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

The Char Griller AKORN Jr. is an impressive compact kamado that delivers the classic charcoal flavor and heat control of a full sized ceramic unit without the heavy weight or high price. For camping, tailgating, small patios, or anyone who wants real kamado performance in a portable format, this grill performs far better than its size suggests. Build Quality and Design The AKORN Jr. uses a triple wall insulated steel construction rather than ceramic, which keeps the weight manageable while still providing excellent heat retention. The locking lid is secure and helps maintain consistent temperatures even during longer cooks. The cast iron grates are a standout feature at this size, offering excellent heat transfer, solid sear capability, and long lasting durability. Heat Control and Cooking Performance Temperature control is where this small grill excels. Once dialed in, it holds steady whether you are grilling hot and fast or smoking low and slow. Adjusting the top and bottom vents is simple and responsive. With 155 square inches of cooking space, it fits burgers, steaks, chicken, or a small rack of ribs with ease. Despite its compact footprint, it cooks evenly across the entire grate. Smoking Capability For smoking, the AKORN Jr. performs far better than most portable charcoal grills. The insulated body makes it easy to maintain low temperatures for extended periods. Small pork shoulders, wings, sausages, and even small brisket flats can be smoked successfully with minimal fuel once the temperature is stabilized. Portability and Practical Use Its smaller size makes it ideal for camping trips, apartment balconies, tailgates, and RV use. The grill heats quickly, uses charcoal efficiently, and cools down faster than a ceramic kamado. The exterior stays cooler than many metal grills, and the compact design fits easily in a car or truck bed. Value and Longevity The combination of insulated construction, durable cast iron grates, and kamado style efficiency makes the AKORN Jr. an outstanding value. It offers cooking performance comparable to much larger units while remaining portable and affordable. With proper maintenance of the cast iron grates, it should last for years of regular use. Final Verdict The Char Griller AKORN Jr. delivers true kamado performance in a portable and efficient package. It provides excellent heat control, strong searing power, reliable smoking capability, and durable construction. For anyone looking for a small but highly capable charcoal grill and smoker, the AKORN Jr. is one of the most practical and best performing options available.

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.

This is a great little grill! I started on charcoal grills, went to gas grills, back to charcoal, then to pellet smokers. Decided I still like charcoal better, after 8 years of a smoker. The ease of putting the grill together was simple, had it together in 20 minutes. Had to get readjusted to the prep time using charcoal, but love the taste of hambugers, brats, and chicken better so far! The grill heats up nicely, keep an eye on the adjustment of the air dampers every 15 minutes to adjust the heat. Will cool down in a couple of hours after closing the air dampers to cut off air supply. Didn’t like bending over to cook. So I made a modification to the grill with out drilling any holes, just removed the plastic feet. Used 1-1/2 inch emt electric conduit with three 1-1/2 inch conduit unions, I made legs longer, to make the grill taller. Very happy with the grill, will never go back to a regular grill, gas, or smoker over this Kamado style grill by Char-Griller Akon Jr!!!

Simply put, it is that this is the BEST grill that I have ever owned. A quality product. I am 74 plus and have owned many small grills in my life - from college undergrad through grad school, through professional life and now into retirement. Small enough for camping and for a BBQ with just my wife and I, kudos to the manufacturer. I have owned this grill for over 1 year and have used it often. It has even survived its first Alaska winter outdoors (covered) and I hope that it will survive many more. Good job Char-Griller!

I've been using this for about 3 months multiple times a week for both grilling burgers / steak and some smoking. I use this entirely at home / not camping. build: -I baby this grill keeping it under a cover all the time and seasoning the grill grate very well and haven't had any issues with rust at all. -the wood handle on the front has a ridiculously thin layer of cheap paint on it so just sitting in the sun for a few hours at a time over 3 months burnt most of it off. I ended up sanding and re-painting it. -the legs are comically short. I get that this is a 'portable' grill but come on. they should've designed it with telescopic/folding legs so it sits higher. I ended up putting some PVC pipe on the ends of the legs -I put on a strip of felt seal on the bottom hatch to help with air leaking. really should just come with a better seal that actually works -the construction is solid steel all around and the lid locks tight every time grilling: Amazing at grilling. the grate isn't big, you can do ~6 burgers or 3 steaks if you're careful. great for 1 or 2 people, 3 would be pushing it. smoking: it's OK at smoking. I got the stainless steel deflector ,you can also get a pizza stone if you don't want to buy the expensive stone that tends to crack. just wrap whatever you use in aluminum foil so it doesn't get destroyed by grease. the biggest problem with smoking is the temperature control. this thing gets very hot very quickly but cools off extremely slowly. so if you light your charcoal wrong and over-shoot 225f it's almost impossible to recover. the best way to do it is to fill up the basket. create a little crater in the center, and dump 5-8 lite pieces of charcoal from a chimney into it and let the fire slowly grow out from the crater with the vents fully open and only closing them down once the temp hits ~180f the other problem is the thing is TOO efficient. you barely burn through any charcoal even over a 6 hour smoke. this thing could probably run 24 hours on a full basket. what that means is you don't get alot of smoke flavor in the meat. the size also limits you on what you can smoke. you can forget a full brisket or pork shoulder, no way those will fit.

I had the full size years ago so im very used to this product. Easy to assemble and well built. Plenty of cooking area for family 3-4. Tip: line the bottom with foil and heat treat paint the bottom portion holder unless you take care of it, it won't last. This will keep coals hot for 4 hours plus if you close the bottom and open the top to a single hole. Keep the bottom mostly closed and regulate temp from the top vent.

Great little grill easy to clean if you don’t have a lot of room if you just cook two or three people, it works well

I love this grill. It has about 24" of cook space. The distance from natural chunked coal is acceptable, since the airflow chokes top and bottom allow for really good temp control. After seasoning, I filled the grill twice (making the removable center grate a snap). Pitfalls: if you need to adjust coals while cooking, you will either need room to clear the grate, or temp move meat off the grill for access. Because of the ability just mentioned, there is no ceramic layer between meat and coals. Recommend using a coal chimney to start the coals, then place into the egg. Happy grilling!

One of my best purchases from Amazon. Top Quality. Value for money.

I received this grill in excellent condition. It's a solid well engineered grill. Im looking forward to using it. I assembled it in about 30 minutes and I'm no genius. I read some reviews before purchasing it. Some found it difficult to get the lid handle attached. I think the secret is don't tighten all the studs leave them loose then put in the wood piece in then tighten all, and away you go. I had no issues whatsoever with the assembly. And I would recommend this product it's a great piece of kit to have.

Love this little egg. Heats up quickly. Easy to clean. Doesn’t take up a lot of space. Plenty big for two people. Wouldn’t recommend for family or party BBQ.

Es un equipo fabuloso, sumamente eficiente y bien construido. Permite regular muy bien la temperatura y el carbón dura más de 12 hrs a buena temperatura. La parrilla de hierro fundido está increíble. Excelente compra.

Superbe mini egg . Je l'utilise de puis le début de l'été il il fonctionne à merveille très bon rapport qualité prix