TECHNIQUE

Indirect-fire kamado recipes

Indirect fire is the mode in which the kamado becomes a ceramic oven: deflector in place, vents half closed and the temperature pinned between 150 and 200 °C for hours. It's the technique that respects the moisture of a whole chicken, holds the crust of a rustic loaf and lets a rack of ribs cook without drying out. In this section we publish the recipes we use most on our terrace in Torrevieja during the long Costa Blanca autumn, when the kamado stays lit all afternoon and the result depends more on patience than on flame.

44 recipes published

Indirect cooking on a kamado puts the ceramic deflector between the coals and the grate, so the fire never sees the food. The kamado works as a convection oven: surrounding heat between 150 and 200 °C, with the bottom vent partly open and the top vent set a quarter to half a turn open.

It's the method for anything that spends more than twenty minutes on the fire and needs to cook through without burning. The spatchcock chicken comes out with even skin; the red-wine pork cheeks braise in a cocotte for hours; the salt-baked sea bass stays juicy; the Alicante oven rice cooks in a clay dish as in a wood oven; and breads and desserts such as pan de cristal or Basque burnt cheesecake thrive on that steady heat.

On our terrace in Torrevieja the mistake we see most is overshooting the temperature and then chasing it. Ceramic stores heat and is slow to cool: if you drift from 180 °C to 230 °C, you won't get back within half an hour. Close the vents about 25 °C before your target and let the chamber settle for ten minutes before the food goes in. Set-up and numbers are in direct vs indirect cooking.

Red apples stuffed with nuts in a black pan, next to a jug of syrup

Moscatel and Cinnamon Baked Apples on the Kamado, Stuffed with Walnuts

Reineta apples stuffed with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts, splashed with moscatel and roasted indirectly at 180 °C. An autumn dessert served warm, with cream or ice cream.

75 min6 servings180 °C

Read recipe

A wedge of golden cornbread on a blue-and-white ceramic plate, a spoon lifting a piece

Cornbread in an Iron Skillet on the Kamado, with Brown Butter

Cornbread is a spoon-and-knife cornmeal bread: tender crumb, crunchy crust and brown butter. Here it bakes in an iron skillet preheated inside the kamado, indirect at about 200 °C.

45 min8 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Salmon fillet with grill marks on the grate, wreathed in smoke

Cedar-Plank Salmon on the Kamado with Mustard, Honey and Dill Glaze

A salmon loin on a soaked cedar plank, glazed with mustard, honey and dill. Indirect at about 180 °C with the dome closed, until 50-52 °C at the core: juicy, opaque-edged and scented with wood.

30 min4 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Braised oxtail in a dark sauce with potato, served in a white bowl

Cordoba-Style Oxtail Braised in Red Wine in a Dutch Oven on the Kamado

Cordoba-style rabo de toro is the great winter stew of Andalusia. An oval Dutch oven inside the kamado cooks it slowly, at about 150 °C, until the meat slips off the bone by itself.

270 min4 servings150 °C

Read recipe

Close-up of a whole roast chicken with golden, glossy skin and sprigs of herbs

Free-Range Chicken Roasted in a Cocotte with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme on the Kamado

A whole free-range chicken, lemon, garlic, thyme and potatoes in an enamelled cocotte: covered to keep it juicy and uncovered at the end to colour the skin, with the kamado set up for indirect heat.

