Is Primo's New XX-Large Kamado All Hype?

[@RumandCook]

I think part of the issue is that you had about 15 pounds of lump too much. The top of the hot lump was right under the heat deflectors and it caused unusual results. As someone who has used an oval Kamado for 4 years (Komodo Kamado), I have never seen one behave that way. From everything I've seen, this is not the typical performance of a Primo. Mine is 32" is so it's bigger, but I only use 1/4 of a basket at 1 end and never use deflectors. The meat doesn't sit over the heat, so it's not necessary. I think you will love it indirect since you can actually do it properly and have no heat under the meat :) I hope you get it figured out! 🍻

[@rasheedsingleton1919]

I have a large BGE, and over the years have had my fair share of shoe leather briskets as well as some that came out great. I’ve never had the lump on one side but definitely wanna try this summer. Thx

[@Keith80027]

When I first saw the oval Primo at Costco, I was impressed because of the shape, most of the meat I cook is a rectangle and not a circle, but I had my LgGE for years and wasn't going to switch. Based on my engineering background, I would believe the oval is going to be a good smoker and heat circulation with the indirect setup shown. I do my best to buy anything made in USA as it provides jobs for people so they are not on SNAP and they do pay taxes that we all hate. Anything engineered and design in America also provides for great jobs that could go to foreigners and buy those too. Grill Grates make rectangle grates that I sometimes use as my second indirect blocker ( use Grill Grates a lot). Maybe make a couple of boards that you can take off the pallet that have notches cut into them so two people can pickup the base with these boards by pressing against the bottom while picking it up. It looks like the seal is a felt seal inside of metal mess or oven gasket. I surprised you didn't do just a meatless fire to clean out whatever might of been in the Kamado because of of manufacturing and shipping stuff. I always use a electronic metering system on my cooks that happen while asleep. I do this because I live in Colorado where I can go to bed with out any wind and during the night 40 mile an hour winds come up and really change the air flow. It happened last night because my husky needed to let me know that the winds were a howling. We both went through a 110 mile an hour fire storm and winds are scary to all four of us. Need to do a biscuit test to find the hot and cool spots. I would consider the Primo once more stuff comes out, but for me with 4 to 6 people cooks, my LgGE is all that I need. I love the looks of your yard too, very nice. You presented a lot of data and I wrote maybe too much, but you do bring out great points.

[@pacman_17]

Primo deserves another chance once you figure out how to better control the temperature. Thanks for doing a cook with the unboxing.

[@andrewgutierrez8551]

Trying to decide between a Primo XXL and a Kamodo Big Joe III. Please keep us updated I’ll have to make a decision by August 😅

[@Plejtvak_V]

Nice video, and a great summary. Well, I was surprised that the Kamado Joe is manufactured in China, but kamados originate from this region. Unfortunately, this grill can't be compared to the Kamado Joe/Big Green Egg as it lacks accessories-I'd say that this brand is still at the beginning of its path.

[@JustGrillingandChilling.]

@@Plejtvak_V Agreed, great video and analysis….it seems they launched the XXL too early…. Their other kamado cookers have a good range of all accessories and Kick Ash also has some aftermarket gadgets…. I’m surprised (and disappointed) they would launch this without some standard accessories to go along with it…(rotisserie, proper cart/table, etc…)

[@sarab3368]

Unfair to judge the grill based on how a cook turned out using the grill thermometer…which no one uses. Would have been better if you used the Meaters like one would normally do for accurate ambient temperature. Feels like you gave it a bad rating either to be a contrarian or because you have contracts elsewhere

[@christopherdavison3608]

Or calibrate before your first cook which is what everyone does. Dome thermometers are never accurate.

[@peterdobol6662]

Thanks for the review. I've had my oval XL since 2005 and love it. Could you have added too much charcoal. I've never filled mine that full. (learning curve?) I have a Flame Boss 400 for temperature /air control and it's been great. Lookin forward to future cooks and reviews. Of course a Kick Ass basket/can is a necessity and will be out soon.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Because a Kamado burns coal from the top down, the quantity of charcoal shouldn't affect the ability to hold temperature. Although the distance from the top of the coal pile to the bottom of the heat deflector could be an issue. After further testing though I just shouldn't have trusted the dome thermometer. If I had used a grate-level probe or trusted the MEATERs I probably could have saved it. I'm hoping that some more accessories come out soon and I'll be able to do another test and MAYBE a redemption video if we can get it doing what it's supposed to.

