Char-Griller E6520 AKORN Kamado Charcoal Grill Cart, Ash

I purchased the Char-Griller E56520 AKORN Cart Grill about a month ago. I'm a retired small engine mechanic so assembly was easy for me. One tool that the instructions do not mention is a small Phillips head screwdriver. You will need it for assembly of the cart model side panels.I've grilled steaks, hamburgers and kabobs that turned out great. I also got the smoking stone and slow smoked a turkey breast and a Boston butt. Turned out moist and delicious. I put a iron skillet with water and spices on top of the stone to help keep the meat juicy. Slow cooked at 250 and used some apple wood chunks in with the charcoal.I used about half the amount of charcoal compared to what I have used in my kettle grill and it last for hours. It doesn't take much starter to get the coals ready either, so don't over do it. It holds heat really well.This is the first grill I've had of this type, and had reservations on spending this much, but now I'm glad I did. I see no reason it won't last for years if property maintained and keeping the ashes empty after each use. I got the Char-Griller cover for it too.Really enjoying this grill!!

This is actually the second one of these I have owned. Wasn’t worn out or in need of replacement, but thought I needed the latest and greatest barrel grill/smoker of another brand. It worked ok but I just didn’t have the versatility of the Akorn. So I bite the bullet and purchased my second one. This grill/smoker gives you everything you need in a single package to grill, smoke, bake or whatever else you can think of. I’ve cooked everything from steaks to Boston butt for pulled pork, pork rolls and smoked several bologna logs. The only limits you have on this setup is things you haven’t thought seriously about grilling. Temperature control is phenomenal on this grill, you can run 235 degrees for 14 to 18 hours for a brisket or a butt. Or you can fire it up the 650 degrees to make some absolutely perfect steaks. Have done vegetables all the way through shrimp, so there are no limitations to what you can or will make once you get a couple cook’s under your belt.

I've been using a Masterbuilt Gravity fed smoker for the past 2 years. Wanted something that I could do direct flame over charcoal grilling, but also smoking. After alot of research, I decided on the Akorn Kamado and what a GREAT decision. This thing is just plain awesome. You can do hot and fast or low and slow. There is a learning curve on dialing in the temperature, but once you get the hang of it, this thing is great. You can do long smokes on this thing with now problems. It holds consistent temps and uses a fraction of the charcoal my gravity smoker uses.Since getting this, it's become go to option for smoking and grilling. The gravity smoker will still get some use for larger cooks, but the Akorn is my new favorite. Highly recommend it.

This is our second Akorn… the first one rusted out after about 8 years. Yours will rust out too, but it’s way cheaper than the the competition and works very well. Cannot imagine going back to a regular grill after trying a kamado. Works well for grilling burgers but my wife has also used it to bake bread. Amazing!Love the nifty work area on this one. It does take a bit of work to put it all together, though. This version doesn’t come with the handy “warmer”… I just ordered one from the website. Overall, this is probably the best grill on the market, for the money. The blue is a very beautiful, classy blue that looks great on our patio.

Assembly was a little time consuming, but straightforward and easy for one person without help. The grill itself seemed very well manufactured and the cart brings it up to a more useful height. I have been fueling the grill with chunks of hardwood. Perhaps because of the depth it is a little hard to get the small starter fire started than in a traditional Weber-style grill, but once it is started, it burns well and it burns as hot as I want it. The airflow controls work well. The air intake at the bottom operates a bit stiffly the first time in each cooking session and then moves just fine. It's easy to control the heat and the grill service is heavy cast iron. Everything I've cooked on it has come out just fine - better more consistently than with my old traditional grill.The only negative I have experienced so far is that if we have a heavy rain, the bottom ash pan gets filled with water. I am befuddled at how the water is getting in, as everything above is closed and seems tight enough to keep water out.

Would have given 5 stars however packaged items were not correct as delivered which caused me to purchase additional items (axle and hubcaps) from the manufacturer. Purchased my Akorn E6520 Kamado grill via Amazon, arrived in 10 days. Upon assembly, I noticed that wheel/axle assembly were not able to be fitted together as the directions stated. The axle appeared too short to install washers and cotter pin as per directions to complete the assembly. I suspected that the wrong axle was shipped in my purchase so I researched the the Char-griller parts website to see that they have different axles for the AKORN line. The 6520, 16520, 26520, 56520 lines seem to have different axles than the rest of the AKORN line. To prove my suspicion, luckily my friend purchased an AKORN model E56720 same time as I did, so I compared the axle I received with my grill with his and the axles were identical in length. I then ordered the correct axle (MODEL #: 101055} from Char-grillerwebsite and upon arrival noticed that the axle is longer than the one shipped and it fits perfectly. I also had to buy another set of hubcaps since they are a one time install/use and I had installed on one end already.So far, the grill itself works wonderfully and I have no complaints as yet. Construction seems to be fairly solid overall and its performance has been great. I am satisfied with the overall value compared to other Kamado style grills and would highly recommend this grill to others, however, I would also have anyone who does purchase this grill to check your shipped items for incorrect parts.