The ultimate test; what really is the best kamado?

LONG READ: IMPORTANT RESEARCH

I myself have been cooking on Big Green Egg for many years. Why? Because I discovered, bought and used them first. And I had no reason to switch to another brand.

Of course I looked at Kamado Joe (especially when they once delivered a container of black versions) but also mainly because they have really nice accessories where BGE did not have that. The matte Bastard also got my attention. Nice shape, slightly larger, nice matte gray color. Yes it itched sometimes, especially because I quickly wanted a ^2nd kamado, and I found some other kamados very attractive purely on sight.

 

I've been watching the BGE vs KJ comparison videos regularly. Youtube is full of them.

This way you get the whole history of the brands presented, and also what is or is not included as standard. Since Big Green Egg did an 'accessory catch-up' a few years ago and I put a 2nd ^Big Green Egg next to my first, I have let go of this discussion. I have chosen, and do not see why I would change now.

 

Until now.

 

I am very happy that our country now has a number of very good BBQ shops, which further propagate the BBQ culture and if they ask me to come and give a demo, I will gladly accept. Many different BBQs have also been released, something in every price range. Is my loyalty in the way, and are there better devices on the market in the meantime?

It was during the open days of these BBQ shops that I was again confronted with the question: what is the best Kamado?

Not once, but really many times.

Often it was about money: is Big Green Egg worth the extra cost? Because if you compare the prices, Big Green Egg costs more money.

And it is sometimes said: a Lada and a BMW do the same thing, but they don't cost the same.

 

Time to do an objective Kamado test and close the discussion once and for all. The proof is in the pudding.

 

OK, so I had at my disposal:

Big Green Egg Large (2100 euros)

Bastard Urban (1599 euros)

Outr Large Diamond (995 euros)

Kamado Joe Classic II (1449 euros)

The question I want to answer: what is the best kamado. And this is not about price or color or accessories, but about: which kamado is the best.

That's why I had to look for objective values. Taste and color are subjective so that can't be measured. Moreover, I found all the preliminary tests online only subjective values. That was no help.

 

That's why I chose to do tests that are measurable and that are important for BBQs and certainly for ceramic appliances.

 

1. Ease of use:

Not everyone has a permanent outdoor kitchen, so how mobile are the appliances?

After all, they all had a chassis with wheels.

2. Startup

How quickly do they start up and are ready to use, at 250 gr.

3. How stable are they (at 250 gr)
4. How quickly can you get them back to 180 degrees?

 

These are all measurable tests. The first one less in numbers, but in feelings.

 

Because taste falls into the category of subjectivity I did not cook any food due to too many variables. In addition I did not list everything that is included in the basic package. You normally do not choose a car based on its bells and whistles.

 

 

Structure of the test.

 

Ease of use

The various devices were delivered to me and were on the street but had to get into my garden. Ideal test, because they had to go over thresholds and different surfaces.

 

The roll test

Big Green Egg: sturdy wheels and grip. Best performance. Place no. 1

Bastard : Not easy, big weight. Place no. 4

Outr: smaller and lower center of gravity. Place no. 3

Kamado Joe: More manageable than the top 2. Ranked #2

 

Then they arrived on my terrace. That consists of tiles. Here they all rolled equally smoothly. So if you put them on a terrace and leave them there you will not have any problems.

 

But many people put it inside in the winter and then have to roll over the grass

 

Grass roller test . I'm going to be very simple about that. No kamado performs a feasible result here, except Big Green Egg. With its handle and its big wheels, every surface is a piece of cake.

 

Test 1: Winner of the Roll Test: clearly Big Green Egg

 

But now for the real work.

I have to tell you right away that I did this test and the results really surprised me. So much so that I decided to do the same test again a few weeks later to make sure I didn't make any mistakes.

And to my surprise again, the results were virtually identical, which convinced me that the tests had been performed correctly.

 

 

 

The set up

4 kamado bbqs:

Filled with the same amount of charcoal from the same brand (B&B Green bag)

1 ecolighter to light, centrally placed.

Test 1: After lighting, the lid was closed after 7 minutes and the top vent was opened to maximum

Test 2: After lighting, the lid was closed after 10 minutes and the top vent was opened to maximum

 

Why do I leave the lid open: for maximum airflow to give it the best possible start-up.

 

Test 2: Which kamado has the best airflow, to start with

 

After how many minutes do the Kamados reach 250 degrees C, and are they therefore at the perfect temperature to start cooking?

 

I chose not to test any other lighting methods such as multiple coils or a looft lighter because this is not objective.

 

The result:

Test 1 Test 2

Big Green Egg. 29 mins 28 mins

Bastard 45 mins 42 mins

Outr 53 mins 52 mins

Kamado Joe 38 mins 33 mins

 

 

Also I have to mention that Outr smokes really long. Really hard.

