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Many reviews are by Meathead, the author of most things on this website. In 2012 Max Good joined our staff as Director of Buyer's Guides and more and more of the reviews come from him. A few reviews have been contributed by Scot Murphy and Gordon Hubbell.
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About model numbers
Manufacturers often make slight variations to their basic model exclusively for certain merchants. For example, a grill manufacturer might make their Firebrand Grill Model ABC123 with cast iron grates available only on Amazon. Meanwhile, the ABC125 is identical except it has stainless steel grates, and it is sold only at ACE Hardware. Of course the prices can differ.
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Seasoning and calibrating your grill or smoker with dry runs
The first thing to do after you assemble your new grill or smoker is to season it and calibrate it by doing a few dry runs without food. This will burn off any manufacturer's grease, and give you a sense for how to set it up to hit the two important target temps that almost all my recipes use: 225°F and 325°F.
Of course, in order to do this, you absolutely positively must have a good digital oven thermometer. I don't care how much you spent on your grill, the bi-metal dial thermometer that came with it is probably cheap and unreliable and likely to be off by as much as 50°F. Worse still, it is in the dome, and the temp down on the grate where the meat sits is much different. Like a musician, you must master your instrument to make great food.
Resources
Here are some websites that you might want to visit for more info.
NakedWhiz. Don't let the name scare you. This guy knows more than anybody on lump charcoal, and a lot about ceramic cookers, especially Big Green Eggs.
Warning!!!
Kamados are susceptible to a very dangerous phenomenon: Backdraft! Flashback is an extremely dangerous condition that is common to all ceramic cookers, it is important that you understand what it is, how it’s caused, and how to prevent it.
Ceramics are nearly airtight, and the coals can get starved for oxygen at low temps or during shutdown. Open the lid, oxygen rushes in, and poof, a serious fireball. No more facial hair. Or worse.
You should always wear fire resistant gloves, the longer the better, when opening a kamado. To prevent backdraft fireballs, slowly open the top damper a bit and wait a minute.
Open the lid slowly and stand to the side rather than the front of the cooker. Says Dennis Linkletter of Komodo Kamado "It is safest for a new user to always assume that flashback conditions are present and to use the utmost care whenever opening their cooker."
And it is a good idea to make sure the cooker is not under anything flamable.
Kamado, Ceramic, and Other
Egg-style Cookers
The kamado or ceramic grill/smoker/oven is a fast growing category with more and more choices every year. With good reason. These versatile charcoal fueled devices are modern versions of the Japanese Kamado, an earthernware cooking urn whose original design is probably at least 3,000 years old. Indian tandoors are similar in concept.
Today they are made of ceramics, terra cotta, cement, lava rock, and other refractory materials, the kind of stuff used to make kilns and crucibles, all extremely good insulators. If you don't drop them, they last a long time. As champion pitmaster Chris Lilly says of the Komodo Kamado says "Ask your children what color they want, because they will inherit it." Many offer a stand or table in which you can insert the device.
Kamados are extremely versatile because they can be used as a grill, smoker, or tandoor. They can cook low and slow for ribs, pulled pork and brisket, or very hot and fast for steaks. They are superb bread bakers and pizza ovens because the domes absorb heat and radiate it back like a professional brick pizza oven so the pizza and bread can cook properly from above. They are also good for paella. But beware, in order to get a good dark sear on a steak, you need to use a lower grate, and reaching down in can be hazardous.
They do look a bit like an ancient burial urn or a giant egg, and the most popular model is called the Big Green Egg. Easy to start in all wind and weather conditions, the insulation means that they need very little charcoal or airflow, even in winter. They are so well insulated that some can cook as low as 150°F and the interior absorbs and radiates heat so evenly that they are very good at holding steady temps. There are no flareups, and temperature control is easy once you get the hang of it with intake dampers down low and outflow dampers on the top (wear gloves). The design of these dampers is an important differentiator between models. Some work better than others. But get a kamado started, bring it to temp, and there's no need to touch it until the meat is ready.
Keeping the temp down can be tricky. Dennis Linkletter of Komodo Kamado showed me a trick: Fill the charcoal basket, and bury one Weber paraffin firestarter cube in the pile of charcoal and light it. It will ignite about 5 briquets immediately around it. They will burn slowly producing very little heat, and the combustion will spread to unlit coals slowly.
Kamados can soak up a lot of heat, and once they are hot they are very slow to cool because they hold so much heat, so if you overshoot your target temp, it takes a while to get back to where you want it. Sterling Ball of BigPoppaSmokers.com says "It's like stopping a semi. You've got to brake early."
If you need to add coals while it is cooking, on some models you need to remove the food, the racks, and the deflector plate, a bit of a pain, but you may not need to add coals for most cooks. By the way, some manufacturers warn that you should not cook with logs on these babies. Do not use lighter fluid to start your charcoal in these babies. It can get into the pourous interior and damage it. But you would never use a petrochemical to light your grill would you? You are always use a chimney or electric starter, right?
