Kamado Vs Pizza Oven: We Have A Winner

Trying to make up your mind between a Kamodo grill and a stand-alone pizza oven for your next DIY gourmet backyard pizza? Let’s look at the pros and cons of each and give you the guidance to make a good choice. 

Homemade pizza has come a long way since the days of having to cook it in your oven and hoping you don’t burn it after leaving it in for a minute too long.

Now, we’ve got all sorts of tools and gear that can actually help us to make our pizzas exactly how we’ve always wanted them – akin to that of the greatest pizza restaurants themselves!

Today, I’m looking at the differences between the Kamado and a wood fire pizza oven.

I’ll be focusing mostly on the Ooni as the pizza oven of choice to compare, as I think it offers the most competition to the Kamado.

For the sake of clarity, this also represents the Big Green Egg, but you can read more on that comparison here.

I’ve taken my time exploring the differences between the two, and while I know it’s only my opinion – I’m sure you’ll find some of my points useful if you want to come to your own decision.

Which Makes Better Pizzas?

Let’s face it, this is the only question that matters! When I was looking through the differences, the only thing I really wanted to know was which one could make a better pizza for me.

Simply put, which one is quicker, which one is more powerful, and which one is most effective? Well, let’s start first by taking a look at the Kamado.

Kamado Grill Pizza

The Kamado is a type of outdoor barbeque that uses charcoal to cook its pizzas. It boasts impressive temperatures of up to 700F and can get a pizza cooked in a matter of minutes.

It also maintains its temperature for a fair number of hours, making it much easier to cook multiple pizzas at the same time if need be.

All of this sounds pretty great in favor of the Kamado and if I’m being honest, it certainly isn’t an option that should be shirked at!

You can definitely produce some pretty magnificent pizzas with it. In my opinion, though, they don’t quite reach the level that some takeaway pizzas can be.

Ooni Pizza Oven

The Ooni Pizza Oven is a versatile oven that can take many fuel types to operate. From wood to gas to coal, the Ooni can reach incredible temperatures of over 900F which is perfect for a quick pizza at a high quality.

Most users of the Ooni opt for a wood fire, as it’s the most authentic way to create some of the finest pizzas from the comfort of your own backyard.

The Ooni reaches such high temperatures that it also doesn’t need to remain fuelled throughout the day to sustain it.

Whereas a Kamado needs refueling every few hours to ensure high temperatures, the Ooni can get away with being on for as long as you need it in the day without having to burn any more wood to keep it running. That gives the Ooni a win in my book.

A True DIY Quality Home Pizza

This is the ultimate goal, right? This is what we’re all striving for when we’re deciding between the two. The Kamado or the Ooni pizza oven.

Which one truly offers us the best quality DIY pizza from the comfort of our own home? I know I’ve already made my mind up, but I’m sure you could do with a little more convincing.

Looking at the two options, they both seem mighty formidable. I wouldn’t judge you if you went against my opinion and still opted for the Kamado – it can certainly produce some amazing pizza.

However, if you’re looking for the truest quality DIY pizza, then the Ooni pizza oven really has no competition. It’s specifically designed to grill pizzas the way you want them to and does so quickly and effectively.

The heat that the Ooni pizza oven can reach in a matter of minutes is what makes it so efficient at creating that perfect pizza.

The toppings don’t matter either, whether you’re more into meats, vegs, or fish pizzas, the Ooni will get it all done and create a pizza fit for even the most established pizza joints in the country.

There’s something about the taste of the pizza that comes out of a wood-fired oven like the Ooni that brings its qualities out over a simple charcoal-fuelled pizza from the Kamado.

Naturally, everyone has different tastes and you might disagree, but a truly authentic pizza requires that wood fire to make it what we’ve come to love in this day and age. There are no two ways about that.

What About Versatility?

As a side note to briefly take us away from pizzas for a second (don’t worry, I’ll bring you right back, I just think this is important), I’d like to talk about the versatility of the two ovens.

If you think about it, the Kamado, being a BBQ, should be way more versatile than the Ooni, since the Ooni is specifically a pizza oven.

However, I’ve tested it out on my own Ooni, and you can definitely get away with cooking various meats to perfection in the Ooni just as well as you can a Kamado (if not better).

I’ve managed to grill some pork, some steak, and some veggies on a day that I didn’t fancy a pizza (though those days can be hard to come by). Trust me, the Ooni can do it all just like the Kamado.

Summary

I don’t think it comes as any surprise what I’ve settled on as my top pick between the Kamado and the Ooni pizza oven.

While you can get a good one out of a Kamado, you simply can’t get the quality you deserve from anything other than the Ooni. It’s that simple.

The Ooni was given one purpose in its life, and that was to produce immensely tasty pizza from your backyard.

If you don’t have an Ooni yet, I really suggest you invest in one and see for yourself just how amazing they can be.

Who would have thought that we’d be living in an age where it’s now not only possible to make pizza at home, but it’s possible to make pizza that’s so good you may as well set up your own business and sell it! The Ooni Pizza Oven is the answer! Check them out here.