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Can a Kamado Grill Function as a Tandoor Oven?


Can a Big Green Egg function as a tandoor (aka “Big Green Tandoor”)? Yes it can!!!

For reference, a tandoor is a clay oven shaped like a pot. Charcoal is lit at the base of the tandoor, and skewered meat is lowered into it to cook via radiant heat.

Directions:

  1. Obtain skewers that can be hung from the top vent of the Big Green Egg. We used these (out of stock), and we have also bent these into a L shape to get them to hang off the top.
  2. Skewer meat. We recommend our recipe for Texas Tandoori Skewered Chicken. Use something dense at the end of the skewer, such as a lemon, lime, potato or onion. This will help prevent meat from sliding off.
    Skewers with meat and lime
    Skewers with meat and lime
  3. Light the big green egg with a full load of charcoal. Remove the top vent and control temperatures with only the bottom vent (start with it half-closed; you may need to adjust if temps get too high or too low) Bring the Big Green Egg to a dome temperature of around 500-600 degrees Fahrenheit direct.  
  4. Carefully lower a skewer down the open top and let the handle rest on the rim. Four to six skewers can probably fit. Wear grilling gloves (unlike what we did in the below pic) because allot of heat (and sometimes fire) escapes from the top vent.
    Lowering skewer into egg
    Lowering skewer into the Big Green Egg
    Top view
    Top view of skewers inside the Big Green Egg
    Side view of skewers in Egg
    Side view of skewers in the Big Green Egg
  5. Cook until meat is done. For the chicken cubes in the pics, it took about 15-20 minutes.
  6. Wearing heavy duty gloves, slowly lift each skewer (one at a time).
    Final chicken from "Big Green Tandoor"
    Final chicken from “Big Green Tandoor.” Note the chicken higher up in the skewer actually cooks faster than the lower chicken closer to the charcoal.

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