Ceramic BBQ/Grilling

awec · 12-05-2021 9:49am

MonsterMob wrote: »

Not an expert on Boerworst so don't have the most refined pallat but the Louis Ludik/Hellbent 'Chakalak' ones (as opposed to the normal flavour) on the BBQ are delish!

Those are the ones that have a bit of an orange colour?

Will try those next so!

MonsterMob · 12-05-2021 9:50am

awec wrote: »

Those are the ones that have a bit of an orange colour?

Will try those next so!

That's them!

cubatahavana · 13-05-2021 1:03am

Spare ribs day...

circular flexing · 13-05-2021 1:15am

cubatahavana wrote: »

Spare ribs day...

You should put some foil on the ceramic plates to prevent fat and grease building up. That's liable to catch fire if it builds up.

The chan chan man · 13-05-2021 1:23am

circular flexing wrote: »

You should put some foil on the ceramic plates to prevent fat and grease building up. That's liable to catch fire if it builds up.

What do people normally do here? I’d just whack up the heat and burn it off

budgemook · 13-05-2021 7:42am

Yeah I've never put foil on the deflectors. I see people on YouTube using a drip tray the odd time for really fatty things like pork belly but I don't even bother with that.

grahamor · 13-05-2021 12:15pm

Has anyone got any good tips for cooking pizza on a kamado ?

I have a Monolith Junior with a pizza stone. I setup the coals and 3 starters to get a high heat going with all vents open. The thermometer reached about 300c so i opened, placed the pizza on the preheated stone, closed the top and the vents just leaving the bottom one up about 2cm.

The heat dropped after opening the lid and never really get back up to 300. Should i leave all the vents open while the pizza is cooking or how can i maintain the temp of 300c

Thanks for any info

cubatahavana · 13-05-2021 1:00pm

circular flexing wrote: »

You should put some foil on the ceramic plates to prevent fat and grease building up. That's liable to catch fire if it builds up.

Forgot to leave a drip pan, you're right

[Deleted User] · 13-05-2021 1:45pm

grahamor wrote: »

Has anyone got any good tips for cooking pizza on a kamado ?

Tried it once ,
Wasn't a disaster or anything but it wasn't worth the effort .
Cant remember what I dont but like you it never really got back up to temp (or not quick enough ).
I'll build a dedicated pizza oven some day.....

budgemook · 13-05-2021 3:33pm

grahamor wrote: »

Has anyone got any good tips for cooking pizza on a kamado ?

I have a Monolith Junior with a pizza stone. I setup the coals and 3 starters to get a high heat going with all vents open. The thermometer reached about 300c so i opened, placed the pizza on the preheated stone, closed the top and the vents just leaving the bottom one up about 2cm.

The heat dropped after opening the lid and never really get back up to 300. Should i leave all the vents open while the pizza is cooking or how can i maintain the temp of 300c

Thanks for any info

Yeah I have gotten really excellent results IMO. I would aim for a higher temperature - why are you closing the vents on top? The vents need to be open.

The main thing is to try get the pizza as close to the dome as possible, I bought the kamado joe expander rack for this and put the heat defectors, some bolts and the pizza stone on top of that.

Get as many pizzas cooked as quickly as possible or the bottom will start to burn before the top is done. Or just stick with 350 - 370 temp and be happy that the pizza will take 5 minutes and not be Neapolitan style.

[Deleted User] · 13-05-2021 4:13pm

grahamor wrote: »

Has anyone got any good tips for cooking pizza on a kamado ?

I have a Monolith Junior with a pizza stone. I setup the coals and 3 starters to get a high heat going with all vents open. The thermometer reached about 300c so i opened, placed the pizza on the preheated stone, closed the top and the vents just leaving the bottom one up about 2cm.

The heat dropped after opening the lid and never really get back up to 300. Should i leave all the vents open while the pizza is cooking or how can i maintain the temp of 300c

Thanks for any info

Yep same experience with Kamado junior- once you have any form of heat deflector with the smaller Kamdos that’s what you’re faced with- you can’t go blazing hot at 500c because you’ll likely break the stone- I’ve seen people using cast iron as a pizza stone but it can burn the base rapidly if at high heat.
I’ve actually given up on pizzas on the small kamado - You can do bread or flatbreads alright but I just find it’s too much hastle for pizzas - I be burnt too many bases at this stage

circular flexing · 13-05-2021 5:14pm

I got a pizza stone designed for higher temperatures and have gotten some really good results from it. The thinner ones are not designed for the high temperatures. Also a pizza peel is essential.

budgemook · 13-05-2021 7:56pm

Oh yeah my old pizza stone cracked first time but the kamado Joe one is solid.

hargo · 13-05-2021 11:18pm

Why not try pizza by using firebricks laid on the grill and no deflector. My thinking is the mass of the firebrick will stop it getting too hot on the bottom and raise the pizza up the dome. Lot cheaper than a pizza stone and definitely not going to crack

grahamor · 14-05-2021 10:29am

I'm going to remove the heat deflector and put the stone on the grill extender so it will be raised wont get too hot.

