New Kamado grill questions

[windlaker]

I bought a Char Griller Kamado Grill about 5 years ago, for about $250.00. LOVED IT. Smoked great briskets & pork shoulders, did a great job searing/grilling steaks, a great multi-purpose grill.

However, the seams are starting to leak, and the kettle is starting to rust...bad. So I'm looking to replace it. I want to move to a ceramic grill.

I'm looking at what Costco carries (Pit Boss and the Louisiana Grill). Don't really want to spend the money for a Green Egg. The Char Grill proved to me I can do what I need without spending that kind of money. Would also be open to other recommendations in the $600.00 range.

Looking to hear any comparisons, opinions you all may have.

Thanks in advance,

Windlaker

 

[ososmokeshack]

Haven't tried either of the ones you listed but I do have an Egg. My recommendation is get the biggest size you can. I have the large because I scored it basically new for half the cost and it would be small for a lot of cooking. The bigger the better I think. I would also be interested to hear about those two brands as adding another grill might be in my future.

 

[windlaker]

That's another reason I'm shying away from the Egg. The Large has a grate diameter of 18". My current one is 20", and I sometimes have to "force" a brisket to fit on it. The two I mentioned have a 22" and a 24" grate.

 

[ososmokeshack]

That's another reason I'm shying away from the Egg. The Large has a grate diameter of 18". My current one is 20", and I sometimes have to "force" a brisket to fit on it. The two I mentioned have a 22" and a 24" grate.

Yeah that would be much better.

 

[windlaker]

In my research, I've been looking at the Bit Boss and the Louisiana Grills. They look very similar, have similar Part Numbers, and have the same MSRP.

Are they the same grill with different name plates on them?

 

[meskc]

They should be the same. Pit boss and Louisiana grills are owed by the same company. I know many of their other grill are the same. I have the louisiana 7 series vertical smoke and it is the same as the pitboss.

 

[windlaker]

They should be the same. Pit boss and Louisiana grills are owed by the same company. I know many of their other grill are the same. I have the louisiana 7 series vertical smoke and it is the same as the pitboss.

They should be the same. Pit boss and Louisiana grills are owed by the same company. I know many of their other grill are the same. I have the louisiana 7 series vertical smoke and it is the same as the pitboss.

OK, thanks. Can shop on prices alone, now.

 

[meskc]

I know Costco sometimes have prices in the store cheaper then online. Mine is $599.00 online but was $450.00 in the store at regular price.

 

[Joatman]

I've smoked in Weber kettles, electric smokers, and chimney smokers....but the last straw was an offset smoker that I bought and struggled with for an entire year.....so, I sold it.
I know a couple people who swear by their Kamados, so I did TONS of research and watched a bunch videos.......and finally broke down and bought the Louisiana Grill Kamado from Costco last year .............and absolutely love it! My only regret is that I didn't buy one years ago. No, they are not cheap by any means but less expensive than the BGE and Kamado Joe brands, and the quality looks to be quite comparable. The Louisiana Grill Kamado includes a two-tier grill, which doubles your cooking surface, a cover and heat deflector. These accessories aren't included with others that I researched. I find the temperature quite easy to control. If I can keep the fluctuation within 20 degrees, I'm happy. It'll take a few smokes to get the feel of it. One thing that I learned the hard way is that when you open the lid, the longer you keep it open, the higher your temperature is going to spike once you close it.
I've also used it to cook steaks on (about 500 degrees).....and pizza (about 750 degrees). They turned out awesome. I live in Missouri, where we have some pretty cold winters, so I stored it in my garage this past winter out of fear that it would crack if left outside. Some people say that it can survive the elements......but I just didn't want to risk it the 1st year of owning it.
I don't have enough good things to say about this new toy. I believe I paid $600 (in the club) like you said. Mine is blue, but the ones they sell this year are red. If you buy it online, I believe they tack on an extra $100 for delivery. But it will drop to $499 in the club later on in the year. Hope this helps!

 

[Alphonse]

I hear you on trying to stay within a budget. I have two kamados, a BGE and a Grill Dome. I bought the large BGE Lg and the large Grill Dome came with a camp that I bought. There is no comparison in quality between the BGE and the Grill Dome. BGE is far better ceramic and more durable. Grill Dome cooks just as well however. Both are 18" and too small.

I refurbished a Primo XL that my son bought used. It is a superior cooking kamado with the ability to do two zone cooking and has generous real estate.

My next kamado will be larger that the 18 inchers. I would suggest you look for a used Primo or Big Joe. There are lots of them out there.

 

[dr k]

Here's the Akorn ceramic. I have the porcelain insulated steel red Akorn and would get it again. I saw the ceramic Akorn at Hyvee food store a couple years ago..

Char-Griller Ceramic AKORN Kamado Charcoal Grill in Sapphire Blue 56020 - The Home Depot

The Char-Griller Ceramic AKORN Kamado Charcoal Grill offers ultimate versatility. This all-in-1 grill can grill, smoke, roast, sear and bake. With side shelves for storing everything you need to grill,

www.homedepot.com

 

[windlaker]

So I ended up getting the Louisiana Grill from Costco. Assembled it Sunday night, haven't lit a fire in it yet.

Looks great, but my only concern is the bottom grill being right on the heat deflector. My thinking is it's too close for smoking.

Ideas or thoughts on this?

 

[Dr. Dobbins]

Get the biggest ceramic you can afford, but it is worth the money to get the kamado joe for it‘s ease of use and options. I know it blows out your budget, but it is worth it.

 

[Joatman]

So I ended up getting the Louisiana Grill from Costco. Assembled it Sunday night, haven't lit a fire in it yet.

Looks great, but my only concern is the bottom grill being right on the heat deflector. My thinking is it's too close for smoking.

Ideas or thoughts on this?

Hello. Congratulations on your purchase. You’re going to love that thing. Regarding your concern of the heat deflector, you’ll need to flip it upside down, so the three legs are pointing up. Then you’ll put the grill on top of that. The grill will only be resting on the three legs. This will leave you a little over an inch of space between The deflector and grill. I bought a small sheet pan about an inch tall that fits there to use for a water pan, for moisture. I cover the deflector with foil for easy clean up. I also cover the water pan with foil. Hope this helps. Happy smoking!

 

[smokinsullivan]

I bought the Vision grill which is a very good Komado here: Vision Grills but I bought my brother in law the cheaper Akorn because I didn't know if he'd get into the "sport" as much as me and its doing really well too...heck of a discount from BGE Akorn