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Why a Kamado?

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    Why a Kamado?

    I am impatiently awaiting the Kamado Joe Big Joe III I ordered from BBQGuys last week. I wanted it, because here in Northeast Florida by the ocean where I live, nothing metal can survive the salt air and humidity even if it is enamel coated, whether you keep it covered or not. I've been through 3 Weber Kettles in the past 17 years. I want the ceramic body of the Kamado so it will last. Outside of that, I just had a serious case of MCS mixed with too much beer and I pulled the trigger. I honestly do not know what the advantages of a Kamado might be over a Kettle. So to you folks who have owned them, if someone asked you "why a Kamado?" how would you reply to help them understand why I just spent my kid's inheritance on one?
    Last edited by hoovarmin; April 21, 2022, 01:42 PM.

    #2
    Sure, it does the same stuff as a kettle. But for me, a Kamado is superior at pizza. Bread too, but I’ve only done that once.

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      That sounds good. What makes it better for pizza and bread?

    • scottranda
      scottranda commented
      Editing a comment
      Waaaay higher heat with the heat reflecting off the dome down onto the pizza. Have to preheat everything first, including the pizza stone.

    #3
    Holds temps better for a longer period of time too.

    Comment


    #4
    It holds temperatures for far longer than a kettle with minimal cook intervention. Next to a pellet smoker, it is the most set and forget with no mods needed in stock configuration. It is more fuel efficient, especially in cold weather.

    it also does better baking foods and pizzas, and it’s design allows for more moisture retention for other foods, creating a juicier result.

    Comment


    #5
    I have both. For grilling I go back and forth between them, but for low and slow the kamado is by far superior.

    If you have either, you don’t really need the other. But my experience is that the kamado is better at grilling than the kettle is at smoking. The workarounds for grilling on a kamado are easier than the workarounds for smoking on a kettle. For me, anyhow. But I had the kamado first.

    As for the food quality? No difference. With proper technique, each will turn out spectacular backyard food of all types.

    Comment


    • smokin fool
      smokin fool commented
      Editing a comment
      Agreed, its another arrow in the quiver.

    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Mosca that makes sense. Thank you.

    #6
    I think the others have covered it, but I will say the strengths are LONG low and slow with great stability. I've gone 18-20 hours on a load of lump, and still had some unburned when I pulled the deflector before the next cook. Also high heat - 700+ is easy to achieve for making the perfect pizza. And once it soaks at the temperature you are cooking at, even with an elevated grate, I seem to find that the temperature is pretty even between the main and elevated cooking grates.

    I hope all the hardware on your new kamado is stainless. That's what I love about my SNS Kamado. If the cart (if you got one) and other elements are not stainless, they will also have issues over time in a high salt environment.
    Last edited by jfmorris; April 21, 2022, 04:08 PM.

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks, J.

    #7
    Something else, living in Minnesota, the kamados hold temp no matter the weather. Wind, cold, whatever. You can shut them down, and do two or three rib cooks on one load of charcoal. A long cook, no problem. There is so little air flow through them that there is no worry about moisture. Had a BGE for 20 years.

    Comment


    • jhapka
      jhapka commented
      Editing a comment
      Mark V that’s a rough way for a kamado to go. Mines staying on the deck with the casters locked

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      Mark V you are not the first person I've known of to lose a BGE that way. It's the main reason I always said that I was happy with my Performer and other kettles, and saw no need for a kamado. Having had the SNS Kamado for a 15 months now - I'm glad I have it! But I am for SURE never moving it off the patio area it sits on without a lot of help to ensure it doesn't go Humpty Dumpty on me too...

    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Mark V that makes sense. It's usually hot as heck here, so that isn't ever really a factor for us.

    #8
    One more thing you will notice is that blast of steam hitting you in the face when you open it during a cook. That shows how well it keeps the meat moist while smoking. And this happens whether you use a water pan or not in my Kamado.

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks, Jim.

    #9
    Kamado has a bigger denser thermal mass. Takes longer to heat up but holds the heat longer and is more stable (think opening the lid) it rebounds faster. For low and slow much steadier temps. Con to that is if you overshoot temps it is harder to lower it back down. The thermal mass makes it a better oven for baking and roasting.

    Harder to do 2 zone in a Kamado.

    Kettle heats up faster so is ready to cook faster. The Webers with the removable ash buckets are easier to clean.

    Have to use lump in most Kamados.

    Go to ceramic grill store and pick up the Kick Ash basket, woo rig, and extra stones.

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks, Old Glory

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      Good points. I find myself mostly smoking on the SNS Kamado these days, and just firing my my Performer mostly since I got a Vortex back in the fall. Or if I want to use the rotisserie, since I own it. The kettle does get ready to cook on faster for sure.

    #10
    Thermal mass, blast of steam, handles a load of lump, keeps ya from Minnesota winter, what more could ya ask fer? Cept’, embedded in yer post is the real good reason, beer & MCS, yessir. Can’t wait fer the pics! Congrats!

