Kamado Joe Classic Joe I vs Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker
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Quick take: The Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker costs $75 less; the Kamado Joe Classic Joe I offers more cooking space (250 vs 154 sq in).
| Spec | Kamado Joe Classic Joe I | Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$1,000 | ~$925 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Kamado | Kamado |
| Cooking Area | 250 sq in | 154 sq in |
| Max Temp | 750°F | — |
| Fuel Type | Charcoal | Charcoal |
| Build Material | Ceramic | Cast Iron |
| Hopper Capacity | — | — |
| Burners | — | — |
| WiFi / App | No | No |
| App control | No | No |
| Meat probe | No | No |
| PID controller | No | No |
| Side burner | No | No |
| Rotisserie | No | No |
| Searing | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 47.6 x 46.2 in | — |
| Weight | 228 lbs | 123 lbs |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime warranty | Limited lifetime |
Pros & cons
Kamado Joe Classic Joe I
- ✓$1,000 including the cart and folding side shelves, which Big Green Egg charges separately for
- ✓Two-tier Divide & Conquer rack ships standard, so two-zone cooking works out of the box
- ✓Slide-out ash drawer is faster and cleaner than scooping a ceramic base
- ✓Same limited lifetime warranty and 225-750°F range as the Series III above it
- ✓Stainless steel grates and a built-in dome thermometer at the entry price
- ✗Cast-iron daisy-wheel top vent is harder to set repeatably than the Series II Kontrol Tower and can seize when wet
- ✗No Air Lift hinge, so the full weight of the ceramic dome is on the wrist every time it opens
- ✗No SloRoller smoke chamber — that is a Series III and Konnected Joe feature
- ✗228 lbs on locking casters moves on a flat patio and nowhere else
- ✗Only 250 sq in for a grill this heavy and this wide once the shelves are out
Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker
- ✓$925 puts it against a $850 Big Green Egg MiniMax and a $430 Joe Jr. with a build that cannot crack
- ✓Two-tier cast iron grates at this size, where competitors ship one thin stainless grate
- ✓123 lbs is heavy for 14 inches, which is exactly why it holds temperature like a much larger kamado
- ✓Same limited lifetime warranty and same US foundry as the big cooker — nothing is downgraded for the small model
- ✓Sold direct at a published price, unusual in the small-kamado market
- ✗154 sq in is genuinely small — a chicken and not much else
- ✗123 lbs means it is not portable despite the size, unlike a 76 lb Big Green Egg MiniMax that has a carrier
- ✗$925 for 154 sq in is the highest price per square inch of any kamado in this batch
- ✗No published temperature range, dimensions or review base
- ✗Cast iron surface-rusts where the coating chips, and salt air is unkind to it