And now i postpone my purchase of that Smokefire.. darn Weber.. this was not good..
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This guy nailed it (SmokeFire Review)
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The sad thing about this, aside from the disappointed people etc, is that all they really needed to do was freeze engineering changes, churn out about 20, get influencers like Clint, Max etc to sign an NDA and give them a cooker to try out for a couple of weeks. These aren't subtle issues that only show up on super long, 24 hours cooks or something. From the sound of it, any long cook from a good size pork butt on up will show these issues.Last edited by rickgregory; February 18, 2020, 10:36 AM.
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I see some wits online have renamed it to the "Weber Greasefire." Not the tag Weber wants out for a new product. The old adage the squeaky wheel gets the grease applies. Be persistent. Call Amazon again, and leave a negative review there for your purchase. As stated above, call your credit card company. While I don’t do social media I once had a relative post a negative post on Facebook about an issue I was having with an insurance company. She posted on the company’s Facebook page and within the hour had a special number to call to correct the issue. Don’t forget Weber’s own grill forum, and last but not least contact Weber directly so they know about your particular case. They sold the product to Amazon but the safety issues are theirs alone.Last edited by Donw; February 18, 2020, 10:21 AM.
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I feel bad for Justin. He is obviously feeling really bad for loaning his personal brand to Weber as part of their media/PR release. His honest and expeditious review actually bolsters his personal brand in my opinion. I hope others that were sucked into the fray by Weber during their media event will be equally direct and honest.
I am very surprised with Weber on this one.
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Where is Weber!? I mean, wouldn't you think they'd start showing up in these forums and online and with current owners? Can anyone find a POSITIVE review of a SmokeFire? It seems to me like this is about to get out of hand for them. If I worked for Weber, I'd have my Public Affairs guys out doing some serious damage control before they become a case study in how NOT to provide customer service! I just can't believe they've gone totally silent on this.
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Huge shame. So many were so looking forward to the release. Hopefully Weber will step up and correct the problems and make good on the early units.
Assumptions and expectations can be a setup for disappointment
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Jim Morris
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From what I've seen and heard now, plus what we know of Max Good and Meathead 's early preview of the SmokeFire, I am betting all the glowing "early" reviews and testimonials were based on how well this pellet cooker performs for hot and fast cooks, searing, and things that all other pellet cookers fall down on. I am betting not one of the early previews involved a long cook of a pork butt or brisket. I imagine anything longer than 4-5 hours for some ribs will result in a grease fire. We also know that is about the time you will start seeing cavitation and channeling develop in the pellet hopper.
There is a reason that most pellet cookers use the heat deflector to channel and drain grease into a bucket outside the cooker - so that grease and ash and flames stay separate. While I think the design of the SmokeFire is what gives it a direct grilling advantage, they leveraged TOO much of their Spirit and Genesis design for gas grills in the design of the SmokeFire. Letting the grease drip over flavorizer bars down to the bottom, to funnel into the same grease pan that I have in my two Genesis grills just doesn't seem like a good idea in retrospect, although I applauded it when I first saw it. Its too close to the fire pot and all the ash.
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I haven't had a personal contact from Weber, but apparently they're answering questions on Amazon regarding flare ups that they recommend using a drip pan on long and low, or fatty cooks to prevent. Also referring to page 14 of the user manual that suggests a water pan for long cooks. I really hope they don't expect that to be their get out of jail free card on this one.....
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I was finally able to get in touch with Weber, but all they said was that they would send my concerns to their management. They would not give an estimate regarding when I would hear back. I said, "So it could be tomorrow or it could be May?" and the operator said, "I have no way of knowing."Last edited by Jordan S; February 18, 2020, 03:02 PM.
