1963 Imperial Kamodo

Gaskets On

Well I was only off for one day, I have to work for the next three, but I got the top and bottom gaskets on and the lid is sitting there for the next three days to help it get a good seal. The kit came with enough gasket material to make a top ring for the dome vent. Guess I will get to it in a few days. Thanks for all the encouraging words.

The Final Product

So here she is guys, all complete except the new grill which I ordered form Amazon. The old grill I did not think was safe to use as it was in pretty bad shape. I must admit I really enjoyed rebuilding this grill and I hope I will get to enjoy it for many years to come. I will admit, while the kamodo was free, nothing comes without a price, and by the time I finished I have about $150.00 in it in raw materials. the most expensive part was replacing the vent top ($43.00) as the original was missing, and the bottom vent door ($38.00) which had rusted so much it had fallen off many years ago. These two parts were $81.00 bucks alone.

Anyway I am really happy with how it turned out, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Think I will fire it up today and just do a low and slow burn to break everything in and get rid of any nasty stuff that may have been left in the grill after the rebuilding process. I hope if anyone else finds one of these beauties they will be encouraged to rebuild it as I have. I apologize for the crappy morning photo, but as I had just placed the ring and tested out the fit, I wanted to take a picture. I will post another better photo later in this thread along with my first thoughts after cooking with this 55+ year old clay pot.

I would like to say a special thanks to all the guys and gals who went before me and took the time the refurbish one of these grills. I found important and vital information in all of their threads, and they made my job so mush easier.

malibulvr said:

Great job, now waiting to see how it does heated up, did you cook on it yet?

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Well I ran some charcoal through it to see how it would hold up. Appears to be great. Just put some chicken thighs on the grill and she's a smoking right now. Will let you guys know how it turns out.

First Cook

Got my new stainless replacement grill in last night, so it was time to fire up the kamado and actually get to cook a meal on it. Decided to go with chicken thighs, because it's one of the wife's favorites. So I have been using the original Kamado instructions from Pachinko Palace, and I used 22-24 charcoal briquettes per their instructions and used the recommended upper and lower vent settings. I know a lot of guys and gals swear by lump charcoal and do not, or will not use briquets, but plain old Kingsford did me right.

Anyway, this chicken was awesome, both the wife and I loved it. Super stoked with how this 50+ year old clay pot cooks. Not sure what I will cook next, but I can honestly say, this was the best charcoal grill experience I have had. This thing is truly efficient when it comes to charcoal use. The pic with the chicken on the grill is at 30 minutes, total cook time was 50 minutes. Seasoned only with salt and black pepper, no sauces. The chicken was super moist!

billbek said:

Great thread. Thanks for sharing your progress and looking forward to your first cook.

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Thanks, just made some thighs in in kamodo, they were great!