I bought a cheap pizza peel from Amazon as i've made a mess and lost heat trying to slide the pizza onto the stone in the past !

Regarding the vents once i put the pizza in, should i keep the top one open and leave a few cm open on the bottom one ?

cubatahavana · 16-05-2021 7:47am

Trying to make carnitas today. Inspired by my favorite dish from 777 restaurant

Stonyjim · 26-05-2021 7:02pm

Hi, was redirected by another poster to this thread. So I hope you all don't mind me jumping in. I am looking for advice from users Kamodos. I would ideally love to get a Kamodo Joe Classic 11 or classic 111 but they are very expensive. I see many places including the excellent butcher shop Higgins's in Sutton are doing what seems to be a good alternative called the Kamodoi Bono. The fact they are selling it adds to its credibility as an alternative in my eyes. l would love some first-hand feedback on the Bono from someone who has used it for a while. Even better if some had the experience of both and how they think the Bono stacks up against the more expensive alternative. Some review is available online but I am not sure all are completely impartial !!

The chan chan man · 26-05-2021 8:18pm

Stonyjim wrote: »

Hi, was redirected by another poster to this thread. So I hope you all don't mind me jumping in. I am looking for advice from users Kamodos. I would ideally love to get a Kamodo Joe Classic 11 or classic 111 but they are very expensive. I see many places including the excellent butcher shop Higgins's in Sutton are doing what seems to be a good alternative called the Kamodoi Bono. The fact they are selling it adds to its credibility as an alternative in my eyes. l would love some first-hand feedback on the Bono from someone who has used it for a while. Even better if some had the experience of both and how they think the Bono stacks up against the more expensive alternative. Some review is available online but I am not sure all are completely impartial !!

I’m waiting on my bono to be delivered at the moment. Its a ceramic pot filled with carcoal, it can’t be wildly different from the kamado joe in my view - but time will tell!

I’ve been tempted to buy a kamado for years. I’ve read plenty of good reviews on the bono so I went with it for that reason on top of the fact that I can’t justify the KJ prices.

Stonyjim · 26-05-2021 8:44pm

Thanks for that. That's the thing - there is a massive price difference. Now if the price of the Joe is what something like this needs to cost to be good - fair enough. But would be leaning toward the Bono at present. Have seen a few good reviews but also positive about the fact I have not seen a single negative one either. And I guess as it's not that cheap in itself at nearly a grand if the Bono was poor people would be online saying so.

quote="The chan chan man;117276838"]I’m waiting on my bono to be delivered at the moment. Its a ceramic pot filled with carcoal, it can’t be wildly different from the kamado joe in my view - but time will tell!

I’ve been tempted to buy a kamado for years. I’ve read plenty of good reviews on the bono so I went with it for that reason on top of the fact that I can’t justify the KJ prices.[/quote]

Gloomtastic! · 26-05-2021 10:34pm

I don’t think Higgins would sell anything less than very good. They treasure their reputation.

cubatahavana · 26-05-2021 11:25pm

Got my Bono Grande 3 weeks ago from Higgins. Amazing piece. Have gone through nearly 20 kg of charcoal already. It is a very well known brand in Lithuania. It has lifetime warranty on ceramics. Of all the non KJ or green egg, I believe is one of the best. Plenty of accessories as well.

I rather spend the difference of price in good meat!

I’m sure the Joe has better quality, but probably you are paying for the brand too. For what I need, the Bono more than satisfies me.

I have cooked steaks (cote de boeuf, tomahawk, rib eye, bavette...), baby back ribs, spare ribs, pork belly, pork shoulder (pulled pork), burgers, chicken wings, sea breams, scallops, vegetables (cauliflower, asparagus, peppers...) even a pork’s head last week! All was very, very good, especially compared to my previous gas grill.

My longest cook was 15 hours (pork shoulder). It maintained the temperature pretty well and one load of charcoal was enough for the whole cook.

It comes with an ash compartment and spade that makes removing the ash super easy.

Stonyjim · 26-05-2021 11:26pm

That's I think that's a good point. One of the great things about living in Ireland is that we have places that do super high quality food like Higgins butchers.

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

I don’t think Higgins would sell anything less than very good. They treasure their reputation.

Stonyjim · 26-05-2021 11:34pm

Thanks for the detailed feedback. The Pig even looks happy that he was cooked on it

) All messing aside that's what I was hoping to hear. The fact it can be used for long cooks without replenishment of the charcoal and maintain its temp is a big plus from my perspective. I was looking at smokers as well but they seem less flexible. If the Joe is a tiny bit better but mostly the same then I don't want to pay more than twice as much for it. .

cubatahavana wrote: »

Got my Bono Grande 3 weeks ago from Higgins. Amazing piece. Have gone through nearly 20 kg of charcoal already. It is a very well known brand in Lithuania. It has lifetime warranty on ceramics. Of all the non KJ or green egg, I believe is one of the best. Plenty of accessories as well.

