Thank you.
I will be looking there.
Kamado style grills always intrigued me, but am put off by the cost & weight of the things. Offset style smokers would be a more affordable option, but again, there’s the weight/bulk aspect…
I was given a bullet style smoker a long time ago; I lliked the compactness of it, but the design left much to be desired. The Weber model seems to be the solution to the deficiencies of the one I had, but I have one of their kettle models & don’t grill enough to justify two pits.
I will say that using a chimney starter and lump charcoal has been a revelation. The first time I used it, I thought it tasted strange… until I realized that I wasn’t tasting the starter fluid.
I like B&B brand, or no-name mexican lump charcoal. I prefer mesquite with some pecan wood chunks tossed in when the meat goes in. No soak on the chunks; I want smoke, not steam.
The efficiency of an Egg sure sounds nice, though. Lots of good ideas from all here.
1 Like
They aren’t. Almost no offset smoker below $500 is worth it. Universally thin metal, direct flow designs and cheap construction.
Proper offset smokers are at least thick walled, if not double walled. And use a reverse flow design where the smoke is drawn through a channel under the cook chamber and exists into the smoker body at the opposite end of the barrel from the fire box. That’s what evens out the heat enough to make them functional, and it makes them expensive.
Yeah you can get one for $200 or less, but the cheap ones don’t work. Though there’s a popular little scene going for modding them into something useful. It’s usually built around getting them for free, since used ones are so frequently available for free.
Properly made offsets typically run $800+. Not far off the base models from Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe.
Bullets, kettles, and drum smokers are the affordable option. The cheaper Pellet Grills are sort of taking over the product category.
But Char Griller makes a double walled, insulated steel Kamado called the Akorn for around $300. It apparently cooks just like any other kamado. But weighs a fraction as much, and you don’t have to worry about cracking it.
1 Like
I was just poking around the Akorn a bit as I’m thinking about getting one as a wedding gift for my sister. She and the fiance had been looking at kamados and they’re a good fit for the sort of cooking they do, but the price meant they were saving for a wedding not a grill/smoker.
Apparently they fit standard Weber bits, including grates and Slow n Sear smoker/charcoal baskets. As well as some BGE parts and gaskets. Which seems to make them significantly tweakable, expandable and modable on the cheap.
1 Like
Doesn’t Weber make the same thing?
1 Like
For a base price of a grand, vs $300. Broil king also makes the Keg Kamado for a similar price to Weber. Currently I believe it has a steel interior and a fiberglass exterior. And seems popular with campers and tail gaiters because its available with a trailer hitch mount.
I don’t think there’s any question that the other ones are better units than the Char Griller. Who aren’t exactly known for quality products.
But the Akorn is just about the only “affordable” full sized kamado on the market.
So if @vernonbird is interested in a kamado, but can’t justify the price. The Akorn is considered the best entry level option.
For anyone looking at a cheaper smoker, it’s a hell of a lot better than comparably priced offsets.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
