How Hot Can You Sear Meats On A Kamado-style Cooker?

You can sear meats at very high temperatures on ceramic cookers due to the fact that you will be using lump charcoal, which burns hotter than briquettes, and due to the fact that ceramic cookers can be closed up except for vents at the bottom and the top. This creates a chimney effect which fans the fire and gets it much hotter than charcoal sitting in a typical open type of charcoal grill with no draft. More details with specific temperature information can be found by reading our web page on Searing Temperatures.

Can I Use Ceramic Cookers In The Rain?

Yes. Ceramic cookers work great in the rain. Cold rain pouring down on hot ceramic will not in any way damage your cooker. In a real downpour, you may need to fashion some sort of protection over the top vent to prevent water from entering the cooker, but rain shouldn't stop you from using a ceramic cooker. Below are a couple of photos of two owners' solution. Of course umbrellas, stove pipe caps, and any number of other methods could be used.

Can I Use Ceramic Cookers On A Wooden Deck?

Of course you can! But you need to take appropriate precautions. You probably don't want to use a ceramic cooker on a wooden deck with the just three ceramic feet that come, for example, with a Big Green Egg. While this does provide an air gap between the bottom of the cooker and the wood of the deck, you still need to be concerned with the odd ember or two that might come out of the lower vent. Also, the bottom of ceramic cookers can get reasonably hot under some conditions and it is better to add a layer of protection between them and the deck. You can use a grill mat, but be sure that the one you choose is suitable for use under a charcoal grill. Many mats are really designed for use under gas grills (ptui!) and are only intended to catch grease drips and keep your deck clean. Another option is to place bricks or cement stepping stones on your deck as the base surface to place your cooker on. The ideal material to use for this, however, is firebrick. Make sure that this surface extends to the front enough to catch any embers which might drop from the lower vent.

What Type Of Charcoal Should I Use?

This one's easy! Lump charcoal is really the only choice. Lump charcoal is pure charcoal with no additives, no lighter fluid, just charcoal. It produces much much less ash than briquettes and this is important. If you look at how ceramic cookers are constructed, you'll see that the charcoal sits in a bowl called the fire box. The ash from the fire will fall down into the bottom of this bowl, and there isn't a lot of room for the mountains of ash that you get from burning briquettes. More information about lump charcoal can be found at our Lump Charcoal Database.