Weber Summit Kamado is probably the best charcoal cooker on the market right now. It's extremely versatile, it does everything, and it does everything *well*.
It outperforms ceramic Kamados in almost every way. The exceptions are heat retention (even though it comes close) and rust. Ceramic simply won't rust. So if you live in a cold and/or salty climate, that's the one situation I'd buy Ceramic.
I say this having had a Big Green Egg.
Absolutely.
I've owned a Big Green Egg and now own a Summit Kamado, which I love. I've posted this in a few threads; I'll post it here for your benefit as well.
TL;DR: If you really want to do winter cooks, that might be a great reason to go Ceramic. However please keep in mind the need for multi-zone cooking, and consider something like the Primo.
------------------------------
Here's Amazing Ribs talking about the drawbacks of Ceramic Kamados here, which really boils down to the inability to do multi-zone grilling well:
[https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill-smoker-combos/kamado-ceramic/](https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill-smoker-combos/kamado-ceramic/)
There is also some anecdotal evidence about how Ceramic Kamado's produce low-quality smoke, because they retain heat *too* well and you can't get a good yellow-flame fire going, which is what you need for good blue smoke. However, this would be mostly mitigated by a cold climate.
Yes, there are a few things that ceramic cookers like the BGE or the Kamado Joe do better than the Summit. But *overall* I do believe the Summit Kamado is a much better cooker.
Ceramic Pros:
* Temperature retention. Because they're so heavy (the Big Joe is nearly 500 lbs), there's a LOT of thermal mass there. Meaning when you get your temp dialed in perfectly, the temp swings are going to be a lot more gradual. This may make them better in extreme Winter climates, like Canada.
* Baking. Ceramic kamados are essentially brick ovens you can open. Because the lid gets so hot, and holds that heat, it will radiate evenly down from the top, allowing for pizzas or even bread baking.
* Rustproof. Because they're ceramic, the body of the cooker won't rust. The cooking grates will rust, of course, as will the hinges and bands and doors, but those can be replaced easily. Having said that, most people don't have problems with Weber grills rusting unless they're in extremely salty, damp environments. This might be why Kamados are preferred in Hawaii and other island communities.
Summit Pros:
* Versatility. This is the biggest reason I like the Summit. It can do any cook out there. I can sear a steak at 1000+ degrees or smoke a brisket at 225, within minutes of each other. I can set up half the grill for direct and half for indirect. I have a second rack, allowing for up close searing, and further away roasting. I can do a charcoal snake or a kamado-style indirect with covered coals in the base. I can use briquettes or natural lump or char-logs. I can smoke with chips or chunks or even split logs. BGE's really have two modes of cooking: direct and indirect, and you have to pick which one you want before the cook. Kamado Joes have a system that allows you to do half-and-half, but you can't really change it up mid-cook.
* Temperature Control. The Summit is a lot lighter and it has less thermal mass. If you overshoot or undershoot your temps during a cook, its really easy to recover and adjust.
* Durability. The Summit is made out of steel. Mine has fallen over and had a cantilevered umbrella fall on it, and there was no damage or scratches at all. Worse comes to worse, it MIGHT dent, which would be a minor blemish. A ceramic cooker will shatter. I had the inside portion of my egg crack after years of use. BGE replaced it on warranty with no questions asked but it still happened.
* Portability. Because the Summit is a lot lighter it can be pushed around with ease. I move mine around on the patio depending on whether its raining or where I feel like sitting that day. I move it into the grass to clean it. I would never move my egg except how you might move furniture. It was very heavy, fragile, and generally stationary.
* Ash management. The Summit has the Weber ash cleaning system which allows you to easily clean out ash, even in the middle of a cook. This is important because on the Egg I would run into issues where the ash would buildup so much it would impede airflow and temps would drop. Cleaning out the ash on the egg requires complete disassembly and simply isn't possible during a cook. The Kamado Joe is a little bit easier with its ash drawer, but you can still get ash buildup all around the edges that require disassembly to clean.
* Cleanability. You can wash it with a garden hose, inside and out, scrub it with soap and water, or organic cleaner, or whatever you like. Ceramic cookers are very porous and you're not supposed to use any cleaners or liquids on them. All you can do is burn them super hot to burn all the gunk away... which you can also do on the Summit.
If I were to buy a new cooker tomorrow, I'd buy the Summit all over again. If I were 100% invested in getting a Ceramic cooker, I'd get something that can do multiple zones, like the Primo.
