Ceramic Grills - A Brief Overview
Ceramic barbecue grills/smokers, sometimes referred to as "kamados" have gained great
popularity over the past decade in both the competition and backyard-enthusiast communities. For the uninitiated,
the ceramic grills sold today are based on designs that have been around for centuries. Many cultures around the
world have employed clay cooking vessels that are similar in shape to today’s ceramic smokers. One such cooker, the
mushikamado, used by the Japanese as a rice steamer, was the impetus for the grills used by thousands of modern
cooks for traditional barbecue, grilling for parties, and everyday meals. The kamado began to appear in the United
States after World War II when servicemen returning from the South Pacific recognized their usefulness in American
cooking. Today, there are upwards of ten companies that produce a kamado (or variants), and many design and
engineering improvements have been made to the original clay vessel.
 For anyone who has tended a fire for hours on-end, or even overnight, to prepare
traditional barbecue, ceramic smokers are a different experience with similar results. The
efficiency of fuel usage, the consistency of fire control, and the flexibility of the types of foods one can
cook, and cook well, make the ceramic smoker a popular choice. A low-and-slow fire for cooking a pork
shoulder can be maintained for well over 20 hours using only a couple pounds of lump charcoal. On the other
end of the cooking spectrum, a searing fire of 500-plus degrees can be achieved safely for a perfect steak. A
competition cook can win a national barbecue contest, and a single backyard cook can feed his or her family or
the entire neighborhood with a ceramic grill.
For many who have experience with commercial metal charcoal grills or the gas grills available at any home
improvement center, the price tag for a ceramic smoker might be a shocker. Most of them are priced between 500
and 1000 dollars, depending on the company and the size of the smoker. The quality of the grill, and more
importantly, the lifetime warranty that most of the smokers carry, render the ceramic grill an excellent
investment. If the versatility of the smoker is ignored, simply replacing components (or sometimes replacing
the whole unit) when gas grills are considered, ceramic smokers will easily save money over a period of
several years.
Safety is another concern when looking for the grill that’s right for you and your family, and the ceramic grill
has it covered. Unlike a larger wood-burning barbecue smoker, the fire is small and contained. Also, the ceramic
material does not conduct heat as well as metal, and therefore the surface of the smoker is not as hot to the
touch. While ceramic smokers could burn your skin under the right conditions, an accidental touch usually will
not cause injury. In addition, unlike the gas grill, there is no chance of a gas leak in a ceramic grill.
Whether your intentions lie in the utility of an occasional excellent meal, or if you are or want to become an
"an outdoor cooking hobbyist," ceramic grills are certainly worth a look. With a design that’s existed for
centuries, its efficiency and versatility, and its safety factors, the ceramic smoker could be your next (and
last) outdoor cooker.
For your reference, we have also put together a general guideline for grilling on
ceramic grills/smokers as well as a few staple recipes for ceramic
grills/smokers. You might be interested in our BBQ Blog too.
If you like to BBQ then there's a good chance you also like to brew your own beer, so make sure to check out
AllGrainBrewing.com!
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