Grease Fires?


 
JimK

JimK

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I have a friend who is ready to pull the trigger on either a Camp Chef or SmokeFire. He's a 'Weber Guy', but initially wasn't interested in the SmokeFire because of all the technical issues early on. Knowing that the tech has been addressed, as well as some of the mechanics, he's considering the SmokeFire but has concerns around the reports of 'grease fires'. Research I've done points to long cooks with fatty things like butts and brisket. Seems drip pans are a simple way to address that and would make things far less messy. Any suggestions/advice? Any sites with recent discussion on this topic? I can't tell if it really is an issue, or is more 'user error'.
 
I have never experienced a grease fire in my EX6. I use a drip pan for low and slow cooks and clean after every cook. I would be the last person to use the term "user error" since I've been wrongfully accused of it for some of the problems my EX6 had. Use a drip pan and keep it clean and there should be no issues.
 
Sorry, but I will disagree with your statement "Knowing that the tech has been addressed, as well as some of the mechanics". I doubt that we will see any mechanical fixes in the near future. By "tech" I assume you mean the software. It's improved but has a good ways to go. That's why every month they update firmware, software, or the app. I've never lost a cook but I have had to deal with software glitches. I have the EX6 and I'm delighted with it but I understand that some folks encounter more problems than I have.

Jerry said "Use a drip pan and keep it clean and there should be no issues." Spot on. The SF is not a conventional pellet grill so it has to be operated correctly to get the most out of it and minimize problems. It rewards you with excellent smoke on high heat cooks and great flavor in your food.
 
Lew Newby said:
Sorry, but I will disagree with your statement "Knowing that the tech has been addressed, as well as some of the mechanics". I doubt that we will see any mechanical fixes in the near future. By "tech" I assume you mean the software. It's improved but has a good ways to go. That's why every month they update firmware, software, or the app. I've never lost a cook but I have had to deal with software glitches. I have the EX6 and I'm delighted with it but I understand that some folks encounter more problems than I have.

Jerry said "Use a drip pan and keep it clean and there should be no issues." Spot on. The SF is not a conventional pellet grill so it has to be operated correctly to get the most out of it and minimize problems. It rewards you with excellent smoke on high heat cooks and great flavor in your food.
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Thanks Lew. You're correct about the tech. I know there remains room for improvement, but the updates seem to be regular and meaningful. Regarding mechanics, I know some changes have been made around the auger/chute. Again, I'm sure there's room for improvement, but it seems at least some of the pain points have been addressed.
 
I use drip pans too. It makes cleaning the grill so much easier. When the grease and ash mix, it makes a mess that is more of a pain to scrape. I actually have two of the Wet Smoke kits which hold the pans under the grates. You can rest them on the flavorizer bars, but the holders help keep them more stable and add more more positioning options.
 
There is the potential for a grease fire on any grill or smoker. If you keep the grill relatively clean and use common sense you shouldn’t have any issues with a grease fire on the Smokefire.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I figured the fire issue was due to lack of attention and cleanliness. After my friend sent me a text about those concerns, both he and I did more research and it looks to be pretty much a non-issue, unless you're just really being sloppy. He pulled the trigger on an EX-4 last night (good thing, as he just recently sold his Performer and WSM). I may be making a similar move to an Ex-6 in 2021.
 
First thing, pay attention to these fellas here who have experience with the SF.

From my perspective and I watched the release of the SF closely because I was a potential buyer , the grease fire issue with SF's started with Baby Back Maniac doing a review of his first cook on an SF. There's been a lot learned about the SF since he did this.

 
Lynn Dollar said:
First thing, pay attention to these fellas here who have experience with the SF.

From my perspective, the grease fire issue with SF's started with Baby Back Maniac doing a review of his first cook on an SF.
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Many of the first reviews (by many individuals) did not follow Weber procedures. People went out and tried to do what they wanted to do (start up, unplug, flip switch, restart, etc.). And the SF controller went nuts. Yes, there were problems. But it is much better now. And you should listen to the individuals that have been running the SF from the start and now know how to make it run.
 
JimK said:
Thanks for the input everyone. I figured the fire issue was due to lack of attention and cleanliness. After my friend sent me a text about those concerns, both he and I did more research and it looks to be pretty much a non-issue, unless you're just really being sloppy. He pulled the trigger on an EX-4 last night (good thing, as he just recently sold his Performer and WSM). I may be making a similar move to an Ex-6 in 2021.
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You got it right. If you assemble it right. There's an app for that - BILT and it is great. If you operate it right - guys here can really help with that. You will be delighted with the versatility and capabilities of the SmokeFire.
 
I clean mine every few cooks, more often if they're greasier. When I did my turkey for Thanksgiving I absentmindedly forgot a drip pan. There was quite a bit of grease in the bottom but I made sure to clean it before the next cook. I cleaned it as best that I could but there was no way I was going to get it all. I have found that after a greasy cook I like to cook at a higher temp the next time. The weekend after the turkey I did the pan pizzas. I cooked those at 500* and the higher temp cooked off any residual grease. It smoked more as it was heating up but it didn't last long. Be smart, clean it when it needs it and don't peek too often. Never had a fire and it's been used a ton since I got it in February.
 
A fire might occur if you have plenty of ash and then do a greasy run (which pools in the bottom) and then you crank up the temp afterwards to burn off the grill. Yes, you just might.
 
I haven’t had any grease fires, I did have some lamb get a little crazy because I wasn’t paying attention, I think it overheated the grill and it shut down, I can’t remember the code. If you want to grill and have a smoker all in one I can’t imagine anything better than the SF! For low and slow only I’d maybe look towards an RT-700.
 
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