Blaze Aluminum Kamado: Tested In The Outdoor Kitchen

[@williamcornog633]

After many years lusting for this kamado, I ordered one yesterday. I've had a Steel Keg kamado for the last 20 years, cooking year round in North Dakota weather. I've had ZERO issues with the Steel Keg but she's starting to "age" a bit. I can't wait for this jewel to land in my outdoor kitchen! YeeHaa!

[@RyanWadePhotos]

I bought my Blaze Kamado after watching the first video with all the other Kamado’s. Absolutely love the thing! I’ve had a Kamado before, then switched to a pellet. Biggest issue I had with those is, as much as I cook outside, they don’t last long before the internal components begin to wear out from use. When I decided to get a new grill, I really wanted to get back into a Kamado, but wanted something I wouldn’t have to replace the fire bowl in every year or so. That gets expensive! The Blaze has been amazing! Yes, it is pricey, but I honestly feel like I’ve gotten what I paid for with it. If this ends up being the last grill I ever buy, it will be the buy of the century.

[@MatthewParksSr]

I've been a huge fan of the Blaze Grills aluminum kamado for a while now. It was my dream kamado, and I'm so happy with it. I use it a lot on my channel, and I can honestly say that the quality of each and every component is top-notch. It even comes with a lifetime warranty on all of the original components, which is a huge plus. One thing I really like about the Blaze is how well-integrated all of the components are. For example, the top cap is very secure and doesn't come loose like it did on my previous kamado. I also have the Blaze's Rotisserie which weatherproof ( or as weatherproof as an electric device can) which is important in Florida. The Blaze's deflector is also top quality. It and everything Blaze makes, like the grates, are thick and heavy finely machined metal. I use it as a griddle all the time, and it's perfect for cooking burgers, vegetables, and even Philly cheesesteaks. I haven't tried pizza yet because I have a separate pizza oven, but I know that it's possible to cook pizza on the Blaze as well. With this deflector, there is no need to purchase a Blackstone. Overall, I'm extremely happy with my Blaze Grills kamado. It's the best kamado I've ever used, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a high-quality kamado. It is worth every penny.

[@richrico9783]

Dave - thnx for this video. Reaffirms my feelings. I bought mine a few years ago and absolutely love it. So easy to use and a real heirloom I plan to pass down to the kids. This thing will last forever. I wheel mine around in the cart I got with it. Very convenient. I also got the rotisserie with if and it’s terrific! Four bone prime ribs are amazing. Thnx again!

[@employee9911]

This looks amazing.. I have the Joe and I don't like the top cap falling off. I don't like cleaning the dust out of the bottom. I don't like the heat sheilds getting gunked up. This grill looks like it solves all of those issues.

[@fatman5377]

I have this thing. It’s bar none the best Kamado I’ve owned an I had 4 different ceramic ones. It’s bullet proof, it’s runs a packer in half time and it gets to 950F with the right coals

[@TheBarbecueLab]

Man, 950 is really getting up there! I haven't had it that hot. I was running it around 575 for lunch today, and it was awesome. I like this kamado.

[@fatman5377]

@@TheBarbecueLab I use imported hardwood coals, expensive as hell but lasts forever. I run a full load of coals about 30 hours at 275 for low and slow or two hours at 700 plus. This grill is a beast

[@williamcornog633]

@@fatman5377 Big lump burns much hotter in comparison to small pieces.

[@Smoke_N_EmbersBBQ]

The charcoal grate looks like they should have made the space a little closer together. When you dumped the ash tray it looked like some good pieces of lump that could still burn.

[@jw48335]

What an amazing cooker! I just bought a hybrid Even Embers pellet Kamado and that thing is amazing. I like that this aluminum cooker is indestructible, but the relative cost... I have an MHP gasser, a PK for charcoal, and the embers egg for pellets now (replacing an annoying Traeger). I'd love to see the hybrid egg pellet grills covered here, perhaps along with the Chargiller Auto Kamado and Spider Grills Kamado.

