kamado

Kamado is a traditional Japanese cooking device consisting of a rounded, thick-walled ceramic or earthenware stove with a fitted lid. The word kamado means stove or furnace in Japanese and historically referred to a clay hearth used in homes for a variety of cooking tasks, notably boiling, steaming, and simmering. These stoves were typically fueled by charcoal and featured vents to regulate airflow, preserving heat and moisture for extended cooking.

In modern cooking, the term kamado has also come to describe a class of ceramic grills modeled after the traditional hearth. Kamado grills are egg-shaped vessels with a ceramic body, a hinged lid, and adjustable vents both at the bottom and the top. This design emphasizes heat retention and convection, enabling high-temperature direct grilling as well as indirect cooking, smoking, and baking.

Materials and construction vary, but traditional kamado stoves used natural clay or ceramic. Contemporary kamado grills often employ reinforced ceramic or porcelain enamel exteriors and removable ash pans, with accessories such as heat deflectors and grate systems to support different cooking modes.

Popularized outside Japan by brands such as Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe, kamado-style grills have become a distinct segment of outdoor cookery. They are valued for versatility, energy efficiency, and the ability to cook at a wide range of temperatures, from searing to low-and-slow smoking and baking.

Maintenance involves regular ash removal, vent cleaning to prevent clogging, and cautious handling to avoid heat damage to the ceramic body.