Traditionally, a charcoal kamado is a Japanese earthenware cooking vessel. The most common version today is a hinged ceramic pot with grates, airflow control ports. because of this construction, they are often referred to as ceramic grills. While very simple in their design, the quality of the food they produce has generated a cult following for these grills. Ceramic grills are also much more weather resistant than metal grills that have a habit of rusting away in many climates.
WHY USE A KAMADO GRILL INSTEAD OF A METAL GRILL?
Much more temperature control and stability, less airflow results in more retained moisture in foods. Charcoal always burns at the maximum volume for the allowed airflow, therefore, controlling airflow is how you regulate temperature. Because a low and slow cook can run 20 hours the volume of air flow and evaporation it creates dramatically influences the moisture content of the final product. The thicker walls of a ceramic grill create the thermal mass giving it stability and reducing heat loss. Metal grills on the other hand absolutely radiate heat and require more fuel and airflow to maintain the cooking temperature. With a metal grill as the ambient temperature changes, you must adjust the airflow to correct for the changes.
STABILITY
The heat held in the walls of the ceramic grill creates the inertia to reduce temperature fluctuations. This stability makes long, low and slow cooks much more user-friendly. With metal grills, you need to adjust your airflow to compensate when temps drop, or even the wind starts to blow to maintain your target cooking temperature.
BODY- GLAZED POT CERAMIC GRILLS
All the ceramic grills on the market today are basically a simple glazed ceramic pot with a high-temperature firebox to shield the body from the hot charcoal. They are round in shape, built with straps around the middle of both the top and bottom connected by a hinge. The problem with this design is that you can't escape physics, the grills expanded and contract when heated and the straps continually need adjustment. When they lose this adjustment, they leak and burn up gaskets.