Up Top Review
The Komodo Kamado is one of the Ultimate Grills. This is also a luxury product with a starting price of around $4,000 for the smallest unit. For the largest, the 42-Inch Charcoal Grill, the price can easily exceed $10,000USD. If you want a Kamado grill, but find this price a little steep, take a look at my list of the best Kamado grills before you make a purchasing decision. If, however, you are still curious, let me tell you that this might just be the perfect outdoor cooker.
What you first notice about this kamado is the tile surface. But before you consider the appearance, know that this ceramic grill is built with the same sort of refractory materials used by NASA. The insulation allows blast furnace-like temperatures on the inside and cool to the touch outside. The temperature control allows you to cook low and slow for hours (or days) or hit temperatures that would melt most other grills.
All the metal parts are 304 stainless steel from the smallest screw and bolts to the cooking grates. The stainless steel grates are 3/8-inch rods. The stainless vents allow for precision control with a top vent that spins for the smallest adjustments. This grill is overengineered on a level you won’t find anywhere else.
As for the exterior. You can pick any color you want. Once they have the color they will build it with a high-quality UV resistant material that won’t fade. Of course, this means custom ordering and a wait time that can reach into the months. But again, this is a luxury grill (and smoker) so I bet you can wait. This grill has good customer service and a good warranty (limited lifetime).
Komodo Kamado Charcoal Grill Long Review
There is a story behind the Komodo Kamado Charcoal Grill that is almost too crazy to believe. It contains pirates, a prized yacht, and a dubious man with a long and strange history. Someday I will recount all of this story, but for now, I have to wait. Let me just say that once, there was a boat that may or may not have been stolen. It was sailed across the Pacific only to sink in the Sacramento River. In a quest to come up with the money to raise this yacht (and pay a heft fine for damage to a certain bridge), a company was created. This company set out to produce a kamado grill that was a rival to Big Green Egg and surpass it.
This business promised a lot and the man behind it knew how to get money from people. He set up a factory in Indonesia to produce these charcoal grills and began selling more than they could make. The biggest feature of these grills was a covering in beautiful ceramic tiles. Unfortunately for the people who managed to get their hands on the grill, these tiles would pop off when the grill got hot. The internet became awash with complaints, demands refunds that went unheeded, and threats of lawsuits. The owner of the company continued to make promises he would never keep and the whole enterprise fell apart.
Abandoned in this whole story was a factory in Indonesia that really was trying to make a good ceramic grill. Enter Dennis Linkletter. Dennis sees an opportunity. He not only completely designs the grill, but the entire process of manufacturing it. He introduces it as the Komodo Kamado Grill. A luxury product costing in the thousands.
The Komodo Kamado Charcoal Grill
This Kamado grill has a new high-temperature grout that holds the tiles in place despite the temperature of the grill. In fact, this kamado can reach higher temps than any other Kamado. To handle the heat, the grill now uses laser-cut, high-grade stainless steel components. On the larger models, the stainless steel alone can weigh up to nearly 300 pounds. And that is without the ceramic body or the tiles. Yes, you can get a version of this grill that weighs nearly 1,500 pounds.
And speaking of the tiles on the Komodo Kamado Charcoal Grill, you can get almost anything you want. But remember, this is a luxury grill. There is a price to getting this gorgeous grill to match the exterior of your house, or the tile in your swimming pool. It can be done though. Unfortunately, due to the fact that these are shipped halfway around the world and are made to order, the wait time can be as long. As of late 2021, it is nearly a year on some models, though a few months on most.
Specifications – 42-Inch Version
- 796 square inches of primary grilling space for a total cooking area of over 2,000 square inches
- All metal parts are 304 stainless steel
- 3/8-inch stainless steel cooking grates
- Heavy ceramic shell with customizable exterior
- Dual airflow system with dividable firebox
- Fire tested to 1,000 degrees F.
- Spring-loaded lid offsets the weight
- Weighs over 1,500 pounds
- Wide range of accessories and additional features
- Made in Indonesia by Komodo Kamado
Komodo Kamado 42-Inch Charcoal Grill
Summary
There is something a long story to how Komodo Kamado Charcoal Grill came into existence. I’m not going to get into that here. Suffice it to say that this is probably not only the best-looking Kamado grill on the market. It is simply the most beautiful grill, period, and best of all, the exterior can be customized to practically anything desired. This version, the 42-Inch Komodo Kamado, is also huge. This is a ceramic shell charcoal grill and yet the stainless steel parts weigh around 240 pounds. The entire grill weighs nearly 1,500 pounds, so make sure you have a solid footing to put it on.
Being beautiful doesn’t necessarily imply much about how the grill works. The Komodo Kamado is over-engineered to perform, however. As a Kamado grill, it is extremely efficient, even at this size, and can hold low and slow smoking temperatures for more time than it takes to cook even the most traditional barbecue. At the same time, this grill can hit ridiculously high temperatures, and all the materials are designed to take the punishment.
There is, of course, the price tag. This is one of the most expensive grills on the market. As a luxury item, it can command a high price. However, considering the quality of the materials and its capabilities and capacity, this grill is practically a bargain at over $9,000USD. The price is calculated on the features and design. Units are generally available for purchase on demand. Though if you are spending this much, I would really consider doing a custom order. This way you get the exact color, finish, and features.
PROS
- Huge
- Beautiful Design
- Highly Customizable
- Superior Smoking Abilities
- Highest Quality Components
CONS
- Extremely Heavy
- Expensive
