Ceramic BBQ

So why did I get a ceramic BBQ? After BBQ-ing for a while I discovered that what I was actually doing was grilling. I.e. use high temp cooking and the cook is usually fast whilst BBQ-ing (from a more purist point of view) is low-and-slow cooking with lower temps and longer duration (overnight).

I had a WSM for about two years and have had some sensational cooks on it; however something was lacking/missing not quite right. I can cook low and slow on my WSM and had some overnight cooks on it however I felt it took too long to get it ready for a cook and it didn’t seem to be very economical in it’s fuel usage (I used briquettes in those days (the horror).

I did some internet searches a couple of years ago and found a 2 main streams of ceramic cookers the Big Green Egg and the Kamado. Well I couldn’t find anyone to supply me with a BGE (did get some responses) and I did not get any joy from the kamado distributor in the US (WARNING: before you consider buying a Kamado visit this site http://kamadofraudforum.org/ and make up your own mind!).
After some more invesigation I found another “Kamado” manufacturer the Komodo Kamado (KK) and the owner seemed to be a lot more customer focused and made some significant improvements on his Komodo Kamado (PS Kamado’s originate from Japan and NOT from the states). I did my research joined the KK forum and bought a KK (2nd in Australia) about 1 year ago…haven’t looked back since. Oh yeah have a look at the KK’s on his site: http://www.komodokamado.com/
Dennis (the KK designer/owner) is bringing out a smaller (which is still big in ozzie terms) model shortly.

The usage of the KK is such a thrill. Super quick to get ready. When I’m doing a simple chicken (at 350F) it only takes about 20 minutes from start to putting the chicken on. Another advantage is the fact that the walls of the cooker (ceramic remember) radiate the heat back evenly to the meat whcih creates a better result (evenly cooked meat). Another advantage is because it’s not made of steel (like my WSM) its able too cook with less fuel as the wall radiate back and the heat is not lost (as much) through the walls. My ceramic cooker is almost completely airtight which means superior control of the temperature as you can more easily control the amount of oxygen going in hence the amount of charcoal burning hence the temp is controlled. It also means that after a cook when is “shutdown” the coals are extinguished in no time at all (saving charcoal for my next BBQ). By more efficiently burning the charcoal you do no need to top-up/add charcoal during an overnight cook 1 load is sufficient to go 14-18 hours. Yes this little wonder comes at a price however I feel that after you have cooked on a ceramic BBQ you’ll find it hard to go back to a gasser (or even a WSM); This doesn’t mean I don’t use my gasser anymore (especially when I’m cooking during the week in a hurry) but on the weekend or if I have a bit more time the KK always get’s fired up.

Now a lot has changed in Oz over the past 2 years. Our friends in BBQ galore now sell /stock the BGE’s (I believe only the Large model) http://www.barbequesgalore.com.au/products/productdisplay.aspx?productid=16071 and there is a Kamado (not the same company as in the states!!) seller in Queensland; I think it’s comparable to what they call a Primo in the US (but am likely wrong in comparing the two…don’t take my word for it!). His website is here http://www.kamadocookersaustralia.com/ and these models are pretty affordable AND he sells gadgets….that’s a story for another blog.