double indirect close enough? AND would you use it for a brisket? Thank you

I have a 560, i always do pork butts at about 260, which actually cooks at 275, i put in a good few wood chunks and just let it go for about 5 hours, i usualy get a decent bark after that time, maybe 6 hours, once the fats rendered and you can push through, then wrap! It took a bit of getting used to, but i love these machines!

Just ordered a kamado joe junior next to my classic 3, because of your video’s !!

Not sure you could say if you did, but do you have any insight as to whether they will make a block version of the improved meater?

great work mate! this series will do well , love from Australia!

I love this series you're doing! I noticed you put the brisket in before getting the final vent settings in place. Do you put the meat in once you're past the hand test or do you install, and let it climb closer to 275? Also I find my flat and point finish at different times. Do you stop the cook based on the flat feel or when both feel soft? Thanks!

Holy cow this channel is well sponsored at the moment.

No it's not dry because I followed your instructions in your other brisket videos lol

Florida here. Wifey just got me my Big Joe III for Father's Day. Been watching a ton of your great videos. Thank you for putting this out there. I have an Offset, Trager, Weber Kettle, and Pit Boss 5 burner Griddle, this was the missing piece. Wonder what i will get rid of once i get this dialed in !

Awesome video.Your techniques are tried and true. I should have foil boated the Boston butt I smoked the other day. It just didn't have any smoke flavor....duh! Seemed like a really nice family! I don't know who came up with this series but it's a hit!

Loved the video, just got an OKJOE and will use many of your mods. One question I have is were you able to find a cover for your OKJoe after you extended the smoke stack?

Great info thanks

I have a KJ II classic so unable to do the double indirect. Anything you can do to emulate your setup on the III?

Great video and great series. Thanks.

Hi James. I have been watching your channel since the start of covid. I was a gas bbq griller for many years, but after viewing your content, I decided it was time to take the plunge. So ,after many years and much saving, I brought my first charcoal bbq and guess what, it was a Komado classic 3. So today, I fired up the Joe 3 classic for the first time and tried out your 3hr ribs recipe. Thank you, thank you , and thank you so much. Buy far, the best ribs I have ever had the pleasure to eat. Keep up with the great content, your channel is very much appreciated.

This has been a great series.Looking forward to the next episode.

I’m brand new to Kamado cooking and was disappointed in this video. I was hoping to get all the info needed to get started (“training wheels”, remember?) but other than a brief intro you didn’t provide what’s needed to do the job. You didn’t actually explain *how* to do the beer can chicken, which is supposed to be the first cook. Other than a temperature of 350 degrees, I’m left wondering what to do.

Love the truck, James. I just got the same one last week. Great BBQ content as always.

Loving this new BBQ rescue clinics, James. Lol.

Really enjoyed this video for two reasons. One I just purchased my first Camano Joe big Joe series 3 and this is my first brisket cook. I was looking at the method, dual method slow roller and heat deflectors. I did not see how you started the barbecue, but I am assuming the basket of charcoal was full.because if it was not full, how would you apply more charcoal if needed.

Great video and great series so far! Quick question: I noticed on the double indirect the heat deflectors were installed first and the then SloRoller. In all your other videos, it is SloRoller and then heat deflectors. Any reason for the change? It seams the smoke would roll better with the SloRoller installed first. Thanks again for all of your videos!

James, I’ve been watching videos about which smoker to get after my 2nd pellet grill smoker bit the dust. After reviewing every type of smoker for a few months on line - and talking with fellow smokers - I decided on a Kamado style. Fortunately, I ran across your videos. Your head-to-head brisket battle with the BGE pretty much sold me on the Kamado Joe. Then I ran across the Blaze. Having something with a full “forever” warranty on all parts was attractive. But your videos won be over. I got the KJC 3. From your help with unboxing to the beginner to the more advanced, there is no telling how many mishaps you have prevented me from making. Don’t get me wrong, even with your help there is still a learning curve…but it is progressing very quickly. I agree with comments by my new friends on your videos - KJ owes you big time. Thanks for the guidance!!!!!

Whilst i enjoyed your video i thought your comments about pre made rubs to be a scam to be insulting to the people who have taken the time to develop and create their styles and flavors. A lot of channels that i have watched the creators of the rubs almost always isn't telling you to use their rub but that it is available for you. Its up to you if you want to give it a try. Sorry but you lost a lot of integrity with your scamming content about rub manufactures.

