Just ordered Rec Tec 680- looking for ideas for the first cook and any expert tips
After spending way too many hours reading up on different pellet grills, decided to purchase the Rec Tec 680 over GMG, Blaz'n Grill Works, and Yoder. Should be here next week. So many options for how to "break it in", so I'm looking for suggestions from the Pit. Have done BB ribs, picanha, chicken legs, top sirloin, and pulled pork in the last month between my gasses and electric smoker; so may want to try something new.
Also, looking for any initial Rec Tec tips from existing owners.
The shortness of the tab that the grease bucket hangs on. I use a C clamp to secure it as taking my grill cover on and off easily knocks it off.
If you got their custom cover, be careful taking it off and on as it rips easy. Rec Tec replaced super fast with no questions. Then I tore that one too. So I bought a generic heavy duty cover.
Depending on preference, you may want to get a smoking tube to add a little more smoke. I've only tried the "extreme smoke" setting a couple times. I believe it says it's only for temp settings 250 degrees and below. Both times I tried it I set it at 225, but the temps soared to 270ish.
Weber Kettle -- 22.5" (In-Service Date June 2015)
Slow-n-Sear/Drip-n-Griddle/Grill Grates (In-Service Date March 2016)
Pit Boss 820 (Retired)
GMG Jim Bowie WiFi (In-Service Date April 2017)
Maverick ET-733
Fireboard
Home-brewer
Congrats on your purchase, I love my RecTec. I watched the company video on installing/removing the cover, the guy doing the work points to a critical step that helped me. Awesome Grill. I also cooked some bacon to season the grill. I did find that after a few cooks the temperature settings were more accurate then at first.
It's big enough to do several cooks at once..😎 while smoking bacon over in the cold smoker... The great thing is you can do a 14-16 hour smoke and never have to load wood or worry about temps... Mine rarely swings more than 3-5 degrees if the door stays closed. I would plan a long smoke so you get comfortable with the stability and pellet usage... Don't forget the initial burn in. The instructions will walk you through it. BTW, even with my cold smoke box, my cover remains rip free and mine gets used several times a week.
I went back and forth a bunch on Blaz'n vs RecTec vs GMG. II also looked at the Yoders, Grilla, and briefly at Camp Chef, but couldn't see a hugely compelling reason for those.
I really liked the look of the Copper Vein Blaz'n, the standard 2nd SS shelf and the double wall insulation. The downsides for me were the cost delta of $300 more for the Grid Iron vs the 680 (similarly equipped- cover, 2nd shelf, starter pellets, front shelf, shipping, etc.) and delivery time was 4-5 weeks.
I liked GMG's ability to update the controller FW and calibrate the probes to lock in the temp (the WIFI seems neat, but not sure why I need it), and the pizza oven attachment looks very cool (but I think I can achieve great pizza results for less $s). Downsides was that the Jim Bowie was the same price as Rec Tec 680 (again, similarly equipped, but including tax instead of shipping), but with thinner steel and shorter warranty.
However, what finally led me to the Rec Tec 680 was that there are so many very satisfied owners. That speaks volumes to me (FlaBouy being just one of them- love the pics- keep 'em coming). I couldn't find a lot of user feedback on Blaz'n and although GMG is very well established and has many satisfied owners, for the same price as the Rec Tec 680; I thought the Rec Tec was a better deal for the $s.
At the end of the day, I don't think you could go wrong with these models. The key thing for me is that it felt right and I didn't have any regrets when I pulled the trigger.
BTW- I ordered on a Thursday afternoon, it was shipped on Friday, and I received it last Wednesday (from Augusta, GA to Colorado). Have done bacon (twice), jalepeno poppers, and lamb loin chops. Unfortunately, I have been on business travel since Monday morning and just now flying back home so I could not use it at all this week. Have plans for tri tip or beef ribs this weekend and will be doing a bunch of chicken legs and wings on Monday along with pork belly burnt ends. Also did some initial temp tests with my Smoke vs their probe (so far, their probe shows a higher temp than actual- but I still have work to do) and getting to know where the hot spots are.
Good luck in deciding. Would love to hear what you end up going with.
Or maybe some chuckie?
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