Ceramic, Steel or Aluminum? Finding the Best Kamado Grill

A kamado is the egg-shaped charcoal cooker that does two jobs a kitchen cares about: it gets hot enough to sear carne asada hard and fast, and it holds a low, steady heat for hours when you want to smoke a beef cheek or a pork shoulder for barbacoa-style tacos. Thick walls and a tight lid do the work. You control the fire with two vents, and once it settles it tends to stay where you put it.

This guide compares only kamados: thick ceramic eggs from Kamado Joe, Primo and Saffire, a cast aluminum kamado from Blaze, and insulated steel versions from Char-Griller. For each we list the body, grate size, cooking area, weight, stand, rated temperature range and warranty as the maker or the Amazon listing states them, and we write “Not stated” where neither gives a figure. Every heat-retention claim on this page belongs to the maker that made it, and we say whose it is.

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Quick verdict: which kamado to buy

The table below shows our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook. All seven kamados are reviewed in full after it.

Five kamados side by side

Body, size and rated heat for our five standout picks, as each maker or Amazon listing states them.

Product images from Amazon. Specifications as stated by each maker or Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best kamado grill

These seven cover the kamado market as it stands on Amazon: full-size and portable ceramic eggs, two oval Primos made in the United States, a feature-heavy Saffire, a cast aluminum Blaze and two insulated steel AKORNs. Our best charcoal grill guide already names the AKORN as the kamado to buy among kettles, barrels and gravity grills. Here they meet other kamados instead, so the comparison is about walls, grate shape and weight rather than about kamado versus kettle.

How to choose a kamado for your backyard

Every kamado works the same way: a thick, insulated body, a tight lid, a bottom vent that lets air in and a top vent that lets it out. What separates them is what the body is made of, the shape and size of the grate, and what comes in the box.

1. Ceramic, steel or cast aluminum

Ceramic is the traditional material. Kamado Joe, Primo and Saffire all describe thick ceramic walls that hold heat and moisture, and the ceramic grills carry the longest warranties here, lifetime on the ceramics. The costs are weight, from 82.5 pounds for the Joe Jr. to 250 for the Primo XL, and the chance of cracking if the grill is dropped or knocked. Insulated steel, on the AKORNs, gives the same shape at a fraction of the weight, with Char-Griller claiming its triple-wall build retains heat for longer burns; the trade-off is rust if left uncovered and shorter warranties. Cast aluminum, on the Blaze, will not crack or rust, according to Blaze, but its listing gives fewer numbers.

2. Round or oval

Round grates are standard. To get a hot zone and a cool zone on a round kamado you use a split deflector, as with Kamado Joe’s half-moon system. Primo’s oval puts the two zones end to end, which makes it easier to sear over the coals at one end and roast or hold at the other. For a cookout of carne asada, pollo asado and vegetables, either works; the oval simply gives the cool side more room.

3. Grate size and cooking area

Look at the main grate figure, not the total. Totals often include upper racks you can only use for indirect cooking. An 18- to 20-inch round grate, like the Saffire’s or the AKORN’s, feeds a family; a 13.5-inch grate, 150 square inches on the Joe Jr., suits two or three. If you regularly cook for ten, the Primo XL’s 400 square inches is the size to look at.

4. Stand, cart and what is in the box

This is where prices that look similar turn out not to be. The Saffire and AKORN come with carts and shelves. The Primo listings are for the grill alone, and Blaze sells a cart separately. A heat deflector, which turns a kamado into an oven or smoker, comes with the Joe Jr. and the Saffire; check whether the grill you want includes one.

5. Rated temperature range

Every grill here is rated from around 200°F, low enough for smoking, to 700°F or more for searing. Makers state these ranges in different ways, and a higher top number matters less than how easily you can hold the low end. Indexed dampers, on the AKORNs, and five-position air controls, on the Primos, help you return to a setting that worked.

6. Warranty

Read what the warranty covers, not just its length. Primo publishes its terms clearly: lifetime on ceramic parts, five years on most metal parts, one year on cast iron and 30 days on gaskets and thermometers. Kamado Joe’s listings give lifetime on ceramics and five years on metal parts. Char-Griller’s AKORN listing and maker page disagree, and the Blaze listing gives no terms. Keep your receipt and register the grill.

How we picked these seven kamados

We started from what a restaurant kitchen wants from any live fire: a hot sear for thin meat, a way to set up a hot side and a cool side, vents that respond, and a fire that holds steady through a long cook. We then searched Amazon in the United States for kamados from identifiable makers, kept only those showing as in stock when we checked, and confirmed each figure on the maker’s own page, spec sheet or warranty page, or on the brand’s Amazon listing. Where sources disagree, as with the Primo XL’s weight, the AKORN’s warranty and cooking area or the Blaze’s wall thickness, we say so in the review.

Several well-known kamados are missing because we could not recommend them in stock. Kamado Joe’s Big Joe in every series, the Classic Joe I (a long shipping delay when we rechecked), II and III and the Konnected Joe, the Weber Summit Kamado, the Broil King Keg and the Grilla Kong were out of stock or showing very low stock. We found only Big Green Egg charcoal and accessories on Amazon, not the grills, and no current listings for Vision or Monolith grills. We left out unbranded ceramic eggs whose listings gave few specifications. We have not cooked on these grills for this guide, and we did not read or rely on outside reviews such as Wirecutter, Serious Eats or Consumer Reports for it; everything here comes from the makers, the listings and a kitchen’s view of what a charcoal cooker has to do.

