Kong Ceramic Kamado Grill

Описание: Grilla Grills Kong Ceramic Kamado Grill | Outdoor Kitchen Build Video #3

We added a Grilla Grills Kong Ceramic Kamado Grill to the end of our outdoor kitchen.
The Kong is a Kamado/egg-type grill that is made of heavy-duty ceramic and is considered a high-quality grill. It sells for $849.99.

When we removed the Kong grill from the pallet, it has a nice fit and finish. Assembly was easy and didn't take more than an hour. The black ceramic coating was eye-catching, and a great addition to our outdoor kitchen project.
The Kong’s legs, also referred to as the "nest", are constructed from stainless steel and screw together quickly with the included tools.
We liked that the Kong has high-quality double-locking castor wheels. The wheels are made from soft rubber and are sturdy. This is the kind of rubber that will hold its place on a composite deck, but also not leave marks when moved around. Two of the castors are double locking. This means that the wheels lock from spinning, and the castor locks from turning. The double-locking castors held the grill tightly into position, which is especially important when you have a 200 lb. grill that you don't want to move around.
Stainless Mounting Straps
Unlike some Kamado's on the market, the Kong's top and bottom have ridges in the ceramic for its stainless-steel mounting straps to index into.
This is an important feature, and one that other Kamados do not offer. Many other models simply rely on the pressure of the strap.
A Kamado without a strap ridge will require a little more maintenance when it comes to keeping the straps tight so that the top does not fall to the ground and crack.
The ridges on the Kong, significantly reduce the chance of the top falling out of the straps Steel.
Stainless Spring Hinge System
The Kong grill is also equipped with a stainless-steel rear opening spring-assisted hinge. Two springs assist lifting the heavy ceramic cover and stop the top in a perfectly neutral location where it will not hyper-extend or come crashing down.
Stainless closing pin
Another smart feature that the Kong comes with is the stainless-steel front closing pin. Although this smoker does not lock shut, the top is heavy enough to prevent smoke loss, or an animal or young child would not be able to open it. If the top of the Kong was opened, and came crashing down, or slipped out of your hands, the shock-absorbing closing pin will reduce some of the force, which could prevent the top from cracking.
Cooking surface
The Kong’s grill comes with a .19 mm thick, 304 stainless steel grid which is thick for a Kamado. In addition, the front portion of each cooking grate lifts. I can't stress how convenient this feature is, because if you want to add more charcoal, you do not have to take everything off the cooking area.
Additionally, there is an upper and lower cooking surface. The lower cooking area is 20.5" wide, and the top level is 20" wide. The top grid can be easily removed when not in use. While testing we found that gravitated to using the lower cooking grid. If cooking a large amount of food for a party, having that second top grid will add a lot of extra cooking space.
Temperature Control
The Kong's temperature is controlled by the top vented wheel and the bottom by an air slider adjustment. Both adjustments are important as they generate a stack effect for air to flow in from the bottom and out the top.
The upper vent wheel is constructed from thick cast aluminum. It has easy to read settings and easy to adjust. There is a Phillips head screw on the inside if you want to set the vent on the tight side so that it doesn't move.
The bottom slider is stainless steel, and has easy to read settings, and moves smoothly without getting hung up.
The temperature gauge is also easy to read, we tested it and found it accurate.
For testing, we heated up the Kong and used an infrared thermometer to check the inside of the grill which was 275°F, which matches the temperature gauge.
Having an accurate temperature gauge is very important when grilling, or even more so, smoking.
Functionality
Most Kamado grills are made from ceramic, but wall thicknesses may vary. The thicker the ceramic, the better insulated the grill is. A well-insulated Kamado grill will retain heat longer and use less charcoal. This will be especially handy on those low and slow, long overnight smokes. Although I couldn't get a reading in the middle of the ceramics, the edges did measure 1-1/4" thick.
When the Kong was at about 275°F, I used the infrared thermometer to take the outer temperatures of the ceramics. The outside temperature of the top registered as165°F.
The outside of the bottom read 138°F. Although these numbers can fluctuate depending on how long the Kong has been burning, the testing indicated that the Kong is well insulated.