Getting Started With The Kamado Joe Smoker

Filed under Smokers

Kamado History

Clay vessels have been used by humans to cook food for many thousands of years. Clay cooking pots have been found in every part of the world and some of the earliest dated by Archaeologists to be over 3000 years old have been found in China. It is believed that in these circular clay cooking vessels are the origins of the modern Kamado albeit the clay finally being superseded by ceramic materials.

The name kamado is the Japanese word for stove or cooking range. The word has become a generic term for this style of ceramic cooker.

Natural Lump Charcoal

Natural Lump Charcoal is highly recommended for cooking in your Kamado Joe. Beyond the superior taste of the food it is a natural and sustainable product. Lump charcoal is made from hardwoods like oak, hickory and maple.

It is therefore highly recommended that you only use natural lump charcoal in your Kamado Joe.

• When lump charcoal is used in a grill or smoker that has good ventilation control with adjustable air vents, the burn rate of the lump charcoal can be better controlled and this helps in regulating the cooking temperature.
• Since there are no additives or fillers, there is very little ash remaining after the coals burn. This is a big plus and makes cleanup after grilling or smoking easier.
• Lump charcoal lights faster and burns hotter than briquettes. It is possible with some brands of lump charcoal to get the temperature of your Kamado Joe above 750ªF. This is perfect for grilling steaks.

Lighting Lump Charcoal

Never use starter fluid or “instant light” briquettes. It will give an undesirable flavor to your food and impregnate the ceramic material of your Kamado Joe Grill and Smoker. There are many other ways to light up lump charcoal.

Newspaper: Start by tightly crumpling 3-4 sheets and place them in the bottom of the fire box, then place 2 or 3 handfuls of lump charcoal over on top of the newspaper. Open the bottom draft door and light the newspaper. Once lit, close the dome and fully open the top vent. Allow the Kamado Joe to reach the desired temperature.

Fire Starter Squares are the preferred way as well as the quickest way to start your grill. They are odorless, smokeless and environmentally safe. Each cube burns up to 1300ºF for 8-12 minutes to ensure that you're ready to cook in 15 minutes.

You can also use a charcoal chimney or an electric charcoal starter.

Controlling The Temperature

Controlling the temperature inside your Kamado Joe is as simple as controlling the air flow through the Kamado Joe using your top and bottom air vents. The air flow through your Kamado Joe cooker is illustrated in the diagram on the right.

The more open the vents, the more air that will be allowed to flow through the cooker and the hotter the temperature will be. The opposite is also true. The more closed you keep the vents the lesser the air flow and the lower the temperature.

Cooking Temperature Guide

You can use the following vent adjustment guide for approximate top and bottom vent settings for various temperatures and foods. The more experience you have using your Kamado Joe cooker, the easier it will be for you to adjust the vents to get the desired cooking temperature inside the dome.

The thermometer located in the dome of your Kamado Joe will give you a precise temperature reading of the temperature inside the dome. When cooking, make sure you check the temperature every 30 minutes and make the necessary vent adjustments in order to maintain the desired temperature.

Cleaning and Maintenance

After every second or third use of your Kamado Joe, remove the ashes that have collected in the bottom. They can be removed with the provided ash tool. Do not allow the ash to build up as this will hinder the air flow. The fire ring and fire box do not need to be removed for cleaning. If the gasket around the upper or lower rims of the grill shows signs of wear it can be easily replaced. Remove the old gasket material with a scraper, clean the surface thoroughly, allow it to dry, then attach the new self-adhesive gasket. To purchase a new gasket, contact Boyd's Equipment for all your Kamado Joe needs.

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