Brisket Showdown | Kamado Joe Big Joe vs Traeger Timberline XL

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Save 10% on the Beginner Bundle from Spike Brewing with coupon code EMV10 at emv4.me/spike - and drink while you cook like me! In case you haven’t seen them - the 2 videos that made this one possible are: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHy1iHSMgJWImq8 and kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3aufqmdqZiYg7M - watch them next if you haven’t already!

[@BigWood76]

Bbq and brew what a great day! I’ve had to miss the other brew videos, that Spike system looks to work a treat. thanks for the video Al.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks man. It really is a great combination. But can you imagine having to wait 3-5 weeks to taste a brisket? That IPA is still a week away from drinkable and it’s calling my name!

[@davecarlson6836]

Great work guys! I thought the KJ would win due to the real wood for smoke and flavor. I'm glad that the Traeger won because I have a Traeger. Thanks for your hard work putting these videos together!!

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

I was with you Dave - but airflow beats wood evidently. Appreciate your support!

[@jeffficht2230]

I did several cooks with my Yoder pellet vs my kamado. My pelllet won every time for my family tastes. Both are great. But now let’s see stick vs pellet. My Yoder stick wins hands down every time.

[@awesomekitesession9734]

it is just so easy witrh the pellet grill just set it and forget it.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

I can’t imagine the Yoder Durango won’t totally own it. But heck this one surprised me so who knows!

[@Lbaez85]

I have a Traeger XL and use the goldees method last few brisket. No need for a water pan on a pellet grill. Also, I never spritz my brisket just placed on 225 SS for a few hours over an aluminum pan. Then before bedtime i turn off SS and leave it at 225. In the AM i crank it up to 275 till probed tender. Wrapped in tallow for a few hours rest. I believe the rest is enough for the brisket to act like a sponge and reabsorb the juices so it wont have much dry spots. Next time no water pan, no spritz possibly cook on top rack or place it on top of an aluminum pan with a rack on top. If you contact me i can send you my end results how nice it looked and taste phenomenal.

[@VWAlexo]

Hey great video guys! I think that cooking it on the top rack like Matt from Meat Church does prevent the bottom of the brisket getting dry/overcooked on pellet smokers. I wonder if cooking it on the bottom vs top rack makes a huge difference, but for sure it makes it a bit safer for overcooking. Keep the great content coming! Alex from Montreal 🇨🇦

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks Alex! Next one is definitely going on the 2nd or 3rd rack with a water pan below!

[@Dranomoly]

Put the pellet brisket on the second shelf and a large water pan underneath, when you bump temps, bump all the way to 300 to help render the fat cap, wrap pull and hold when the brisket hits 195. Another great video, I like that you aren't married to any one style.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks - 2nd shelf and water pan are definitely in my future. You sure about that 300°? That seems a little hot but who knows maybe it's a game changer!

[@ashcosmo3854]

@@BehindTheFoodTV 100% do a water pan blind test video ! Adding a water pan to my pellet grill makes a world of difference.. just not too close to the probe or chimney

[@TechTails]

Water pan....what you trying to do...steam your brisket?

[@ashcosmo3854]

@TechTails Water pan = juicer meat. Smoking sucks all the humidity out of the champer resulting in it being drier.

[@allheronocape8372]

​@@TechTailseveryone uses a water pan in a pellet grill for briskets.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Cool experiment Al

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks, James. Sorry Team Red wasn't victorious this time!

[@MP-po4fp]

I bet James can make a better brisket on the KJ then the traeger

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

@@MP-po4fp only if we let my daughter decide the winner!

[@grimreeper70]

What kind of warmer do you have. Is it like a cvap that has the moisture setting.

[@pacman_17]

James has done a lot of brisket experiments in the Kamado. He says the Kamado struggles with bark because it's too efficient and lacks the higher airflow of offset smokers. But still an entertaining video.

[@CoolJay77]

True, but he also runs it at a higher temperature in order to increase the flow of convection heat.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@CoolJay77truth

[@k1llerdir]

I get a nice bark on big joe series 3 by double indirect and not using the water pan I will how every use a water pan to catch the grease. Also I put 2 12" splits of oak under my charcoal and 4 good sized pecan chunks mixed in charcoal. Right be for I put my deflectors down I put good mesquite chunk. and every 1.5 hours check and lite spray if looks dry and only the dry looking spots.I like run mine at 225F the whole time.

