A British company called Doori has built an outdoor cooker designed around a single idea: cooking on skewers, the way a traditional tandoor does, without the masonry oven. The Doori Outdoor Cooker is a charcoal-fired, sphere-shaped unit with metal skewers that radiate outward from its body — a look distinctive enough that one reviewer compared it to a spaceship.
The appeal is straightforward for anyone who likes tandoori chicken, seekh kebabs, or grilled skewers but doesn’t want to install a clay tandoor. The Doori aims to deliver that style of cooking in a portable, backyard-friendly form.
How it cooks
The cooker is powered by charcoal, which Doori says gives food an authentic, smoky flavor. Food is threaded onto skewers that sit vertically around the dome. According to the company, its patented design circulates heat so food cooks evenly from all angles, while the skewers themselves heat up and cook the food from the inside out — an approach the company says is faster and reduces the constant turning that grilling usually requires.
The unit reaches temperatures of up to 400°C (750°F), the high heat associated with traditional tandoor cooking and useful for charring the outside of meat while keeping the inside moist. A temperature gauge mounted on the body lets the cook track the heat. A reviewer for Good Housekeeping summed up the design’s versatility this way: “We tried to write a cons list, honestly we did. But we couldn’t. Not only is the Doori super cool, it’s a multitasker – space ship, tandoor and barbecue!”
Specifications
The Doori comes complete with six stainless-steel skewers, which the company notes are dishwasher-safe. Each skewer is 61.0 cm (24 inches) long with a cooking area of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches). The cooking capacity is large for a unit this size — Doori says it is big enough to cook three whole chickens at once.
Assembled and including the skewers, the cooker measures 93 by 60 by 44 cm (36.6 by 23.6 by 17.3 inches) and weighs 15 kg (33.0 lbs). Its three legs can be removed, which the company highlights for easier transport and storage. The main materials are solid-cast aluminium, high-temperature reinforced nylon, 304-grade stainless steel, and enamelled carbon steel.
In the box, Doori includes the upper and lower body halves, the six skewers and six skewer handles, a lid, two side handles, a charcoal grill, an ash tray, three legs, and the assembly components.
Background and practical considerations
Doori frames the product as the result of a long development process. In its own account, the founders wanted to cook tandoori food at home but couldn’t find a suitable outdoor tandoor, so they built their own: “After countless prototypes and years of testing, we created the Doori.” The company positions the cooker as much for entertaining as for the food itself, adding that “the Doori isn’t just a cooking tool; it’s a way to bring people together.”
As a charcoal appliance, the Doori needs lighting and warm-up time and produces ash to clean out, trade-offs common to all charcoal cooking. Its skewer-based format is purpose-built for tandoori-style and kebab cooking rather than, say, burgers or flat cuts, so it complements a conventional grill more than it replaces one. At 15 kg with removable legs, it is transportable but not pocket-sized.
Pricing and availability
The Doori Outdoor Cooker is listed at £399.00 (US$535), with UK tax included. Doori also sells accessories, including a weather cover at £59.00 (US$79) and cooking gloves at £19.00 (US$25).
The company offers free shipping to mainland UK on any order containing the cooker, and ships internationally, though it notes that orders outside the UK may incur import taxes and customs duties that buyers should check beforehand. Returns are accepted within 60 days. At the time of this writing, Doori is also running a discounted Father’s Day bundle.
For home cooks drawn to high-heat, hands-off skewer cooking, the Doori offers a self-contained take on the tandoor that fits on a deck or patio — provided you’re cooking the kind of food its skewers are built for.
Source: Doori
