Big Green Egg vs. Primo XL: Kamado Dragons Face Off in the Ceramic Grill Octagon

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The lid of the XL is very heavy though and it opens to a point that is almost perfectly balanced when open. That means if you sling it open and let go, it can easily rebound against the spring of the heavy-duty hinge and close with a crash. That could be dangerous to both the delicate ceramic and to your delicate forearms which could get chopped by a hot heavy ceramic guillotine. Again, be careful and burp that thing.

The final advantage that really seals the deal for the Primo in my opinion is how much easier it is to add coals to during a long low and slow smoking session. Even though these grills hold temp so well for so long, sometimes we’re talking about an 18-hour cook time for an entire pork shoulder. At some time during that process, you’ll probably want to top off your charcoal supply.

With the Egg this requires you to open the lid, remove the meat and the grill, use long asbestos gloves to take out the hot ceramic plate setter and pour in some more chunk coal before repeating the assembly in reverse. This takes quite a while and really lowers the temperature of your cooking environment and the meat you’ve been cooking. Not to mention that you have to figure out someplace safe to stack all the hot elements of the grill that you removed during disassembly. I have a wooden deck, so there’s not a lot of good places to put a hot greasy grill grate and a glowing ceramic plate setter.

However with the Primo XL, here’s the procedure to add more charcoal if you’ve had the foresight to leave one half of the grate off over the partitioned section with the indirect heat source: open the lid (burp it!), pour in more charcoal, close the lid again. That’s it. Quick and easy with a minimum loss of heat, because remember what I told you last year, “Lookin’ ain’t cookin’!” Every time you open that lid to add coals or to check your meat, you’re probably adding a half hour to your cook time.

In the end, most people would be happy with either of these fine products, but if you like to smoke big pieces of meat, you’ll probably prefer the Primo. And you’d probably be the kind of person I’d like to hang out with.

The Primo XL is available from grill distributors around the country.

MSRP: $1,259.00
What I liked: Nice large cooking surface. Consistent cooking environment. Easy to add coals midway through cooking process.
What needs improvement: Heavy lid can slam down if opened too vigorously.

The Big Green Egg is also available at grill shops everywhere.

MSRP: $749.95
What I liked: Easier to move around than Primo. Better for smaller patios and decks. Less expensive than Primo. Perfect oven for home wood-fired pizzas.
What needs improvement: Top vent cap can fall off, potentially cracking the Egg or leaving a greasy dent in your deck. Difficult to add charcoal during cooking.

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About the Author

Chris Chamberlain
Chris is a native of Nashville, TN and an honors graduate from Stanford University (where it should have occurred to him in the late `80's that maybe this computer business thing was gonna take off.) After 25 years in the business of selling flattened dead trees to printers who used them to make something which the ancients called "books," somebody finally slapped Chris over the head with an iPad whereupon he became the Director of Business Development for an internet services company that works with US retailers to help them sell their products overseas. His other day gig is as a food and drink writer for several regional newspapers, magazines and blogs. Chris has a travel/restaurant guide/cookbook coming out next fall which he is sure your mother would just love as a holiday present.

9 Comments on "Big Green Egg vs. Primo XL: Kamado Dragons Face Off in the Ceramic Grill Octagon"

  1. Great stuff, we have a Primo XL and Primo Junior and we would never buy a Green Egg as long as we have the option to buy Primo and buy American!

  2. Here you go, Shaun:

    http://www.geardiary.com/how-to-submit-your-product-for-review/

    In the case of these products, Chris mentioned in the article that he had purchased each with his own money. =)

    Judie Lipsett Stanford

    Editor in Chief
    http://www.geardiary.com
    325.374.2554

  3. information about production is incorrect…. Primo is the ONLY kamado made in the USA. The Green Egg is made in Mexico. Company is ‘based in Tucker, GA’ with production in Mexico! PRIMO all the way… for MANY reasons!

  4. I’ve had a Primo XL for five year and love it! We use it at least once/twice all year long (Alabama) and have had no issues. The gasket can be a pain but if you purchase a good, high quality replacement only the bottom needs to be replaced. If you want to cook ribs, do not buy an Egg.
    I’ve been told by local dealers who don’t sell Primo’s that: 1) Their customer service is bad 2) The bracket holding the lid would loosen on its own making it possible for the lid to fall off.
    Fortunately, the product is solid and I’ve never needed support. Regardless, I seriously doubt a customer (as opposed to a reseller) would have an issue. Also, my lid bracket is as tight today as it was over five years ago. Don’t believe the sales guy pushing the Egg or Kamado Joe.

  5. Randy Harper | January 20, 2014 at 12:27 pm |

    I had a large Green egg and sold it and purchased a XL Primo.. I agree totally with your logic how easy it is to stage meat especially Ribs…. 7 racks fit nicely.. I took one step further and made my stand out of Epay… Brazilian Walnut.. advantage is will not soak in oils or grease… disadvantage besides being expensive, it will break carbide bites, stainless steel screws and saw blades like nothing…. but nice. good job on the article.

  6. I have the Big Green Egg XL and it has more grill space than the Primo Oval XL. I can do direct and indirect at the same time and I have smoked meats for over 30 hours at 225 and lower with no need to add lump or wood. If you are considering a ceramic cooker, compare apples to apples. The BGE XL is the correct comparison to the Primo Oval XL.

  7. By the way, both grills are fantastic and you will not be disappointed with either. Check out both company’s forums – great info out there.

  8. Useful information. It is all I need. Thanks for your sharing

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