Coal & Char

Kamado Joe Jr Review

The cheapest way to own genuine thick-walled ceramic with a lifetime shell warranty — provided you accept that this is a cooker for one or two people.

By Stephen V.Last updated How we pick

Every budget kamado on this site is insulated steel, for the obvious reason that ceramic costs money. The Joe Jr is the exception: actual thick-walled ceramic, from a maker that warranties its shells for life, at a price a budget buyer can reach. Kamado Joe achieves that by making it small — 13.5 inches — and that single number is the whole review.

What you get for the money is the real thing, including the heat deflectors that most budget kamados charge extra for. What you give up is capacity, in a way that is not negotiable. This page is about deciding whether that trade works for the way you cook.

How this is funded:we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which grill we recommend, and we’ll tell you when we’d skip one. Full disclosure.

#1Best real ceramic on a budget

Kamado Joe Joe Jr 13.5" Ceramic Grill (KJ13RH)

Genuine thick-walled ceramic, at the only size a budget buyer can reach it. You get the real thing — the heat retention, the moisture, the lifetime ceramic warranty — in a 13.5-inch shell that comes with the heat deflectors most budget kamados charge extra for. The catch is size: this is a two-person cooker, and Kamado Joe doesn't publish a square-inch figure on this listing.

What’s good

  • Actual thick-walled ceramic, not insulated steel — lifetime ceramic warranty
  • Heat deflectors, ash tool, cast-iron stand and 304 stainless grate included
  • Cast-iron top vent gives fine temperature control at low settings
  • Built-in temperature gauge; five years on the metal parts

Trade-offs

  • 13.5 inches is a two-person grill — no packer briskets here
  • 75 lb of ceramic: portable in name, awkward in practice
  • Kamado Joe states no cooking-area figure on this listing
TypeCharcoal (ceramic kamado)
Cooking areaNot published
Primary materialThick-walled ceramic
Ease for beginnersModerate

Specs read from the product listing, on August 11, 2026. “Not published” means the maker doesn’t state that figure there.

Why ceramic is different from insulated steel

Both work by slowing heat on its way out of the cooker. Ceramic does it with sheer mass: thick walls that absorb an enormous amount of energy, hold it, and give it back slowly. Insulated steel does it with a barrier layer between two thin shells.

The practical differences show up at the extremes of a cook:

  • Very long holds.Ceramic’s mass makes a 12-hour overnight cook genuinely uneventful. Insulated steel does it, but with more drift.
  • Lid-open recovery. Open a ceramic kamado and the walls themselves start pushing heat back into the chamber the moment you close it. A steel body has less stored energy to give back.
  • Moisture. Ceramic is famous for producing noticeably moister results on long cooks. The commonly given explanation is that the dense, well-sealed chamber loses much less humidity than a leakier steel body.
  • Lifespan. Ceramic does not rust and does not dent. Kamado Joe warranties the ceramic for life and states five years on the metal parts. Steel bodies get a year, typically.

And the trade in the other direction: 75 pounds of ceramic in a 13.5-inch cooker is heavy for its size, and ceramic cracks where steel dents. Dropping a lid is an expensive event.

The 13.5-inch problem, honestly

Kamado Joe does not state a cooking-area figure on this listing, so we won’t invent one. What we can say from the stated 13.5-inch diameter is what it practically holds: two good-sized steaks, a spatchcocked chicken, four burgers, a rack of ribs cut in half, or a small pork shoulder.

That is a cooker for one or two people, or for a couple who occasionally feed one guest. It is not a family grill and it is emphatically not a party grill. If you have four people to feed on a Saturday, this is the wrong purchase and the full-size Char-Griller Akorn — 445 square inches over a 20-inch diameter — is the right one, even though it is insulated steel rather than ceramic.

The other honest caveat is portability. Kamado Joe markets the Jr as portable and it does come with a cast-iron stand. At 75 pounds it is portable the way a small engine is portable: two people and a car boot, not a walk to the beach.

What’s in the box matters more than usual

This is the strongest part of the value case, and it is easy to miss when comparing prices. The Joe Jr ships with:

  • Heat deflectors. The thing you need for indirect cooking and low-and-slow. On most budget kamados this is a separate purchase, so a like-for-like price comparison is closer than the sticker suggests.
  • A 304 stainless cooking grate. Better corrosion resistance than a plated grate at this size.
  • A cast-iron stand and an ash tool.
  • A cast-iron top vent.This one is a genuine functional advantage — the fine adjustment at very low settings is what makes holding 225°F on a small cooker practical, and cast iron doesn’t warp or seize the way thin sheet vents can.
  • A built-in temperature gauge.Useful as a trend indicator. Do not cook to it — a dome gauge reads air at the top of the chamber, typically well away from grate temperature. USDA guidance is explicit that a food thermometer is the only reliable measure of doneness. Our thermometer picks cover both leave-in and instant-read.