When you are done cooking, close the dampers, and it is easy to starve the coals and you have leftover coals for the next cook. The interior is more or less self cleaning so it does not need to be scrubbed. In fact, wire brushes can damage the surface. The only cleanup is for the grates.
Some manufacturers claim they are huggable when hot. Don't you believe it. Maybe at low temps, but crank 'er up and you dasn't put your hand on the surface. Yes it is cooler than a steel grill, but not huggable.
They are fragile and you do not want to knock them over, so you probably don't want to take them to tailgate parties. Besides, they are heavy so they are not very portable. Some have vents in the top that will let in rain, so owners fashion little covers or umbrellas for them. Although you can insert a deflector plate above the coals to convert them into an indirect convection heat cooker, the biggest problem is that the round ones cannot be set up for two heat zones, an essential grilling technique. Having a hot and cool zone is crucial for managing doneness and for searing. Only the oval shaped Primo can be easily set up in two zones.
Because they are expensive many of the manufacturers sell them bare bones and a lot of necessities are extra. For example, most of them offer as optional a ceramic disk that you can place between the coals and the food for indirect convection cooking, in my book essential for a lot of recipes. So when shopping, make sure you are clear on exactly what is included and what is not.
Did I mention that they can be very expensive? Here they are, listed alphabetically. - Meathead
Bayou Classic Cypress Grill
We have read too many complaints from users about about the firebox cracking, even shattering into pieces to waste much space on this one. However well or badly they are made, the company's website doesn't inspire confidence in the product or the company itself. We suggest turning your attention to one of its better-established competitors. - Scot Murphy
The Big Green Egg is the most popular of the ceramic cookers, and it was the first in the US market. It has a devoted following of enthusiastic users.
Made in Mexico the BGE design is simple, it is built to last, and it has a limited lifetime warranty.
The exterior has an easy-to-clean green glaze bonded to the ceramic. The manufacturer claims that the modern ceramic material will not become brittle and can withstand 2,000°F, but we wouldn't recommend knocking it over on a concrete patio.
The base holds an inner fire pit in the bottom of which is a charcoal grate. There's a sliding damper on the outside for air to enter below the charcoal.
Above the fire pit is a fire ring, and that's where the cooking grate rests. There are two metal bands that go around the circumference of the outside of the base and the lid and they are hinged together. Optional side tables can be attached to the bands. The lips of the lid and the base are covered with special felt for a good tight seal. On top of the lid there is a topper that controls exhaust and an optional "Dual Function Metal Top" with a dial that allows for more precise air control.
There are five sizes. The smallest is the Mini Egg, a one or two person 30-pound cooker with a 9" diameter grate that can make a large steak or a couple of pork chops. The Small Egg has a 13" diameter grid, the Medium Egg a 15" grid, and the Large Egg an 18" diameter grill, all the way up to the XL Egg, which boasts a very good 452 square inch cooking surface that can handle two turkeys. It also weighs 205 pounds, so plan ahead on how you'll move it. This is made a little easier by their "nests" and tables, the supports made to hold the Egg. The tables are made of cypress, which is resistant to insect damage, and can be gotten for the XL down to Small sizes. The nests are metal frames in which the Eggs sit, with casters optional. Side shelves are available if you don’t want to buy the whole table, also.
There is a device called the "Plate Setter" for all sizes except the Mini. It's a flat ceramic disk that sits directly over the charcoal. It absorbs and radiates heat so you have indirect radiant heat, but there is still no way to get convection heat as you can by pushing the fire to the side on the Primo.
The plate also prevents grease from spattering during the cook, which changes the flavor, according to its fans, to a much cleaner, less bitter flavor.
Eggs are versatile. For regular barbecue, it's almost a set-it-and-forget-it device. With accessories such as an upper grate, one could easily cook burgers or steaks on the primary grate, and roast corn or potatoes on the upper grate. Shoot, think of the joys of a Brazilian-style churrascaria or some long shrimp kebabs, all standing vertically in a circle around the small, superhot fire.
The vents can be left open for hotter cooking, or closed nearly shut to keep your charcoal smoldering for hours. They say that if you set it up properly you will not need to add charcoal for 24 hours during a typical 225°F cooking session. You could put a pork shoulder in with a small amount of lit charcoal on top of some unlit charcoal, close it, and come back in 12 hours to a succulent clod of pulled pork. If you do have to add charcoal, you must lift out the meat and the grate to do it. That's a bit of a pain.
There's a dedicated forum of BGE users and it has a wealth of information like this: Tighten the bolts on the stands after the Egg has been used five times; if you have a problem with grease sticking the felt shut when it's cold, slip a Weber paraffin charcoal lighter cube in the bottom and wait for the warmth to release the opening. Then change the gaskets.
Replacements for all parts are easily available. On the negative side, we have heard that gaskets need to be replaced after a few years, parts are expensive, and that customer service could be better.
