Kamado question


 
M

MartyB

TVWBB Member
In thinking of dipping my toes into the kamado world (depending on how dead my wife will kill me).
I've got a gasser and an upright pellet smoker (keeping both).

Who's got a kamado style (BGE, Kamado Joe, Acorn, etc) and how do you like it?
What don't you like about it?
I know the online reviews, but I want the honesty of this group.

I've got a used BGE Medium on my radar that I'm waiting on a response on.
 
I've cooked a lot on a friend's BGE and besides my Weber stuff I have a Char-Griller Akorn. They're very different to cook with, but I like them.

The positives about them:
  • They're insulated so weather isn't as much an impact. And to be honest, the insulation helps the cooking environment as well. When grilling with my Akorn, the heat stays in the chamber, and the grill doesn't heat up the working area so much. Right now it's 95 degrees with 70% humidity, so I can really tell the difference! Standing in front of my WSM or OTG is very uncomfortable right now.
  • Fuel usage is much more economical: I can use half a Weber chimney of lump for grilling a meal of veggies, burgers or steaks.
  • I have the smoking stone for my Akorn. It does a very good job as a heat deflector, and I've cooked a couple of pork shoulders and babyback ribs on it. But it does a great job as a charcoal-fired oven, too. I'll bake pork tenderloins or beef roasts in it at 350 or 400 and the temp is rock-solid stable.
The negatives:
  • You can overshoot your temp VERY easily, and once it's racing, you can't stop it short of closing the vents and smothering the coals. Wide open, my Akorn will shoot from 400 to 650 in a heartbeat. To do low/slow, I never crack the vents past 1/2 of "1" setting.
  • Specific to the Akorn: the cast iron cooking grate arrives rusted. Forget about seasoning the thing, if you even look at it, it starts rusting again. Fortunately the aftermarket has steel replacements.
I would suggest you try an Akorn first. The price is much less than the ceramic kamados, and outside of the insta-rust grate, it's decently put together. I can often find the Akorns on sale locally between $50-100, simply because of the rusting grate issue.
 
Howard Warren said:
I've cooked a lot on a friend's BGE and besides my Weber stuff I have a Char-Griller Akorn. They're very different to cook with, but I like them.

The positives about them:
  • They're insulated so weather isn't as much an impact. And to be honest, the insulation helps the cooking environment as well. When grilling with my Akorn, the heat stays in the chamber, and the grill doesn't heat up the working area so much. Right now it's 95 degrees with 70% humidity, so I can really tell the difference! Standing in front of my WSM or OTG is very uncomfortable right now.
  • Fuel usage is much more economical: I can use half a Weber chimney of lump for grilling a meal of veggies, burgers or steaks.
  • I have the smoking stone for my Akorn. It does a very good job as a heat deflector, and I've cooked a couple of pork shoulders and babyback ribs on it. But it does a great job as a charcoal-fired oven, too. I'll bake pork tenderloins or beef roasts in it at 350 or 400 and the temp is rock-solid stable.
The negatives:
  • You can overshoot your temp VERY easily, and once it's racing, you can't stop it short of closing the vents and smothering the coals. Wide open, my Akorn will shoot from 400 to 650 in a heartbeat. To do low/slow, I never crack the vents past 1/2 of "1" setting.
  • Specific to the Akorn: the cast iron cooking grate arrives rusted. Forget about seasoning the thing, if you even look at it, it starts rusting again. Fortunately the aftermarket has steel replacements.
I would suggest you try an Akorn first. The price is much less than the ceramic kamados, and outside of the insta-rust grate, it's decently put together. I can often find the Akorns on sale locally between $50-100, simply because of the rusting grate issue.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thoughts there.
I let the BGE pass, but did just find a used Akorn available. Not that cheap, but decent. Hopefully go take a look at that today or this weekend.
 
MartyB said:
Thanks for the link.
I saw more than a few reviews that said the grates were impossible to season and rusted quickly.
Click to expand...

I have owned my Akorn for about 5-6 years now and have never had rusty grates. I also store mine in my garage so it has never been rained on that may be the key. You wont have any regrets it takes some burn time to be able to control her.

You can do allot with it other than grilling its allot of fun!!
 
Best advice from the akorn grill people was to empty the ash pan as soon as its cooled. The ash will absorb water from the air and become acidic and lead to rust problems. I got this info from the Akorn people prior to me buying my Kamado Joe. LOve my Kamado and my grandsonin law loves his Akorn. He's starting to use it more than his Gasser Good luck with the grill
 
I have a Kamado Joe Classic for about 3 yrs now. Very good cooker, stable temps once you learn how to use it. Don`t overshoot temps or your fighting to get them back down. Only thing I don`t like is the size. It`s 18 inches across but with ribs I have to cut them so they lay flat. Not a deal breaker but wanted to bring to your attention. My son has an Akorn an loves it. His stays under a covered porch with no cover. Has had it for 3 yrs and no issues. He cooks 3-4 nites a week though. The Akorn is a couple inches bigger than the Classic. In years past Lowes, Walmart would cut prices on Akorn in late fall just to move stock. With everybody staying home and cooking it`s a guess if any stock will be leftover.
 
Hello, I would highly recommend a kamado style smoker. I started with a used Akorn from Craigslist. It is definitely an addiction.
After owning the Akorn for a while I decided to upgrade to a Kamado Joe Big Joe. Absolutely no regrets. Just like anything else it definitely has a learning curve but for me that's what makes it fun.
With that in mind I would recommend a KJ over the BGE due to some advanced technologies. The KJ has an airlift hinge which is a game changer. You can lift the lid using only one finger. It also comes with goodies that would have to be purchased separately if you went with a BGE (ie... grate tool, ash rake, multi tier rack system and heat deflectors).
Just know that you will pro ably drive your wife insane by insiting on using the smoker for every meal you cook.
 
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