At BBQ Island, we specialize in bringing you the best in outdoor kitchen equipment, including premium grills and smokers. Among our top-selling products are Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg, and Primo kamado cookers. Kamado-style grills are known for their versatility, durability, and ability to cook a wide range of foods from low-and-slow smoked meats to high-temperature searing. In this article, we’ll compare these three top brands and discuss the benefits of kamado cookers versus other options like pellet grills or wood burners.
Why Choose a Kamado Cooker?
Kamado cookers are ceramic grills with a history dating back thousands of years. Their design provides excellent heat retention, making them highly efficient for grilling, smoking, roasting, and even baking. Here are some general benefits of choosing a kamado cooker:
- Heat Retention: The ceramic construction traps heat efficiently, making it easier to maintain a steady temperature.
- Versatility: Kamado cookers can handle a wide range of temperatures, from low-and-slow smoking to high-heat searing.
- Fuel Efficiency: These grills use less charcoal compared to traditional charcoal grills due to their insulation.
- Flavor: The airtight design enhances the natural flavor of wood and charcoal, giving your food a distinct smoky taste.
- Durability: Built to last, kamado grills are known for their long lifespan and resistance to the elements.
Kamado Joe vs. Big Green Egg vs. Primo
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the three kamado cooker brands we carry: Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg, and Primo.
Kamado Joe
Kamado Joe is known for its innovation and craftsmanship, often leading the way in kamado grill technology.
- Features: Kamado Joe cookers come with a patented Divide & Conquer flexible cooking system, allowing for multi-level cooking. The Air Lift Hinge reduces the dome weight, making it easier to open.
- Accessories: Comes with plenty of standard accessories such as a grill rack, ash tool, and heat deflector.
- Sizes: Available in various sizes from the Joe Jr. to the Big Joe III, making it easy to find the perfect fit for your outdoor kitchen.
- Warranty: Kamado Joe offers a lifetime warranty on their ceramic parts, ensuring long-term investment value.
Big Green Egg
The Big Green Egg is one of the most well-known kamado grills, often considered the gold standard by grilling enthusiasts.
- Features: The Big Green Egg’s design is straightforward, but its performance is top-tier. It offers precision airflow control with its patented draft door and rEGGulator.
- Accessories: Big Green Egg has an extensive range of add-ons, including pizza stones, convEGGtor inserts for indirect cooking, and more.
- Sizes: The Big Green Egg comes in a wide variety of sizes, from mini models perfect for smaller spaces to the 2XL, ideal for serious backyard chefs.
- Warranty: It also boasts a lifetime warranty on all ceramic components, providing peace of mind for buyers.
Primo
Primo is unique because it’s the only major kamado cooker made in the USA and the only one that offers an oval-shaped design.
- Features: The oval shape offers more versatility for two-zone cooking, making it easier to cook different foods simultaneously at varying temperatures. It also has a premium-grade ceramic body for excellent heat retention.
- Accessories: Primo offers a range of accessories, including racks and deflectors, but the real standout is the ability to divide your cooking space with Primo’s divider plates.
- Sizes: Available in a variety of sizes, Primo’s Oval XL 400 is a customer favorite for those who need more cooking space.
- Warranty: Like the others, Primo offers a limited lifetime warranty on its ceramic parts.
Kamado Cooker vs. Pellet Grills and Wood Burners
Kamado vs. Pellet Grills
Pellet grills have gained popularity for their ease of use. Unlike kamado cookers, pellet grills rely on electricity and wood pellets, giving you precise temperature control with minimal effort. However, they lack the same high-temperature searing capabilities that kamado grills excel at. Pellet grills are great for convenience but fall short when it comes to the robust flavor profile that charcoal and wood deliver through a kamado.
Kamado vs. Wood Burners
Wood burners provide an authentic wood-fired flavor, but they can be hard to control when it comes to maintaining consistent temperatures. Kamado cookers provide a more efficient and controlled cooking environment with the same wood-fired flavor. They also require less fuel and offer more cooking versatility, including the ability to smoke, roast, grill, and sear all in one.
Which Kamado Cooker Is Right for You?
The right kamado cooker depends on your grilling needs, available space, and cooking style. If you want innovation and accessories right out of the box, Kamado Joe is a great choice. For those looking for a trusted, classic option with plenty of accessories, Big Green Egg might be the perfect fit. If you want something made in the USA with the flexibility of two-zone cooking, Primo stands out.
At BBQ Island, we carry all three of these top brands to suit any grilling enthusiast’s needs. Whether you're building a complete outdoor kitchen or simply upgrading your existing setup, a kamado cooker is an investment in versatility, flavor, and durability.