Eggs are not sold on the internet and their prices are not quoted on the net (hint: They are not cheap). You have to locate a dealer and call. Click here for more info: Big Green Egg. - Scot Murphy
Broil King Keg a.k.a. BSK a.k.a. Big Steel Keg a.k.a. Bubba Keg
They've changed the name and design on this baby so many times, I'm not sure what it is today and I cannot swear that this description is accurate. Made in Canada, this is not a fragile ceramic kamado, but an insulated steel kamado for less money than the ceramics.
The interior is almost exactly the same size as the Big Green Egg, and many BGE accessories fit it. There is a cast iron grill grate and an upper grate made of wire that can swing out of the way. The numbered positions on the dampers are a good idea that helps you learn the settings. BSK has two plastic side shelves with tool hooks, it is mounted on a cart with big wheels, the gasket is reported to last long, the food grate is adjustable, and, fitting for a cooker once named Bubba, there are bottle openers mounted on the hood handle. Best of all, you can get a trailer hitch attachment for it. Perfect for tailgating! - Meathead
GourmetPots
We have read enough negative comments on this unit to warn readers to stay away.
A story came with my visit to look at the Grill Dome Kamado-style charcoal grill. As I remarked on the well-used Dome on display and how beautiful the finish was on the outside, looking almost brand-new despite its heavy use, the manager of the store (Bell Appliance and Parts in Valparaiso, IN) told me something extraordinary. They've been selling these for a few years now, but two or three years ago a couple had been returned. The paint finish had blistered and started flaking off. The salesman for the company took back the rest of them. Then came delays in getting new ones. When Bell finally talked to the salesman responsible for the area, he said he had put all sales on hold until the paint problem had been fixed to his satisfaction. What does this tell you? It tells me that this is a company determined to meet a high standard, not just to take your money. That single act says a lot of good about this company.
As to the grill itself: It is substantial. It would take a hefty shove to knock one over, even without the stand. The small, medium, and large grills have cooking grids that are 12.5", 15", and 18" in diameter. The largest, the SuperDome, has a 22” grill, but is not available online. The small weighs 80 pounds, the medium 110, the large 175, and the SuperDome 280. Grill Dome does not come with a built-in thermometer, which is just fine; you're always better off using your own, more accurate, digital grill thermometer. The ceramic is Grill Dome's own creation, called Terapex, which they claim is twice as thick as others and can allow temperatures up to 200°F higher than other Kamado-type grills. The upper vent is a pivoting steel disk rather than a dial-type of vent, which can be less finely controlled and a small problem if you need to move it during a cook.
The lower damper is a sliding affair, and it is through this that you sweep out ash. Consistent with other kamados, they are stingy on charcoal use while producing plenty of heat, all kept in with the thick, insulating ceramic and sealed by industrial felt on both lip and base.
What is also noteworthy is the thought that went into their accessories. Not just the strong stand and sturdy side shelf (each sold separately); it has an additional, three-footed upper rack which can be turned upside-down and used instead of the primary cooking grate, giving you a smaller cooking area but much closer to the coals for a good sear. Perhaps best of all is that they promise no assembly: Uncrate it, and a few minutes later you can be cooking. Partner all of this with their 5 year warranty on gaskets (some have only 30 days), their lifetime warranty on the rest (including the hinges), and this can be an investment you'll be enjoying for many years. - Scot Murphy
Here's some delicious irony: Instead of reporting on yet another grill being made overseas, here we have an Indian tandoor being made in the heartland of America. Deep in the hills of Ohio, the Superior Clay Corporation manufactures the Homdoor Tandoor, a new object of desire for the outdoor cook. The only tandoor manufacturing company that we know of in the US, it started when the owner, Ron Levy, a renowned ceramicist, was challenged by a New York City restaurant owner to make a commercial tandoor. He and his wife and business partner, Beth Kaminstein, approached Superior Clay. A bounty of collaboration, work, and design produced the Homdoor, a free-standing tandoor oven perfect for your deck, your patio, or your backyard.
A tandoor is a traditional Indian clay oven which cooks meats and veggies on skewers, placed vertically into an open, upright cylindrical oven, and roasted at very high temperatures for a fairly short time. Design, craftsmanship, and location have all come together in this tough, beautiful cooker.
The Homdoor has three layers: The stainless steel outer shell, a thick "cementitious" natural clay insulating layer, and the inner clay cooking surface. It so happens that this part of middle-west Ohio has a kind of clay which, in terms of porosity and strength and resistance to thermal shock, is perfect for high-temperature tandoor cooking. The thick insulating layer has more than one purpose. Retaining heat like crazy - when the inside temperature was near 500°F, the stainless steel shell was only 84° - the insulating layer also protects your investment from cracking.
The inner chamber is not strictly cylindrical, having an outward bulge ("belly") at the middle that traps heat and moisture. Unlike some kamados, the interior is not porcelain-coated or glazed, as that would prevent Indian naan or roti breads from sticking to the chamber walls where it bakes. Bonded to the insulating layer, the liner will continue to hold together and cook despite the inevitable crack. Just a hairline crack might begin the end to your Kamado-style cooker, but it will barely affect the Homdoor, they claim.
