If you are choosing between Weber, Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg, the most convincing all-round buy for many UK gardens is the Kamado Joe Classic III. It gives you ceramic heat retention, flexible cooking zones and more useful accessories in the box than Big Green Egg. Weber still makes sense if you want familiar kettle cooking, easier UK support or a lower entry price, while Big Green Egg suits buyers who value the original kamado brand and its long-running community.
This guide compares the three on flavour, heat control, accessories, running costs and long-term value. If you are still choosing the wider category first, start with our best BBQs UK guide; if your patio layout is the bigger issue, pair this with the outdoor dining set guide.
Quick Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?
Choose Weber if you want simple UK ownership, familiar kettle cooking and a lower-cost route into premium charcoal. Choose Kamado Joe if you want the most complete ceramic package here, especially for smoking and two-zone cooking. Choose Big Green Egg if you value the original kamado brand, the long-running community and a deep accessory ecosystem.
- Best value: Weber Master-Touch, especially if most of your cooking is burgers, steaks, sausages and quick family grilling.
- Best all-round premium kamado: Kamado Joe Classic III, because it includes the SloRoller, flexible cooking levels and more useful kit in the box.
- Best heritage pick: Big Green Egg Large, if the brand community and long-term ecosystem matter more than bundled accessories.
| Brand | Best for | Typical UK spend | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber | Value, quick charcoal grilling and easy UK support | About £280 for Master-Touch; much more for Summit models | Steel models lose heat faster on long smokes |
| Kamado Joe | Smoking, roasting, pizza and flexible two-zone cooking | About £1,500-£1,700 for Classic III | Heavy ceramic body needs a solid permanent spot |
| Big Green Egg | Heritage, community, accessories and long-term ownership | About £1,300 before key accessories | Essential extras can push the real price higher |
In This Article
- Quick Verdict
- What Makes a Premium BBQ Worth the Money
- Weber: The UK Household Name
- Kamado Joe: The Ceramic All-Rounder
- Big Green Egg: The Original Kamado
- Head-to-Head Comparison
- Weber vs Big Green Egg
- Weber vs Kamado Joe
- Kamado Joe vs Big Green Egg
- Fuel, Running Costs and Efficiency
- Size Guide: Which Model for Your Garden
- Durability and Weather Resistance
- Accessories and Ecosystem
- Which One Should You Buy
- Where to Buy in the UK
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes a Premium BBQ Worth the Money
Build Quality That Lasts Decades
The gap between a £100 barbecue and a £1,000+ one is not only branding. Premium barbecues use thicker-gauge steel, ceramic, or porcelain-enamelled components that are better suited to repeated heating and cooling. A well-maintained Weber Summit or Kamado Joe Classic should last far longer than a budget thin-steel barbecue, especially if it is covered and cleaned properly.
Heat Control and Versatility
Premium barbecues give you a much wider temperature range, from low-and-slow smoking around 80-120°C to very hot searing and pizza cooking. Cheaper barbecues can still cook well, but airflow control is usually rougher, so long cooks need more vent adjustment and more attention.
The Flavour Difference
Charcoal and lump wood give food a different flavour profile from gas, especially on longer cooks where smoke and fat drips have time to matter. All three brands in this comparison are strong charcoal options, though they approach it differently. Weber’s kettle design gives good convection, while ceramic kamados hold heat and moisture in a way that suits roasting and smoking.
Weber: The UK Household Name
The Weber Range
Weber’s UK lineup spans everything from the compact Smokey Joe (about £60) to the Summit Kamado E6 (around £2,500). For this comparison, we’re focusing on the premium end:
- Weber Master-Touch — £250-300. The Weber value pick for most charcoal grillers. 57cm cooking area, one-touch cleaning, hinged grate for adding charcoal
- Weber Summit Charcoal — £1,500-1,800. Weber’s answer to the kamado. Porcelain-enamelled steel, built-in diffuser plate, gas ignition for the charcoal
- Weber Summit Kamado E6 — £2,200-2,500. Weber’s premium insulated charcoal cooker with their Snap-Jet gas ignition system
What Weber Gets Right
Weber’s build quality is one of the safest bets in this category. The porcelain enamel finish on premium models is well suited to damp UK storage, especially if you use a fitted cover and keep ash from sitting in the bowl. Weber’s UK support is also a point in its favour, with warranty handling routed through its Yardley Wood base near Birmingham.
