Very interested in temp swings. I want to replace my GMG as the thing will swing 100+ degrees at any given moment. I'm done with it. I've been waiting for this Weber, as I have always owned and loved their kettle grill(my favorite grill) and genesis gassers.
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I think the RecTec's look pretty nice, but I'd really like to see one in person. I'm really mostly joking about them, but have seen some accusations of them doing some pretty hard moderating in places removing stuff...and they seem to pay lots of money to get bumped up in internet searches. Neither of these have anything to do with the overall quality of their product though. -
divisionbell77 Misery loves company. I guess I'm kind of glad to hear that mine isn't the only one that requires a lot of babysitting. The set temp seems to never match the actual temp and the actual temp has massive swings. The only consolation is that I got mine second hand for very cheap. I think I'm going to try to sell it and buy some other toy. Looking forward to seeing what you settle on. -
My buddy says his rec-tec build quality and materials is night and day better than the GMG he and I had. And it holds temps perfectly.
Two guys at my office have them, they both love them, but they also do not have anything to compare it to, and one of the guys, if he owns it, its the best thing ever. Yeah, he's that guy.
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Mine is being delivered as I type this. Can't wait to get it rocking and rolling. Question for @glitchy, does I need Weber brand pellets, or will any ole' pellets do?Attached FilesComment
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Great review. Thanks for sharing! Looks like a solid pellet grill.Comment
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micbeane19 I haven't tried any others yet...I bought 4 bags of Weber with the grill. I would think any brand would work, but Weber pellets are slightly smaller in diameter than my CookinPellets. Weber Hickory left, CookinPellets Hickory, right.Originally posted by micbeane19 View Post
The other thing to note was that CookinPellets had more shorter pieces. My guess is that has lot to do with handling. However, I'm OCD and decided the first few bags I was going to stick with what Weber developed, so that if I saw any problems, Weber support couldn't blame the fuel. I didn't find anything special about the Weber Hickory though, we'll see if the Grill Master blend does anything to excite me, otherwise I'll probably be going back to CookinPellets when they are gone.
I'm actually beginning to think I don't like oak smoke though. I've used blends before, but maybe with Traeger pellets, I usually ended up with West Coast pellets with Alder instead of Oak. I tried some Post Oak chips cooking steaks on the summit recently and didn't care for the results. I know it's supposed to be neutral, but I've detected a little bite/bitterness like a milder version of the mesquite I've tried a couple times in the past. I picked up on it with the pizza and the burgers cooked on the Weber Hickory pellets. Especially last night when eating a reheated burger from Sunday. Anyone else ever feel that way about Oak?Attached FilesLast edited by glitchy; February 11, 2020, 12:39 PM.Comment
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Thank you kindly. I appreciate you getting back to me. I am also very happy to read your hands-on review. Thank you for taking the time. -
Whoah, totally something I wasn't even considering. If Weber is making their own pellets now, THAT is a game changer the pellet world needed. More quality options SHOULD make a price war of some sort and maybe drive prices down a hair. Cheaper and at least more widely available pellet options is holding mass adoption back just as much as lack of hardware store level cookers that are good at smoking AND grilling. Looks like Weber may be making a clean sweep here?
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Very good write-up!
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Nice write up! I’m still on the fence Weber SmokeFire or Mak 2Star!Comment
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ItsAllGoneToTheDogs Do the Maks hold more than the EX6? I've seen picks of 5 packers on one pretty easily. I'm sure you are right about longevity, but I can buy 3 Webers for the price of one 2 star with WiFi. Not trying to say I still don't think the Mak is not a great Pellet grill. I really wish I had some hands on with one.Last edited by glitchy; February 12, 2020, 04:27 PM. -
glitchy depends on the height of the packer, but I think you could get up to 6 on the new MAK. Realistically it's gonna be 4 at a time or 2 at a time. The 2019+'s can do 4x the base sq in of the MAK but it's 2 shelves that fit between the older model shelf height and stock grate so the full sq in usability is more suited to wings, jerky, other low profile stuff. Don't have the new model so don't know the exact space between grates. -
And honestly very few of us are gonna max out the capacity of the larger Weber unit, heck even the smaller one is big enough for your average back yard cook
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I've got spousal approval for one of these come spring time. This hands on walk through really helped! Thanks!Comment
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Max Good when you do your test, do others ever come help you sample products? I would be very interested in the same foods cooked on this and any other pellet grill blind tested side by side for 'smokiness'. Thinking back through my cooks, I'm not sure I've tasted anything as smokey from a pellet grill as the food I've had off the SmokeFire. I was completely shocked at the amount of smoke on a frozen pizza. On my past pellet grills, you got a hint of smoke at those temps.Comment
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Excellent "non review" review!Comment
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This is a great thread.
