What’s better the Kamado or the Kettle BBQ

Kamado-style grilling vs the Kettle

So, what’s better a Kamado or a Kettle? Trying to choose between a Kamado-style grill or a more traditional Kettle charcoal BBQ really comes down to price. There is no question that the Kamado style grill, whether it’s a Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe or Louisianna Grill, is more adaptable to most grilling styles than the Kettle. The problem is that you will pay dearly for that convenience.

Both get the job done. If you are like many busy people, however, and don’t want to spend hours behind the BBQ preparing a meal for your family, you should probably look into a natural gas or propane unit.

But retirement certainly has its benefits.

Somehow, spending two-three hours cooking chicken wings on a charcoal BBQ is a luxury I can afford these days rather than an inconvenience. Nursing the little guys with a low and slow smoke over our new Louisiana Kamado-style Grill can be an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. I must admit, however, that I never felt that way working full time. It was off to the local pub for a basket of chicken wings and a pitcher of beer.

The chicken wings were hit and miss but the beer was always good.

Besides, trying to cook chicken wings on our old rusty propane BBQ would have been an exercise in futility. It might have been easier to just cook them over an open flame.

So it was time.

For more suggestions and some of my favourite garden things, be sure to check out my Favourite Things post.

This image, from the Louisianna Grills website, shows our Kamado-style grid in action out on the road. The portability of the unit makes it perfect for camping or tailgating.

A search on YouTube led me to the popular Kamado-style grills and smokers dominated mostly by the popular Big Green Egg and the Kamado Joes. They looked cooler than the BBQs I remember growing up, but they came with hefty price tags for what my wife and I needed. Besides, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted a charcoal BBQ after living most of my adult life with propane.

A quick search on-line turned up the Louisiana Grills’ Kamado mini for a good price. Sold.

It was advertised as being able to handle 10 hamburgs at a time, but when it arrived I quickly realized that 10-burger claim must have been a typo. As one on-line review suggested, more like room for 10 meatballs. Oh well, it was still perfect for the two of us and even big enough to handle cooking for three or four with a little ingenuity.

Our mini Kamado has a 10-inch grill surface and lacks the accessories the larger Big Green Egg and Kamado Joes offer. So far, though, I’ve really enjoyed barbecuing with it and have not really felt restricted by the lack of accessories or the very small grilling area. No doubt one of the the reasons is that we teamed it up with a propane BBQ. More on that in a later post.

Our Kamado-style grill is small but mighty handling everything I have thrown at it so far. It is a mini grill, ideal for taking with you to the cottage or a tailgating party.

If you are buying into the whole Kamado experience, Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe and Louisiana Grills pretty much have you covered as far as ceramic bodies are concerned. There are other top-notch manufacturers of Kamado-style grills that are definitely worth checking out. including all-steel models by a number of prestigious manufacturers. The 22-inch stainless steel Caliber Pro Kamado, for example, will set you back about $1,900 U.S. but weighs in at a mere 75 pounds, making it a real alternative. And it comes in several colours including turquoise.

The market, however, is definitely dominated by the two big boys. Big Green Egg, for example, offers the Mini, MiniMax, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge and 2XL. Kamado Joe offers a similar line up of grills and an impressive array of accessories.

The mini Egg is the closest to the Louisiana Grill we purchased with a grid diameter of 10 inches or 25 cm. and a weight of just under 40 pounds or 18 kgs. Both are advertised as the perfect solution for picnics and tailgating, but they would also work well on apartment balconies and camping when you don’t want (or can’t) use propane canisters.

We were looking for something small and stylish, and were intrigued by what we had seen on Burlington Ont. resident Smoking Dad BBQ’s YouTube channel. The guy takes Kamado-style BBQing to an art form and I wanted to get in on the action – at least in a small way.

Firing up our Kamado grill for the initial burn in knowing it will never again be this clean.

In comparison to our 10-inch diameter, the Xlarge Big Green Egg has a grid diameter of 24 inches or 61 cm and weighs in at a hefty 219 pounds. Keep in mind that the grill size can easily expand with accessories that let you vertically more than double up on grill size. The Eggspander kit is on the Big Green Egg site at $265 U.S. and more than $400 Cdn on Amazon. There is not a Big Green Egg accessory you can think of that is probably not available for either the Big Green Egg and Kamado Joes, but be aware that it can get very expensive with each new gadget. The pizza accessory for the Kamado Joe, known as “DOJOE”, will set you back in the neighbourhood of $300 Cdn on Amazon. An excellent alternative to buying a separate, wood-fired pizza oven, but still not cheap considering the original cost of the BBQ.

So why choose a Kamado-style grill over, say the traditional Kettle grill, such as the popular Weber Kettle? Proponents of Kamados will tell you the secret is in the ceramic housings that retain both heat and moisture resulting in a finished product that is more tender and juicier than it would be on a regular charcoal grill. I am going to refer readers to this excellent and informative article to help further explain the benefits of the Kamado grills.

And, as champion Pit Master Chris Lilly once said about Kamado grills: “Ask your children what colour they want, because they will inherit it.”

With all that said: what about the more traditional charcoal grillers such as the extremely popular Webber Kettle. There is a reason these things have been around since they were invented by Weber’s founder George Stephen in 1952 and has since developed a cult following around the world. The Kettle’s are also available in various sizes, have an easy cleaning setup, a huge number of accessories and continue the long tradition of charcoal grilling while offering regular modern updates.

And, have we talked about the price. The basic Weber Original 18-inch black Charcoal Kettle will set Canadians back a mere $119. Upgrade to the Premium 22-inch model and you are at $229 Canadian. Add $10 for a coloured version (crimson, copper or green. A premium 26-inch Kettle will set you back a mere $469 Cdn.

Whether it’s a Weber or Kamado Joe you are cooking on, cast iron cookware is almost indispensible. For my post on using, seasoning and why you need a cast iron skillet, check out Cast Iron Cookware.

In a previous blog post, I talked about the importance of creating the bones of your garden before you go out and purchase the latest and greatest BBQ. Getting that garden foundation established as early as possible will pay off in the long run. Even if that means only buying a single tree to begin your woodland garden.

This is where the Weber Kettle or a similar BBQ steps to the forefront. It’s a simple, inexpensive BBQ that will go a long way to give you a foundation in BBQ techniques at a very reasonable cost. Weber’s website even offers excellent posts to teach you how to master the art of cooking with charcoal. If you are just starting out in the world of charcoal barbecuing and looking to create your ideal woodland garden, the Weber Kettle is an excellent choice to get you on your way.

If your garden is much further along and you are ready to take barbecuing to the next level, consider a more expensive Kamado-style BBQ.

Either way you can’t lose.

I also have a propane BBQ which gets plenty of use. Our Vermont Castings Vanguard BBQ is an excellent choice for those looking for a propane or gas style BBQ.

Check out this link for my article on our Vermont Castings Vanguard propane BBQ.

And this article for information on using cast iron cookware on the BBQ.

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