Latest news with #Kamado
Tom's Guide
21-07-2025
- General
- Tom's Guide
You can stop searching — after weeks of testing, I can confirm that the Kamado Joe Konnected is the perfect grill
Price: $1,999Weight: 216 poundsFuel source: CharcoalCooking area: 250 square inchesAuto Temperature range: 225F to 700FApp controllable: YesMaterials: Ceramic body, stainless steel grates The first time I tried a kamado grill, I added half a bag of lumpwood charcoal and a handful of firelighters to the ceramic body and watched helplessly as the temperature skyrocketed. And once you've overshot on a ceramic grill, it's tricky to bring the temperature under control. That's not to say I don't love a kamado grill. These well-insulated, aesthetically pleasing eggs are some of the best grills on the market. But there's a learning curve, and if you're a beginner, you can expect to spend a lot of time poring over the instruction manual. Enter: Kamado Joe's Konnected Joe. When I heard that this grill uses Wi-Fi connectivity to monitor and control its own temperature, and has an automatic fire starter that can even get the fire going completely hands-free, I couldn't wait to try it. And a month in, I'm totally hooked on this grill. It's got the smarts, it's got the looks, and it's made some of the tastiest food I've ever cooked, period. If you're a charcoal newbie who wants to cook like a seasoned pro, the Konnected Joe is the ultimate grill for you. You can buy the classic Konnected Joe for $1,999 direct at Kamado Joe, as well as retailers such as Home Depot. It also comes in a Big Joe Konnected version for $2,999. The design is very similar, but with a larger capacity. Assembling the grill took me about an hour, and I (bravely) attempted it solo. The trickiest bit was assembling the stand, and I'd recommend laying something down as you do this. I attempted it sitting down on my gravel driveway, and it scuffed up some of the black paint on the metal legs. Once you've finished screwing together the base (all nails and screwdrivers are included) it's time to lift the Kamado onto the base. I enlisted my dad to help with this, and although it's heavy, we didn't have any trouble positioning it. You screw the grill onto the base, which means it's super secure once attached. I was able to move it around the yard with ease and the wheels lock into place to keep it secure when in use. The interior of the Kamado Joe Konnected is made of five removable ceramic plates which are held together by a metal ring. On top of that you can stack a range of accessories which allow you to customize your cooking. This includes a flexible cooking rack, half-moon cooking grates, and ceramic heat deflectors. When following recipes on the Kamado Joe app, it will talk you through the correct way to set up the grill depending on your recipe. After a few uses, I started to understand the right setup depending on what I was making. The grill switches on from the back of the unit. It does need to be plugged in if you want to use the smart features, but equally, you could leave it unplugged and use it like a conventional Kamado Joe. At the front of the unit, there's a display that tracks your temperature throughout the cooking period and three ports to add meat thermometers. There was only one thermometer included with my grill, so you'd have to buy more to use all three. There's a button underneath the thermometer ports that activates the AFS (Automatic Fire Starter), and once you've pressed it, you simply leave your grill to hit your pre-selected temperature, completely hands-free. This feature is one of my favorites with the Kamado Joe Konnected, because it never overshot and always ignited my charcoal at the right level required. This also kept my temperature consistent, kicking into gear when I opened the grill and let heat out. For my first time grilling on the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe, I decided to cook some peri peri chicken, honey mustard salmon and asparagus. I set up the grill with one ceramic plate to cook the salmon indirectly, while the chicken and asparagus was able to achieve a flame-grilled finish and a more smokey flavor. This worked really well. I used my temperature probe to set up the grill for cooking chicken, left the lid closed and allowed the app to inform me when the chicken breast had hit the ideal temperature. I was impressed at how juicy the chicken was, and the salmon was incredibly soft with a buttery texture that I struggled to remove from the grill in one piece. It fell apart as soon as I stuck a fork into it and didn't take on any toughness throughout the cooking process. The asparagus still had a great bite to it, and when it started to look a little charred I moved it over to the indirect cooking side of the grill to allow it to cook more slowly. The next night, I cooked some thin-cut sirloin steaks and a couple of burgers. To do this, you need to remove the ceramic plates to allow the grill to cook directly, so be prepared with some BBQ-safe gloves and sturdy utensils if you plan on rearranging the grill midway through cooking. I followed the Kamado Joe recipe to cook this steak perfectly. After setting