The Big Green Egg is like the Cadillac of kamado grills—sleek, powerful, and this summer, oftentimes sold out.
They provide superb heat retention, work as thorough smokers, and the insulation from the thick walls means you can go low and slow or get a ripping hot sear.
Normally considered for hardcore grilling gurus, it’s easier than ever to add a kamado grill to your outdoor cooking arsenal.
One downside to having those thick walls can be weight, so you’ll have to find a place you really want to park it for the season .
Size: Most upright kamado grills make great cooking solutions for small backyard spaces and patios, but that also means less surface area to actually grill on.
Accessories: Some grill brands will provide add-on accessories like expanding side tables, a larger grill grate, electric thermometer, etc.
The Kamado Joe Classic III is a splurge-worthy Green Egg contender, and is absolutely worth every penny.
With 314 square inches of cooking space, combined with 133 inches gives your plenty of room to spread out all your meats on both racks so there’s enough smoke to go around.
Two folding side shelves also give you space to put your rubs, grilling gear, and anything else you’ll need.
While most kamado grills come on a rolling stand, very few offer quite the amount of storage options the Elite Series Deluxe does, include two tables with plenty of space for grilling tools, and more storage below the grill itself to hand the grates when you’re finished cooking.
Another unique feature is the slide-out ash drawer, which also includes a slot for an electric starter where the bottom dampers are located for the easiest charcoal lighting start-up, and clean-up, possible.
At 37 pounds, the side handles and scaled-down weight make it easily maneuverable, whether you’re out on a picnic in the park, or just trying to hoist it into your truck.
That doesn’t mean it lacks for cooking space though—with the 20-inch grill, it’s still big enough to fit eight full-sized burgers for a full-sized crowd across the cast-iron grill grates.
There’s still top and bottom air-flow dampers too, so you can get precise temperature controls for smoking even smaller cuts of meat.