All this talk of BBQ’s and good weather has got me looking at Kamado type grills.

I couple of lads at work have recommended the “Big Green Egg” BBQ’s but I cannot justify getting towards 4 figures on a BBQ!

A bit of googling for Kamado grills and a few cheaper options come up, from £150 to about £300. Now still not cheap in my mind but something I could stretch to.

Anyone on here own one? Would you recommend one, or should I wait a few years until my current BBQ needs replacing and buy an expensive one?

Gas bbqer’s and charcoal haterz need not respond to this, CO2 heavy 1st World problem. Thanks. 🙂

Don’t know about the cheaper versions but the big green egg is great… I’ve got large and minimax versions (thinking about selling the latter if you’d be interested in second hand).

Suspect the main problem with the cheaper ones will be the temperature control. It drifts a bit on the BGE with the low and slow stuff but I think it’d drive you mad with the cheaper versions which don’t have the thick ceramic. Think the higher temperature stuff would be less of a problem.

There’s a forum called Country Wood Smoke that probably contains some more detailed information. Experience says you get what you pay for with most things, but there are other well regarded brands in addition to BGE, not sure you’d be saving massive amounts though.

Depends on how much you need it!

A Weber kettle can do all the roasting and smoking you need with indirect cooking. Get a digital temp gauge from IKEA and you’re laughing.

It’s a lot more money for not a lot more functionality with an expensive ceramic jobbie.

Just get a Weber kettle. Why anyone would need something more expensive or fancier I don’t know.

Just get Shimano Deore. Why anyone would need something more expensive or fancier I don’t know.

FTFY

Just re-awakening this thread from last year. 12 months on- has anyone invested in the cheaper end of the ceramic kamado BBQ. I love the idea of slow cooked brisket/pork shoulder, but do the cheaper ones retain the heat and control temperature?

Anyone bought one in the last 12 months from the original thread?

This kind of thing

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Grills-13-Ceramic-Kamado-BBQ-Grill-Smoker-Oven-Charcoal-barbecue-red/143187312877?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Def61d7bfd5bf4492b7a9b96fcc18c44a%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D264328958529%26itm%3D143187312877&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A48d8f625-7b02-11e9-b1a6-74dbd180c65a%7Cparentrq%3Ad5682c7316a0ab640d31f1a6ffbb985e%7Ciid%3A1

Weber here as well.

As above, does everything I could ask for in terms of cooking. Even did the Christmas goose in it this year.

yes.

I have a Monolith equivalent – I got it for approx £300 all in about two years ago. It’s not the real budget end of the market but it was a hell of a lot cheaper than the BGE equivalent. Ours came with pizza stones, trolley/stand thing, various grills etc.

I love it. Temp control is ace – no different to my friends Egg(s) – he has the small and large versions. I can have it sat all day cooking brisket for 12+ hours without issue, or knock it up to silly high temps to quickly cook seafood / pizza. It sits outside under its cover all year round and isn’t showing its age.

I have a Weber Kettle and agree its the benchmark. But you can’t control temperature over long periods, or leave it for 2 hours or more. Its really for doing long slow bit joints that I’m interested.

I have a brinkman smoker, a Weber kettle and an Uuni. If I was looking for a low and slow again I’d be after a Weber smokey mountain. Low and slow for 250

I have a Weber master touch and you can do low and slow on it fairly easily. Using the snake method with decent briquettes you get a decent long burn.

The Aldi ceramics have got good reviews for the money, not too sure if they have sold out now though.

Like above, check out coubtry wood smoke, the Facebook group is very active and plenty of helpful advice on there.

Gill Meller’s latest River Cottage Handbook ‘Outdoor Cooking’ has some inspiring cooking techniques, a bunch of excellent recipes and a refreshing ‘kit free’ ethos. £15 well spent at this end of the summer, I reckon.

Thanks all helpful.

I fancied getting one of the cheaper egg ones from Aldi but the deal breaker for me is the sheer weight of the things. I don’t want to leave it out in the garden as I don’t have the space so don’t fancy moving an 80kg lump of china about.

I use a weber mastertouch for general bbq’ing and a smokey mountain that I got 2nd hand off ebay. You can smoke an awful lot in the w.s.m. as it’s the big one and as such it holds temperature very well. I’m happy to stick with two different ones aiming at doing specific things rather than a one grill for all type approach.

Got a Primo over the winter with bit of a discount but still could not be described as cheap. Using it regularly two or three times a week and its going well so far.

I fancied getting one of the cheaper egg ones from Aldi but the deal breaker for me is the sheer weight of the things. I don’t want to leave it out in the garden as I don’t have the space so don’t fancy moving an 80kg lump of china about.

Ours lives outside all the time with it’s cover on – it’s on a slightly shonky trolley thing with castors (not the huge table-like construction), it’s a more modest thing that just gives us the ability to push it into a corner when we’re not using it.

Weber kettle BBQ here as well.
I’ve tried the snake method for laying out charcoal with great success for low and slow cooking brisket.

Just search snake method BBQ and there’s loads of videos showing you how.