SearchPrimo Ceramic Grills

Low and Slow Cooking

Grill Animation Lighting the Charcoal

DO NOT USE starter fluid because it will be absorbed by the ceramics and impart a chemical or fuel taste to your food. Primo offers its own brand of paraffin fire starters that light the charcoal without any unwanted tastes. You may also use an electric starter, gas torch, chimney starter or even a paper towel crumpled into a ball.

For best results build a mound of natural lump charcoal. Use full firebox of charcoal for smoking and searing temperatures.

  1. Light the charcoal using one of the above methods
  2. Wait 5-10 minutes for the charcoal to build a small bed of embers.
  3. Close the dome, then fully open the draft door and fully open the top vent by sliding the top disk all the way to the right.

Tip

Tip: You can't have too much charcoal, but you can have too little.

Controlling the Temperature

  1. For "low and slow" temperatures like 225°F (107°C), start with a very small fire in one area of the charcoal.
  2. Close the dome after 5 minutes with the draft door and top vent fully open. Allow the temperature to come up slowly until it reaches 200°F (93°C), set the draft door to 1” (25mm) open (Fig. 3) and the top vent to 1/2” (13mm) open with the daisy wheel holes fully open. Adjust the top vent as needed to maintain the target temperature.

Tip

Tip: Allow the temperature to rise slowly up to your target temperature. It is easy to raise the temperature, but very difficult to lower it.