The one-touch cleaning system on the kettle range is one of Weber’s biggest ownership advantages. Pull the lever, empty the ash catcher, and the messy part is mostly done.
Where Weber Falls Short
Weber’s premium models are expensive for what you get structurally. The Summit Charcoal uses steel rather than ceramic, which means it doesn’t retain heat as efficiently as a true kamado. You’ll use more charcoal on long cooks. The Summit Kamado E6 addresses this with ceramic construction, but at £2,500 it’s noticeably more expensive than a comparable Kamado Joe.
Accessories are pricey too. A Weber GBS griddle insert runs about £50-70, and the rotisserie attachment can push past £200.
Kamado Joe: The Ceramic All-Rounder
The Kamado Joe Range
Kamado Joe keeps the main UK choice fairly simple:
- Kamado Joe Jr — about £350. The portable option at 33cm, useful for camping, small patios or balcony-style spaces where allowed
- Kamado Joe Classic III — £1,500-1,700. The key model for this comparison. 46cm cooking area with the SloRoller insert
- Kamado Joe Big Joe III — £2,200-2,500. The 61cm model for families who entertain regularly
What Kamado Joe Gets Right
The Classic III is the most rounded premium barbecue in this comparison for many UK buyers. The SloRoller smoke chamber, split-level cooking system and included accessories make it more complete out of the box than Big Green Egg and more flexible for slow cooking than a standard Weber kettle.
The divide-and-conquer system is a practical advantage. Two half-moon grates at different levels mean you can sear steaks on one side while cooking more gently on the other. That is harder to manage neatly on a standard kettle.
The air lift hinge is not just a showroom feature. Ceramic lids are heavy, and the counterbalanced hinge makes the Classic III easier to live with if you cook regularly.
Where Kamado Joe Falls Short
The ceramic body is heavy. A Classic III weighs about 113kg assembled, which means you need to decide where it’s going and accept it’s staying there. Moving it across a patio is a two-person job minimum, and it needs a solid, level surface — pavers, concrete, or a reinforced deck. If you’re thinking about placing it on your patio, make sure the base can handle the weight.
Startup is slower than gas — about 15-20 minutes to reach grilling temperature. That’s normal for kamados but worth mentioning if you’re used to the instant gratification of turning a gas valve.
Big Green Egg: The Original Kamado
The Big Green Egg Range
Big Green Egg helped define the modern kamado market and has kept the range simple:
- MiniMax — about £800. The portable-ish option with a 33cm grate and built-in carrier
- Large — £1,200-1,400. The most popular size at 46cm — directly competes with Kamado Joe Classic III
- XL — £1,800-2,000. 61cm for serious entertaining
- 2XL — £2,500+. Restaurant-sized at 74cm
What Big Green Egg Gets Right
The Large Big Green Egg has been around for decades, and the company traces its roots to Atlanta founder Ed Fisher bringing kamado-style cooking to a wider US audience. That longevity means a large community of users, recipes and third-party accessories. If you want to find a specific accessory or technique, there is a good chance someone in the BGE community has already covered it.
The ceramic quality is a major part of the appeal. BGE uses a proprietary blend of ceramics and high-fire glazes designed for repeated heat cycles. Long-term owners often report many years of use, and the draft door plus daisy wheel vent combination gives experienced cooks precise manual airflow control.
Where Big Green Egg Falls Short
The trade-off is that Big Green Egg has changed less than Kamado Joe in recent years. Kamado Joe has pushed features such as the SloRoller, divide-and-conquer grates and air lift hinge, while Big Green Egg has stayed closer to its original formula. The standard spring-assisted hinge is less slick than Kamado Joe’s air lift system, and the single-piece grate does not offer the same cooking flexibility.
