Now I am Kooking!

Just wanted to share with you all, that I am now the proud owner of a cobalt blue Kamado!! It was shipped last week, and I had a moving company carry all 551lbs of it down 11 icy steps onto my back patio. It's way too cold to play around with it now, but in a few weeks I hope to start using it. Anyway, a big public thank you to Bob Henrick for introducing me to the Kamado and helping me get it sorted out!! I can't wait to start kooking!!

WOW, I found via Google a photo of the blue Kamado. I have never seen this in Germany before.

To misappropriate an old quote, "Maria fiddles with the BBQ while Rome burns!" Good luck with your instrument of carbonage! I can't tell you how many times we had deep snow BBQ's back in the day in Nutley.

If I were going to get one, it would definitely be the cobalt blue. Good choice!

CONGRATULATIONS, Maria!!!!!

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How does it look on the patio? I'm very interested in one of these but can't tell if it looks more like "that's cool" or "you've got to be kidding me"

did you research the Big Green Egg? any opinions on one vs. the other?

TFS - now that I know what that means

WOW, I found via Google a photo of the blue Kamado. I have never seen this in Germany before.

Martin, the Kamado is sold in Europe. If you would like I can go find an address etc for you. Disclaimer: I am NFI with this company, just a satisfied customer.

Just wanted to share with you all, that I am now the proud owner of a cobalt blue Kamado!! It was shipped last week, and I had a moving company carry all 551lbs of it down 11 icy steps onto my back patio. It's way too cold to play around with it now, but in a few weeks I hope to start using it. Anyway, a big public thank you to Bob Henrick for introducing me to the Kamado and helping me get it sorted out!! I can't wait to start kooking!!

I am proud of you Maria, now don't let it, or the weather scare you. Light her (I call mine Hot Mama, she is so definitely feminine) during the winter it takes her a little more time to reach a steady desired temp, but that is the only difference between kooking in 10 degrees and 80 degrees. Of course there is that little thing about getting her lit and smoking. Did you get the gas burner? If so you can go from outside temp to 600 degrees in about 6 minutes. If you have questions, and I sure did, just holler at me.

Maria,

I'm cobalt blue with envy! I only wish I had the room at my condo for a Kamodo. One of these days, if I buy a house....

-Paul W.

Thanks everyone! I am really excited to do some serious BBQ!

John - My Kamado looks spectacular on my patio...honestly, it is a true piece of art. I am beyond pleased with the asthetics of it. Now, I do have a very large patio (1000 square feet), but I think it would look amazing anywhere. I fell in love with it just from the pics on the website, but am even more pleased with it in person. My husband on the other hand was harder to convince. When he first the pics of it, he hated it...said it looked like a big faberge egg. But everyone else that saw the pics online thought it was amazing...so I got one. Hubby spent this weekend helping me get the Kamado set-up. He kept remarking on how it is such a well made product...he really appreciates that. So I asked him if he thought it was ugly still, and he said, "it's a very nice piece of artwork"...hey, if he's a convert, then I don't think anyone can say it looks ridiculous...LOL!

Yes, I did do research on the Big Green Egg. I had never heard of either until I joined this forum. I looked at both and although I can't tell you if the Kamado is a better cooker, I can tell you that the Kamado is an extremely well made, handcrafted piece of artwork. The biggest BGE weighs only 205lbs...my Kamado, which is a medium sized one weighs 551lbs. The Kamado has very thick ceramic walls, and every little aspect of it has been reworked by the owner of the company for many years. I have spent the last few days reading the Kamado forum, and the makers of the Kamado have been using customer suggestions along with their expertise and engineers for years to make these cookers near perfect. The Kamado is a family business and they really make sure you have personal attention. They LOVE their product, they are not just out to make money. The BGE is exactly that...They are all basically the same. The Kamados however, are customizeable...you can pick different colored tiles, or not have tiles at all...it is just as much a piece of art as it is a ceramic BBQ.