[@sideyardbarbecue3214]

I added a charcoal basket with divider for mine and a couple of half plates from ceramic grill store so I can do indirect with a hot side for searing. The divider you have works great for reverse searing steak and smash burgers. The rotisserie comes with a charcoal basket so the heat comes from the side and not underneath if you want. It’s expensive but it will last forever. I passed on that cart though, it’s as much as the grill 😅

[@Toxicmissile]

What charcoal basket did you get? Where did you get it? I tryed to looking for one for my kamado but most all i looked at seem to small for the Blaze kamado. All the ones i can find are made for Green Egg ,Kamado Joe or other ceramic grills. :-(

[@sideyardbarbecue3214]

@@Toxicmissile I got it on Amazon. It’s the only fire # 8554. It does need a little modification. I had to cut a few of the bars out to fit the tabs for the middle grate. But it works great.

[@MatthewParksSr]

I just did my Thanksgiving turkey on the rotisserie and used the rotisserie charcoal basket in addition to charcoal on the bottom. I like the results of having heat from below and from the side.

[@galanboyer]

@Toxicmissile what mods did you have to make?

[@MatthewParksSr]

@@galanboyer None. I placed both in the basket and on the charcoal grate at the bottom. Not to self promote, but I made a video.

[@galanboyer]

I currently have a Weber submit kamado. But I've had a bge and kj big Joe in the past the the Weber just isn't quite the same. I'm very interested in the Blaze Kamado. Curious on your thoughts on the Blaze vs ceramic grills like bge, BJ and primo?

[@TheBarbecueLab]

I happen to have a video on that: Best Kamado Grill Showdown 2024 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnvJmatqpduer8k

[@MatthewParksSr]

I have owned both ceramic and The Blaze. There is no contest. The Blaze is far superior in my humble opinion.

[@jw48335]

The aluminum trifecta - MHP Tri-Burn, this kamado, and a PK Grills v2. 😊

[@steverowe2943]

I was looking into the Blaze kamado earlier this year but ended up scoring a deal on the Goldens Cast Iron Kamado with accessories that I couldn't pass up. I really wanted the Blaze but with their SS cart, it pushes this thing well beyond $3K. I am still learning kamado cooking but so far loving it and think I made the right decision for me. I would like to see more content on the Blaze though as there are features that I found intriguing over the other choices. The rotisserie ability on the Blaze is interesting but I doubt I would ever use it as my old grill also had that feature with the burner and I hadn't used it in 20 years. The plug location being below the grate seems to be in an awkward location for routing a temperature probe though. It would be interesting to see how that works out.

[@MatthewParksSr]

I had the same issue that you did with the Golden's cast iron plus cart versus the Blaze. The Blaze actually made a smaller wheeled "spider"🎉 cart but it was discontinued and after calling the company they couldn't find any in any warehouse throughout the country. I wound up buying a steel kamado table by GDLF which worked out even better from less than Blaze cart. I considered the goldens, but I am happy with the Blaze.

[@mrmudcatslim1004]

1700 smackers. No rotisserie. No deflector. No cart. Is it double walled? Insulated? Or just the shell? Accessories would be nice.

[@canadafirst8985]

Double walled like turning a yeti mug into a komadoo

[@MatthewParksSr]

Hi, I own this kamado. It is not double walled it is solid cast aluminum. There's no air gap between it is none.

[@MatthewParksSr]

​@@canadafirst8985this is false. It is solid cast aluminum, which is why I purchased this one. There are some metal Kamados on the market, like the Akron, that are double walled. Again, this one is not. There are plenty of videos on this kamado that show, its construction and how they place it through a plethora of durability torture tests. It is not double walled.

[@mrmudcatslim1004]

@@MatthewParksSr Thank you for your reply. It is appreciated.

[@buicklimited1976]

Will your 17" lodge cast iron pan fit?

[@MatthewParksSr]

It is 20 inches, so I will have to try and get back with you. My initial thought is no and you may need a small pan.

