Ceramic BBQ/Grilling

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

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

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

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.

Black Sheep · 27-05-2021 11:04am

Big Green Eggs are made in Mexico, as far as I know.

When it comes to anything made in China these days, there is such a spectrum in terms of what the quality may be like. There are Chinese factories who can make extremely high end precision products, that's been going on for the last 15+ years. But you also still have all the low end manufacturers.

cubatahavana · 27-05-2021 11:11am

awec wrote: »

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.

was slow cooking a shoulder for 15 hours and it was raining a little, water didn't seem te get in much. Having said this, something to avoid it it would be nice. Not 1000 euro nice, though. I was afraid of the hinge, but the lid weight on my bono is handled very well by the few strings

Black Sheep · 27-05-2021 11:32am

cubatahavana wrote: »

was slow cooking a shoulder for 15 hours and it was raining a little, water didn't seem te get in much. Having said this, something to avoid it it would be nice. Not 1000 euro nice, though. I was afraid of the hinge, but the lid weight on my bono is handled very well by the few strings

It might be worth checking if any of the Smokeware chimney caps fit. They work with BGE, Kamado Joe and I've seen them indicating they will fit other brands too...

https://smokeware.com/collections/chimney-caps

hargo · 28-05-2021 9:27am

cubatahavana wrote: »

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.

.

YUM Can I come to dinner?

tropics001 · 28-05-2021 11:36am

My Kamado Bono was delivered from Higgins yesterday. Looking forward to getting it set up and cooking!

cubatahavana · 28-05-2021 11:52am

hargo wrote: »

YUM Can I come to dinner?

Bring some meat!

The chan chan man · 29-05-2021 6:59pm

tropics001 wrote: »

My Kamado Bono was delivered from Higgins yesterday. Looking forward to getting it set up and cooking!

What size did you get?

cubatahavana · 29-05-2021 9:26pm

Lamb is back on the menu. Winner, winner, f*ck off chicken

tropics001 · 30-05-2021 7:06am

The chan chan man wrote: »

What size did you get?

grande.

tropics001 · 30-05-2021 7:08am

cubatahavana wrote: »

Lamb is back on the menu. Winner, winner, f*ck off chicken

lovely. whats in the side salad, blue cheese or something?

hargo · 30-05-2021 12:31pm

I see Also are doing the picnic kamado on the 10/6. Pity its not the same offering as the UK site selling which was selling the equivalent to the Bono Media for £350!!!!

awec · 31-05-2021 11:20am

Did baby backs at the weekend, they were nice. Wish spare ribs were easier to find here though, there's not a load of eating in the back ribs.

hargo · 31-05-2021 9:03pm

Personally I think ribs are over rated here for the amount of eating on them. As an alternative what I do is the whole belly of pork slow cooked in the oven in a bath of cider (Gordan Ramsey has a u tube video). Lovely on the day but if you let it go cold and firm up, you can cut it up the next day into nice thick slices and heat it them up on the bbq. I marinade the slices in a spicy mix i make myself. The effect is really soft tender pork on the inside with the the smokey searing of the BBQ on the outside.

blue note · 31-05-2021 9:11pm

That sounds delicious. But Jesus I love ribs too.

cubatahavana · 31-05-2021 10:07pm

awec wrote: »

Did baby backs at the weekend, they were nice. Wish spare ribs were easier to find here though, there's not a load of eating in the back ribs.

Higgins have provided me with good quality spare ribs

cubatahavana · 31-05-2021 10:09pm

hargo wrote: »

Personally I think ribs are over rated here for the amount of eating on them. As an alternative what I do is the whole belly of pork slow cooked in the oven in a bath of cider (Gordan Ramsey has a u tube video). Lovely on the day but if you let it go cold and firm up, you can cut it up the next day into nice thick slices and heat it them up on the bbq. I marinade the slices in a spicy mix i make myself. The effect is really soft tender pork on the inside with the the smokey searing of the BBQ on the outside.

May try this on my kamado instead of the oven. I shall call them DBB (double barbecued belly)

awec · 01-06-2021 8:54am

cubatahavana wrote: »

Higgins have provided me with good quality spare ribs

How did you order them? I can't find them on their site.

