FAQ

I’m Dennis Linkletter, founder and creator of Komodo Kamado grills.

Why Komodo Kamado?

Are you someone who appreciates fine quality, insists on having the best of the best and won’t compromise when purchasing equipment?

Someone who understands great design and wants something beautiful when they look out on their deck?

Then a Komodo Kamado is for you.

That being said…we know our grills are not for everyone — and that's ok.

If a high quality, super grill seems ridiculous to you...there are many.. much more “main stream” glazed-pot kamados on the market.

Some people claim Komodo’s costly features and components are outright lavish and extravagant... and they’re right.

Does a grill really need high-tech insulation or CNC laser cut components? Absolutely not.

On the other hand, if you value overkill and unsurpassed performance….

and think that a charcoal grill with 238 lbs of 304 stainless is awesome...

We are building grills for you.

And…

You’re going to love… pulling the latch trigger and watching the massive lid open unassisted, and then closing with just a tug of your finger.

You’re going to love feeling the heft.. of the 3/8” stainless steel grates.

You’re going to love... The mechanical components that are CNC laser cut from brushed stainless then digitally folded and tig welded.

You’re going to love the performance.. that three different types of insulation give you...

One basket/16lbs of charcoal at 235º will burn for 85 hours.

Not a lotta airflow to dry out your meat there..

oh and most of all…

you're going to love hearing...

The ooh's and ahh's when your friends and family taste the food you’ve cooked!

Yes total Overkill but absolutely necessary…

Because, we build the finest grills possible.. no expense spared.

Because.. we build a grill so user-friendly that using it is actually intuitive.

Because… we make every component from the finest materials available and use the best methods of fabrication.

That’s what you’ll get with our grills. But you also get much more… 

The more is something no other company can or will give you...the more is me.

I’ll be there with you every step of the way from choosing the right grill and accessories, getting it delivered to your door and if you’re a first time chef I’ll even walk you through your first cook.

Purchase a Komodo Kamado grill and you'll get a bit of me with every grill shipped..

a grill that you will treasure as a family heirloom,

a grill that will produce great food for a lifetime.

If you have not clicked away by now and are still here ... you are probably the person I have in mind when I build these grills.

So… does a Komodo Kamado Grill sound great?

Give us a call…you won’t get a call center. You’ll get me..

Let’s discuss how I can help you get cooking on one of my masterpieces.

In your search for excellent performance, you could buy a lot of different specialty grills or smokers for the different types of charcoal cooking you do.  Or you could buy just one.

Whether you are grilling, baking pizza at high temps, doing low and slow cooks, or using our unique rotisserie option, Komodo matches or out performs the industry's best in these different types of cooks.

Only Komodo can make this claim across the board.  These features along with being built with the finest materials and production techniques make Komodo stand alone.

Kamado is a Japanese word for an earthenware cooking vessel.  There are many Kamados on the market, Primo Kamado Kamado Joe Grill Dome and  the Big Green Egg are all Kamados.  That being said, all Kamados are not created equal..

These other Kamados are all basically glazed ceramic pots with hinged straps and airflow control components.  They have a large firebox which protects the glazed outer body from the high temps from the charcoal.  Generally they have very low-quality fabrication and materials.  Primarily using powder painted carbon steel components and grills, these components are pretty much at the bottom of the quality index.

While in the same category it's like comparing a Ford Pinto to an Aston Martin in both performance and user's experience.

Just the weight difference tells the story. Typically glazed pot ceramic grills weigh about 140-150 lbs total..   In comparison, the 23" KK weighs about a half ton and has a a whopping 85 lbs of 304, the 42" has 238lbs of stainless. Stainless steel alone..

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 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 over 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 ceramic grills walls 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 around with straps around the middle attached to hinges. 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 loose this adjustment they leak and burn up gaskets.

A Komodo Kamado is a user friendly, luxury ceramic type grill on steroids.. That being said, it's not made from ceramic materials in fact everything from the materials used, to the shape and build quality is radically different from all the other kamado grills on the market. These differences affect not only the cooking experience but the quality and consistency of the food created in it.

A Komodo Kamado is not a ceramic pot, it is made of refractory cements which is what industry uses for high temperature containment in everything from blast furnaces and nuclear facilities. Read More

While this reduced airflow lessens evaporation and creates great food, this insulation creates stability for unheard of set and forget cooking. Set your airflow controls and walk away.. because the ambient temperature no longer affects your grill. Get a good night sleep when you awake your grill be within a few degrees of where you left it, period that simple. No adding fuel or fiddling with airflow even at 30º below zero.

The Komodo Kamado is lavishly appointed with 304 stainless steel components,, The 32" grill has 128 lbs of stainless and the 23" grill 85lbs.. Much of this is from the multiple 3/8" rod grates.. The 32" comes standard with four of them and the 23" grill has three that can be used on four levels. The over the top build quality of the stainless could easily be considered over kill on a charcoal grill but to adhere to the best of the best materials and method of fabrication using the laser-cut and digitally folded components were the only choice. The hinge which looks like a suspension component on a race car might not produce better food but it looks amazing and is over built and engineered to last a few lifetimes..

