Ceramic Smokers: Big Green Egg v. Primo

K

Kahuna

25+ Posts
I've decided to add a ceramic grill/smoker to my collection. I know that several of you use the BGE, and it is certainly a good product. The Primo, however, looks to be a better choice because its oval shape would be a better fit for the shape of some meats (turkey, briskets, multiple racks of ribs). I had some ribs off a BGE over the weekend, and they had to be "wrapped" around the edge of the round grill rather than remain straight like God intended. The oval grill would allow them to remain straight.

Any of you have experience or insights into the Primo (customer service, hinge durability, any flaws you are aware of)?
 
No experience with the Primo but I have to say I've never "wrapped" my ribs on my BGE before (I have a L). I've done 6 at once and could have done more, all w/o wrapping them. If thats really all thats holding you back from a BGE, thats pretty minimal.
 
I have a large and a medium big green egg. I have cooked all of the meats you mentioned in your post on my large without any issues.

I have to get a smaller turkey for the medium, but can still do decent size briskets and racks of ribs without any modification.

Generally, these products are pretty much equal. I think the BGE has great accessories, and I don't know if those are available on the Primo. I also know that the customer service with the BGE company and my dealer (BBQ Outfitters in Austin) have been very good. I would look into customer service with the Primo. I have heard many complaints, but that was a while ago. They could be better now..
 
Kahuna, check your pm.
I posted something on another board about a Primo grill and the differences between them a a BGE. A buddy of mine has one and he loves it. The factory is just a few miles from my house so I'm going to stop by the factory store in the next day or two and check them out. I'm also looking at the large oval cooker.

I'll post my thoughts after seeing them.
 
Thanks for the responses. I don't see the grill shape being a big deal. If it were, then BGE would never sell a pit. I just thought that on occasion the shape could create a problem. For example, I have also had trouble fitting a large turkey onto the round rack in the vertical "chimney" section of my other smoker. And as I mentioned, my neighbor said he had to wrap the ribs last weekend on his BGE, even though he was also using a rib rack (maybe his BGE is smaller). All things equal, however, I thought if it would avoid the occasional problem to go with an oval grill, then why not. I just don't know that "all things are really equal" since I don't know of anyone with a Primo, whereas I know the BGE is a quality product.

Hullabelew, I will be interested in your findings from the Primo factory. I saw your earlier post on another thread and hoped you would see this one. BTW, I didn't find a PM from you, but I'll keep looking.
 
There may be decent reasons for picking a Primo over a BGE, but don't let the "wrap the rib" reason be the deciding factor. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of accessories that I have for the egg (pizza stone, plate setter, raised grids, etc) that may or may not be available for the Primo. In the same vein, I've seen some discussion about Primo having some concoction that might let you separate fire in 1/2 the primo to do some different zone cooking. And again, check customer service.

This is a pretty decent chunk of money that you're about to spend so take a little time to do some investigation.
 
I should also add that if you're in Austin (or want to come to Austin) they are having a Texas Eggfest in a couple of weeks. You can ask questions, attend various classes, watch cooking demonstrations, etc. They'll also have some demo eggs that will be new eggs used only for the weekend that they're selling at fairly steep discounts.

You can find out more here: The Link
 
I'm aware of the Primo accessories off their web site. They look similar to the BGE accessories, except that the Primo does have a divider that allows you to split the oval pit for offset cooking (in contrast to GBE's use of a pizza plate shield) or to reduce the cooking area for smaller meals.

I'm also aware of the EggFest coming up on Lake Travis May 10 at the Oasis. The EggFest is actually a big factor influencing my decision because the Austin BGE dealer gives a big discount on the BGE's that are used as demos for the one-day event. They give you about $200 worth of free accessories for buying a demo at the regular price.

By comparison, that would be around $625 for the large BGE with pretty much all the accessories you would need, compared to $1099 for an extra-large Primo with no extras. The Primo has about 50% more grill space, but that is a pretty hefty premium, especially after you add in the Primo stand and other grilling necessities.

In addition, the Primo is quite a bit heavier than the BGE, and I will need the unit to be portable so it can be stored in the garage at night (although I live most the year in Austin, this grill is going to my summer place in Idaho near Yellowstone. We have lots of black bears and some grizzly bears). I don't want to bust a gut wheeling this thing around.

I will continue to look over the options. Thanks again for everyone's input.
 
The weight issue is significant, but I want to give ceramic a try. My plan is to build a cart with an axle closer to the grill than carts available as accessories. That will allow me to lift the grill more easily, plus I can put on larger diameter wheels for easier rolling over lawn or gravel. I still may need help pushing it, however. My other option was to just buy another heavy steel smoker and enclose it permanently outdoors in a gazebo structure with wrought iron walls, but that is another level of expense. A final cop-out is to just get a Weber grill, but I won't do that without first giving ceramic a chance.
 
I don't know if this is an option (we don't have a lot of bears in Tarrytown), but could you build the grill into a permanent table where the egg would be hard to pick up and move, but just take in at night those parts that have food residue (grates, any charcoal, etc)

In reply to:
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cbs, keeping the smoker outside is really not an option without enclosing it because the bears will destroy it. They're too big and too strong. A 650 pound male griz was trapped just two miles up the road from me two years a go. A ceramic cooker would be like a Cracker Jacks box to them. What is worse is that once bears find an easy food source, they return regularly for years after. This usually results in the bear being relocated or killed. With grizzlies just being removed from the endangered species list in our area (Yellowstone), I don't want to be a part of having one of them shipped to a zoo or euthenized.
 
will they come while you are using it?
smoking a brisket seems like a long time to be attracting bears

just curious
 
taco, I hope not. I sure won't be smoking anything overnight, since they are mainly active in the evening and early morning. I met some people last year who were hosting a party one afternoon and had a whole chicken hauled off the grill by a black bear. They and their guests just stood and watched as their dinner disappeared into the aspens.
 
I went ahead and placed an order for a large BGE. The Texas Egg-fest prices were just too good to pass up. I'll pick it up Saturday at the Oasis at the conclusion of Egg-fest.
 
The BGE website has blueprints for a movable table with wheels. My table is more of a grill island and permanent, but I understand from others that the key is getting high quality wheels. You will get more info than you ever needed on the naked whiz's site and the bge forum. Good luck.
 
cbs,

I checked out The Naked Whiz prior to my purchase of the BGE. I am planning on building a cart this summer with an axle as close to the BGE as possible to increase my leverage, but not so close that it melts. The site had good examples, although nothing exactly fitting by needs. It demonstrated that there are a lot of options for construction, but that good wheels were a requirement.
 
I do'nt think you'll have any problem with a mobile table. Before I got my large placed in my table, I didn't have much trouble moving it around in the nest. But the only bad thing about the nest is that they get tippy if you don't watch what you're doing. I'm sure you'd be careful, but I hear about accidents when friends try to "help." Good luck.
 
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