April 2020 – Meat Smoking HQ

Ceramic cookers have been used for thousands of years in Japan and India, but in recent years, the kamado-style ceramic grill is making a huge comeback. The word kamado is Japanese for ‘stove’ and are made of ceramic materials that are good heat insulators. Modern versions of the kamado include the Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe and they can be used for smoking, grilling, roasting and baking. A ceramic cooker can also be converted into a wood-fired pizza oven. I wanted to know more about these ancient cookers, so I did some research. Ceramic kamados are the most versatile cooker on the market and can be used for smoking, grilling, roasting, baking. Ceramic grills are weather resistant and can continue cooking through wind, rain and snow. The ceramic materials on a kamado grill have an amazing ability to hold heat and maintain stable temperatures for long periods without the need to re-fuel. Ceramic grills can reach high temperatures and cook between 200°F and 750+°F. The other advantage is the dome-shaped design that helps air to circulate and retain moisture. Ceramic Grills and Smokers- Are They Better? When it comes to smoking meat, ceramic kamado cookers are on par with other popular pits like the Ugly Drum Smoker and the Weber Smokey Mountain.The kamado sets itself apart with its ability to also be able to grill and bake. Pellet grills and ceramic smokers are in a similar price bracket, although there are several differences worth noting. Pellet grills are more convenient than charcoal smokers and require no fire management. However, there is a difference in taste. Meat cooked with charcoal arguably tastes better than meat cooked with wood alone. Some pellet smokers have grilling capabilities, but kamados are on a whole other level when it comes to grilling. How to Smoke with a Ceramic Grill All it takes to convert a ceramic grill into a smoker is a few chunks of wood and a bag of charcoal. The end goal is to infuse the meat with as much smoke flavor as possible, but not too much or it will taste bitter. Smoke is a combination of wood, the charcoal and the meat dripping onto the fire. When setting up the fire in the charcoal basket, all you need to do is scatter a few wood chunks in amongst the coals. This should provide the meat with a steady flow of smoke for the entire cook. You may need to add more chunks if the wood burns out, so monitor the fire. Vent control is important when smoking on a ceramic grill because we want to keep the temperature low. The longer it takes to cook the meat, the better. Slow roasting will expose the meat to smoke for longer, and also make the meat more tender and juicy. Ceramic Grills in Winter One of the best features of ceramic smokers is their ability to smoke meat year-round through the wind and the snow. Most other meat smokers will require modifications or a truckload of extra fuel just to maintain temperature. Kamado grills are made from materials that will stand up to the elements so you can leave them outside. Are Ceramic Grills Difficult To Use? Learning how to cook on a ceramic grill has a steep learning curve. It will take some time to get to know your grill and how to control the temperature. It is for this reason you should start small. Cook something small or inexpensive. Once you are confident, you can progress to the “big meats”. Cooking Pizza in a Ceramic Smoker Ceramic grills are perfect for pizza, because of their fuel efficiency and heat circulation, which helps produce a nice crispy crust. The unique design of the kamado style grill allows the heat to circulate and cook at temperatures as high as 750 degrees. The high heat range gives you the ability to cook pizza at 600. How long Do Ceramic Grills Last? Kamado cookers are made with high quality ceramic materials that are extremely durable.The only reason a ceramic cooker won’t last you a lifetime is if it falls over and cracks. Apart from a fall, all the parts of a kamado can be easily replaced. Ceramic grills are also very heavy, so it will seem like an immovable object in your yard. Once you’ve decided where to put a kamado, it will likely stay there permanently. What is the Best Ceramic Smoker? Although the Big Green Egg has held the title for decades, many now consider the Kamado Joe to be the best ceramic smoker.The BGE has a loyal following, however the Kamado Joe has taken the ceramic smoker to the next-level with several innovative features that have left the BGE trailing behind. Nowadays there are lots of competition in the ceramic cooker market, with the quality kamado-style grills from Primo, and the PitBoss ceramic cooker. However, if you dive deep into the world of the kamado, I think you will find most people rate the Kamado Joe as the number one ceramic cooker. Big Green Egg The Big Green Egg has been around for decades and is still the most trusted name in ceramic cookers. For years, the BGE had no competition, so there was little need to change. As the Kamado Joe continued to innovate, the Big Green Egg stagnated. In recent years, the BGE has finally changed some of its design features to match the Kamado Joe. The Big Green Egg is made from the highest quality ceramic materials, and is generally more expensive than other ceramic grills. The major difference between the BGE and the competition is customization. A Kamado Joe comes with everything included, but the BGE is sold à la carte, so the customer can select different configurations. The flexibility is a positive for some people but a turnoff for others. A basic BGE comes with the ceramic egg itself, grill grates and a fire basket. However, if you want a deflector plate for indirect cooking or a pizza stone, you need to purchase those items separately. Kamado Joe The Kamado Joe seems to have one goal; to be better than the Big Green Egg. Over the years, the Kamado Joe has continued to innovate and find ways to improve the ceramic grill. Unlike the BGE, when you buy a Kamado Joe, everything is included. The Kamado Joe has several features that have now become standard