[@jamesbrandon8520]

I’m just glad to see you loose that red hair

[@rmcBloody]

Same

[@AndreaShink]

aren't we all ... !!!

[@paulh6517]

Makes no difference to me. Its just about the content.

[@AdrianBorrett]

Hey Al, I was excited to see this video drop because I’m lucky enough to have two Primo XLs and I love them like all Kamado for their versatility. I find, as you discovered, the cooking grates are very close to the deflectors (compared to KJ) so you get more direct radiant heat off the deflector onto the bottom of the food (can over cook unless you turn them). A probe at grate level will show this in my experience. This is especially true if fully loaded with charcoal ( I bet you had some left over). I use a second set of deflectors with an air gap, or the extension racks to create an extra air gap for more convection. I realise you don’t have that available but hope you can use something from your other accessories/ pizza stones. Or put the fire on one side and the meat on the other which I found to work really well for low and slow, although I only do 1 or two pork’s butts at a time. I found the primo burns more left to right unlike the KJ which burns front to back because of the air intake location, that might explain why the butts on the left were more done. I am a little disappointed that the Primo xxl wasn’t deeper allowing for a multi tier grate system eg similar to KJ, I think they missed a trick there to add even more versatility. I might have traded up if they had done that, assuming they ever arrive in NZ. Hope the comments help. I’m sure there are lots of primo owners that will add in recommendations for setup of long slow cooks but hope the comments help. Can’t wait to see the next test. Cheers

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

This is amazing info. Thank you!

[@praetorxyn]

If you are looking for a big Kamado, checkout the Komodo Kamado 32l Big Bad and 42” Serious Big Bad. The Roll’s Royce of grills, in a completely different league from every other Kamado in terms of construction and capacity. Pricey, but I’d love to see you get your hands on them as you do all kinds of tests, and there are barely any videos of cooking in them because of the price.

[@billystpaul8907]

I just delivered on 32" Big Bad Komodo to a home here in MN. He got the bronze and pebble tile one. The crate weighed 1300 pounds. His total cost was 10,000 for shipping and delivery. Plus 2500.00 for the boom crane to lift in the back yard. If you saw the house, I don't he was worried about the cost. It's one big grill.....Makes my little 24 " kamado seem small...and mine ways only 375....

[@praetorxyn]

@@billystpaul8907 Oh yeah. That does seem ridiculous. I think if you order the ones in California instead of directly importing from Indonesia it’s not that bad, but it’s still a lot of money. The 42” is even more ridiculous. Could probably fit 4 17 pound packer briskets in the main grate alone, and that’s one of about 3 grates you can smoke on. One of my other dream outs is the LoneStarGrillz Large Insulated Vertical Smoker, which has an absurd capacity while being as set it and forget it as a Kamado is.

[@MP-po4fp]

I have a standard size KJ 2. My dad had a Primo jr. I was amazed how much grate space that jr had

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

What’s the nickname for this grill?

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

They only get names if I keep them - and the jury is still out! If it does better in the 2-zone steak test and they send me some accessories that allow me to make the cook go better (i.e. double indirect invented by one of my heroes) then it will get a name fitting it's size and color!

[@tootybb]

Primo manufactures four grills early and sends you one of them for free. A $2,500 value. You dive head first into a massive cook without even an inkling about this new tool and its potential pain points, and then call it hype. Kinda disappointed. In any hobby, especially one that uses tools, you need to work out the kinks and learn the tool before giving an opinion. These kamados aren’t plug and play like a pellet grill. Harry Soo has won tons of competitions using a Weber smoky mountain, but I guarantee his first cook on one didn’t go as planned. Learn the tool.

