Some folks asked for a review of my "RecTeq G-450 Matador Gas WOK Cooker" on another thread here on the board. Forgive the length!
I recently retired an older burner on my back porch after many years of service! My requirement for replacement was that my big cast iron skillet and a seafood/stockpot would be used on it. I saw the Matador and decided to give it a try.
The Matador comes with a SS round bottom pan that RecTeq calls a Wok. It is a heavy gauge pan that somewhat resembles a WOK but I would call it more of a "discada" or "plow wok". It appears well made, 22†diameter, 3†deep, and heavy. It is reasonably easy to clean up other than food tends to stick it since it is stainless steel and that requires some scrubbing. And as one would expect, the heat concentrates above the burner influence and doesn’t distribute as well as cast iron or carbon steel.
The frame is designed so it can be folded for transport but mine will likely stay on the back and not be a traveler. The cast iron burner is one unit but with two separate channels for a center and outer burner ring. The two concentric burner rings total 18 or 25K BTU total heat output (conflicting info from RT’s website vs. an email exchange I had with them). This is nowhere near a scorching 100k BTU Wok burner but it is passable for my needs. The burner is well made with brass plug valves and jets for the two zones. The cast in burner tips have been reamed and are uniform. (I checked them with a set of pin gauges from my machine shop.) So, the burner rings produce very uniform flames for good distribution of heat. The combustion air is adjusted by a thumbwheel on each of the on/off/throttling valve. It is very easy to adjust the flame to best performance.
The stand is equipped with a ring and tabs to hold the large "discada" pan and also smaller pans on a grate in the middle. Unfortunately, my 14 ½â€ cast iron skillet was in between those sizes and tended to slip on the grates. I solved that problem with some adapters I made for it.
I have cooked on it several times now and am learning how to adjust the burners for the applications I use it for.
Pros:
The burner output has been adequate for my needs thus far. The SS discada is a pain in regard to food sticking to it and the general poor behavior we all know about for SS pans is prominent in this application.
I was surprised that my 14 1/2" skillet didn’t work on it until I made some adapters. The average user is not going to have the inclination or shop equipment needed to make those. Something like that should be included. They do market it as a burner for cooking pans in addition to the discada/Wok that comes with it.
Would I buy it again? Yes, I would. I have no "buyer’s remorse". I have been able to make the grate adapters and get it tuned to my liking. I have been using my beloved big cast iron skillet as I want.
Here are some photos:
Here with the Discada/Wok she comes with:
10" skillet fits well:
Large boiling/stock pot fits well:
My beloved 14 1/2" skillet with some redfish being blackened. BTW, this is the skillet that I had to make grate adapters for:
The adapters I made so I could use my big CI skillet. They are the 3/4" slotted tubing riding the inner burner ring. They slide down over the ring and support my big skillet giving it the clearance needed to fit the burner.
The burner at part throttle. I like the flame's consistency and it is easily adjusted to the proper stoichiometry with the thumbwheels at the on/off valves.
Browning some St. Gallen white bratwurst my son made.
Some fried rice being progressed. I like being able to move stuff out to the cooler edge.
The lid for the big pan.
Boiling some pork shoulder and trilogy for Cajun Boudin:
I recently retired an older burner on my back porch after many years of service! My requirement for replacement was that my big cast iron skillet and a seafood/stockpot would be used on it. I saw the Matador and decided to give it a try.
The Matador comes with a SS round bottom pan that RecTeq calls a Wok. It is a heavy gauge pan that somewhat resembles a WOK but I would call it more of a "discada" or "plow wok". It appears well made, 22†diameter, 3†deep, and heavy. It is reasonably easy to clean up other than food tends to stick it since it is stainless steel and that requires some scrubbing. And as one would expect, the heat concentrates above the burner influence and doesn’t distribute as well as cast iron or carbon steel.
