Char-Griller Akorn Auto Kamado Charcoal Grill

Honestly the idea behind this grill is amazing. It was a favorite grill I own (I have 5) until just the second time I used it. First usage was the fan. Contacted CG and they sent me a temp probe, why, I don’t know. Contacted again and they sent me a fan. Started to work from that point on the thermometers stopped working. Didn’t care to much but then the fan went back out. If I unplugged and plugged back in enough the error would go away but extremely annoying considering it will go out in the middle of a 12 hour smoke. Now the entire front panel is out. I know in the works we live there is no getting away from these cheap Chinese manufacturers but I’d at least expect to get a year out of a brand new product. Done with Char-grilled

A most have for anyone..

Let's strat from the beginning. Opened the box, nothing was dented or scratched. The instructions had to be the best I've ever seen for a BBQ. All you need for assembly is a Philips screwdriver. That's it! Amazing. Went together in about an hour. That's unboxing and assembly. Put some charcoal in it and oiled the grill top to season the grill worked perfectly. First thing I cooked on it was a Boston butt. Did an amazing job on it. This thing is so easy to use and get going holds it temperature very well. I do a lot of BBQ and I hate to say it but this thing has made me say good bye to the weber.

Best Grill/Smoker I Have Owned!

Love this grill/smoker! I was able to pick this up for $220 in early December 2022. At that price, it wasn't even a question. However, my opinion would be the same had I paid full price for it. Fairly easy to assemble compared to other grills that I have put together myself.The main reason I wanted a Kamado style grill was to smoke ribs at low temperatures and this does exactly that. I can easily keep the temperature between 200-225F and ribs come out pretty amazing. I have been smoking a rack of ribs once a week since I made the purchase a few months ago. I've also cooked lots of wings, drumsticks, thighs, sausages, brats, burgers, shrimp, mushrooms and the list goes on. I absolutely love the smoked flavor that this grill produces. Everything comes out tasting ... MoreLove this grill/smoker! I was able to pick this up for $220 in early December 2022. At that price, it wasn't even a question. However, my opinion would be the same had I paid full price for it. Fairly easy to assemble compared to other grills that I have put together myself.The main reason I wanted a Kamado style grill was to smoke ribs at low temperatures and this does exactly that. I can easily keep the temperature between 200-225F and ribs come out pretty amazing. I have been smoking a rack of ribs once a week since I made the purchase a few months ago. I've also cooked lots of wings, drumsticks, thighs, sausages, brats, burgers, shrimp, mushrooms and the list goes on. I absolutely love the smoked flavor that this grill produces. Everything comes out tasting great. My preference is good quality lump charcoal (B

Good smoker/grill and worth the price.

I own the Akorn grill and like the grill but have some issues keeping the grill going at lower temperatures so I thought I would buy this grill, almost half the normal price, from Walmart and not pay much more than what some are charging for a controller.When you put the grill make sure that everything latches tight and the top is tight and is not leaking any air. The easiest way to check for air leaks is to close the top vent and have the fan running and look for smoke coming out. If you find some leaks, do a Google search on how to adjust the latches for a better fit.When starting the grill I have had the best results by lighting the fire, closing the lid, opening the top vent all the way, and manually running the fan at 10-20% until the temp is about 150 and ... MoreI own the Akorn grill and like the grill but have some issues keeping the grill going at lower temperatures so I thought I would buy this grill, almost half the normal price, from Walmart and not pay much more than what some are charging for a controller.When you put the grill make sure that everything latches tight and the top is tight and is not leaking any air. The easiest way to check for air leaks is to close the top vent and have the fan running and look for smoke coming out. If you find some leaks, do a Google search on how to adjust the latches for a better fit.When starting the grill I have had the best results by lighting the fire, closing the lid, opening the top vent all the way, and manually running the fan at 10-20% until the temp is about 150 and then I close the top vent to the desired position and set the fan to auto. I also run the top vent to less than what is recommended .I don't know why the grill is only shipped with one meat probe and not two. The other issue is that the app is only good if you are within Bluetooth range or are on the same wifi so no leaving home and being able to see how the cook is going.Overall I am pleased with the grill and like the fact that it doesn't consume the briquets like some of the gravity grills.