I will certainly post some pics of it on my patio for you to have an idea in a few weeks. If you are interested in one, I definitely think you should research both the BGE and the Kamado. Get prices, read the forums, etc. These kind of ceramic cookers are for serious BBQers. And since the Kamado is a piece of art as much as a grill, there is more maintenance, (especially if you get a tiled one). Also, I have a feeling that the BGE is probably more "newbie" friendly...in that I am sure they spell things out more clearly for someone who knows nothing about cooking in ceramics. I did a lot of research on my Kamado before I purchased it and before it arrived, because directions on how to set-up, use, and maintain your cooker are pretty vague...LOL. Thankfully, the people at Kamado are very helpful as well as our resident expert on Kamados, Bob Henrick!

How does it look on the patio? I'm very interested in one of these but can't tell if it looks more like "that's cool" or "you've got to be kidding me"

did you research the Big Green Egg? any opinions on one vs. the other?

TFS - now that I know what that means

John, There are many differences between the Big Green Egg (BGE) and the Kamado (K), the most important being that the cooking chamber of the BGE is 1/2 inch thick, and the Kamado is 2 inches thick. When we are speaking of this difference we are basically speaking of a heat sink. once the K gets to the desired temperature it will hold that temp longer, and when the lid of the K is lifted, it will regain the desired temp much quicker. An example is: you have a turkey or a baking hen on the K roasting at 375 degrees. You raise the lid to put some veggies on, or to check the bird, and then shut the lid down. The K will recover any lost heat in a very few minutes while the BGE will take longer. Both will do a fantastic job cooking what you want to eat, but the K will do it better. And there are many more models of the K to chose from. Owning a BGE would be like kissing your sister! See the different models at http://www.kamado.com

I love the look of the Kamodos. They really are a beautiful cooker. Congratulations.

I have a BGE and I find it works very well. No complaints. One thing that may really help with the BGE, to overcome the recovery time that Bob mentioned, is that I use a computer controller to regulate the temp. It has a temp probe that goes into the cavity of the cooker and a small fan that is attached to the bottom air vent. This is a very user friendly and accurate way to cook, especially at the lower temps used for BBQ. Because of the active nature of the fan, the BGE recovers temps very quickly after opening the lid, usually less than a minute. I believe you can get these controllers for the Kamados and I would recommend them. It is the most useful addition I have found so far for using the cooker.

This is the one I have, but there are others available.
http://rocksbarbque.com/

I love the look of the Kamodos. They really are a beautiful cooker. Congratulations.

I have a BGE and I find it works very well. No complaints. One thing that may really help with the BGE, to overcome the recovery time that Bob mentioned, is that I use a computer controller to regulate the temp. It has a temp probe that goes into the cavity of the cooker and a small fan that is attached to the bottom air vent. This is a very user friendly and accurate way to cook, especially at the lower temps used for BBQ. Because of the active nature of the fan, the BGE recovers temps very quickly after opening the lid, usually less than a minute. I believe you can get these controllers for the Kamados and I would recommend them. It is the most useful addition I have found so far for using the cooker.

This is the one I have, but there are others available.
http://rocksbarbque.com/

Greg, I too use this system. Mine is called a Bbq Guru, and I use it in particular with low and slow such as a Boston Butt. I have been promising myself I would use it at higher temps, but the wire on the probes will only safely take temps up to 400F. I've never cooked on a BGE, and can only imagine the difference. My K7 has a 22 inch lower cooking grid and an 18 inch upper cooking grid. I think the Large BGE has an 18 incher. Is that correct?

Greg, I too use this system. Mine is called a Bbq Guru, and I use it in particular with low and slow such as a Boston Butt. I have been promising myself I would use it at higher temps, but the wire on the probes will only safely take temps up to 400F. I've never cooked on a BGE, and can only imagine the difference. My K7 has a 22 inch lower cooking grid and an 18 inch upper cooking grid. I think the Large BGE has an 18 incher. Is that correct?

