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How It Works

Traditional Pit Cooking

Enjoy the flavours of underground cooking with Top Tanoor. Here’s how it works—step by step:

Cooking Shuwa, Mandi, Muthbi or other traditional Middle Eastern meals.

1-Add Wood

Place 3-4 pieces of hardwood (like sumr) inside the oven. This gives you that rich, authentic flavour and traditional experience. Alternatively, use natural charcoal and wood chips for a faster experience. 

Turn on the gas ignition to light the wood quickly and cleanly. No smoke clouds, no waiting around—just fast, easy ignition.

2-Ignite with Gas
3-Insert the drip pan 

Insert the drip pan into the tanoor to remove excess liquid from the tanoor and protect the bottom meat. 

4-Load the Meat

Wrap your marinated meat in banana or palm leaves, place it inside, and close the lid. The oven seals completely to trap heat, smoke, and moisture—just like a traditional tanoor.

5-Let it Cook

The oven holds steady heat for hours using electricity (Al Wadi & Al Hufra uses gas but still completely seals). It cooks faster than a pit, but just as flavourful

6-Monitor and adjust

Additionally, use the smart thermometer or Inkbird controller to track oven and meat temperatures from your phone to cook perfectly every time. Want it smokier? Juicier? You’re in control. Adjust your settings to customise your meal. 

7-Unwrap & Enjoy

Open the lid, unwrap your shuwa, and enjoy meat that’s tender, juicy, and packed with traditional flavour—without the hassle of digging a pit.

How to Cook Other Meals

TRI HEAT FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Understand the Strengths of Each Heat Source

GAS

Fast and efficient, but adds little flavour.

ELECTRICITY

Steady heat and lets you cook as a sealed tanoor, though slower to adjust the temperature..

CHARCOAL/WOOD

​Rich flavour, but slower to ignite and adjust the temperature.

Combine Heat Sources for the Best Results

Use Gas To

  • Cook exclusively on gas with the grill open or closed like an oven. Add wood chips for smoking. 

  • Use it in combination with wood/charcoal/electricity to achieve the following:

  • Quickly ignite wood or charcoal.

  • Preheat the oven fast (200°C in 5 minutes, 400°C in 12 minutes), 

  • Boost heat at the end for reverse searing or crisping.

Use Charcoal To

  • Cook exclusively on charcoal with the lid open or closed like an oven. Add wood chips for smoking.

  • Cook with deep smoky flavour.

  • Control temperature manually via vents (90°C to 400°C).

  • Automate temperature control using the optional Inkbird controller (Al Wadi, Al Shatti, Al Jabal (Pre-installed in Al Jabal), 90°C to 300°C. 

Use Electricity To

  • Cook exclusively on electricity like an oven. Add wood chips for smoking. 

  • Cook with the oven fully sealed, like a traditional underground oven but for modern dishes.

  • Retain moisture and prevent drying at high temperatures.

  • Keep food warm at 65°C—ideal after shuwa or while waiting for guests.

  • In Al Wadi & Al Hufra, this is done using our unique gas-based system.

Use Wood To

  • Cook exclusively on wood with the lid open to BBQ or closed like a tanoor, adding intense, natural flavour.

  • Open the vents and use gas at the end for a crispy finish.​​​

Choose Your Cooking Setup

Open Grilling

Use a cooking grid only.

Short Oven Cooks

(<1 hr)

Use perforated pans for airflow.

Long Oven Cooks

(>1 hr)

Use solid drip pans for indirect heat.

Multi-Level Cooking

Mix and match across three levels (e.g. chicken in a perforated pan below, veggies in a solid pan above).  

Preheat Your Oven

GAS

Lid closed, vents fully open. Adjust temp using the gas knob. Takes precedence over other heat sources.

ELECTRICITY

Plug in and set desired temp.

CHARCOAL

Lid closed—adjust temp using vents. Lid open—use bottom vent. Automate with Inkbird.

WOOD

Lid closed—adjust temp using vents. Lid open—control temp with bottom vent.

Start Cooking

Place your meat or dish inside and let the magic begin.
Use the Inkbird thermometer to control the temperature when using charcoal on Al Wadi, Al Shatti or Al Jabal. 

Monitor and adjust

Optionally, use the smart thermometer or the Inkbird controller to monitor your oven and meat temperatures from your phone to cook it perfectly every time.  

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