An offset smoker for approx. €100
The KAMAYO is a charcoal smoker based on the offset principle. In the product image you can see a horizontal, round barrel as the cooking chamber and, to its right and set slightly lower, a smaller round chamber with its own lid. The fire burns in this small chamber. The chimney stands at the left end of the barrel, so on the opposite side.
Our price box lists it at approx. €100 (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €99.99). In our overview it sits among the charcoal grills; in the comparison table below only the HERO is cheaper, and it has no separate firebox.
Behind the TAINO brand is Clic-Trade GmbH from Cologne. According to the company’s own website, TAINO went online in 2015 and has sold only online ever since. It is produced by partners in China and, according to the company, designed by specialists in Germany. On the product page, TAINO names experts, American BBQ enthusiasts and smoker beginners as the target group, and small patios or gardens as the place of use.
Chambers, grates and dimensions according to TAINO
Outside, the smoker measures approx. 132 × 56 × 118 cm (width, depth, height). With the side table folded down, the width shrinks to approx. 113.5 cm. It weighs approx. 26 kg, and the working height is approx. 86 cm. The body is made of powder-coated steel, and the lid handles are made of wood.
The interior dimensions matter more than the shell. The main chamber measures approx. 64 × 39 × 38 cm, the side firebox approx. 38 × 33 × 31.5 cm, in each case including the grill and charcoal grates. The main chamber holds a three-piece cast iron grill grate of approx. 36.5 × 59.4 cm. TAINO writes the values as width times depth; for the chamber they only fit the other way round, with the 59.4 cm as the width and the 36.5 cm as the depth. Above it hangs a warming rack of approx. 56 × 20 cm. The firebox has its own grill grate, in two pieces and enamelled, approx. 31.5 × 35 cm. According to the parts list in the manual, each of the two chambers also gets its own charcoal grate.
In addition there is the folding side table of approx. 28 × 35 cm and, at the bottom of the frame, a shelf of approx. 63.5 × 38 cm, shown as a mesh in the image. Two separately hookable handles are included for lifting out the grates. Airflow is controlled via a vent regulator (that is what the part is called in the parts list) and via the chimney, whose sliding lid regulates the smoking performance according to the product page.
The delivery contents are the smoker and the assembly instructions. A note on the model number: the shop and the manual list the KAMAYO as article 90025, Amazon under 90028.
In detail: how heat and smoke move through the KAMAYO
The manual describes smoking like this: wood or charcoal burns in the small side firebox, and the food to be grilled or smoked lies in the large chamber. Hot air and smoke move through the cooking chamber to the chimney. Because the meat is not above the embers, no fat drips into the fire, and no flames form beneath it. According to the manual, you regulate the temperature with the air vent and with the flap at the smoke outlet: the principle behind this is generally known: more air supply means more embers, and a wider open outlet draws more smoke through the barrel.
As a general rule for offset smokers, the cooking chamber is hottest on the firebox side and cools towards the chimney. How large this difference is in the KAMAYO has not been measured for us. The manual nevertheless draws the practical conclusion: thicker and larger pieces belong further away from the most intense heat and should be turned regularly.
Direct grilling works as well, in both chambers. The main chamber has a charcoal grate under the cast iron grate, and the firebox has its own grill grate above its embers. TAINO explicitly describes the firebox and smoking chamber as usable for direct and indirect grilling.
One sentence in the manual deserves attention because it marks the limits of the unit. Verbatim: “The maximum load weight of the main chamber is 1.5 kg, the maximum load weight of the side chamber 0.8 kg.” It appears twice in the booklet, once in the section on lighting charcoal. The manual does not say explicitly whether fuel or food is meant, though. Because of that passage, we read the sentence as an amount of charcoal. It would then mean that for long smoking sessions you add fuel in small portions. A second warning fits this: you should not fill the firebox completely with charcoal, as according to TAINO the grill may then become too hot for use.
If you want the lids to seal better, the manual says you can retrofit fibreglass tape for stoves and smokers from specialist retailers. That is an option, not a mandatory step.
