Looking for a new grill and want to know which is best between smokers, pellet & or charcoal grills costing around $500? I’ve assembled some of the best grill options across smokers, pellet grills, smart WIFI connected charcoal grills as well as do it all-in-one grills to find out which grills are the best for each segment in 2024
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Resources to Help Make BETTER Barbecue
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Take control of your Kamado Joe with My Vent Setting Guide
► Vent placements for popular grilling & smoking temperatures (Daisy wheel, Kontrol Tower & SmokeWare chimney cap settings all included for Jr. & Series 1, 2 ,3 Classic / Big Joe)
► Best practices for setting up your Kamado Joe for hassle free fire management
► Solutions for common issues & Frequently asked questions
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Unlock the FULL potential of your Kamado Joe with my Double Indirect Setup E-Book
✅ Fix dry / overcooked bottoms on long cooks like Brisket, Ribs & Pulled Pork
✅ Improve smoke quality (No more bad smoke/creosote)
✅ Recommended setup for best results on Jr & Series 1, 2 ,3 Classic / Big Joe)
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Not all smoke is created equal! Unleash Optimum Smoke Performance in your Kamado grill
► Should you soak your wood? Kiln dried or Naturally Seasoned?
► When & Where to add smoking wood for the best result
► Wood pairing guide
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FREE resources on www.smokingdadbbq.com
► Written Recipes / Ingredients
► Food temperature quick reference guide (FREE with newsletter signup)
► Quarterly News Letter with insider tips, giveaways etc.
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Gear I’ve used in videos without a discount
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Chapters
00:00 – Best grills for $500
00:42 – Smart grills
06:56 – Smokers
13:27 – All-in-one grills
#SMOKINGDADBBQ #bestgrill #grill
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44 Comments
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WSM 18" is what I run, and for smoking, I believe it is a no brainer. I think the experience is "good enough" for most. I have had plenty of offset cooked, high level bbq. For me, if offset/splits = 100/100, I think a WSM, Oak lump/briquettes and smoking chunks is like a 80-85/100.
Offset is an A+ and my WSM is like a strong B to B+. No one will complain that it doesn't live up. I have been tempted to get a highland to try out, but not sure I really want to babysit and feed logs all day.
Best grill under 685 Canadian
When does your best grill for $5k video come out? That one would be really fun!
Considering the automatic and remote temp control on the Auto Kamado it seemed like the real winner under $500. Not to mention more real estate compared to Joe Jr. Can also be found for about 299. And I even got mine as low as $225! Sure there may be rust issues down the road. But hoping that will be mostly on replaceable parts such as ash catcher.
What are those at 8:11? Are you smoking apples?
I love my Kamado Joe Jr. Picked it up for 250 on FB Marketplace.
I just bought a Kamado Joe classic from Lows dept store I love this smoker. Yesterday I did a 13 lb. brisket it had the best bark I have ever dad on a brisket! I found that the Kamado Joe burns mor wood than my Acorn smoker. I started @ 250 F and later bumped it up to 270 F because I was running out of time. My fault I learned a lot about this smoker yesterday. Question is 275 a good temp for a 13 lb. brisket? Oh yes, I did give a rest period to the brisket not as long as I planned on for this was for a family gathering. Everyone loved it. However, I know I can do better. Thanks for your video's. 73
Forgetting the price difference; AutoIgnite vs Woodwind Pro? (I have an old Vision from Sams, its parts are becoming hard to source. Plus I seem to stink at Kamados. Your videos have helped, but I still struggle.)
Great video James. I currently own a Char-Griller auto Kamado. After watching a few of your previous videos on them I have a question. One of your videos you use a slow roller and another used your double indirect method. Do you feel one is better than the other or do each have their own purpose?
Hi James, I heard you say that the Kamado Joe Jr was on sale for $299. Can you please tell us where? Thx
Let the poor dog in, he’s hungry.
