We put the Primo XL kamado to the test in our best Kamado roundup a few months ago, but we heard you loud and clear in the comments that you wanted a deeper dive into this oval shaped kamado grill, and we're here to deliver.
In this Primo XL review we'll show you multiple cooking methods including 2 zone cooking, if it can work with a fan controller, high heat searing, low and slow smoking and more.
Here at The Barbecue Lab we review over 70 different outdoor cooking products per year to help you make educated buying decisions. Buying the gear that works best for you will help you enjoy the hobby from the beginning, and today we're putting the Primo oval XL 400 under the microscope to see if it's the all-in-one outdoor cooker you've been waiting for. Let's start by taking a closer look at the XL.
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Primo Oval XL Specifications
The Primo XL kamado is unique in its category primarily because of its patented oval shape. Pretty much every other X-large charcoal ceramic grill on the market is round. The oval shape of the Primo really opens up a number of cooking opportunities not present in round grills.
Measurements
Feature | Measurement |
---|---|
Grate Dimensions | 25" wide by 18.5" deep |
Cooking Area | 400 sq. inches |
Weight | 327 pounds |
What's included with the Primo Oval XL400 all-in-one series?
Where are Primo Ceramic Grills manufactured?
Primo Grills are manufactured in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Yes, you read that right! These kamado grills are made in the U.S.A.
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Primo oval XL 400 Cooking Tests
We've tested the Primo Oval XL 400 using multiple cooking methods from indirect cooking to direct grilling meat, roasting tender foods and baking pizza.
Can Primo ceramic grills us fan controllers?
If you're new to kamado cooking you may find it difficult to maintain consistent low to medium temperatures for an extended amount of time. Many brands like Fireboard, Thermoworks, and others make pit controller fans that fit the bottom air intake vent and cooperate with an ambient temperature probe inside the grill to maintain your desired temperature.
We wanted to smoke an overnight brisket in our Primo Grills XL 400 and our Thermoworks Billows was a perfect accessory to help accomplish that task while we were inside sleeping.
We had no trouble mounting the fan controller in the bottom vent using the kamado mounting plate and it did a great job maintaining a good temperature range for this low and slow cook.
Thermoworks Billows
The Billows is a temperature control fan kit that we paired with our Thermoworks Signals to monitor and maintain cooking temperatures in the Primo kamado grill. Billows can be used in a number of other outdor cooking appliances besides kamado grills, including many kettles, drum smokers, and even offset smokers using the correct mounting plates and adapters.
2-Zone Cooking
The X-large charcoal Primo grill is ideal for 2-zone cooking due to its oval shape. With the divided charcoal basket and the half moon deflectors included you can be smoking meat on the indirect side while grilling meat on the direct side.
One of our favorite things to cook indirectly on our Primo XL is chicken wings. We'll build the fire on the right side of the charcoal basket and utilize the deflector on the left side where we place our wings. This way we can get the cooking chamber ripping hot to help crisp up the skin without burning them by cooking directly over the coals.
Indirect cooking zones are also perfect for reverse searing steaks. Especially with thicker steaks like filet mignon, we like to bring them up to about 110-115° internally on the indirect side and then transfer them to the direct side for the final sear.
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Direct Sear Ability
When we grill meat, we love to get a good sear over a charcoal fire and this Primo XL does not disappoint.
With one zone cooking without the deflectors in place there is so much space for grilling large amounts of food. The massive cooking area can grill 20 burgers or 12 ears of corn in one flight.
Final Thoughts
So what do we personally think about the Primo XL? We've tested 8-10 kamado grills just this year and could have installed any one of them in our outdoor kitchen. We have 2 different kamado drawers that we were looking to equip and we chose this Primo to fill one of those spaces, and here's why:
1. American ingenuity
We love that Primo ceramic grills are manufactured right here in the USA. It's rare to find outdoor cooking products and appliances that are made here domestically so we try to support them when we can.
2. Width of the grate
Honestly, the shape of this oval grill is a game changer when it comes to kamado cooking. We have a hard time cooking a single rack of ribs on any other kamado without having to cut them in half. But on the Primo XL 400, if we utilize a rib rack to keep them in a vertical position, we could feasibly smoke 10 racks of ribs at once.
I mentioned it earlier, but a full packer brisket would also be a difficult cook on a standard round kamado, but this Primo didn't even bat an eye.
3. Divided charcoal basket
While a lot of kamado grills have the ability to divide the charcoal basket to do 2 zone cooking, the Primo just has so much more space to work with! I love that we can take the divider out if we want to go with 1 large zone, or put the divider in and only light one side if we want to do a smaller cook and conserve charcoal.
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