Ceramic cooker

If I were gonna buy a Kamado it would be a kamado Joe. Babybackmaniac has a really good review of it online. He even talks about how good it is in his summit review. Lol

I'm in the BGE camp. I have four.
Look and see if there is going to be a Big Green Eggfest by you. You can get a one time used at the Fest Demo Egg for a great price. Also get at least a large, if not an X-Large.
Any of these close by?
http://biggreenegg.com/eggfests/
Then go over to The Ceramic Grill Store web page and you will find a lot of accessories that will enhance your cooking capabilities and expand the way you cook on an Egg. Any questions about his gear just give Tom a call and tell him what and how you like to cook. He will put you put to what you need. Good luck! :mrgreen:

At that price range, the 2017 Kamado Joe Big Joe is well ahead of the others. Better hinge, better gasket, better fire bowl, better top cap, better grate system, accessories included.

Rumor is the KJ has BGE stepping their game way up this coming year!
And yes the KJ is a good product. But I'm already vested in BGE!! :mrgreen:

I have had 2 Eggs. Still got the XL.

I was interested in trying a Kamado Joe, but the closest dealer was 130 miles away, and the closest Costco with the deal was like 5 hours away. I got free delivery with my Eggs.

Secondly, the accessories from the Ceramic Grill Store for the Eggs pushed me over the top. No regrets.

And definitely buy a 24" in whatever brand you decide to go with.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the high end ceramics. I went with the Primo XL after a bunch of shopping and research. I really like the oval design of the Primo. I can fit four butts or six racks of ribs without a problem. One neighbor has the BGE xl, and another just bought a Vision. Both are very happy. I don't know the warranty conditions for the other brands, but Primo is lifetime to the original owner. I had a very minor issue when I first got the Primo with the bands on the lid. The company VP called me at home on a Sunday morning as he was preparing his own cook to talk me through the adjustment. We spent another half hour just talking tips on use of the Primo. Icing on the cake is the fact that Primo is made in the USA (Georgia). Don't know if that's true for the other brands. Again, I don't think you can go wrong with whatever choice you make. Enjoy!

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QGdc6ZcdkSg[/ame]

https://www.bbqguys.com/broil-king/...BOXjwT7jY0ICKiPm46DS4SHGM_N5gKbRoC9uAQAvD_BwE
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Ceramic Chef seems to know a lot about ceramic cookers. Hopefully he will chime in.

The OvalXL is a really nice cooker that is highly versatile.

I have buddies at work that have 'em all. I went to my local grill store to by my first ceramic several years ago...my intention was to buy a Primo OvalXL.

The guru in the store pulled they XL BGE, KJ BJ and OvalXL up beside each other and we went through the comparisons of each.

Dollar for dollar at that time....the KJ came with so much gear that it came in well under what the PrimoXL would have cost had I added all the desired accessories. I wen KJ and never looked back.

Their customer service has been very good.

I've been cooking on ceramic for several years now, and mine is a Vision Pro C. It's not in the same price range as the KJ/BGE/Primo, but it's been absolutely perfect for me. It came with all the accessories that you'd have to buy separate with a BGE (deflector stone,second tier grate, stand,side tables,cover). I got mine for around $800 Canadian around 5 years ago. From what I hear KJ comes with all this for a better price than the BGE, not sure about the Primo but the fire separator is a neat idea on those.

If I had the money and were to do it again, I'd probably go KJ. Like others have said, 22-24" is ideal. Don't go smaller.

My 7 year old LGE Egg base developed a crack this summer.
It was replaced, $35 for shipping, no questions asked.

Im another one in the BGE camp...

Literally had a house burn down around my Egg (Egg was not the reason for the fire... :shock Replaced the bands and handle, did a clean burn, and put her back to work.

I have had several different size eggs over the years and I'll swear by the Large as being the most efficient. I used half a bag of RO last month with a DigiQ and maintained 250 for 32 hours before the temp finally started dropping.

One purchase I have never regretted!

Enjoy!

Primo or Kamado Joe. IMHO, the egg folks are flappin in the wind at this point due to all of the competitors now in the playing field.

I had a large Grill Dome and Kamado Big Joe. I liked the Big Joe way better.

If I ever got back into ceramics I may go primo because I like the oval shape better.
I probably won't go that route again though.

I would never buy the large again would have to be bigger xl size.

I'm a big fan of ceramic kamados. I started out with a Vision (from Costco) and later upgraded to a Primo Oval XL. I'd buy my Primo again in a heartbeat but whatever kamado you buy you'll love it.

Here are the Pros of the Primo as I see it:
1. I really like the versatility of the oval shape.
2. With the different accessory rack you can set it up with 4 different temperature zones during the same cook.
3. With fire box divider in I can cook on just half of it. Makes it kind of like a smaller kamado. Plus I can gat a round D.O. in on one side and not worry about it overlapping the fire zone.
4. Made in the USA. (If that's important to you)

Cons as I see it:
1. Cost. You'll find that they run anywhere from an extra $300 to 700 depending on which accessories you buy.
2. Dealer network isn't as extensive as the BGE.

Here's a few pics of mine in action that will show you the versatility of the oval shape. It's an Oven:








Including Pizza.




Cooking on half:


Cooking over the fire.






Now on non-fire side.






Cooking at full capacity.


Ribs.


Sears with the best of them.


Paella anyone?




I'm not sure why the one pic is so large as I tried resizing it 3 times but you get the idea. :becky:

I've had a large BGE for 10 years. If I were ever to get another it would be a Kamado Joe if for no other reason than the stainless steel gasket.

I'm not saying it's the best because i'm sure their are other great ceramics, but I'll just say that I've been cooking on a Primo Oval XL for a dozen years and I"m very happy with it. That said, if I was buying again I might go another direction (as in not a ceramic) in order to get more grill space.

I have a Kamado Joe Big Joe. I looked at BGE hard, and even considered picking one up on craigslist, but after looking at the improvements the Big Joe had, I couldn't say no. Best pricing is usually at a Costco roadshow. It's cheaper than msrp and you get fire starters and a cover. I would suggest you take a good look at the Kamado Joe line.

Sorry. Double Post.