In the bottom of the cooking chamber is a cast iron charcoal grate, and there are no cooking grates. The ash chamber in the bottom is serviced through a well-designed combination door and slide damper that helps control airflow. Starting the charcoal is a breeze: Put two or three pounds of charcoal atop the charcoal grate, and place crumpled paper in the ash chamber below it. Light the paper underneath, lid off and damper wide open, and the charcoal directly above it will catch. A good old trick is to spray the paper with a little vegetable oil first, getting the heat up where it catches the charcoal easily. An aluminum lid with a thin, stay-cool handle tops it off and is also used to control airflow.
The Homdoor is almost ready for cooking right out of the box. Though the steps are simple, you will need two people to put it together because the parts are extremely heavy. Overall, it’s 32" high and 26.5" wide (counting the handles), with a 28" diameter base. The cooking chamber itself is 13.75" in diameter (16" in the belly) and 16" deep. Now, here's what makes the easy-to-assemble design of the Homdoor truly innovative: You can switch from charcoal to propane! The propane version of the Homdoor includes a 16-jet burner that can generate up to 100,000 BTU. That's a lot of BTU. Converting it is this simple: open the damper door, clean out any ashes, place the burner in the center of the ash chamber, tuck the neck of the burner into a small, cleverly designed notch, and close the damper door. There. That's it. The neck of the burner has the propane hookup extending a few inches from the barrel where you can easily attach your tank's hose, and ther'’s no effect on airflow. Easy peasy.
The learning curve for cooking meats is short and shallow. Put meat on the skewers, saving an onion or potato chunk for last to keep the meat from sliding off the skewer into the fire, lower the skewers into the fire, and you can get tender, juicy, seared meat in four to eight minutes. Vegetables are especially good; for example, sweet pepper. Skewered like a kebab, the pepper comes out hot, seared, and yet still crisp and full of flavor.
The learning curve for making naan or roti is steeper. You will find it challenging to get the dough consistency and the technique down, but you get to eat your mistakes. With just a little innovation and skill of your own, the tandoor can also be used to make shawarma, gyros, or even a version of Korean-style barbecued ribs. And it's easy to clean, needing only a soapless scrubbing with a stiff-bristled (not wire) brush.
Included with the Homdoor are several skewers, which hang on a rod encircling the upper outside of the chamber, as well as a gaddi pad used for placing naan on the oven surface, and a pair of bread tools. Like I said, there's a learning curve. After seeing the kinds of charcoal used, it seems that the best for this is mesquite hardwood lump charcoal. It burns faster and uses more fuel, true, but it can get a good couple of hundred degrees hotter in a tandoor than oak lump charcoal and really improve your food's sear while locking in flavor and moisture. Additionally, improvements and new options for the Homdoor are in the plans. The owners discussed the possibility of an optional lid with hooks and a dial damper for hanging racks of ribs or brisket and cooking low-and-slow, so that design looks likely to be in the works soon. They also mentioned designing a pizza stone.
This cooker is a big investment. The charcoal version is around $1,300, the propane version near $1,500, and the natural gas version just a little over $1,500. The only downside to the Homdoor is that outside of manufacturing defects or shipping accidents, which they say they will gladly make good on, there is no warranty. On the one hand, it speaks to their confidence in their cooker that they feel a warranty isn't necessary; on the other hand, worrywarts like me are used to stuff falling apart in our throwaway culture. You can be assured, though, that this is designed to last, to be rugged, and to be beautiful. Click the red link to go to the Homdoor site. - Text and photo by Scot Murphy
Kamado.com Barbecue
This is a buyer beware alert. There are forums devoted to the woes of the Kamado.com owner. They talk about frozen top dampers that break into pieces, tiles that crumble off, and poor quality "ceramic". One forum is in itself something you must take with a grain of salt; a lot of anger and pettiness are going on.
That being said, there are some kamado.com owners who are pleased with their products. The possibility exists that someone may buy one of them, be treated well, and receive a worthy product. But the anti-kamado.com sentiment is so high and expressed so widely, that we have to suggest looking above and below if you want a ceramic cooker. - Scot Murphy
Here's an elegant beast of a ceramic cooker, with heft and insulation and the space to cook for a family. There are many good things to like about this grill and smoker, and the first is the craft with which it has been built. You might hope that for such a price (under $800 not including a stand), it had better be put together well. Kamado Joe delivers.
First, the heft of this makes it genuine and powerful. Just lift the lid. There's no wiggle, no wobble, and no doubt that the well-machined stainless steel hinge will keep the heavy lid up. It moves with ease, yet there's no doubt as to the weight and strength of it. The ceramic shell is a terra cotta-like material, and the inner fire pit and charcoal ring are built to withstand a lot of cooks. In the bottom is a charcoal grate made of powder-coated cast iron, and near the top is the 304 grade stainless steel grilling grate. The 18" diameter grate gives 256 square inches of cooking space, and the stainless steel expander — a second grate with three feet that sits above the primary grate — gives you 407 square inches of surface. The main grate is hinged so you don't have to remove it (and food) to add coals if needed.
