Need some help with selecting a big green egg style of charcoal grill. Ideally, I would like to purchase from home-depot online since I have a 15% off coupon. There are a bunch of selections in the komado and lifestyle branding but the pricing varies wildly and I’m not sure what features or sizes are worth while.

This will be my first grill of this style and have only used propane in the past. What would you recommend? I’ll be feeding a family of 3.

Thank you!!!

I had a large BGE for a few years. It made extremely tasty food but was expensive to buy and seem to need numerous accessories to do everything. I sold and bought a Yoder pellet grill and am very happy. If you don’t mind a lot of monitoring and messing with lump charcoal, a BGE or equivalent is the way to go. I’m just too lazy.

I can't offer any suggestions to your specific query. But that said everyone I know who has acquired a pellet grill-smoker from Traeger (very popular around these parts) or Yoder have all but parked or sold off their previous gear including ceramic egg jobs such as you're asking about.

My son just won a Traeger Pro Series 34 and is over the moon.
https://www.amazon.com/Traeger...-Grill/dp/B07GL7PNPQ

I have had a BGE large (18" diameter) for about a decade.

My friends with teenage boys have bigger kamodos. One has a Kamodo Joe Big Joe which is a 24" diameter and he loves using it 3x per week. Another friend has a Vision Professional (I believe bought at Home Depot) which is about 22" and he also loves using it 3x per week.

Both Kamodo Joe and Vision have made user friendly improvements over the BGE.

What ever you do, in that style, make sure you are getting one that is made of ceramic, not steel, lined with insulation, like the Char Griller Akorn.

The real thing controls temperature very well, and doesn't rot out. The steel ones are hard to regulate and rust away after a few years.

I have an XL BGE and a large Kamado Joe and have zero complaints with either. I do think the Kamado is the better grill but the BGE has more available accessories. I've no experience with Vision but can't remember ever reading anything negative about them.

I have had a Large and Small size Big Green Eggs for more than a decade. Still using them regularly, cooked lunch on the small yesterday. You won't be able to buy one online or for cheap but it's one of the best things I have ever spent money on. Lifetime warranty to original owner.

The nice thing about them is that you can grill on them or you can use as a smoker. If you can find an Eggfest in your local area, you can get an Egg used for one day for about 15% off.

I have 2 Kamado Joe smoker/grills, a classic 2, which is 18”, and the big joe, which is 24”. I use both a bunch, it the 18” is easier on charcoal, and heats up a lot faster for everyday use. The bigger grill is better if you need to set up a temperature differential, or for doing 5+ racks of ribs at a time.

I took a different path than the gentlemen above, I started with a traeger, but wanted more versatility. The pellet “grills” are great smokers if you are perfectly happy not having absolute control over the type/how much smoke is applied when smoking meat, but are lousy for traditional high-temp grilling.

The kamado is perfectly suited to smoking at 225 for 24 hours, and will also cook a pizza at 900 degrees. Add a controller and blower from ThermoWorks, and you can control the temperature from anywhere with Wi-Fi.

The only big downfall I have found, and partly why I have two, is that once you get it hot, that ceramic holds the heat for a long time, and you aren’t getting the temperature down anytime soon, so you have to plan your cooks.

I have a Weber kettle as well, but it doesn’t get much use, and the pellet “grill” was sold years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
But that said everyone I know who has acquired a pellet grill-smoker from Traeger (very popular around these parts) or Yoder have all but parked or sold off their previous gear including ceramic egg jobs such as you're asking about.

That’s an interesting observation and as I noted in my earlier comment that a Yoder replaced my BGE. Interesting enough, my Son’s family and Daughter’s family also bought Yoder 640s and sold everything else.

We ate a tri top tonight that set on my Yoder for about 5 hours. 1/2” smoke ring after reaching 140° with a grill temperature of 185°. Outstanding.

I also have the classic KJ. 4-5 years. I was looking at pellet smokers and went to an open house. It was about 20 degrees out and they were trying to get the grill up to temp. It was taking forever! I asked about it and they said if you plan to use it in cold weather, you need a blanket!
Im sure pellet smokers are easier to learn on. As a rule there is more room on them for multiple meats, briskets, ribs, ect.
But as mentioned above, you learn to use lump coal, buy an “I command or Thermoworks power vent, it allows you to relax and sleep at night. Buy a “MEATER” probe, thank me later!

The ability to cook steaks indirect, and finish with a sear at 600-700 degrees is amazing! Pizzas! Picture 5-6 ready to go for your get together. 700 degrees, every 4-6 minutes one is done and another is in its place!

If my Kamado was damaged or stolen, I’d go out and buy another tomorrow.
This probably doesn’t help. But if you’re in the northeast, Kittery Trading Post has a Kamado XL gen 3 $700 off.

I have a Weber Summit Kamado grill and I love it. Holds temps overnight if needed and very well built. I like that it's not ceramic, so no cracking, etc.

I hear good things about the BGE & Traeger grills, but my two Weber kettle grills aren't worn out yet. The small one is somewhere around 40 years old & the big one is about 30 years old. I replaced the charcoal grate & grill surface once on the small one, but other than that, they just keep going.

If you're just buying a Kamado-style ceramic cooker for just grilling, there's better and more economical models out there; a Weber kettle with a Santa Maria grill attachment does just fine. Versatile for grilling, ceramic cookers are also excellent for roasting hence the ceramic construction, and given its shape, can function well as a smoker. The crux is the majority of people who cook outside aren't very good at it. Mastering in-direct cooking is an art, most people aren't patient or, interested in doing it right. If you buy a ceramic cooker, make sure you enjoy cooking and get the most out of it...or, you have money burning a hole in your wallet.

https://www.seriouseats.com/be...ll-equipment-reviews

In short, with a ceramic cooker, you need to learn how to use it, think BBQ-102. If you're just looking to dump in charcoal, squirt on some fluid and come back when the coals have turned grey, a simple sheet-metal grill or, gas job would do the job for much lower cost.

Watching this thread. I HAD a Weber kettle and liked it a lot until a stumble while trying to break up a dog fight caused it to be crushed. My next door neighbor had bought one like it and then his wife decided they needed a gas grill instead, so his Weber sat in his garage in the unopened box. When they moved away he offered it to me free, so I took it and it sat in my garage unopened until my old one got crunched. Then I found that his was a knockoff copy in a Weber box, probably chinese. I'm using it now but it just doesn't work as well as the real mccoy. I'm retiring in a few weeks and moving out of the socialist paradise I live in now, and it won't be coming with me so I'll need a new grill. I've never done much smoking so I'm not sure that will be a driving factor is choosing a new grill. My brother and BIL both have Traegers and swear by them, but they're both mostly more into slow cooking than high-temp grilling. I'd like to be able to do both, especially since I'll be having so much more free time. I may wind up with a small gas grill for steaks and burgers plus something else - another kettle, or maybe a combination griller/smoker - for other stuff.