Primo Grills & Smokers

Primo is the one American-made ceramic kamado, built in Georgia, and the only major brand with an oval rather than round firebox. The oval shape is the point: a firebox divider splits it lengthwise so one end runs hot and the other indirect, giving true two-zone cooking that a round kamado cannot do without stacking racks. The All-In-One configuration is the grill on a cradle with locking casters, fold-down side tables, heat deflectors, deflector racks and the firebox divider included.

The mid-size Primo, and the one most buyers actually land on. The oval firebox is Primo's whole argument: because the grate is a rounded rectangle rather than a circle, you can bank charcoal on one long end and run a true two-zone fire inside a kamado, which a round Big Green Egg cannot do without a divider accessory. Priced here as the All-In-One package, which is how most dealers sell it — grill head, cradle stand, side shelves, ash tool and grate lifter in one box. The Oval XL 400 above it adds 100 sq in; the Oval JR 200 below it drops 90.

The smallest oval Primo: 210 sq in, 100 lbs, and the same 151–850°F range and two-zone oval firebox as the LG 300. Primo also sells a two-piece GO cradle and base for it, which makes it the largest genuinely portable ceramic kamado on the US market. Priced here as the All-In-One package — head, cradle, shelves and tools.