The best kamado BBQs in Australia

A kamado is a thick-walled egg that behaves like a wood-fired oven: insulation holds heat, and airflow through the vents sets the temperature. Once you learn the vents, it is the most versatile single cooker you can own.

Questions to ask before buying a kamado BBQ in Australia

• Can you use it on a Total Fire Ban day? No. In NSW a BBQ burning wood, charcoal or heat beads can’t be used outside during a Total Fire Ban (NSW RFS). Victoria bans solid fuel BBQs and food smokers in the open air on those days too (CFA). Check your own state’s rules.
• Can it go in a tent, caravan or garage? No. Tasmania’s health department says never to run charcoal grills or heat-bead stoves indoors or in enclosed spaces such as caravans (Tasmanian Government), and Weber warns of carbon monoxide poisoning in houses, tents, caravans and boats (Weber charcoal guide).
• How do you get rid of the ash? Weber says don’t remove ashes until the charcoal is fully extinguished and the grill is cool (Weber charcoal guide). Hot ash goes in a metal container with a tight lid, away from anything combustible (Weber Smoque manual).
• Is there anything overhead? Weber’s charcoal guide says not under any overhead combustible construction (Weber charcoal guide). A kamado runs for hours, so pick a clear, open spot.
• Will the smoke bother the neighbours? In a Queensland community titles scheme, occupiers must not use a lot in a way that causes a nuisance or hazard or unreasonably interferes with another lot (Queensland Government). Those rules are about occupiers generally, so ask your committee if you live close to the neighbours.
• What happens after the warranty ends? Consumer guarantees apply automatically and last a reasonable time for the product, on top of any maker’s warranty (ACCC). Keep the receipt.

Ceramic and steel

Kamado Joe, Char-Griller’s ceramic model and Matador’s Hardie are ceramic. They are heavy (a Classic with cart is over a hundred kilos), they hold heat like a kiln, and they last indefinitely if not cracked. Char-Griller’s Akorn range uses triple-wall insulated steel: lighter, cheaper, easier to move, slightly less stable over a very long cook, and it will rust if left uncovered.

Accessories are the ecosystem

Kamado Joe’s Divide and Conquer system splits the grate into halves at two heights, so you can sear on one side and roast on the other. Bunnings stocks the full accessory range: pizza stones, deflector plates, expanders, rib racks. House-brand and Char-Griller kamados have smaller ranges, and generic accessories for the common 18 inch size fit most of them.

The picks

For a family, the kamado we would buy is the Char-Griller ceramic ($799, 9 November 2026): real ceramic on a cart under $800. It is sold only at Bunnings, which doesn’t pay us, so it is compared here, not picked. Of the picks, the Joe Junior and Akorn Jr are for couples and campers. The Big Joe is for people who host.

The competition

We compared seven kamados; these three aren’t picks:

• Kamado Joe Classic I ($1,468 at Bunnings): the 18 inch reference ceramic with the Divide and Conquer grates, but nearly twice the Char-Griller ceramic’s price, and sold only at Bunnings when we checked.
• Char-Griller Akorn Kooker ($599 at Bunnings): a full-size insulated steel kamado, lighter and cheaper than ceramic, but it rusts if left uncovered; Bunnings only.
• Matador Hardie 22 ($998 at Bunnings): a 22 inch ceramic Bunnings house brand with no fitted cover listed when we checked.