Because its partly fired the clay is still not fully hardened. This process prevents the possibilities of damage to the pot during transportation.

When using charcoal, it can reach a temprature of approximately 400c. The skewered meat is inserted into the red hot charcoal,which conducts the heat into the centre of the meat, so the end result the skewer gets hot and cooks the meat from the inside and the radiating heat from the clay cooks the meat from the outside , sealing in all the goodness and flavor ,its a perfect science.If using gas its exactly the same principal , but as the skewer tip will not get as hot.

The flavor comes from a combination of the marinade, the clay, the charcoal and believe it or not the skewer. Iron skewers can enhance a better flavor . So earth, iron and fire. What more can you ask for. Its perfect. You can achieve this ancient form of superb cooking in your garden, on your patio, balcony, or roof top with the Tandoori-Q clay oven.

A traditional barbecue cannot cook the food in the same way. It is open cooking and the only heat source comes from the charcoal underneath, which makes the meat vulnerable to burning. You can place 10 skewers of meat in the Small Home Tandoor, walk away and return in 8- 10 minutes and your food is sizzlingly ready to eat.

Actually all out tandoors are fairly robust. As with any kind of clay pot, if you treat it roughly it will eventually break. So don’t do the following things to the small home tandoor; drop it, roll it on its side, drag it at high speed on its castors over uneven surfaces, never extinguish the oven with water when it is hot, don’t leave it exposed to frost and rain. Follow these sensible rules and it will last you for many years and give you, your family and friends many hours of delightful tasty Tandoori Eastern or Western promise.

With charcoal you have to prepare the oven for a Home tandoor session. It takes time to insert and light the charcoal, takes up to 80 minutes to reach a cooking temperature, it burns hotter, a better flavor is achieved, the oven, will gradually loose its temperature over an hour, so after two 10 minute sessions cooking times will be longer, finally the oven has to be cleaned out ready for the next tandoori session.

With gas there is no pre oven preparation, turn on the gas and light, takes 30 minutes to reach cooking temperature, takes slightly longer to cook a loaded skewer, no cleaning out. Restaurants use gas, so how choosy do you want to be, how authentic do you want to get. The choice is yours. The boss has two going at a time one gas and one charcoal.