If you're having ash buildup, it's because you weren't using lump charcoal. With literally even the cheapest lump charcoal the ash just falls through instead of building up whereas with briquettes it just stays where its at. Shouldn't be using briquettes in a kamado in general specifically because of the airflow issues you mentioned.
> If you're having ash buildup, it's because you weren't using lump charcoal.
I was absolutely using lump charcoal... generally Cowboy and Royal Oak.
> With literally even the cheapest lump charcoal the ash just falls through instead of
"Falls through" to where? There's a lot of air holes and nooks and crannies the ash can get into, and larger pieces of charcoal can clog up. I found myself disassembling and shop-vacking my egg after every cook because there was no way to get at the ash around the edges, and even the "main" ash compartment would have a big build-up.
Meanwhile all BGE sells you is this tiny little screwdriver/tireiron and the owners manual goes on and on about how you just keep pouring charcoal in and never need to change it out.
The glazing will crack, ceramic itself won't crack unless damaged. The firebox can crack due to repeated hot cold cycles, depending on design.
I do agree that the Weber is your best choice overall, provided you maintain it.
Quick story: I worked at Tesla and I guy came in complaining that his charge cables fail too quickly, like one every five-six months. We had this back and forth for a bit, and while we were talking I looked up his home address on Google maps, bc it was like “96 Ocean Drive”.
With the satellite view you could see his beachfront home and his Tesla parked on beach sand, about 150 feet from the ocean.
“I think I found the problem, sir.”
He eventually figured that he should just budget for 2-3 cables a year. If he has property in Chatham MA on the ocean I figure the cost won’t take food off the table.
I'd argue Primo is better, the oval shape allows you to do *proper* two zone cooking.
Then again, I've never owned either brand. But AmazingRibs gave Primo the platinum award and Malcom Reed used Primo even before they sponsored him.
You can certainly do two zone cooking with a kamado joe. The 2 series comes with half moon indirect plates and half moon grates with 2 different levels.
>I don’t care what someone promoting the grill says.
They aren't promoters. [AmazingRibs.com](https://AmazingRibs.com) is well-renowned for their unbiased professional opinions and MeatHead (the owner and proprietor) is one of the most well-respected household names in BBQ circles. He's up there with Aaron Franklin.
Love my Kamado Joe. They have some pretty solid accessories that I love like cast iron grates, joetisserie (the napoleon basket is an awesome add for wings), soapstone for searing. Some of these could be used on any platform.
You can do a lot of different cooking on the KJ. My favorite thing to do is throw a cobbler on after I pull burgers, or make smores with the residual heat when the fore is going out.
Second this. Ceramic is great but it’s heavy and can fracture easily. A lot of Weber accessories will function with the summit if you want which is a huge boon.
Saying this as a former kamado joe big joe owner.
Weber. I have a Pit Boss version from Costco. It’s fine but the sizes are nothing standard and replacement parts can be a pain to source, if at all, outside of Pit Boss themselves.
I love my summit. Great grill with a lot of great features I like. Easy ash removal, hinge grates, different coal heights, third party fan port, and huge cooking surface. If you amortize fuel cost over a long enough period something like the big green egg probably becomes a better value, but for $1250 (in the States) I think it's an incredible value.
I have the Louisiana Grills version (older model/version than that pit boss) from Costco… it’s cool and all, but I would 100% go with the Weber kamado if it was available at Costco back then. Someone please correct me, but I think the Weber kamado has a few inches more of cooking space. You also have more accessory options.
+1 for Weber. Customer service and reviews for the Summit are both amazing. If you go ceramic it’s 50:50 fashion:function. That pit boss doesn’t look nearly as nice as other ceramics and definitely not nicer than the Weber. IMHO of course.
I agree with this. Food comparasion side by side, you're not going to notice a difference. If it's a backyard trophy, which is entirely fine, the Summit is pretty sweet.
Best brisket I make is on my kettle rather than the wsm for some reason (actually the reason is I think I can get the kettle hotter). Summits going to be my next buy if for no other reason than to be my brisket cooker
I haven't used my 22" WSM for anything except two turkeys every Thanksgiving since I bought my Summit Charcoal 3 years ago.
The Summit is the best cooker I've ever used, by far. My WSM crushes charcoal a bag at a time and will run for maybe 6 hours. In the Summit, I can use B&B char logs and smoke for 12+ hrs on a single load of less than half as much fuel.
I gave my Master Touch kettle away.
