Kamado smokers are all angry. These wood-fired ceramic grills have a distinctive egg shape. Food cooked in them usually has a pleasant, smoky taste that is deliciously addictive. Other than base gas grills, Kamado cookers are also very flexible. They can reach pipe-warm temperatures to series and they can keep heat at low and slow levels for hours. That means you can use them to slice steakhouse-style steaks, with pizzas set on fire in minutes, smoke real grill and everything in between.
The Big Green Egg is the best known example of a traditional kamado grill and kamado smoker, but competing brands such as Kamado Joe, Vision, Char-Griller and Char-Broil run out of the category of grills that provide the benefits of kamado cooking . Should you try to add one to your arsenal and become a serious griller, I put the Big Green Egg and its four major grill rivals to the test over 200 hours to find the best kamado-style grill – here’s what I found.
Read more: Best gas grills of 2020: Weber, Char-Broil and others
Ribs, chicken, burgers: You name it, we cooked it.
Brian Bennett / CNET
More than 200 hours later filled with smoke, I cooked more than 20 pounds of ribs, six chicken and 10 pounds of burgers, along with a few steaks for good measure. After all, I can say with conviction which brands make the best kamado grill for my taste, and which ones you should avoid.
Here are my reviews and picks for the best kamado grill options of 2020, which I will update as I check out new products.
read more: Best gas grills of 2020
Chris Monroe / CNET
At $ 1700, the Kamado Joe Classic III may have a steep price, but it delivers enough for the money. That means a lot of kamado grill accessories that do not come standard with other grills, including the Big Green Egg Kamado. This kamado grill and smoker also does well. In our slow-and-low barbecue grill test, we adjust grills to 225 F (107 C) and let go of the controls to see what happens. In this experiment, the Kamado Joe Classic III demonstrated excellent temperature control.
The grill got a little hot (315 F) in the first 30 minutes, but then stuck to the 1-hour mark. From there, it bought at cruise control, and parked the needle between 253 F and 219 F for almost 3 hours. Only the Big Green Egg turned in a tighter temperature curve, spending hours in the smoking sweet spot.
One feature that really sets the Classic III apart is what the SloRoller is called. Paid as a “hyperbolic smoking room” by Kamado Joe, it’s an hour-long metal counterpoint that sits over the fire. The device functions as both a heat deflector and a convection aid. In essence, the radiant heat generated by the coals from striking food that sits above (on the grill grill) stops. This prevents the meat from drying out during long cooking times. According to Kamado Joe, it also stimulates air (smoke) circulation inside the cooking room.
In fact, there are a ton of extras bundled with the Classic III right in the box. This includes an extra set of ceramic heat deflectors (one for each half of the grill), a coal burner and an aluminum charcoal basket. You also get two half-aluminum grills and an ash removal tool, plus a three-level cooking rack that you can set up as needed for grilling.
In contrast, everything on the Big Green Egg except the stand costs extra. Keep in mind, you can also save a bit by opting for Kamado Joe’s Classic II. For $ 1,200, it is almost identical to the Classic III, but lacks the SloRoller accessory and has a different stand.
The construction of the Classic III feels very solid; I especially like the sturdy side shelves, ideal for grilling and smoking, also standard. All that makes this one of the best kamado grills, if you can afford it.
Chris Monroe / CNET
Big Green Egg, the company that started the kamado craze, still has a winner. Of all the kamado-style grill options in my test group, the Large BGE model had the best temperature performance and stability. Once tuned to a low and slow temperature of 225 F, the Egg ran fairly evenly. According to our temperature gauge, the Green Egg was maintained at this temperature range, with only small and similar fluctuations.
The Large Big Green Egg also felt the most responsive. If for some reason I had to make an adjustment to the air- or the upper than the air vents, I soon saw a change. I have typically noticed course corrections in as little as 6 or 7 minutes.
The food I baked in the Big Big Green Egg also came out pretty tasty. While my BGE test unit did not miss the extra high-deflector accessory, ribs of chicken and pork had convincing barbecue flavor. Although not as delicious as what I smoked in the Kamado Joe Classic III, food from the BGE arrived in half a second. Big Green Egg makes an accessory for heat deflector, called the ConvEGGtor, but it is an additional addition.
