Kamado BBQ

[Mark M]

I was looking for a smoker on the net and stumbled across the Big Green Egg bbqs which was the first time Id ever heard about Kamado/ceramic BBQs. Has anyone got one? All of the reviews Ive seen suggested the are the best cooking tool that a man can buy! Do they justify the price tag though?

There are a number of imported units on ebay that are about half the price of Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe but are they anywhere near as good?

 

[FrenchTart]

I can't comment on the imports but the real deal are meant to be great BBQs. They're extremely fuel efficient. Heavy as fudge though.

 

[HazardO]

You will get similar results for less money with webers IMO. They are very high quality pieces of kit though. Easier to maintain a good temperature for a long time than a weber and more fuel efficient. Both the Michelin star restaurants in Cambridge have them in their kitchens.

 

[FrenchTart]

That's very true. You can get great results for a lot less money (less money even than Webers, though they are also great products).

 

[the_r_sole]

I remember a friend in Canada had a big green egg that was tremendous! didn't realise how expensive they are until now!
tbh I could never justify that kind of outlay - cost more than my hob/oven...

 

[Mark M]

The Weber smokers are about £300 compared with ~£1k for a Kamado but I guess buying the Kamado would mean it would replace my ageing BBQ, would be a smoker and a pizza oven too which is why Im considering it.

I would have to increase the time I spend cooking in the garden to justify it I guess!

 

[FrenchTart]

Personally I'd just get a ProQ Frontier for more like £200. For pizzas I'd say you can get arguably better results with a steel/cast iron pizza stone and the grill method. I don't really rate BBQ-cooked pizzas as there isn't enough direct heat on top.

 

[Mark M]

Will check out the ProQ thanks, seems to get good reviews from what IVe seen so far.

 

[Jano]

I know someone in the states who has one and its brilliant, very easy to keep the temps stable and with the added benefit on being double insulated, so you won't accidentally burn yourself.

 

[oneilldo]

I quite fancy one with a BBQ guru as well for wifi controlled overnight smoking. It is a significant outlay but should apparently last a lifetime so that's how I intend to justify my man maths.

Because they are insulated you use less fuel and as a consequence less air passed over the meat whilst smoking/cooking so theoretically it should be moister. The large is smaller than the 57cm weber so then you start looking at extra large but then it is even more £££.

If you want a BBQ that costs about the same as a whole kitchen you can always go down the komodo kamado route!

 

[FrenchTart]

The moistness thing isn't true but you will certainly save on fuel. That said, for smoking you'll be wanting a constant smoulder anyhow so I'm not completely sold on it from that point of view.

 

[oneilldo]

Yeah not sure about the validity of the moisture thing. It sort of makes sense on one hand as the more air that passes over a 'sweating' surface would probably increase the amount or efficiency of evaporation. But how much and the impact that would have is probably negligible.

With regards to smoking I reckon you would still get a constant smolder but would just need to be more careful with wood chunk placement. People do seem to get good results with them or at least shout about them a lot with the rather strange cult following it has.

You would need to save a lot of fuel to make up for the up front cost though. I think for quick cooks on it (sausages burgers etc.) it would use more fuel as you would need to heat up the ceramic mass first so you would keep the weber as well.

It is supposed to be pretty good for pizzas due to the temperatures it can achieve.
Which would also make it pretty handy for high temperature steak searing (but not as hot as putting a grill on top of a chimney starter in full flow)

 

[Platinum Pete]

I have a kamado and it is great. It's a Chinese made one which cost me around 450. Most of the Chinese imports are made At the same factory so you can pick up a non branded version cheaper than kamado Joe etc.

With the deflector plate you can smoke on a single load of coal for 16hrs + (needs good quality lumpwood, big k etc) with minimal adjustment. I typically set it up, moniter for a couple of hrs then go out for 6 hrs or so, then a minor adjustment then it just keeps going. Happily sits at 220-250f all day. Easy to control temps and you can also bring it to super high temps for steaks etc.very versatile piece of equipment.

I had to replace the gaskets with high temp nomex and seal the lower vent with high temp silicone but after that it has been v reliable. I ditched the original stainless stand and bamboo side tables and built my own bespoke stand/ table out of reclaimed timber. I probably cook about a 3rd of all meals on it all through the year. Would highly recommended.

 

[monkeyspank]

Personally I'd just get a ProQ Frontier for more like £200. For pizzas I'd say you can get arguably better results with a steel/cast iron pizza stone and the grill method. I don't really rate BBQ-cooked pizzas as there isn't enough direct heat on top.

I put a pizza stone on top of a pair of bricks on the grill. Then when I put the lid on it cooks from above too. On a weber

 

[FrenchTart]

I put a pizza stone on top of a pair of bricks on the grill. Then when I put the lid on it cooks from above too. On a weber

Good idea. I'd still just use a grill + cast iron stone for pizza though A proper wood-fired pizza oven would be awesome though of course.

 

[Mark M]

Still being pulled towards the kamado, been reading up a bit more and it all sounds positive. Looking to import one from China for a good price but can anyone confirm if you can keep it outside during the winter? I'll get/make a cover for it for when it's not in use.

 

[Platinum Pete]

It is fine outside during the winter but any wooden bits will suffer. it will get mouldy inside if left for long periods but a hot burn cleans it out. my only suggestion if you plan to leave it uncovered is to put some sort of cover over the top vent to stop water getting in. i use a stainless steel mixing bowl with a large slot cut out of the side. this also means that you can use it in the rain without soot water dripping on your food.

Regarding importing- i looked into this via alibaba etc. when you factor in the import duties and dock handling fees- it normally works out cheaper faster and more transparent to buy off ebay etc with a single unit. you also need to consider the fact that you are unlikely to get your money back if it is damaged in transit.

look at vision, La hacienda kamado king etc. they are all made in the same factory in china. my kamado is exactly the same as the kamado king sold in US but i managed to get an unbranded one via a german ebay seller for 290 + 150 shipping. this was a couple of years ago now. if i was buying again i would probably go with a kamado joe (often possible to find for £650 in the autumn/ winter) because the peripherals, vents, side tables etc seem better quality than the other cheaper brands and they usually come with a deflector and plate setter which you need to buy separately with the other brands. However with my minor modifications to my model im sure there is no real difference in ability between them and i ditched most of the peripherals when i built the table for it anyway.

 

[Tabman111]

I have a large Quinta Kamado they are great. I believe they are imported from China but the quality is really top class.

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[doggo]

Still being pulled towards the kamado, been reading up a bit more and it all sounds positive. Looking to import one from China for a good price but can anyone confirm if you can keep it outside during the winter? I'll get/make a cover for it for when it's not in use.

I know it's a little time ago that you posted this but get a Kamado, I've got a PorQ and a Kamado and the Kamado is my perfered form of cooking, you can get some realy high temps for cooking some realy tasty steak. You can alos achieve some good steady lower temps for cooking briskets ect. Yes they are expensive but you get what you pay for.