Swapped my offset stick burner for a ceramic kamado last month at a competition in Kansas City

I was always dead set on stick burning being the only way to get real smoke flavor. Then I went to a KCBS event in Kansas City and walked past a guy using a Big Green Egg who took reserve in chicken. He let me try a bite of his brisket and I couldn't tell the difference honestly. The bark was still solid and the smoke ring was there. He said he just adds wood chunks and it runs steady for 12 hours without babysitting. Now I'm selling my offset on Craigslist and saving for a used kamado. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted giving up the fire tending?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy33d ago

Gotta respectfully disagree here, the fire tending is half the fun for me (it's almost meditative, you know?). The kamado does make great food, no argument there, but something feels missing when you're not feeding the fire and watching the smoke roll. Stick burners just have that raw character that a ceramic cooker can't quite match, even if the end result is close.

ross.jessica3d ago

...and honestly man, the offset crowd never talks about how much easier it is to just cook two different proteins at once on a kamado. Like brisket on the top rack at 275 and then throw some salmon on the lower grate for the last hour, no weird hot spots or fighting with airflow. I ran a Lang for three years and trying to do chicken and ribs together was always a nightmare with how the smoke rolls through. Kamado just lets you zone out and trust the ceramic, plus you're not buying a whole pickup truck bed full of splits every month lol.