the grill up for direct cooking at 400 degrees, I left the grill to hit the perfect temperature. The steaks sizzled as soon as they hit the pre-heated grates, and after a three minutes of cooking (with a flip after two) they were a perfect medium-rare. The burgers needed a little longer, so I left them to cook while the steaks rested. This was a great test of how hot this grill really can get. If you're looking for a grill that can flame-grill and still slow-cook, the Konnected is a strong option. With that being said, you can see from the photos that the cooking area is a little on the small side for large families. It's ideal for my family of four, but would struggle to fit everything if I were cooking for a party. I'll admit it: smoking is far out of my comfort zone. I used to be a vegetarian, and my family mostly eats veggies and fish, so I never really learned how to cook larger cuts of meat. This is where I was grateful for the temperature probe and the Kamado Joe recipes included on the app. I was able to search by cooking method and the type of meat and select recipes that suited my ingredients and the amount of time I had. I opted to cook some slow-cooked Memphis-style pork ribs, which I coated in a spiced dry rub. The recipe also called for a mop sauce, which required a container to sit underneath the ribs. I found that this didn't actually catch anything, or that anything it did catch immediately evaporated. Thankfully, my finished ribs were super juicy anyway. Setup was simple. I added some chunks of applewood to my charcoal and left the grill to come to temperature. I cooked my ribs on indirect heat at 250°F for 3 hours, then wrapped them in some foil so they wouldn't dry out while I slow-cooked some chicken and smoked some chicken wings. The chicken was a spatchcock lemon garlic which I scored for a deeper smokey flavor. The Kamado Joe recipe called for a temperature of 350°F, but I didn't want to overcook my ribs, so I turned the temperature up to 300°F and laid my chicken down to cook with a meat thermometer. It took about 50 minutes for my chicken to hit a 175°F internal temperature. While it was cooking, I took off my ribs and laid on some buffalo wings to smoke for the final 30 minutes. Despite my lack of meat-cooking prowess, I can't fault anything I made when smoking low and slow on the Kamado Joe Konnected. The chicken was juicy and had a deep smokey flavor, my wings were fiery and had a nice crispy skin, and the ribs fell apart as I sliced them, with a thin pink layer of bark that indicated how well they'd taken on the smokey flavor. One thing to note is that, because of its incredible insulation, the grill takes a long time to cool down. I wanted to cover it up overnight to protect it from the rain, but it was too hot for me to touch, let alone put a cover on. I don't always enjoy using apps when I test appliances. Not everyone wants to download an app to use a product, and sometimes it's just easier to be able to use onboard controls. However, I did enjoy the Kamado Joe app. Pairing was a breeze, it shows a bunch of recipes and allows you to set temperature preferences and targets hands-free. The app doesn't tell you anything you can't find on the smart display, but the format is user-friendly and allows you to monitor your meals from the couch, which is especially useful for slow and low smoking. If you're someone who enjoys getting into the nitty gritty details of smoking, you'll enjoy the way the Konnected makes a graph that tracks your temperature over time. I've got friends who do this manually, and they were very jealous when they saw that my grill does it all for me! You can compare the Kamado Joe to its main competitor, which is Big Green Egg. But Big Green Egg has no smart version, which puts the Konnected in a league of its own. In terms of smart offerings, the Spider Grills Hunstman has a kamado-style build but with a steel body. It's about half the price of the Kamado Joe Konnected, and we awarded it five stars due to its smart features and sturdy build quality. So if you're on a budget, this is a good alternative. The Kamado Joe Konnected Joe is hard to fault. It took a former vegetarian who's never cooked a rack of ribs before, and made me king of the grill. Seriously, my mom hasn't stopped raving about my spatchcock chicken. Although it's well worth the extra effort and maintenance, you should be aware that you'll need to position this grill near a power socket in order to make the most of it. Like I said, you can use it without plugging it in, but it's worth it for the AFS function alone. One other minor downside (finding fault with this grill requires some nitpicking!) that I found a slight discrepancy between the temperature reading on board the smart display and on the grill's temperature gauge. I found its capacity ideal for four people, but it might struggle to cater to a crowd. For that, you should check out the Big Joe Konnected. But all that aside, I've never loved a grill as much as the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe. Looks? Check. Smarts? Check. Ease of use? Big check. If you're looking for a grill that can do it all, look no further.
