Big Green Egg Medium vs Kamado Joe Classic II

These two are often weighed against each other, but they are different sizes. Big Green Egg makes the Medium a medium with a 40 centimetre grate and 1,140 cm². The Classic II is a large kamado at 45.7 centimetres and 1,613 cm². That is over 40 per cent more area.

What comes in the box differs too. The Medium is supplied bare: no stand, and no heat deflector in the maker’s specifications. The Classic II is supplied complete with a stand on casters, two ceramic heat deflectors, the two-level Divide & Conquer system and a slide-out ash drawer. The Medium weighs 51 kilos, the Classic II 103.3 kilos including what comes with it.

Both have a lifetime warranty on the ceramic; at Big Green Egg registration is the condition. Both give five years on metal. Thermometer and gasket: one year on the Egg, two years on the Kamado Joe. The gasket is felt on the Medium and double-thickness fibreglass on the Classic II.

If you usually cook for two to four people and want a smaller, lighter kamado, the Medium is a sensible choice, provided you count a nest or table in. If you often cook for more, the Classic II is a bigger kamado that already stands complete on wheels.