Excellent performance with a nice price, it sounds too ideal but it does exist. Let's dive in!
In most cases, kamado grills are expensive, but it’s not always. Here comes a kamado that grills well but budget-friendly— Char Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill. Let’s check it out!
Table of Contents
Outstanding Temperature Control
a. Triple-Walled Steel Insulated Design
With this Char Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill, you can enjoy both high heat searing and low and slow smoking. Its body is triple-walled steel which has a great ability of retaining heat and moisture. It is able to maintain temperatures from 200°F to 700°F (93°C to 371°C). Therefore, this grill can grill fast on high heat, or slowly cook at a lower temperature for a long period of time. Totally up to you!
The insulated design and heat-retaining ability makes it fuel-efficient. Thus, it saves charcoal for cooking.
b. Adjustable Dual Dampers
Apart from the insulated design, the grill comes with two adjustable dampers which allow you to control the heat levels easily. Airflow affects the temperature, the more the air flows in, the more oxygen and the higher temperature, vice versa. The two dampers are located at top and bottom and you can control airflow and hence the heat level. Fully open the dampers to maximize heat, or extinguish the coals by closing them. You can adjust whenever you want.
c. Built-In Temperature Gauge
Other than retaining heat and adjusting the heat, you’ll need to know the exact temperature to avoid over- or under-cook. There is a built-in temperature gauge that tracks the real-time temp.
► More Review: Weber Summit Kamado E6 Charcoal Grill | Best Overall
Large Cooking Area
This Char Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill is 20 inch large with 447 square inches total cooking area. It includes 314 square inches cast iron primary grilling area, and 133 square inches removable warming rack. As a rule of thumb, it can hold 27 burgers at once. It’s enough for a medium party. Try steak, chicken, salmon, pizza, corn, potato and whatever you love!
Here is a trick for you, the warming rack is not only good at keeping food warm but also perfect for toasting buns. No rush for eating, enjoy!
It’s worth noting that the center of the grilling grate is detachable. It enables you to add or adjust the charcoal far more conveniently than other kamado grills.
► Read More: 10 Best Steaks to Grill & 4 Tips for Grilling the Perfect Steaks
Storage: Bottom & Side Shelf
Grilling needs many accessories and tools but not just a grill. Thus, you’ll need some spaces for storage or working. Char-Griller has made for you, the Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill has a bottom storage shelf and side shelf workstations.
The bottom storage shelf is best to store the plates, seasonings and some accessories (we’ll discuss below).
On the other hand, the side shelves are great for food prep like marinating. There are tool hooks on the shelves and it is nice to organize the utensils such as tongs and basting brush. The side shelves are foldable which saves space when not in use.
Easy to Clean
Cleaning is definitely a nightmare after the happy grilling party. It’s not that harassing in this Char Griller Akorn Kamado Grill. It comes with a removable easy-dump ash pan for hassle-free clean up.
Specs of Char Griller Akorn Kamado Grill
This Char Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill has dimensions (LxWxH) 45 x 31 x 47 inches and weighs 97 pounds (44 kg). Although it’s not light (which is normal for a kamado!), you can easily move it thanks to the caster wheels. It has two large 8″ front wheels and a rear locking wheel.
Moreover, the lid can be locked for convenient transportation as well as heat retaining.
The grill is incredibly solid and durable. Its exterior finish is powder-coated steel while the interior is porcelain-coated steel. Built to last!
Accessories / Parts of Char Griller Akorn Kamado Grill
Accessories upgrade your grilling party. Below are some nice choices for this Char Griller Akorn:
- Smokin’ Stone – amazing for low and slow cooking and baking like smoking roast or baking pizza.
- Stainless Steel Cooking Grate – you can replace the cast iron grate to a stainless steel one.
- Replacement Warming Rack for Char Griller Akorn
- Deluxe Grill Tool Set – it includes 20 pieces of grilling tools such as spatula, tongs, basting brush and skewers, all in one!
- Grill Grate Lifter – it makes moving your grates much easier and safer when they’re hot.
- Heat Resistant Barbecue Gloves – they insulate heat exceptionally well and so you can deal with foods in the grill easily.
- Charcoal Grill Chimney Starter – it helps you to start the charcoal with no fuss in minutes.
- Half Moon Charcoal Basket – it creates half of the grill space for direct heat cooking while another half as an indirect heat room.
- Grill Cover – Though this Char Griller Akorn is super durable, it’s better to further protect it from elements by a cover.
Char Griller Akorn Kamado Grill: User Reviews
The Char Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill is rated 4.7 stars / 5 stars on Amazon by nearly 3,000 reviews at the time of writing. We concluded some main points below.
The price was the most notable merit. Most of the comments mentioned that this grill was a sturdy and well-made kamado without a huge price tag. It was value for the money.
And the users were satisfied with its cooking performance. They tried to sear New York strip steak and other foods as well as slowly smoke ribs. Both were fabulous! For slow smoking, the grill was able to hold temperature at 250°F for 5 hours. What they needed to do was just to keep an eye on the dampers and control how large should be opened according to the heat you need.
In addition, the efficiency of this Char Griller Akorn was highly favored. One of the users reflected that one bag of lump charcoal lasted for a month for grilling 3-4 times a week.
Furthermore, the users loved the bottom ash pan which could be detached for easy cleaning. No need to sweep out the ash anymore.
For assembly, it was straightforward and no difficulty.
Should You Buy a Char Griller Akorn Kamado Grill?
This is the best choice for those who want to experience kamado but don’t want to pay a lot. The Char Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill doesn’t have other fancy features but it is built-to-last and grills well with a friendly budget. What else can be asked for?