Bob,

They have 5 models ranging from 9" to 24". I have the large egg, and yes you are right, it is 18".

Maria, contgratulations on your new cooker! There are several resources out there on the web to help you in your journey down the road of owning a cooker from the Kamado company. You might like to visit this web page about Kamado cookers to get you started. Later on after you have a bit more experience with your cooker and the Kamado company, you might wish to visit another website about Kamado cookers for even more interesting information to help you with your cooker. The stories about the Nam Sang, containers of charcoal, the BBQ Guru information and much more should keep you busy for a while, lol! There is a chap there named Tony Oliver who has a wealth of first-hand experience to help you. Hope your cooker works out for you!

Will

Maria, contgratulations on your new cooker! There are several resources out there on the web to help you in your journey down the road of owning a cooker from the Kamado company. You might like to visit this web page about Kamado cookers to get you started. Later on after you have a bit more experience with your cooker and the Kamado company, you might wish to visit another website about Kamado cookers for even more interesting information to help you with your cooker. The stories about the Nam Sang, containers of charcoal, the BBQ Guru information and much more should keep you busy for a while, lol! There is a chap there named Tony Oliver who has a wealth of first-hand experience to help you. Hope your cooker works out for you!

Will

The post to which I reply here is made by one Will Jordan is one I would like to see removed from the forum.

As you know Maria Samms started this thread to announce that her Kamado Kooker had arrived. She was thrilled to get it, and wanted to share with us. This person "Will Jordan" appeared to congratulate Maria, but he is in reality spreading some serious venom which is directed toward the Kamado company, plus the family that owns the company, and he is utilizing our own forum to do so. I own a Kamado, and am so far extremely happy with it. I emailed Robin concerning this Jordan post suggesting that it be removed. I got his reply tonight and he thinks the better way to go about it was to post this here so all could see. You will find the email I sent Robin along with his reply below. This has been approved (as you will see) by Robin.

My Email:
Robin,
The last post in the subject thread, the one from one Will Jordan should
IMO be removed from the forum. This guy (along with others) have issues
with the Kamado company and are attempting to use your forum to spread their
particular brand of venom, using Maria's thread. I would not be surprised
to know that the reply has annoyed Maria, or even perhaps upset her a bit.
If you click on the links the guy embedded you will be taken to a Kamado
Fraud forum, which is almost dedicated to posting nasty stuff re the Kamado
company and the people who own and run it.

Robins reply::

Bob, it does look a little funny, but I'm awfully hard pressed to censor a post that doesn't actually break any forum rules.

I certainly don't object if you want to reply to it, though, and tell the gang just what you've told me here.

Thanks Bob for posting that!

I am certainly annoyed by the post and only upset that I have started a post that brought some negativity to this great forum. Mr. Jordan only joined FLDG to give this negative response, and has no interest in us, food, or wine. Heck...we may all be too hung over to even understand what he is trying to say

The wine forum post is still there. I imagine their readers are still hung over this early in the morning from all the wine they drank last night, lol!

. The funny thing is they don't even know who Mr. Jordan is...wow, they must have some really tight friendships! (Here is the entire post http://www.kamadofraudforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=612 ...oh and fishing-99, it wasn't "missing" who made this post, because "missing's" name is Michael Clarke from San Antonio, TX and the person who made this post is William Jordan from Littleton, CO) But I digress....

Anyway, I apologize to you all for posting this...I would have never done so had I thought it would bring people in who don't really care to be here. I still stand by my original statement about my Kamado...I think it is a VERY well made piece of art as well as a top-notch Kooker, and I have had some wonderful experiences with the Kamado people. I look forward to posting my wonderful BBQ from my Kooker!

Sorry Robin for causing so much trouble on this forum!!

[Robin Garr]

Sorry Robin for causing so much trouble on this forum!!