The frame is designed so it can be folded for transport but mine will likely stay on the back and not be a traveler. The cast iron burner is one unit but with two separate channels for a center and outer burner ring. The two concentric burner rings total 18 or 25K BTU total heat output (conflicting info from RT’s website vs. an email exchange I had with them). This is nowhere near a scorching 100k BTU Wok burner but it is passable for my needs. The burner is well made with brass plug valves and jets for the two zones. The cast in burner tips have been reamed and are uniform. (I checked them with a set of pin gauges from my machine shop.) So, the burner rings produce very uniform flames for good distribution of heat. The combustion air is adjusted by a thumbwheel on each of the on/off/throttling valve. It is very easy to adjust the flame to best performance.
The stand is equipped with a ring and tabs to hold the large "discada" pan and also smaller pans on a grate in the middle. Unfortunately, my 14 ½â€ cast iron skillet was in between those sizes and tended to slip on the grates. I solved that problem with some adapters I made for it.
I have cooked on it several times now and am learning how to adjust the burners for the applications I use it for.
Pros:
- The stand is sturdy and well thought out.
- The height of the cooking grate is good.
- Quality of the burner is good with decent fittings and good adjustment of intake air. On/off/throttling valves are brass plug valves and the jets are brass as well.
- The windscreen around the burner is a nice touch and works fairly well.
- The adjustable feet are a nice feature and I have leveled the unit so my big skillet is spot on level when on the grate.
- The Matador comes with a regulator hose and adapter for a 5-gallon propane bottle. It also comes with the ability to use small propane disposable cylinders which would surely have a short life.
- Customer service is as good as the reputation says. Mine had a shipping damaged sheet metal shroud around the burner on/off valves and they replaced it with a complete burner assembly lickity split.
- A few of the fasteners were a little cheesy and did not meet my standard for quality. I simply replaced them with higher quality ones from my inventory or the local hardware store. Yes, it is made in China. Apparently, that is RecTeq’s business model for all their grills.
- The burner could have a touch more capacity. Although I am finding that it is likely adequate for my needs since I use my cast iron skillet and big stock pot often.
- The fabrication of the burner support and its integral peripheral ring are part of the grate system for smaller pots. It was nowhere near level as a result of an error in fabrication. I made a spacer/washer to correct it.
- The propane regulator supply hose is a bit too short for my taste.
- The lid for the large "discada" is a bit thin and the rivets they used attached the nameplate to it are very poorly applied. I will likely replace them since they stick down too far and get in the way when washing it.
- I had a lot of trouble finding review information on the Matador. Its presence on Facebook is highly controlled by RecTeq. The Facebook Group for Matador owners is administered by RecTeq and my posts have not been approved since I asked questions that they didn’t evidently want answered. Their sanitizing of reviews and over control on social media gives me pause and makes me mistrust them.
- All the reviews on the RecTeq website are obviously sanitized and that bothers me as well.
The burner output has been adequate for my needs thus far. The SS discada is a pain in regard to food sticking to it and the general poor behavior we all know about for SS pans is prominent in this application.
I was surprised that my 14 1/2" skillet didn’t work on it until I made some adapters. The average user is not going to have the inclination or shop equipment needed to make those. Something like that should be included. They do market it as a burner for cooking pans in addition to the discada/Wok that comes with it.
Would I buy it again? Yes, I would. I have no "buyer’s remorse". I have been able to make the grate adapters and get it tuned to my liking. I have been using my beloved big cast iron skillet as I want.
Here are some photos:
Here with the Discada/Wok she comes with:
10" skillet fits well:
Large boiling/stock pot fits well:
My beloved 14 1/2" skillet with some redfish being blackened. BTW, this is the skillet that I had to make grate adapters for:
The adapters I made so I could use my big CI skillet. They are the 3/4" slotted tubing riding the inner burner ring. They slide down over the ring and support my big skillet giving it the clearance needed to fit the burner.
The burner at part throttle. I like the flame's consistency and it is easily adjusted to the proper stoichiometry with the thumbwheels at the on/off valves.
Browning some St. Gallen white bratwurst my son made.
Some fried rice being progressed. I like being able to move stuff out to the cooler edge.
The lid for the big pan.
Boiling some pork shoulder and trilogy for Cajun Boudin:
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