[@buicklimited1976]

@MatthewParksSr i bought the made in 18" round carbon steel griddle, hopefully it will fit . The handles sit above the griddle itself. Thanks again.

[@MatthewParksSr]

@@buicklimited1976 very cool. my concern with the cast iron pan was the handle.

[@rockyhighwayroad7365]

Aluminum seems to maintain heat well

[@TheBarbecueLab]

It’s been really great in the 20+ cooks I’ve done on it since we published this video.

[@MatthewParksSr]

I had to concur with Malcolm here. The aluminum is cast aluminum which is a cousin to cast iron so it holds and retain heat in a very similar way.

[@rockyhighwayroad7365]

@@MatthewParksSr this must be why they make all the heat sinks out of aluminum, because it retains the heat so well

[@MatthewParksSr]

@rockyhighwayroad7365 Heat sinks are made out of billeted aluminum, not cast aluminum. So, the structure is metallically different. In your example, aluminum heats sinks are used because the conductive properties of aluminum draws heat away from the silicon. This is also why most high-end pans 3 ply pans use aluminum cores due to their thermal efficiency. Lastly, cast aluminum is similar to cast iron in composition. Some cooks in Europe use cast aluminum pans instead of cast iron.

[@TJ-tb3xm]

That fajita dish that had all the ingredients together was very cool! Do you have a link for that?

[@TheBarbecueLab]

@@TJ-tb3xm sure do! amzn.to/3LmPYpP

[@TJ-tb3xm]

@@TheBarbecueLab Thank you, sir! Love the videos!

[@user-ho1yn6ms7y]

I’ve been hoping you’d do a review of the Blaze! I think it’s priced nicely between a KJ classic 2 and 3, but with more space. Just wish the damn cart didn’t cost more than the grill! I get lifetime warranty, but geez.

[@MatthewParksSr]

I purchased a steel kamado table from GDLF for much less. And it looks nice to boot.

[@tigersaint124]

If it was bigger I'd get one

[@foodonfire3662]

It looks like cleaning is not easy... small capacity ash pan and you can't just scrape the ashes out through the bottom vent. Instead you have to reach down with 2 hands and keep the ash pan level as you bring it out. Wish you had included information on burn-time, temperature stability, cool-down rate, efficiency, time-to-reach-temp, risk of injury from touching the surface, etc. You know, the aspects that allow comparison of one kamado to another. Can't see how anyone would get this over something like the Grilla Kong for $850 including cart and shelves! Full disclosure, I own a Big Joe.

[@rogerboyer6323]

Too much $$$ for no cart and no accessories IMO. The ash pan cleanup is strange compared with my Kamado Joe. And I wasn't a fan of the hole in the side for running cords for temp probes. I honestly didn't see what this does that other Kamado grills can do for less money.

[@foodonfire3662]

@@rogerboyer6323 Agreed but my point was that this video didn't do any real evaluation of the product. Basically just restated the info from the makers website.

[@MatthewParksSr]

I have to respectfully disagree. I find it much easier to remove the ask pan and dump it as opposed to maneuvering a metal rake into a small aperture to drag ash out. I'm not sure if the holding the ash perfectly level is a valid argument either. Cuz again I've not had that issue. You just reach down, pick up the pan by the handles and dump it. In my own experience it is is stable and efficient. I just cooked the Thanksgiving Rotisserie on the Blaze and it held 350 degrees for the entire cook, which was 4 hours. I was able to track it via my wireless thermometers. It held that temp for 2+ more hours after the cook was finished. By sides my own, there are videos on KZbin that demonstrate this cook/ stable information. I used them while performing my research prior to purchase. I looked at the Grilla Kong, among others, but I will never go back to gaskets and ceramic. I am happy you are happy with your Big Joe.

[@foodonfire3662]

@@MatthewParksSr Fair enough. Still, I just put a Kick-Ash pan in my Big Joe and voila, lift and dump. Anyway, it's about the cooking not the cooker.

[@MatthewParksSr]

This was a splendid video. Here is a video from Blaze that may fill some of the gaps some gaps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3mqh6d3faaohJI