What do you grill and smoke outside on, Charlie?
I’m not getting rid of either the Texas pit or the Weber Summit. Or even the small tabletop electric. But I think I’ll end up using the BGE a lot.
After the “extra” turkey, pizza’s on deck.
Absolutely B@B. I used to like Cowboy . Way to many sparks when heating . I don’t own a BGE . Anyway my favorite for grilling when using the Webber.
Weber. Sear fast and finish in the oven. Outdoor kitchen at the cabin so no heat in the house. Perfect amount of ‘smoke’ (not much).
Cooking to completion over charcoal never has turned me on that much. It’s not healthy (IMO) and it blunts the taste of the food.
You’re an outlier if you have an outdoor kitchen with oven and none inside. It sounds convenient to entetaining outside, though.
You don’t do smoking or slow-n-low barbecue?
Your Weber… the steel kettle that made them famous? Smokey Mountain?
In 6 months it will be winter so mine will be gathering dust too as I use the kamado rather seasonally. Winter use should probably be limited to lower temp cooks anyway since heating it to pizza temps rapidly in a cold climate risks cracking the ceramic.
Is this caution in the Primo manual? Do you know of anyone who’s cracked the ceramic shell from running it hot in winter?
I think you CAN crack the internal ceramic fire bowl by running it over 800F (for what’s called a “clean burn”). I gather this is less of a problem with current model bowls, which come “precracked” with expansion slots. And many users obviate that possibility by using a steel fire basket like a Kick Ash.
What people absolutely need to watch out for is allowing water to accumulate inside and then freeze. I’m planning on wheeling my Egg into a shed in winter, and keeping the cover on it when not in use.
I think the reason outdoor cookers “gather dust” in winter months is simply people don’t enjoy cooking and eating outside in inclement weather or in the cold and dark.
No I’ve not seen it in print. I don’t have any manuals. I reference a YouTube video I saw recently.
When we were looking for a kamado-style grill in 2007, we found a Primo XL (manufactured in 2006) that was on sale (end-of-season floor model). In its early years with us, we did try to use it in the cold winters (New England), but cracked and replaced the internal ceramic fire bowl twice. (There was no cracking of the external ceramic, just some fine cracks in the surface glaze). Therefore, although the grill stays outside year-round, we only use it from April to November, approximately.
We have no other grill. The primo XL is great for smoking and for grilling as well. You can set the thing up to do a lot of different styles of cooking, and can feed a large crowd if you use both levels of grills.
It’s a great gift - there are accessories that one can add on for birthdays and holidays. One improvement we recently made was to purchase a more sturdy stand than the one that came with the unit. We also purchased the rotisserie attachment, which we have not yet mastered - some adjustment of the metal frame that holds the spit will probably solve the problem we are having - the spit slips out of the holder so it does not rotate consistently.
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OK.
Maybe the unglazed surface absorbed water and that caused the cracking. I know the cautions about not wetting pizza stones.
Interestingly, when I did the “clean burn” (thermometer totally pegged out over 800F), there were a few pinpoint spots on the glazed exterior where I could see oils from foods bubbling out. So the ceramics are porous, and the glaze is not perfect.
PNW resident (maritime climate). We use ours September through June. We used to use it year round, but burn bans now prohibit summer grilling on the BGE. We rarely get long or deep freezes, use the cover when we think of it (not so often), and haven’t had any issues with cracking (although crazing of the outer egg = yes).
I enjoy cooking outdoors. I like cooking on the egg, and get the results I want for the meats I want to grill on it. Different strokes for different folks.
ETA: We’ve had ours (L and S) for about 13 years - possibly more. From our point of view, it was a good investment.
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I suggest you verify that there are blanket summer bans that prohibit grilling. My checks with the NW Clean Air agency indicate otherwise. If campfires are permittted in parks, grilling over charcoal should be even less of a problem.
I understand temporary bans when air quality becomes dangerously low, but seasonal bans regardless of air quality? That just sounds wrong.
We have an oven in the house.
Yep, the old kettle style. Never close the lid on it though. Quick sear and done.
Kaleo lives in Hawaii.
I live in NW Washington, Charlie. We had a cold spell this past winter that stayed in single digits for a week. Where alarash lives, it rarely freezes.
Here’s the announcement regarding a ban on recreational fires from last year:
Our local state park covered all the grills there for the duration.
Interesting. The “no charcoal cooking” parenthetical seems at odds with the allowance for enclosed-flame charcoal burning appliances. To my lawyer’s eyes, it doesn’t say until further notice or permanent, and it was for last summer, when there was very high wildfire danger.
If this is still in effect, it must be particular to Jefferson County. In fact, it seems the Fire Marshall–not the County Council–extended it to recreational fires. Have you verified with the Fire Marshall that charcoal and wood barbecues are banned as of Summer 2024? If not, grilling time’s a …burnin’.
Oh, we’re grilling now. Have been since the 2023 ban was lifted last fall. Since it was also invoked for the summer of 2022, we won’t be surprised to see it again this year. Time will tell.
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That’s good. I thought you wrote that you don’t use your BGE June to September because there’s a ban
Can I buy your original stand? Mine didn’t come with one and rests on cinder blocks.
Unfortunately, not possible. The stand was corroded and no longer strong enough to hold the several hundred pound unit.