It’s 48" tall, which includes the lid, so without a stand it sits a little low. One thing I like is the top vent, which has a dial function, giving you finer control over the air flow, or you can pivot the entire cast-iron circle to the side to let the air flow wide open. That can make a very big difference in planning out your cooking time, giving you that much more precision. At the bottom front is a side-sliding damper for air intake that is also the door through which you scrape out the ash. I'm told by the fine people at the Wabash, Indiana True Value hardware that the hook comes with the purchase. This is a hefty 188 pounds, so plan on having a friend help you get it set up. It also comes with the obligatory grill-lid thermometer, though as always, we suggest getting your own, more accurate, digital grill thermometer. You will probably want to get the metal stand for this: it’s well-designed in that it’s almost invisible, but it has the strength it needs.
The side shelves are good — bamboo on the red KJ, teak on the black. Ditto for the wooden handle. The glaze is thick and beautiful and looks tough. The shelves fold down to get them out of the way and have the sturdiness to handle the next platter of burgers or platter of condiments. The warranty can’t be beat: 20 years on the ceramics, five years for the non-cast iron metal parts, one year for the cast iron parts, and 30 days on thermometers and felt gaskets.
If I have one complaint, one tiny complaint, the utensil pins (not hooks) on the left side shelf are inconvenient, tucked under the lip of the wooden slats of the shelf, without a hook or flange of some sort to keep your utensils from being knocked off. That wouldn't stop me from buying one though. - Scot Murphy
Made of steel, the Kamado Kooker would be a great niche filler for the cook who wants an egg-type cooker but can't afford ceramic units, if it weren't for some serious flaws.
Made of double-walled steel with stove insulation between, similar to the Big Steel Keg (above), the outside is enameled. The inside is porcelain. Nothing wrong with this concept, you don't have to worry about it breaking if you knock it over as you do with ceramic eggs.
The leg assembly seems sturdy, and it has 2 large 8" wheels and a lockable rear caster to keep it from rolling on a slanted surface. It has a 302 square inch cast iron grate with a 135 square inch warming rack for a total space of 437 square inches, and the primary cooking area is 19.6" across. This is decent for family backyard grilling and for smoking a small brisket, a couple slabs of St. Louis cut ribs, or a turkey, but it won't handle a crowd. Cast iron conducts heat well and makes great grill marks, but it rusts easily and is hard to maintain. The cooking grate has a well-designed liftable center for adding more charcoal.
Although the Kamado Kooker looks good on paper, there are several problems. It has foldable side shelves and utensil hooks. I would not want to burden them with anything heavy. The latch that holds the lid down is not very effective. It latches, but, on many units, it doesn't seal. Instead of the thick felt gasket found on a Big Green Egg or a Primo, it’s a rubber ring that compresses easily and, ultimately, lets, oxygen in making it hard to keep the temp under control. Do-it-yourselfers suggest removing the original gasket and replacing it with a felt gasket from another manufacturer.
There is a round, stainless steel rotating exhaust vent on top and a sliding stainless intake vent/ash door underneath. The one I inspected just didn't fit snugly at all. Vents need to be tight in order to control oxygen to the charcoal and thus control heat. Some folks have made silicone gaskets for them. Some units have an indexed damper, numbered so you can note its position, a simple, but nice touch. As is usual with most consumer smokers and grills, there is a fairly useless thermometer in the hood. Get a good digital thermometer please.
According to many on the web who've used it, the learning curve on getting smoking temperatures is steep. It is a devil to get the temperature back down once it has rocketed up, and reports say it likes to do just that. The feeling of this author, having read many of the reports, is that they may be starting off with too much fuel for smoking. On the other hand, at least one web commenter mentioned getting temperatures up around 700 degrees, which is a great target for grilling steaks. If you intend to use it for smoking, prepare for some trial and error! And prepare to do a few mods on it—mainly that lid seal, but also finding a better vent to replace the top. A cast iron vent from a similar cooker may work well for you. Other users complain that ashes are difficult to clean out.
Overall, it doesn't seem to be a bad cooker. Keep an eye out if you're in the market for an egg cooker; the prices on these have dipped pretty low on sale. Before you buy one, just ask yourself if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to do some modifications. The feeling this author gets from reading up on them is that if you're willing to invest the time, effort, and money in those mods, you can have a decent egg cooker for a lot less than a small ceramic cooker. - Scot Murphy
This may be the most striking cooker in the world and I have one on my patio for testing at the moment, so watch this space for more info.
There are two sizes, a Gen 2.2 Ultimate and a Lil' Isla. The Gen 2.2 Ultimate has a 23" wide top grate, stands 50.5" high, 30" wide at the base, and is 36" deep. It weighs a whopping 534 pounds. The Lil' Isla has a 19.5" upper grate and weighs "only" 462 pounds. They arrive fully assembled, but you might need help getting it out of the crate and into position.