Scotsman
15-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Neo Kamado mini ceramic BBQ now just £59 in Wowcher summer sale
The Kamado-style ceramic BBQ in action – perfect for slow-smoked feasts and summer gatherings. | Wowcher This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. This compact Kamado ceramic BBQ and smoker is now under £60 in Wowcher's summer sale – perfect for summer grilling and year-round use. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Some deals deserve a standing ovation – and this is one of them. The Neo Kamado 13' Mini Ceramic BBQ Grill & Smoker has just dropped even further in the Wowcher summer sale, now just £59 instead of £161.99. That's a massive 64% saving on a proper grown-up bit of kit – perfect for anyone who loves real BBQ flavour but doesn't have room (or patience) for a monster smoker. What makes this little grill stand out? For starters, it's a full ceramic Kamado-style oven, known for locking in heat and moisture and making your charcoal go much further. You get a rust-resistant stainless steel cooking grid, dual airflow vents for precise heat and smoke control, and even a built-in thermometer for keeping an eye on those low-and-slow cooks. Don't be fooled by the 'mini' name either. This sturdy tabletop-friendly grill packs enough space for steaks, burgers, pizzas – even a loaf of bread if you're feeling ambitious. And at just 56cm high on its stable tripod stand, it'll happily sit on a patio, balcony or garden table without dominating your outdoor space. What I really like about this one is its year-round appeal. It's compact and portable enough for summer picnics or camping trips, but just as good for winter evenings outside when you want a smoky roast or fresh bread. Ceramic construction means it holds heat beautifully even in colder weather, and it wipes clean and stores neatly when you're done. For less than £60, you'd be hard pressed to find a more versatile way to bring authentic BBQ flavour to your garden or balcony this summer. Stock is limited at this price, so it's worth snapping up now if you want to beat the next heatwave. This article was produced with the support of AI tools to assist in sourcing and structuring information. All content has been reviewed, verified and completed by a National World journalist prior to publication. MySweetSmile Get wedding photo-ready with MySweetSmile's gentle teeth whitening range £ 20.99 Buy now Buy now Wedding season is here — and so are all the photos you'll treasure forever. Whether you're the bride, the groom or just a guest, you'll want a confident, glowing smile in every shot. That's where MySweetSmile comes in. This UK best-seller promises peroxide-free, gentle whitening that fits effortlessly into your routine. From their teeth whitening powder for brides to quick-fix strips for guests and a handy pen for grooms, you'll be ready for your close-up on the big day. Shop the full MySweetSmile wedding-ready range here. NationalWorld The best bargains, in your inbox every week £ 0.00 Buy now Buy now The Top Buys weekly newsletter brings you the biggest bargains, top deals and special offers straight to your inbox. Every day, our expert consumer team scours all the big brands to uncover the best discounts and smartest savings. Then, we bring them all together in one easy-to-read email – so you never miss a deal that matters. Subscribe to our free Top Buys newsletter and start saving straight away.
