Anyone switch from pellet to kamado?

[dr k]

I never used a "pellet" but I do use an Akorn (steel ...) kamado and I continue to be impressed with it. But I think that the fundamental process, with kamado, really is that of a "charcoal-fired convection oven." The food is cooked by recirculating hot air, not direct heat from the fire, and because of this it will cook much faster. (And I don't think that "ceramic" makes any difference.)

To get "smoke," wrap a packet of chips in aluminum foil and place it (with a few fork-punched holes) directly on the fire. But, if you want "sear," you should do that on your stovetop with a cast-iron skillet and coconut oil.

Once you "park it at a temperature," the darned thing will just sit there rock-steady for hours without demanding constant attention from you. And at the end you will still have charcoal left over. I've never seen anything like it.

Post #2 above is my Akorn and a 17" coal grate for a 22" kettle on the stone supports for elevated grilling so the coals are touching the bottom of the cooking grate. The 10" starting collar ring for vent pipe really isolates laterally, indirect zones and reverse searing with less charcoal. Your right about the symmetry of kamados especially when the fire is offset from center and heat zips up and down to the opposite side. It's a little cooler left and right opposite side of the fire ring. I put a chunk of wood on the grate over the coals. 90% of the time I grill high up and mainly use the original coal grate down low for a pizza stone on the cooking grate.