100 min4 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Tarta de calabaza vista desde arriba, de relleno naranja liso y borde de masa dorada, con una porción retirada; debajo, una porción con nata montada sobre una tabla de madera tallada, y a la derecha un cuenco de nata y una calabaza decorativa pequeña, sobre tablones oscuros

Kamado Pumpkin Pie with the Squash Roasted in the Same Fire

First the butternut squash roasts at 200 °C, then the shortcrust base bakes blind, and finally the custard filling sets at 170-175 °C indirect. One fire for the autumn pie of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

150 min8 servings175 °C

Read recipe

Rosca de Reyes de estilo mexicano entera, sobre una bandeja dorada de borde festoneado que sostienen unas manos, una con guante negro: corona de masa dorada espolvoreada de azúcar glas y cubierta de fruta confitada de colores (rodajas caramelizadas, tiras anaranjadas y piezas verdes, rojas y oscuras), ante un fondo claro desenfocado

AdvancedIndirect

Roscón de Reyes on the Kamado, Baked on a Stone: Fluffy, with Orange Blossom Water

Two roscones of about 25 cm baked one after the other on a stone, with a deflector and the kamado held at 175 °C. Pre-ferment dough, a night in the fridge, orange blossom water, orange zest and cream only once cold.

55 min12 servings175 °C

Read recipe

Primer plano de un solomillo Wellington cortado: el centro de vacuno rosado, rodeado de una capa fina de jamón, otra de espinacas y champiñón picados y hojaldre dorado, con una rodaja separada delante sobre una tabla de madera

AdvancedIndirect

Beef Wellington on the Kamado, Baked on Steel: Golden Pastry, Rosy Centre

The New Year's Eve roast, cooked in a kamado: beef fillet seared over the coals, wrapped in duxelles, ham and all-butter puff pastry, then baked at 200-210 °C on a steel that browns the base.

55 min6 servings205 °C

Read recipe

Una pera pochada partida en dos mitades, de un rojo intenso y brillante, en almíbar rosado sobre un plato blanco; al fondo, un bizcocho con grosellas y ramas de abeto

Red Wine Poached Pears in an Enamelled Dutch Oven on the Kamado, with Cinnamon and Orange

Poach Conference pears in young red wine with cinnamon and orange, in an enamelled dutch oven at 160 °C indirect in the kamado. Reduce the syrup with the lid off and chill overnight: a make-ahead dessert with no pastry.

90 min4 servings160 °C

Read recipe

Jachapuri adjaruli con la masa dorada y salpicada de semillas, el queso fundido y gratinado en el centro y una yema entera encima, sobre papel impreso

Adjaruli Khachapuri on the Kamado: Cheese Boat with Egg Yolk on Steel

The Georgian bread boat of melted cheese, yolk and butter, baked on a steel plate at 260-280 °C in a kamado with a 49-50 cm grate: crisp base, a dome that browns the rim, and the yolk going in for the final minutes.

60 min4 servings270 °C

Read recipe

Plato blanco con un montón de pavo asado en trozos y lonchas, carne blanca con la piel dorada, sobre un mantel verde; en primer plano un salero y un pimentero de cristal y, desenfocados, cuencos con salsa de arándanos y brócoli

Injected Bone-In Turkey Breast on the Kamado, Juicy for a Small Christmas

Christmas turkey for four to six: a bone-in breast injected with stock and butter, roasted indirect at 165 °C with no smoke and taken off at 74 °C. Designed for a small kamado, it does not dry out.

120 min6 servings165 °C

Read recipe

Pescado entero asado, de piel tostada, sobre una cama de rodajas de patata asadas en una fuente ovalada de cobre con asas doradas, con tomates cherry, aceitunas negras, hojas de albahaca y un gajo de limón

Christmas Eve Baked Besugo (Red Seabream) with Panadera Potatoes in the Kamado

Two portion-sized besugo (red seabream) bake on panadera potatoes in a cast-iron skillet, kamado at 200 °C indirect, and a garlic and lemon refrito goes over at the end. It is the Christmas Eve dish, and it leaves the oven free.

60 min2 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Codillo de cerdo entero asado sobre una tabla de madera, con la piel brillante de tono caoba y el hueso asomando por los extremos, ante una cocina desenfocada

Beer-Braised Pork Knuckle in the Kamado: Cast-Iron Pot and Crackling

The pork knuckle of the Russian New Year table, the rulka, in two stages: 2.5 to 3 hours braising in a cast-iron pot with beer at 150 °C, then a dry finish at 230 °C so the skin blisters and crackles.