[@wfodavid]

Enjoyed the heck out of this. Both looked so good. You're like fine wine......getting better all the time.....

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Some would say a cheap box of wine……lol! Thanks for the kind words David!

[@randyshifter]

cool results, so now i guess i need to cook on a pellet grill. never tried one. ill never tell anyone i used one tho..ha..ha..

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

LOL I'll never tell Randy! But wait until I do the Traeger vs Offset battle - you might be better off drinking beer and adding splits if you can find the time!

[@Mr.Schweetness]

Favorite pellets are B&B competition blend. great flavor, burns well and is a fantastic price. I also really like lumberjack, but it is hard to get them in my area.

[@michaelnance5236]

I whole heatedly agree on the B&B Competition blend.

[@thomascampbell9880]

Why fat side up on two smokers supplying heat from the bottom? Fat side up on my Traeger is never better than the fat down.

[@dylanconrad6930]

Just had my very first Traeger, close to a decade old, die on me and the replacement part costs more than the grill is worth. I think I’m done with pellet grills. I’ll just get a charcoal and temp controller this next go around

[@Keith80027]

Power to the Death Star! That sure surprised me too. That super smoke is key to what is making the Traeger work. Love your beer making part too. Would love to make beer again, but I am on a carnivore diet now and must resist.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Is Nick paying you for all this trash talk? LOL. Hey question - I'm keto not carnivore - but I'm thinking about trying to come up with a low-carb beer option to make on the show. Would you try that? Or are you 100% meat?

[@Keith80027]

I am 100% meat because I lose weight and after living in a hotel and eating out a lot for 2.3 years, I got to lose 30 pounds. I would like to see a low-carb beer. I love dark favor beers and drink on once in a blue moon. Nick you need to pay up now. Love you guys and your presentation of BBQ and other cooks along with Beer! I guess you were finishing off the Stout.@@BehindTheFoodTV

[@brian2359]

Pretty impressive results for both grills!!

[@TheAleShire]

Just skip the Traeger. I had a Traeger Timberline and it was a lemon. I cleaned it after every cook, taking good care of it because I spent so much on it. Despite my efforts, it was a fire hazard from day one, not to mention all the other things that broke. I worked with the company for a few months until they said they couldn’t do any more because I was stationed in Japan. They promised to replace the grill once I got stateside. When I did, they told me to get bent.

[@imamurfe]

@@TheAleShire similar experience here. $2k timberline. Cleaned after almost every cook. Fires galore, primarily because the grease trap system sucks. Traeger would not help at all because their system registered a fire had occurred, which meant my warranty was void. Crap company. Never buying again.

[@ButtSpitter]

@@imamurfe yeah… you’d think if you buy the flagship model it would have been tested for quality assurance issues or they would hook you up on the back end. My experience was not only a set back with money, but wasted a lot of time. I still haven’t chosen a replacement. I got rid of the paperweight.

[@StevenSherwin-op5lf]

Liked my Traeger but it was not reliable. The auger gets clogged way too often and, if you're doing an overnight cook, you end up throwing away all the meat that sat all night in a stalled grill. I gave my Traeger away and only use my Kamado Joe now. Will never have that issue with a kamado.

[@KarnivoreKaren]

I'm going to look at a 2nd hand traeger. Several yo but will smoke 6x more than my LG BGE. Only $200. We'll see

[@coolkat6728]

That’s wierd. I have used my Traeger a ton over the past 4 years and I have never had the auger clog once.

[@ashcosmo3854]

Sounds like user error to me. You're supposed to dump the pellets and clear the auger.

[@hcam8260]

Great work! Excited to see the second shelf and water pan experiment on Treager.

[@StitchJones]

Both looks amazing, I lean towards the Kamado more. What a solid unit that utilizes heat and insulation. That Traeger is pretty darn impressive as well.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks, Stich. I was expecting the KJ to win too - but I think the airflow of the Traeger just makes a better bark. I'm looking forward to putting it up against the stick burner!

[@StitchJones]

@@BehindTheFoodTV I'm looking forward to seeing that side by side.

[@petethehandyman9185]

Pellet grills are where it’s at!

[@flaviomejia]

Both of those looked bomb. I’m a huge fan of the knotty wood pellets (plum, almond, plum/almond, plum Cabernet , almond Cabernet). All are bomb.

