The word “kamado” means “stove” or “cooking range” in Japanese, and refers to a traditional wood or charcoal fired oven.

During WWII American servicemen discovered them in the form of the “mushikamado,” a portable, clay Japanese cooker, and brought them home as alternatives to the metal grills they knew.  The clay mushikamado with its domed lid was the inspiration for the outdoor cookers we call “kamados” today.

The dampers and draft doors give precise heat control in these ovens, and the clay retains heat for long periods of time. A kamado cooker can reach temperatures that the average home oven or grill cannot. Archaeologists have found evidence of clay ovens in many ancient civilizations, and the tandoor oven is still very much in use today in India.

The Eggman

The Big Green Egg was among the first kamado-style ovens to be marketed in the United States, and certainly the most successful. Founder Ed Fisher discovered the oven while serving overseas, and was so impressed that he began an importing business. He opened the first Big Green Egg story in Atlanta in 1974, and started selling a fragile clay oven, the progenitor of today’s high-tech model. You can read more about Ed and his Big Green Egg here.

The Egg has come a long way since then, and is now known as the kamado cooker to beat. It’s distinctive appearance and cooking versatility have inspired a following of hardcore fans who call themselves Eggheads, and who freely share knowledge at an online forum.

 

We like the slogan on their website that explains the cooker: The Most Versatile Cooking Device Ever… Is it a Grill, an Oven or a Smoker? Yes.

Big Green Egg Giveaway

Are you cooking in a kamado yet? If you are interested in doing some old-fashioned clay oven cooking outdoors, you are in luck.

D’Artagnan and Big Green Egg have partnered to give away a HUGE Big Green Egg package with a $500 gift certificate at D’Artagnan! Get details and enter the Big Green Giveaway today, and you could be cooking in style by the Fourth of July.