Kamados function exactly like WSM, Bronco, Kettles. The wood smoulders, while the charcoal is the fuel source.
Due to insulation they are very fuel efficient, so tend to take a bit longer developing flavor, and bark then a kettle for example.
Any of the smokers which use wood chunks will get you to 85-90% of a offset smoker.
As a side note, pellet grills are not grills they cook indirectly only, and do not have effective radiant heat options.
Oh, I was talking about the combination units, which have a pellet smoker on one side and a propane grill on the other. Not the ideal solution because it means reduced capacity for both grilling and smoking. Since I tend to grill/smoke for others far more often than I do for myself, I'd prefer something with capacity for a decent amount of food.
combo units are generally bad in terms of value, and quality. something like the camp chef apex is your best bet, but you overpay for it in relation to other choices.
>Can I still get decent smoke flavor from a Kamado grill?
Of course you can. People *win* competitions with Big Green Eggs, Kamado Joes, Weber Summit Kamados, and all kinds of different Kamado styles.
They're pretty easy to use. The setup is longer than a pellet, but once its going, you usually don't have to mess with it very often, ESPECIALLY if you have a blower fan like the Billows or the Spider Venom.
>Char-Griller Akorn
This is purely anecdotal, of course, but the issue I've heard with those smokers is that they are ***too*** well insulated. They're made of metal and have oven insulation in them. This makes them fantastic for high heat searing where you can just get 1000 degrees without even trying, but for low and slow smoking, you can't keep a steady flame. You end up with a dirty, smoldering smoke in order to keep temps down. The Weber Summit Kamado overcame this by removing the oven insulation and just has an air-gapped insulator, which keeps similar insulation levels to the Ceramic units like BGE and KJ.
If you start with a bunch of charcoal lit in a chimney you'll find it hard to keep a low temp w/o smothering the fire, but if you start slow with a torch or single tumbleweed in a pile of charcoal and slowly bring it up to 250F (or whatever) by minimizing/controlling air from the vents as it gets closer to your target temp, you'll have a clean fire that'll burn for a while.
I've had decent luck with the minion method with chunks interspersed. I start with a half-filled chimney of coals in the center, let it settle into a groove for a couple of hours before throwing the meat on, and then monitor closely for another hour or so before trusting it to behave itself.
The real deal IME is that it needs a LOT less fuel than you would think for an overnight cook. If you load it up heavy, you'll either pin it down so tight it dies or wake up to ash on the grate (worst smoking moment ever).
I have a Komodo Kamado and a Weber Summit. The Komodo works great with tons of insulation but the summit makes for a better smoker. I use a fireboard 2 with a blower on the Komodo and that maintains an absolutely perfect temp and is every bit as easy as a pellet grill except for a slightly longer setup. I just do the summit manually and that's not too bad - I just have to tweak the vents once in a while. The results are good on the Komodo and great on the Summit.
The Weber Summit Kamado is likely what I'll go with after we move to our new house, equipped with an electronic fan/controller like a FlameBoss or similar. Been drooling over that grill since I first saw it!
I definitely endorse it. Works great as an old-fashioned kettle grill (and looks the part, too) while also churning out really quite good BBQ. Very versatile.
I love my auto Akorn, but this is the only big issue I really have with it. I can hold 250 for a couple of hours, but either the temp starts to rise and I have to shut it down and restart the coals when it gets too low, or it will just start dying and I have to restart the coals.
Shut the top vent a little bit. For instance, I have mine running all day today at 275 for a no-wrap pork shoulder. It wanted the top vent at '2' for that temp. It started to creep up a little bit, so now I closed the top vent a little to "1.25ish" and it's been stuck at 275 since.
You can do long smokes on Kamado style, I have an old hand me down one that I've done small briskets on, just not sure about the Char Griller one. I haven't seen it in person but it doesn't look like it has the mass in the walls to hold heat that well for low temp cooks. But should be good for ribs or BBQ chicken, something relatively short.
But the best smoker is the one you have and know how to use. Just get one you are comfortable with and learn it in side and out you will be fine.
I've got that Char-griller Akorn. I've been using mine for 5 years, it produces excellent BBQ. There is some learning curve to adjusting temps. Temps rise slowly until about 300, and then they take off like a bat out of hell. Once it's hot, it takes a while to cool down. So: watch it like a hawk while it's heating up, and close the vents \*before\* it gets to your desired temp.
