Why You Should Choose a Kamado Grill

Thinking of getting yourself a kamado grill? You may have heard testimonies of satisfied kamado grill owners that have never regretted purchasing their grill. Well, you would have heard right, since most are happy with their purchase, even to this day.

Kamado grills come from Japan and are commonly made from ceramic. Since they’re made from ceramic and have a rounded design they reflect heat back into your food, creating an almost convection oven, allowing you to cook a wider variety of items in your grill.

However, the name does sound a bit exotic, so you may be under the mistaken impression that this is a harder to operate grill and won’t be as easy as using just a plain old traditional grill. On the contrary, kamados are easier to use and are more consistent in terms of heat retention. The question is, what are its other features?

What Makes It a Kamado Grill

Grills that are classified under kamado have a body made of ceramic. The reason that ceramic is used to construct this type of grill is due to the fact that it is excellent at retaining heat. Compared to charcoal grills with a metal body, ceramic has superior retention qualities for heat. Kamado grills feature an enclosure in its design which results in more moisture and smoke as well as better flavor for anything you grill.

There is also much less start-up time with this type of ceramic grill. In fact, what may take a regular grill half an hour to cook will most likely cook in half the time when you do it with a kamado. The surface of ceramic grills stays cooler compared to metal grills, making it somewhat safer to use. Plus, ceramic type grills are also rust-proof, so you can expect them to last a lifetime with proper use.

Kamado grills are unlike traditional grills precisely because they are ceramic. This is a great addition to your kitchen and will definitely broaden your list of dinner options. Ceramic grills have been around in Asian countries for thousands and thousands of years. Some of the most ancient cooking vessels made of clay have been found in or around Chinese territory.

Later on, they used ceramics to replace the clay. It was in World War II when Americans first heard the word kamado. It is actually the word for a cooking range or stove. These days, the term “kamado” is practically synonymous with the word for cooking ranges or stoves in Japan. In fact, the kamado is what you say when you mean a ceramic grill. In general, kamado grills can be used for grilling, roasting, baking, and smoking.

How To Use a Kamado Grill

There is a bit of a learning curve for newbies when you use kamado grills. If you are used to a regular grill, kamado grills may take a bit of getting used to but on the whole, they are quite forgiving. In fact, grilling on a kamado is very different from grilling on a regular grill. Ceramic types of grills are great at temperature maintenance.

This means that once you reach the temperature you desire ceramic grills will maintain it with out a lot of fluctuation. In fact ceramic grills tend to maintain there temperature for longer time periods. In contrast, a traditional grill can sometimes be unstable in maintaining its temperature. If your ceramic grill exceeds the heat requirement, lowering the temperature won’t be immediate, due to the way ceramics retain heat.

Lighting a kamado grill is not unlike lighting a regular grill. You can use a chimney starter or an electric starter. To use a charcoal chimney starter, fill it up with charcoal and place it at the bottom of your grill with some newspaper under it. Use a long match to light the newspaper and it will light the charcoal. Or if you’re using an electric charcoal starter just add your charcoal to the bottom of your kamado and place the starter in the charcoal.

These types of starters can get your charcoal lit in minutes and are not that hard to use. If you have seen lighter fluid, kerosene, or gasoline used to start up a grill in the movies, these methods are not recommended for your kamado. The reason is that your food starts to smell like chemicals when you use actual chemicals to get things started.

You Can Cook All Most Anything On A Kamado Grill

What makes this grill different is that dishes you can’t normally grill can be cooked on a kamado. For instance, if you have pizza dough lying around in the freezer, all you need is a pizza stone and you can make your own wood-fired pizza. This is a great way to use up any leftovers from the week as pizza toppings.

Instead of just regular old smores, you can now use your grill to bake a marshmallow pizza with the kids and even have an outdoor movie night if you have a smartphone, projector, and a few tents. Indeed, owning a kamado is one great way to bond with the entire family right in your own backyard or front yard, whichever the case may be.

The kids will never forget how this grill kept the family together as you all huddled together after grilling marshmallow pizza under the clear night sky watching an outdoor movie. In fact, when you invite friends and neighbors over to make your own pizza night, don’t be surprised if you turn out to be the most popular parent on the block. The best part is that the exterior of the grill is not metal and won’t be as hot to the touch as if you used a metal grill.

Teaching your kids to grill is a great life skill they can take with them all the way into adulthood and when they start their own families. Grilling is a life skill that is not taught in school. Plus, it saves your wife from having to cook dinner for seven straight nights in a row, again.

You can even cook actual cakes on the grill by following the directions on the cake box and leaving it on the grill with the lid closed for the recommended amount of baking time. You can experiment with your favorite kind of cake. For the kids, you can even put together a grilled cake kiddie party. No one has ever heard of a grilled caked kiddie party and the kids can even make the dough.

This is an innovative, unique, and one-of-a-kind way of celebrating the kids’ birthdays, and the best part is that it is going to be outdoors where you put your grill. All your friends and relatives can watch in admiration when you bring out and un-mold the most perfect rainbow cake they ever did see. The kids can even help spread on the icing as it cools and blow the grilled cake together. That is one sure way of creating unforgettable memories as a family. Plus, no one will ever forget the first-ever grilled cake birthday party they were ever invited to in their life.

Can I Use A Kamado Grill In The Rain?

Folks may be wondering about whether or not the rain is going to crack the ceramic lid or if the charcoal is going to be put out by all the droplets of water somehow. So the question is, can you use a kamado grill in the rain?

When you think of buying a kamado grill, you, of course, want to be sure of all its features including whether you can use your kamado grill in cold weather or rain. In fact, even kamado grill owners that may have had their kamado grill for quite some time are unaware of the fact of whether or not you can actually use this grill in the rain and even in cold weather.

