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The origin and evolution of kamado

For thousands of years, humans have been using POTS and pottery to prepare food. Pottery cookware is found all over the world. The oldest pottery on Earth was found in China, and these remains are 18,000 years old, proving that pottery and ceramic technology have been present in China since ancient times.

It is believed that modern kamado originated from these circular pottery cooking POTS, with pottery eventually giving way to ceramic materials. Today, the technology has evolved, but Auplex Kamado still relies on this Chinese region to produce their kamados.

Around the world, this simple cooking pot has evolved in all directions. Take the Indian tandoor or the Japanese mushi kamado, used for steaming rice, for ceremonial occasions. The original mushi kamado is a round clay pot with a loose dome-shaped lid, found mainly in southern Japan. Over time, it was equipped with control sliders and vents to better regulate heat. They also started burning with charcoal instead of wood. After World War II, Americans were introduced to mushi kamado.

The name “kamado” actually means “stove” or “stove” in Japanese. kamado literally means “place to put cooking POTS”. Today, kamado is the general term for this ceramic grill.

technology

Modern kamado grills are made from a variety of materials, including high fever ceramics, refractory materials, traditional terracotta, and a mixture of Portland cement and lava sand and gravel. Appearances range from high-gloss ceramic glazes to paint, stucco reliefs or tiles. Due to the use of modern ceramics and heat-resistant materials (technology also used in the space shuttle’s heat shield), cracks in the case are rare, as is often the case with original Japanese models.

Fuel

Most kamado BBQ burns with charcoal, but some have tried using gas or electricity. One of the advantages of the ceramic structure is that the prepared food will not have any aftertaste. For the same reason, modern kamado grills prefer large pieces of charcoal. Not only is there almost no ash in charcoal, the substitute is charcoal blocks, which contain many additives that can adversely affect the taste of food. The use of coppice can produce charcoal in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

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Kamado-style ceramic barbecue offers many possibilities. They are not only good for grilling and smoking, but also for baking pizza on a pizza stone. Bread, cakes and pies can also be baked with it. It is also ideal for making stir-fries, quiche or paella. This is because the ceramic housing has excellent thermal insulation, which means that maximum temperatures of up to 400 °C can be reached. In addition, the air supply (and therefore temperature) in the kamado can be very precisely controlled, so the BBQ can be used as a kind of wood oven. Therefore, your kamado can also be used to bake and bake all items made in a traditional oven.