We had an almost successful first try at using our ceramic cooker as a tandoor oven. We made some changes and tried again.

Recap of issues from the first try

The first attempt resulted in chicken that was unevenly done — the edge pieces were well cooked, but the middle ones were not quite done.

We had to be gentle with the skewers or the meat would slide off the bottom of the skewers.

We fried the gasket in the BGE by using a platesetter that redirected the heat to the gasket area. (more…)

One of the accessories we wanted for our Big Green Egg kamado-style grill was a grill lifter, a gadget to remove a too-hot-to-touch grill to get at the charcoal beneath. We looked at the crooked-stick ones sold by barbeque stores and at the clamp-like one by Big Green Egg. The Big Green Egg one was better than the others, but still a bit wobbly in how it held the grill. Some people buy two of them, but that seemed needlessly expensive. Also, the handles are short, putting your hands close to the hot grill.

Then I saw this grid lifter at Amazon. It was cheaper than the Big Green Egg one and Amazon has a great return policy, so I ordered it. It was, as noted in the comments at Amazon, a different model than pictured there. (more…)

We decided to try using the Big Green Egg (BGE) as a tandoor oven.

Features of a traditional tandoor

A tandoor is typically a cylindrical clay oven, open on the top. It can be heated by charcoal or gas (in modern versions). It runs at temperatures from 500 to 800 degrees F. Very long skewers of marinated meat are lowered into the oven vertically. Cooking time is quick, usually 8 to 15 minutes. The meat is surrounded on all sides by intense heat which caramelizes the surface, and the quick cooking time minimizes moisture loss. The marinade is not oily enough to drip and cause flames. (more…)