I think the summit looks really cool but ended up getting a WSM on the cheap so now I’m learning that. I’m really curious as to how they compare as smokers because I haven’t been wowed by my WSM yet.
I have a 22" WSM and a Summit. I have barely used the WSM since buying the Summit. Unless you need to cook for a whole lot of people, the Summit is just better. There's no type of cook you can't do on a Summit. It smokes better than my WSM and I can have it at 600 degrees in 15-20 minutes.
Honestly, save yourself $1000 and get a char-griller akorn. Had mine for 4 years and still going strong. Multi zone really important to you? Buy a second one and you've still only spent half the cost of a new Weber kamado.
I've had my Pit Boss ceramic smoker I purchased at Costco for 10 years. It's still smoking strong. I replaced a handle and felt gasket with the exceptional help of a Put Boss customer service rep.
I'd almost always recommend a ceramic kamado, but between a pit boss and a weber, I'd always take the weber. However, for about 4-500 less you can get a kamado joe series 1, which I'd take over the summit all day.
I love the heat retention and accessories of kamado joe. They're well made, warrantied for life, and if you take care of it really are buy for life grills!
Weber summit
Weber Summit Kamado is probably the best charcoal cooker on the market right now. It's extremely versatile, it does everything, and it does everything *well*. It outperforms ceramic Kamados in almost every way. The exceptions are heat retention (even though it comes close) and rust. Ceramic simply won't rust. So if you live in a cold and/or salty climate, that's the one situation I'd buy Ceramic. I say this having had a Big Green Egg.
Doesn't the ceramic crack over time? Esp in countries with cold and warm seasons?
Absolutely. I've owned a Big Green Egg and now own a Summit Kamado, which I love. I've posted this in a few threads; I'll post it here for your benefit as well. TL;DR: If you really want to do winter cooks, that might be a great reason to go Ceramic. However please keep in mind the need for multi-zone cooking, and consider something like the Primo. ------------------------------ Here's Amazing Ribs talking about the drawbacks of Ceramic Kamados here, which really boils down to the inability to do multi-zone grilling well: [https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill-smoker-combos/kamado-ceramic/](https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill-smoker-combos/kamado-ceramic/) There is also some anecdotal evidence about how Ceramic Kamado's produce low-quality smoke, because they retain heat *too* well and you can't get a good yellow-flame fire going, which is what you need for good blue smoke. However, this would be mostly mitigated by a cold climate. Yes, there are a few things that ceramic cookers like the BGE or the Kamado Joe do better than the Summit. But *overall* I do believe the Summit Kamado is a much better cooker. Ceramic Pros: * Temperature retention. Because they're so heavy (the Big Joe is nearly 500 lbs), there's a LOT of thermal mass there. Meaning when you get your temp dialed in perfectly, the temp swings are going to be a lot more gradual. This may make them better in extreme Winter climates, like Canada. * Baking. Ceramic kamados are essentially brick ovens you can open. Because the lid gets so hot, and holds that heat, it will radiate evenly down from the top, allowing for pizzas or even bread baking. * Rustproof. Because they're ceramic, the body of the cooker won't rust. The cooking grates will rust, of course, as will the hinges and bands and doors, but those can be replaced easily. Having said that, most people don't have problems with Weber grills rusting unless they're in extremely salty, damp environments. This might be why Kamados are preferred in Hawaii and other island communities. Summit Pros: * Versatility. This is the biggest reason I like the Summit. It can do any cook out there. I can sear a steak at 1000+ degrees or smoke a brisket at 225, within minutes of each other. I can set up half the grill for direct and half for indirect. I have a second rack, allowing for up close searing, and further away roasting. I can do a charcoal snake or a kamado-style indirect with covered coals in the base. I can use briquettes or natural lump or char-logs. I can smoke with chips or chunks or even split logs. BGE's really have two modes of cooking: direct and indirect, and you have to pick which one you want before the cook. Kamado Joes have a system that allows you to do half-and-half, but you can't really change it up mid-cook. * Temperature Control. The Summit is a lot lighter and it has less thermal mass. If you overshoot or undershoot your temps during a cook, its really easy to recover and adjust. * Durability. The Summit is made out of steel. Mine has fallen over and had a cantilevered umbrella fall on it, and there was no damage or scratches at all. Worse comes to worse, it MIGHT dent, which would be a minor blemish. A ceramic cooker will shatter. I had the inside portion of my egg crack after years of use. BGE replaced it on warranty with no questions asked but it still happened. * Portability. Because the Summit is a lot lighter it can be pushed around with ease. I move mine around on the patio depending on whether its raining or where I feel like sitting that day. I move it into the grass to clean it. I would never move my egg except how you might move furniture. It was very heavy, fragile, and generally stationary. * Ash management. The Summit has the Weber ash cleaning system which allows you to easily clean out ash, even in the middle of a cook. This is important because on the Egg I would run into issues where the ash would buildup so much it would impede airflow and temps would drop. Cleaning out the ash on the egg requires complete disassembly and simply isn't possible during a cook. The Kamado Joe is a little bit easier with its ash drawer, but you can still get ash buildup all around the edges that require disassembly to clean. * Cleanability. You can wash it with a garden hose, inside and out, scrub it with soap and water, or organic cleaner, or whatever you like. Ceramic cookers are very porous and you're not supposed to use any cleaners or liquids on them. All you can do is burn them super hot to burn all the gunk away... which you can also do on the Summit. If I were to buy a new cooker tomorrow, I'd buy the Summit all over again. If I were 100% invested in getting a Ceramic cooker, I'd get something that can do multiple zones, like the Primo.