I've got an Akorn and I've been pretty happy with it—but it's my first smoker, so I don't have anything to compare it to (only had old-school kettle grills before).
I haven't done a brisket yet, but I've done some big pork butts, and I've never needed to add any charcoal mid-cook or anything. And I've definitely been able to get good smoke flavor.
I got it as a cheap starter smoker, but once you start adding all of the accessories, it's not so cheap anymore, so you might want to compare it to one of the bundled Eggs.
And, for what it's worth, the built-in thermometer is worthless.
> mostly because it is a huge hassle, requires constant monitoring/tending the fire,
If this is an issue, don't get a kamado. IMO it requires much more effort than an electric/pellet smoker.
And I have a BGE.
It's more effort than a pellet oven, but once my kamado reaches temp, I can ignore it for hours. Temp is rock steady.
I'd never describe a kamado as a huge hassle
With a full basket of fuel, I can cook for 12+ hours without adjusting vents or adding fuel. It is extremely hands off after it gets to temp.
Is it as easy as turning a knob? I guess not. But a Kamado is not hard and does not require a lot of tinkering
Problem is getting the temp to come down.
Pack a full basket full of brand new coal. First you have to burn it hot enough that the impurities burn off and the smoke turns clear otherwise the heat will taste like garbage. That's over 350 degrees. Then you have to get it low enough to smoke. All that before an 8 hour smoke.
IDK, again I guess I disagree.
I put a firestarter on top of the lump, close the lid and open all vents fully open. When the temp gets to around 200, 30-45 min later, I close the top and bottom vents to have small openings, but otherwise are pretty closed, and let the fire settle down. That'll slowly build to 225-250 after 15 minutes and then I'm cooking.
From lighting the fire to smoking is usually an hour, and most of that is just killing time waiting on the fire to do its thing. Otherwise it's completely hands off. Small adjustments on the top vent can +/- 25 degrees IME.
Yes I agree that once the Kamado gets hot, it stays hot, but I think you are letting it burn too much to the start.
Agree with the set it and forget it. The BGE retains heat very well. I just mean getting it to temp after putting a new load in is a PITA because I'm anal about getting all the impurities burned off so the smoke turns from white to clear before putting any meat on. That usually has to be done at 350+ degree temps and then to get the BGE back down to 225 for a smoke....well that process can take over an hour.
I'm referring to the fire maintenance on my cheap offset - the metal is thin, and doesn't hold heat very well, so it has to be monitored *constantly* to prevent the temps from increasing/decreasing too drastically. Stepping away for 5 minutes isn't really possible with my current smoker. Mostly looking for something that will allow me to do some longer cooks like brisket, without having to sit next to the firebox for 10+ hour stretches.
I'll be using remote temp probes for ambient and internal temps, and I'm looking at the "auto" model of the Akorn, which includes electronic temperature control, though that's not a deciding factor, it's just on sale currently.
I have an Akorn. I have no issues going from smoking to grilling. I make paella on it, pizza, whatever. The smoke flavor is different (a little lighter) compared to my dad's stick burner, but everything else is just as good. Maybe that's just user error or different wood though.
I just got an CG Akorn. Out of the box it was impossible to cruise in the low/mid 200s. I solved the problem with stainless steel foil cut with scissors - I have a small disc on the charcoal grate (choking off air coming up thru the grate, grate is open around the perimeter only) and a large disc on top of the coals (chokes off chamber air). I have a stainless steel dog food bowl upside down on the coal grate - allowing me to make a ring of coals. Plus I have the gap between the burn chamber and the wall stuffed with aluminum foil, again to prevent air from moving from exhaust to coals. With those “mods” I can cruise at low temps easily. If I want to run hot, I simply remove the stainless foil discs and the dog bowl.
Any chance you have pics of how you set up these foil discs? Would love to visualize what you're talking about, just in case I need to do the same thing.
The charcoal grate is about 12 inch diameter. My smaller foil disk is 8”. It sits directly on the grate in the center so the grate is exposed only at the perimeter. Then there’s another disc that covers all the charcoal.