Price-to-feature ratio is the weakest of the three. A Large BGE costs about the same as a Kamado Joe Classic III but comes with fewer accessories in the box. You’ll spend another £200-400 on the convEGGtor (heat deflector), extra grates, and the nest stand — items that Kamado Joe includes as standard.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Price Comparison (46cm / Large Models)
- Weber Master-Touch GBS — about £280 (steel kettle, not ceramic)
- Big Green Egg Large — about £1,300 (add £300+ for essential accessories)
- Kamado Joe Classic III — about £1,600 (SloRoller and accessories included)
- Weber Summit Kamado E6 — about £2,400 (ceramic, gas ignition included)
Heat Retention
The ceramic kamados (Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg) have the advantage here. A well-sealed kamado can hold a steady low temperature for hours on a single load of lump wood. Weber’s steel models lose heat faster and usually need more fuel on long cooks. If you are planning 12-hour brisket sessions, ceramic is the more forgiving choice.
Ease of Use
Weber’s gas ignition on the Summit models makes startup easier: press a button, let the charcoal catch, then cook. Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg both need a firelighter and a little patience. For everyday grilling, the Master-Touch kettle can still be the quickest route to food on the table.
Temperature stability during long cooks is one of the reasons people buy ceramic kamados, with Kamado Joe’s SloRoller giving it the most user-friendly smoking setup here. Big Green Egg asks a little more of the cook because the control is more manual, though experienced BGE owners often see that as part of the appeal.
Cooking Quality
All three can produce very good food once you understand the vents and fuel. For smoking, the Kamado Joe Classic III with SloRoller has the most helpful setup for controlling smoke and indirect heat. For high-heat searing, Weber’s kettle design gives strong direct radiant heat. Big Green Egg sits between the two, with more manual control and a larger learning curve.
The Food Standards Agency has a useful guide on BBQ food safety worth reading before your first big cook — particularly around poultry internal temperatures and avoiding cross-contamination on shared grates.
Weber vs Big Green Egg
Weber vs Big Green Egg is mainly a choice between practical value and ceramic-kamado tradition. Weber is easier to buy, easier to move and much cheaper if you choose the Master-Touch. Big Green Egg gives you heavier ceramic heat retention, a more established kamado community and a deeper accessory ecosystem, but the real price climbs once you add indirect cooking kit and a stand. If you are choosing between the Weber Summit Kamado E6 and Big Green Egg Large specifically, read our Weber Summit Kamado E6 review and Big Green Egg Large review before deciding.
Weber vs Kamado Joe
Weber vs Kamado Joe depends on whether you want simple charcoal grilling or a more capable outdoor oven. Weber is the better pick if you mostly cook quick weeknight food and want ash cleanup to be painless. Kamado Joe is better if you want ribs, brisket, chicken, pizza and indirect roasting to be part of the same setup. The Kamado Joe Classic III review goes deeper on why it is our preferred all-round ceramic choice, while our Weber Master-Touch vs Summit Kamado guide helps if you already know you want a Weber.
Kamado Joe vs Big Green Egg
Kamado Joe vs Big Green Egg is the closest head-to-head because both are ceramic kamados. Kamado Joe is stronger for included kit and convenience: the Divide & Conquer rack, SloRoller and air lift hinge make it feel more complete on day one. Big Green Egg is stronger for heritage, community and long-term accessory depth. If you want the most complete package for the money, choose Kamado Joe. If you want the classic green egg and are happy to build the setup piece by piece, Big Green Egg still makes sense.
Fuel, Running Costs and Efficiency
Charcoal vs Lump Wood
All three brands recommend lump wood charcoal over briquettes for their premium models. Lump wood burns hotter, produces less ash, and imparts better flavour. Expect to pay about £15-25 for a 10kg bag from Amazon UK or specialist suppliers like Big K.