Kamado safety: fire, carbon monoxide and the lid

Read the manual that comes with your grill first. On top of it, these points come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s charcoal grill safety tips, the National Fire Protection Association’s grilling safety tip sheet, the U.S. Fire Administration’s outdoor fire safety page and Kamado Joe’s own instructions:

• Outdoors only. The CPSC warns that burning charcoal gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell and which can kill. Never burn charcoal inside homes, vehicles, tents or garages. Kamado Joe’s Big Joe II manual gives the same warning and adds caravans, motor homes and boats.
• Give it room. NFPA says to keep the grill well away from the home and deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches; USFA adds not to use a grill on a porch or balcony. Kamado Joe’s manual asks for at least 10 feet from overhead construction, walls and rails.
• Burp the lid. Kamado Joe’s manual says that when you cook above 350°F, open the dome carefully each time to prevent flashback, a surge of heat caused by a rush of oxygen: lift the lid 2 to 3 inches and let the heat escape for about 5 seconds before opening it fully. Keep your face and body away from the vents and the lid as you open it.
• Keep a safe zone. NFPA advises keeping children and pets at least three feet from the grill, and never leaving a lit grill unattended.
• Lighting. NFPA notes that a chimney starter or an electric starter avoids lighter fluid; Kamado Joe’s manual warns never to use alcohol, gasoline or similar liquids to light or relight the grill.
• Ashes. Let the coals cool completely, then put them in a metal can with a lid, as NFPA and USFA advise. The CPSC notes that coals take a long time to burn out.

Cooking Mexican food on a kamado

A kamado’s strengths line up well with a Mexican cookout. Here is how a kitchen would put one to work.

• Carne asada: open both vents, let the coals get hot and sear marinated skirt or flap steak a few minutes a side, close to the coals. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s safe minimum internal temperature chart lists 145°F for beef steaks with a three-minute rest; check with a thermometer.
• Barbacoa-style beef and pork: set up the deflector, bring the grill down to a low, steady heat and smoke beef cheeks or a pork shoulder until tender, then shred for tacos. Our guide to what barbacoa is explains the traditional pit method this imitates.
• Pollo asado: FSIS lists 165°F for poultry, so use the cooler side or the deflector and close the lid to finish citrus-and-achiote chicken through.
• Salsa: char tomatoes, onion, garlic and chiles over the coals, then grind them for a smoky salsa roja; see salsa roja vs salsa verde.
• Fajitas: a cast iron pan set on the grate handles peppers and onions while the meat rests; our best cast iron skillet guide covers the pans.

Kamado grill questions, answered

What are the best kamado grill brands?

Among kamados sold and in stock on Amazon, Kamado Joe and Primo for ceramic, Saffire for a feature-packed ceramic grill, Blaze for cast aluminum and Char-Griller for insulated steel. Big Green Egg grills were not listed on Amazon when we checked, only its charcoal and accessories.

What is the best kamado grill for the money?

The Char-Griller AKORN. It gives you the kamado shape, a 200°F to 700°F range, cast iron grates and 325 square inches of primary cooking area at 88.2 pounds. Our best value charcoal grill guide compares the smaller AKORN Jr. with budget kettles and barrels.

Is a ceramic kamado better than a steel one?

Ceramic makers claim better heat retention, and the ceramic grills here carry lifetime warranties on the ceramics. Steel kamados are lighter and cost less, and Char-Griller claims its triple-wall insulation retains heat too. If you will move the grill or leave it uncovered, weigh those differences before the material.

What is the best kamado style grill for a small patio?

The Kamado Joe Joe Jr. for ceramic, the Primo Oval Junior for a two-zone oval, or the AKORN Jr. if weight matters most. Check your building’s rules on charcoal first; USFA advises against using a grill on a porch or balcony.

Do you need lump charcoal in a kamado?

Follow your maker. The Primo XL listing says lump charcoal only. Whatever you burn, light it with a chimney or electric starter or a starter made for charcoal, never gasoline or alcohol.

Did Wirecutter or Consumer Reports shape these picks?

No. We did not read or rely on their reviews for this page. Our picks come from maker specifications, warranty pages, Amazon listings and what a restaurant kitchen needs from a charcoal fire.

Our final pick for slow smoke and a hard sear

Buy the Primo Oval XL 400 if you want one ceramic cooker that does carne asada over the coals and a pan of charro beans at the cool end, with room for a crowd; just budget for its base. Choose the Saffire to smoke often with everything in the box, the Blaze if ceramic worries you, and the AKORN to learn kamado cooking for much less. However you cook, burp the lid above 350°F, keep the grill outdoors and well away from the house, and put cold ashes in a lidded metal can.

For low-and-slow cooking on other kinds of cookers, compare our guide to the best smoker.

Own a Kamado Joe? See our guide to the best Kamado Joe accessories.

Still weighing a kamado against a kettle or a barrel? Our best charcoal grill guide covers every type, and the best charcoal grill accessories covers chimneys, gloves and thermometers. If you would rather not tend a fire at all, see the best pellet grill or best gas grill, and Mexican cooking methods explained shows where grilling fits in. Or let us do the cooking: see the menu or call to order.