I’m finding that I’m having to re-add the auto ignite in my Masterbuilt app every time I plug it in. Any chance you’re seeing something similar?
Weber smokey mountain last a lifetime. There are weber clubs that show their grills that are decades old.Oklahoma Joe's rust so you need to be a good sander and painter..because it will rust out .
I started BBQ / Smoking ~20 years ago with a Weber Smoky Mtn. Still use it today along with my KJ. When in competition & camping for a large group the WSM is much easier to transport and can use it as a 2 level grill as well. I'd recommend the 18" though. Save yourself ~$140 and easier to move. I feed ~30 people on a yearly campout with my 18". Two pork butts or 2 full packers or 3-4 chickens. Agree about the Weber Kettle & the KJr. I've had the same experiences .
Dang! Just checked Amazon for the $299 deal on the KJ Jr, but they don’t even show the Jr. Hmmmm
Can't go wrong with KJ, besides it has got the most longevity. The wood split hack that you have created for the MB Autoignite makes quite valuable. My guess is most owners of the OJ offset get frustrated with it. I'd enjoyed my WSM because it was fun doing all sorts of hacks and improvements on it, and was able to get some great results. However, It has been a while since I touched it since I'm partial to stick burners. Perhaps on 4th of July, I'll have family members to compare briskets side by side from stick burner vs what I can achieve on WSM.
Vision S-series on clearance for $400 from HD or Sam’s. Lasted me years and a huge upgrade from a Weber kettle or any of the selections.
You made some great points. Excellent video as always, James!
Great video James! You made me want to make a pizza on the Jr. haha.
Puppy wants in 😂😂😂
I'm cheap, I have a Home Depot Vision 18 in Kamado that makes great food with some minor mods, an Old Smokey 18 in that is a champ for grilling and smaller smokes, and I just picked up an older used OKJ Longhorn for $100 I'm going to refurbish (and am making a deal on a Highland for $60 from FB). My wife is a saint and bought me OKJ Tahoma 900 Autofeed for my 40th, it's my nicest smoker/grill, a competitor to the Masterbuilt 1080 and it's amazing! You can make good food and be cost conscious as well!
Used market for Weber Kettles/Performers/Smokey Mountain is very large. I got a used performer, replaced the vent fins and added a slow n sear with stainless grate for under $200. You could add a used smokey mountain with the same mentality for under 500 as well or throw a Spider Grills venom van controller on for a couple hundred and get automation when you need it. You can add a rotisserie setup for around a hundred bucks, full heat deflector setups for less than a hundred. If I was buying new and needed lots of space for grilling and smoking and wanted automation capabilities I would go for a 26" kettle and the spider venom.
I'm just curious why you priced the grills in US funds when you're in Canada
I had the acorn and it rusted out, but it cooked awesomely. I recently sold my primo jr bc of overlap and will probably get a Weber kettle again; something about grilling burgers mixed with Lipton onion soup/dip mix over kingsford briquettes. I guess it’s a childhood memory. My Kamado joe series 3 is the Swiss Army knife of grills with the many accessories I have for it. I used my primo xl for larger cuts or cooking for a gathering. My primo all in one is the old retired drill sergeant. It provided us with a lot of great dinners before getting the series 3. I’ll be using the Kamado joe jr today to cook two dry brined pork chops today. It doesn’t get used much but it’s great for small short cooks. My trager is somewhere in the barn. For some reason I mostly use it during the colder months in Wilmington, NC.
🎵How much for that puppy in the window?🎵
Sorry, I couldn’t resist 🤪
Your videos (plus many other reviews) convinced be to get an Acorn. Couldn't find one in stock anywhere so I settled on the Walmart Acorn Clone (Expert Grill Kamado). I followed your gasket seal recommendations, plus a few other modifications and accessories. Been super happy with it and had many amazing cooks. Thank you for all your hard work!
