BGE vs Primo vs Kamado Joe vs Grilldome.......

They will both do a great job of cooking. I prefer KJ because of better hardware and they don't nickel and dime you for stuff like ash tool and grill grippers. It's included with the unit. You can also get Stainless bands and hinges if you wish. Compare the quality of the thermometer. The thickness of the ceramics and oh, KJ also comes in Purple and Gold. I'm not sure but I think that the Primo costs a bit more as well.

Depending on what type of rig you get with KJ or Primo it could be anywhere from about $650 on up. Be sure to take a good look and feel on that Knock off. Open it a few times. Check out the handle, top, vent and also the warranty. The KJ and the Primo have pretty strong warranties. What type of rig are you looking for? Cooker by itself or on a basick cart or on a nicer table?

quote:

---

KJ also comes in Purple and Gold.

---

I had my LSU polo on Friday when the wife and I went to look at them and the salesman was sure to point that out. If the wife wouldn't have been there I may have bought on the spot.

quote:

---

Cooker by itself or on a basick cart or on a nicer table?

---

Basic Cart.....I was a little disappointed to find out that Primo charges extra for theirs. I liked the extra surface area. Whatever direction I go in I think I will get the largest model they carry.

quote:

---

Grilldome

---

How does the grilldome compare pricewise?

I don't know all of the pricing I just remember when I was shopping about a year ago, most of the others I was looking at gave you a price for just the cooker then you had to add the cart then the shelves and some of them you have to add the thermometer and some basic tools. I think The grill dome charged extra for the thermometer. From a buying standpoint I liked the Kamado Joe because their basic package includes the cart shelves and basic tools. Last year I paid $799 for the whole basic rig. Prices may be a little higher this year.

I have a Grill Dome. I picked it over the other smokers due to the thicker ceramic and beefier stainless hardware. I don't think you will go wrong with any model other than the ones sold at Sam's and Academy. I have friends with a BGE and a Primo and they are pleased with them. I've checked out the Kamado Joe sold at Tremante's. It looks to me that the Kamado Joe has better fit and finish than the BGE. I checked out the one sold at Sam's last week. The lid didn't fit that well and the hardware was cheap. You really need as close to an airtight seal as you can get so that you can regulate the temperature at 230 or below for low and slow cooks. The two springs in the hinge did not support the weight of the lid at all. I like the cart that comes with it though.

How is the cooking area on the biggest Kamado Joe? One of my biggest concerns is that it seems like the space is just too small........

quote:

---

4 or 5 racks of ribs

---

Is that stacking them on top of each other? Does that effect the quality?

I have had a Primo XL for 4-years, zero problems, I like it a lot better than neighbors large and XL BGE's. Go to a seller and manually rack the grill grates in different configurations, it holds a lot of food. I have yet to see a true firebox divider in a BGE, not talking about a heat deflecting stone. To the poster that said the Primo heats up slower I would say make sure the charcoal grate is free of chips that block air flow. If I had designed it I would have put intake vents on both sides of the fire box, but that is trivial, probably cook 98% of the time with the divider in.

With that said I doubt there is truly a bad ceramic, depends on what you want to do. You can build a table for next to nothing or have one made, that isn't a big deal. I had a cover on mine the first three years with no external hardware degradation and have it on a covered deck now. Use it 2x a week on average and all the cooking grates are in very good shape. Good luck, money is money.