Primo XL Oval Review by Bret

by Bret
(Fort Worth, Texas)

My New Primo and table. (I added the bottom shelf)

I'll preface this by stating that in addition to my newest purchase, the Primo XL Oval, I have been the proud (and envied) owner of a Larger BGE for a couple of years. However, that aside, I will give you my opinions so far on the Primo, as I have cooked almost everything on it that I have done on the Egg.

First, how it cooks - Wonderfully. Pure and simple, it is a ceramic smoker/grill that does what it is made to do - cook everything I put on it easily and beautifully, with little effort, and cook them evenly at any temperature while maintaining the moisture of the food.

Second, I have been asked why I got this if I already have a large BGE. That is a good question, and my answer is that while I absolutely LOVE my Egg, and while it is normally perfect for everything I do, there are times when I want/need something just a little larger. For large parties, there have been occasions where the cooking surface of the Egg just wasn't quite enough (or the right shape) for the amount of, or what I want to cook. A prime example of this is a suckling pig. You can fit it nicely on the elongated shape of the Primo, but it just can't fit on the round Egg. The reasons I went with the Primo XL Oval instead of the XL Egg will be explained below.

Accessories - The accessories I have for the Primo include the cast iron firebox divider, drip pan racks/D-stone holders (the ceramic deflectors for indirect cooking), pizza stone and extended grilling racks.

Advantages / Observances - While cooking on the Primo and Egg are pretty much exactly alike, there are some things I do like about the Primo:

Cooking Grates - The grate on the Oval Primo's are two piece grates, each piece taking up half of the cooking area are sort of "D" shapes. These grates have what I call "legs" on them that allow you to flip them over (with the legs up), which puts the grate lower into the cooker by about 2-1/2". With the legs down, the grate is flush with the rim of the cooker. (Having the grate flush is one advantage over the Large BGE, which is sunk about 3" into the cooker). Flipping half of the grate over and leaving half flush with the rim of the cooker is how I leave this grill about 90% of the time. When I put the extension racks on the grates, i have virtually 4 different levels of cooking surfaces...nice. Also, the spacing between the cooking grates surface (space between the individual bars on the grate) are closer together than the Egg, with the gap between the bars measuring 5/16" on the Primo, opposed to 10/16" on the Egg. This is a good thing when cooking many veggies like asparagus, or tails of fish that tend to want to fall through. (Yes, I know a veggie or fish basket can accomplish the same thing, but it's just an observance).

Cast Iron firebox divider - This is one of the best accessories I have. It provides a couple of advantages. First, it allows me to build my fire on one side of the firebox, essentially cutting down on the amount of charcoal used, and more importantly allowing me to cook both direct and indirect at the same time, without using a ceramic deflector stone (or D-stone). This is how I cook steaks. If you remember me saying I keep the grates split, with one half of the grate with the "legs" up, sitting lower in the cooker. I have the divider in and build the fire on the side with the lower grate. I can get a sear on my steaks on the lower side, directly over the fire, then move it over to the indirect side to finish them out. Along with that, since the grate is closer to the fire, I have been able to get sears at a temperature of 550-600 degrees. Another advantage over the Egg? Maybe. The Egg is a deeper cooker, and the grate is farther from the fire, so maybe the temps need to be higher on the Egg (650-700 degrees) to get the same sear. (Though I still love my 9-minute cook method on the Egg).

The advantage I see, in addition to the above comments, in buying the XL Primo Oval instead of the XL BGE, is mainly that I think the XL Egg would have taken much more fuel to get up to temperature, as the charcoal grate on the XL Egg is around 15" in diameter! Between that negative, and the options listed above, I just feel the Primo offers more in way of flexibility over the XL Egg.

Con's / Observances - There actually are a couple of things I do like on the Egg, that the Primo does not offer. This does not mean it isn't as good a cooker, but just really observances:

Swivel damper instead of Daisy Wheel damper - The swivel damper is a little harder to get use to. I like the Egg's daisy wheel system for getting precise temps easily. Though the swivel damper does the same thing, the fact that it's swivel point is located in the front, there are always chances that when you open the hood on the Primo, the damper swivels shut, and unless you are vigilant about making sure you check/reposition it, that can affect the temperatures.

Rain Cap - I love the rain cap on my Egg. It allows me to remove the cast iron daisy wheel and store it to keep it from rusting, but I think more than this, it helps shut the fire down faster than just closing the swivel damper on the Primo. I have had both at the same temps, at the same time, and when shutting them down, it does take longer for the Primo to lower the temps and kill the fire than the Egg. It could be due to the size, but it's my opinion that it is the way it blocks the airflow better than just closing the cast iron damper on the Primo.

Conclusion - All in all, I love my Primo and am beginning to become as much a fan of it as I have been for my Egg. I have cooked everything from ribs and brisket at the low and slow methods (225-250), to the mid ranges of everything form pizza to cookies and pies, to the high temp cooks of burgers and sear temps of steaks. The Primo does not disappoint! It has the flexibility I want, the size I need, and the taste I have grown to love.

If I was envied for my Egg, I will surely become more so for my Primo!

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Awesome review Bret, thanks for taking the time

Mike