re: Steaks have Bitter/Chemical-like taste from Kamado grill

Respectfully to the other posters, a ceramic kamado doesn't have any need to burn off any residues from the manufacturing process. They're sowy white and inert on the inside....no machine oil or lubricant/coatings to burn off as with a metal gas or charcoal grill.

But no matter how old or well "seasoned" (ie, dirty) a ceramic cooker is, the Nast flavor can still be imparted by putting food on the fire too early. OP probably has experience cooking over briquettes: imagine the foul taste you'd get if you lit a bunch of Kingsford briquettes and put the food on immediately. Gross, right? Well, lump has a similar need to catch fire, burn at a lower temp, then stabilize before you want to cook over it. I generally go at least 30 minutes from match to cooking on my large when using a previously fired cooker of lump....closer to 45 mins if it's fresh lump or an especially dense charcoal (like Wicked Good).

Seasoning the inside of a ceramic cooker is hogwash. Built up crud can easily be burned off and the ceramic returned to a relatively pristine state with a high temp extended burn. Everything crusted on the walls will turn to ash and burn away.

If you like high temp cooking, it's worth the investment to buy a Rutland or copper gasket. The Naked Whiz website is a fount of info on ceramic cooking, here's a link to the high temp gaskets page: LINK