Wok question

chuckytheegghead

Hello all, I am looking for get a wok. The local store has a carbon steel wok, but it has a non stick coating. Will it be able to handle the heat from the egg? Thanks in advance. 

jtcBoynton

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.

chuckytheegghead

Thanks!

RRP

+ 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. 

chuckytheegghead

Ok. I'm going to pass on this one. Thanks guys. 

Charcoal_Addict

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. 

Pepe Le Pew

https://www.wokshop.com/newstore/

OhioEgger

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.

GrateEggspectations

@chuckytheegghead: I did a lot of research about woks in order to find a suitable one to go on my medium (15" grid) last winter. I was very strategic, in that I bought a wok that was 14.25" (round bottom and carbon steel with a handle), such that it would sit right on top of the fire ring (with the handle sitting on the lip of the base) perfectly. The setup did not require a spider, nor any other attachment; the wok simply sat perfectly on the fire ring, with the round bottom sitting low enough that it was in the midst of the intense flames. The handle of the wok was a nice feature as I could pick it up while cooking and give the wok a flick of the wrist to mix ingredients. I can send you photos of the setup and fit if this would be helpful. If you're buying for a Large using this technique, you'd like want a wok in the 17" (or thereabouts) diameter range.

Seasoning a a wok is very simple. Simply wipe the inside of the bowl with Crisco, and then place the wok on a hot Egg, turning frequently to let the Crisco blacken on all sides. As an alternative to using your Egg, you can also "fire" the backside of the wok bowl with a MAPP torch after having seasoned the inside. The heated/blackened Crisco will provide a wonderful non-stick surface that'll be ready to face anything you can throw at it.

Great thing about doing a wok outside is that it won't splatter your kitchen, nor fill your house with smoke!!

I am by no means an expert, but if you have any questions about the above or about my experience with a wok, please don't hesitate to let me know!

chuckytheegghead

Thanks @Great_EGGspectations, I'll be in touch. 

Mattman3969

Go carbon steel either 14-16" for the largeand get a spider. Mine has D ring handles so it can sit low in the egg.  The advantage to carbon steel is its ability to heat up quick plus cool down quick when needed unlike cast iron. Once you get you wok follow these instructions to season it.  

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hNPe5-swL-k

GrateEggspectations

@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!

Great_EGGspectations

chuckytheegghead said:

Thanks @Great_EGGspectations, I'll be in touch. 

Close, but think you wanted to tag @GrateEggspectations

chuckytheegghead

Ahh, indeed

fishlessman

i have different woks in different sizes, my go to is the basic steel 14 inch pow wok with the metal hollow handle, you also need the round bottom wok spatula and the aluminum cover is useful for just cooking scrambled eggs or even steaming cheese on burgers in a griddle. the wok shop mentioned sells this in a kit that includes the ring. only upgrade worth mentioning is getting one thats hand hammered. the 14 is easy to work with, bigger woks take more practice

SciAggie

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. 

smokeyw

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

Charcoal_Addict

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. 

HeavyG

Charcoal_Addict said:

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. 

Of course, just because one is using a carbon steel wok doesn't mean one is doing "real" wok cooking either. It's a little more complicated than that.

Unless of course one agrees that "wok cooking" can simply mean using a wok when cooking.

Millions of Asian households also use cast iron woks. I doubt that is due to marketing from bbq companies.

jtcBoynton

"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.

fishlessman

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 believe the chinese cast iron woks are more regional in china, maybe the food cooked in them has regional differences as well

HeavyG

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?

flyerdoc

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!

SciAggie

smokeyw said:

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

Yes - just plops down in there

Charcoal_Addict

BBQ Companies push CI woks becuase there easier to use over the uneven heat of of a charcoal fire.

Wok cooking is a discipline of it's own.   I don't use the Divide and Conquer on my Big Joe.  The divide and conquer and X-Rack place the wok too far away from the fire.  

I use the BGE XL Woo2 and the open bar fire ring from the ceramic grill store to bring the wok closer to the fire.  The open bar ring places the fire where you need it and it allows for better airflow around the lump for more even heat.   The open ring prevents issues with fire creeping up the side of the wok on windy days. 

It it took a lot of playing around with different set-up to create a wok sweet spot for nice and even heat. 

The KJ and Weber woks are just too heavy to be real woks.  Both clock in at 11.5 pounds.  

GrateEggspectations

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.

smokeyw

SciAggie said:

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. 

It looks to me like the 14" in the MM is the perfect combination. The fire is close enough to the pan to get the wok temp up quickly, but yet the wok is not down inside making it difficult to cook and lift it out when done. Do you find this to be true?

fence0407

Carbon steel without any non-stick.

BBQbutler

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

smokeyw

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.

BBQbutler

smokeyw said:

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.

It looked prettier!!  --- I guess perhaps there are some advantages though