Barrel Kamado CD02 certificate
This Barrel was built and prepared for Liam for which we are grateful.
The Barrel Kamado first seen at the Smoke and Fire Festival was delivered 09/09/2021.
Great day at Colchester Castle Park where we met Liam and arranged the delivery of a BK (CD02).
Congratulations Liam on your new Barrel Kamado. Inside the barrel are a set of handmade skewers, made from oak staves, from us to you as a small thank you for your faith in us.
Enjoy your BK made by,
Jane and Gwyn
Heat
Deflectors
Grate
Grill
Extender
Stainless Spit & Forks
reversible
Fire Basket
Strengthen.
To start we punch each place in the middle of the stave. Next, we have drilled each stave for the screws with a 2.5mm and a 3.5 drill through the galvanized steel hoop and through the 25mm of French white oak.
Then we drill the steel hoop (again) with a 5mm hole to allow the screw to pass through the steel and the thread to bite into the oak.
Next we countersink each hole to remove any burr.
We are now ready to insert the stainless steel screws.
Because the staves are subjected to a wide range of conditions, unlike cellar environments, we need to ensure the integrity of the barrel. Every stave is screwed at least four times and sometimes as much as eight – thats just the outside. Inside we have a stainless framework that has a variety of functions. Each stave is unique so the spacing of the screws follows the staves – this is not for show.
Protect.
Oak is a timber species cherished in many cultures.
Along with history, tradition, longevity, steadfastness, durability, toughness, and strength; across centuries we’ve anthropomorphised the ‘great Oak’ tree and it’s timber believing it represents us and that our lives are inextricably linked.
In timber form, Oak is, of course, a hardwood. It is known for its golden yellowy-brown colouring but this has variations depending on origin and grade. The sap and heartwood are contrasting colours. The sap’s easy to see but is also a nice creamy colour and can be incorporated into projects if appropriate. The annual growth is strongly marked and the quarter sawn boards show a glistening flame pattern through the grain called Medullary Ray. Oak grain actually has an enormous range although technically documented as medium coarse. It is possible to find tight, narrow, straight, fairly smooth grain but also broad coarse and wild grain. Origin, age, soil properties, weather conditions… all these things contribute to the visual and mechanical properties of Oak.
Essentially Oak will stand the test of time..
Super Prime Oak
The term Prime has always been used to indicate the top grade of timber. Barrels chosen for a Barrel Kamado are made with the very best Prime Oak.
Its criteria are used to verify the mechanical properties of a stave by visual means and seek to differentiate Prime graded oak as wood that is fit for a specific purpose, namely high-quality furniture making. Bordeaux Barrels go a step further and use Super Prime Oak.
In this way, the grading of Prime timber is about what is allowed within a stave outside of straight grain, even colouring and good quality wood husbandry.
In Prime Oak, it is allowed to have one inter-grown knot* up to 20mm diameter or several small knots up to a 20mm combined diameter. One small bark pocket is allowed. Small sap bands are allowed – the French convention of ‘one in, one out’, the underlying principle is to provide a ‘fair measure’.
Prime Oak colouring is relatively even but for particular consistency of colour, the best method of selection is to choose boards absolutely from the same origin, and ideally from the same boule.
It is with pride that we have to admit, Super Prime French White Oak has superior qualities that cannot be replicated by other grades or timber species. For this, we are grateful as it is a pleasure to work with, a pleasure to select handmade barrels, and a thrill to see them in the finished Barrel Kamado.
First and Last look inside.
Cutting open a barrel is both a shame and joy at the same time. The shame is we are cutting into a barrel, that to me at least, is like picking a flower or breaking a beautiful pot.
The joy is when a rush of wine and oak aromas take over the whole room. Heaven, I so wish I could bottle this and send it to you. No one has seen the inside of this used wine barrel until now.
Unlike a broken pot this goes on to be a thing that is an object of desire – and unlike the picked flower goes on to live another day bringing pleasure to you, the pit-master and your friends and family.
Good clean foundation.
The whole barrel is lined with foil. This provides an impermeable membrane, protecting the Oak from the wet refractory.
Oak Floor, Stainless mesh, Ceramic Insulation, Then insulating refractory – now we cast the air box.
This image that shows the top waiting for the ceramic blanket lining.
Base vent system
The base vent system is using galvanized steel and mold forms. Three vents allow for fine control over where the air flowing into the fire basket. Also used in conjunction with top vents to give unprecedented control over then airflow inside the Kamado.
Internal forms complete the base.
A few stages on, we see the dense refractory (rated at 1800°c) at well over 100mm thick. In addition, there is surrounding the firepit, several layers of insulation. Designed to withstand the heat of a charcoal fire. The fluting at the top of the firepit support the heat deflectors whilst allowing the fire to breathe.
The lid.
With the base curing, we begin on the Lid. The weight of the completed lid is approx. 60kgs. Before insulation and refractory, we reinforce the oak with stainless steel framework. Then cast the lid.
Fitting the extra-large stainless lever-hinge.
The fire pit.
We give the BK at least 5 coats of protection..
Here we have yet to fit the thermometer and top drainage holes.
Here are the final stages of the build.
We thought you might like a few of the early pictures taken during your BK construction. It is very unlikely that anyone will ever again see the inside of the barrel before we make it into a Kamado. I like the idea of knowing when and where it was made. Because there are several different skills and processes involved there is not a single craftsman more of a team effort.