Bastard also has more and more frequent smoke than BGE and KJ, which I honestly didn't expect from this brand.

 

BGE and KJ are really very close to each other, the technical airflow of these 2 brands is really on point.

 

The smoking originates from a bad combustion and that is the result of no good airflow. If this supply/suction effect is on point you have fast combustion and minimal presence of smoke.

 

 

Winner: Big Green Egg

 

Test 3: How stable are they at 250 degrees.

A kamado is known for its stability, which gives you a very stable oven function. Ideal for going low and slow for hours and hours.

 

I have to say: I found that all devices are equally adjustable, and all are equally stable. I do have to say that the top vent of the Bastard was very hot and that you should wear a glove to operate it. Something that was much less with the other devices, and thanks to the rubber with BGE was not a problem at all.

 

 

 

 

Test 4: How quickly can you go down to 180 degrees Celsius?

 

This part is really important. As you know, a kamado is made of ceramic and therefore heats up this stone. This of course provides the qualitative heat that makes your food so juicy, and also for the mega stable temperature.

But how controllable is all this? Can you 'quickly' drop to a lower temperature.

Of course there are tricks, such as a heat shield or adding a bowl of cold water.

But apart from these tricks: how technically advanced are they and which device is best to arrange?

 

The starting point was 250 degrees C, and I wanted to measure how quickly I could get down to 180 degrees.

Condition: the kamados had to have been running stably at 250 degrees for at least half an hour before I closed the air supply at the top (minimum opening)

 

The result

 

Test 1 Test 2

Big Green Egg 33 mins 30 mins

Bastard 44 mins 48 mins

Outr 45 mins 93 mins

Kamado Joe 62 mins 86 mins

 

 

What I noticed in test 1 is that the Kamado Joe cools down noticeably slower than the rest. I thought this could be a mistake because at start-up the KJ was very close to BGE.

In the ^2nd test it was even slower.

 

This is due to the thickness of their base. Kamado Joe has a thicker base which means it will retain its heat very well. However, this makes it slightly less controllable.

 

Both BGE and Bastard remained about the same in both tests.

Outr took noticeably longer. Let's just say the 2nd ^time was a bit of bad luck.

 

Winner: Big Green Egg

 

Anyway, that taste test …. Because Outr gave noticeably inferior performances, I wanted to test whether this was also noticeable in tenderness.

 

So in test 2 I imposed something.

When I reached the target 180 gr on the 4 kamados, I placed a whole chicken on each of the devices.

Because I did not have a deflector (indirect plate) from Outr, I chose to cook the chicken directly on each appliance, at 180 degrees. And so I could test each appliance in the same way.

 

Why a chicken: I wanted to taste the fillet because it is the driest and so I can taste a little more easily what juicy results I can get

 

The result

I have to be honest and I didn't taste much difference in this chicken test. The breasts were almost the same everywhere and the buttock was maybe a bit drier in the Outr. But I don't really want to make a statement about that.

 

The chickens were actually done at the same time. After 1h15 I took them off. Along the way I saw differences per chicken and per fillet but at the end this was wiped away again.

 

 

 

Conclusion

Yes, that conclusion.

What will that be?

 

 

As mentioned, this test was done objectively, with measurable results.

 

I have been cooking on kamados for 12 years so I know how they work and how to operate them.

It was the first time I subjected 4 of them side by side to the same test.

 

Whichever one you have, you will quickly learn and master the device and adapt to it.

A kamado is also something your budget allows of course.

 

And to the chagrin of those who envy it:

But I can say very convincingly that Big Green Egg came out on top in this test and that Big Green Egg is technically the best Kamado in this test.

The ease of use and the technical airflow are on point. The brand also has many accessories to make a complete outdoor kitchen. It is easy to maintain and hardly wears out. It is definitely worth its price, but again: everyone has their budget. But know what you are buying.

 

I would also advise against all Chinese copies and cheap models. The tests have really shown that you will not enjoy it much.

 

But for what it's worth: I have 2 daughters and 2 stepdaughters and a friend: and they all, unanimously, chose the Diamond Outr, when asked: “Which is the prettiest?”

 

 

 

Personal conclusion:

I'm glad I've been cooking on the Big Green Egg for 12 years now.

And I'm glad I was able to take this test because it taught me a lot.

 

That's how I know I'll stay with Big Green Egg, because the basic technical capabilities of this device are really there. No accessory or other aspect can match that.

 

If someone asks me now: is the difference in price worth it, I can give a well-founded answer.

 

 

Disclaimer: I wanted to do this test and I was not paid by any brand. These are my measurements and personal conclusions. So you don't have to sue me for this.