Creating temperature zones in a kamado, cook several dishes at once

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.

What are temperature zones in a kamado?

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.

Why a kamado creates zones by itself

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.

Creating zones with indirect cooking

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.

Combining zones with direct cooking

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.

The role of height and multilevel systems

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 and zones

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.

Common mistakes with temperature zones

• Assuming the temperature is the same everywhere
• Putting everything over the hottest spot at once
• Not making use of the difference in height
• Using too aggressive an airflow

These mistakes cause stress and uneven results. You can read more about this in common kamado mistakes.

Why temperature zones make cooking more relaxed

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.