Best Small Kamado Grill: The 13-Inch Option, Tested

I've burned more brisket in the last decade than most people will cook in a lifetime, and I've done it on everything from a leaky offset to a ceramic egg that cost more than my first truck. When a buddy asked me to help him find a small kamado for his apartment patio, I figured it'd be a quick hunt. Turns out, the 13-inch class is a weird little corner of the market, and most of it ain't worth a damn.

The **Kamado Joe Junior ** is the best small kamado grill I've tested, because it's the only one that holds a steady 250 degrees for a full pork butt cook without me babysitting the vents. It's not perfect, and it's not cheap for its size, but it's the only 13-inch option that behaves like a real kamado instead of a toy.

How I tested

I ran a 7-pound pork shoulder on each of these over the course of a month. Same lump charcoal, same rub, same target of 225 degrees. I logged dome temp every hour for 10 hours on each grill, and I did it in my shop with a cheap digital thermometer clamped to the grate. I also did a high-heat sear test on each one, getting them screaming hot for steaks.

Design

The Kamado Joe Junior is a scaled-down Classic II, and that's a good thing. The air lift hinge is the same design that makes the big one a joy to use. You can open the dome with one finger, and it stays where you put it. The ceramic is thick, maybe an inch and a half at the base. The firebox is a single piece, which is simpler than the multi-piece setup on the bigger models. Fewer parts means fewer failure points.

The grate is 13 inches in diameter. That's enough for a single pork butt, two chickens if you're careful, or maybe six burgers. It's not a crowd cooker. The included ash drawer is a nice touch, and the side shelves fold down when you're not using them.

The Big Green Egg MiniMax is a different beast. The ceramic is even thicker than the Joe Junior, and it feels like a bank vault. But it doesn't come with a nest. You're buying a $429 egg and then spending another $120 on a metal stand. That's a kick in the teeth.

Performance

Here's where the Junior separates itself. I lit it with a Looftlighter, closed the dome, and let it heat soak for 45 minutes. I overshot to 275, choked it down to the lower vent at a finger's width, and it settled at 225. I didn't touch it again for 8 hours. The pork butt came off with a deep mahogany bark and a smoke ring that would make Franklin proud.

The MiniMax holds temp just as well, maybe better. The ceramic is so thick that it shrugs off weather. I ran it through a thunderstorm in July, and the dome temp never moved more than five degrees. But the price. God, the price. For $429, you get a grill and a gasket. That's it. No nest, no convEGGtor, no cover. You're looking at another $200 in accessories before you can actually cook on the thing.

The Akorn Jr. is a steel-bodied grill with a ceramic liner. It's lighter, cheaper, and it'll hold temp if you're careful. But "if you're careful" is doing a lot of work. The temp swings are wild. I'd set it at 225, walk inside to grab a beer, and come back to find it at 300. The firebox is a cheap liner that I've seen crack within a year. I replaced mine twice on the full-size Akorn before I gave up.

The Pit Boss Portable is a metal knockoff, and it cooks like one. It leaks heat, the vents are imprecise, and I spent more time adjusting the dampers than I did drinking beer. It's $149, and you get what you pay for.

Durability

I've had my Kamado Joe Classic II for five years. The felt gasket peeled off after about a year, and I replaced it with nomex. The Junior has the same felt gasket, and I expect it'll fail the same way. Plan for that. The cart on the Junior is solid, and the wheels are decent. It's a 50-pound grill, so you can move it around, but it's not exactly portable.

The MiniMax is built like a tank. The ceramic is thick, and the dealer support for Big Green Egg is real. My buddy Ray has had his Egg for fifteen years and only replaced the gasket twice. That's a testament to durability. But the MiniMax is heavy for its size, and the lack of a nest means you're buying a separate stand.

The Akorn Jr. is a different story. It's steel, so it'll rust if you don't cover it. The firebox liner is the weak point. I've seen reports of it cracking within a year. It's a $179 grill, so that's not a huge loss, but it's a pattern.

Value

The Kamado Joe Junior is $349. That's a lot of money for a grill that cooks one pork butt. But it's also a grill that will hold 225 degrees for 8 hours without you touching it. If you're cooking for one or two people, or if you live in an apartment with a small patio, it's worth the money.

The MiniMax is $429, and it doesn't come with a nest. You're looking at $550-plus by the time you get it set up. It's a better grill than the Junior in terms of heat retention, but it's not $200 better.

The Akorn Jr. is $179. It's the poor man's egg, and that's a compliment. It'll teach you the basics of kamado cooking, and if you decide you love it, you can upgrade later. Just don't expect it to last a decade.

The Pit Boss Portable is $149. It's cheap, and it cooks like it's cheap. Skip it.

Should you buy it?

If you're a single guy or a couple cooking for two, and you want to learn kamado cooking without dropping a grand, the Kamado Joe Junior is the one. It holds temp like a real kamado, the warranty is solid, and it'll last you years. If you're already a kamado convert and you want a second grill for tailgating or camping, the Akorn Jr. is a fine cheap option. The MiniMax is for people who value dealer support and bulletproof ceramic more than their bank account.

One note: I'm still testing a new temperature controller on my Big Joe, and I've got a brisket going right now with a rub that's got a little more heat than my usual. I'll update this if the Junior's gasket fails or if the firebox shows any cracks after a full winter. This review is current as of February 2026, and I'll keep it honest as the grill ages.