The first thing you notice is how well built this zaftig sweetheart is. From the serious 304 stainless steel spring assisted hinge assembly for the easy-open lid, to the fingertip release latch, to the beautifully inlaid tiles. The casters are large enough to roll this beast across bumpy brick pavers. The cooking grates and charcoal basket are thick 3/8" 304 stainless rods, and the upper grate is hinged so you can add more charcoal without removing the food.
The air inflow damper at the bottom is a rotating dial, and the entire assembly slides out easily if you want to allow max airflow. The upper damper looks like a helmet, and you turn it on a screw to lift it and allow hot air and smoke out. This is fairly precise and it keeps rain out, but it is prety easy to lose track of how many spins you've given it. Airflow can also be managed with a digital controller like Rock's Stoker thermostat or a BBQ Guru and it comes with a port designed for them. There is a hole drilled in the dome for a dial thermometer, and a port on the side at grate level for digital probe cables. Although the Tel-Tru bi-metal dial thermometer that comes with it is pretty close to accurate at low temps, it is way off at high temps. This is one of the few cookers I've used where the dome thermometer is anywhere close to accurate. As usual I recommend you get a good digital grill thermometer.
Both units have mounts for rotisseries, can be fitted with side tables, and there is a pizza stone available, too. The 23" model has three racks, an upper, middle, and lower, and the lower can be positioned right on top of the coals for max heat searing. It can even be fitted with a gas igniter.
One might be concerned that the tiles will need extra maintenance. Apparently they are not held in with a normal grout. The manufacturer claims it is elastomeric so it expands and contracts with heat and it is said to be UV resistant so it does not require any maintenance. If you knock a tile loose, the manufacturer ships the unit with a repair kit.
The 2" thick sandwich of two refractory materials is like concrete. Like almost all kamodos, I just wish it was oval shaped like the Primo so one could set up a 2-Zone or Indirect system, an essential grilling technique. If you have the deflector plate in place for indirect heat and you want to sear a steak or sizzle on a sauce over direct heat, you have to remove the food and the hot deflector.
You can start the coals by simply dumping them in the coal basket and lighting them with a Weber parafin block from below or some bunched up newspaper. Many owners use small torches to fire up in a hurry. Or you can use a chimney, my preferred method so I can measure the amount of coal.
Managing temp is relatively easy once you get the hang of it. The manufacturer recommends that you always fill the charcoal basket, even if you are cooking at a low temp, and control the temp with the air vents. It will take a little practice to learn what settings get you where you want to go, especailly since the first hour is spend getting those thick walls loaded with heat. When you give 'er all she's got, Scotty, she can easily surpass 700°F, especially with lump charcoal, not because it burns hotter, but because it has better airflow through the irregular chunks.
Once you hit a target temp, man, she is rock solid with all that mass holding that heat and radiating it back slowly. Surprisingly, it is very responsive to the slightest increase in oxygen supply, a tweak to the vent openings, top or bottom, and within minutes the temp starts to climb. It is a bit less responsive to shutting down oxygen supply because of all that thermal mass, but it does choke down nicely.
Minor issues: The handles on the grates are almost flush against the interior making it awkward to grip them unless you turn your hands so your thumbs face you; the lid handle can get hot when cooking with the lid open because it hovers right above the cooking surface; and the latch has a nasty habit of smashing my finger if I close the lid too quickly. All these are niggling things that you can easily work around once you get used to them.
This is a top choice for low and slow smoke roasting and for large cuts of meat, but it is not my first choice for recipes that call for moving from indirect to direct because removing the deflector plate when food is on is a bit of a hassle.
Depending on how you get it tricked out, the typical price is about $3,000 for the small one and $4,000 for the large one, lifetime warranty on everything included. The Komodo Kamado website has a lively message board with tips on technique. Click here for more info and pricing: Komodo Kamado. - Meathead
The American-made Primo's oval shape is unique and a special advantage over all other kamado types. The oval is better than the round shape because it allows you to put coals on one side for a hot zone and leave the other side cooler. This technique, called 2-Zone or Indirect Cooking is a cornerstone of good grilling.
There are two models, the Jr. and the XL. Both have the oval shape, and a clever upper vent that is a pivoting, cast-iron disk. You can dial it for subtle air control, or you can move the entire vent cap aside to leave the vent wide open. The lower intake vent is a precision fitted stainless steel left-to-right slide allowing fingertip air control. This is new for 2011.
The left and right grates have legs on one side. With the legs up, you can cook an inch or two closer to the coals. Turn them over and put the legs down, and you can raise the grates those couple of inches. Two grates means you can cook on two different levels.
They both have an effective unyielding spring-loaded lid hinge that makes it easy to lift the heavy dome, a thick felt gasket for sealing the two halves, ceramic insulation, energy efficiency, easy cleanout, solid porcelain-coated steel grates, and a built-in dial thermometer in the dome that tells the temp in the dome, not on the grate where the food is. As always, we suggest getting your own, more accurate, digital grill thermometer.
