Kamado Fire Box Repair

I realize this may not be the best place to post this but I'd like to hear some feedback. I have a 40 year old Kamado and its in great shape but the fire box finally shattered into a dozen pieces and isnt repairable.



I cant find a replacement that will fit, I've heard of others using ceramic pots but those can only withstand low temps. I think I've come up with a solution. My local restaurant supply has huge stainless steel bowls that will fit perfectly. I figured I'd drill some holes in the bottom for air flow and ash removal. That part is easy, but these grills rely on the ceramic parts to help hold heat to stabilize temperatures. I thought about nesting two SS bowls and filling the void with plaster of Paris. It has a max working temp of 1200F, I've gotten this grill to 875F for steaks and pizza (which probably is what destroyed the fire box) so it should work. I know plaster of Paris is non-combustible, but I'm not sure if it'll off gas anything when cooking. My first thought is no, I believe it consists of heat treated gypsum and water. Anyone have any thought?

Hmmm... that really sucks to have a busted kamado. From everything I've learned in ceramics classes, the most critical part of this equation is removing all of the air from the plaster of Paris. If there are any air pockets, it can explode when hot. This happens very often when doing a kiln firing. Undoubtedly, if you have a masterpiece, some rookie will have a piece explode in the kiln and wreck your piece. In ceramics, we kneed the clay like bread, not sure about plaster. Maybe vibrate it a lot. Good luck!

I have tomorrow off work so I think I'll go ahead and use plaster of Paris. I plan to let it dry for a few days then bake it in the oven at ~400F. I've done some more research and am now fairly certain it's a non issue.

Best of luck to you! Post up some pics and your methods!

Well it seems to have worked. I've been cooking a Boston Butt since midnight and the kamado is keeping a perfect temp range, 250 - 275 is where I like it.