Do you need an extra thermometer for the KAMAYO?
Not for the temperature in the cooking chamber, but yes for the core temperature in the meat. In the lid of the main chamber sits a dial thermometer, centred in the image and listed as part 1 in the parts list. According to the product page, it shows up to approx. 350 °C or 700 °F, with scales in Celsius and Fahrenheit.
The thermometer is analogue. The general TAINO FAQ points out that the outside temperature therefore also plays a role; when cold, it shows the ambient temperature. It measures the air at the top of the barrel, not the food. The manual describes doneness only visually: meat is sufficiently cooked when it no longer has any pink or red discolouration and the juices run clear. For pieces you cook by core temperature, such as pork shoulder or brisket, you need a probe or wireless thermometer. What matters there is covered in our grill thermometer buying guide.
Burn-in and care according to the manual
Before food goes into the KAMAYO for the first time, it has to be burned in. The manual prescribes this in capital letters and justifies it with the protection of the heat-resistant coated surfaces. First you clean the smoker with hot water and washing-up liquid and oil it inside and out with heat-resistant oil. According to the manual, the fire grates must not be oiled, as the oil would otherwise ignite because of the open flames. Then you keep the smoker at approx. 180 °C for approx. 2 hours, fired with hardwood or charcoal; wood chunks may be up to 12 cm long and up to 7 cm in diameter.
After that it becomes contradictory. On page 7, the manual allows washing out the interior and exterior with water and a mild washing-up liquid. On page 9 it says that after burn-in the smoker should never again come into contact with cleaning agents, because they would destroy the patina; it would then have to be burned in again. How the two fit together is left open by the booklet. We would stick to the stricter rule and ask customer service before using washing-up liquid for the first time.
The remaining care instructions in the manual’s wording: cleaning and maintenance only after complete cooling. After every use, clean the grill grate, surfaces and utensils. Place roasting grates and grill tools in hot soapy water straight after use, then dry them and store them dry; for the grill grate use only a mild soap solution. Empty the firebox after every use and sweep out ash residues carefully with a hand brush. With regular use, take off the chimney every 4 weeks and wash it out. Never use oven cleaner. The grill is not dishwasher safe. No abrasive or chlorine-containing cleaning agents. Painted parts only with a mild cleaner, warm water and a soft cloth.
For cast iron grates, the general FAQ in the TAINO shop additionally advises: wash with warm water, wipe dry, oil completely and burn in for approx. 45 minutes, and on no account put them in the dishwasher.
The manual considers it not entirely avoidable that the paint peels off over time, due to weather, ageing and excessive heat. You can touch it up with a wire brush and exhaust or stove paint, or alternatively with heat-resistant cooking oil. In bad weather and in winter, TAINO recommends a cover and a sheltered, dry storage place.
Setting up and operating: what the manual requires
The manual warns several times about carbon monoxide, which is produced when charcoal or wood burns and is odourless. No use, no lighting, smouldering or cooling down in enclosed or confined spaces, and no use in houses, tents, caravans, motorhomes or boats. The grill is suitable exclusively for outdoor use and exclusively for private use.
For the location, the manual lists: check local regulations before use; choose a well-ventilated spot; keep sufficient distance from flammable materials or structures such as fences, overhanging branches and plants, buildings, roofs or gazebos; do not grill under flammable surfaces or roofs, the area above the grill must be clear; do not store flammable items nearby; choose a stable surface on which the unit cannot wobble or tip over; secure the grill against rolling away and, if necessary, lock the wheels; choose a place where children and animals cannot come into contact with it; protect the unit from weather and moisture. The manual deliberately gives no minimum distance in centimetres, because it depends on dryness and wind, among other things.
