What Is a Kamado Grill?

Remember Humpty Dumpty? That egg-shaped guy that had the bad experience falling off the wall? That’s sort of what every Kamado grill looks like – they’re all big and egg-shaped and they all generally work the same as well. They all function as ovens, grills, and smokers in one and they all create a heat trapped environment, but that’s about where the similarities end. Here’s a little kamado background to help you get a better idea of where the differences start.

Are Ceramic Grills Better?

Most Kamado grills are ceramic. Kamado purists swear by ceramic. It’s a fantastic choice because it’s an excellent insulator and can hold in heat at both high and low temperatures. However, there is that old Humpty Dumpty issue to worry about. Ever hear the expression the larger they come the harder they fall? The ceramic grills are very heavy and very fragile and moving them around can be a very costly mistake. Thankfully, the more upscale models come with warranty protection against cracking.

However, there are some steel kamados giving the ceramics a run for the money. The Broil King and the Char Broiler have been receiving good reviews and Blaze has recently manufactured an aluminum model. Proponents of these lighter weight models cite benefits such as the portability and durability.

Grilling Space

If at first glance the grilling space on kamado seems a bit underwhelming, just wait until you get it out of the box. This grill has more hidden compartments than James Bond’s suitcase. While kamados do come in a wide range of sizes, the larger ones tend to be on the heavy side. Think of the egg Mork from Ork hatched from for reference.

However, many grills come with primary and secondary cooking surfaces that double your cooking space and ways to create different cooking zones using one grate. Because of the unique way the heat circulates inside the Kamado you can actually cook things on the secondary grate as opposed to just warming them, although it will be at a slightly lower temperature than the primary grate due to its proximity to the fire.

Another consideration you may want to keep in mind when buying a kamado is the space around you. If you need somewhere to put your seasonings, sauces, utensils, etc. while your grilling you may want to look for something with sides or a table included.