It is very important to shut down a Kamado grill the right way. When done wrong it can heat up your cooking chamber to a temperature that can damage your cooker.
Just as there is a best way to light a Kamado grill there is a way to shut it off and let it cool and get ready for the next cooking adventure.
The Wrong Way
Let’s make clear first that this is my personal opinion, although backed up by many big names in the grillers world.
Many people shut the top vent and bottom at the same time and although this works there is a better way of doing this.
When you shut down both vents the heat that has built up in your cooking chamber can go nowhere.
It can be even worse than that. The temperature will rise since there still is oxygen in your cooking chamber to keep the fire going for a while.
Since the heat can not escape the temperature will keep going up.
For low and slow at 225 this might not be too much of a problem but when you grill at high temperatures of let’s say 450 the heat will go up a fair amount.
The Right Way
The best way to shut down the fire in your Kamado starts by shutting the bottom vent for about 2 to 3 minutes.
This will stop the airflow going to the fire pot and starve the fire from oxygen.
Since the top vent is still open the heat can still escape and this will prevent the cooking chamber from getting hotter.
Again, this might not be a problem for low and slow but it might be for higher temperatures.
After these 2 or 3 minutes, it is time to shut the top vent to let the fire go out slowly.
The result
If done the right way your cooking chamber temperature will slowly go down because the fire does not get any more oxygen.
Just remember that it might take a while to do that and you can open the lid.
After the cool-down period, you can open the lid and start cleaning your Kamado grill.
I always start with the grill grates and after that remove the ashes.
Conclusion
By shutting down the fire in your Kamado grill you can prevent the heat will going op after shutting the vents.
This rise in temperature can cause serious damage to your ceramic cooking chamber.
So, this is also preferred how to cool down a Kamado Joe.
If you have an opinion or like to share the way you shut down your Kamado feel free to let us know.
Jeffrey Brooks is an experienced backyard griller that uses a Kamado grill for most of all the cooking he is doing. With his experience, he will do reviews and answer every question you have about Kamado Grills. You can read more about Jeffrey Brooks