Big Green Egg Large vs Kamado Joe Classic III

On the grate there is barely anything between them. Big Green Egg gives the Large 46 centimetres and 1,688 cm²; Kamado Joe gives the Classic III 45.7 centimetres and 1,613 cm². Both are ceramic, both carry a lifetime warranty on the ceramic, and both are supplied bare: no stand, no side shelves.

The difference is what sits inside the dome. The Classic III comes with the three-level Divide & Conquer system, two ceramic heat deflectors, the SlōRoller smoke insert, a slide-out ash drawer, the Kontrol Tower on top and the Air Lift hinge. The bare Large lists no heat deflector in the maker’s specifications; the Master Set does include one, together with the intEGGrated Nest and two half cast-iron grids. The gasket is felt on the Egg and fibreglass on the Joe.

Weight differs a lot: 73 kilos for the Large against 108.3 kilos for the Classic III. On the other parts Kamado Joe’s warranty is the more generous: metal five years on both, but thermometer and gasket two years against one year on the Egg.

If you want as much as possible in the box, the Classic III gives you more for the price of a bare kamado. If you lean towards the Large, compare it as the Master Set rather than the bare Egg, because only then are you comparing two similar packages.