What would you consider as the best outdoor smoker?

Steve, the price isn't so much the priority [good price BTW, unless things have changed in the past 3 years] but how much you plan on cooking and for how many? IIRC, I have the Lg. BGE and it can still be small for a crowd. Please allow me to ask a question back if you don't mind. How many folks do you normally cook for and what do you normally cook?
 
With -no- accessories ->
XL Egg = $1099.00
Lg Egg = $799.00
Med Egg = $629.00
Sm Egg = $539.00
Mini Egg = $379.00
 
+ another question: Are you looking for a BBQ (low temperatures only a.k.a "real" BBQ) or something that can do both grilling & BBQ?
 
Steve, the price isn't so much the priority [good price BTW, unless things have changed in the past 3 years] but how much you plan on cooking and for how many? IIRC, I have the Lg. BGE and it can still be small for a crowd. Please allow me to ask a question back if you don't mind. How many folks do you normally cook for and what do you normally cook?

I would agree with that. My Kamado is about the size of a large BGE and I usually cook for 2 people, but up to 8 people.

Even if you only cook for 2, a larger Kamado is more versatile. It gives you more space for indirect cooking.
 
I have owned many grills and prefer my Primo XL ceramic smoker...

Wig
 
When I do pulled pork on my Grilldome, I can feed 15 to 20 people. That is with three/four pieces. Mine has a second rack that lets you put two more pieces on top. So while you can't feed 20 people hamburgers or steaks that way, you can feed a lot of people with some other meats. Get the biggest one you can handle though. Mine I think weighs a cool 330 pounds!
 
I think that those who own these can honestly say that with these? It's quality over quantity. I have been grilling on many a grill and it wasn't until I hit the ceramics that I was in heaven over the internal juices and crisp crust that no other grill I had tried before could deliver. Without even knowing what it was I was doing, nonetheless a complete rookie to ceramics. There are accessories that can expand your capacity within but these are not a "quantity" type grill, IMO.
 
By the way, on the subject of smoking, the website

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

is full of good information on smoking. It has a lot of information on the Weber Smokey Mountain cooker (not a bad smoker) but also covers general smoking topics as well.
 
When I do pulled pork on my Grilldome, I can feed 15 to 20 people. That is with three/four pieces. Mine has a second rack that lets you put two more pieces on top. So while you can't feed 20 people hamburgers or steaks that way, you can feed a lot of people with some other meats. Get the biggest one you can handle though. Mine I think weighs a cool 330 pounds!

Amir

was there a reason you went with Grilldome rather than KK? Is yours the same size as the large KK

BTW, Treitz, the medium BGE I saw at Costco was way too small for my needs. I was just surprised to see it sold at Costco
 
Steve:

If you are interested in a ceramic grill/smoker investigate Primo. Made in the US (outside Atlanta) and far more versatile than a BGE due to the oval shape. Lots of accessories. Construction quality is, at minimum, the equal of the BGE. Customer support is exemplary and if you have any issues you are dealing directly with the manufacturer. Lifetime warranty. Very active user forum.

I've been using it every night for years and I'm still in love with it. The BGE is the 800 pound gorilla in the ceramic grill industry. There are much better alternatives ie. Primo and Komodo.

www.primogrill.com

Ken Golden
 
Hmmmm, good question Steve. They look to be about the same. Here's a picture of two large birds in one of my friends KK's. That reminds me, I need to invite him to this forum...

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The Primo cooking surface is larger than the Komado, but Komado is just a taller grill in general

Wig
 
The Primo cooking surface is larger than the Komado, but Komado is just a taller grill in general

Wig

aren't there more levels on the KK than the Primo

I'm surprised there is more cooking area on the Primo
 
There are extension racks for the Primo giving you a second tier. The Primo can cook an enormous amount of food. I had my old Traeger rib rack which just fit inside - I was able to cook 10 racks of ribs at one time. There used to be a photo floating around on the old Primo website showing how much the Oval XL will hold - it was something crazy - like 8 pork butts. You can cook 2 whole briskets at one time using the extension racks.

Because of the oval shape of the Primo, you have a lot more flexibility compared to the BGE or KK. With the traditional round kamado cookers you use a "place setter" ceramic deflector plate which stops the flames from touching the cooking surface and allows you to cook indirect. With the Primo you have something similar except that they are 2 "D" plates. (they are called "D" plates because they are half an oval - they look like the letter D). So you can actually cook indirect with half the smoker and direct with the other. As an example - I insert one D plate. I'll cook a 3 inch thick porterhouse indirectly (over the D plate) for 45 minutes at 225 with a couple of chunks of hickory tossed directly onto the exposed lump (which is on the left side). When the internal temperature of the meat hits about 120 degrees I'll open up all the vents - bring the temperature of the Primo up to 400 degrees and then sear the steak directly over the lump on the left side. So I get a nice smokey flavor and killer grill marks at the same time. With a round smoker you literally have to take the grill apart and remove the plate setter to expose the coals. Pain in the ass if you ask me.

The Komodo Kamado is in many ways the Rolls Royce of ceramic cookers but there are issues:

1. Made in Indonesia. The company is run by Dennis Linkletter (Art's son!). My understanding he is extremely responsive when there are issues but who wants to deal with someone in Indonesia when you have a problem? Unless something has changed he doesn't have a real dealer network in the states.
2. Heavy as hell. When I was checking out ceramic grills I seriously considered the KK. At the time I had an elevated deck that was almost 25 years old. The KK weighs about 450 pounds if I'm not mistaken. I saw photos of purchasers having their KK installed on their decks with a crane. This was a non-starter for me.
3. On occasion a customer would receive their KK and there would be some cosmetic damage and you would be sent some replacement tiles. Who wants to deal with that? Again - it comes back to the fact that there isn't really a US based support system for the product. You buy it you are dealing with customer service on the other side of the planet (at least from New Jersey).

They are visually stunning and supposedly they are incredible cookers. Linkletter throws in every conceivable accessory but it just seems like the Primo was a more practical choice (at least for me). It has been some time since I investigated the Komodo Kamado so its possible that things have changed.

Ken Golden
 
Amir

was there a reason you went with Grilldome rather than KK? Is yours the same size as the large KK.
lasercd gave the updated version of the issues I had with KK. I was introduced to these ceramic smokers by someone who had bought the KK. The said the wait time was crazy few months. I tried emailing them to find out if that was the case and got no response. Read forum posts and it basically said if the thing arrives in one piece and stays there without the tiles falling off, you are OK. If not, getting customer service was next to impossible. On their forum, they would delete anyone saying negative stuff and were pretty obnoxious about it. All in all, it really put a bad taste in my mouth as it had done with others.

I then researched the alternative and the Grilldome which is run by an Indian guy who makes then in Inday but ships and supports them from Atlanta was the ticket. The owner was super responsive and gave a good story that his cermics are food safe and others may not be (no idea if he is right). Theirs has the thickest ceramics which helps keep the heat in for better efficiency. Their forum was very friendly and folks super helpful (not so active these days though). The GDs come in solid colors so they are nicer than some other brands but not the tile work that the KK has.
 
Thank you Lasercd and Amir for the information on the KK. This is very useful and vaguely important in my book. Not having positive feedback on customer service is bad enough but the kicker for me was this...

On their forum, they would delete anyone saying negative stuff and were pretty obnoxious about it.

For the cost of a KK, personally I would expect better. Much better than this.
 

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