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Kamado Joe Jr Wok
The Kamado Joe Jr has a 13-inch diameter opening that can accommodate grill grates for a flat-bottom wok or a 13-inch wok ring to hold a traditional round-bottom wok.
If you are pressed to choose between the two it is better to go with the wok ring and a round-bottom wok made from carbon steel.
This will reduce the impact of constantly moving the wok over the heat, while also intensifying the heat, and allowing you to use your Kamado Joe Jr. for more traditional stir fry recipes.
With a hot fire and adding ingredients in the right order, you can make a staggering array of new and classical stir fry dishes in a wok on a Kamado Joe Jr.
While some are fans of flat-bottom woks, they really are just tall frying pans when you take them to the grill grates of a Kamado Joe.
When you add a 13-inch diameter wok rig you concentrate the heat and create a cooking surface that is capable of supporting a traditional round bottom wok.
This also helps buffer the relationship between the constant motion of the wok and the somewhat fragile ceramic grill body of the Kamado Joe Jr.
Can You Use a Wok on a Kamado Joe?
You can use a wok on most Kamado Joe models with the right accessories.
On a Kamado Joe Jr, this typically calls for adding a 13-inch diameter wok ring to hold a round-bottom wok. If you have a larger grill Kamado Joe, you will need to get an accessory rack to support the base of the wok directly over the flame.
Does the Kamado Joe Jr Have an Ash Tray?
The Kamado Joe Jr. doesn’t have a pull-out ash catcher like the bigger models in the Kamado line.
Instead, to remove ash from the lower firebox, you open the damper all the way and use the scrape-out tool to pull the ash out.
If you aren’t meticulous about doing this every time it can leave stray bits of ash behind, which can later cause airflow and heating issues.
This can have a profound effect on the Kamado Joe Jr’s performance when you use it for making stir fry in a wok.
Kamado Wok Ring
A 13-inch wok ring on a Kamado Joe Jr serves multiple purposes, not the least of which is giving you the ability to safely use a 13-inch round-bottom wok.
Without it, a traditional round-bottom wok would fall over easily, limiting you to a less efficient flat-bottom wok.
A wok ring also helps concentrate the heat of the charcoal flame to reach the kind of high-heat caramelization that makes wok stir fry so tasty.
Another handy aspect of a wok ring is that it acts as a bit of a buffer between the wok and the lip of the firebox.
It can save you from accidentally damaging the Kamado Joe Jr. if you accidentally bang a round-bottom wok down too hard.
How Do You Cook Using a Kamado Joe Jr Wok?
You can cook with a flat bottom wok directly on the Kamado Joe Jr’s grill grates, or you can use a more traditional round-bottom wok on a 13-inch diameter wok ring.
While this might seem like a matter of semantics, the type of dishes you can make, the techniques you need to use, and even the cook time can vary.
With a flat bottom wok, you are basically using a large frying pan with steeply curved sides. You can even let it sit for a while to let it fry foods or even make potstickers.
With a traditional round-bottom wok and a wok ring, the food is constantly in motion.
This promotes even caramelization. It also means you have to be strategic about what foods you add to the stir-fry and at what times. You can use the following steps as a basic guideline.
Step One: Fire up your Kamado Joe for a hot flame with the lower damper wide open and the firebox loaded with jumbo lump charcoal.
Step Two: Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of oil with a medium-high smoke point to the wok and place over the fire.
Step Three: Pat your seasoned meat dry and add it to the wok when the oil starts to bubble or smoke a little.
Fry for 1 to 3 minutes, and then remove the meat to an aluminum foil pouch. This seasons the oil with the essence of the meat, and removing it ensures that the meat won’t be overcooked.
Step Four: Add your hard vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower, and continue moving the wok to ensure they are cooking evenly on all sides.
Step Five: As your hard vegetables first start to soften, add your soft vegetables like onions, celery, or pea pods, followed by aromatic herbs and seasonings.
Step Six: As your soft vegetables start to take color add delicate items like bean sprouts and leafy greens.
Step Seven: As the leafy greens start to wilt, add back your meat, and your sauce. You can also add rice or noodles at this stage.
Step Eight: Toss for 1 to 3 minutes and serve immediately.
What Can You Cook on a Wok in a Kamado Joe Jr?
A wok can be used on a Kamado Joe Jr to cook a staggering array of creative stir fry dishes and traditional Cantonese recipes.
This includes iconic dishes like beef & broccoli, sesame beef, sesame chicken, and kung pao chicken, just to make a few.
There are also a lot of northern Thai-inspired noodle dishes that pair perfectly with a wok heated over a Kamado Joe Jr.
Final Thoughts
The Kamado Joe Jr can accommodate a flat-bottom wok directly on the grill grates.
Though the addition of a 13-inch wok ring gives you the ability to use a traditional round-bottom wok for more authentic caramelized stir fry dishes.
Not only will the wok ring helps concentrate the heat of the charcoal flame, but it will reduce the impact of constantly moving the wok over the flame.
Making sure that all the ash is cleaned out of the lower firebox ensures that you will have a ripping hot fire that a wok needs to perform its magic.
You can then add ingredients in the right order, to produce a staggering array of new and classical stir fry dishes in a wok on a Kamado Joe Jr.
This includes things like dishes like beef & broccoli, sesame beef, sesame chicken, and kung pao chicken, as well as a lot of Northern Thai-inspired noodle-based stir fry recipes.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.