[@lancedean5987]

Hope your Hazy IPA comes out fantastic, I love a good hazy!

[@smokingtarheel3003]

I'm amazed at the results. Traeger for the win. I think I'm going to pick up some of that Goldee's rub!

[@paulsilao4712]

Thanks for the video, I was on the fence with both these grill options. I’ve wanted a KJ for years now, but I think with the ease that the traeger provides I’ll have to pull the trigger on it.

[@Todd.T]

I love my offset and have used a vertical bullet tuntil I wore a hole in it as well. It's so windy right now there are garbage cans blowing down the street and it's raining, borderline snow. I'm watching my cook on my Traeger app without a care in the world. If you look at all the OG BBQ shows from back in the day, it's seems only the folks with most expensive rigs didn't have a Traeger in the background. Of course they didn't want to show you that part. Watch some of the Original BBQ Pitmasters and look in the background. When the wind is low it's offset time. If I don't want to lord over it, charcoal basket in the offset.

[@jonslyh2742]

I don’t use the traeger pellets anymore since I switched to bear mountain. They have a lot better flavor and are way cheaper than the overpriced ones. Any link to your bbq warmer?

[@BeerforBreakfastFactsforSnacks]

New subscriber here. From BRANTFORD Ontario. I subscribed because I'm a huge BBQ guy. And then you talked about making an IPA. Dam. Your channel just got 1000% better since I review beer's. Cheers

[@BobBobSquared]

Love your work. I’m looking for a food warmer. Can you provide info or a link for it. Thank you.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks, Bob! I tried a few different warmers, and the one I settled on that provides the most consistent and stable temperatures is this one: amzn.to/3U6ImNq - enjoy!

[@CoolJay77]

Great work. This is the the first time that I see a pellet grill brisket takes the edge over a kamado. The hair going black? LOL

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

lol I was as surprised as you! And BTW go back and look at my community feed - the hair was decided long before this! First video without the red hair comes out 4/19!

[@joeidaho5938]

The problem I have with Traeger is the succeptibility to grease fires. Not my idea of a good time at all.....and not everyone is going to be perfect in keeping their grill clean. I lean towards the Kamado.....because it's just a beast, well built..and the only real issue is to manage temps properly. The pellet grill is more of a lazy man's option....but that is very tempered because of the succeptibility to fires.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

@joeidaho5938 honestly Joe it’s no more susceptible to fires than offsets or your home oven if you don’t use drip plans and clean your gear. You don’t have to be perfect to avoid a grease fire but you can’t be negligent either.

[@joeidaho5938]

@@BehindTheFoodTV I'm just hesitant because I read way too much about grease fires with Traegers. One of the key differences is that pellet grills are sold as units you can walk away from while they cook for long periods...and that is where the danger comes in. The presence of the electronic components....is the difference between the damage that happens in a Traeger fire...versus one in a kamado...or just a regular propane bbq used for slow cooking.

[@AndreaShink]

this was fun to watch and I took notes on how to implement on my KJ. didnt notice you saying you dry-brined overnight or not?? and does the warm water really make a difference? I forgot where I put the rub recipe, but ... turmeric ruins nail color... bummer!

[@jacobhogue1312]

Last year I was sold on getting a campchef woodwind pro, but now that I’m about to buy I’m leaning towards the ironwood XL seeing how everyone is raving over it. What would be your opinion on what’s the best cooking and smoking pellet grill???

[@robbsps5games149]

Ain't no saw dust pellet smoker beating a kamado . Or any offset for that matter . They're built for convenience only IMO .

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Well I haven’t put it against an offset yet (coming soon) but it seems that at least one saw dust pellet smoker has better airflow than a Kamado.

[@reltius2993]

I'd really like to see a comparison between an authentic offset style brisket, and a gravity fed smoker.

[@BenFeldman-kz7gt]

Al, Great test! I think the Traeger is designed to have better airflow than a ceramic cooker. You may be biased by the red color. Paint your Traeger red!😂 So now are you going to test it against your offset? Keep up the great content!👍

[@KarnivoreKaren]

😂😂😂paint it red ♥️

[@CoolJay77]

LOL. Oh wait. You have put the cart before the horse. If the offset wins, Al has to paint the offset red.

[@michaelnance5236]

Good video. I've been putting out amazing briskets (with central TX BBQ being my standard) for some time on my old Camp Chef Woodwind wifi and am glad that the pellet cookers are getting their due respect. The Traeger is a very impressive pellet cooker BUT, can it compete with your Woodwind Pro using the smoke box? Future video?

