Big Green Egg Large vs Kamado Joe Classic II

The same size class and almost the same grate: 46 centimetres and 1,688 cm² for the Large, 45.7 centimetres and 1,613 cm² for the Classic II. Both ceramic, and both with a lifetime warranty on the ceramic. That is where the similarities end.

The Classic II is supplied complete: a stand on four casters, two of them locking, two ceramic heat deflectors, the two-level Divide & Conquer system, a slide-out ash drawer, the cast-aluminium Kontrol Tower and the Air Lift hinge. The gasket is double-thickness fibreglass. The Large comes bare: no stand, and no heat deflector in the maker’s specifications. Anyone who wants those ends up at the Master Set, with the intEGGrated Nest, two half cast-iron grids and a heat deflector.

The Large weighs 73 kilos, the Classic II 103.3 kilos including what Kamado Joe ships with it. On the other parts Kamado Joe gives two years on thermometer and gasket, Big Green Egg one year on felt and thermometer. Both give five years on metal.

The sticker price says little here, because the Classic II is a complete barbecue and the Large is a bare Egg. Add a nest and a heat deflector to the Large, or compare directly with the Master Set. Judged on the whole package, the Classic II puts more in the box.