230 min4 servings150 °C

Read recipe

Cochinillo entero asado y servido en bandeja (no sale así del kamado), con la piel brillante y tostada y una manzana verde en la boca, sobre hojas verdes y romero en una bandeja de aluminio

AdvancedIndirect

Suckling pig (cochinillo) roasted in a kamado, by the quarter, with crackling skin

This is the Christmas roast done in a kamado, with the truth up front: a whole one will not fit. Two quarters, indirect at 150 °C with water under the meat, then a 250 °C finish so the skin blisters and crackles.

210 min4 servings150 °C

Read recipe

Caramelized roasted pumpkin wedges with skin, dusted with spices and salt on a dark baking tray

Kamado-Roasted Squash with Honey and Pimentón de la Vera

Skin-on squash wedges in a 35 cm cast iron skillet, indirect at 200 °C for 40-45 minutes, with a honey and pimentón de la Vera glaze that goes on only at the end so it caramelises without burning. An autumn side dish.

45 min6 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Carrilleras guisadas en salsa de vino tinto servidas en una cazuela de hierro fundido

Beef Cheeks in Red Wine, Braised in a Dutch Oven on the Kamado

Three hours of red wine, cast iron and a thread of olive-wood smoke your kitchen oven simply cannot make. The braise that justifies lighting the kamado in midwinter.

180 min6 servings150 °C

Read recipe

Samsas recién horneadas con la superficie dorada y sésamo por encima, servidas en una fuente

Uzbek Lamb Samsa on the Kamado, Tandyr Style

Uzbek samsa bakes in a clay tandyr, and a kamado is thick ceramic with a narrow mouth and radiant heat: the same physics. Here it sits on a stone, not slapped on the wall, filled with knife-cut lamb and plenty of onion.

35 min6 servings230 °C

Read recipe

Lomo de rape crudo sobre hielo, blanco y prieto, listo para el papillote

Monkfish en papillote with fennel and orange on the kamado

Twenty-five minutes, a sealed paper parcel and little else: monkfish steams in its own juices on a bed of fennel, with orange rounds on top. You open it at the table and it smells of winter.

25 min4 servings195 °C

Read recipe

Bloque de gyros girando en el asador vertical, con la cara exterior tostada lista para cortar

Chicken Gyros on the Rotisserie in a Kamado

A block of chicken thighs marinated in yoghurt, lemon and oregano, turning on the kamado's rotisserie at 180 °C: shave thin slices as the outer face browns, send the block back to the fire, repeat.

90 min6 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Dos chapatas de aceite de oliva recién horneadas sobre piedra, con corteza dorada crujiente y miga muy alveolada

AdvancedIndirect

Olive Oil Ciabatta on the Kamado

A very wet poolish dough with a wild, open crumb and a thin, crackly crust. Baked on a cordierite stone with a burst of steam, this ciabatta comes out of the kamado like it left a hearth oven.

25 min8 servings245 °C

Read recipe

Pan de cristal recién horneado con corteza fina y dorada y miga muy alveolada, sobre piedra junto a un kamado

AdvancedIndirect

Kamado Pan de Cristal (Glass Bread)

Catalan pan de cristal pushes hydration to the edge: an almost pourable dough that, baked on a stone with steam inside the kamado, turns into a glossy, wide-open crumb beneath a crust so thin it shatters like glass.

25 min6 servings250 °C

Read recipe

Galette rústica de nectarina y frambuesa recién horneada, con la masa quebrada dorada y la fruta caramelizada, sobre una piedra junto a un kamado de cerámica.

Nectarine and raspberry galette on the kamado

A rustic summer tart: flaky shortcrust, wedges of ripe nectarine and raspberries bursting into syrup, baked indirect over a stone until the free-form edges turn deep gold.

