Spent $400 on a ceramic kamado and it cracked on first use

I bought a cheap ceramic kamado from a local shop in Tulsa for about $400. Fired it up for a low and slow pork butt and heard a loud pop after 20 minutes. The firebox had a hairline crack that I didn't see. Has anyone else had luck with the cheaper ceramic brands or should I just stick to my old Weber kettle?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.noah6d agoMost Upvoted

Bought a $350 Pit Boss from an Ace Hardware closeout sale two years ago and the firebox cracked on the third cook. I patched it with some high temp caulk and it held for another maybe six months before the whole thing just fell apart in the rain. My Weber kettle is still going strong after seven years. Sometimes you learn the hard way that cheap ceramic is just expensive pottery.

corablack6d ago

Learned the same lesson buying a cheap air fryer, lasted three months before the heating element gave out lol.