I was intrigued to read an article in last week's New York Times on the growing popularity of kamado grills, or traditional Japanese earthenware ceramic cookers. The most popular American version of these grills, Big Green Eggs, command a fierce group of followers, sometimes known as Eggheads, who claim that kamado grills cook faster than other grills, require less charcoal (and only lump charcoal, which is more eco-friendly), and hold and distribute heat more evenly. So we're wondering: is this the greenest way to grill?

Kamado grills like the Big Green Egg only use lump charcoal, which is made by taking wood (tree limbs, branches, scraps from lumber mills and milling operations) and heating it in a closed container in the absence of oxygen. The charcoal contains no chemicals, produces minimal ash, and since it hasn't been ground up and condensed into briquettes, it lights much easier. It's significantly more efficient, too: kamado grills apparently use up to 40 to 60 percent less charcoal than traditional charcoal grills and smokers.

These benefits combined with a quick start-up time, minimal maintenance, and a practically indestructable design have some saying that, if you can afford it at $800 a pop, a ceramic kamado cooker is the greenest way to grill.

What do you think? Do you have one? Do you want one?

Read More: Green Eggs and Hamburgers at The New York Times

(Image: Gear Patrol)