Kamado grills are a great choice but let’s see how grills Kamado Joe Classic 2 vs Kamado Joe Classic 3 compare with each other and how they perform.
Kamado cooking is a cooking style that has been around for thousands of years.
It originated from China and is now known around the globe.
It is based on the classic clay-cooking technique and both of these grills, based on that ancient way of cooking using more modern materials and innovations.
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In this day and age, more and more people want to cook with results that match or even better the cooking styles of restaurants, and now it is possible to do that with the help of modern grills.
Both of these Kamado grills effortlessly manage any temperature needed for cooking and are combined with ease of use so that anyone can cook with them.
Not much has improved with the Kamado Joe Classic 3 but it is still worth talking about since it does have a new innovative feature that only this grill can do.
Both grills can go up to temperatures that can cook various recipes and they both have the ability to infuse that smoky flavor to almost any food that everybody loves.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3 certainly kept dome features from the Kamado Joe Classic 2 but it also has some great additional functions.
If you are truly invested between the two and are having a tough time choosing, then it is only right that you take some considerations before buying grills that cost thousands of dollars.
So with this post, we will try and help you on how to choose between the two by discussing every important detail that you need to know about these two amazing grills.
Table of Contents
Setting up the Kamado Joe Classic 2 and 3
Since these two grills are pretty much the same, setting them up before cooking is also similar.
The main challenge that you will have to face is the weight of the grills.
By the time the order arrives, make sure that they drop the grill off on an area near the place where the grill will be set up or you will have a tough time moving it long distances.
To make the job tricky, the grills cannot be lifted via the handles nor the band that is wrapped around in the middle of the grills.
The only way to make the set up a little bit easier is to remove the heavier parts and move the individual pieces to the place where the grills will be assembled.
The ceramic pieces of the grill can be a little bit tricky to assemble as well so you will need the help of more than two hands.
However, even if you have taken out most of the detachable parts, the grill itself would still be pretty heavy with a weight over a hundred pounds.
So as you can see, it is near impossible to move these grills alone.
What you will need is the stand with wheels for easier moving on flat surfaces and muscles in case you want to move it through a step or a slope.
Once you have placed the grill on the place of assembly, you can start putting back the individual pieces that you have initially removed. This will take around 20 minutes.
There is a stainless steel stabilizer for all of the ceramic parts so they do not get out of place.
All you need to do is to set up the ceramic parts first and then lock them in place with the steel ring.
Basics about the Kamado Grills
The main improvement of the two grills is the innovative lid that has been installed with a spring-loaded hinge to lift it up and down easily.
The lid of the grills is also loaded with ceramic insulation so lifting it without any help would be a little bit tougher than expected.
With the help of the spring-loaded hinges, you can easily lift the cover if you want to take a peek inside.
The lid will also not automatically close unless you push it down and lock it with the latch.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3 has its cover improved as well. It is now called an Airlift hinge that helps the lifting of the door.
It has a single spring that counterbalances the weight of the lid and reduces the weight by up to 96%! Making the lid as light as opening a regular grill cover.
Since the grills are coated with ceramics, you can be sure that the heat stays inside the oven even when the temperature outside is freezing.
These grills even have a ceramic coating on the charcoal feeder or firebox.
They are also very energy-efficient and a few loads of charcoal will last you for hours.
You can start the fire by lighting the charcoal from underneath and allow the airflow from the feeder to go up and burn the charcoal all the way to the top of the pile.
Just let it heat up for a few minutes and then you will be ready to go.
You can adjust the airflow via a vent on the top of the grills.
Now, let us get into deeper details about these grills since you already know how to set them up.
Powering the Kamado Grills
Usually, when a cook uses charcoal, it is to maintain heat for a long time but it does not necessarily mean that it is powerful.
However, with the help of the amazing insulation, heat-retaining capabilities, and innovative airflow of the Kamado grills, their maximum temperature can go up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
Powering the Kamado Grills starts off by removing the stainless steel grids and dropping a sufficient amount of charcoal into the firebox.
You can use at least two Kamado fire starter cubes to get the fire going.
Then after you have fired it up, make use of the vent on top of the grills to attain the best result and the fastest way to preheat the grill.
Using the vents is as simple as twisting them.
With every locking position of the vent, you can increase or decrease the temperature by up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the vent is fully open, the quicker and hotter the flames will get.
As for the fuel, the Kamado Grills are very efficient so they use up as less charcoal as it can.