There are plenty of accessories: Pizza stones, ceramic deflectors that keep grease off the fire as well as capturing and radiating the heat more evenly, a firebox divider for indirect cooking, extra racks that can give you as many as four different heights, rib racks, chicken "sitters", a cart, and more.
The optional table is a beautiful piece of work, allowing for a lot of prep work and side-cook items. If you prefer, there is a smaller, less expensive metal cart. It also comes with movable ceramic feet if you want it standing on its own. But that's the problem we have with the Primo. So much of what makes it great comes at additional cost. Even the ash hook, a useful tool for scraping ash in the bottom out through the lower damper, is extra.
We have only one major complaint: You can't lower the grates to directly above the coals for a better crunchy sear. Otherwise, this is an excellent example of American workmanship. Built to last many years, the ceramic has a 20-year limited warranty and the metal has a 5-year warranty. Care for it properly and this could be your best cooker for many years.
The Primo website has a user forum where owners can solve problems and exchange ideas.
Promo Oval Jr. This one is perfect if you appreciate quality and versatility and you live in a smallish spot with a smallish balcony or yard. At 95 pounds it has 210 square cooking inches on its primary surface. It has an optional extending rack that sits on the primary and extends your cooking surface to 360 square inches. With only the primary racks, it has enough space for a small turkey.
Primo Oval XL. This is the big brother and it is a very very nice cooker. It has everything that the little brother has, only more of it. It has heft (192 pounds) and 400 square inches of grate, comparable to the big Weber Kettles, but with rack extensions can get up to 680 inches. - Scot Murphy
Similar in design and concept to the other egg shaped kamados, the most unique feature of the Saffire is an optional slot in the front that allows you to feed wood chips without opening the lid and disturbing the critical oxygen balance and hence the temp. Alas, this feature is not standard, and onmost cooks, you should not need to add more wood than you add when you add the food. Another differentiator is that all metal is stainless steel except the charcoal grate which is durable cast iron.
The 18" cooking grate gives you 180 square inches of cooking area with the stainless steel grate set down into the belly of the beast, and you can add another grate increasing the cooking area to 460 square inches. The lower air intake is a sliding door that gives you very good control but removing ash through it is tricky because the opening is small and the floor of the inside is slightly below the door. They sell an optional tool to help.
The chimney has a dial cast stainless steel damper with holes and the ability to slide the damper out of the way completely. There is no way to keep rain out of the chimney if it is open. The cooking grate has a hinge that lets you drop in more coals or wood chunks too large for the wood chip slot. The lid and body are held together by a stainless steel hinge with springs attached to stainless steel bands around the girth of each section. The model I looked at did not have a lot of tension on the springs. Although the springs made opening the lid fairly easy, you don't want to let 'er go as you are lowering it or I fear it will come crashing down on the body and shatter one or the other. The felt gaskets between them may cushion the fall, but I fear bad things if you let the lid slip.
The stainless steel cart is solid and good looking with locking wheels, and you can purchase winged tables or a beautiful wooden cart with a granite top. It is available in several baked enamel colors and the table is available in several beautiful woods. Other options are the heat deflector for indirect cooking (this really should be standard on all ceramics), a pizza stone, and a steel gizmo that raises the cooking grate to lip level. - Meathead
1) If you are looking for info, please use the table of contents or the search box, at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Please don't ask any questions that involve temperature unless you tell us that you are using a digital thermometer! Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F! If you are not using a good digital you have no idea what the temp really is so I can't help you. If you are still using a dial thermometer, please read this article about thermometers, then buy a good digital, and then, if the problem persists (chances are it won't), hit us with your questions. Please tell us everything we need to know to answer your question like the type of cooker you are using.
3) Please don't ask "What grill (or smoker) should I buy?" Read our Buyer's Guides and the buying checklists and follow the links. We've shared just about everything we know. Pay attention to the awards I have given my faves. We cannot pick the right cooker for your needs any more than we could pick the right car or spouse for you.
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Look At These AmazingRibs.com Best Value Gold Medal Winners
The prize for Best BBQ Tool at the 2012 The National Barbecue Association conference went to a simple inexpensive fridge magnet by Meathead. It includes the latest USDA recommendations as well as chef recommendations (and they often differ) as well as color photos of the different stages of doneness for red meats. The temperatures are the same for both indoor and outdoor cooks. Click here for more info and how to order it.
GrillGrates Take You To The Infrared Zone
GrillGrates are the best new product I have tested in years and the best thing to happen to beef since salt and pepper. The base superheats, eliminates hot spots, and blocks flareups. This is the concept behind the expensive new infrared grills. A must for gas grills. Click here for more about GrillGrates.
The Smokenator: A Necessity For All Weber Kettles
If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to create steakhouse steaks. Click here to read more.
