Pizza Wars: Primo XL vs BGE XL

Fiddy/Fiddy · Sep 3, 2011

This is last tuff comparison I have to make between these two ceramic cookers. What do you guys think?

- The BGE will do a better because it's round.
- The Primo Oval XL is better for pizza.
- The both are equally good with Pizza.
- It has more to do with how you set up the grill than whether it's BGE or Primo.

Groundhog66 · Sep 3, 2011

Initial thought would be, round cooker + round pizza/stone = more even cooking...But I cannot confirm that. The BGE with the plate setter/spacers/stone set-up is pretty sweet, not sure how they do it on the Oval.

Fiddy/Fiddy · Sep 3, 2011

The Primo guys seem to be do a low heat approach cooking it at 400 F.

Others use a high heat approach with the D-plate/second pizza stone on top of the grill and some copper pipe spacers between the two layers of ceramic to get it higher up in the dome.

My concern here would not be getting even on the sides and having to open the grill a lot when it's 700 F. Bye-Bye Gaskets without a high heat upgrade. (Contronics Gaskets) The Oval shape might mean you have to rotate more than an Egg.

Carbon · Sep 3, 2011

Even with a round cooker you would rotate the pizza for nice even cooking.

Gore · Sep 3, 2011

Personally, I think there are a lot more things that are going to affect your pizza a lot more than the oval/round shape, especially how evenly you distribute your coals. The last pizza I did the back was hotter than the front and the sides were about the same and in the middle. I wouldn't let this be my deciding factor.

Groundhog66 · Sep 3, 2011

Carbon said:
Even with a round cooker you would rotate the pizza for nice even cooking.

I've never found that to be necessary on the BGE.

Fiddy/Fiddy · Sep 3, 2011

For me I don't know what to think. You have some folks online pushing round Kamado as having the advantage with pizza while you have other saying it does not matter.

I would think it would have to rotate on both grill if you were pushing over 650 F.

ThomEmery · Sep 3, 2011

Both are fine cooking units
Both would be great to own

MilitantSquatter · Sep 3, 2011

Fiddy/Fiddy said:
The Primo guys seem to be do a low heat approach cooking it at 400 F.

Others use a high heat approach with the D-plate/second pizza stone on top of the grill and some copper pipe spacers between the two layers of ceramic to get it higher up in the dome.

My concern here would not be getting even on the sides and having to open the grill a lot when it's 700 F. Bye-Bye Gaskets without a high heat upgrade. (Contronics Gaskets) The Oval shape might mean you have to rotate more than an Egg.

don't get caught up on the temps of cooking pizza until you have a good understanding of the type of dough you will use... not all doughs are the same based on flour (you have type "00" which is used exclusively in traditional Neopolitan pizza, bread flours and high gluten flours), then factors such as dough additives (oil, sugar) come into play as well as how much toppings you put on your pizza (you need balance)...

When cooking a pizza at 700+ degrees, the ceramics are not something you want to spend time opening and closing...and at 700+ degrees a pizza will be done quickly... it can get quite dangerous as the heat is intense and the flames can get high.

at 400 degrees it will take a long time and at these temps you'll likely get a more crusty pizza.... definitely would not want to use "00" flours here..

Don't let pizza making be the deciding factor of a BGE or Primo.. the final outcome will likely be very similar. Ceramics can make good pizza, not necessarily great pizza for high heat... this is best reserved for a true wood fired oven.

Fiddy/Fiddy · Sep 3, 2011

MilitantSquatter said:
don't get caught up on the temps of cooking pizza until you have a good understanding of the type of dough you will use... not all doughs are the same based on flour (you have type "00" which is used exclusively in traditional Neopolitan pizza, bread flours and high gluten flours), then factors such as dough additives (oil, sugar) come into play as well as how much toppings you put on your pizza (you need balance)...

When cooking a pizza at 700+ degrees, the ceramics are not something you want to spend time opening and closing...and at 700+ degrees a pizza will be done quickly... it can get quite dangerous as the heat is intense and the flames can get high.

at 400 degrees it will take a long time and at these temps you'll likely get a more crusty pizza.... definitely would not want to use "00" flours here..

Don't let pizza making be the deciding factor of a BGE or Primo.. the final outcome will likely be very similar. Ceramics can make good pizza, not necessarily great pizza for high heat... this is best reserved for a true wood fired oven.

Thanks. This is the best advice I have seen so far. I have read enough Pizza threads to make my head explode with so much contradicting information, it gets harder to decide the fact from opinion.

Groundhog66 · Sep 3, 2011

MilitantSquatter said:
don't get caught up on the temps of cooking pizza until you have a good understanding of the type of dough you will use...

That is exactly right.

Pizza Wars: Primo XL vs BGE XL

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