[@doctajuice]

2500 price point. You should be able to dive into a project if you know what you're doing, which Al does

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Hey Tooty - you took the time to write a detailed comment so I will show you the respect of writing an equally detailed response. If you watched the whole video you know that I am disappointed with the capacity. I don't think adding 2" each in depth and width to get another 100 square inches of "cooking surface" is a material improvement over the XL. Certainly not when Big Green Egg has been making a 672 square inch 29" diameter XXL for a decade. I don't see a reasonable way to get 2 decent sized briskets on there, or more than 4 pork shoulders - and the depth may make it possible to cook a few racks of ribs without overlapping but it's not like you're going to get materially more food on there. I think this XXL is probably a decent comparable to the BGE XL and the KJ Big Joe I/II in capacity. And if you use a SloRoller in the Big Joe you don't lose the space around the heat deflectors so you can definitely get 4 butts on there that way. The heat inversion just makes no sense - even if the thermometer was calibrated that only buys us 10-12 degrees. So if the bottoms are cooking that hot and the dome is cooler than the grate it likely means that the heat deflectors are too close to the food for a grill of this size. And if I need to cook with a

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks, Doc. I get that I can be controversial sometimes :-).

[@tootybb]

If you wanna cook more than 4 pork shoulders buy an offset. What’s stopping you from doing double indirect on another cook right now? Can’t believe you did one smoke on a new smoker and call it hype. Keep in mind that the reason James started doing the double indirect method was because he was burning the bottom of his cooks, very much like you experienced here.

[@lukeverlennich7992]

As a short time xl oval owner I’ve learned a few things. The left side of the grill typically burns hotter than the right side and has a left to right burn bias so rotating your food is recommended. The dome temperatures are in my case typically 30-40° cooler than Grate level. It does not burn as much coal as you would initially think. And double indirect is kinda important for air flow

[@travisbeagle5691]

I can't say I've seen a major difference between either side of my Oval LG, but I can attest to the difference in temps at the grate vs the dome. I haven't measured mine and really haven't though about it much, but I have been burned on a few cooks like this one because of it. Certainly going to take that into account on my next long cook.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks to both of you. I've never seen a Kamado where the dome is so much cooler. I'm going to try again - and if that makes things better and they actually come out with the gear to let me do double indirect you'll see a new video.

[@travisbeagle5691]

@@BehindTheFoodTV I jus did a cook with a small butt this afternoon on my oval LG300 at ~275 (I didn't have enough time to do a proper low and slow) and used my meater to roughly map out the cooking area. At the grates there was a bit of a spread in temps where at roughly the center of each of the deflector plates, the grates would match the dome, but along the edges and in the seam between the plates, the grates were reading 10-25 degrees hotter. Now I was using a Flameboss controller to control the pit temp and I have a much smaller kamado than the XXL, but this might show at least some of the reason why things are a little different with the Primo.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

@@travisbeagle5691 interesting result. My testing resumes this week - I will let everyone know in an upcoming video what I figure out!

[@shermanshelichannel6540]

You know that temp gauge is adjustable right? I think you should have checked calibration first. Pretty crappy of you to bash them without stating this. Especially when they gave you there biggest most expensive grill before it even came out to the public.

[@rayc2137]

My favorite accessories on my XL BGE is the JoeTisserie & basket, so until they get one that works like that... welp you just said what I was going to write.

[@polsok44]

I like primo but the 1 piece firebox makes me nervous for cracking, I wish they would do the multiple small sections like the KJ

[@venados65]

My large BGE came with the bands already installed. Only the hinge mechanism and handle needed to be tightened overall pretty easy installation.

[@StevenSherwin-op5lf]

Double indirect (plates and slow roller) on the KJ Big Joe makes it so you can use the entire grilling surface. I frequently cook an entire grill of bone in chicken and it cooks pretty evenly.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Yup. Working on figuring out if there's going to be a way to do that with the Primo. But for now stick with that Big Joe.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

So what do YOU think? Will you be considering a Primo XXL if/when the rest of the accessories come out?

[@rayc2137]

I don't think so. At 6'2" I find the XLBGE too low, and then the lack of accessories is just crazy, they should have released them all at once.

[@flaviomejia]

I really want to say yes. Cause you know. USA. USA. But the cook has to go better. I’m hoping your next cooks show us something better. Love the fact i feel I can trust your word. Keep up the good work.

