Kamado heat
Kamadovärme
A kamado is a sealed ceramic box with a hole at the bottom and a hole at the top. The bottom vent decides how much air reaches the coals, and so how hot the fire is allowed to get. The top vent decides how fast that air leaves, and so how hard it is pulled through. Between them they hold a temperature for eight hours with no thermostat, which is the whole reason the thing is made of ceramic.
| Target | Bottom vent | Top vent | Settles, min |
|---|---|---|---|
| 110 °C | ~1 cm | ¼ open | 25–40 |
| 150 °C | ~2 cm | ½ open | 20–30 |
| 180 °C | ~3 cm | ¾ open | 15–25 |
| 230 °C | ~5 cm | Open | 10–20 |
| 280 °C+ | Wide open | Open | 10–15 |
Creep up, never down. Ceramic holds heat, so an overshoot takes forty minutes to come back, and a kamado that has run away to 250 °C will not be a 110 °C smoker again this afternoon. Set the vents for your target while the dome is still 30 °C below it, and let it drift up to meet you.
The dome is not the grate. The lid thermometer reads the air under the dome, which runs 10–20 °C hotter than the grate once a deflector is in. If a recipe asks for 110 °C at the grate, the dome will say 125 °C.
Wind moves the numbers, not the method. A breeze on the bottom vent acts like a wider one. Turn the grill or shelter the vent rather than chasing it with the top, which controls a smaller share of the airflow than people expect.
Shutting down. Close both vents completely. The fire suffocates in a few minutes, and the charcoal that is left will light again next time. A kamado is the one grill where the fuel you did not burn is worth keeping.