Description
What the London Sunshine kamado is
A kamado is a thick walled ceramic cooker descended from Japanese and Chinese clay stoves, and it works on a different principle from a metal grill. The ceramic mass absorbs and re radiates heat, and the sealed dome plus adjustable top and bottom vents let the fire be controlled by airflow alone. The result is a cooker that will hold a low temperature for many hours on a modest amount of charcoal, and will also reach searing temperatures when the vents are opened.
This model has a 1 inch thick ceramic wall, a ceramic body given as 15.7 inches or 40 centimeters, stainless steel grates, and a heavy duty four leg stand with metal handles on each side. London Sunshine states a temperature range of 180 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit, covering smoking, baking, grilling and broiling. The color is green, the assembled size is 50 by 53 by 85 centimeters, and the weight is 92.4 pounds. Assembly is required and the warranty is one year.
The size deserves care. The product name says 15 inch while the feature bullets say 15.7 inches, and the number that matters is neither: the cooking grate diameter is given as 33.6 centimeters, which is 13.2 inches. That is the actual usable cooking surface, and it is small. A 13.2 inch circle is roughly enough for four burgers or a small chicken.
Why the ceramic matters
The two properties a kamado is bought for are heat retention and moisture retention.
Heat retention comes from the mass of the ceramic. Once the walls are up to temperature, they hold it, so the fire has to do far less work to maintain a target and small vent adjustments produce slow, stable changes rather than the swings a thin metal grill shows. That is what makes long smoking sessions practical without constant tending.
Moisture retention comes from the seal. A tight gasket and a heavy lid mean very little air passes through, so the humidity inside stays high and food dries out less than it does in a leaky cooker. London Sunshine specifies a glass fiber gasket, which it describes as longer lasting and easier to clean than a standard fiber gasket. The gasket is the wear part on any kamado and is worth checking periodically.
The folding side sections on the grate are a practical touch. Adding charcoal to a kamado mid cook normally means lifting out the grate and whatever is on it; hinged sections let fuel go in through the gap instead.
Safety, and one thing kamado owners learn early
Two safety points, neither of which appears in the listing.
Charcoal produces carbon monoxide, which is odorless and lethal. This is an outdoor appliance and must never be used in a garage, a tent, a porch or any enclosed or partly enclosed space, including while cooling down afterward.
The second is specific to kamados and catches people out. Opening the lid quickly on a hot, sealed kamado admits a rush of oxygen to a fire that has been starved of it, and the result can be a sudden flare out of the opening. The standard practice is to burp the lid: crack it open an inch, pause a second or two, then open fully. Ceramic is also vulnerable to thermal shock, so a hot kamado should never have cold water poured into it and should be allowed to cool on its own.
Data faults in the listing
Two attribute entries are wrong. The cooking surface area is recorded as 13.2 square inches. That figure is the grate diameter in inches, not an area; a 13.2 inch circle is roughly 137 square inches. Read as written, it would suggest a cooking surface the size of a coaster.
The voltage is recorded as 1 volt. A charcoal grill has no electrical supply at all, and this field should be empty.
The site lists this product under smokers while Amazon ranks it in combination grill smokers and outdoor smokers, which is a reasonable description of what it does.
Highlights
- 1 inch thick ceramic wall with a Japanese style dome for airflow and heat retention.
- Stated temperature range of 180 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Glass fiber gasket sealing the lid.
- Stainless steel grates with folding side sections for adding charcoal mid cook.
- Adjustable air vents for temperature control.
- Heavy duty four leg stand with metal handles on both sides.
- Fuel efficient: ceramic mass means a small amount of charcoal goes a long way.
- Covers smoking, baking, grilling and searing in one cooker.
Things To Consider
- Charcoal produces carbon monoxide. Outdoor use only, including while cooling.
- Burp the lid rather than opening it quickly on a hot kamado.
- Ceramic is vulnerable to thermal shock and to being dropped or knocked.
- The usable cooking grate is 13.2 inches across, which is small. Roughly four burgers.
- The cooking surface area field reads 13.2 square inches, which is the diameter mislabeled as an area.
- The voltage field reads 1 volt on a charcoal appliance.
- At 92.4 pounds this is heavy to move, and assembly is required.
- No charcoal, heat deflector plate or cover is mentioned as included. A deflector is needed for indirect cooking.
Who it suits
This suits someone who wants kamado cooking, low and slow smoking plus high heat searing from one cooker, in a small outdoor space and without paying for a large ceramic brand. The ceramic construction genuinely delivers the temperature stability and fuel efficiency the format is known for, and the folding grate sections are a thoughtful detail.
It is too small for anyone cooking for a group, since 13.2 inches of grate fills quickly. Buyers wanting more capacity should read the Weber Performer 22 inch in the charcoal grills category, and anyone whose priority is smoking rather than grilling should compare the Char-Broil Bullet charcoal smoker or the pellet fired recteq RT-B380 Bullseye. Those wanting a combination unit should look at the Oklahoma Joe’s Canyon Combo, and the wider selection sits in the smokers category.
