The long-form guides no manual gives you

Before buying a kamado you need to know three things: size is measured by the grate diameter, temperature is controlled with two vents, and the fuel is lump charcoal, never briquettes full of additives. A 46 cm grill cooks for 4-8 people; a 33 cm one, for 2-4. Everything else you learn by cooking.

Here you'll find nearly thirty long-form guides, written to be read before you spend and revisited when something goes wrong. If you're just starting, open your first kamado and continue with how to light it. Once you're cooking, temperature control and which charcoal to use answer most questions. And if you live in a flat, read the rules for terraces first: it saves you an argument with the neighbours.

Every guide comes from six years of kamado cooking and a Big Green Egg Large we use as a test bench in Torrevieja, salt air, humidity and easterly wind included. We check manufacturer specs against the community (Naked Whiz, AmazingRibs) and we never get paid to recommend anything; when we link to Amazon we say so, and the price that counts is the one you see there at checkout. If what you still need is the right size, start with what size kamado you need.