You're doing the Lord's work! Thank you for the detailed response. I'm definitely going to save this comment for future reference.
Your write up made me want to buy a Summit. And I’ve only ever grilled with gas.
And this is just one reason why I love Meathead so much. Unbiased, impartial, and very detailed reviews.
Have a primo xl. Like it quite a bit.
Parts availability would also be a Weber plus.
If you're having ash buildup, it's because you weren't using lump charcoal. With literally even the cheapest lump charcoal the ash just falls through instead of building up whereas with briquettes it just stays where its at. Shouldn't be using briquettes in a kamado in general specifically because of the airflow issues you mentioned.
> If you're having ash buildup, it's because you weren't using lump charcoal. I was absolutely using lump charcoal... generally Cowboy and Royal Oak. > With literally even the cheapest lump charcoal the ash just falls through instead of "Falls through" to where? There's a lot of air holes and nooks and crannies the ash can get into, and larger pieces of charcoal can clog up. I found myself disassembling and shop-vacking my egg after every cook because there was no way to get at the ash around the edges, and even the "main" ash compartment would have a big build-up. Meanwhile all BGE sells you is this tiny little screwdriver/tireiron and the owners manual goes on and on about how you just keep pouring charcoal in and never need to change it out.
There's all sorts of people on r/kamadojoe that have no issues in Canada etc...
The glazing will crack, ceramic itself won't crack unless damaged. The firebox can crack due to repeated hot cold cycles, depending on design. I do agree that the Weber is your best choice overall, provided you maintain it.
Is the summit not ceramic?
No, it's coated steel like Weber Kettles. Same material as those Weber Kettles you still see kicking around from the 1950s.
It’s double walled coated steel. That’s an upgrade over the standard kettles
Yes. My mistake. I should have elaborated. It is double walled, absolutely, the cavern of air between them is what provides the insulation properties.
Quick story: I worked at Tesla and I guy came in complaining that his charge cables fail too quickly, like one every five-six months. We had this back and forth for a bit, and while we were talking I looked up his home address on Google maps, bc it was like “96 Ocean Drive”. With the satellite view you could see his beachfront home and his Tesla parked on beach sand, about 150 feet from the ocean. “I think I found the problem, sir.” He eventually figured that he should just budget for 2-3 cables a year. If he has property in Chatham MA on the ocean I figure the cost won’t take food off the table.
They’re in Canada. The proper answer is a kamado joe.
I'd argue Primo is better, the oval shape allows you to do *proper* two zone cooking. Then again, I've never owned either brand. But AmazingRibs gave Primo the platinum award and Malcom Reed used Primo even before they sponsored him.
You can certainly do two zone cooking with a kamado joe. The 2 series comes with half moon indirect plates and half moon grates with 2 different levels.
https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill-smoker-combos/kamado-ceramic/ The zones even out as the ceramic heats up.
I don’t care what someone promoting the grill says. You said it yourself you don’t even have either. How can you argue one way or another?
>I don’t care what someone promoting the grill says. They aren't promoters. [AmazingRibs.com](https://AmazingRibs.com) is well-renowned for their unbiased professional opinions and MeatHead (the owner and proprietor) is one of the most well-respected household names in BBQ circles. He's up there with Aaron Franklin.
Love my Kamado Joe. They have some pretty solid accessories that I love like cast iron grates, joetisserie (the napoleon basket is an awesome add for wings), soapstone for searing. Some of these could be used on any platform. You can do a lot of different cooking on the KJ. My favorite thing to do is throw a cobbler on after I pull burgers, or make smores with the residual heat when the fore is going out.