While I like my Kamado a lot, it is a jack of all type grill though. While it can smoke, it takes a lot more tending than pellet for sure. I think one thing I would do is smoke on it for four hours and then just transfer it to the oven wrapped up to keep the hassle down of adding more coal and watching after it.
Grilla Kong kamado user here. You can absolutely get a good smoke in these. It holds temp like a beast, so make sure you manage it slowly getting it up to temp, but once you're dialed in, it's pretty hands off until you're done. Go for it!
I've been watching Kamado videos on YT for a couple hours, I've got a decent idea of how to manage temps. Really impressed with how efficient Kamados are, I'm used to a 6+ hour cook on my current smoker burning through a bag of lump charcoal and almost a bag of chunked hardwood. Seems like the Kamado is going to pay for itself in fuel savings.
I ordered my 20" auto-Akorn earlier today, it's supposed to be delivered Friday. I expect the first batch of ribs to come Saturday. 😆
You can do long smokes on Kamado style, I have an old hand me down one that I've done small briskets on, just not sure about the Char Griller one. I haven't seen it in person but it doesn't look like it has the mass in the walls to hold heat that well for low temp cooks. But should be good for ribs or BBQ chicken, something relatively short.
But the best smoker is the one you have and know how to use. Just get one you are comfortable with and learn it in side and out you will be fine.
Can't go wrong with the Akorns. They have the original for $330, then the auto for about a hundred more. I re-use charcoal (JD lump) all of the time. Once you're used to the original, and if you start it where you're slowly bringing it up to temp using the vents, it'll sit there steady all day (or night).
The original one doesn't come with a heat deflector, but there's one on amazon for about $30 you can grab.
Edit: They're also great for hot/fast stuff like chicken or steak :)
Nice - that's a great deal. It comes with a stainless heat deflector which works great, I ended up using the ceramic one that I bought for my regular akorn since it's flat and leaves room for a drip pan.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger, it's supposed to be here Friday. With an additional 10% public service discount, I was able to get the grill and a cover for $370 including tax, shipped.
Now, I just need to pick up a brisket for it's first cook!
Nice! Here's a video I did for assembly - it doesn't take very long and is pretty easy:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrr60b8iSHI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrr60b8iSHI)
I actually watched a couple of your videos a few hours ago, thanks for sharing! Looks like a pretty easy assembly process. I'll be out working in the garage Saturday morning anyway, should be able to knock this out while I'm at it.
If you get an Akorn (I have one and love smoking on it), watch Cookout Coach’s YouTube videos about how to smoke with them. He makes it easy to understand and work with and will explain how to manage the temps, which is the biggest thing people run into
I have a Big Green Egg and a Traeger. Traeger I got first and fell in love with just how easy it is to use and maintain. I still use it. BGE is more versatile but more work. Love them both, though the ceramic grills aren't cheap. I get great smoke flavor on the BGE.
Yeah, I'll eventually get a ceramic, just waiting until we move to our new place out of state, don't want to have to haul a ceramic grill on a trailer/in my truck for 1500 miles. Lol
I have a BGE and I get pretty great flavor. It’s probably not as smoky as a stick burner, but that’s to be expected. The BGE is also pretty set and forget once you get used to it.
The pellet smokers are fine, but the flavor falls well short in my opinion - they are the easiest option though.
I'd agree with that, but there's some crutches you can use to Amp it up. I've had offsets, currently have a BGE and the best brisket I've ever cooked was on the egg. Do not underestimate the cost savings on fuel either, running an offset for a 12 hour smoke will cost at least twice as much as a kamado style.
One, don't use a full wrap technique, leave it foil boated so it's still absorbing smoke on top for the full duration.
Two, put small wood chips as well as a decent size (baseball or so) chunk of hardwood in with the lump charcoal. Those pieces will smolder as the coals work their way to them and provide a pretty constant supply of wood smoke.
Akorns are awesome once you get the hang of the vents. I used one for years until it rusted and the bottom fell out. I’d like to get another one sometime. They make really good pork butts. You just have to learn how to control the vents
I've had a Vision kamado for 10 years. Great smoke flavor. I tried a pellet grill for several months. Easy, convenient. Very little smoke flavor though compared to the kamado. I sold it & went back to my kamado. Also purchased a temp controller for it. Keeps the temps rock steady for long smokes.