I rather spend the difference of price in good meat!

I’m sure the Joe has better quality, but probably you are paying for the brand too. For what I need, the Bono more than satisfies me.

I have cooked steaks (cote de boeuf, tomahawk, rib eye, bavette...), baby back ribs, spare ribs, pork belly, pork shoulder (pulled pork), burgers, chicken wings, sea breams, scallops, vegetables (cauliflower, asparagus, peppers...) even a pork’s head last week! All was very, very good, especially compared to my previous gas grill.

My longest cook was 15 hours (pork shoulder). It maintained the temperature pretty well and one load of charcoal was enough for the whole cook.

It comes with an ash compartment and spade that makes removing the ash super easy.

cubatahavana · 26-05-2021 11:37pm

Stonyjim wrote: »

Thanks for the detailed feedback. The Pig even looks happy that he was cooked on it ) All messing aside that's what I was hoping to hear. The fact it can be used for long cooks without replenishment of the charcoal and maintain its temp is a big plus from my perspective. I was looking at smokers as well but they seem less flexible. If the Joe is a tiny bit better but mostly the same then I don't want to pay more than twice as much for it. .

People are going crazy for the slo-roller of the KJ. For me, I don’t think I need it. I’m a total beginner, and what I’m cooking is good enough for me. As well, the Bono Grande’s grill is bigger than the joe classic. The big KJ is on a different level, though (as well in price)

cubatahavana · 26-05-2021 11:39pm

Stonyjim wrote: »

The fact it can be used for long cooks without replenishment of the charcoal and maintain its temp is a big plus from my perspective .

So far 1 x 15 hour cook and 4-5 cooks of about 6 hours. Keeps temp fine and charcoal autonomy is very good

[Deleted User] · 27-05-2021 7:00am

Stonyjim wrote: »

Hi, was redirected by another poster to this thread. So I hope you all don't mind me jumping in. I am looking for advice from users Kamodos. I would ideally love to get a Kamodo Joe Classic 11 or classic 111 but they are very expensive. I see many places including the excellent butcher shop Higgins's in Sutton are doing what seems to be a good alternative called the Kamodoi Bono. The fact they are selling it adds to its credibility as an alternative in my eyes. l would love some first-hand feedback on the Bono from someone who has used it for a while. Even better if some had the experience of both and how they think the Bono stacks up against the more expensive alternative. Some review is available online but I am not sure all are completely impartial !!

Your post is one of the main reasons this thread was created- welcome

[Deleted User] · 27-05-2021 7:25am

@stonyjim

There’s a huge difference in price- like close to 1000 euro between the two so you’re right to consider the Bono.

My focus would be:

1. Availability of parts (especially replacement seals) and how easy it would be to implement the guarantee if required
2. Features of the Bono itself such as multi zone cooking etc

https://www.caterboss.ie/product/kamado-bono-media-ceramic-bbq-grill-20

https://kamadobono.ie/en/accessories

I’ve looked at the above links and have to say, I couldn’t justify the additional spend on the kamado joe - I have the kamado joe jnr which has a small cooking area (about 33cm) but bigger than a lot of small kamados and easy direct/indirect cooking-( I have gas BBQ as well so didn’t need another big one and at the time couldn’t justify the large spend on the larger Kamado Joe-along with a good guarantee and Irish dealers - that’s why I spent about 150 euro more on this vs a cheaper one. (It was about 450 euro)- this was before the Bono became more widely available

However if I were doing it all again I’d actually pay the extra few hundred euro and buy the larger Bono now- the market in ceramic BBQs is growing in Ireland - more popular than even 1 year ago, and more widely available- that’s why this thread was developed- I’d buy the Bono

[Deleted User] · 27-05-2021 7:35am

Comparison here
https://kamikazekamado.com/kamado-bono-vs-kamado-joe/

The chan chan man · 27-05-2021 8:05am

cubatahavana wrote: »

People are going crazy for the slo-roller of the KJ. For me, I don’t think I need it. I’m a total beginner, and what I’m cooking is good enough for me. As well, the Bono Grande’s grill is bigger than the joe classic. The big KJ is on a different level, though (as well in price)

You can get the bono limited which is about the same size as the big joe.

Yeah the slo roller seems to me like it really solves a problem that doesn’t exist. Its cool but it’s getting overly scientific where it doesn’t need to be. No way i could justify the cost, plus i really don’t need all those extra parts lying around!

awec · 27-05-2021 9:39am

I have a Luna and I'm delighted with it, also couldn't justify the cost of a Joe.

I believe that all the brands are manufactured in China. At a guess I'd say the quality of the hinge mechanism and the top vent may be better in the Joe, but the other brands are still good.

I think the newer Joes have a new type of top vent that stops rain getting in? I would guess that Bono / Luna will eventually offer this too.

*Ceramic* BBQ/Grilling

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Ceramic BBQ/Grilling