Grilling is hot (d'oh!)

Is it my imagination or has grilling suddenly gotten um, extra hot, this summer? Every time I turn around, I’m faced with another press release about a new grill or BBQ product. This week, the cool kids all want to talk about ceramic grills. Except, a-hem, I did write about one of these, The Big Green Egg — shown above — last year which does put me, a-hem, slightly ahead of the trend.

According to the World’s Largest BBQ Store Ontario Gas BBQ, ceramic grills are typically egg shaped and charcoal fuelled, and use less fuel than almost any other cooker. Because the ceramic shell provides excellent insulation, they can reach very high temperatures, and the dome-shape aids in convection cooking (very even heat).

The technology can be traced back 3,000 years to the days when meals were prepared in clay pots over fire or coals. Today, the same technology has given rise to what’s known as kamado style ceramic barbecues. It’s found in the tandoor ovens of India and the mushikamados of Japan - round clay pots, fuelled by charcoal that have a removable domed clay lid, a damper and draft door for heat control. This ancient cooking technique, which takes its name from mushikamados, apparently came to North America after World War II.