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      You have keen discernment, FireMan

    #11
    I considered a kamado but was hesitant due to 1) time needed to cook (not a lot available during on weekdays) and 2) concerns about cooking surface area size being too small. The deal breaker was that my deck where I BBQ is accessed via a long flight of stairs. The thought of getting that ceramic ship anchor up those stairs gave me premonitions about needing another spine surgery afterwards.
    Last edited by DrJimmy2112; April 21, 2022, 09:26 PM.

    Comment


    • tbob4
      tbob4 commented
      Editing a comment
      That is funny.

    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, that would be next to impossible without some seriously expensive equipment. Luckily we don't have any stairs to climb and we just had pavers laid down so moving it won't be such a challenge.

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, I made sure my son in law showed up to help me lift my SNS Kamado into its cradle. Thankfully no stairs to navigate, but weight is for sure a consideration - that plus the possibility of dropping and shattering your cooker into pieces like Humpty Dumpty...

    #12
    I’ve been cooking on Kamados for 7 years now. I’m so sold on them that I just got a Kamado Joe big Joe to go with my classic Joe. If I try to cook a brisket low and slow there’s so much moisture that the bark is terrible. If you cook it at 300 F you get beautiful bark, great moisture,and a noticeably shorter cook. You’re going to love it as soon as get comfortable with how to cook on it.

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks, Oak Smoke. Same issue with my PBC - so much moisture that bark development really doesn't happen.

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      I noticed the bark difference on my SNS Kamado as well, if cooking in kamado mode, compared to the kettle + SNS or the SNSK in SNS mode. I've started cooking at 275 to help, and maybe I need to push it to 300 next time.

    #13
    While I only have a Jr, everything the aforementioned comments stated. I wish I chose a bigger one, because ash cleaning is a pain in the ash. But I am learning to make it work. So when I graduate to a full size Kamado, I will be a pro.

    Comment


    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      @SheliaAnn we have 7 kids and 4 of them have significant others who join us for meals often, so it was a simple decision for me to go with the Big Joe.

    • hoovarmin
      hoovarmin commented
      Editing a comment
      tbob4 that's a great tip. This one is well worth the extra cash. It stores really well unlike most shop vacs that are awkward and bulky. https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-088...ps%2C99&sr=8-5

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      If you don't need a shop vac for anything else, Home Depot and others sell a "bucket head" vacuum that attaches to one of their cheap 5 gallon buckets, and lets you suck stuff up into the bucket. That might be good for ash cleanup.

      I just scoop most of the ashes out of the bottom of my kamado every 4-5 cooks using the same scoop I use for charcoal, and don't worry with a little bit of ash, since its going to come back on the next cook.

    #14
    Originally posted by DrJimmy2112 View Post
    I considered a kamado but was hesitant due to 1) time needed to cook (not a lot available during on weekdays) and 2) concerns about cooking surface area size being too small. The deal breaker was that my deck where I BBQ is accessed via a long flight of stairs. The thought of getting that ceramic ship anchor up those stairs gave me premonitions about needing another spine surgery afterwards.
    The time isn’t really an issue once you get the routine down. You start early, but that’s just setup; start the rig, then do other things while it sorts itself out. I worked most of my career doing 10-12 hour days, and never two days off in a row. The routine was: walk up the deck steps, start the BGE before going inside, go change clothes, prep food. By then, the rig was ready.

    The cooking surface, yep. I got a LBGE, they should have called that a medium. But the XL is probably too big. The design of a kamado uses more space for a smaller cooking area. There’s no way around that.

    The mass, yes and no. I can carry a LBGE (18” diameter) up a flight of stairs myself, without too much trouble, if I take it apart and take each piece up separately, even now as an old guy with aches and pains. But many kamados are 22”, that creates a problem with both mass and volume when transporting. One of the reasons I don’t have a Komodo Kamado is the exact same, at 500 lbs I just don’t want to have to deal with it. The food will taste the same, so why bother.

    Last edited by Mosca; April 22, 2022, 02:55 AM.

    Comment


      #15
      With a kettle, you need an SnS or have to pile your coals in a a 2 zone cook setup. This takes up a fair amount of real estate, leaving about 2/3 or less of the grate area available for the food.

      With a kamado, the entire grate surface is available for the food. That makes a big difference in my smoking game, for sure.

      Kathryn

      Comment


      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        Kathryn,

        Do you find that you have to avoid the edges of the cooking grate when using the deflector, due to heat coming up around the edges? I've tried to make sure that the meat stayed over the deflector and did not extend to the edge of the grate, but that isn't always possible with a large brisket or ribs.

      • hoovarmin
        hoovarmin commented
        Editing a comment
        Always terrific to get some fzxdoc wisdom here. Thank you, Kathryn!

      • fzxdoc
        fzxdoc commented
        Editing a comment
        Jim, jfmorris , I haven't noticed a problem with it, but then with a 24 inch grate I seldom have food extending clear to the edge. I'll have to keep an eye on that in the future to see if I see a difference.

        K.

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