Kamado Grill vs Offset Smoker
A kamado runs for hours on one load of charcoal and sears a steak after. An offset gives you more smoke and more room, and a fire to feed all day. For most yards, I'd buy the kamado.
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For ribs or a pork shoulder on a Saturday when you've got other things to do, get a kamado, and specifically the Classic Joe II. You load it once, set the vents and walk away, and it'll still sear a steak after. An offset smoker gives you a stronger wood-smoke flavor and a lot more room, but you'll be feeding a fire all day.
Kamado grill vs offset smoker: the comparison chart
A kamado is a thick egg-shaped cooker, usually ceramic, with the charcoal directly under the food. An offset is a long steel chamber with a firebox bolted to one end, so the smoke drifts sideways past the meat.
| Kamado | Offset smoker | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Lump charcoal plus a few wood chunks | Wood splits, usually over some charcoal |
| Feeding the fire | One load can run 12 hours or more at 225°F | About every 30 to 45 minutes on the Highland |
| Holding temperature | Steady once the vents are set | Swings; 225°F to 300°F in a Highland brisket cook |
| Smoke flavor | Milder | Stronger |
| Searing | Yes, up to 750°F on the Classic Joe II | Only over the firebox grate |
| Main grate | 250 sq in (Classic Joe II) | 616 sq in (Highland) |
| Weight | 97 lb (Akorn) to 233 lb (Classic Joe II) | 178 lb (Highland) |
| Price | About $400 to $1,365 | About $430 to $730; thicker steel from about $800 |
Which one tastes better?
The offset, if you like your barbecue to taste strongly of wood. Meathead Goldwyn of AmazingRibs puts it down to how they burn: a kamado is so efficient and burns so cleanly that its smoke has less flavor, while an offset runs dirtier, and plenty of Texans like it that way. A cook who owns a kamado and has run an offset for years says the same from the other side. His kamado makes good food, it just doesn't taste as smoky.
That doesn't mean kamado brisket is thin. Use dry wood rather than green, try a stronger wood like mesquite, and consider running at 275°F instead of 225°F, which one kamado owner says brings out more smoke. Most people eating your ribs won't be holding them up against a Texas pit.
How much work is an offset smoker?
More than you'd guess from the photos. Smoked BBQ Source ran the Highland through a 19-hour brisket, and it needed a split every 30 to 45 minutes the entire time. The temperature fell to 225°F as each one burned down and jumped to 300°F when the next one caught. The brisket came out with great smoke flavor, but that's a long night in a lawn chair.
Damp wood and wind change how it burns, and cheap offsets leak. Air gets through unsealed seams, so several Highland owners have added gaskets or high-temperature sealant. Any offset can run up to 75°F hotter at one end than the other (the Highland stayed much closer than that), and built-in gauges are often wrong, so you'll want a good meat thermometer either way.
Some people love all of this, and if you're picturing yourself out there with a stack of oak and a beer, that's a good reason to buy one.
Kamado Joe vs offset: what your money buys
At about $400, you're choosing between the Akorn and the Highland (about $430). The Akorn is the easier of the two by a long way, and it'll do steak night too. Its body is steel, though, and it can rust even under a cover, so don't expect it to last like ceramic.
Up around $1,365, the Classic Joe II gets you the ceramic body, a cart, and a two-level grate system for cooking different foods at different heights. That same money gets you only an entry-level heavy offset: Smoked BBQ Source puts a well-built one at $800 to $1,000 and recommends quarter-inch steel. the Longhorn at about $730 sits in between, with Oklahoma Joe's heavy-gauge steel and a lot more grate.
How much fits on each?
The Highland takes up to 3 briskets, 7 chickens or 4 pork shoulders by Oklahoma Joe's count, more than twice the grate of the Classic Joe II. A two-person household won't miss that space. For a graduation party, you'll need it, and one owner of both keeps his kamado for dinners for two and fires up the offset when the family comes over.
Kamado vs pellet grill
If what you really want is to skip the fire altogether, look at a pellet grill. You set a temperature and it feeds itself, so it's the easiest of the three for long smokes. It does need a power outlet, and the smoke flavor is lighter still. A kamado gives you real charcoal flavor and works anywhere you can roll it.
What you need
- Kamado Joe Classic Joe II The ceramic kamado for smoking and searing on one cooker.$1,364.64
- Char-Griller Akorn Kamado A kamado for about $400, in lighter insulated steel.$399.99
- Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset Smoker An offset at about the same price as the Akorn, if you want to tend a fire.$429.00
- Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Offset Smoker A roomier offset for bigger crowds.$729.99
If you want ribs, brisket and weeknight steaks from one cooker without babysitting it, get the Classic Joe II. If you cook for a crowd and looking after the fire is half the fun, get the Highland and plan on sealing its seams.
