Smokeforges buying guide
Ceramic kamado or digitally controlled charcoal?
Compare ceramic cooking, digital charcoal control, included equipment and current prices.
Kamado Joe and Masterbuilt offer different ways to cook with charcoal. Compare the ceramic kamado experience with a hopper-fed digital grill, then choose the size and equipment that fit your patio and budget.
Kamado Joe builds around a thick ceramic chamber, lump charcoal, and adjustable airflow. Masterbuilt's Gravity Series builds around a vertical charcoal hopper, a digital control panel, and fan-managed temperature. Kamado Joe also offers the 18-inch Konnected Joe, which brings automatic ignition and digital control into a ceramic grill.
Choose the cooker whose daily routine matches the way you want to prepare food, with enough usable space for your typical meals.
Ceramic heat retention with digital assistance
The current Konnected Joe keeps the ceramic body and lump-charcoal format while adding automatic ignition, fan-managed temperature, and app monitoring.
Cart-style access with hopper-fed charcoal
Gravity Series models load charcoal through a vertical hopper and use a DigitalFan to manage airflow around the selected temperature. The 800 also includes a flat-top griddle.
Choose Kamado Joe for the ceramic kamado experience
A Kamado Joe is the stronger fit when you want ceramic heat retention and the ability to move between direct grilling, indirect cooking, roasting, baking, smoking, and searing by managing charcoal, vents, and cooking surfaces.
The current range starts with the Joe Jr at $499.99 and extends through 18-inch Classic Joe and premium 24-inch Big Joe configurations.
Choose a manual Kamado Joe when learning and controlling the fire is part of the appeal. Choose the 18-inch Konnected Joe at $2,199.99 when you want built-in ignition, app monitoring, and fan-managed temperature without leaving the ceramic format.
Choose Masterbuilt Gravity Series for digital charcoal in a cart-style grill
The Gravity Series is the stronger fit when you want charcoal flavor with a more guided startup and temperature routine. Load the hopper, light the fuel, choose the temperature, and let the fan manage airflow around that setting.
The Gravity Series 600 starts the current range at $799.99. The Gravity Series 800 is $899.99 and includes a griddle insert. The Gravity Series 1050 is $999.99 for buyers who want more cooking area. The Gravity Series XT is $1,799.99 and moves into the upgraded platform with a larger cooking area, insulated body, longer hopper runtime, and published three-year limited warranty.
Ceramic control vs. hopper-fed control
Kamado Joe manual models
- Lump charcoal sits inside an insulated ceramic chamber.
- Temperature is controlled by the fuel bed and vent settings.
- Compatible racks, heat deflectors, and cooking surfaces create different zones and methods.
- The experience rewards cooks who enjoy learning fire and airflow.
Kamado Joe Konnected Joe (18-inch)
- Ceramic construction and lump charcoal remain central.
- An automatic fire starter simplifies ignition.
- A digital board, fan, and app support automatic temperature management.
- Traditional mode remains available for manual vent control.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series
- Charcoal is loaded into a vertical hopper.
- A fan manages airflow around the selected temperature.
- The familiar cart-style format provides broad grate access.
- The 800 adds an included griddle; the 600, 800, 1050, and XT accept the compatible Masterbuilt Pizza Oven.
When low-and-slow matters more than grilling
The 710 WiFi Digital Electric Smoker is the separate path in this comparison: a plug-in vertical smoker for buyers who do not need the same cooker to sear over charcoal.
Compare current models by budget
Under $500
- Masterbuilt 710 WiFi Digital Electric Smoker: $349.99
- Kamado Joe Joe Jr: $499.99
Choose the 710 for dedicated plug-in smoking. Choose Joe Jr for compact charcoal grilling, roasting, baking, and smoking.
$500–$800
- Masterbuilt Gravity Series 600: $799.99
- Kamado Joe Joe Jr Cart and Cover Bundle: $799.99
Choose the Gravity 600 for digital charcoal control at $799.99. Choose the Joe Jr bundle at $799.99 when compact ceramic cooking is the priority and you want the cart and cover included.
$800–$1,400
- Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800: $899.99
- Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050: $999.99
- Kamado Joe Classic Joe II Standalone: $1,399.99
Choose the Gravity 800 for its included griddle or the 1050 for more cooking area. Choose the Classic Joe II Standalone for an 18-inch ceramic kamado in a properly planned outdoor kitchen.
$1,799 and above
- Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT: $1,799.99
- Kamado Joe Classic Joe III Standalone: $1,999.99
- Kamado Joe Konnected Joe: $2,199.99
- Kamado Joe Big Joe III Standalone: $2,999.99
- Kamado Joe Big Joe III with Cart: $3,299.99
At this level, decide whether you value the XT's large digital charcoal platform, the Series III rack and SloRoller system, or the Konnected Joe's combination of ceramic construction and digital assistance.
The simplest final decision
Choose Kamado Joe if the ceramic chamber and hands-on versatility are the main attraction. Choose Konnected Joe if you want that ceramic platform with automatic ignition and digital monitoring. Choose Masterbuilt Gravity Series if you want set-temperature charcoal cooking in a cart-style format. Choose the 710 WiFi Digital Electric Smoker if low-and-slow smoking matters more than grilling or searing.
Smokeforges is an authorized retailer for Kamado Joe and Masterbuilt and offers free shipping on orders $99+ in the contiguous United States. Prices were checked September 7, 2026. Product pages show the current price and availability before checkout.
Compare only the models currently carried by Smokeforges.
