Kamado Joe Classic 2 Review

Kamado-style cooking is from an ancient Chinese cooking tradition where they use clay to create convection heat that will evenly cook the food inside it.

There are many choices in the market, with the Big Green Egg being one of the most famous. But it certainly has some competition in the form of the Kamado Joe Classic 2.

This Kamado Joe charcoal grill packs many features that most, and even the Big Green Egg, lack. It has a wide range of features and cooking capabilities that are unmatched, making it worth it.

The Kamado Joe Classic 2 is also a very versatile piece of machinery. It can cook almost anything, from smoked fish to seared steak and even grilling.

Kamado Joe is one of the most recognized Kamado brands, and it is because of the innovative features that put them in line with the best or even better.

Kamado Joe grills are heavy, and the Classic 2 is no exception. They still stick to the tradition of making grills made entirely of ceramics for maximum heat retention.

This way, you get to keep all the heat inside the grills even if the temperature outside is cold. So you can use it outdoors no matter what weather conditions there are.

If you are looking for a new way to cook, you should consider Kamado-style cooking, and you should consider buying the Kamado Joe Classic 2.

Here, we will give you a detailed review of all the amazing features that you will find in the Kamado Joe Classic 2 that makes it worth it, so follow along as we start with the setup.

 

Setting up the Kamado Joe Classic 2

As we have mentioned before, kamado grills are very heavy. Most of them weigh over a hundred or a couple hundred pounds, so you will need some help.

The Classic 2 has all the interior parts made out of ceramics. The main body is full ceramics as well as the firebox inside it.

So one way to make the setup easier is to disassemble the parts. See, you can separate the firebox of this grill into part.

So, you can remove the firebox first and then move it to the area where you will set it up. This way, you can move the grill by parts for a lighter lifting process.

Either way, you will need help, so it would be nice if one of your buddies is there to help. So after you disassemble it, you will need to put the firebox together.

 

 

There is an easy-to-follow guide that comes with this product, so you can do that. Make sure to lock the parts of the firebox with the dedicated ring to ensure safety.

The Kamado Joe Classic 2 also has a nest which is the stand that you will put it on. The nest has wheels, so you can move it easier on flat surfaces.

You will also not need any other surfaces to put the grill on as it has a nest. You do not need to find a durable and high-heat-resistant table to hold the grill in place this way.

 

Now to the Features

 

Prevent Damages from Slams

As you have already read, the grill is all heavy ceramics, so the main problem you might think of is how you can open or close it safely.

The lid of the Classic 2 is also heavy ceramics. So, logically, if you are not careful and slam the lid, it will be damaged along with the main body’s ceramics.

To make up for this, the company made an innovative design on the hinge that holds the lid. The hinge is spring-loaded to assist you with the weight as well as to prevent slamming it hard.

It is called the AirLift Hinge, which is a small mechanism at the back of the grill, and it removes virtually 95% of the lid’s weight.

This means that a mere six-year-old can open the grill with ease and safety. Unlike regular springs, the AirLift Hinge is so strong that it holds the lid up.

So to fully close the lid, you will need to push it down. The AirLift Hinge makes the lid automatically open when not latched onto the grill’s body.

 

 

Wire Mesh Fiberglass Gasket

As if the AirLift Hinge is not enough, Kamado added a Wire Mesh Fiberglass Gasket to both the lid and the grill’s main body to protect it from cracking.

The Wire Mesh Fiberglass Gasket is a soft layer placed on the lid’s ring and the body. So even if you accidentally slam the lid, the mesh will absorb most of the blunt force protecting the ceramics.

Despite it being a mesh, this feature does not let the air out of the grill. If you smoke meat inside, all smoke will be in the meat without escaping through the lid.

We tested how well the wire mesh stands when it comes to holding the heat and smoke inside, and it did pretty well with no smokes coming out of it.

If you decide to buy one, you can do this test using the “Bill Test.” So you get any bill and then place it between the lid and the main body.

Close the lid and then try to pull the bill; if it easily slides off, the lid is not air-locked. But if it sticks in between after a hard pull, then you can be sure that the heat will not escape.

 

Vents

The Kamado Joe Classic 2 boasts two vents that help you in controlling the temperature inside the grill. One is the bottom vent: the intake and the upper vent, which is the exhaust.

The bottom vent is pretty innovative and is next to the temperature controller. The usual technique for cleaning the ash is using an ash tool.

The vent at the bottom of the Classic 2 also acts as an ash-removal system. So basically, it can suck air in a while, simultaneously catching ash from the firebox.

You can just pull it out if you need to clean it. Dump the ashes in the garbage can and then put it back in to catch more ashes and small charcoals.