Cost Per Cook
- Weber kettle — uses 2-3kg per standard grill session (about £5)
- Kamado Joe / Big Green Egg — uses 1-2kg for the same cook (about £3) thanks to ceramic insulation
- Long smokes (8-12 hours) — kamados use 4-5kg vs 7-8kg for a Weber kettle
Annual Running Costs
If you barbecue weekly from April to October (roughly 28 sessions — optimistic for British weather, but let’s dream), you’re looking at:
- Weber kettle — about £140/year in fuel
- Ceramic kamado — about £85/year in fuel
The ceramic models pay back their higher purchase price over time through fuel savings, though we’re talking years, not months.
Size Guide: Which Model for Your Garden
For Small Gardens and Balconies
- Kamado Joe Jr (33cm) — the best portable option. Cooks for 2-3 people comfortably
- Weber Smokey Joe (37cm) — cheapest entry point but limited to basic grilling
- Big Green Egg MiniMax (33cm) — premium portable with built-in thermometer
For Standard UK Gardens
- Weber Master-Touch (57cm) — cooks for 6-8 people. The go-to if you want a kettle
- Kamado Joe Classic III (46cm) — cooks for 4-6 people on the main grate, more with the expander
- Big Green Egg Large (46cm) — same capacity as the Classic III
For Serious Entertainers
- Kamado Joe Big Joe III (61cm) — cooks for 10-12 people. Weighs 180kg, so you’ll need help positioning it
- Big Green Egg XL (61cm) — similar capacity, even heavier
Space Considerations
Remember that a kamado needs clearance around it — at least 60cm from any wall or fence due to the heat the ceramic radiates. Factor this into your garden layout, especially if you’ve already sorted your garden furniture arrangement.
Durability and Weather Resistance
How They Handle British Weather
The UK is arguably the toughest test for outdoor cooking equipment — we get everything from frost to driving rain, sometimes in the same week. Here’s how each brand copes:
- Weber (porcelain enamel on steel) — handles rain and frost well with a cover. Without a cover, the steel hardware (handles, hinge pins) will start rusting within 2-3 years. The enamel body stays fine
- Kamado Joe (ceramic) — ceramic doesn’t rust or corrode. The metal bands and hardware are powder-coated and hold up well, though the felt gasket seal needs replacing every 2-3 years (about £25, easy DIY job)
- Big Green Egg (ceramic) — same ceramic resilience. The band tension may need adjusting after a couple of winters as temperature cycling causes minor settling
Thermal Shock Risk
Ceramic kamados can crack if you dump cold water on them when hot or open the lid too fast when smothering a fire (the sudden rush of oxygen causes a flashback). This isn’t a manufacturing defect — it’s physics. Both Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg handle thermal cycling well in normal use, but you need to respect the material.
Warranty Comparison
- Weber — 10-year warranty on kettles, 5-year on Summit models (UK)
- Kamado Joe — Lifetime warranty on ceramic parts, 5-year on metal
- Big Green Egg — Lifetime warranty on ceramic, 5-year on metal and finish
Accessories and Ecosystem
What’s in the Box
This is where Kamado Joe pulls ahead. The Classic III includes:
- SloRoller smoke chamber
- Divide-and-conquer grate system (two half-moon grates)
- Ash tool and grate lifter
- Built-in thermometer
Big Green Egg Large includes:
- The egg and nest stand
- Built-in thermometer
- That’s it. The convEGGtor (essential for indirect cooking), extra grates, and most accessories are sold separately
Weber Master-Touch includes:
- Hinged cooking grate with removable centre for GBS accessories
- One-touch cleaning system
- Tuck-away lid holder
Third-Party Accessories
Big Green Egg wins on ecosystem breadth. Companies like CGS, Woo Rings, Smokeware, and Kick Ash Basket all make BGE-specific accessories. Kamado Joe’s system is newer but growing fast, and the divide-and-conquer grates are compatible with a growing range of inserts. Weber’s GBS system has been around long enough to have a solid selection of griddles, pizza stones, and wok inserts.
