Best Charcoal Grills · head-to-head

Big Green Egg Large vs Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared is cheaper at $199.99. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Big Green Egg Large or Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared?

On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared is the cheaper at $199.99.

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Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Big Green Egg Large Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared
US price $1199.99 $199.99
BrandBig Green EggChar-Broil
Released2015
Type kamado kettle
Primary cooking area sqin 262 360
Material Ceramic with stainless steel hardware Porcelain-coated steel with TRU-Infrared porcelain grate
Hinged cooking grate No No
Ash catcher No Yes
Built in thermometer Yes Yes
Diameter or size (in) 18.25 in 22.5 in
Release 2015

Sources — Big Green Egg Large: biggreenegg.com (verified 2026-06-19). Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared: charbroil.com (verified 2026-06-19).

What's the difference between the Big Green Egg Large and Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (5 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Type: Big Green Egg Large kamado vs Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared kettle
  • Primary cooking area sqin: Big Green Egg Large 262 vs Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared 360
  • Material: Big Green Egg Large Ceramic with stainless steel hardware vs Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared Porcelain-coated steel with TRU-Infrared porcelain grate
  • Ash catcher: Big Green Egg Large false vs Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared true
  • Diameter or size (in): Big Green Egg Large 18.25 in vs Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared 22.5 in

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Big Green Egg Large

Two whitelisted testers who hands-on cooked on the exact Large model — Reviewed (USA Today) and Pro Tool Reviews — both strongly recommend it, praising precise temperature control, 700°F+ searing heat, and fuel efficiency. Both survived verification with all quotes literal and all measured values supported in the source text. Main gripes: costly required accessories, weight, and price. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)

Praised: Precise, wide-range temperature control via top/bottom dampers; Reaches high searing heat over 700°F; Fuel efficient — lump charcoal lasts and leftover coals relight.

Flagged: Key functions need extra paid accessories (ConvEGGtor for indirect heat, griddle for searing); High price for the grill itself; Heavy, stays hot long after cooking, hard to move or store.

Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared

One whitelisted hands-on tester survived verification — Reviewed (USA Today), whose chef-tester ran the Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared through a live cook-off against seven rivals and ranked it near the bottom. It praised the TRU-Infrared grate's sear and the hinged lid, but flagged a wobbly build, a v-shaped grate that traps grease and burnt bits, grates with no hinges (forcing hands into a dangerously hot spot when adding coals), and a handle-less ash bucket, concluding better grills exist for the price. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)

Praised: TRU-Infrared grate produced a beautiful sear and grill marks on burgers; Hinged lid.

Flagged: Wobbly, unstable build versus competitors; V-shaped grate very difficult to clean; grease and burnt bits lodge in crevices; Grates have no hinges, putting hands in a dangerously hot spot when adding coals.

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