Straight away you’ll see that a ceramic kamado is not the cheapest option when it comes to choosing a grill, but are they worth that extra cost? If you’re looking to take your grilling to the next level then the answer will almost certainly be yes.
Once you start using one, you won’t want to go back to your old BBQ.
In addition to the fact that your investment is going to last a lot longer than most other grills, (quite often, kamados will come with a limited lifetime guarantee on key parts), there are a number of additional clear benefits that ceramic kamados offers.
These are:
- Return on Investment
- Efficency
- Consistency & Accuracy
- Moisture
- Cleaning & Maintenance
- Versatility
Efficency
A ceramic kamado is incredibly fuel efficient since the thick ceramic walls are very effective at keeping the heat inside the kamado and the gasket seals prevent any leaks of heat. As a result, they burn through fuel at a far slower rate than a standard charcoal grill.
It is quite normal for one load of lump charcoal on a kamado to comfortably last a full overnight cook of 8-10 hours.
Additionally, once youve finished your cook you can just shut down your grill which will kill the fire and the remaining unused charcoal can be saved in the grill until your next cook.
Consistency & Accuracy
With a ceramic kamado, as a result of its extremely efficient heat retention, coupled with the air vents on both the top and bottom of the grill you are able to control the temperature very accurately.
Not only can you accurately get your Kamado to the desired temperature but it is extremely consistent in that once the temperature is stable then it can maintain the same temperature for prolonged periods of time
A low and slow cook will require a set lower temperature for a long period of time and once you’ve adjusted the vents accordingly, you’re almost guaranteed that the kamado will keep its temperature for as long as you need it.
Adjustments to the temperature, no matter how small or large, can be made by simply adjusting the air flow using the lower and upper vents on the kamado.
You’ll also find that unlike a lot of other grills you won’t have ‘hot spots’ on your grill. The continued circulation of the hot air will ensure a consistent temperature throughout.
Moisture
A ceramic kamado is great if you want great juicy meat every time. As well as being extremely effective at controlling the temperature, the kamado is also amazing at retaining the moisture to help ensure your food doesn’t dry out.
This is extremely beneficial when doing longer low temperature cooks on your kamado.
The top vent on the kamado regulates the amount of moisture that is retained in the grill to help ensure that your food isn’t exposed to dry air when cooking. The humidity helps meat to tenderise and retain its gorgeous flavour.
Cleaning
Nobody likes to clean out the BBQ afterwards.
Using a quality lump wood in your grill will result in very little ash left over in your kamado, which can be easily scraped out of the bottom of the grill through the lower vent and then you’re ready to start again.
Quite often you’ll just need to top up the unused charcoal from your last cook (by closing the vents when you’re finished cooking, any unused charcoal won’t burn off), and you’re ready to go.
The interior of the kamado is self cleaning and all it requires is a regular brush down and an occasional hot cook to burn off and fats or oils.
Externally the kamado is very robust to the elements and just requires wiping down with a damp cloth every so often.
Endless Possibilities
As a result of the temperature control that you are able to have with a kamado, not only can you use it as a normal grill to directly cook your BBQ food, by adding deflector plates, which are usually a standard accessory to come with a kamado, it is also perfect for other styles of ‘indirect’ cooking including baking, roasting and smoking.
A ‘two zone’ feature that is easily achievable in the larger kamados, , means that you can both grill (direct heat) and use the deflector for indirect cooking such as smoking or roasting at the same time.
Additionally, there are a whole host of tools and accessories that are available from several brands that allow you to cook almost anything in various ways!!!
Accessories that are usually available include:
- Rotisseries
- Pizza Oven attachments
- Kebab rotisserie attachments
- Grill extenders to increase grilling space
- Rib Racks
- Planchas
- Searing grates
It is this versatility of a Kamado coupled with its efficiency, durability and ease of use that really does set it apart from a standard grill and shows how it really is a good long term investment, (Plus it looks great in your garden too)!
Although we have covered the main features of a kamado, if you have any questions nor covered here, please feel free to get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to help.