Great First Smoker or Grill. Better than a Pellet

This is one of the easiest smoker or grill to use. Unlike pellet smokers, this will give better smoke flavor and it will still sear a steak which most pellet grills won't. Plus it is set and forget like a pellet grill. And I would say it is just as insulated as a ceramic kamado and it doesn't weigh a ton or break easily. This grill seals really well so doesn't leak smoke. And being insulated you can smoke or grill year round and it is very fuel efficient and doesn't leave much ash. As a tip, use only a couple of chunks of smoking wood as it is easy to over smoke with this.I noticed in the reviews that some people are receiving damaged ones or ones with quality issue. Inspect and return if damage and get a new one. I bought mine at half off and would have paid full ... MoreThis is one of the easiest smoker or grill to use. Unlike pellet smokers, this will give better smoke flavor and it will still sear a steak which most pellet grills won't. Plus it is set and forget like a pellet grill. And I would say it is just as insulated as a ceramic kamado and it doesn't weigh a ton or break easily. This grill seals really well so doesn't leak smoke. And being insulated you can smoke or grill year round and it is very fuel efficient and doesn't leave much ash. As a tip, use only a couple of chunks of smoking wood as it is easy to over smoke with this.I noticed in the reviews that some people are receiving damaged ones or ones with quality issue. Inspect and return if damage and get a new one. I bought mine at half off and would have paid full price.

I believe it’s a winner!

I have been using an acorn Chuck griller for five or six years. I started actually smoking on it about three years ago. I think it’s a great product and I’ve had wonderful success with it. I saw the upgraded version, the auto Kamado grill and read some reviews And decided this was what I wanted. I had been thinking of upgrading to possibly a Traeger grill. But since I understand how the Akorn grill works I jumped right on the newer version. All I’ve done with it so far is season the grills which I could tell while doing that that it does maintain the same temperature very well. I’m looking forward to doing a smoke soon.

Loving the Auto Kamado

Purchased from lowes online on Memorial Day, May 30th and it was Delivered on Friday June 4th. Fast shipping with no issues from Fed Ex. Assembly instructions were very easy to follow and took approximately 1 hour to complete. I had a bag of Royal Oak lump charcoal that was used for seasoning. Lit the charcoal and set the digital controller to 350 degrees. Cane up to temp fairly quickly. Used the app via Bluetooth to monitor temps. The cast iron grates got coated with vegetable oil 3 times for about 20 minutes each. Once grate was seasoned I cooked some Johnsonville brat burgers and then some bone in chicken thighs. Everything tasted delicious. Looking forward to a pork butt for my next smoke. So far so good and very pleased with my purchase!

Nice grill with some quality control issues

Overall, a well made charcoal grill with some assembly kinks. Took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes to assemble. Some of the hardware was very difficult to install due to misaligned holes, to the point where I was not able to install one of the screws on of the legs. Still functional, but annoying and I would have returned the grill if I had paid full price and it was not so heavy/difficult to return.I haven't used the grill to cook anything yet, but I did fire it up to season the cast iron grate. I was impressed with the automated features and how well it maintained temperature. It is very well insulated. I overshot a little on the temperature, but from what I've read this is common and easy enough to tweak as you gain experience using the grill.

Packaging issue causing dent and wifi issue

The kamado cover came in with a big dent. I returned and re-ordered but to my surprised the second kamado also came with same exact dent. After investigating, I’m certain that it is the way this product is packaged. The third leg inside the box is what is causing the dent. I have the original Akorn to compare and I find that the quality on this is not as good. Out of the box the seal between the cover and the body has some spot where it is not glued. Besides the big dent, there are small dimple dents on the body. I was able to connect the app with controller with bluetooth but the wifi, while having great signal shown in the app, will not connect. This limits the monitoring if the temp within bluetooth distance. The app is not ready and require further development. ... MoreThe kamado cover came in with a big dent. I returned and re-ordered but to my surprised the second kamado also came with same exact dent. After investigating, I’m certain that it is the way this product is packaged. The third leg inside the box is what is causing the dent. I have the original Akorn to compare and I find that the quality on this is not as good. Out of the box the seal between the cover and the body has some spot where it is not glued. Besides the big dent, there are small dimple dents on the body. I was able to connect the app with controller with bluetooth but the wifi, while having great signal shown in the app, will not connect. This limits the monitoring if the temp within bluetooth distance. The app is not ready and require further development. I like that it came in with the deflector. I like that there is no guessing how to reach and maintain temperature. Overall, it was very promising in paper but didn’t quite deliver.

non existent customer service

This purchase was a disaster from the start. It was shipped in December without a heat deflector. That took two months to get. After using four times the temperature probe died. You have to e-mail customer service, you can't talk to anybody. I opened up a case in April and was told I would get a sensor by mid June. It is now mid July and still no sensor. I got tired of waiting and told them I wanted to get a refund. Lowes said the would take it back if Char-griller would get me a Return Authorization. I e-mailed them and they have totally ghosted me. Save your money and get yourself something more reliable.