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We’re still about a month away from the first day of Summer, but we’re closing in on the unofficial start with Memorial Day Weekend. And with that, the 2020 Grilling Season will be officially underway! If there ever was a time that we’re all ready to get outdoors and enjoy family, friends, food, and fun, it’s this year!
Here at American Dog, you know that we like to hunt around Amazon and retrieve the best American-made products for your consideration. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that we’re heading into our favorite time of year: the Dog Days of Summer. We’ll soon hit the milestones of Flag Day, Fathers’ Day, and the Fourth of July. As an added bonus this year, we may actually get to watch some baseball soon.
So, Winston has put together an impressive lineup of Summer-centric products to show you in the next few weeks. Our leadoff batter is the category of Kamado grills. Like an All-Star hitter, they come with an above-average price tag. But they get on base consistently, metaphorically speaking, and will easily become the centerpiece of your outdoor lineup. Plus, with a moderate amount of care, your kids will be enjoying them for years to come with their own children and friends.
The scope of our research.
Today, we’ll be looking at 18 different grill configurations among six different sizes, ranging in price from $667 to $3,077. The word “review” should probably be in air quotes, because only two companies in the world can claim that their Kamado grills are “made in the USA”. Fortunately, they both make outstanding products. You really can’t go wrong with either one, so you can focus on price point, features, accessories, and aesthetics. And, in classically American fashion, they each offer a unique attribute that no other Kamado grill has. Our two American-made companies are:
- Primo Ceramic Grills, based in Tucker, Georgia. They also boast that their grills are not only made in the USA, but also entirely “of American parts” to boot! Primo’s unique feature is its patented oval design. We’ll discuss the positive characteristics of that design below.
- Goldens’ Cast Iron, based in Columbus, Georgia. Their grills are made in the USA, and their unique feature is that they are forged entirely of cast iron. They are built like a tank and will last for several lifetimes! Plus, they have an awesome, very-American look and feel to them!
Is it merely coincidence that the only two “made in America” Kamado manufacturers are both headquartered in the state that showed its American spirit in leading the recent Great Reopening? You decide!
Some history.
Goldens’ Foundry began operations in Columbus, Georgia in 1882 as Goldens’ Brothers. It has been operating ever since and is now in its fifth generation as a family owned and operated business. The “1882” date is forged into the cast iron of the grill with the words “made in America” and it adds to that classic American look and feel.
Primo is the only ceramic grill “made in the USA” (Golden’s is made of cast iron and is also the only one of its kind). Primo started as the idea of George Samaras, a Greek emigrant to the United States. His love of Kamado grilling began one Thanksgiving Day, when his American father-in-law roasted the holiday turkey on a ceramic grill. George spent years designing and refining the Primo grill and launched the company in 1996. In 2002, he patented the oval-shaped design for which Primo is now known.
Compare the brands that are not made in the USA.
If you’ve been researching Kamado grills on Amazon, you’ve probably noticed several other manufacturers listed there. They won’t be the subject of this review because they don’t qualify as being “made in the USA”. However, feel free to click on these links if you want to see how they stack up to the American-made grills. When you’re ready, head back over here and we’ll continue.
- Kamado Joe
- Char-Griller
- Pit Boss
- Duluth Forge
- Adrenaline Barbecue
- Beacon Ceramic Grill
- Blaze Cast Aluminum
- Broil King
- Chefood
- Kamado Grill
- London Sunshine
- TUSY Ceramic
- Viemoi Kamado
You’ve probably also noticed that the Big Green Egg – arguably the best-known of the Kamado grills – is not on the list. The Big Green Egg is a great piece of equipment but it has two strikes against it, at least for our purposes: it’s not made in the USA and it’s not sold on Amazon. ‘Nuff said. Let’s move on.
What is a Kamado? We went to Wikipedia so you don’t have to!
The Kamado (literally, “place for a cauldron” in Japanese) has been around in Japan and Korea since about forever. The moveable version that we are familiar with (technically a mushikamado) began to enter the American collective attention as US soldiers, sailors, pilots, nurses, and doctors came home from the Second World War. Grillers liked the ease of maintaining a constant temperature for roasting, grilling, baking, searing, and smoking. They also appreciated the ability to do everything from warming food and slow-smoking meats at 200° to searing steaks and baking pizzas at 750°.
The egg-shaped design has changed little over the centuries. Although they didn’t know it at the time, the protodesigners formed a giant Solo Cup out of clay, topped it with a domed lid, and fired the pieces in a rudimentary kiln. Temperatures in a Kamado grill are controlled by adjusting air flow down near the fire source and up at the top of the dome. The original fuels were wood or charcoal, and lump charcoal is still the preferred heat source. Charcoal briquettes sometimes contain fillers and artificial ingredients, and these can find their way into the ceramic and affect the taste of the food. With the advent of “natural” briquettes – and now that grills like Golden’s Cast Iron are made out of metal – some grillers are moving back toward Kingsford-type charcoal briquettes.