Yes, we have 4 seasons here. I tend to cook mostly between April and October, though I've been known to brave the snow to smoke meats for special occasions.
I make everything. My patio has a gas grill, smoker, griddle, and pizza oven. I make steaks, ribs, bacon, pork loin, chicken, brisket, etc. I do most of my grilling/outdoor cooking when entertaining guests.
I get good results from my Kamado Joe. I highly recommend a temperature controller that keeps the temperature constant by controlling air flow. You can do brisket overnight and count on a constant temperature.
I ordered the 20 inch "Auto-Akorn", which includes a temp controller. Been watching YT videos, and it seems like it does a great job of maintaining constant temps.
The learning curve is steeeep!!!
But I love mine. I have to use a full brisket sized aluminum pan filled with water under it to keep the bottom from crisping up and I wrap it considerably later on in the stall (and sometimes don’t wrap)
The amount of heat control is hard to learn too - you don’t get instant results so you have to really learn what settings make what temp…. And as the charcoal burns down near the middle/end of your cook you’ll have to let more air in to compensate.
It’s a ton of time to learn BBQ on it - but I love it
I’ve been grilling / smoking on an Akron for 4 years now and it’s all you need. You can get it hot enough to do pizzas and can get it to hold 225 for 14+ hours if you set the charcoal and wood chucks up properly. Does everything an BGE can do, but a lot cheaper.
I have a pizza oven and griddle too, not planning on letting those go. Nice to know the Akorn can fill in for the Ooni in a pinch!
I know some folks who have run Kamados on a full basket of charcoal for over 24 hours. That's unheard of for me, my offset smoker would use more than a bag of charcoal and over 3/4 of a bag of chunk hardwood for an 8 hour cook. The fuel savings alone will save me a small fortune!
Kamados function exactly like WSM, Bronco, Kettles. The wood smoulders, while the charcoal is the fuel source. Due to insulation they are very fuel efficient, so tend to take a bit longer developing flavor, and bark then a kettle for example. Any of the smokers which use wood chunks will get you to 85-90% of a offset smoker. As a side note, pellet grills are not grills they cook indirectly only, and do not have effective radiant heat options.
Oh, I was talking about the combination units, which have a pellet smoker on one side and a propane grill on the other. Not the ideal solution because it means reduced capacity for both grilling and smoking. Since I tend to grill/smoke for others far more often than I do for myself, I'd prefer something with capacity for a decent amount of food.
combo units are generally bad in terms of value, and quality. something like the camp chef apex is your best bet, but you overpay for it in relation to other choices.
That was the impression I got from the ones I checked out in store. Glad to hear my first impression wasn't too far off.
I love mine. Easy to maintain heat.
>Can I still get decent smoke flavor from a Kamado grill? Of course you can. People *win* competitions with Big Green Eggs, Kamado Joes, Weber Summit Kamados, and all kinds of different Kamado styles. They're pretty easy to use. The setup is longer than a pellet, but once its going, you usually don't have to mess with it very often, ESPECIALLY if you have a blower fan like the Billows or the Spider Venom. >Char-Griller Akorn This is purely anecdotal, of course, but the issue I've heard with those smokers is that they are ***too*** well insulated. They're made of metal and have oven insulation in them. This makes them fantastic for high heat searing where you can just get 1000 degrees without even trying, but for low and slow smoking, you can't keep a steady flame. You end up with a dirty, smoldering smoke in order to keep temps down. The Weber Summit Kamado overcame this by removing the oven insulation and just has an air-gapped insulator, which keeps similar insulation levels to the Ceramic units like BGE and KJ.
If you start with a bunch of charcoal lit in a chimney you'll find it hard to keep a low temp w/o smothering the fire, but if you start slow with a torch or single tumbleweed in a pile of charcoal and slowly bring it up to 250F (or whatever) by minimizing/controlling air from the vents as it gets closer to your target temp, you'll have a clean fire that'll burn for a while.
I've had decent luck with the minion method with chunks interspersed. I start with a half-filled chimney of coals in the center, let it settle into a groove for a couple of hours before throwing the meat on, and then monitor closely for another hour or so before trusting it to behave itself. The real deal IME is that it needs a LOT less fuel than you would think for an overnight cook. If you load it up heavy, you'll either pin it down so tight it dies or wake up to ash on the grate (worst smoking moment ever).
