In a kamado the hottest spot is straight above the fire and in the middle of the grate; higher up in the dome and towards the edges it is cooler. By combining height, a heat deflector and placement you deliberately create several zones, so you can grill, cook and keep food warm at the same time. A calm airflow keeps those zones stable.
By making smart use of height, indirect heat and airflow you can create several temperature zones inside a single kamado. That lets you cook different dishes at the same time.
In this article we explain how temperature zones in a kamado work, why they occur and how to use them deliberately for controlled, relaxed cooking.
Temperature zones are areas in your kamado with a different heat intensity. The heat is not the same everywhere. Close to the fire it is hotter; higher up in the kamado and towards the edges it is cooler.
Because a kamado works with convection heat and ceramic, these differences build up gradually. That is what makes the zones usable and predictable.
If you want to understand how the heat circulates first, read What is convection heat in a kamado.
Heat rises. That is simple physics. In a kamado it means the area straight above the fire is the hottest. The higher you go into the dome, the lower the intensity and the more even the heat.
The ceramic softens these differences but does not remove them entirely. And that is exactly what lets you cook several dishes at once.
For indirect cooking you use a heat deflector. Even so, temperature differences still appear. The middle of the grate is usually warmer than the outer edges, and grates placed higher up are cooler.
Bear that in mind and you can put larger cuts of meat in the warmer area and place side dishes or vegetables towards the edge or higher up.
You can read more about this technique in Indirect cooking on a kamado.
You can create zones when cooking directly too. By not using the entire charcoal bed, or by moving food between the middle and the edge, you work with different heat intensities.
This is especially handy with steaks, where you build up colour gently first and then sear intensely for a short time.
Read more about this in Direct cooking on a kamado.
Height is one of the most powerful ways to create temperature zones. The higher you cook, the gentler the heat. Our Smart Qooking multilevel system, which comes as standard with all our Pro Large and Extra Large kamados, lets you grill, cook and keep food warm all at the same time.
That works perfectly for larger sessions or when different dishes need different timing.
Airflow influences how pronounced the zones are. An aggressive airflow makes the differences bigger, a calm airflow spreads the heat more evenly.
If you want stable zones, steer the air gently. You can read more about this in Airflow in a kamado explained.
These mistakes cause stress and uneven results. You can read more about this in common kamado mistakes.
Using zones means you do not have to time everything perfectly. Dishes can be moved to a cooler zone for a while without overcooking or burning.
That makes cooking clearer, calmer and more consistent, which is exactly what kamado cooking is about.
Uitsparingsmaten per Grill Bill-maat, ventilatie onderin, hout afschermen en de keuze tussen kopen, laten bouwen of zelf maken. Plus de Large en XL Solo zonder trolley.
Grill Bill Classic of Pro? Het keramiek is in alle drie hetzelfde en de garantie ook. Je betaalt voor afdichting, glazuur en uitrusting. Per maat op een rij, met complete specificatietabellen.
Onderhoud aan een kamado is geen eenmalige voorjaarsbeurt maar drie ritmes: na elke sessie, elk kwartaal en een keer per jaar. Inclusief de pakking terugknijpen in plaats van vervangen, en veilig opstoken na een lange stilstand.
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