It's no problem at all, Maria. I just didn't think it would be right to censor the post, but I have no problem at all with you guys responding to it.

Sorry Robin for causing so much trouble on this forum!!

It's no problem at all, Maria. I just didn't think it would be right to censor the post, but I have no problem at all with you guys responding to it.

Robin,

Probably mi biggest objection to this post by Mr. Jordan is that he is attempting to drag his dirt into our home. He is IMO sullying our good name with this kind of thing. He is using the FLDG to spread his personal brand of venom, and I object. To have Maria apologize for causing so much trouble because of him aggravates me too. We could use a thousand Marias, and one of him is one too many.

[Robin Garr]

Probably mi biggest objection to this post by Mr. Jordan is that he is attempting to drag his dirt into our home. He is IMO sullying our good name with this kind of thing. He is using the FLDG to spread his personal brand of venom, and I object.

Bob, with all respect, this is not the Kamado Forum. As long as people abide by the rules, I have a hard time understanding why a person who doesn't like the "Kooker" has any less right to say that here than any of our regular members have to praise it. Don't we debate the merits of commercial products, food and wine all the time? If there's something different here, please explain it to me, but it sounds an awful lot like you want me to kick Mr. Jordan out of the forum just because he doesn't like something you like.

Bob, with all respect, this is not the Kamado Forum. As long as people abide by the rules, I have a hard time understanding why a person who doesn't like the "Kooker" has any less right to say that here than any of our regular members have to praise it. Don't we debate the merits of commercial products, food and wine all the time? If there's something different here, please explain it to me, but it sounds an awful lot like you want me to kick Mr. Jordan out of the forum just because he doesn't like something you like.

Then you take me wrongly Robin, I don't really care one whit whether you kick him out (your words) or not. I think he came here to spread things that IMO are not what we are here for. If you don't care about someone using your forum for this kind of an agenda, then so be it. He didn't come in here saying that the XYZ ceramic grill was better than the ABC grill at 2/3 the price, now did he? no he came in under a guise of congratulating Maria on her purchase then quickly posted links to his real purpose. And I bet he is chortling tonight about the fuss he has stirred up on this forum where we are probably too drunk to know what we are doing. If you don't know what I am talking about here, then read where he has pointed you.

I know that I have rankled feathers here in the past, but really didn't think that anyone would think that I would do something like you accuse me of in your last sentence. Not just because I like something that he doesn't. At this point I wish I had left this alone when you answered my email.

First of all, let me apologize for the deceptive nature of my first post. It was bad judgement and I do apologize. I should have just simply said what I had to say. I am not chortling nor am I spreading venom. What I am spreading is factual information about Kamado and Richard Johnson. All of this is documented at the Kamado Fraud Forum and all you have to do is to read it. To wit:

(contents redacted but held in a private section)

And finally, thank you webmaster for allowing me a second chance to post and apologize for the first post.

[Robin Garr]

And finally, thank you webmaster for allowing me a second chance to post and apologize for the first post.

Will, thanks for your apology. As I told Bob, it's not our policy to ban posts or posters here except in extreme circumstances, and as much as I know Bob loves the Kamado, it's certainly not our policy to ban discussion of this (or any other food related product) and its quality and value.

That said, I have not censored but at least temporarily removed your allegations about the Kamado company and its owner from public view here, reserving them in a safe place offline.

They may be true, but they appear potentially slanderous and actionable to me, and I'm loath to expose this forum (and my own company) to possible litigation. If the material and documentation are published elsewhere, you are welcome to link to them, with the understanding that such links be direct and clear.

Robin, everything I allege is documented at the Kamado Fraud Forum All one has to do is search for Nam Sang, BBQ Guru, Santana, Indonesia, Topo, and in general just have a look around to see it all. And of course, all one has to do to witness the customer service allegations is to search Kamado's own forum for customer service threads. I had hoped to summarize the worst of Richard Johnson and his company, but I understand your reluctance to post it all here. Thanks again for your patience.