Smart Temperature Control
All three work with wireless thermometer systems like Meater, ThermoWorks, and Weber’s own iGrill. For the kamados specifically, devices like the BBQ Guru or Flame Boss can automate vent control for overnight cooks. They are not essential, but they make long smoking sessions easier to manage if you cook that way often.
Which One Should You Buy
Best Overall: Kamado Joe Classic III
If you are buying one premium barbecue and want to do everything — grilling, smoking, roasting, baking — the Classic III at about £1,600 is the one. It is better value than Big Green Egg once accessories are included, has stronger heat retention than Weber steel, and the SloRoller makes smoking easier for a first-time kamado owner.
Best for Traditional Grilling: Weber Master-Touch
If you mainly grill burgers, sausages and steaks and do not plan to get deep into smoking, the Master-Touch at about £280 is good value. It does high-heat searing well, heats up faster than ceramic kamados, and the one-touch cleaning system makes weeknight grilling practical. You will not get the same smoking capability, but for a lot of normal UK barbecue cooking, it is the sweet spot.
Best for Serious Enthusiasts: Big Green Egg Large
If you value the community, the heritage, and the satisfaction of mastering a barbecue that rewards skill and patience, the BGE Large is your grill. The manual airflow control gives experienced cooks more nuance than Kamado Joe’s automated approach. Be prepared to spend about £1,600+ once you add the essential accessories, mind.
Budget Pick: Weber Master-Touch GBS
At under £300, the Master-Touch gives you 90% of the premium grilling experience at a fraction of the price. Pair it with a Slow ‘N Sear insert (about £80) and you have a surprisingly capable smoker too.
Where to Buy in the UK
Specialist BBQ Retailers
- BBQ Land (online, Midlands-based) — stocks all three brands with competitive pricing
- The BBQ Shop (online) — good for accessories and bundles
- Big Green Egg UK dealers — use the dealer locator on their website for in-person demos
High Street and Online
- John Lewis — stocks Weber and Kamado Joe, good returns policy
- Amazon UK — all three brands, often the best prices but check seller ratings
- Argos — Weber only, but often has seasonal deals
In-Person Testing
Before spending £1,000+, try to see and ideally cook on the model you’re considering. Weber experience centres, Kamado Joe dealers, and BGE open days all offer cooking demonstrations. There’s nothing like lifting a kamado lid to understand why the weight and build quality matter — and why you’ll need a solid patio to put it on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave a kamado barbecue outside in winter? Yes. Both Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg ceramics handle frost in normal use. Use a fitted cover to protect the metal hardware and gaskets, and avoid storing it under a leaky gutter where water pools on the lid.
Is a kamado better than a gas barbecue? For flavour, versatility and fuel efficiency, a kamado is usually better. Charcoal and lump wood produce smoky flavour that gas cannot replicate, and kamados can reach high searing temperatures or hold low smoking temperatures. Gas wins on convenience because startup and cleanup are quicker.
How long does charcoal last in a kamado? A full load of lump wood charcoal in a Kamado Joe Classic III or Big Green Egg Large can sustain 12-16 hours of low-and-slow cooking at around 110°C. For high-heat grilling at 300°C+, expect roughly 4-6 hours from the same load.
Can you use a kamado as a pizza oven? Yes. With a pizza stone and deflector plate, a kamado can reach 350-400°C, which is hot enough for fast Neapolitan-style pizza. Both Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg sell dedicated pizza stone accessories.
Do I need a cover for a Weber barbecue? For premium Weber models, a cover extends the life of the metal hardware. Weber’s branded covers fit properly and cost about £30-60 depending on the model. Generic covers can work too, but ventilation helps prevent condensation.
Keep reading on Plot & Patio: Best Patio Heaters 2026 UK: Electric, Gas & Infrared, Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens 2026 UK: Wood, Gas & Multi-Fuel, Best BBQs 2026 UK: Charcoal, Gas & Kamado Grills.