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After having finally gotten a chance to watch the video, I agree 100% with you jfmorris. I've had a Weber Summit for about 5-6 years now and it does exactly that, it channels grease across the flavorizor bars (which burn the grease and create a little bit of smokey flavor) then it drips down to a couple of steep divertor plates to an open slot. The grease falls out of the slot to a drip pan outside the cooker at the bottom which then channels it to a disposable foil pan (about the size of a loaf of bread). You pull the drip pan out once a month or so, clean it up and dispose of the foil pan. Easy peezey. I cover the sheet metal divertor plates inside the unit with foil that I also change out once a month.
It's so easy to maintain the cooker that way, it's one of the main reasons I bought it versus some other expensive brands that didn't have as easy a solution. I have never had anything close to a grease fire.
Having said all that, why in the hell didn't they just design the SmokeFire the exact same way???? What a bunch of doofuses. I also bet most of the smoke you see rolling out of that unit is pork grease burning up at the bottom of the cooker, it has no place to go. Weber has major egg on their face.Last edited by Troutman; February 18, 2020, 02:53 PM.
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Actually, it kinda is designed that way. Grease will slide down the barrel into a channel towards a slot to the same foil loaf pan that the Summit gas grills use. The issue is that there's a bunch of ash and pellet dust in the bottom of the pit that absorbs all the grease before it can make it there. It seems to keep running just enough to fully clog up the channel.
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That’s the point though. Most all other pellets, mine included, has the grease diverter under the grate level, not in the barrel bottom. Why? For the reason mentioned. They were so hung up on "searing" that they allowed grease and the heat source to co-mingle. Duh...
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I bet they aren't, Weber being successful with their grill would still equal sales for other pellet manufacturers. Not everyone has 1K+ to drop on a pellet unit, but everyone would want one if their neighbor was cranking out great food. Additionally Traeger and others who sell their own brand pellets would benefit from a larger pellet owner base because the majority will sacrifice quality for price or at least try to balance it.
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Originally posted by Jordan S View PostSide note: Can you imagine the party they must be having at Traeger headquarters today?
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Originally posted by Jordan S View PostI'm in need of some help here, guys. While many folks are returning their units to Lowes, etc, my retailer (a well-known online retailer) is refusing to accept a return because the unit has been used. So, I've got a $1,200 grease fire waiting to happen in my backyard, and nobody wants to claim responsibility for it or provide me with any kind of solution or assistance. Any ideas? I saved up for a long time to buy a quality cooker, and now that money is all gone and I feel duped.
Most of the pellet grill companies are small/medium businesses. This is the Goliath of the grilling/BBQ world planting their foot in the pellet pond and stubbing their toe.
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Let’s remember something else boys and girls. Pellet cooking technology has been around for sometime. The tweaks to the design have made them pretty polished. Weber comes along and attempts to fix the searing issue right out of the shoot, ignoring the basic problems that were solved for a reason.
But it’s Weber and well....they must be right? And like a bunch of lemmings we all go drooling over the cliff. Just goes to show that new product roll outs should be gradual and strategic. They’ll eventually make it right, it’s too big a gamble to let it fail. Take a deep breath if you have one, don't be quick to be lemmings in reverse.
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Seems like an add on sliding grease system would solve this for low and slow and be removable or swing-able for hot/searing cooks.
they’ve got to have the burning right underneath to get the sear effect but that is not what they need for low and slow. Seems like a swingable trap/trough system would fix it, how to attach aftermarket who knows.
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I think you have a good idea there. They could easily make a deflector plate to resolve this issue, shaped to nest on top of the flavorizer bars, with a slight slope to channel grease to.... well, that is the question. Where would they send the grease since we now know the channels in the bottom of the grill are getting clogged with ash? Maybe it channels to a hole, where a trough or pipe runs down into the hole that drains to the foil grease pan under the grill.
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I was thinking the same thing. The grease tray under my gasser is made from aluminum and is easily removeable. That would be a perfect solution, you slide it in to catch the low and slow grease, slid it out for searing and other hot cooks where you need direct flames. Bet you a nickel that's what they come up with, or something along those lines.
(BTW, to whom do you guys think we ought to send our bill to for solving their problem ?? )
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