In the typical picture of a cosy back garden, you'll almost always find a nice barbecue. Most Dutch people are familiar with an American-style grill, but we're seeing that our fellow countrymen are increasingly choosing a somewhat more special type of barbecue; Kamados in particular have become popular in recent years!
But why is general sentiment shifting towards a different type of barbecue from the one we've been using for years to keep parties supplied with a tasty bit of meat? Well, there are a number of reasons for that. After reading this article, you'll most likely understand why people are switching to a new branch of the barbecue world!
What is a kamado?
A kamado is a special type of barbecue that (with the odd exception) is made of ceramic, with 2 air vents: one at the top and one at the bottom. These 3 elements provide perfect temperature control inside your barbecue, so you know exactly how quickly your piece of meat is cooking. This type of barbecue is seen as the best alternative to a Green Egg.
History of the Kamado
The history of the kamado is a particularly rich one. Originally, this technique of using ceramics to control temperature comes from China. There, people used ceramic bowls (the Yan steamers) to cook their rice. The Japanese gave it their own twist by enclosing the fire in a 'chimney' of earth and clay and placing their bowls of rice and food inside. They called this a Kamado – a word with several meanings, such as stove, hearth and oven
.
When, at a certain point, kitchens were increasingly placed indoors, the kamado was adapted too, starting with its height. The first Kamado models were all on the ground, so you had to squat to work on your food. This was one of the first aspects to be changed.
These developments continued over the centuries and the techniques naturally improved, up to the point where the Americans took the idea of the kamado home with them after the Second World War and turned the kamado into the one we know today!
Now that we have a bit of a picture of where the kamado comes from, how it came about and what the principle behind this type of barbecue is, let's look at exactly what the advantages of the kamado are compared with more ordinary types of barbecue, and why an outdoor kitchen with kamado is such a popular option!
Of course, we do our best every day to make the kamado even more convenient, but we now do this by installing extra conveniences in your outdoor kitchen! Such as in an outdoor kitchen with fridge and sink or by supplying a made-to-measure outdoor kitchen!
Temperature regulation
An ordinary barbecue also has a thermometer on it, of course, and with that you can keep a good eye on how hot it is inside, but the kamado goes a step further. Here, several elements play a crucial role when it comes to the temperature of the kamado:
- The material: ceramic
- The air supply and vents: both at the top and the bottom
- The shape: spherical
The use of ceramic in the kamado
One of the most important aspects of the kamado is that it's made of ceramic. Ceramic is a unique material when it comes to its insulating and heat-distributing properties.
Because the entire construction of this model is made of ceramic, the heat is first of all retained well, so the inside heats up quickly and you also need less fuel (charcoal) to get the kamado to the desired temperature.
On top of that, it's a material that distributes heat extremely well; this means you have the same temperature everywhere in the barbecue, so you can cook your food beautifully and evenly!
The air supply and ventilation shafts of the kamado
There are several aspects of the kamado that are interesting when it comes to air supply. One of the most important is that the kamado has air vents at the bottom (the bottom vent) and at the top (the top vent). This puts you completely in control of how much oxygen reaches the fire, so you have even better control over the final temperature!
There's also a chimney on top of the kamado that stops you from standing with your face in the smoke the whole time and lets you regulate the flow of smoke by closing the chimney shaft a little or throwing it wide open. That way you have complete control over what happens in your kamado; do you want an upward draught of fresh air or would you rather create a smokier flavour? It's all possible!
The shape of the kamado
The shape of the kamado also plays an important role when it comes to temperature. Thanks to its spherical shape, there is impressive heat circulation and distribution in the grilling chamber. This also helps to cook the food evenly and makes your use of charcoal even more efficient.
The round shape also offers a range of options in terms of how you can grill. You can easily cook both directly and indirectly, smoke with the help of a little smoking wood, and there's room to use lots of extra add-ons, which we'll tell you more about later.
The versatility of a kamado
With a kamado you really can go in any direction, and that's no exaggeration! As mentioned earlier, you can easily cook directly as well as indirectly, but with the help of various extras you can buy, you can turn your kamado into a real all-rounder. Some of the most popular options to use with your kamado are:
- A pizza stone
- Smoking wood
- Rib rack
- Cast-iron pan
- Rotisserie set
As you can see, you can put lots of different things on the table with these handy extras. Had enough of the classic barbecue for a while? Pop a pizza stone on the grill, let it heat up and bake a delicious pizza as if it had come fresh out of a stone oven!
You can also throw some smoking wood into the firebox; this lets you give your meat or fish a lovely (subtle) smoky flavour, which soon adds a whole new dimension to the flavour palette!
The rib rack and the cast-iron pan are also absolute crowd favourites. With a rib rack you can cook your spare ribs more evenly, so you no longer have to keep checking whether they're burning on the bottom, and the cast-iron pan transforms your kamado into a full-grown outdoor kitchen!
If you'd like some extra inspiration when it comes to 'Kamado recipes', we recommend having a browse through our blog after this article!
The efficiency of a kamado
As you can see, you can do much more with a kamado than you might think at first. That makes it an interesting addition to the back garden for occasional grillers and hardcore enthusiasts alike! But that's not the only thing that makes the kamado such an extraordinary piece of engineering...
When it comes to fuel efficiency, the kamado is an absolute beast too. Thanks to its round shape and ceramic construction, the kamado is also incredibly economical.
It retains heat like no other, and once you get the hang of regulating the air intake and circulation, you'll be getting the most out of your charcoal in no time. This means you use much less charcoal, which also makes it a lot more attractive for your wallet!
The kamado is also super easy to maintain. It's certainly not prone to baked-on food residue, and you can clean the grill in no time with an ordinary wire brush. This saves heaps of time after a lovely evening of cooking, so you can spend longer on the best part: grilling.
As you've probably realised by now, the kamado is definitely not an ordinary barbecue, and it offers many different possibilities when it comes to preparing food. With this particular model, it's no exaggeration to say: the sky is the limit.
So it's no wonder that more and more people are choosing to have a kamado installed in their outdoor kitchen. With all the options and add-ons that come with the kamado, it's the ideal solution for anyone who loves cooking outdoors!
Would you also like to know what a good solution would be for your back garden?
Feel free to contact us; we'll discuss your wishes and needs together and find a suitable solution! If you already have an idea of what you want, you can of course always request a quote from us without obligation!