Believe it or not, the answer is yes. Most folks think that grilling food requires great weather exclusively. On the contrary, your kamado grill works with the lid closed, no matter what sort of weather you have. It is made in such a way that the grill closes securely and can be used even in the rain. That means that you can smoke barbecue, pork, beef, or even roast a whole duck if you want to, rain or shine.

This is great news for unconventional folks who suddenly feel like grilling when it starts to rain, or if you already happen to be hosting a barbecue when the sky starts falling. No matter what your plans were at the start of the day with your kamado grill, you just never know what the weather will be like after a few hours turning steak after steak over. Well, it really is good news to know that you can actually use your grill regardless of what the days bring.

Lid Open Or Closed

Cooking with the lid open or closed is something that many grill experts are not one hundred percent certain about. Well, as mentioned earlier, most ceramic grills are made to be cooked with closed lids unless you turning, removing or adding your food. When you cook with the lid closed, you ensure that all the moisture and heat are maintained within the cooked food so you don’t end up with dry, tasteless dishes. Instead, you will love the moist, juicy tenderness of everything that comes out of your kamado.

Not Just a Grill – It’s Also A Smoker

You can even use it as a smoker, for smoking thin pieces of beef or deer or whatever you want to turn into smoked meat. Hunters and home cooks alike that need more ways than one to prepare meat will love the way this grill can be used as a smoker. Because of the closed lid, you get immense smokiness without even having to use artificial smoke. In other words, this is the real thing, folks.

What Kind Of Charcoal To Use In Your Kamado Grill

If you had just bought your first kamado grill ever, you will most likely wonder what kind of charcoal is best to use. Basically, the recommendation is to use natural lump charcoal compared to brick types. The reason is that lumps or all-natural charcoal tend to burn hotter and more efficiently than the brick type. Charcoal that is natural is made from hardwood that has been charred.

The hardwood used is usually maple, hickory or oak. One advantage of using maple, hickory or oak is that you get an added smoky flavor to your food since the charcoal comes from trees that give a great, smoky flavor. Plus, due to the higher heat, you won’t need to use as much. This makes it more economical. The best part is that it is environmentally sustainable, does not produce as much ash, and it is chemical-free. Perfect to use for all your best grill recipes!

How Long Do Kamado Grills Last

When you purchase a kamado grill, most come with a period of warranty that lasts a few years or more depending on the brand. Generally, grill warranties don’t last this long. What this tells you is that you will get complete value for what you pay for due to the fact that in the event you ever want to exchange or return your grill, you can. This should give you tremendous peace of mind when you finally decide to go ahead and purchase a kamado. One great quality of a kamado grill is that it is able to keep the same temperature for a long period.

Even if your kamado grill is probably a tad bit more expensive than traditional, regular grills, you will most likely get more value for your money. High quality ceramic grills tend to be long-lasting. In particular, kamado grills are made of heat resistant ceramics that are corrosion-proof. Isn’t it better to purchase something that is a little bit more pricey than a regular grill which doesn’t last as long?

At least you will know that your kamado is going to outlast probably every other type of cooking appliance you have. As a matter of fact, more and more folks have taken up grilling as a hobby precisely because of the longevity and flexibility of this grill.

With this grill, you probably won’t even need to use your oven. When you get yourself a kamado, you are essentially purchasing a grill, a smoker, and an oven all in one go. How’s that for buying three appliances in just one purchase? You definitely save, time, money and energy in the process.

This means that there will hardly be any wear and tear that occurs on this grill no matter how long you have it at home. Your durable, hard ceramic grill is made of materials that include steel, terracotta, and even cement.

If you are on the fence and still debating whether to get a regular grill or a kamado grill as the latest addition to your family of appliances, just think about how many other grills have a built-in warranty. That alone should tell you that this is a great choice, made sturdy with extended durability you can count on year after year.

Extra Features You Might Not Know About

The best part is that you can get a kamado grill in a variety of brands and styles. If you are looking around for your own kamado grill, find features you like such as pizza stones, drip pans, and cooking racks. Some have accessories such as firebox dividers. Most have different sizes and shapes. Some have grills that come in a variety of colors, so you can pick your favorite color if it’s available.

Conclusion

A kamado has the capacity for controlling airflow. Because of this, you can bake cake and pizza on a kamado grill, which is unheard of on a regular grill. You can also smoke, grill and roast a variety of dishes. Basically, it is a much more versatile grill compared to the regular type. Because of its many uses, kamado grills have grown in popularity tremendously and have turned out to be a favorite among home kitchen appliances around the globe.

Kamado grills are user-friendly. It is simple to use with procedures and features that are not hard to understand. There is an easy-to-read thermometer that is easy to assemble. The time for starting the grill is just 15 minutes and you get easy-cleanup afterward. Since these types of grills are smaller than usual, it won’t occupy as much space as regular grills. This is great for using outdoors or even indoors on the patio.

This type of grill is constructed using materials that have the capacity of retaining high temperatures for long time periods. Thus, there will be less charcoal needed for heat production. You get an evenly grilled meal each and every time you use your kamado to make dinner. In the process, you are able to save on charcoal and even use wood lumps as a heat source.

Using wood results in enhanced flavor and is more economical and convenient to use. Plus, it is much easier to clean up afterward due to the fact that using the grill generates minimal ash. Lump wood charcoal is made within environmental policies and this is another great reason to switch to a kamado.

The best part is that even if you live in a rainy climate or a cold-weather climate, you can join the grill hobbyists and grill experts in cooking up your own mouth-watering delectable dishes any day or night of the week.

As Always, Happy Grilling!