Primo Oval XL Charcoal Grill

In recent years there has been a flood of Kamado style grills on the market. Primo Grill is not one of these companies. Years of experience and hard work have taught them how to make a superior ceramic grill and to offer versatility that no one else has. The Oval XL, the largest of their charcoal grills, is oval in shape and comes with a dividable firebox making indirect grilling quick and easy. There is no other Kamado style grill on the market that offers this. Add to this a thick ceramic shell, quality construction, and you have one of the best ceramic grills on the market.

In the years before all these other companies got into the Kamado grill business, if you didn't buy a Big Green Egg you probably bought a Primo Grill. While most of these other companies have been trying to duplicate the Egg and the Egg's success, Primo has stepped out to offer some grills that are truly unique in the market. The Primo Oval XL is that unique Kamado style grill, and not just because it is oval shaped instead of round.

The Primo Oval XL is large. With 400 square inches of primary grilling space, it is one of the largest of the ceramic Kamado grills. The thing that makes it unique, however, is the divided firebox. With the oval shape and the larger design you can split the fire down the middle for direct and indirect grilling space without having to work with a diffuser plate (like the Big Green Eggs plate setter, though diffuser plates are available). If you want to smoke a brisket, simply build the fire on one side, adjust the vents to a low and slow arrangement and put on the brisket. You may need to add additional coals once in a while, but when the brisket comes off, you can open up the vents and hit high temperatures for steaks and burgers. This makes the Primo Oval XL a versatile Kamado and a perfect grill for smoking.

Aside from this, the Primo Oval XL has many of the same features of the Big Green Egg. Cast iron top vent, stainless steel bottom vent, porcelain coated cast iron cooking grates (though Primo's are reversible), and a highly insulative ceramic body. While Primo doesn't have the size of the distribution that Big Green Egg has, it does have good customer support and a quality product. Ultimately I would recommend the Primo Oval XL over the Big Green Egg XL and if you are looking for a larger Kamado, I believe this is the one to look at.

The Primo Oval XL will run you around $1,100 for the basic grill. If you want the additional cooking grates and a nice cart to put it in you can be looking at as much as $2,000 for a fully decked out grill.