Kamado Joe BJ-HSSCGFV: stainless half moon for fish and veg, Big Joe 61 cm

The BJ-HSSCGFV is the stainless steel half moon that Kamado Joe sells for fish and vegetables on the Big Joe. The listing publishes 30.48 x 60.96 x 2.54 cm and 2.59 kg: exactly half of a 61 cm circle, the Big Joe's grate diameter. The manufacturer describes it as "double-thickness" stainless steel, laser-cut, with an "ultra-smooth" surface, for delicate fish and vegetables. Declared country of origin: China. It publishes neither sheet thickness nor slot size: the near-continuous surface, fine slots rather than bars, is visible in the photos, not stated in the text.

The idea is simple. On a barred grate, a sea bream fillet, a few asparagus spears or a handful of prawns either fall through or weld themselves to the bar. Here the surface is a near-continuous perforated plate: the fish skin rests on far more metal, the heat reaches it more evenly and a spatula slides underneath without dragging anything along. At 2.59 kg for half a grate, and with the "double-thickness" the maker claims, you can expect a plate with some body, not a thin mesh. It is the piece that [butterflied sea bream, dorada a la espalda](/recetas/dorada-a-la-espalda-kamado) and [roasted seasonal vegetables](/recetas/verduras-temporada-asadas-kamado) call for, two direct-heat recipes where the trouble is the piece, not the fire.

Fit: the listing declares compatibility with the Big Joe I, II and III and nothing else. By size and format it is one more piece for the Big Joe's tiered rack, though the listing does not name it, and the point is to combine: the standard grate or a Big Joe-sized cast iron half moon (the one in our catalogue is the Classic size) on one side for searing, this one on the other for delicate things, or set above a half moon deflector for indirect fish with direct vegetables alongside. That is what Kamado Joe calls [Divide & Conquer](/glosario#divide-and-conquer). At 61 cm across it will not go into a Classic or a Big Green Egg Large, whose grates measure 46 cm: it will not pass through the opening. On another brand's XL with a 61 cm grate it would sit on the existing grate, but without the tiered rack it loses much of its purpose; check your diameter before ordering.

The drawbacks are in the listing itself. It is dear for what it is: a fish basket such as the Weber 6471, at 46 x 28 cm, does a similar job for considerably less on the grate of a Large, where it is a tight fit, or of a Big Joe; here you pay for the exact fit and the thick plate. When checked, Amazon showed dispatch in one to four months and the piece could not be bought; look again before paying. Rating: 4.8 out of 5 from 28 reviews, good score, small sample. It publishes neither a maximum temperature nor a warranty. Two notes from physics, not from the listing: cold stainless grabs fish skin, so heat it with the lid closed and oil the fish, not the grate; and move it hot with barbecue gloves, because the listing describes no handles.

Verdict: the right piece for fish and vegetables on a Big Joe, with an exact fit and no equivalent in our catalogue, at a price that only makes sense if you will use it often.