I've had a couple of 20" Akorns and they are worth the money (although they will rust out in 5 years or so). I altered them with a Weber kettle charcoal grate and a pizza stone resting on it for indirect cooks (liked this MUCH better than the Akorn option!). But, for $500 limit, I would choose a 26" Weber kettle to do it all.
The Smokey Mountain is not the best choice if you compare it to an Oklahoma Joe Bronco ($359) or Bronco Pro ($539 on pre-order). Add a second cooking grate for $20 and you get 2 cooking levels, the ability to hang 9 racks of ribs or 6 chickens, a fantastic charcoal grill a kamado 'light' for low and slow, with or without a water pan and quick easy ash removal. They come with a deflector plate, suspension rods, food hooks, large wheels and a small side shelf and are built like a tank. For reference, I own both the Bronco (small) and a Big Joe and have been cooking on kamados for over 20 years. The Bronco (or the larger Pro) are the runaway winners in the cost-effective "SUV" grill/smoker category. And if you add a FireBoard Controller you get full automation and Wifi for 10+ hour unattended cooks while the FireBoard logs every aspect of every cook, essentially writing a cookbook automatically.
$500 you play your cards right you can buy 2 maybe 3 off marketplace . You can get Weber kettle for $100 or under
I'm not in the market for a grill right now ( I know, hard to believe) but I thoroughly enjoyed the video. You're a great storyteller James. You provide a boat load of information condensed in a manageable video meaning not too long or long winded. I very much appreciate your style.
I would suggest a Weber 26" kettle. Bonus if you can add a slow n sear or a spider venom. It'll go 12 hours unattended on briquettes and easily fit a full packer brisket without having to fold it up.
Thanks for showing the rolled ribs in the Kamado Jr. Never thought about rolling ribs to get them in a small space.
Do not see a current $299 sale price for the Joe, Jr.
I started with a weber performer 2 years ago, got a kamado joe classic that following winter and added a smokey mountain 22" last winter.
This summer, I'm looking to add a smokey mountain 14" for camping and a griddle.
All of them have their place and I wouldn't give any of them up, but if I started over on a budget of $500 I think I'd go for the smokey mountain first.
I got my 1st grill but it cost $750 and is the spider huntsman.
Great video
I have a classic 2 and a jr.
I started on a weber kettle 10 years ago.
Got to admit, that MB autoignite looks tempting…..
When you can buy a wood table at Wall Mart in North Carolina, then you know price comparisons are rigged. The wood table is shipped from China where they don't have wood, and sold competitively against wood made in US furniture center. The Chinese industrial system, which is permanently efficient, made the autoignite, which in turn is a sophisticated bit of kit consisting of 100's of parts. It can not be replicated by North American manufacturing at same price. We need a China category or notification.
Another banger of a video! Love the common man videos!
Great video, but I think you sadly overlooked the Oklahoma Joe’s Judge charcoal grill. Great size and great for smoking indirect.
I own several kamodos which I love and also a pellet grill .But in my opinion if someone was on a budget and wanted the most grill/smoker for the money. I would probably say a 26-in Weber kettle. You can do small or large grilling. Also tons of room for offset smoking.
I’ve been cooking on an auto kamado for 2 years now. They are awesome with a few quirks. I found that the hold feature would not restart the fan properly at times after opening and closing the top.
What I do is after I have opened and closed the top for spritzing or whatever, not pushing the hold button, I simply push the fan button, the display will say “auto”. Then I push the fan button a second time and the grill takes over the temperature control perfectly as it should.
I found this to fix the issue of using the hold feature and then not getting the grill to manage the temp correctly afterwards. I have a friend with an auto kamado and he had the same issue and uses my solution also. It works perfect.
They may have fixed the “ hold” issue but if not just use the fan button instead.
I also have a Humphreys Battlebox for bigger cooks, which is made in Maine but that is a different level smoker.
Yesterday I put together my new Akorn Auto Kamado. Lowes has them for $299. I did get the last one at my local store though. Big upgrade from my 90's era Smoky Joe I've had forever.
Second
Nice