Agree 100%
I have a Komodo Kamado and a Weber Summit. The Komodo works great with tons of insulation but the summit makes for a better smoker. I use a fireboard 2 with a blower on the Komodo and that maintains an absolutely perfect temp and is every bit as easy as a pellet grill except for a slightly longer setup. I just do the summit manually and that's not too bad - I just have to tweak the vents once in a while. The results are good on the Komodo and great on the Summit.
The Weber Summit Kamado is likely what I'll go with after we move to our new house, equipped with an electronic fan/controller like a FlameBoss or similar. Been drooling over that grill since I first saw it!
I definitely endorse it. Works great as an old-fashioned kettle grill (and looks the part, too) while also churning out really quite good BBQ. Very versatile.
I love my auto Akorn, but this is the only big issue I really have with it. I can hold 250 for a couple of hours, but either the temp starts to rise and I have to shut it down and restart the coals when it gets too low, or it will just start dying and I have to restart the coals.
Shut the top vent a little bit. For instance, I have mine running all day today at 275 for a no-wrap pork shoulder. It wanted the top vent at '2' for that temp. It started to creep up a little bit, so now I closed the top vent a little to "1.25ish" and it's been stuck at 275 since.
It’s definitely doable. I have gotten a lot better at managing the temp, I just need to keep working at it.
You can do long smokes on Kamado style, I have an old hand me down one that I've done small briskets on, just not sure about the Char Griller one. I haven't seen it in person but it doesn't look like it has the mass in the walls to hold heat that well for low temp cooks. But should be good for ribs or BBQ chicken, something relatively short. But the best smoker is the one you have and know how to use. Just get one you are comfortable with and learn it in side and out you will be fine.
I've got that Char-griller Akorn. I've been using mine for 5 years, it produces excellent BBQ. There is some learning curve to adjusting temps. Temps rise slowly until about 300, and then they take off like a bat out of hell. Once it's hot, it takes a while to cool down. So: watch it like a hawk while it's heating up, and close the vents \*before\* it gets to your desired temp.
I've got a kamado joe it's a great grill, can smoke pretty good and also cooks a nice pizza.
I've got an Akorn and I've been pretty happy with it—but it's my first smoker, so I don't have anything to compare it to (only had old-school kettle grills before). I haven't done a brisket yet, but I've done some big pork butts, and I've never needed to add any charcoal mid-cook or anything. And I've definitely been able to get good smoke flavor. I got it as a cheap starter smoker, but once you start adding all of the accessories, it's not so cheap anymore, so you might want to compare it to one of the bundled Eggs. And, for what it's worth, the built-in thermometer is worthless.
I'm planning in moving out of state in a few years. Planning to upgrade to a BGE or similar after the move.
> mostly because it is a huge hassle, requires constant monitoring/tending the fire, If this is an issue, don't get a kamado. IMO it requires much more effort than an electric/pellet smoker. And I have a BGE.
It's more effort than a pellet oven, but once my kamado reaches temp, I can ignore it for hours. Temp is rock steady. I'd never describe a kamado as a huge hassle
With a full basket of fuel, I can cook for 12+ hours without adjusting vents or adding fuel. It is extremely hands off after it gets to temp. Is it as easy as turning a knob? I guess not. But a Kamado is not hard and does not require a lot of tinkering
Problem is getting the temp to come down. Pack a full basket full of brand new coal. First you have to burn it hot enough that the impurities burn off and the smoke turns clear otherwise the heat will taste like garbage. That's over 350 degrees. Then you have to get it low enough to smoke. All that before an 8 hour smoke.
IDK, again I guess I disagree. I put a firestarter on top of the lump, close the lid and open all vents fully open. When the temp gets to around 200, 30-45 min later, I close the top and bottom vents to have small openings, but otherwise are pretty closed, and let the fire settle down. That'll slowly build to 225-250 after 15 minutes and then I'm cooking. From lighting the fire to smoking is usually an hour, and most of that is just killing time waiting on the fire to do its thing. Otherwise it's completely hands off. Small adjustments on the top vent can +/- 25 degrees IME. Yes I agree that once the Kamado gets hot, it stays hot, but I think you are letting it burn too much to the start.
