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Kettle barbecue vs kamado

Updated: 23 October 2026

The ceramic egg looks like an upgrade of the same round cooker. It is not. This kettle barbecue vs kamado page separates a steel kettle with vents from a thick ceramic kamado that holds heat for long cooks, so you can decide which tool matches the meals you actually make. Both burn charcoal outdoors. The [kettle barbecue comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/kettle-barbecue) covers the steel set from about £28.80 to £239. Peter F., DIY and tools editor, used Weber UK’s beginner brisket notes, Which? type descriptions, and retailer weight bands for ceramics, not a side-by-side lab smoke. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Updated 23 October 2026.

The ceramic egg looks like an upgrade of the same round cooker. It is not.

Our top picks

Weber Weber Compact kettle 57 cm

Best overall

Weber Weber Compact kettle 57 cm
8.9/10about £99.99
View offer
Weber Weber Compact kettle 47 cm

Best value

Weber Weber Compact kettle 47 cm
8.9/10about £49.49
View offer
Weber Weber Original Kettle Premium 57 cm

Alternative

Weber Weber Original Kettle Premium 57 cm
8.4/10about £239.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each one is
  2. 2.When the kettle is the right buy
  3. 3.When the kamado is the other buy
  4. 4.Low and slow on a kettle

What each one is

A kettle barbecue is a round steel bowl with a domed lid, dampers in the bowl and lid, and a cooking grate. You control heat with fuel amount and airflow. The nine captures in this hub are that shape, from a 43 cm budget bowl to a 57 cm Weber with or without a thermometer. Credible printed weights in the set run from about 3.5 kg on the HOMION to 18.2 kg on the KEYO 23 inch. Ignore the compact 57 cm weight of 3.77 kg. A kamado is a thick ceramic charcoal cooker with heavy lids and fine vent control. UK guides such as Which? and Gardeners’ World describe kamados as expensive, good at holding heat in cool weather, and slow to learn. Retailer size notes from Smokey Rebel put roughly 28–32 kg on a 16 inch ceramic and about 47–62 kg on an 18 inch class.

When the kettle is the right buy

Stay with a steel kettle when the job is weeknight grilling and the odd indirect roast. Burgers, sausages, chicken pieces, and a joint banked off the coals are what these bowls are built for. Captured prices in this set span £28.80 to £239, which is enough range to buy enamel, a working damper, and optionally a lid thermometer without entering ceramic money. Smoke and Soil’s which-BBQ guidance puts most people on a kettle first: you learn two-zone fire on steel before you commit to a heater that barely moves. Named steel picks and skip rules sit on the best kettle barbecue page. Choose the kettle if you will be bored tending a twelve-hour fire, if the patio cannot take fifty kilograms in one spot, or if you only cook sausages on Saturdays. A kamado will grill burgers, but you are paying for heat hold you may never use.
Weber Weber Compact kettle 57 cm

Testsieger

Weber Weber Compact kettle 57 cm
8.9/10about £99.99
View offer

When the kamado is the other buy

Buy toward a kamado when the job is already long unattended cooks: brisket-style holds, overnight shoulders, and steady low temperatures with less fuel fuss than a shallow steel bowl. Ceramic walls store heat. Once dialled in, many owners leave the vents alone for hours. That is the point of the tool, not a marketing upgrade sticker on a kettle listing. The costs are weight, price, and learning curve. UK round-ups routinely place kamados well above a mid-price kettle, and Gardeners’ World’s example RRPs for big ceramics sit in a different band from this set’s £99–£239 Webers. You site a kamado where it will live; dragging 50 kg over paving every weekend is a different hobby. This page does not review a Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe model. If heat hold and a fixed patio pad are the brief, ceramic is the other appliance. If not, spend the money on a better steel kettle and a cover.

Low and slow on a kettle

A kettle can smoke. Weber UK publishes a beginner brisket cooked indirect at about 110°C on a barbecue, with internal temperatures in the recipe. That method exists. It is not the same as a ceramic that holds 110°C with less tending. On steel you will top up charcoal, watch the vents, and accept more swing when you lift the lid. A shallow compact without a thermometer is the weak choice for that job. The Original Kettle Premium’s lid gauge and deeper premium kit help, and a separate probe still matters for the meat. Two-zone setup, with the coals banked, the food off the fire, and the lid on, is the technique on how to use a kettle barbecue. Do not claim a kettle cannot smoke. Long unattended holds are why people move to ceramic.

Common questions

Can a kettle do low and slow?
Yes, with indirect heat, lid on, and fuel top-ups. Weber UK’s beginner brisket sits around 110°C as their method. Expect more attention than on a thick ceramic.
Will a kamado grill burgers as well?
It will grill. You still use direct heat over the coals. The kamado’s advantage is holding low temperatures, not a magical burger crust you cannot get on a kettle.
How heavy is a kamado next to these kettles?
These steel captures run roughly 3.5–18.2 kg where the printed weights are credible. Retailer guides put many 16–18 inch ceramics in the high twenties to around sixty kilograms. Plan a fixed site for ceramic.
Do I need one if I only cook sausages?
No. A compact kettle covers direct grilling. Save ceramic money for cooks you will actually run for hours.
Does a compact 57 cm smoke like an original?
Same bullet grate area in this set. The original premium adds a thermometer and One-Touch ash handling, which help long cooks. Neither is a kamado.
What does a kettle cost here compared with a kamado?
This steel set is captured from £28.80 to £239. UK kamado shopping commonly sits above that mid-price kettle band once you want a thick ceramic with accessories. Compare live shelf prices; do not treat this page as a ceramic price list.
When should I stay with the kettle?
When you grill most weekends, roast occasionally, want something you can roll, and are not already committed to overnight cooks. That is most of the readers this comparison was built for.

Related pages

Kettle barbecue buying guide

Kamado barbecue

Kettle barbecue

Best kettle barbecue UK: who to buy and who to skip

How to use a kettle barbecue: light, zones, shut down

Small kettle barbecue for a patio: size and siting

Sources

Public UK sources on smoke control, outdoor fire safety and carbon monoxide, plus the solid-fuel barbecue standard and Weber UK. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines captured for this comparison on 21 October 2026. No row is a laboratory cook.

  1. GOV.UK — smoke control area rules (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. GOV.UK — nuisance smoke (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK — fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK — carbon monoxide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Public Health Wales — carbon monoxide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. London Fire Brigade — barbecue safely (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. BS EN 1860-1:2024 — solid-fuel barbecues (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Weber UK — Original Kettle 1502210 (retrieved 22.10.2026)