Let’s look at the options available on Amazon.
Goldens’ Cast Iron
Goldens’ offers two grill sizes: the 20.5” diameter (330 square inches) and the 14” diameter (154 square inches). A cart is strongly recommended for the 20.5” model. This is both for support and, because the grill weighs in at 334 pounds, you need some help to move it around. The carts are really cool looking and are very nicely counter-balanced. I’ve also heard that the wheels are cast in old pulley molds from Goldens’ early foundry days. The 14” model weighs a relatively light 123 pounds.
I can also put your mind at ease regarding the weight of the dome lid. Yes, it is very heavy, but the patented spring method in the hinge makes opening and closing it almost a two-finger operation. Plus, the hinge halves are integrally cast as parts of the body and lid, so they fit perfectly together and should never get out of alignment.
The firebox is a single piece of cast iron – solid as Sears, as we used to say. Goldens’ also offers as an accessory a footed, cast iron divider – very handy for creating heating zones. The bottom vent is a sliding, two-piece device made of stainless steel. There is an outer solid piece and an inner mesh piece. The vent in the top of the lid is cast iron. The thermometer in the lid measures temperatures from 150° to 750° Fahrenheit to within ±1%.
Inside, there is a removable cast-iron heat diffuser that also acts as a searing plate. The grilling takes place on two, cast-iron semi-circle grates. I really like their footed design: you can turn one or both of them over so that the food is closer to the heat, or you can flip them and use the feet to lift the cooking surface away from the heat source. And, if you purchase an additional set, you could stack them and double your cooking space. You move the searing plate and the grates with a cleverly-designed lifting tool. It’s spring loaded, which really grabs hold, and its extra length keeps you away from the business end of the grill.
The grill’s exterior is powder-coated and should retain its color for as long as the grill is around. Speaking of color: just like Henry Ford told his Model-A customers, you can have any color you want as long as it’s black. Now, while I could see the Pioneer Woman getting with the Goldens’ crew to come up with a special design for the Drummond Ranch, Winston and I think powder-coated black is the perfect color for such a classic piece of equipment.
I like the simplicity of choice with Golden’s. There are four configurations to choose from: three different cart options for the 20.5” model and one option for the 14” model.
[table id=7 /]
The side tables sure do come in handy. Check out the videos below of Ballistic BBQ’s Greg Mrvich showing how sturdy those tables are by siting on them. However, it all comes down to your personal preferences, available space, and budget. As I say many times in this post, you can’t go wrong whichever you choose!
If you’re ready, let’s learn about our other made-in-America Kamado grill company.
Primo Ceramic Grills
Primo offers a couple of more size options than Golden’s:
| Model | Cooking Area (sq ins) | Optional Rack Area (sq ins) | Grill Weight (lbs) |
| Primo Oval XL 400 | 400 | 280 | 250 |
| Primo Oval LG 300 | 300 | 195 | 152 |
| Primo Oval JR 200 | 210 | 150 | 100 |
| Primo Kamado (Round) | 280 | N/A | 220 |
The patented oval design of the XL, LG, and JR means that no other Kamado sold in America – whether made in the USA or elsewhere – can have that shape. To appreciate why that’s important, we need to go back to Geometry class. Let’s hope we paid attention:
Or not. Suffice it to say, the oval shape allows you to have more cooking area without increasing the diameter of the grill. That gives you two benefits:
- You can reach food in the back more easily than on a round grill of similar area; and
- You can set up more clearly-defined heat zones.
Bases, Carts, and Tables: so many options!
- Metal cart with basket and stainless steel top (XL, LG, and JR)
- Two-piece Island top, made of marine-grade materials (XL, LG, and JR)
- One-piece Island top – with cup holders! (XL and LG)
- Cypress countertop with additional working space and storage (XL, LG, and JR)
- Cypress grill table – “beautiful and durable” (XL and JR)
- Compact cypress table for small spaces (XL)
- All-in-One – legs on rollers, side shelves, ash tool, and grate lifter (XL, LG, JR, and Round)
- GO and GO base – cradle and legs, but no rollers (JR)
The Primo Oval XL 400 also offers a special Jack Daniel’s Edition, which features the iconic “Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7” logo emblazoned on the domed lid and grill table, available either on the one-piece or the two-piece island top. It’s a nice touch, but you’ll need to decide if it’s worth the extra $100 or so.
