Is the Green Egg a Smoker? It Is a Kamado — So Both

A ceramic kamado smokes, grills and sears in one body. The ceramic holds temperature for hours, which is what makes low and slow possible without tending.

By Zakaria October 11, 2026 3 min read Save to Pinterest

A deep red ceramic kamado cooker with a domed lid, lid thermometer and side shelf — Photo: RitaE, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay

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It is a kamado — which means it is a smoker, a grill and a searing oven in one body. The reason it smokes well is thermal mass: thick ceramic holds a target temperature for hours with almost no attention.

The short answer

A Big Green Egg is a kamado, a thick-walled ceramic cooker that works as a smoker, a grill and a high-heat searing oven. The ceramic absorbs and slowly releases heat, so a set temperature holds for many hours with only airflow adjustment — which is what makes genuine low and slow smoking possible without constant tending. Adding a heat deflector converts it to indirect cooking. Opened up it reaches searing temperatures well above most gas grills, though moving between extremes takes time.

A kamado: smoker, grill and searing oven in one body
Thermal mass is why it holds temperature for hours
A heat deflector turns it into a true indirect smoker
Sears very hot — above most gas grills
Slow to change direction — plan the cook one way
Ceramic cracks from impact and thermal shock

This site does not test products. The description below is based on how kamado cookers work and what owners consistently report.

What a kamado is

A thick-walled ceramic cooker with a bottom air intake and a top damper. The ceramic does two things at once:

Absorbs a large amount of heat and releases it slowly, so temperature barely moves when conditions change or the lid is briefly opened
Insulates, so very little heat escapes — which is why it uses so little fuel

Control is by airflow only: bottom vent for the coarse setting, top damper for the fine one. Because the body is close to airtight, the fire responds predictably rather than erratically.

Smoking, grilling, searing

This table answers the question on its own

Job	Setup	Temperature	How it performs
Low and slow smoking	Heat deflector in	~110°C / 225°F	Holds for 12+ hours unattended
Roasting	Deflector in	150–180°C	Oven-like, very steady
Grilling	Direct, deflector out	200–250°C	Good
Searing	Direct, vents open	Very high	Above most gas grills

The heat deflector is what makes it a smoker

Without it, the food sits over direct radiant heat. With it, the cooker becomes indirect — and that is the configuration that makes it a genuine smoker rather than a grill approximating one.

Against a dedicated smoker

Offset or pellet smoker: built for one job, usually more capacity for the money, firebox separate from the chamber
Kamado: several jobs in one smaller body, far less fuel, holds temperature with less attention

If you only cook low and slow for large groups, a dedicated smoker is the better buy. If you want one appliance that also grills and sears properly, the kamado is the stronger case.

The practical catches

Ceramic does not forgive impact or thermal shock

Dropping the lid, knocking the body, or pouring cold water into a hot cooker can crack it — and a cracked ceramic body is usually terminal rather than repairable.

Slow to change temperature. The mass that holds 110°C steadily also takes a while to come down from 300°C. Plan the cook in one direction.
The lid gasket wears out and needs periodic replacement. Routine, not a defect.
Heavy. Moving one is a two-person job, and the stand matters.

Is it worth it?

The premium buys thermal mass, long unattended cooks, very high searing heat and fuel efficiency in one body.

If you will only ever smoke, a cheaper dedicated smoker does that well. If you will only ever grill burgers, a gas grill costs a fraction. The case rests on actually using the range.

Common questions

Is the Big Green Egg a smoker?

It is a kamado, which means it works as a smoker, a grill and a high-heat searing oven in one body. Thick ceramic walls hold heat with very little loss, so once a target temperature is set it can be maintained for many hours by airflow alone, which is exactly what smoking requires. Adding a heat deflector plate turns it into an indirect cooker, and that configuration is what makes it a genuine smoker rather than a grill that can approximate one.

What makes a kamado good at smoking?

Thermal mass and airflow control. The ceramic absorbs a large amount of heat and releases it slowly, so the temperature barely moves when conditions change or the lid is briefly opened — which is why long cooks need so little attention. Adjusting the bottom vent and the top damper meters oxygen precisely, and because the body is nearly airtight the fire responds predictably. Together those make holding 110°C for twelve hours realistic rather than a vigil.

Can you sear on a kamado as well as smoke?

Yes, and that dual ability is the main argument for owning one. Opened up, a kamado reaches very high temperatures — far above what most gas grills manage — which suits steaks and pizza. The practical catch is that moving between extremes takes time, because the ceramic that holds low temperatures steadily also takes a while to come down from a high one. Plan the cook in one direction rather than switching back and forth.

What is the difference between a kamado and a dedicated smoker?

An offset or pellet smoker is built for one job and usually offers more capacity for the money, with a firebox separated from the cooking chamber. A kamado does several jobs in one smaller body and holds temperature with less fuel, because the ceramic insulates rather than radiating heat away. If you only ever cook low and slow for large groups, a dedicated smoker makes more sense; if you want one appliance that also grills and sears, the kamado is the stronger case.

Are ceramic kamados fragile?

The ceramic is durable in use but vulnerable to impact and to thermal shock. Dropping the lid, knocking the body against a hard surface, or pouring cold water into a hot cooker can crack it, and a cracked ceramic body is usually a terminal fault rather than a repair. Owners consistently report that the gasket around the lid is the part that wears out first and needs periodic replacement, which is routine rather than a defect.

Is a kamado worth the price?

It depends on whether you will use more than one of its abilities. The premium buys thermal mass, long unattended cooks, very high searing temperatures and excellent fuel efficiency in one body. If you only ever want to smoke, a cheaper dedicated smoker does that job well; if you only ever want to grill burgers, a gas grill costs a fraction. The case for a kamado rests on genuinely using it across that range.

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