As I’ve stated, ad nauseam, I’ve only had experience with one pellet cooker...and it’s kinda "meh."
Certainly it cooks just fine, but lacks in "smokiness" that I can get from my WSCGC or previous smokers...and the need to add something like an A-Maze-N tube seems to defeat the purpose. I can do that with my Summit gasser. (Yes, it has a "smoke burner"...but it’s too small to be significant.) Also grilling on that pellet cooker is seriously not an option...something I can get from all of my other grills.
This may address both of those complaints.
I have friends in the middle of a move...looking to expand on their cooking options. They’re not quite willing (yet LOL) to dive in like me...or some of us here...but are looking to maximize space & dollars spent. Watching this thread, and awaiting the Max Good final review as I’ve already suggested looking at this one. And if the reviews land clearly positive I may help in the acquisition.Comment
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Plans for the weekend are Prime Strips tomorrow and a packer Saturday or Sunday night.Comment
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I am considering a smokefire. I am wondering how the cost of pellets compares to the cost of charcoal.Comment
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For me, pellets are definitely higher. I usually buy premium pellets like CookinPellets, but pick up KBB on holiday sales for charcoal. There are cheaper pellets around though like Lumberjack and Pitboss at less than .50/lb or bulk buys from places. General rule is around 1lb/hour at 225. Think I've been reading 4-5lb/hour at 600. You pay more for convenience I guess. -
glitchy hit on a good rule of thumb, i.e. 1 hour per pound on average. I probably get closer to 90 minutes per pound of charcoal in my kettle+SNS, but on my offset, I probably get 30 minutes, maybe 15!
I think in the long run, cost of pellets versus wood versus charcoal versus propane works out very similar, in a cost per BTU equation.
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I wanted to thank everyone who has posted about their adventures with Smokefire. It was really helpful to see what it looked like in the box so that assembly went well. I too noticed a few embers falling to the ground when you crank it to 600. I got my EX4 on Tuesday and have done a few cooks on it. Steaks and Lamb Chops. Today I did ribs and used my Fireboard to monitor the cook. The Weber Connect app is all but useless. The alerts don't work and today I found out that when the display on the unit warns you that you are low on pellets, it does not show up on the app. I guess I am really spoiled with my Fireboard. Below is a plot of my cook where I only opened the lid three times in the 4 hours of cooking. There is a 15-20 degree discrepancy between what the Smokefire says is the temperature and what the firebird measures. The variation is on the order of 10-15 degrees. I set the temperature to 265 and the firebird measured an average temp closer to 250. I am surprised at the variation in temperature since when I use my Weber 22 inch kettle with a Pit Viper fan I get much better temperature control than that. On the other hand, it is so easy to use the smoke fire that I can't believe that I never got a pellet grill in the past. It gets up to temperature in 15 minutes and stays relatively constant without any babysitting. It was between 17 and 19 degrees outside and I was able to roll it out of the garage onto my driveway, turn it on, and close the garage door and go back inside. At first I was put off by the 15 minute shutdown cycle. But, after doing the first time I realized that the entire grill was cooled off and ready to put back into the garage after that cycle. It is really nice. There is very little ash and much less grease that I usually get. I suppose that much of it vaporizes on the flavorer bars. All in all I am very happy with the Smokefire. I can fit three racks of ribs on the bottom grate (see photo). It works really well for reverse searing of steak or lamb. It only takes 10-12 minutes to get to 550 degrees from 250 degrees. I just can't believe that they have an app that only tells you what the grill is close to in temperature over the internet. Below is a screen shot of the fireboard data.Attached FilesLast edited by stevey; February 14, 2020, 06:59 PM.Comment
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Outstanding post.... love hearing about the real experiences with a new cooker from BBQ enthusiasts.Comment
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What's that white stuff on the ground? Thanks for the update on Ellen, After a couple cooks. Can you tell us temp swings? if any, any more smoke? compared to other pellet grills, Hot spots on long cooks? You have had plenty on other pellet grills, rate it 1-10 Thanks again, got my eye on one letting you go first.Comment
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Iowa Angel Tears, I’m calling her Mary since she’s a brunette, hopefully I can give you a graph when I smoke a brisket this weekend, seems like more smoke, definitely not less. Haven’t found hot spots yet. At this point a 8-9, but at same point the Memphis was a 10 until all the grease fires started. It would be a 9-10 had it gotten over 440 trying to sear steaks tonight. The vents do make it susceptible to arctic winds I guess (teens with strong winds blowing into it). Still very happy.
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