40 min8 servings190 °C

Read recipe

Bollos de hamburguesa brioche recién horneados, dorados y brillantes con sésamo, enfriándose sobre una rejilla junto a un kamado de cerámica.

Brioche Burger Buns on the Kamado

Brioche burger buns baked on the kamado: a soft, buttery crumb, an egg-glazed shine and a scatter of sesame. The perfect cushion for your next homemade smash burger.

18 min8 servings190 °C

Read recipe

Champiñones Portobello rellenos al ajillo y gratinados con queso fundido y perejil, recién hechos.

Garlic-stuffed portobello mushrooms grilled in the kamado

Portobello caps filled with a paste of garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs and good olive oil, gratinated over indirect heat until juicy inside and golden on top. A vegetarian starter loaded with umami.

22 min4 servings190 °C

Read recipe

Sartén de hierro fundido con nachos cargados de queso fundido, frijoles, jalapeños y pico de gallo recién hecho, recién salida del kamado humeante.

Smoked Loaded Nachos on the Kamado

The ultimate sharing starter: layers of tortilla chips, melted cheese, beans and jalapeños in a cast-iron pan, kissed by 10-12 minutes of gentle olive-wood smoke and topped with fresh pico de gallo.

12 min6 servings185 °C

Read recipe

Coca dorada recién horneada con tomates cherry y hierbas frescas sobre papel kraft y romero

Coca de recapte on the kamado, escalivada and sardine

A thin oil-dough savoury coca topped with red-pepper and aubergine escalivada and salted sardine strips. Indirect at 250°C on stone, crisp base. No cheese, the Catalan way. Serves 6.

25 min6 servings250 °C

Read recipe

Alitas de pollo glaseadas y doradas sobre una tabla de madera con pimientos asados y guindilla

Crispy chicken wings on the kamado with honey and Pimentón de la Vera (crackling skin, no frying)

Glass-crisp skin without a fryer: dry brine with baking soda, indirect at 200°C with apple smoke and a final sear. Honey and Pimentón de la Vera glaze. Serves 4.

40 min4 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Coliflor entera asada y especiada al kamado, dorada y servida sobre una crema cremosa, coronada con cilantro, granada y semillas

Whole roasted cauliflower on the kamado with saffron aioli

A whole cauliflower roasted indirect at 180°C: steam first to tame the core, then a deep sear and a spiced glaze. Golden outside, tender inside, with saffron aioli. Serves 4.

60 min4 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Tarta tatin de manzana caramelizada en molde de hierro, con bola de helado fundiéndose

AdvancedIndirect

Apple tarte Tatin in a dutch oven on the kamado, golden caramel

Caramelised apples in a cast-iron dutch oven, golden puff pastry and an amber caramel that runs as you flip it. Indirect at 190°C: the tarte Tatin that earns applause.

45 min6 servings190 °C

Read recipe

Tarta de Santiago de almendra espolvoreada con azúcar glas

Tarta de Santiago on the kamado, deeply almond and flourless

Ground almond, egg, sugar and the Cross of Saint James in icing sugar. Flourless, coeliac-friendly. Indirect at 175°C in a dutch oven: dense, moist crumb, never dry.

35 min8 servings175 °C

Read recipe

Bizcocho casero esponjoso tipo coca de llanda valenciana

Valencian coca de llanda on the kamado, the fluffy classic

The Valencian afternoon sponge, baked in a tray on the kamado at 180°C indirect: tall, moist, with its cracked sugar-and-cinnamon crust. Cinnamon, lemon and a hint of anise.

40 min12 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Cobbler de frutos rojos y melocotón con costra crujiente

Mixed-berry cobbler in a dutch oven on the kamado, golden crust

Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries bubbling in a cast-iron dutch oven under a buttery golden crust with a hint of orange. Indirect at 190°C: the Sunday barbecue dessert.

