Food Better on Akorn or Kettle?

I have an Akorn and a Jumbo Joe. I do most of my cooking on the Akorn. I have found that when I make hot wings on the jumbo (indirect), I think they come out a lot better than the same recipe on the Akorn, better smoke taste and better skin. It's made me wonder if indirect cooked or smoked foods benefit from the additional air flow and bigger fire that you get with a kettle vs the nearly zero air flow with the Akorn.

Has anyone else had similar observations?

I don't have an akorn but I would say a weber kettle. This is the TVWBB.
Cheers Rich. Have a great weekend.

I've got a primo oval XL and a weber performer. I don't think their is a lick of difference in terms of finished product. The oval allows me to start my fire at 4:00 pm and grill at 7:00 pm if I want 2, where a weber loses heat a little faster. Majority of nights I cook on a performer. The kamados are great for entertaining nights at home. Hope you enjoy both.

I have lots of years of experience using kettles and love all that I can do with them. I bought a used Akorn a while back primarily to learn how to cook on a kamado grill and experience first hand the strengths and weaknesses of both type of grills. I really would like to get a BGE or KJ eventually, so I thought this was an opportunity to see if I would like one. Although I can cook so much better on the kettles, I can see advantages and disadvantages to both. The biggest strength the the kettles have is the ability to easily build multi-zone fires and the ability to use a rotisserie. The single biggest advantage of a komado is its ability to hit high temps. I have never had much success with LNS on my Akorn although I understand some folks are very happy with theirs for this application. Pizza on the Akorn is a thing of beauty, but when I want to grill multiple items like protein, starch, and vegetables at the same time, give me my kettle over the Akron. It not a matter of taste in most cases. Instead it is a matter of selecting the tool that works best for me.

I think it is all about using what you have the best. I have a UDS and a WSM, my buddy who I cook with alot has a Acorn. We have had great cooks on all 3, you just have to learn the little tricks with each one. So have fun use them both!! BTW I am getting a kettle soon, not a Komado.

As others have so well stated, the two are different types of cookers. There are foods where cooking on either will yield results that you can hardly taste the difference (for the most part, anything high heat).

Baking and pizza are less effort, in my opinion, on any quality kamado than it is on a kettle - as the thermal efficiency of the kamado gives it a clear heat-retention advantage. Depending on the type of kettle, Low-n-Slow is probably less effort on a kamado as well, as the BGE I have can hold temperates plus or minus 25 degrees for 15-16 hrs with very little adjustments. Most I've gotten out of a kettle is about 8 (with no added coals or fiddling with vents). But the "advantages" of the kamado in these regards come at a rather pricey trade-off - 1) less space and 2) MUCH higher price tag. An individual would have to decide for themselves if those trade-offs are worth their dime.

Rich Loge said:

I have an Akorn and a Jumbo Joe. I do most of my cooking on the Akorn. I have found that when I make hot wings on the jumbo (indirect), I think they come out a lot better than the same recipe on the Akorn, better smoke taste and better skin. It's made me wonder if indirect cooked or smoked foods benefit from the additional air flow and bigger fire that you get with a kettle vs the nearly zero air flow with the Akorn.

Has anyone else had similar observations?

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I don't have an Akorn but have three friends that do, two of them are very good cooks in fact the one friend liked his so much he bought a second for his cottage.
I have to wonder in your case if it's just the proximity to the fire that's making the difference. The reason I say that is I have an 18 OTG as well as my modified 26. The 18 cooks a lot closer to the coals so even though you are indirect it's probably closer to grilling than it would be with the Akorn.

I have 2 Kettles and an Akorn. It is easier for me to get clean smoke with the Kettles.....mind you I put my wood chunks above the coals either on the cooking rack itself or on a small grate between firebricks. The Akorn is capable of clean smoke but I have yet to master it. The Akorn also has those cast iron grates so I use all 3 many times....smoking on the Kettles and grilling on the Akorn to finsih smoked steaks, burgers or chicken. You can also easily do pizza on the Akorn with no mods.

I have a 35 year old 22" Weber kettle and a Green Egg, which is kinda what the Akorn copied.
I use the old kettle the most, and hardly ever use the Egg. The kettle just seems to work for me
grilling or Q'ing whatever I need it to.

just try moving that akorn.