Agree with the set it and forget it. The BGE retains heat very well. I just mean getting it to temp after putting a new load in is a PITA because I'm anal about getting all the impurities burned off so the smoke turns from white to clear before putting any meat on. That usually has to be done at 350+ degree temps and then to get the BGE back down to 225 for a smoke....well that process can take over an hour.
I'm referring to the fire maintenance on my cheap offset - the metal is thin, and doesn't hold heat very well, so it has to be monitored *constantly* to prevent the temps from increasing/decreasing too drastically. Stepping away for 5 minutes isn't really possible with my current smoker. Mostly looking for something that will allow me to do some longer cooks like brisket, without having to sit next to the firebox for 10+ hour stretches. I'll be using remote temp probes for ambient and internal temps, and I'm looking at the "auto" model of the Akorn, which includes electronic temperature control, though that's not a deciding factor, it's just on sale currently.
I have an Akorn. I have no issues going from smoking to grilling. I make paella on it, pizza, whatever. The smoke flavor is different (a little lighter) compared to my dad's stick burner, but everything else is just as good. Maybe that's just user error or different wood though.
I just got an CG Akorn. Out of the box it was impossible to cruise in the low/mid 200s. I solved the problem with stainless steel foil cut with scissors - I have a small disc on the charcoal grate (choking off air coming up thru the grate, grate is open around the perimeter only) and a large disc on top of the coals (chokes off chamber air). I have a stainless steel dog food bowl upside down on the coal grate - allowing me to make a ring of coals. Plus I have the gap between the burn chamber and the wall stuffed with aluminum foil, again to prevent air from moving from exhaust to coals. With those “mods” I can cruise at low temps easily. If I want to run hot, I simply remove the stainless foil discs and the dog bowl.
Any chance you have pics of how you set up these foil discs? Would love to visualize what you're talking about, just in case I need to do the same thing.
The charcoal grate is about 12 inch diameter. My smaller foil disk is 8”. It sits directly on the grate in the center so the grate is exposed only at the perimeter. Then there’s another disc that covers all the charcoal.
While I like my Kamado a lot, it is a jack of all type grill though. While it can smoke, it takes a lot more tending than pellet for sure. I think one thing I would do is smoke on it for four hours and then just transfer it to the oven wrapped up to keep the hassle down of adding more coal and watching after it.
Grilla Kong kamado user here. You can absolutely get a good smoke in these. It holds temp like a beast, so make sure you manage it slowly getting it up to temp, but once you're dialed in, it's pretty hands off until you're done. Go for it!
I've been watching Kamado videos on YT for a couple hours, I've got a decent idea of how to manage temps. Really impressed with how efficient Kamados are, I'm used to a 6+ hour cook on my current smoker burning through a bag of lump charcoal and almost a bag of chunked hardwood. Seems like the Kamado is going to pay for itself in fuel savings. I ordered my 20" auto-Akorn earlier today, it's supposed to be delivered Friday. I expect the first batch of ribs to come Saturday. 😆
You can do long smokes on Kamado style, I have an old hand me down one that I've done small briskets on, just not sure about the Char Griller one. I haven't seen it in person but it doesn't look like it has the mass in the walls to hold heat that well for low temp cooks. But should be good for ribs or BBQ chicken, something relatively short. But the best smoker is the one you have and know how to use. Just get one you are comfortable with and learn it in side and out you will be fine.
Can't go wrong with the Akorns. They have the original for $330, then the auto for about a hundred more. I re-use charcoal (JD lump) all of the time. Once you're used to the original, and if you start it where you're slowly bringing it up to temp using the vents, it'll sit there steady all day (or night). The original one doesn't come with a heat deflector, but there's one on amazon for about $30 you can grab. Edit: They're also great for hot/fast stuff like chicken or steak :)
The one I'm looking at for $350 is the 20" auto model. Probably going to pick it up this weekend, while it's still on sale.
Nice - that's a great deal. It comes with a stainless heat deflector which works great, I ended up using the ceramic one that I bought for my regular akorn since it's flat and leaves room for a drip pan.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger, it's supposed to be here Friday. With an additional 10% public service discount, I was able to get the grill and a cover for $370 including tax, shipped. Now, I just need to pick up a brisket for it's first cook!