Self-Opening Lid
Damper Top
Draft door
Lip
Latch
BBQ Guru Port and Probe sleeves
Side Accessory Plate
Charcoal basket
Grates
Rotisserie System
Smoke generator port
Smoke generator port1
Smoke generator port2
Smoke generator port3
Smoke generator port4

Reduced airflow more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

This damper top keeps out the rain and is insulated to prevent blistered fingers The machined, oversized acme threaded 304 stainless shaft guarantees it will never bind and opens quickly. Just crack it for low temps, spin it open for high temp sears.

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Com that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Com that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Com that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. would (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense

Reduced Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

R smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

u more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

u more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

u more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more ..

High quality insulation reduces airflow this creates better barbecue.

Charcoal always burns at the maximum volume for the allowed airflow, if you can burn less fuel to maintain your cooking temperature, you will have less airflow, less evaporation and Bingo.. more retained moisture in your meat.

Reduced airflow also gives you more smoking Q flavor. Condensation is how the charcoal's organic vapor/smoke is transferred to your meat. Common sense would dictate that more retention time (from the reduced airflow) gives more opportunity for this vapor to condense on your meat and therefore you have more smoke flavor on your Q too..

And that's better barbecue.

Komodo Kamado grills are designed for both durability and performance. They are cast using refractory cements, these are the same materials industries use for high temperature containment from blast furnaces to nuclear facilities.

Hot face: This is the inside of the grill and has a dense durable refractory material. the firebox is the same material.

Main Insulation layer: This is a lightweight, very porous vermiculite based insulation that is fortified with Cabot AeroGel the world's most efficient insulation. To protect it from water, an acrylic jacket is sprayed on then the same acrylic material is used as the adhesive and grout for the tiles.

Cosmetic Protective Tile layer: The grill is jacketed with glazed ceramic tiles to protect the lightweight vermiculite insulation. A high tech insulation with nano ceramic spheres is used both as the adhesive and grout. This material is elastomeric and will flex as the grill expands when heated.

All KK grills come plug and play ready for temperature control devices. These use fans and probes to control airflow/temperature. Just set your target grill temperature and walk away. Some models use wifi to send both your grill and meat's temps to your smart phone. The two most popular ones are the BBQ Guru (theBbqGuru.com) and the Stoker (RocksBarbque.com)

The BB32 comes rotisserie ready. There is a sleeve on the inside left wall of the grill with a spring loaded plate and a sleeve on the right with a socket on the inside. The drive shaft has two bearings and sockets on both ends. One inside and one outside. The motor is mounted on the side accessory plate..and drives the outside socket which drives the roti..

I stumbled into these Kamado grills by accident and jumped in without a proper business or marketing plan.. One thing led to another and soon we found ourselves building a grill that cost so much that it could not be sold using standard wholesale to retail distribution. Our only choice was to cheapen the build or sell with a reasonable profit at what would traditionally be wholesale directly to the public which is what we did.

While the grills are expensive, they are also a great value because of this.  Loosing the middlemen was the way to go.. We believe the internet is now the first place people go to research larger purchases,  using both Email and US phone numbers we can efficiently communicate with our customers.

Please excuse the legalese language but it's a sad reflection of the world we live in.

Komodo Kamado grills are warranted for the life of the product as long as it remains in possession of the original purchaser and proof of purchase can be demonstrated.

*This warranty covers all defects in the materials and workmanship of the grill's body and components. The word "defects", as used in this warranty, is defined as imperfections that impair the utility of the product.

This warranty and does not apply to intentionally misused grills, or to damage resulting from negligence, exposure, rental or commercial use, improper cleaning, lack of maintenance/upkeep or other unreasonable uses. Not covered by the warranty is normal wear and tear (as reasonably determined by Komodo Kamado) and defined as "normal deterioration incurred by regular use of a grill." This warranty does not cover damage, loss, or other conditions beyond what the grill was designed for, negligence, misuse or abuse, improper installation or improper maintenance, acts of God such as: wind damage, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fire, monsoons, typhoons, cyclones, and any other naturally caused events.

In the unlikely event that a product has a defect, we require photos of the defect to determine the extent of the defect and the most efficient solution to resolving the problem.  Photos should be emailed to Info@KomodoKamado.com or be mailed to us for evaluation.

If a grill component is defective within the terms of the warranty, Komodo Kamado will determine the method for repairing the defective component. No assembly labor is included for such repairs. Komodo Kamado shall replace parts found defective with equivalent parts and shall ship such parts at the purchaser's expense to the purchaser's shipping address. Replacements on discontinued models may require additional funding. Any refunds or credits given will use a 25-year depreciation schedule.  Komodo Kamado insures all shipments and does not assume responsibility for any loss or damage incurred in shipping.

Please remember that you need to maintain your grill. Please inspect your grill a couple times a year to ensure the integrity of the acrylic jacket that is used as the adhesive and grout for the tiles. Keeping moisture out of the insulation is of utmost importance. Please monitor crazing/cracks and keep them filled with material supplied by KK.