[@pizzapaul94]

Talk about literally eating your words. Glad to see a pellet smoker can still produce great results. Now we just need a comparison with it and an offset.

[@williamwilson2624]

Nice comparison omparison. They both looked like great briskets.

[@KarnivoreKaren]

OK..point made. I'm not turning in my Daddys BGE, but im looking to get a 2nd hand Traeger. (P.S. I need to come out and show you how easy it is to make AWESOME meads. Better flavor, better ABV, more flavor profiles 😊) Who's filming if Nick is in front of the camera ⁉️

[@invisiblekid99]

Never had a brisket better than a pellet? Oh dear.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

I have some theories as to why that was true (not sure if you watched that video) - but we'll be filming another one where we use the same techniques on the offset and the pellet head to head - and my theory is that it's the technique that made it so good, but that with the technique the offset will be better. But we'll see!

[@markfowler5577]

Hmmm, Death Star occupying prime KJ spot. Personally this whole pellet thing is blowing my mind! Purist vs convenient technological advances...I need some grilling counseling.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

It’s crazy right? I mean we will see what happens when we put it up against Boba - I don’t think it will win that battle. But heck I didn’t think it could win this one!

[@Two_Bit_Smoke]

Since you love experiments so much, I would suggest that you do a video for a novice Kamado user and show them how difficult it is to add charcoal if you don’t put enough charcoal for a long low & slow cook in the KJ, but with a live cook! If you do a video like that, the first video on my channel will be similar, but on a BGE. Are you game?

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

lol you would be the only one to watch that. But if you want to do it on a KJ and a BGE come on over I’ve got both in the backyard and you can add the Primo too

[@Two_Bit_Smoke]

@@BehindTheFoodTV, hahaha! I bet a lot of people would watch it.

[@jasonpettis4691]

Pellets are just tiny logs right?

[@tealnexttimebond8859]

I really dig ur bar b que vids. But I would venture to say most of us don’t have a warmer. What if we don’t ? Use a yeti ? Idk

[@__Chey__]

I have both and KJ is way more smoked and win every day. But I have the Ironwood 885, not the timber

[@Nelson_Win]

The sayings were true, "we are our own critics".

[@chef6782]

Lets do this.The power goes out guess who is cooking.Not chem pellet grill.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Yeah if that’s your primary factor in choosing a grill - you should definitely not get a pellet grill. Does the power go out at your house often?

[@samcook9542]

Comong back to ask if you ever nailed the formula gor the brisket rub lol

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

I hate to admit it but I'm still buying theirs! But......Smoking Dad BBQ says he's reverse engineered the best of this, Black's and others and he put the recipe on his website. Check it out!

[@praetorxyn]

I don't think starting a kamado at 225 is a good idea, as they're so efficient it's no wonder you didn't get good bark that way. With a kamado it's better to cook at 250 or 275 the whole way I'd say. If you want a better kamado cooker, Komodo Kamado is the best there is, but those are not cheap. A 32" Big Bad or 42" Serious Big Bad will supposedly make some of the best barbecue you've ever had in your life. Other kamados are not in the same league in terms of construction, plus they have a cold smoking machine that you can connect to it for a ton more smoke flavor etc., and the coconut and coffee flavored charcoal they sell are supposed to be amazing stuff. Those are basically my dream pits.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

With you on avoiding 225 in kamados … team hotter and faster here

[@praetorxyn]

@@SmokingDadBBQ You’re where I learned that notion from lmao.

[@Smokabis]

Shouldn't have used the same method. Two very different smokers that run very differently. What works best on the Treager is no what works best on the KJ.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

How would you have done the KJ brisket differently?

[@tealnexttimebond8859]

This is funny one.

[@awesomekitesession9734]

you should try the kamado from the dutch brand basterd the VX

[@danb2837]

Using that water pan in the Kamado ruined the bark. They are unnecessary in a kamado.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Quite a few of us have tested your theory - and actually they do make a positive difference in a kamado.

[@rampagebbq]

Can I send you a bag of Manchester pellets ??

[@tr3prom]

Why is the guy who lost to James representing kamado Joe... Plus that looks like a big Joe 2 not a big joe 3...

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

I know, right? That guy doesn't even know how to cook! Why do we even watch him?