True to its name, the kamado grill and smoker from Big Big Green Egg is great, giving you plenty of space so you can grill, smoke and cook to your heart’s desire.
That’s why I recommend the Big Big Green Egg as one of the best kamado grills for almost everyone. You have to go through a local dealer, and, unlike the Kamado Joe Classic III, everything except the grandstand is extra. Finally though, the total cost of the Large Big Green Egg should be less than the fully stocked Classic III.
Char-Griller
The Char-Griller Akorn delivers true kamado performance at a rock-bottom price. It just costs $ 323, which is unlikely if you consider typical kamado grills will set you back $ 800 to $ 1,000. The cooking temperature and temperature control of Akorn are not as inherently stable as the more expensive kamados I have used. I think that’s because Akorn’s body is constructed of three-dimensional wall, as opposed to heavy ceramic. The grill fire was also harder to let out and keep light than the Big Green Eggs and Kamado Joe Classic IIIs.
When I let it burn through our low-and-slow test (adjusted to 225 F), the Akorn fire died out within 45 minutes. After relief, temperatures in the cooker shot up to 370 F in just 15 minutes. I also did not add any extra fuel but one paraffin fire starter. Thirty-five minutes later, heat levels inside the Akorn hit 405 degrees. Temperatures then plummeted, but remained hot, and did not drop below 387 F for the next 3 hours.
Things were very different when I watched the Akorn. With an initial temperature of 225 F or 350 F, it only took a few ventilation requirements adjusted for the airflow to put the grill back on track. And because it’s built of steel, not ceramic, the Akorn weighs less (100 pounds) than traditional kamado grill options (200 pounds or more).
The food I made with the Akorn was not bad either. Both slow-cooked ribs and chicken had a pleasant charcoal flavor. That said, they could not match what came out of the Kamado Joe grill thanks to the bundled smoke deflector smoke system. However, a price that overcomes this low weight overcomes many of the disadvantages, so the Char-Griller Akorn adds to a fantastic kamado bargain.
How we test kamado grills
Testing Kamado grills is an intense experience for a griller. It requires playing with fire (literally) and high temperatures, albeit in a controlled, responsible manner. The most critical element for kamado performance is heat, specific temperature control and how well a grill holds at one temperature. To smoke meat low and slow is that magic number 225 F. Good smokers, kamados or otherwise, will keep at this temp for as long as 12, 15 or 20 hours. This means that the temperature gauge is important, and so is the ability to control airflow through air vents or dampers.
We check the internal temperature of the kamado grills as they go.
Brian Bennett / CNET
To record temperature data, we place a thermocouple on each kamado grill. Essentially a sensitive temperature sensor made of a probe and a connected wire, the thermocouple hangs suspended just 1 inch above the grid. It is connected to a data logger, and finally a computer that records changes in heat levels over time.
Then it’s time to dump her and move on.
Tyler Lizenby / CNET
We try to perform temperature tests on all grills at the same time. We also use the same weight and brand of lump charcoal (4.4 pounds or 2 kg), often from the same bag. This also applies to fire starters (one per grill).
A stable heat level is key to good performance for a kamado smoker.
Brian Bennett / CNET
Here we enlighten them, as instructively through their manuals as available. Normally means letting the coals simmer for 15 minutes, with the lid open, and then closing the grill. At this point, vents remain wide open until the grill reaches within 50 degrees of the target.
We feed carefully with the vents to get there. Finally, we let go of the controls and observe.
We follow the same procedure for our higher temperature test with a target of 350 F. The idea here is to simulate the heated performance required for roasting chicken and other poultry.
We smoke ribs along with other foods for anecdotal testing.
Chris Monroe / CNET
And speaking of food, we also do a lot of “anecdotal cooking”. We smoke a rack with baby dolls back (225 F) in each grill. We butterflies (aka spatchcock) chickens and rose them too. Led by local Costco, these weigh about 5 pounds each. Finally, we grill a set of four 8-ounce burger patties on high heat (600 F).
Burgers, anyone?
Brian Bennett / CNET
Want more options? Here are the other two kamado grill models I evaluated for this test group. Although they did not make it into my picks, you might want to look at comparison:
See again:
Testing gas grills at the CNET Smart Home
2:07