[@Two_Bit_Smoke]

I don’t understand why y’all KZbinrs like Smoking Dad BBQ and yourself keep saying, “it was way easier than setting up a Big Green Egg” and “it’s an exercise in tightening bands” with regard to the assembly of the Big Green Egg. That was how it was back in the day that you had to completely install all the bands. Check out a new video on assembling a newer model BGE and the bands already come pre-installed. I know Smoking Dad BBQ is biased against BGE, but you too? You don’t have to follow his lead because y’all are friends…enjoy your new Primo! The only gripe I have about my Primo XL is the seal on the two piece heat deflector isn’t tight and hot air leaks in the middle, but it’s an easy fix. I put a piece of aluminum foil covering that area where the heat deflectors meet and there’s no more hot air leak! That XXL is really nice! Congrats!

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks for the tip on the heat deflector seal! The last time I bought a BGE was 2019 (Darth - you've seen him on the show) I had to do a full assembly so if they've changed that I'm glad to hear it! But don't worry we're not colluding against BGE!

[@Two_Bit_Smoke]

@@BehindTheFoodTV, hahahaha! Collusion is a helluva allegation! Hopefully your next cook with the XXL goes better! Cheers!

[@PRESA25]

Curious do you sometimes use a water pan with these cookers like a stick or pellet smoker?

[@AndreaShink]

Funny, I can't even get ONE pork shoulder on my KJ3! 😂🤪

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

lol I see what you did there!

[@smokingtarheel3003]

Looks like that heat deflector is too close to the bottom of the grate. I think you might have used too much charcoal, but that would have been really hard to discern on the first cook. I'm staying away from that, especially for the price. It's still a nice grill for sure, especially for the dual zone cooking.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

It could be that the heat signature is inverted and it was too hot on the bottom and the dome thermometer couldn't tell what was really going on - but that's something they are going to have to fix. I'm still going to test 2-zone cooking with steaks - I think it will do well there. and if they come out with a pizza stone or other setup that will allow me to do double-indirect I'll test low and slow again. But for now, I don't see a big advantage over the Big Joe.

[@smokingtarheel3003]

@@BehindTheFoodTV Yes, could be that on the heat. If you had another set of deflectors with some spacers, you could do double indirect; but it seems the cooking grid wouldn't be high enough.

[@Amocoru]

I adore my Big Joe. It has enough area for a 22' pizza stone and I can make amazing pizza at 600+ degrees with it. It gets that nice coal fired flavor and is large enough for smoking briskets as well. I think it just depends entirely on what you're going to be cooking on your kamado.

[@rayharris5452]

I think a major issue was way too much charcoal. Its hard to keep temps from climbing on my big joe 1 when i overfill the charcoal basket

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Could be an issue with this one. With my BJ2 and BgE-XL I don’t have that problem, but I’m still learning this cooker.

[@MrCmonReally]

Dude, you took the time to talk about the importance of calibrating the thermometer, but never showed how you adjust the thermometer if it’s off? That’s an easy fix and should be done before you do your first cook anyway, just as a precaution… Anyway, great video, you mentioned a lot of things that people should think about before they buy something that’s brand new on the market without accessory’s to support what you ultimately want to do…

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

You know what you're right - I should have shown the extra 15 seconds of calibration. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I'm still hoping this turns into something we can get excited about. Stay tuned!

[@jamesg6071]

Please get your hands on a lone star grillz pellet smoker 20x42. Would like to hear your take on it

[@lamarwilliams185]

Thanks for a honest review!!!

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Always!

[@DavidHernandez-ht5kv]

Not a honest review. He just didn’t know how to use the tools.

[@KarnivoreKaren]

It looks impressive, and I'm sure there's a learning curve. However, a good-sized pellet would probably give the same/better results and have room for more meat. But it is pretty 😂

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

You're not wrong, Karen. But there are advantages to Kamado-style grills (as you know) - so I'm still going to try to make it sing. But no promises!

[@DavidHernandez-ht5kv]

You used too much lump charcoal buddy! Lump charcoal burns at inconsistent levels depending on the chunks. Big chunks = More Heat Small chunks = Less Heat. At this point, briquettes would’ve been a better choice for a consistency cook. Pick up some B&B oak briquettes 🤩 Thank me later 😊❤

[@0dumping]

The higher the cart, the higher your center of gravity will be, making it easier to tip over.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Good point. I promise not to tip it over though 😂

[@williamwilson2624]

Great video, Al!