Please keep these videos going. I love them. Cheers from BRANTFORD. Amazing

If the point of the foil boat is to keep the bark, and the meat/bark side is facing down on the foil swimming in drippings, how does the bark firm up? Looks like only the fat cap facing up will set up. Thanks

I've had both, and I'll take the Summit any day over the KJ. The fact that it's half the weight and cost as the KJ is just a bonus. The Summit is far more convenient and versatile. Him going on about the S6 was pretty shady. Should be talking about the E6, the base model. He compared an older version base model KJ price to the S6. Come on, that's extremely biased and unfair. And the vent is in the same spot as every kamado, and yet that's bad for Weber? But ok for every other kamado brand? Lol And comparing the Summit to regular kettles for most of the video is absurd. It's apples and oranges completely. Really a ridiculous and bitterly motivated review. I'm guessing Weber backed out on a deal or something with him, so he's lashing out.

Do you still use the ash drawer with the kick ash can? I had to bend(flatten) the bottom lip of the can with pliers so the ash drawer could slide in.

The cumulative effect of a few small changes is remarkable. I find `leave it alone` once it`s placed in the Kamado works well.

@james, going to try a brisket using dojo on big Joe series iii. But looking at diagram it looks like I won’t get below 450 with one finger open on bottom vent. Should I ignore that and just close bottom vent till heat reaches 270?

This has been a great series so far. Hopefully, you will be able to do a season 2. Keep up the great work!

I really have to try this sometime. As I have a cheaper brand Kamado I don’t have the option of using an ash draw. I have the kick ash can and a charcoal basket- would you say there would be any benefit in putting some smoking wood in the ash can before adding the charcoal?

Recently America's Test Kitchen posted a video on charcoal where they said their tests showed no difference between hardwood lump and classic briquets. Have you seen that video and from your experience do you agree or disagree? Thanks James.

I got the best bark ever my placing my brisket on the BJ3 expander. I assume this was because it was closer to the dome.

Quick question. I saw you adding that wood before closing the setup with the slow roller, pan, grid and slap the brisket on there right away. Have you reviewed your take on clean smoke vs dirty smoke?

To paraphrase one of my favorites, Mr. Neil Diamond, you are a "BBQ traveling salvation show!" You've struck gold with this series James. Not only are you helping those in need, but you've also incorporated just the right amount of sponsorship. The companies behind the cooks are getting nice advertising but are also showing their willingness to provide what YOU and the home cooks need for a successful cook. So when are you going to be in Arizona? It's only 105 degrees here today. Perfect for an 8 hour smoking session. 😉

This was a good family to help, their brisket needed your help and now they know how to do it. What temperature would you pull a brisket at if you were going to hold it for up to 24 hours at 145 degrees F? I going to do a family brisket next month and I got to try the long hold. I plan to rest the brisket outside of a wrap till it gets to about 150 degrees before wrapping in foil and into the warmer.

Great episode again james, its mostly the small changes that affect the cook the most.

Good series!! I feel like the video could be longer with more pre, during and post video. I’d love to see more pre video to learn from them.

I saw a MEATER block in some of the frames. Does the MEATER 2 probe work with the block too? I want the MEATER 2 but I’m scared I won’t be able to keep it connected. I started my MEATER journey with a single probe and ended up buying the block. Thanks James. You are my hero!!!!

Great series James! Though in the past you went by 5% smoke wood to charcoal. This obviously was more than 5%. You have updated your number? Or is method more important than percentage?

I always wanted a Weber Kamado, but the lack of accessories from Weber or aftermarket companies has led me to be very content with my 10+ year old Weber Smokey Mountain plus my 22” and 26” kettles. I had not thought about it until you mentioned it, but it is disappointing that Weber went cheap on the WSK when redesigning it instead of making improvements with no care about their loyal customers, only their profits. Some of your criticisms are flawed though. I have never seen any other Kamado with an offset vent so I am confused why you compared it to a kettle. The removable ashpan is an excellent feature not found on many kamados.

I love this series, nicely done. It's awesome that your channel is taking off like it is, great job!

I like how you sharpened his knives. A sharp knife often overlooked, which helps with trimming any meat. Also get nice even clean slices of brisket.

Great video James, looking forward to seeing the rest of the season!

awesome. i love this