Cooking on it

The rules are the standard kamado rules, only more so, because a small ceramic body is even less inclined to change its mind than a big one.

Creep up on the temperature.Set your vents for the target while the fire is small and let the cooker climb into place. If you open everything up and overshoot 250°F on the way to 400°F, you will wait a long time to come back down — there is no quick way to cool 75 pounds of hot ceramic.

Small charcoal loads. The firebox is small and the efficiency is high. Resist the instinct to fill it; you will be surprised how little fuel a several-hour cook takes.

Lump only. Briquettes leave far more ash, and in a firebox this size ash accumulation will choke your airflow partway through a cook. See best lump charcoal and lump vs briquettes.

Shut it down rather than letting it burn out. Close both vents and the remaining lump is reusable. Full technique in how to use a kamado grill.

Who should buy it

Buy the Joe Jr if you cook for one or two, if you want the ceramic experience without the four-figure entry price, and if a lifetime shell warranty appeals to you more than extra grate space. On a balcony or a small patio, it is the most capable cooker per square foot on this site.

Do not buy it as a family grill. Do not buy it if you want to smoke a packer brisket. And do not buy it expecting to carry it anywhere on your own.

The comparison worth making before you commit is ceramic versus insulated steel at similar money — more cooking area for less warranty, or less cooking area for a lifetime shell. We rank them together in kamados under $500, and the broader “should I buy a kamado at all” question is answered in are kamado grills worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Kamado Joe Jr worth it?

For one or two people, yes — it's the cheapest route to genuine thick-walled ceramic with a lifetime shell warranty, and it includes the heat deflectors that most budget kamados sell separately. For a family it isn't: 13.5 inches is a two-person cooking surface, and a full-size insulated-steel kamado gives you far more room for similar money.

How many people does a Kamado Joe Jr feed?

One or two comfortably, three at a push. Kamado Joe doesn't state a square-inch figure on this listing, but a 13.5-inch diameter holds roughly two large steaks, four burgers, a spatchcocked chicken or a small pork shoulder. If you regularly cook for four or more, you want a full-size cooker.

Is ceramic better than insulated steel for a kamado?

For very long cooks, yes. Ceramic's mass holds a 12-hour overnight temperature more steadily, recovers faster when you open the lid, and comes with a lifetime shell warranty rather than a one-year one. For cooks under about eight hours the practical gap is small, and insulated steel gives you far more cooking area per dollar and half the weight.

Is the Kamado Joe Jr actually portable?

In the sense that it has no legs and comes with a stand, yes. At 75 pounds it is not a one-person carry, and ceramic does not enjoy being knocked about in a car boot. Treat it as a cooker that can be moved when it needs to be, rather than a camping grill — for that, a lightweight portable charcoal grill is the right tool.

What charcoal should I use in a Kamado Joe Jr?

Hardwood lump, not briquettes. Lump burns cleaner and leaves far less ash, which matters a lot in a small, deep firebox where accumulated ash will choke the airflow partway through a long cook. Load less than you think you need — an efficient ceramic cooker gets through remarkably little fuel.

Can you smoke on a Kamado Joe Jr?

Yes. The included heat deflectors let you cook indirect, and the cast-iron top vent gives fine enough adjustment to hold the 225-275°F range USDA recommends for smoking. Capacity is the limit rather than capability — a small pork shoulder or a half rack of ribs fits, a whole packer brisket does not.

Sources

  • USDA FSIS — Smoking Meat and Poultry — USDA guidance to keep a smoker between 225°F and 300°F, use two thermometers (food + pit), and refrigerate within 2 hours (accessed July 21, 2026)
  • USDA FSIS — Food Thermometers — USDA on why a food thermometer is the only reliable way to know food has reached a safe temperature, and how to place the probe (accessed July 21, 2026)
  • USDA FSIS — Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart — USDA safe minimum internal temperatures: 145°F for beef/pork/lamb steaks, chops and roasts (with a 3-minute rest), 160°F for ground meats, 165°F for all poultry (accessed July 21, 2026)

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