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks, William!

[@fiftyf1]

Didn't you have four Meaters in there? Which would you trust?

[@rickwindham2888]

Komodo Kamado is with out a doubt the greatest Kamado ever made

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

I have never had the privilege of cooking on one but I hear fantastic things!

[@bradanderson737]

Very negative review been using my primo Xl for over 15 years with great success. For overnight cooks I use the digital Q 2 happy to see primo with a bigger grill. I’ve cooked 40 pounds of brisket using the extender racks My primo xl hold temperature consistently and is very efficient could cook for well over 24 hours without adding lump coal. It’s a great grill and smoker give it a chance learn how to use it

[@gabgtchln]

Are you going to try cooking Bar-A-BBQ style at home anytime soon?

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Absolutely! This Friday will be the Beef Rib - then the next few weeks will have the pork ribs, the turkey and of course Shelby' cowboy cookies! Make sure you subscribe and hit that notification bell so you know when they drop!

[@brian2359]

I almost thought today was Friday!

[@brian2359]

Loved the long video Al! Very interesting Kamado cooker. I like the fact it’s made here, but it seems like it might have a pretty big learning curve.

[@spittle8]

This video is unfair to Primo, you need to learn the tool before blaming it for undesired outcomes. I will say that gaining 2" on each side isn't enough to make me get XXL envy (I own an Oval XL).

[@christopherdavison3608]

Honestly this dude seemed like a hater very early on. I will keep investigating the XXL to see if it worthy.

[@rhec_junior_9122]

I think I'll stick with my workhorse

[@dgjacobs80]

You are more of an expert than me, but seemed like way to much charcoal imo

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

In a kamado where the fire burns from the top down the amount of charcoal shouldn't be an issue. It's possible that the Primo can't handle the fire being up next to the heat deflector though - that could have affected the result.

[@mike_adams]

Nice looking pit

[@mikeoreilly4020]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for losing the red wig. Good honest video, but maybe you should have done a few cooks on it before reviewing it.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

There will be more cooks - and more updates as my opinion changes (if it does).

[@brainyhead1]

Love our Primo!

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

What do you love about it? I'm working with the team at Primo Grills to try to understand it better but info from owners would be much better!

[@brainyhead1]

@@BehindTheFoodTV The two zone is legit

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

@@brainyhead1 that’s what I’m testing next

[@preethamshetty23]

Superb 🎉

[@PrimoStoker]

Fat cap down on my Primo XL.

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

It’s a shame you have to do that - the fat cap is such a part of the experience. I’m working with Primo on figuring this out….stay tuned!

[@PrimoStoker]

@@BehindTheFoodTV I got Schooled by 30 Time BBQ Grand Champion Harry Soo

[@PrimoStoker]

Fat cap down

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

@@PrimoStoker lol I will put my fat cap up brisket on either of my Kamados vs your fat cap down on any of your Kamados. There’s a reason fat cap up is better. But again, I’m working with Primo to figure out a way to pull this off so stand by……

[@jamestheadvisor1650]

This is ridiculous! You took a brand new grill and tried to cook to the specks of your old grill. And because it didn’t cook the exact same way it’s a fail? That’s a ridiculous test! Every grill is different. You should of checked it an hour early or greased the grating or? (There are many options) I could go buy a Kamado Joe brand new and cook it against my kettle and say well it didn’t cook as fast as my kettle so it failed 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️. Also you used too much charcoal which is not the grills fault! I just think it’s not a fair assessment of the Primo grill. If you learned the grill (every grill is different) you would love it. 🙏

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Thanks for the input James. If it makes you feel any better the Primo guys felt like it was a fair analysis and are working with me to improve things. If it gets to where I hope it can there will likely be a redemption video.

[@jamestheadvisor1650]

@@BehindTheFoodTV I just wish you learned the grill first. It might of made a big difference! In fact a second video after a few cooks would be nice. That would be an accurate assessment of the grill. And you could tell a story of what you learned and what you liked/disliked about it still. Great job on the editing and filming of your video. I’m guessing the entire channel is that way and I will watch more videos. I just think with a few tweaks of the process it would have been an entirely different video. 🙏🏼 hopefully we will see.

[@Crankinstien]

USA!❤️🤍💙

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Well said!