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Kontrol Tower

This vent is the top vent that does most of the temperature control. It is a fully-protected vent that can adjust the grill’s temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit for each gear.

The gear is a predetermined bar where you can put the controller’s line on, and the temperature will slowly set to the desired temperature.

So if you want to go with a higher temperature, you open the vent more and vice versa if you want to go lower. This vent also has a secondary function that is very beneficial.

The Kontrol Tower also serves as a rain cap. The slight slope on the top of the vent protects the interior from getting water inside it.

This way, you get to cook in the grill during sunny days, and when it suddenly rains, you do not have to scramble to put it inside as it is protected and, therefore, will retain the temperature.

 

The Firebox

For most Kamado Grills, you will see a firebox that sits inside the grill.

While most fireboxes have single ceramic, the Kamado Joe Classic 2 has an Advanced Multi-Panel firebox that brings more strength and durability.

You see, a single-panel firebox is prone to cracking or, worse, complete breakage. This is due to the dramatic temperature changes that it undergoes.

The ceramics used in most fireboxes contract and expand due to heat or cold. So this expansion brings damage to the firebox.

The Kamado Joe Classic 2 has a multi-panel firebox that can separate it into several parts.

The big enough space between each part allows the ceramics to freely contract and expand to not crack or break.

 

 

Performance

So with all these amazing features, how well does the Kamado Joe Classic 2 perform? To give you a short answer, it does pretty amazingly.

The thick ceramics used to build the grill does perfectly well in retaining heat. So even if you open the grill for flipping the meat inside, the temperature is hardly interrupted.

The control vents also do a great job of keeping the temperature on track. By adjusting the opening of both the top and bottom vent, you get to control the temperature.

The vents control how much air gets in the grill, so it also controls the temperature. The bottom vent, when opened, can adjust the temperature by hundreds of degrees.

While the top vent is for a smaller scale of controlling the temperature, the grill’s heat-retaining capability also allows it to use as few charcoals as possible while cooking well all the same.

So if you work with smoking meat, then you can set the firebox with a full load of charcoal, run it in low temperatures, and that one load can last up to four or more hours.

 

Cooking Space

For a relatively small grill, the Kamado Joe Classic 2 has a big enough space for cooking, thanks to the amazing innovative design put on the racks.

Kamado Joe Grills have a Divide and Conquer cooking system. This is a multi-layered track that you can modify into half-moons for flexibility in cooking.

The Classic 2 has a double rack where you can put and sear steaks at the bottom rack while letting other recipes that require less contact with fire on the top rack.

This grill also has a heat deflector which is perfect for smoking. The heat deflector prevents direct fire from burning the food.

It blocks the flame and then produces a lot of heat, while also optimizing the smoke that comes out of the firebox to smoke the food.

Kamado Joe Classic 1 Vs Classic 2 Vs 3

There are also updated with this grill and you can see the complete Kamado Joe classic 1 vs 2 vs 3 comparison review in my other posts. This short review and comparison will give you a gist of that.

My favorite upgrade in the Kamado Joe 2 is the Kontrol Tower top vent which protects the grill from moisture. You cannot see that much differnce on the structure when you compare the Kamado Joe 1vs 2.

There is also a slight difference in the weight of the Kamado Joe 1 vs the classic 2 but that hardly matters with the hinged lid.

If you want to know more about the weight, features, size, and some tips on the Kamado Joe 1 vs classic 2, check out my review of each.

 

Conclusion

Kamado Joe has produced and is continuing to produce many amazing grills that bring versatility and cooking power together to make our lives easier.

The Kamado Joe Classic 2 has all the features that you are going to need. It is safe to use so beginners can cook recipes that are near perfect and like a pro so it is totally worth it.

It is pretty heavy, so you will need someone to help you move it around. However, you will not need to do that constantly as it can withstand any weather conditions.

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The cooking space is big enough and flexible. You can cook multiple recipes at a time with the multiple racks included in the Classic 2 and the half-moon feature.

It truly is a piece of amazing cookware that you can use when you and your family want some steak as well as a barbecue and other recipes.

If you buy the Kamado Joe Classic 2, you will also get a one-year warranty on the parts that need replacement.

Needless to say, if you take care of it, then it will last a lifetime, and the warranty would be pretty useless, or you would hardly think about it because of the amazing results that you get from the grill.

You can also refer to the guide included in the grill if you want to know more about some tips on cooking your barbecue, or tips on how to turn the grill into a smoker, and more.

So if you want to make more food for your friends and family, consider getting the Kamado Joe Classic 2 and see how amazing it goes in person!

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