Char-Griller
Char-Griller AKORN Auto-Kamado
The Akorn Auto-Kamado is the steel Akorn body with a digital controller and a fan that manages airflow automatically, plus Wi-Fi so the temperature can be set from a phone. It is the cheapest way to get set-and-forget charcoal control — the feature that otherwise means a $2,000 Konnected Joe or a third-party fan controller. Everything below the controller is the standard Akorn: triple-walled insulated steel rather than ceramic, cast iron grates, and an EasyDump ash pan. Char-Griller no longer lists the Auto-Kamado itself — only its cover remains on the maker's store — and the $449.99 that once bought it now buys the plain AKORN Kamado with the cart. It is still widely owned and still turns up at retail, which is why it stays here.
We may earn a commission. Price and availability on Amazon may differ.
Specifications
Features
Pros
- ✓Automatic fan control holds a set temperature overnight — the Konnected Joe is the nearest equivalent at over four times the price
- ✓Wi-Fi and phone control at $449, which no ceramic kamado approaches
- ✓Insulated steel body weighs about 97 lbs against 228 for a ceramic Classic Joe, so one person can move it
- ✓EasyDump ash pan empties without dismantling the firebox, unlike most ceramic kamados
- ✓445 sq in total cooking area, more than a Big Green Egg Large's 262
Cons
- ✗Steel does not hold heat like ceramic — it recovers faster but swings more and is less efficient on a long cook
- ✗The controller and fan are electronics on an outdoor grill, and are the parts most likely to fail first
- ✗Needs a power outlet, so it cannot be used where a plain kamado can
- ✗5-year warranty against the lifetime ceramic warranties from Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe and Primo
- ✗Painted steel exterior chips and rusts in a way glazed ceramic does not
Compare the Char-Griller AKORN Auto-Kamado
This model is no longer sold new. Its current equivalent is the Char-Griller AKORN Kamado Grill with Cart.
We keep this page for the many still in use and on the used market — specs and honest pros/cons below still apply.
Related grills
More from Char-Griller →
Char-Griller
Char-Griller Akorn Kamado
The Char-Griller Akorn is a budget kamado-style grill that uses triple-wall insulated steel instead of ceramic to deliver kamado-like efficiency at a fraction of the price. It's the popular gateway into kamado cooking.
Char-Griller
Char-Griller AKORN Jr.
A tabletop steel kamado: 155 sq in, 36 lbs, side carry handles, and the same triple-walled insulated body as the full-size Akorn. It is the cheapest kamado of any kind, and unlike the ceramic portables it can actually be carried by one person to a campsite or tailgate. Cast iron grates and a removable stainless warming rack come standard.
Char-Griller
Char-Griller Competition Pro Offset Smoker
Char-Griller's Competition Pro is a Home Depot retailer exclusive that pairs a barrel grill with a bolted-on side firebox — the same architecture as the Smokin' Champ already in the catalog, but with 720 sq in of primary grate instead of the Champ's smaller chamber, and an insulated body. It is the cheapest true offset in Char-Griller's line that ships with the firebox included rather than as a $99 add-on.
Char-Griller
Char-Griller Classic Cart Style Charcoal Grill
This is the barrel grill Char-Griller has sold for decades under the Super Pro name; the 2026 catalog lists it as the Classic Cart Style Charcoal Grill, SKU 2175. It is a double-walled steel barrel on a cart with 550 sq in of primary grate plus a 260 sq in warming rack, an adjustable-height charcoal pan on a crank, and a side-firebox port so it can be converted into an offset smoker later. Compared with the Wrangler below it, it adds the crank-adjustable fire pan and the side-firebox port; compared with the Smokin' Champ above it, it ships without the firebox.
Char-Griller
Char-Griller Dakota Offset Smoker
A newer Char-Griller offset that sits above the Competition Pro and below the Grand Champ: 580 sq in of cooking chamber, 141 lbs, and a firebox that takes splits rather than only charcoal. It is the model Char-Griller added when the entry-offset market moved upmarket, and at $400 it competes directly with the Oklahoma Joe's Highland Classic.
A side-by-side gas and charcoal grill under one cart, with a flat-top griddle insert on the gas half. 30,000 BTU of propane on one side for weeknights; a charcoal firebox with side damper smoke control and an EasyDump ash pan on the other for weekends. 875 sq in of primary cooking area across both, 1,260 sq in total. Char-Griller no longer sells a standalone gas grill — their entire gas line is now combos and griddles, and this is the top of it.