Char-GrillerAKORN® Jr. Portable Kamado Charcoal Grill and Smoker with Cast Iron Grates and Locking Lid with 155 Cooking Square Inches in Ash, Model E86714

3 month update after using it at least once a week. So this grill is perfect for 3 people, my son wife and I but for bigger families I’d get the regular Akorn.I’ve used a fraction of the charcoal I’ve previously used in big kettle grills and actually very cost effective to buy this if you’re not feeding a clan. I’ve grilled steaks chicken breasts whole chickens just had to flatten it including hot dogs and brats. This is the easiest cleaning grill I’ve ever owned and easy to empty ashes and grill cools down fast. I will always buy akorn grills from now on and I’ve owned gas and pellet grills this is easy to store and very easy to move around and take to the beach. So don’t look at others grills I’ve spent 1000s of dollars on grills and there is no comparable grill for this price point with this quality.Key points:Assembly was very easy with enough patience and a Phillips head or flat head will work for all the screws.Instructions were easy to understand and didn’t leave any questions and not tons of screws to lose while assembling.Solidly built this is on the smaller side but definitely doesn’t feel like something small when you move it, I feel confident our toddler won’t be able to move this or relocate it like everything else.Grates are cast iron and the best grill grate I’ve owned.One Con:The box didn’t arrive damaged and was delivered via USPS however there’s a quarter sized dent on the back of the top lid. Was kinda irritated finding the packaging undamaged however a dent on lid so they have a quality control issue that needs to be addressed because the foam wasn’t impacted and box arrived in perfect shape so quality control needs to be retrained or terminated. Not gonna return this over a small dent that didn’t affect the viability of this product as the dent isn’t deep and has zero chipping.I would buy again even with the dent because it’s a little tank and well built, can’t wait to use it as we have a big traegar pellet grill that I’m tired of cleaning.

I bought this for my sister for Christmas and she loves it. She has made BBQ twice and ribs once. The size is perfect and easy for someone to use. She said learning the timing for cooking is the only learning curve but she loves the flavor.

WOW!! Not much more to say but WOW !

I was shopping for a Komodo grill, considering a Green Egg or Komodo Joe. I decided on the Acorn grill as it is way less expensive, smaller, light and easy to clean and move. I bought the grill, the stone and cover. I have used this grill to cook burgers, chicken and pizza. It was great with the meats. Even with the stone, it was way too hot for the first Pizza and I burned the bottom. The second one was much better as I cooked it at about 275 degrees instead of the oven usual temp of 425.Pros:I had no trouble making it hit 550 degrees (it probably could go even hotter) so its great for grilling.Easy to clean and assemble.Good seal on the lid.Cons:It is not ceramic, so it does not hold the heat as long as the Egg or Joe, making it more difficult to smoke or cook at a lower temperature, even with the stone.The top damper comes with a small plastic piece to adjust the (often hot) metal movable part. The plastic broke the second time I used it. I made one about twice as big out of wood which took some time but I feel is a much better design.

My husband loves to smoke meats and has made everything under the sun in this smoker. He loves how easy it is to hold temperatures, the lid fits very snug. With its smaller size we can easily load it up and take it camping with us! Very good value for the money. Seems very durable!

I bought this Char Griller Acorn Jr together with a Supjoyes cover, the Acorn Jr ceramic heat deflector, and a steel basket for easy removal of used charcoal. I was really impressed with the packaging for the Acorn Jr. It came delivered without a scratch. The Supjoyes cover will save you some bucks over the Acorn Jr cover and the quality is very good. The small steel ash basket is well made and it fits nicely inside the Acorn Jr, but I’m not sure that I really needed it, because the coal bucket inside the Acorn Jr functions just as well. The ceramic heat deflector is well made and it will fit snugly between the iron cooking grate and the coals below. If I smoke a pork shoulder on this grill, the deflector plate will come in handy. So far, I’ve cooked a spatchcock chicken on this grill, and it turned out great. I used only 1.5 lbs of charcoal and it lasted hours after my chicken was done. What’s more, there’s plenty of charcoal left over for the next cook. Char Griller recommends Lump Charcoal for this grill, but I found Kingsford brickets to work just fine. This was a good purchase, and I hope to enjoy it for a long time to come.

Bought this, because I love the added flavoring using charcoal. I have a smoker and propane grill and will use them for larger events. The Akorn is my daily go to and has enough surface area to feed 4 people. I prefer not to use the diffuser. It affects the outside texture and overall flavoring of the meat. Much better with direct heat, although you do have to monitor it for flame outs. Well worth it, when you taste the results. I love this thing! My wife, who complained I added this to my BBQ area, now loves it too!

Grill is fine however the grates rusted beyond using and cleaning. I ordered a stainless grate and I'll try that. I tried cleaning the grates but the rust build was so bad, in was not safe to cook on. The grill was covered also. It's useless without a safe cooking grate.Grates rusted beyond repairing, Upper damper valve broke a second time. Wish I could return it.