The ancestor of modern day ceramic cookers is the kamado, an ancient clay cooker. For more than 3000 years our forefathers used clay pots to prepare food – be it by smoking, cooking, or grilling. The Japanese perfected the art of using clay pots for cooking rice. Their pots were known as “mushikamado”. The ancient kamado has been transported to modern day America with the Dragon Fire Kamado, and the Komodo Kamado. With the Dragonfire, ceramics have replaced clay as the basic material, and the Komodo Kamado refractory grills and smokers look visually stunning with glossy ceramic tiles.
Another innovative company is Big Green Egg, who use tough, space-age ceramics developed especially for them in their EGG®. This durable ceramics material renders the EGG virtually indestructible under normal cooking conditions.
Anyone looking to buy ceramic cookers will find that they come in many forms – ceramic grills, electric ceramic cookers, or maybe a ceramic smoker is what you are interested in. Grill Dome is a very popular brand who have been making quality kamados for nearly 30 years. Although a ceramic bbq can be powered by electricity, there are certain advantages to using more traditional fuels. Natural lump charcoal is the preferred material for firing Primo ceramic cookers. Big Green Egg also recommends natural lump charcoal for their EGG ceramic cookers, since it lights quickly and you can avoid using lighter fuel by using an electric lighter or a natural fire starter.
Most ceramic cookers are very functional in all types of weather. You can cook and grill even when it’s freezing cold or scorching hot outside. The secret is in the unique shape and construction of these ingenious cookers. They use ceramic for the walls. The type of material used can withstand very cold temperatures while allowing the grill to heat up to as much as 1800°F. The construction also allows it to maintain a consistent temperature for a long time even while using traditional charcoal for fuel. You don’t have to worry about temperature changes and constantly trying to keep the fire going.
If you’re caught right in the middle of winter, you can still head out to your front porch and prepare the charcoal. The neighbors may think you’re outlandish and silly, but once they get to taste your cooking, they will definitely be impressed. Besides, you get the last laugh. As the smoke rises over the fence into the neighbor’s garden, they’ll get to smell the tempting aroma. To maintain a constant temperature – if you’re using the EGG Big Green Egg – it helps to leave the bottom draft door open half an inch and the small vents on the top daisy wheel half open as well. Just use the daisy wheel to fine adjust for the final preferred temperature.
Successful smoking is a marriage between smoldering wood and low temperatures. If you keep it between the range of 200° to 275°F, you can have the perfect smoked meal. The thick ceramic walls of ceramic cookers insulate and keep in the heat so that you don’t need to make constant adjustments when cooking. If you use natural lump charcoal to fuel your grill, it’s possible to cook all day long with it. The best part is, you don’t need to replenish the coal and buy more supplies. Just mix some well-soaked wood smoking chips in with the charcoal and you will be able to successfully tenderize your food by means of slow cooking.
There are a couple of things you may discover when using ceramic cookers. First, you’ll be delighted to find out just how much you’ll save on charcoal throughout the entire cooking process. Compared to a conventional BBQ grill, you will definitely use a lot less. The other great discovery you’ll make is when you realize just how easy it is to clean up the mess right after. Just remove the ash on a regular basis. If you don’t, your temperature may be limited the next time you cook. And the heat inside the ceramic shell takes care of any excess fat or grease left over after cooking, so these ceramic cookers function more or less like a self-cleaning oven.
Big Green Egg publishes an extremely informative website. The EGGhead Forum is the best ceramic cooker forum I have ever seen. It’s an extremely helpful resource. It’s filled with helpful comments made by EGG customers. This is a place where all types of EGG owners share experiences with those who are considering buying ceramic cookers of their very own. These are people wanting to share their cooking stories and successes. They converge in this very spot to answer questions, remove doubts, and share techniques. They have come to talk about the EGG and share their knowledge. You see, when you purchase your very own EGG, you not only get a wonderful product, you also get all the support you’ll ever need. You can easily find assistance among the Forum communicators.
It’s amazingly simple to sear, grill, or slow smoke on ceramic cookers. You can cook your side dishes at the same time. Just pop in the vegetables, pizza, bread and desserts. All you need is some natural lump charcoal to get the heat going and start cooking. Wherever you are, you can find ceramic cookers almost anywhere. Look for locations that include Barbecues Galore, High Country Outfitters, and of course, Amazon. Owning your very own grill is as easy as ABC because of the immense popularity of these ceramic cookers. A ceramic smoker is really a must-have for any barbecue and grill aficionado.
If you are considering getting your own ceramic bbq, you are probably wondering about cost, and, indeed, ceramic cookers prices range from extremely affordable at the low end to rather more pricey for a commercial ceramic cooker hob. Considering the pleasure you, your family and friends will derive from enjoying good food, freshly prepared in your own backyard or patio, with meat grilled or smoked to perfection, any outlay on ceramic cookers will repay itself many many times over.
Ceramic cookers – Big Green Egg pictures courtesy of Bill Bumgarner. Pictures used under the terms of the Creative Commons license.
