Skip the non stick coating.  Never have seen any non stick coatings that can take the heat of wok cooking.  A carbon steel wok that is seasoned properly will naturally be non stick.

+ what @jtcBoynton said. Also you need to decide the style of bottom - round or flat. Personally I love my round one and use a "spider" from the Ceramic Grill Store. BTW you might want to shop there as Tom also sells woks at a reasonable price. 

Cast Iron or Carbon Steel will work.  

Cast iron will be easier to work with.  It heats more evenly over unevenly lit lump than Carbon Steel.  

Carbon on steel woks require more work to build the fire correctly.  A spider and and open bar ring will greatly improve your carbon steel cooks.  The open bar ring center the fire and makes it much easier to create an evenly lit fire under your wok.  

Cast iron is far less finicky and easier to deal with.  Kamado Joe makes a CI wok that'll fit your spider perfectly.  The CI wok will be easier or care for and will be easier to maintain a non-stick surface.  There's a lot less fidgeting with CI woks vs Carbon Steel.  

http://www.authenteak.com/kamado-joe-cast-iron-wok.html

Carbon Steel woks are lighter and do a slightly better job searing vegetables. 

My friend who owns a Chinese restaurant uses only carbon steel woks. He goes through a lot of them, because at the extremely high heat they use (think industrial gas lines), a wok will burn through in less than a year. But that's using them for many hours every day. For regular folks like us, a carbon steel wok will last for many, many years.

@chuckytheegghead: As requested, here are some photos to illustrate the setup I had described. You'll see that the "bowl" of the wok sits on one edge of the fire ring while the handle sits on the edge of the base. This allows the bottom of the wok to rest comfortably amongst the flames while allowing enough airflow around the wok to keep the fire roaring. Only caution I would offer about this setup is that you have to choose your wok diameter wisely.

Otherwise, you could do as a lot of Eggers do and simply place a wok on top of your grate while the Egg is set up for direct heat. I doubt the few inches further from the fire over and above the setup I have suggested would be that detrimental.

I bought my wok in Chinatown in Ottawa. I visited several Asian supermarkets before selecting the one I did. I liked the idea of one with a long handle because: 1) it was required for the setup I was after (seeing as the handle is needed to rest upon the edge of the base); 2) it would allow me to give the food a flip while cooking; 3) it would allow for the handle to stay relatively cool during cooks (given it sits outside of the Egg while cooking) and 4) it would allow me to carry the wok with one hand (rather than two hands, both of which would need to employ oven mitts, in a scenario where I was to purchase a wok with two "D" handles). The style I bought also allows you to stick a tapered wooden handle into the metal handle, which is helpful for handling the work while hot.

While you can get woks in a variety of materials, including cast iron, carbon steel is the traditional (and in my humble  opinion, best) material for the job. It's light and heats and cools quickly.

Finally, I'll mention that the wok had not yet been seasoned in these photos (which explains the lack of the black, tar-looking non-stick surface). The wok looks quite different now!

I have two 14" carbon steel woks that are over 30 years old; I've had them since college. Can't go too wrong that way. 

The reason why a lot of BBQ companies sell CI Woks is easy of use.  You don't have develop any skills or learn how to cook with a wok using CI.  Techinically your also not Wok cooking if you're using CI.  The heat transfer in CI is too slow.  

Carbon Steel is a real wok with a very fast transfer of heat from fire to pan. 

"Millions of Asian households also use cast iron woks. I doubt that is due to marketing from bbq companies."    If you consider a cast iron wok,  be aware that the asian CI woks tend to be much thinner (and therefore lighter) than CI woks made here  --  4-5 pounds versus 10-15 pounds.

jtcBoynton said:

"Millions of Asian households also use cast iron woks. I doubt that is due to marketing from bbq companies."    If you consider a cast iron wok,  be aware that the asian CI woks tend to be much thinner (and therefore lighter) than CI woks made here  --  4-5 pounds versus 10-15 pounds.

I'm aware of the differences, however, the material is the same. 

Are the woks sold by US BBQ companies made in the USA? I just assume they are made in China which would also kind of make them Chinese woks yes?

smokeyw said:

Is the Wok just sitting in a Woo? I need one of those!

Yes - just plops down in there

flyerdoc said:

Great thread...so tell me, if I wanted to use this Lodge CI wok in my medium egg...

 https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Pro-Logic-P14W3-Black-14-inch/product-reviews/B00063RXQK/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent

how would I cook with it...since it has a flat bottom, just put it on top of a CI grate? Or would that be too far from the fire? If so, what would I place it on?

Thanks!

In general, you can place a flat bottom directly on your grate without issue, but the closer you can get to the fire, the higher the heat (which is what wok cooking is all about). Without offering any specific assurances about the wok you have linked to, it appears as though it would likely fit (I used to wok on a medium). IMO, it may be preferential to use the SS grate rather than CI for a high-heat cook like a wok; the incendiary temperatures may strip your CI grate of its seasoning (and potentially that of the wok as well).

Also (and again, IMO) carbon steel is much better for woks than CI. Not only does it transfer heat faster, but it's lighter to move around, and importantly, allows you to stir up for ingredients with a quick flick of the wrist. I am a HUGE FAN of CI, but would not consider it for my own use in a wok application.

Carbon steel without any non-stick.

BBQbutler said:

i got my spider.... still awaiting the fedex package fro my hammered carbon steel wok from the wok shop.... anyday now!

I'm anxious to hear how you like the hammered as opposed to the smooth. I just ordered the one that CGW sells.