During operation: do not leave the grill unattended, keep children and pets away, and keep a fire extinguisher and first-aid supplies ready. Before every use, the grill must be completely dry and fully cleaned. Light charcoal only when sheltered from the wind and watch out for flying sparks. When filling the charcoal grate and when extinguishing, always wear grill or oven gloves and safety goggles; some edges on the grill are sharp. The charcoal grate is not meant for cooking, only the grill grate. When you open the lid, hot steam can escape, and if fresh air suddenly reaches the fire, the flames can flare up. No loose clothing, tie back long hair.
When it comes to flames, there are two cases. If they get too close to dripping fat, you control the flame height with water from a spray bottle. In a grease fire, you close the lid and the vent flaps to smother the fire, and you do not use water. For extinguishing the charcoal, the manual forbids cold water directly on the embers and names sand, old ash or water from a spray bottle instead.
What TAINO does not state
Product page, manual and shop FAQ lack: the steel thickness of the main chamber, lid and firebox; the material of the charcoal grates; a total grilling area in cm²; the lower limit and accuracy of the thermometer; a maximum operating temperature or the heat resistance of the paint; a recommended smoking temperature; heat-up time to smoking temperature, burn time per charcoal fill and fuel consumption; an assembly time; a rule for balconies; an ash drawer, a water pan or a grease catcher (none of these is in the parts list); a height adjustment of the charcoal grate; a capacity in racks of ribs or kilograms of food; packaging dimensions and gross weight; and what the differing Amazon model number 90028 means.
These three alternatives are worth a look
| Model | The difference | Price | Our score | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAINO KAMAYO Smoker (this one) | Offset with side firebox, cast iron grate in the main chamber, approx. 26 kg | approx. €100 | 7.7 | you want to smoke indirectly and also grill directly |
| TAINO HERO Smoker small | one chamber for embers and food, no separate firebox | approx. €74.90 | 7.8 | you mainly grill directly and only occasionally cook indirectly |
| Tepro Wichita | also offset, according to tepro approx. 21 kg and main grate approx. 54 × 30 cm, enamelled | approx. €133.76 | 7.5 | you are looking for a lighter offset unit from another brand |
| Oklahoma Joe’s Highland | much larger offset smoker, according to the manual up to 230 °C in the smoking chamber | approx. €469 | 8.9 | you regularly smoke large quantities and have the space for it |
The prices come from our price boxes and change constantly. The score is our editorial assessment based on the data comparison; we have not measured anything on any of the four units.
When the KAMAYO fits and when another smoker does
The first question is whether you want to smoke indirectly at all. For sausages, steaks and vegetables you do not need a side firebox. The TAINO HERO is at approx. €74.90 in our price box, the KAMAYO at approx. €100, and it cooks with embers and food in one chamber. If, on the other hand, you want to let ribs or shoulder cook slowly next to the fire, the offset design serves you better, because the fat does not drip into the embers.
Then the quantity. In our assessment, the load weight from the manual (see above) and the chamber size point to small groups and individual pieces. If you regularly smoke for many people, you will end up closer to the Oklahoma Joe’s Highland. It costs approx. €469 in our price box, but is a different class of unit. The Tepro Wichita is listed there at approx. €133.76; in our assessment, what speaks for it above all is the lower weight if you move the smoker often.
The time. Allow for the burn-in before the first grilling evening, and for the aftercare with every smoking session: emptying the firebox, cleaning the grates, removing the ash after cooling. If you do not want that, you will be happier with a gas grill or electric grill.
The space. With the side table folded down, the KAMAYO needs a good 1.1 m of width, and according to the manual everything above it must be clear. Whether you may use it on a balcony is decided by your tenancy agreement, house rules or owners’ association; according to the manual, a covered balcony is ruled out as soon as the roof is flammable.
The budget. On top of the approx. €100, we would add a probe thermometer, lighters that meet the standard, gloves, safety goggles and, if it stands outside, the cover.
We would not buy the KAMAYO for a tent, caravan, motorhome or boat, which the manual rules out, nor for any commercial use, because TAINO approves it exclusively for private use. How offset smokers work in general and which mistakes are typical at the start is explained in our guide Smoker for beginners. If you are still unsure whether it should be charcoal at all, the Grill Finder helps.