Black Sheep · 01-06-2021 8:57am

Been doing quite a bit of grilling on the BGE lately, what with the weather and all.

Ordered Aimsir Garden for the weekend, should be interesting. It's based around a 38 euro box which you then put add-ons with. All of the meats are suitable for grilling / BBQ, that's the concept.

Looking forward to the pork jowl, rare breed sausage and the stuffed flatbreads, sounds amazing.

https://www.aimsirathome.ie/pages/menu

Aimsir is a two star michelin restaurant. The head chef was over a three star kitchen in Oslo previously. Ate there last year and although it goes without saying it's extremely expensive, it is an unparalleled tour of Irish produce. They bend over backwards to only use Irish ingredients, you won't find things like exotic fruits on the menus, they'll try to find locally grown or foraged ingredients to create a similar flavour profile.

cubatahavana · 01-06-2021 11:56am

awec wrote: »

How did you order them? I can't find them on their site.

You place an order and on checkout there’s a space for special orders. You fill in that little square with what you want and they’ll call you to confirm and for payment. I order two ribs the last time and asked for 2 spare rib slabs cut st Louis style on the notes section. They’re 16/kg, but very meaty. The slabs were about 1.5 kg each and packed with meat.

awec · 01-06-2021 12:03pm

cubatahavana wrote: »

You place an order and on checkout there’s a space for special orders. You fill in that little square with what you want and they’ll call you to confirm and for payment. I order two ribs the last time and asked for 2 spare rib slabs cut st Louis style on the notes section. They’re 16/kg, but very meaty. The slabs were about 1.5 kg each and packed with meat.

St Louis style is exactly what I'm after. 16/kg is the price, so 24quid for a 1.5kg?

I'd say 1 slab would be enough for a meal. Spares are a lot meatier than backs.

cubatahavana · 01-06-2021 1:02pm

awec wrote: »

St Louis style is exactly what I'm after. 16/kg is the price, so 24quid for a 1.5kg?

I'd say 1 slab would be enough for a meal. Spares are a lot meatier than backs.

1 slab was enough last sunday for 3 people, granted that we had other starters, but there as a good bit left. I'd say minimum 2 peole per slab

The chan chan man · 01-06-2021 7:46pm

I ordered a kamado bono some time ago and was told it would be mid may. Recently I’ve seen a spate of people say they’ve received one.. so I’m starting to think mine was missed. I’ve also heard the next shipment is not due til August! Anyone else waiting on one? Dealer doesn’t really matter as it seems to be the same guy that imports them and distributes.

tropics001 · 01-06-2021 9:12pm

who did you order from? i ordered from higgins may 6th and was delivered last week. they did say when this delivery sold out they did not know when the next one would be.

The chan chan man · 05-06-2021 7:46am

Finally got my kamado bono limited! Super excited to use it!

awec · 05-06-2021 10:08am

Any suggestions for things to try that can be done in 3-4 hours? Other than ribs.

Dont be at yourself · 05-06-2021 11:30am

awec wrote: »

Any suggestions for things to try that can be done in 3-4 hours? Other than ribs.

Beer-can chicken is a handy one.

I also made some lovely cornbread muffins (sweetcorn, sautéed onions, grated cheddar, flour, polenta and buttermilk) which cooked in about 45m-1hr.

Chicken wings also handy for a short cook — smoke them for an hour then sauce them and finish over direct heat.

The chan chan man · 05-06-2021 12:34pm

awec wrote: »

Any suggestions for things to try that can be done in 3-4 hours? Other than ribs.

Beer can chicken, spatchcock chicken, paella, reverse sear steaks, jambalaya. Or the classic, saussies and burgers that no matter how fancy you get, can never be beat!!

awec · 05-06-2021 1:41pm

Picked up a pork tenderloin, will report back on it!

Gonna smoke it with some rub and bbq sauce.

awec · 05-06-2021 6:44pm

Tenderloin works very well.

The chan chan man · 05-06-2021 7:03pm

awec wrote: »

Tenderloin works very well.

Any pics? Malcom Reed on youtube has a decent video on them.

*Ceramic* BBQ/Grilling

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Ceramic BBQ/Grilling