in ceramic smokers. An example is the air-lift hinge. If you have ever lifted the lid of a Big Green Egg, you will know they are heavy. The Kamado Joe set out to solve this problem and developed the air-lift hinge which takes 96% of the weight of the lid, so you can lift the lid with your pinky finger. Another unique feature of the Kamado Joe is the Divide-and-Conquer grilling system. This allows you to cook at different levels and at different temperatures, while other ceramic cookers only allow cooking at one level. The Classic 3 Kamado Joe created a lot of excitement with a new accessory called the SlōRoller, an attachment that makes smoke circles and provides an even heat distribution. The SlōRoller came to be after the company teamed up with a design team out of Harvard to develop the new barbeque technology. If you want to compare the Big Green Egg and the Kamado Joe in more detail, you might be interested in another article I have written: Kamado Joe vs Big Green Egg- Which One is Better? Other Ceramic Cookers Primo is another popular ceramic cooker on the market, and the oval-shaped models have more cooking area than most kamado grills. Kamado Joe, the Big Green Egg and Primo are quite expensive and aren’t an option for some people. However, there are some cheaper alternatives on the market such as the PitBoss Kamado, and the Akorn Char-Griller. Although the Akorn is not made with ceramic materials, it is still a quality kamado cooker. Best Fuel for Ceramic Smokers Lump Charcoal is the best fuel source on a kamado grill. Not only does lump taste better and burn hotter, it can also be reused. One of the best features of a Kamado is that you don’t have to constantly add fuel, it’s set and forget. Briquettes can be used in a kamado but they produce more ash, which means more mess. Also, if you are doing long and slow cooks, charcoal needs to be monitored because it can ash up and choke out the flame. Briquettes are fine to use in some situations, but lump is the way to go most of the time. The Best Wood For Ceramic Smokers Wood chunks work best in ceramic egg smokers because wood chips would burn too fast. Spread the wood chunks evenly over the lump charcoal so it can produce a nice, consistent flow of smoke throughout the cook. Wood isn’t the only source of smoke from a ceramic grill. Lump charcoal and meat dripping onto the fire also produces smoke. How to Use a Ceramic Smoker The amount of fuel and the target temperatures will first depend on the mode of cooking; Direct or indirect. Direct cooking is where you place the meat directly over the flame and is a faster way of cooking. Indirect cooking is the low and slow method where you place the meat away from the flame as much as possible. This method produces tender meat but requires more time. Egg/Kamado grills have a heat deflector which protects the food from the fire. Cooking Temperature on a Ceramic Grill If you are indirectly cooking, then the temperature range should be in the 230-400°F range. The first few times you they an indirect cook, fill the coal basket and note how much charcoal you burned. Once you get to know your kamado grill, you should be able to calculate the right amount of coal. How To Control Temperature If you want to cook low and slow, make sure not to leave all the vents wide open. Ceramic cookers get hot fast and can take a long time to lower the temperature. Open the vents 1/4 while heating and then close to about 1/8 inch once you have reached your target temperature. Grilling on a Ceramic Cooker A great way to start on a kamado is grilling steaks, burgers and other quick and easy barbecue cuts. You can cook steaks over a direct flame, just as you would on a regular grill. Don’t Add Water Unlike other smokers, ceramic smokers don’t need a water pan to add moisture and regulate temperature.The dome-shaped design of the kamado grill allows air to circulate, which helps keep moisture. They do not need water pans because of the moisture inside the dome cook chamber. If you use a pater pan in a kamado, don’t expect to get the temperature over 250°F. Ceramic grills produce a lot of moisture, so water pans aren’t necessary. Don’t Open The Lid Opening and closing the lid while smoking meat is necessary for basting, turning meat, and adding fuel. Regular charcoal grills loose a lot of temperature when the lid is opened too often. Ceramic kamado grills have an amazing ability to retain a consistent temperature despite the lid being opened and closed. Briquettes can be used in a kamado but they produce more ash, which means more mess. Also, if you are doing long and slow cooks, charcoal needs to be monitored because it can ash up and choke out the flame. Briquettes are fine to use in some situations, but lump is the way to go most of the time. How to Light a Ceramic Smoker A chimney starter is the easiest way to light a fire in a charcoal smoker. A good technique is to light a small amount of lump charcoal in a chimney, then pour it over a layer of unlit charcoal in your kamado grill. Lay wood chunks over the coal and leave for about half an hour while the temperature stabilises. If you don’t use a charcoal basket, place a fire starter in the middle of the charcoal. Otherwise, use two or three lighters and scatter them underneath the charcoal. Then close the lid and open the vents all the way. After about 15 to 20 minutes, add your grills and plates and adjust your vents until you reach your target temperature before adding meat. When lighting a kamado, it’s important not to overshoot the target temperature. Ceramic grills keep heat very well so they can be difficult to bring down, even if you close off the vents. This is one of the learning curves of using ceramic cookers. It can take a few times, but once you learn how to control the temperature, the easier it gets. When starting out, do a few dry runs. Before you tackle a brisket or a baby back, you first want to know your cooker. As you are getting to know your kamado, watch the temperature gauge during this process. If the temperature spikes, adjust your vents.