Refilling the charcoal firebox is also easy.
You just need to take precautions by wearing gloves and then lift the rack out of the grill and then simply add the charcoal whenever the need.
There is no need to worry about doing this constantly since the grills use up only a few amounts of charcoal and you can cook whatever you want all the way with just one full load.
The advantage of the Kamado Joe Classic 3 comes in with the newest innovation. No other grill has this in the market as of now.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3 has the new SloRoller Hyperbolic Insert which is basically a smoke chamber that largely improves the airflow of the grill.
The SloRoller is shaped like a parabola to properly circulate the smoke inside the grill.
The inner chamber of the Kamado Joe Classic 3 is about 4 inches taller than the Classic 2, therefore, it needs more energy to create that smoky flavor.
However, the company did not settle for the efficiency and instead, installed the SloRoller to circulate and recirculate the smoke inside.
This makes the taste of any food cooked in the Classic 3 an amazing mix of the smoky flavor and the sensation of a wood-fired oven.
Basically, the SloRoller is a replacement of the heat deflector plates on the Kamado Joe Classic 2 and it really does a better job.
Kamado Joe Classic 2 vs Kamado Joe Classic 3(cooking space)
The Kamado Joe Classic 2 has a slightly smaller room to cook varieties of food compared to the Kamado Joe.
Actually, the cooking space is what really differentiates the two.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3 has an additional rack compared to the Classic 2.
The Divide & Conquer Flexible Cooking System of the Kamado Grills is a multi-level cooking rack where you can cook different recipes at a time.
The Kamado Joe Classic 2 has a double rack which allows it to cook two recipes at a time.
You can cook steak underneath while grilling vegetables on top.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3, on the other hand, has an improved 3-rack system which gives you more room for cooking more food.
With the 3 racks in the Classic 3, you can now have 6 half-moon split cooking racks to give you more room for more varying types of food.
Cooking inside the Classic 2 vs Kamado Joe Classic 3 GRILLS
These two grills are very great in retaining heat. They can get up to a very high temperature and keep that heat for a long time because of the thick ceramic insulation.
It is great if you leave the vents open when preheating but we figured that it is better if you leave just a little space for airflow rather than leaving the vents wide open.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3 is really great when it comes to cooking.
You will have a better smoky flavor on your food with the SloRoller working.
It basically slows down the smoke through a low-pressure chamber and then releases it slowly with a circular motion so some of the smoke comes back and gives more flavor to the food.
The Kamado Joe Classic 3 is a better oven when it comes to cooking.
Not only because of the SloRoller but also because of the 3-tier racks that allow you to cook a lot of food simultaneously.
Think of it like this. You are cooking more food with more variety while using almost the same amount of charcoal and the foods come out with more flavor.
You can fit up to four steaks in one rack while you grill lighter foods on the upper tiers of the divide & conquer cooking racks.
Both grills can also cook amazing ribs and slow-roasted recipes. When you leave the vent open, you release some of the heat from the grills.
This way, you can cook other recipes at a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking with this temperature gives a slower cooking time and more flavor gets in the food.
When roasting and smoking ribs in the grills, it takes about four hours for the 225-degree temperature to cook them until the meat comes right out of the bone when eating.
These two grills can cook amazing recipes in a short amount of time and they both use one of the fewest amounts of charcoal.
Which is the better Grill?
It is obvious that if you want a bigger room for cooking, the Kamado Joe Classic 3 is the choice for you. However, if you want to save space in your patio or backyard, then the Kamado Joe Classic 2 is perfect.
For a small family backyard party, the Kamado Joe Classic 2 will be enough.
Actually, it will be more than enough and it produces great food.
If you have a bigger gathering at your house, then the Kamado Joe Classic 3 will do the job for you.
You can impress your guests with the variety of food that you can cook and the flavor that the grill gives off.
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Having the advantage of a powerful grill is always better when it comes to cooking. Either way, these two grills can go at high temperatures as well as the low ones.
Versatility is great in cooking and so you do not have to change cooking materials and equipment for different foods.
The cleaning process of both grills is pretty easy as well.
You can just heat them up and crank them to their maximum temperatures and they have the ability to self-clean.
You can never go wrong if you choose either one of these two amazing grills. With temperatures reaching over 700 degrees, you can surely cook anything in them.
They also come with accessories that you can use so that you can cook more safely with them so check out the Kamado Joe Classics 2 and 3 and see which one fits you best!
Check out both the grills and let us know what you think in the comments below!
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