Tandoori Ovens

Spring Chicken · November 2006

Much of what I learned in life resulted from searching for something else. Tonight I happened on a clay tandoori oven. Very interesting. [p][p]Its shape and use perked my curiosity and I did some more searching and ran across a modern version actually in use with skewers: [p][p]Here's a cutaway of what the inside looks like:[p][p]I also found a brief description of what it is and does:[p]A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in Punjab region, northern India and Pakistan in which food is cooked over a hot charcoal fire. Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480°C (900°F). It is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods of time to maintain the high cooking temperature.[p]Have any of you had experience with such a cooker? Looks to me like a Big Green Egg could be adapted to do some of this type cooking.[p]Spring "Curiostiy Got Me This Far In Life" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Spring Chicken · November 2006

Spring Chicken,
I also ran across this:[p]Turn your oven into a tandoor [p]To mimic tandoor baking in a regular electric or gas oven, you'll need a baking stone or some unglazed quarry tiles placed on an oven rack. The larger the baking surface, the better. The stone or tiles should cover the rack with a one-inch gap around the edge to let hot air circulate.[p]Clay pots are nowadays being used for at home Tandoori cooking. They are found in a variety of sizes in many markets in Mexico. When cooking with clay, the pot must be soaked in cold water for at least 15 minutes. If it hasn't been used before, it should be soaked for at least 30 minutes. During the soaking, the terra cotta absorbs moisture which is released when the pot is in the oven, thus creating a moist cooking atmosphere. The clay pot must be placed in a cold oven and heated gradually. Set the temperature once the pot is inside. Never place in a preheated oven. [p]Very interesting....[p]Spring "Time To Turn Off My Curiosity Button" Chicken

gdenby · November 2006

Spring Chicken,[p]As far as I can tell, traditional tandoors were pretty much like the older Eggs, but with thicker walls so they could take the high heat. The main difference I see in tandoors and the Egg is that the inner walls are clean enough to cook thin breads on. I forget what kind of bread it was, perhaps naan, but it is just thrown onto the upper sides of the tandoor to cook. My Egg, even after a high temp burn, has too much creosote on it to do that. I have been considering a pizza stone or kiln shelf to use just for bread. [p]I've noticed that the top opening of the tandoor is higher and smaller than what we get with the Egg. I would suppose it contains the heat a little better than the Egg because the oven temp doesn't drop as much when its open to move food in and out.[p]As is said, a day without learning something new is a day wasted.[p]gdenby

rex clingan · November 2006

Saw an online article by someone who built their own tandoor using a liner imported to the UK from India, with a brick enclosure and the gap filled with vermiculite. I don't beleive the liners are available in the states.

Spring Chicken · November 2006

Spring Chicken,
Here's a site showing the construction progress of a homemade Tanooor oven. Again, very interesting. It could be a very nice complement to a Big Green Egg Cooking Center.[p]Spring "Capable Of Doing All Things One At A Time" Chicken[p]
[ul][li]Homemade Tandoor Oven [/ul]

DaytonEgger · November 2006

Spring Chicken,[p]About a month ago I was getting ready to make some Naan on the egg, and did a bit of research. In the archives I saw that someone had turned their egg into a tandoori by using a clay flower pot. They had cut the bottom out, turned it upside down, and cranked the egg up to a very high temp. They were then able to slap the Naan onto the inside of the clay pot, thus cooking the bread both by the heat of the clay, and browning one side from the flames of the fire. It was really clever, but I cannot find that post right now.[p]Perhaps the person who did this could post that picture again?

Spring Chicken · November 2006

DaytonEgger,
I thought I was misreading the part about cooking naan bread - the part about sticking it to the "inside" wall of the tandoori. I might understand it better if it said "outside." What keeps the bread stuck to the wall? Looks to me like it would fall.[p]Spring "Enlightment Is But A Clear Thought Away" Chicken

Spring Chicken · November 2006

rexmo,
Surely with all the Indian and Pakistan immagrants here someone would think to distribute the parts to a mainstay of their culture.[p]Spring "Wonderment Is Wonderful" Chicken

Spring Chicken · November 2006

gdenby,
I can understand the use of skewers to cook meat pieces but from some of the recipes I see where much larger items can be cooked in the tandoori. I may have to go to an Indian or Pakistani restaurant to see how it all works.[p]Spring "Curiosity In Action" Chicken

DaytonEgger · November 2006

Spring Chicken,[p]I have never used the flower pot method, so I cannot speak with any kind of authority. But I know that it is cooked on the inside wall of the oven. My guess is that the bread is very sticky (or something). But it has to be the inside if the bread is to get that characteristic char.[p]I did cook the Naan amonth ago, but just used my pizza stone. The results were OK, but not great. The problem was that there was no part of the bread exposed directly to the fire, and so there was no charring or browning at all.

DaytonEgger · November 2006

Spring Chicken,[p]I just found the picture from the archives. Here is thelink to the post explaining the method:[p]http://www.biggreenegg.com/archives/2005/messages/187610.htm[p]I am not sure if that is a stable url, so I hope it works.

DaytonEgger · November 2006

DaytonEgger,[p]Just a repost, this time with an active link

[ul][li]http://www.biggreenegg.com/archives/2005/messages/187610.htm[/ul]

Tandoori Ovens

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