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The Skinny:
- Industry first, solid cast aluminum kamado grill
- Best in class lifetime warranty inside and out
- Incredible cooking performance
- Virtually indestructible
- Beautifully blends with your stainless outdoor kitchen equipment
Things We Love:
If you've always wanted a ceramic kamado, but have been concerned about their potential for cracking or breaking, you can absolutely put away your fears with this Blaze Kamado! This grill is virtually indestructible and could literally last forever. It's made of an industry first, solid cast aluminum, and their slogan could not be more appropriate - this kamado is "just that tough"! You can even take it camping or tailgating without fear and cringing over every bump in the road. I also just love the way this grill looks! With it's beautiful silver finish and 304 stainless accents, it will seamlessly blend with the rest of your stainless steel equipment in your outdoor kitchen.
If you've read my other reviews or watched any of my videos, you know how much I love kamado cooking. As far as cooking performance, this Blaze Kamado is right up there with the best of them! Heat retention is one of the most important features of a kamado grill, which are known for holding their temperature during long cooks, and the Blaze kamado is no exception. I found the thick cast aluminum walls to hold heat just as well as the ceramic kamados I've cooked on for years. I also like the unique tongue-and-groove design, which seals the grill lid tight to the base, allowing very little to no heat escape. Ceramic kamados utilize a gasket to achieve their seal but those gaskets need replacing from time to time. Along with the solid heat retention, the heat control is top notch. The lower air intake features a multi-function door with a dial for precise control and the built-in, cast aluminum top air vent, allows you to easily set the vent opening, and it stays put even when lifting the lid.
Speaking of lifting the lid, 304 series stainless steel lift-assist hinges allow for very easy opening. You can really feel the difference if you've lifted other kamado lids, which tend be be bulky and kinda heavy.
Under the hood, you'll find a 20-inch stainless steel hex grill grate. The grate is made of 12mm 304-grade stainless steel, providing amazing heat retention and a large surface area for beautiful sear marks. The grates also feature two hinged sections, which makes adding charcoal or wood chunks a breeze. Underneath this main cooking grid is an 18 inch, equally thick, 304 stainless steel, multi-purpose grate. You can actually cook food on this grate and the top grate at the same time, which almost doubles your cooking space, or you can set a pan of liquid or a heat deflector on it when indirect cooking. Under the multi-purpose grate is an equally thick, 304 stainless steel charcoal grate. When it's time to clean out the ashes, I love the full width, lift out ash pan. That pan is certainly more convenient and effective than scraping out the ashes on a regular ceramic kamado.
Another neat benefit of the Blaze Kamado's cast aluminum construction, is that it can handle any fuel source, even regular charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid, unlike ceramic kamados with their porous nature. Personally, I would always recommend cooking with lump charcoal but it is nice to know you can use briquettes and lighter fluid in a pinch.
As for accessories, the rotisserie accessory with separate charcoal basket is an awesome add-on and I like how the 304 stainless steel side shelves are so sturdy.
Finally, I love this grill's warranty. The Blaze Kamado is backed by a best in class lifetime warranty on all of the grill's components - that's all components inside and out. I'm not sure how it's possible to break anything on this grill, but you can have confidence in knowing that Blaze will stand behind your grill for a lifetime.
Things To Consider:
While the full width ash pan is a nice and effective feature, you have to remove all three grates in order to lift it out for clean up.
You'll Like This Grill If:
If you want the toughest kamado grill on the market, backed by a best in class lifetime warranty, that looks and cooks great too.
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