The All-in-One models operate between 200° and 750° Fahrenheit. All the other models boast a range of from 150° to over 850°. At those high-end temperatures, Primo says that you can keep them in tip-top condition by periodically running them like a self-cleaning oven. This works for the Golden’s grills, too.
An optional fire box divider is made of cast iron. Other accessories include heat deflector plates and racks, extension racks, rib racks, and baking stones.
If you want to learn more about Primo and its special ceramics, check out this video on Primo’s YouTube channel. George Samaras, Primo’s founder and owner, takes you on a tour of his factory. He also loads one of his grills and three of the competition’s into his kiln and refires them, all to show the advantages of his proprietary blend of natural materials that go into the making of Primo’s premium-grade ceramics. Mr Samaras doesn’t name the competitors, but if you’ve been researching other Kamado grills, you’ll probably be able to identify them by their distinctive colors and shapes. The kiln-refiring portion begins at 5:22 into the video:
Here are the 14 different grill and cart combinations on Amazon:
[table id=6 /]
Videos: Kamado grilling in action.
You may already know that we here at American Dog are huge fans of Greg Mrvich and his Ballistic BBQ YouTube channel. Greg just went over the 300,000 follower mark with his fun mix of informative videos. He reviews grills and equipment, recreates popular restaurant menu items, and offers instruction on various grilling and smoking techniques. His two most recent videos were a review of Golden’s Cast Iron Kamado and a how-to guide to grilling a Tomahawk Ribeye on a Golden’s. Greg has also made several videos where he cooks on Primo’s Oval 400 XL. I’ve included two videos each for the Golden’s Cast Iron and the Primo Oval 400 XL.
I’ve also included some links to his other Primo Oval 400 XL videos, and here are links to two of his books, Sauces and Marinades and Sous Vide BBQ.
More Ballistic BBQ episodes focusing on the Primo Oval XL 400:
- Spatchcock chicken
- Roasted prime rib sandwich
- BBQ brisket
- Belly-wrapped pork tenderloin
- Bourbon butter bacon burger
Winston’s Wags and Woofs
This is the part of our regularly-scheduled broadcast where Winston weighs in with his Wags (pro’s) and Woofs (con’s). As I mentioned at the outset, though, the two American companies producing the “made in the USA” Kamado grills present a win-win situation. You can’t go wrong with either the Primo or the Golden’s; they are both outstanding choices. To quickly recap:
| Primo’s | Golden’s | |
|---|---|---|
| Absolutely American | George Samaras came from Greece to pursue the American Dream and built his business from the ground up. | The Golden brothers founded their company in 1882 and it is now in its fifth generation of family ownership. |
| Unique in the Market | The one-of-a-kind, patented oval design gives you more heat arrangement options and a grill space that is easy to reach. | Forged out of cast iron – the only one of its kind anywhere – this grill will be a family heirloom for generations to come. |
| Warranty | A limited lifetime warranty backed by a twenty (20) year guarantee on all ceramic parts. | A lifetime guarantee. That’s seven lifetimes in Winston years! |
| Customer Service | You’re talking directly to the factory in Tucker, Georgia. | You’re talking directly to the factory in Columbus, Georgia. |
| Still deciding? | If you believe that your ceramic grill should actually be ceramic, this grill is the one! | This grill is built to be around for several generations. Plus, the look and feel of it is so doggone cool! |
One last thought. You may be thinking, like I used to, that big, heavy items shouldn’t be ordered on Amazon. Then, one day, I had a revelation: Why not let them do the heavy lifting? They’ll deliver it to you and take all the attendant risks. Plus, in all of the comments I’ve read regarding both the Primo and Golden’s grills, the companies have been extremely responsive and helpful in the rare instances where something happened in transit. You’ll also notice that many of these items qualify for Amazon Prime, and all but one have free shipping. All of these grills are delivered almost totally assembled: the remaining work involves some very easy assembly taking just a few minutes. Save your time, your back, and your money!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Whichever grill you choose, I know that you – and your family – will enjoy it for years to come. And you’ll always be glad that you chose one made in the USA!
About American Dog
I started American Dog for two reasons: (1) for Winston and the world to get to know one another and (2) to showcase the excellence and depth of all the great American products that are made right here in the USA. This sense of purpose has only gotten stronger over time, and I believe it is being shared by more of us every day.
I’m part of the Amazon Affiliates program. When I research and review products listed on Amazon, I may receive remuneration for items purchased there. Rest assured, however, that it has no bearing on the price you pay. Also, I never base my reviews on what I might receive from Amazon. After all, we’re American Dog: always faithful, loyal, and true – to you and to America!