ThermoWorks Pocket Thermometer - No More Guessing
A good thermometer is why I never serve overcooked or undercooked food. This one has a very thin tip with a tiny thermocouple so it gives an accurate reading in just six seconds. I cannot recommend it more highly. It will improve your cooking overnight and pay for itself in a hurry. And it is inexpensive. Click here for more about thermometers.
Steakhouse Knives
These are the same knives used at the best steakhouses (Peter Luger, Smith & Wollensky, Morton's and others). Machine washable, temper-ground, serrated, high-carbon stainless-steel, full-tang blades with excellent cutting edge retention, beefy hardwood handle, rust and stain resistant, and they stay shiny without polishing. And now they have the AmazingRibs.com imprimatur. Click here for more info on these wonderful knives.
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The kamado or ceramic grill/smoker/oven is a fast growing category with more and more choices every year. With good reason. These versatile charcoal fueled devices are modern versions of the Japanese Kamado, an earthernware cooking urn whose original design is probably at least 3,000 years old. Indian tandoors are similar in concept.
in the pile of charcoal and light it. It will ignite about 5 briquets immediately around it. They will burn slowly producing very little heat, and the combustion will spread to unlit coals slowly.
The Big Green Egg is the most popular of the ceramic cookers, and it was the first in the US market. It has a devoted following of enthusiastic users.
A story came with my visit to look at the Grill Dome Kamado-style charcoal grill. As I remarked on the well-used Dome on display and how beautiful the finish was on the outside, looking almost brand-new despite its heavy use, the manager of the store (Bell Appliance and Parts in Valparaiso, IN) told me something extraordinary. They've been selling these for a few years now, but two or three years ago a couple had been returned. The paint finish had blistered and started flaking off. The salesman for the company took back the rest of them. Then came delays in getting new ones. When Bell finally talked to the salesman responsible for the area, he said he had put all sales on hold until the paint problem had been fixed to his satisfaction. What does this tell you? It tells me that this is a company determined to meet a high standard, not just to take your money. That single act says a lot of good about this company. 
Here's an elegant beast of a ceramic cooker, with heft and insulation and the space to cook for a family. There are many good things to like about this grill and smoker, and the first is the craft with which it has been built. You might hope that for such a price (under $800 not including a stand), it had better be put together well. Kamado Joe delivers.
Made of steel, the Kamado Kooker would be a great niche filler for the cook who wants an egg-type cooker but can't afford ceramic units, if it weren't for some serious flaws.
This may be the most striking cooker in the world and I have one on my patio for testing at the moment, so watch this space for more info.
The first thing you notice is how well built this zaftig sweetheart is. From the serious 304 stainless steel spring assisted hinge assembly for the easy-open lid, to the fingertip release latch, to the beautifully inlaid tiles. The casters are large enough to roll this beast across bumpy brick pavers. The cooking grates and charcoal basket are thick 3/8" 304 stainless rods, and the upper grate is hinged so you can add more charcoal without removing the food.
Both units have mounts for rotisseries, can be fitted with side tables, and there is a pizza stone available, too. The 23" model has three racks, an upper, middle, and lower, and the lower can be positioned right on top of the coals for max heat searing. It can even be fitted with a gas igniter.
The American-made Primo's oval shape is unique and a special advantage over all other kamado types. The oval is better than the round shape because it allows you to put coals on one side for a hot zone and leave the other side cooler. This technique, called 
There are plenty of accessories: Pizza stones, ceramic deflectors that keep grease off the fire as well as capturing and radiating the heat more evenly, a firebox divider for indirect cooking, extra racks that can give you as many as four different heights, rib racks, chicken "sitters", a cart, and more.
Similar in design and concept to the other egg shaped kamados, the most unique feature of the Saffire is an optional slot in the front that allows you to feed wood chips without opening the lid and disturbing the critical oxygen balance and hence the temp. Alas, this feature is not standard, and onmost cooks, you should not need to add more wood than you add when you add the food. Another differentiator is that all metal is stainless steel except the charcoal grate which is durable cast iron.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the science and zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, steak, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, barbecue sauces, burgers, steaks, rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best buying guide to barbecue smokers, grills, and accessories. It is edited by 
About Product Reviews and Best Value Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals. These are highly recommended products based on features, quality, and especially value. Rest assured that when we recommend a product, it is really because we like it, not because someone has paid us to say so because we do not accept advertising from products we review. We purchase many products we review although occasionally suppliers send us samples. We have always been transparent about when we are reviewing a product sample, even before 
The prize for Best BBQ Tool at the 2012 The National Barbecue Association conference went to a simple inexpensive fridge magnet by Meathead. It includes the latest USDA recommendations as well as chef recommendations (and they often differ) as well as color photos of the different stages of doneness for red meats. The temperatures are the same for both indoor and outdoor cooks. 
With a $30 donation you'll get a 100% cotton brushed twill adjustable low profile cap with the AmazingRibs patch sewn on. I'll even toss in a small bag of BBQ'rs Delight wood smoke pellets. Click here for 