Scotsman
15-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Neo Kamado mini ceramic BBQ now just £59 in Wowcher summer sale
The Kamado-style ceramic BBQ in action – perfect for slow-smoked feasts and summer gatherings. | Wowcher This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. This compact Kamado ceramic BBQ and smoker is now under £60 in Wowcher's summer sale – perfect for summer grilling and year-round use. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Some deals deserve a standing ovation – and this is one of them. The Neo Kamado 13' Mini Ceramic BBQ Grill & Smoker has just dropped even further in the Wowcher summer sale, now just £59 instead of £161.99. That's a massive 64% saving on a proper grown-up bit of kit – perfect for anyone who loves real BBQ flavour but doesn't have room (or patience) for a monster smoker. What makes this little grill stand out? For starters, it's a full ceramic Kamado-style oven, known for locking in heat and moisture and making your charcoal go much further. You get a rust-resistant stainless steel cooking grid, dual airflow vents for precise heat and smoke control, and even a built-in thermometer for keeping an eye on those low-and-slow cooks. Don't be fooled by the 'mini' name either. This sturdy tabletop-friendly grill packs enough space for steaks, burgers, pizzas – even a loaf of bread if you're feeling ambitious. And at just 56cm high on its stable tripod stand, it'll happily sit on a patio, balcony or garden table without dominating your outdoor space. What I really like about this one is its year-round appeal. It's compact and portable enough for summer picnics or camping trips, but just as good for winter evenings outside when you want a smoky roast or fresh bread. Ceramic construction means it holds heat beautifully even in colder weather, and it wipes clean and stores neatly when you're done. For less than £60, you'd be hard pressed to find a more versatile way to bring authentic BBQ flavour to your garden or balcony this summer. Stock is limited at this price, so it's worth snapping up now if you want to beat the next heatwave. This article was produced with the support of AI tools to assist in sourcing and structuring information. All content has been reviewed, verified and completed by a National World journalist prior to publication. MySweetSmile Get wedding photo-ready with MySweetSmile's gentle teeth whitening range £ 20.99 Buy now Buy now Wedding season is here — and so are all the photos you'll treasure forever. Whether you're the bride, the groom or just a guest, you'll want a confident, glowing smile in every shot. That's where MySweetSmile comes in. This UK best-seller promises peroxide-free, gentle whitening that fits effortlessly into your routine. From their teeth whitening powder for brides to quick-fix strips for guests and a handy pen for grooms, you'll be ready for your close-up on the big day. Shop the full MySweetSmile wedding-ready range here.
Tom's Guide
17-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
I ditched my gas grill for this Kamado Joe — and I'm never going back
I love cooking alfresco, but I'll admit that charcoal grills have always intimiated me. Unlike gas grills, which allow you to adjust your heat instantaneously, charcoal grills have a bit of a learning curve. When I first tested a kamado grill, I immediately overshot my intended temperature and flailed desperately trying to lower it, opening and closing various vents while flicking frantically through the instruction manual. And once you've overshot, there's a knack required to bring your heat back down to low-and-slow smoking levels. So when I heard about the Kamado Joe Konnected, I was cautiously optimistic that it could be the perfect middle-ground for a nervous griller like me. Combining the authentic design of a kamado grill with the smarts of some of the best grills on the market, it claims to be app-controlled, self-monitoring and super versatile. I spent a week testing the Kamado Joe Konnected, and I slowly grew in confidence as I did. Ahead of my full review, here's why this Kamado egg persuaded me to part ways with my trusty gas grill. At $2,000 (or £2,000 in the U.K., where I'm based) the Kamado Joe Konnected isn't the most affordable grill on the market, but its smart features, such as its Automatic Fire Starter button and app compatibility, justify the higher price. As a Homes Editor, people love to tell me all about their favorite gadgets, and I have multiple friends who love to nerd out with an authentic charcoal grill. They'll brine, marinade, smoke overnight, and one even records their temperature variations on a spreadsheet. Once I hit my stride, I decided to test some smoked meat recipes. This is so totally out of my comfort zone, but the app recipes gave me the confidence to try a rack of smoked ribs and some buffalo wings. While I'm more than happy to enjoy the fruits of their labor, I've never been the smart gadget