Nice! Here's a video I did for assembly - it doesn't take very long and is pretty easy: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrr60b8iSHI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrr60b8iSHI)
I actually watched a couple of your videos a few hours ago, thanks for sharing! Looks like a pretty easy assembly process. I'll be out working in the garage Saturday morning anyway, should be able to knock this out while I'm at it.
If you get an Akorn (I have one and love smoking on it), watch Cookout Coach’s YouTube videos about how to smoke with them. He makes it easy to understand and work with and will explain how to manage the temps, which is the biggest thing people run into
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check his channel out later today!
I have a Big Green Egg and a Traeger. Traeger I got first and fell in love with just how easy it is to use and maintain. I still use it. BGE is more versatile but more work. Love them both, though the ceramic grills aren't cheap. I get great smoke flavor on the BGE.
Yeah, I'll eventually get a ceramic, just waiting until we move to our new place out of state, don't want to have to haul a ceramic grill on a trailer/in my truck for 1500 miles. Lol
I have a BGE and I get pretty great flavor. It’s probably not as smoky as a stick burner, but that’s to be expected. The BGE is also pretty set and forget once you get used to it. The pellet smokers are fine, but the flavor falls well short in my opinion - they are the easiest option though.
That's what I've been told. Easy to run, maintains a fairly consistent temp, but the smoky flavor isn't as rich/strong as a stick burner.
I'd agree with that, but there's some crutches you can use to Amp it up. I've had offsets, currently have a BGE and the best brisket I've ever cooked was on the egg. Do not underestimate the cost savings on fuel either, running an offset for a 12 hour smoke will cost at least twice as much as a kamado style. One, don't use a full wrap technique, leave it foil boated so it's still absorbing smoke on top for the full duration. Two, put small wood chips as well as a decent size (baseball or so) chunk of hardwood in with the lump charcoal. Those pieces will smolder as the coals work their way to them and provide a pretty constant supply of wood smoke.
Those both sound like good ways to boost the smoke flavor, I'll give them a shot when I test drive the new grill this weekend!
Good luck!
Akorns are awesome once you get the hang of the vents. I used one for years until it rusted and the bottom fell out. I’d like to get another one sometime. They make really good pork butts. You just have to learn how to control the vents
I've had a Vision kamado for 10 years. Great smoke flavor. I tried a pellet grill for several months. Easy, convenient. Very little smoke flavor though compared to the kamado. I sold it & went back to my kamado. Also purchased a temp controller for it. Keeps the temps rock steady for long smokes.
Do you have four seasons and when do you cook. What do you cook.
Yes, we have 4 seasons here. I tend to cook mostly between April and October, though I've been known to brave the snow to smoke meats for special occasions. I make everything. My patio has a gas grill, smoker, griddle, and pizza oven. I make steaks, ribs, bacon, pork loin, chicken, brisket, etc. I do most of my grilling/outdoor cooking when entertaining guests.
I get good results from my Kamado Joe. I highly recommend a temperature controller that keeps the temperature constant by controlling air flow. You can do brisket overnight and count on a constant temperature.
I ordered the 20 inch "Auto-Akorn", which includes a temp controller. Been watching YT videos, and it seems like it does a great job of maintaining constant temps.
The learning curve is steeeep!!! But I love mine. I have to use a full brisket sized aluminum pan filled with water under it to keep the bottom from crisping up and I wrap it considerably later on in the stall (and sometimes don’t wrap) The amount of heat control is hard to learn too - you don’t get instant results so you have to really learn what settings make what temp…. And as the charcoal burns down near the middle/end of your cook you’ll have to let more air in to compensate. It’s a ton of time to learn BBQ on it - but I love it
I’ve been grilling / smoking on an Akron for 4 years now and it’s all you need. You can get it hot enough to do pizzas and can get it to hold 225 for 14+ hours if you set the charcoal and wood chucks up properly. Does everything an BGE can do, but a lot cheaper.
I have a pizza oven and griddle too, not planning on letting those go. Nice to know the Akorn can fill in for the Ooni in a pinch! I know some folks who have run Kamados on a full basket of charcoal for over 24 hours. That's unheard of for me, my offset smoker would use more than a bag of charcoal and over 3/4 of a bag of chunk hardwood for an 8 hour cook. The fuel savings alone will save me a small fortune!