40 min8 servings190 °C

Read recipe

Clafoutis de cerezas dorado recién horneado

Cherry clafoutis in a cast-iron skillet on the kamado

Dark cherries suspended in a custard halfway between flan and sponge, baked in a cast-iron skillet at 180°C indirect. The French summer dessert the kamado nails.

35 min6 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Porción de tarta de queso vasca quemada, superficie tostada y centro cremoso

Burnt Basque cheesecake on the kamado, creamy inside

La Viña on the kamado: a near-burnt mahogany top and a wobbly, creamy centre. Indirect at 210°C, the Basque cheesecake that beats the home-oven version.

50 min10 servings210 °C

Read recipe

Brownie de chocolate en sartén de hierro con helado y caramelo

Smoked skillet brownie on the kamado, fudgy centre

Chocolate brownie baked in a cast-iron skillet over indirect heat, with a veil of apple-wood smoke. Crackled crust, fudgy centre and a hint of orange. Serves 10.

35 min10 servings175 °C

Read recipe

Pollo entero abierto en mariposa (spatchcock) asado al kamado, con la piel dorada y lacada, sobre rejilla de acero

Whole spatchcock chicken on the kamado, even crispy skin

A 1.6 kg chicken butterflied flat, roasted at 180°C indirect over a deflector. Golden crackling skin end to end, juicy meat, ready in an hour: the Sunday roast I actually cook on my Torrevieja terrace.

60 min4 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Panes de pita recién hechos sobre la parrilla

Kamado pita bread that puffs itself on the stone

Individual pita breads that balloon up into a perfect pocket on cordierite stone at 300°C, cooked indirect. Fresh, golden and steaming from the pocket: the party trick I pull on my Torrevieja terrace whenever there is hummus.

4 min6 servings300 °C

Read recipe

Crumble de manzana caliente con una bola de helado de vainilla

Apple crumble on the kamado in a dutch oven

Apple wedges with cinnamon and oats, baked in a cast-iron cocotte at 190°C indirect with a whisper of apple-wood smoke.

40 min6 servings190 °C

Read recipe

Arroz alicantino cocinándose en paellera sobre el fuego

Alicante-style baked rice on the kamado in a clay cazuela

Traditional Alicante baked rice —chickpeas, pork rib, blood sausage, potato and tomato, with a whole garlic head in the centre— baked in a clay cazuela at 220°C indirect.

50 min6 servings220 °C

Read recipe

Lubina entera asada con tomillo, recién hecha al kamado

Salt-baked sea bass on the kamado, juicy inside

A whole 1.2-1.5 kg sea bass under a coarse-salt crust, indirect heat at 200°C and around 35 minutes. The salt seals the moisture in and the fish comes out juicy, not salty, with a clean taste of the sea.

35 min4 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Lonchas de salmón ahumado en frío con eneldo

AdvancedIndirect

Guajillo-cured smoked salmon, low indirect

A 900 g salmon fillet, 24 hours dry-cured in Maldon salt, brown sugar, ground guajillo and dill. Smoked at 130°C with apple and cherry. Silky texture and a spicy crust.

90 min6 servings130 °C

Read recipe

Pulpo a la gallega al kamado

Galician-style octopus on the kamado

The classic Galician "á feira" octopus with a twist: after the traditional boil, the tentacles hit the hot kamado and pick up charcoal aroma.

60 min4 servings200 °C

Read recipe

Lomo de cerdo con costra de mostaza y miel

Pork loin with mustard-honey crust

A no-pretensions cook that nails it the first time. Dijon mustard, orange-blossom honey and a touch of rosemary: a golden crust that seals the juices without drying the loin.

75 min6 servings180 °C

Read recipe

Pollo a la cerveza con piel crujiente

Beer-can chicken with crackling skin

The American beer-can chicken classic, taken to the kamado: the beer steams from within, the ceramic concentrates the heat and the skin finishes like crisp parchment.

90 min4 servings220 °C

Read recipe

Other techniques