type myself. I've got a pet peeve for unnecessary apps, and few things enrage me more than a tedious 'smart home' setup process. For something that's meant to make life easier, app-compatible appliances often cause more drama than they're worth. With the Kamado Joe Konnected, that's not so. First, the app has a heap of recipes to choose from, each of which comes with a handy video to help you visualize the more involved terms like "indirect grilling" and "heat deflector". The app also allows you to check on your grill's temperature remotely, and will pair with your temperature probes seamlessly to ensure your food is never over- or under-cooked. Best of all, if you don't want to use the app, you actually don't have to. A lot of this gadget's smarts are on-board its smart display which shows the temperature trend over time, allows you to auto-ignite and choose a desired temperature without your phone handy. Once I hit my stride, I decided to test some smoked meat recipes. This is so totally out of my comfort zone, but the app recipes gave me the confidence to try a rack of smoked ribs, a spatchcock chicken and some buffalo wings. One obvious issue is that you'll need to set the grill at one temperature to cook all of these things, so I got a head start with my ribs so I could cook them for longer, and at a lower temperature. Although I'd always thought of smoking as intimidating, I was able to achieve an immense smokey flavor with some wood pellets and a low base temperature. And no matter how good a gas grill is, they've never been able to rival the smokey flavor of charcoal-grilled food. The Kamado Joe Konnected allows you to set a desired temperature, such as 250°F, and it will both auto-ignite your charcoal and keep your temperature stable with zero assistance on your part. All I had to do was baste the ribs every half hour and wrap them in foil for the final hour. The grill took care of the rest. This absolutely healed my temperature-control trauma from my first time testing a kamado grill. Confirmed: this grill is totally newbie-proof. I cooked everything from slow-smoked ribs to flame-grilled steaks on the Kamado Joe Konnected. Let me tell you, this grill can do it all. The temperature range spans from 225°F to 700°F (107°C to 370°C), which is about as versatile as grills like the Spider Grills Huntsman. One of my favorite features is the removable ceramic plates, which act as heat shields and allow you to directly flame-grill on one side of the grill, and gently roast on the other. I did this with some flame-grilled chicken breasts while I let some salmon fillets cook indirectly, and while I got a great smokey flavor on the chicken, the salmon was cooked perfectly without any toughness or burning. The only downside of how excellently this grill insulates heat is that it takes ages to cool down. I was desperate to cover it overnight to prevent it from getting rained-on or damaged, but it was simply too hot to touch until morning. My full review is still in the works, but if you're looking for the perfect grill to convert you to the joys of charcoal cooking, I'd look no further than the Kamado Joe Konnected.
Tom's Guide
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Tom's Guide
I spent a week cooking on the Spider Grills Huntsman, and it's the only grill you'll ever need
Price: $899Weight: 155 poundsFuel source: CharcoalCooking area: 380 square inchesTemperature range: -20F to 700F+Auto temp control range: 150F to 700FApp controllable: YesMaterials: Carbon steel If you've graduated from propane grills in the backyard and you're looking for something more flavorful for your meats, you're probably researching three main types of grills: wood-fired, pellet-fed, or charcoal. The Huntsman from Spider Grills falls into the last category, and it promises smoky flavors, consistent and even heat, and low-maintenance cooking. It's also a Kamado-style grill, which means it's egg-shaped, and it's intended to control temperature well and retain your meat's moisture as it cooks. Although it's worth noting that Kamado grills are usually made of ceramic, and the Huntsman is made from carbon steel. Those benefits should lend themselves well to 'low and slow' smoking. In practice, it achieves those goals and then some. It's beautifully built, with heavy-duty materials, and the Venom unit maintains cooking temperatures impressively well. The app is generally easy to use, too, and stoking and feeding the coals is simple thanks to a well-designed fire port that allows you to tend the fire without lifting the main lid. I love the Huntsman for grilling meats and getting a good sear. Everything I cooked ended up with a rich, smoky flavor, too. It's one of the best grills I've tested for straight-up grilling. As a smoker, it proves equally adept. This is a truly versatile grill that surprised me with its ability to both grill and smoke without compromising one or the other. The Huntsman costs $899 and is available for purchase now through Spider Grills' website. A 3-year limited warranty is included with purchase. I tend to be sensitive to unnecessary and environmentally harmful packaging, and the Huntsman came ensconced in just that. That said, the packages it came in did get well roughed up during shipping, but there was not a scratch on the unit itself. Still, much of that packaging could have easily been swapped out for recyclable materials. Once I unboxed, unbagged, and sorted all the parts, it took about an hour to assemble the Huntsman. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. Spider Grills even includes some nice tools to help the build process along quickly. On top of that, Spider Grills also includes a seasoning kit that includes a wax and oil-based seasoning, an application sponge, and a cleaning brush. That's a nice touch I haven't seen with any other grills. Once assembled, the Huntsman feels very obviously stout and stable. It's built from 5 mm-thick carbon steel, so it's quite heavy and burly. It's made to withstand years of regular use, not to mention high heat from cooking. Unlike traditional Kamado-style grills, the Huntsman is not made from ceramic. That 5mm thick carbon steel is what makes the grill so burly, and Spider Grills says that it's efficient at holding heat and creating an ideal cooking environment for low and slow barbecuing. It's weather-resistant too, thanks to an exterior coating. The Venom temperature control unit sits beneath the main body. This temperature controller manages the heat of your charcoal once it's lit. This is also where you'll plug in both the kettle heat probe and any meat probes you plug into the two available slots. The bright and easy-to-read screen gives you the set temperature, current temperature, meat temps from the probes, timers, and any other relevant info you'll need during cooking. Behind the screen, you'll find both a vent handle and the ash pan handle. The ash pan releases easily to help you clean up quickly once you're done cooking. My test unit came with two different cooking grates. One is similar to the typical steel grates you find in most grills. I positioned this low in the kettle, just over the charcoal. And there's also a stouter, flat steel grate with cutouts that's ideal at the top of the kettle. You can use this for searing, and I used it for smoking as well. There are two ways to open the kettle: The traditional hinged lid, and a front access door. This gives you two different ways to tend to your fire as well as the food you're cooking. The lid secures closed with a latch, and the front door secures closed with a door-handle-style lever. A small storage shelf beneath the Venom unit gives you a bit of space to store some cooking supplies, but it's not a lot of real estate. And the whole works rolls on three stout, lockable casters. Finally, Spider Grills includes a tool that allows you to move charcoal around within the kettle. It hangs off the side of the Kettle when not in use. Before using the Huntsman for the first time, it's necessary to season the grill to burn off any oils, debris, or chemicals left over from manufacturing or shipping. This is the case with pretty much any grill you're going to buy, but the Huntsman has a nice perk: it includes a seasoning kit that includes a wax and oil seasoning, a pad applicator, and cleaning brush. Seasoning took about an hour; just spread the seasoning mix on the interior of the grill, get a good bed of coals going, and maintain a high temperature — around 400 degrees should do it — for 45 minutes to an hour. Then you're ready to cook. You should season your grill periodically; timing changes depending on how frequently you use your grill. For my first cooking session with the Huntsman grill, I prepped a NY Strip steak for dinner. The grill doesn't have any automatic starting system, which is fine by me as those tend to be finicky anyway. So I loaded a chimney with charcoal and let it burn to get a good bed of coals going. Once the coals are in the Huntsman, the Venom unit takes over. It regulates the temperature within the grill by engaging and disengaging a fan. While I wouldn't say the temperature stayed as consistent as it does with a pellet grill, which uses a constant fuel source, the Huntsman stayed within a reasonable range. I had to throw a few more pieces of lump charcoal on top of the bed of coals before throwing the steak on, but otherwise it's a pretty low-maintenance affair. Once I had the coals going, I put the cooking grates in. The lower grate is a good choice if you want your food very close to the heat source. The upper grate is better for low and slow cooking. The upper grate sits within a metal frame with handles, so you can pull it out of the way if you need to (using fire gloves, of course). I cooked my steak at around 500 degrees on the upper grate. The Venom unit kept the temperature mostly consistent, within 5 to 10 degrees of variation. Best of