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Cooking On The Primo Oval XL 400
Ok, enough technical stuff. Enough details and features and specifications. Let's talk about cooking. Let's talk about temperature control. Let's talk about actually using the cooker.
We found temperature control on the Primo Oval XL 400 to be reasonably similar to other cookers we have used. It's a big cooker and a little slower to respond than smaller cookers, but this is no surprise. Using the tried and true "approach your target from below and start shutting down vents as you get close" approach, we had no trouble getting the cooker stable at 225. We happened to need to cook a number of turkey breasts over that last several weeks and we found that building a fire in one side and cooking over a heat reflector on the other side at 350°F was as simple as punching in 350° on our kitchen oven. You can see this setup below on the left in the photo of the spatchcocked chicken we did. We also used this setup for the Bacon Explosion at 250°F in the center, and for an improvised wok cook on the right, placing the wok on a drip pan rack. We also used this setup to do steak (seared over the direct fire, finished over the heat reflector) in the bottom two photos. Using this setup, the maximum temperature we recorded (during the steak searing) was 500°F.
As far as high heat cooking goes, when we removed the firebox divider, drip pan rack and heat reflector, and let it rip with both vents wide open, we got to cooker just over 800°F. (With a little effort, we could have gone higher.) So temperature control was relatively easy and the cooker is easily capable of a wide range of temperatures.
As we mentioned before, the firebox divider gives you the ability that some find important to have hot and cool zones for cooking. However, you should realize that you aren't really creating two zones but rather creating a temperature gradient from the center of the cooker over. As you can see in the following photo, a turkey breast cooked "indirect" (using some people's definition of indirect: the food is just further from the fire) resulted in one side browning and the other side not. There was a five degree difference in the internal temperatures of the two sides of the turkey breast. So you will need to be mindful of this and rotate food as necessary.
Here is a little demonstration of this temperature gradient as it affects flat food items on the grid over the "cool" zone. We placed a layer of white bread and cheese slices on the cooking grid. As you can see, the slices closest to the fire were exposed to more heat than those farther away. We flipped the slices over to show the browning of the bottoms which probably shows the gradient the best. This is just something to be aware of when dividing the cooker and trying to maintain hot and cool zones.
And of course, this really is not something unique to the Primo Oval XL400. You will see the temperature gradient in any cooker where you are placing the fire on one side and the food on the other. Just be aware of it and rotate food appropriately.
Finally, whenever we review a cooker, we are never able to really take the time to show all the possible things you can do with that cooker. However, in the case of the Primo Oval XL 400, we have a valuable resource at hand, a fellow named Steve Graves who many will recognize from his Ask-a-Butcher website and his BBQ Butcher forum. Steve put together a post showing a whole lot of different cooks and setups on his Primo Oval XL and he graciously allowed us to show them to you as a part of this review. You can find the original post at The BBQ Butcher Forum. Here are the photos from that post:
Cooker Efficiency
As we have done with previous cookers, we conducted a test that measures the surface temperature of the cooker. We let the Primo Oval XL 400 cooker sit at 400°F for 2½ hours. We then measured the surface temperature of the dome at various locations to see how much heat was being kept inside the cooker and how much was being allowed to radiate away by the dome. The numbers were relatively different from one side to the other which is not surprising in light of the oval shape of the cooker and the lower vent being located on the left side of the cooker. So, we averaged the numbers for left and right to get temperatures representative of the whole dome. The numbers, when compared to the Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe cookers, were slightly higher around the rim of the dome, but lower than the other cookers as you move up the dome. Overall, we would expect the fuel usage of this cooker to be slightly lower than comparable cookers.
Summary
When you first look at the Primo Oval XL 400 cooker, you probably immediately notice the oval shape. What you find out after cooking on it is the ability to divide the cooker in half and the variety of grids and grid placement options give you a lot of versatility in how you use the cooker.
The grids and the grid extenders being split in half and reversible gives you a large number of cooker setups. Add in drip pan grids and ceramic heat reflectors and the possibilities just grow and grow. And since the cooking grates, extension racks, heat deflectors, drip pan racks and cast iron cooking grates are all divided, you can use firebox divider to build a fire that is truly on one side of the cooker to make two-zone cooking easy. Simply place each grate, rack, etc. on the half of the cooker where you need it.
All in all, our whole experience with the Primo Oval XL 400 was pretty great. The assembly of the cooker was as simple as bolting on a handle and having two average adult males lift it into the cart. Once that's done, you are ready to start exploring all the different ways to use a kamado-style cooker. The hinge/lid combination is rock solid and gives you the feel of a sturdy reliable piece of equipment. The lid might be a bit of a challenge for some folks, but in general, it isn't that much heavier than other large cookers. we found fire building and temperature control was pretty much the same as any other kamado-style cooker, i.e., once you know how to do it, it is relatively easy to do. And of course, if it is important to you, this is the only kamado-style cooker that is made primarily in America.
We are of the school that thinks that for the most part, all kamado-style cookers cook about the same. What sets them apart from each other are things such as service, price and features. We think that holds true about this cooker. All the foods we cooked on it were pretty much like all the food we have cooked on other brands. So when you compare it to other brands, compare these various factors and make your choice. If your choice is a Primo cooker, you will definitely be happy with your purchase.
As for purchasing one of these cookers, Primo has a dealer network that covers the United States and 25 other countries around the world. They have a dealer locator on their website to help locate the dealer nearest you. If you can't find a dealer near you, contact the Primo company to see what can be arranged.
Primo is also one of the brands of kamado-style cookers which has a large and active customer forum on the Web. You will find this forum at www.primogrillforum.com. You will need to join to participate but it is a valuable resource for owners, beginner and experienced alike.
Contact Information
Primo Ceramic Grills
3289 Montreal Industrial Way
Tucker, GA 30084
Phone: 770-492-3920
Website: www.primogrill.com
Customer support and general questions: Support
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