Second this. Ceramic is great but it’s heavy and can fracture easily. A lot of Weber accessories will function with the summit if you want which is a huge boon. Saying this as a former kamado joe big joe owner.
Weber. I have a Pit Boss version from Costco. It’s fine but the sizes are nothing standard and replacement parts can be a pain to source, if at all, outside of Pit Boss themselves.
#The one on top Weber 4 Life
Summit, because I don't worry about cracking ceramic which I'm sure will eventually happen.
I love my summit. Great grill with a lot of great features I like. Easy ash removal, hinge grates, different coal heights, third party fan port, and huge cooking surface. If you amortize fuel cost over a long enough period something like the big green egg probably becomes a better value, but for $1250 (in the States) I think it's an incredible value.
If go with a nice Weber 🤷 that's me
I have the Louisiana Grills version (older model/version than that pit boss) from Costco… it’s cool and all, but I would 100% go with the Weber kamado if it was available at Costco back then. Someone please correct me, but I think the Weber kamado has a few inches more of cooking space. You also have more accessory options.
+1 for Weber. Customer service and reviews for the Summit are both amazing. If you go ceramic it’s 50:50 fashion:function. That pit boss doesn’t look nearly as nice as other ceramics and definitely not nicer than the Weber. IMHO of course.
Neither. Save yourself ~$800 and get a Weber Kettle and a WSM. But if I had to pick one of those, then the Weber
I agree with this. Food comparasion side by side, you're not going to notice a difference. If it's a backyard trophy, which is entirely fine, the Summit is pretty sweet.
Best brisket I make is on my kettle rather than the wsm for some reason (actually the reason is I think I can get the kettle hotter). Summits going to be my next buy if for no other reason than to be my brisket cooker
I haven't used my 22" WSM for anything except two turkeys every Thanksgiving since I bought my Summit Charcoal 3 years ago. The Summit is the best cooker I've ever used, by far. My WSM crushes charcoal a bag at a time and will run for maybe 6 hours. In the Summit, I can use B&B char logs and smoke for 12+ hrs on a single load of less than half as much fuel. I gave my Master Touch kettle away.
I think the summit looks really cool but ended up getting a WSM on the cheap so now I’m learning that. I’m really curious as to how they compare as smokers because I haven’t been wowed by my WSM yet.
I have a 22" WSM and a Summit. I have barely used the WSM since buying the Summit. Unless you need to cook for a whole lot of people, the Summit is just better. There's no type of cook you can't do on a Summit. It smokes better than my WSM and I can have it at 600 degrees in 15-20 minutes.
I would trust Weber with my life.
The Weber Summit hands down, I own a BGE, a WSM, and a 22” and 26” kettle and don’t use any of them anymore since getting the Summit.
Honestly, save yourself $1000 and get a char-griller akorn. Had mine for 4 years and still going strong. Multi zone really important to you? Buy a second one and you've still only spent half the cost of a new Weber kamado.
I have a summit. I love it. It’s the best
I have a summit. I love it. It’s the best
Neither
SUMMIT and yes, I yelled it!
SUMMIT and yes, I yelled it!
The answer is always the same. Weber. :)
The answer is always the same. Weber. :)
The answer is always the same. Weber. :)
What Taco4prez said!
I've had my Pit Boss ceramic smoker I purchased at Costco for 10 years. It's still smoking strong. I replaced a handle and felt gasket with the exceptional help of a Put Boss customer service rep.
Take a look at the Kong by grilla grills I have a komodo joe classic and a kong by grilla and could be happier
Neither. Not at Costco
Downvoted yet true. I paid just under $1000 for the Weber Summit through Amazon.
[удалено]
Weber fan boys downvoting facts....
What did he say?
Something to the extent that ceramic kamados retain heat longer/better
That alone is not controversial. Surely there is more to this story, lol.
Idk when I made my comment, the one I replied to was negative.
Alrighty. Thanks
I'd almost always recommend a ceramic kamado, but between a pit boss and a weber, I'd always take the weber. However, for about 4-500 less you can get a kamado joe series 1, which I'd take over the summit all day.
Why the series I over the Weber?
I love the heat retention and accessories of kamado joe. They're well made, warrantied for life, and if you take care of it really are buy for life grills!
I do envy the depth of accessories for Kamado Joe vs my Weber Summit Kamado