all, I didn't have to keep checking the fire to ensure it was still going, or otherwise dying out. The Venom does all the work. My steak came out wonderfully, and I seared it for a few seconds on either side on the lower grate. I overcooked it just slightly (I usually prefer medium rare, but this came out more medium), but that has more to do with my gut: I left the steak on even after the probe within the meat reached my desired temperature. My one complaint during my first use is the handle latch. It's difficult to raise the lid with one hand, because you have to simultaneously push downward on the handle and release the latch. It's a secure way to keep the lid closed, but I found it cumbersome. Most of my meat smoking up until recently was done in an offset smoker. That means the firebox is offset from the cooking box, so the meats do not get any direct heat. The Huntsman's heat source is directly below the meat, so I was worried about the meat drying out as it cooked. But that fear turned out to be unfounded. I set the Venom's temperature right around 200 degrees and smoked a NY Strip for about an hour. I popped in a probe and waited for the meat's internal temperature to reach 165 degrees. But it never reached 165 degrees, even after an hour of smoking. So I let it stay on an extra ten minutes. I wish I hadn't; those last ten minutes or so overcooked the steak slightly. I don't know if the probe was giving me an incorrect reading (165 degrees internally should usually get you a medium rare finish), or if perhaps I just made a false assumption that the desired temperature would give me a medium rare steak. Either way, the steak came out medium, headed toward well done. It was still quite delicious, though. And I gave it a quick sear on the lower grate for a little bit of crust. Had I pulled it off ten or fifteen minutes earlier, I would have had myself a perfect steak. All that is to say that there's a learning curve here, just as there is with any new grill. Next time, I'll set the temperature a bit lower and perhaps smoke for a little less time. But I'm very pleased with the smoky flavor and the ease with which I was able to smoke the meat with so little effort. During all of my cooking sessions with the Huntsman, I used the Spider Grills app to control the Venom unit. The app is easy to use and pretty intuitive. It gives you all the information to make the best decisions while cooking, and it's also easy to make adjustments on the fly. Importantly, Spider Grills includes a pause function, which you should definitely engage before you lift the lid of the Huntsman. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a tornado of ash. The only complaint I have about the app is its intermittency. If you minimize the app on your phone or don't look at it for several minutes, the app needs to re-connect to the Venom. Sometimes that happens instantly; sometimes it goes on for as long as 20 seconds. And sometimes, you need to close the app entirely and reconnect again. It's not a huge deal, but if you have to do it over and over again during your cooking session — if you're smoking meats, that can take hours — it becomes pretty tiresome to sit through the reconnection process. Kamado Joe's Kettle Joe offers about the same amount of cooking space as the Huntsman, and it's also made of steel — though the Kettle Joe is ceramic-coated. It costs $500, which is far less expensive than the Huntsman. But the Kettle Joe does not feature an auto thermostat like the Huntsman's Venom, so you'll have to manually tend to your fire. Other Kamado style competitors include the very well-known Big Green Egg. This ceramic cooker is well regarded as one of the best Kamados out there, but it's also very expensive at $1,149. It doesn't come with any accessories, so you'll have to buy those extra. You can control the temperature using air flow systems, but these are manual, unlike the automatic Venom. The Huntsman is an impressive Kamado-style grill and smoker. The Venom unit really makes it easy to smoke and grill meats without having to babysit a fire. And the 5mm thick carbon steel construction is burly, making it ideal for years of use. I found the temperature stability to be quite good, though not as precise as something like a pellet smoker. But it was within a reasonable temperature range that I felt comfortable leaving it be to do the cooking. It's spacious inside, with plenty of real estate to cook for big crowds on the multi-level grates. And the front access door is a nice touch to make it easy to tend to food on both levels, or to simply attend to the charcoal. Overall, the Huntsman is an excellent grill and smoker. Once you get the coals going, the process is as close to set-it-and-forget-it as you can get. While the app is a little finicky, it serves its function well for most grilling, though you may find it annoying if you're smoking meats all day. Otherwise, there's not much to dislike about the Huntsman.
