Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado 20-Inch Charcoal Grill Review

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn is one of the more affordable kamado charcoal grills. It has 20 inch cooking diameter with total cooking area of 447 square inches. Being significantly less expensive than some of the other kamado charcoal grills can Char-Griller really be any good?

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado 20-Inch Charcoal Grill

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado charcoal grill has triple-wall steel design creating superb heat insulation making it a very efficient grill. It maintains steady temperature without any trouble and doesn’t use much charcoal.

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado comes with some heavy duty cast iron grates. They are pretty nice but you want to season them first.

As for the way it cooks – it’s really great. You really can’t beat the taste of charcoal. You can easily make juicy steaks and sear them nicely. You can use briquettes to fuel this grill as the bottom grate holes are large enough not to clog up with ash (common issue for other kamado grills).

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado comes with 133 square inch removable warming rack. It locks right into the cooking grate and swivels around. It’s positioned good amount above the main cooking area giving you opportunity to cook meat and other food that requires lower temperature at the same time (like veggies).

Air flow and temperature control

Air flow management is a similar to that of Kamado Joe Big Joe grills. Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado has two numbered dampers – one at the top and the other one at bottom. They work really well but don’t overshoot the temperature as raising it is easy but decreasing will take a while. You can monitor the temperature with the built-in thermometer.

The temperature range for this grill is 200° to 700°F. You can achieve the 700°F pretty easily even though you will likely never need it to be that hot.

Ash pan

The ash pan design on this grill is really cool. Essentially you can take the whole bottom part out which makes it cleaning very easy and simple. To take it out just release the latches on the sides. This design works really well and latches provide a true airtight seal so no heat or smoke escapes.

Quality

The overall build quality is really good which is perhaps the most surprising thing considering the price. It’s not made of ceramics like higher end grills however the metal it’s made of is not as brittle. If you accidentally tip Char-Griller Akorn over it’s highly unlikely it will crack. It might get dented but that likely won’t impact the way it performs.

To keep things short Char-Griller Akorn is made to last.

Features

Char-Griller Akorn kamado grill has foldable side shelves with bbq tool storage hooks, bottom storage shelf and wheels (two large ones in front and single swivel caster with a lock on it in the back).

Size and weight

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado charcoal grill weighs 97 pounds and measures 31 inches long by 45 inches wide by 47 inches high.

Verdict

For the money Char-Griller E16620 Akorn is exceptional charcoal kamado grill. Is it as good as Big Joe? No, but considering the massive price difference there’s no way it could be. With that being said the value for money is incredible proving that you don’t have to necessarily spend big bucks for a good kamado grill.

Char-Griller E16620 Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill Specifications:

• Diameter: 24 inches
• Total Cooking area: 447 square inches
  • Primary cooking area: 314 square inches
  • Warming rack area: 133 square inches
• Temperature range: 200°F to 700°F
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 31’’ x 45’’ x 47’’ (inches)
• Weight: 97 lb / 44 kg