Is it safe to purchase a Smokefire?

[Robert A]

Let me clarify – I am a Weber guy, owning two gassers and a 27-inch kettle. I like Weber. I have been in the market for a pellet grill for over a year and was excited to see the introduction of the Smokefire only to be deeply disappointed in the reviews. After six months since the introduction, I decided it is time to pull the trigger and buy pellet grill. I am hesitant regarding SmokeFire but thought I would get the opinion of this group. Are most of the kinks worked out or should I continue to look at the Camp Chef, Yoder, Rec Tec, and others?

I might add I am not very handy with tools or fixing things. In fact, if you put a hammer in my hand, everything looks like a nail to me. So, it is important that most things work pretty well out of the box.

Thank you,

 

[Dan Leighton]

Well, if you get a Camp Chef it comes with an allen wrench to attach the legs! No hammer required. I am biased since I went with the Camp Chef for the cleanout feature and pellet dump since I didn't want to wait for the SmokeFire release before any of the teething problems came up. Looked at the SF at Lowe's again yesterday and convinced myself again the CC was the better deal. It depends on what you want to use the pellet grill for. I just use it for smoking, but you could grill on it if necessary. I'll keep my trusty Genesis for grilling.

 

[Bruno]

I wrote a long response and deleted it.
the SF is an amazing grill, didn’t see that coming when I bought it, now it’s hard to want to fire up the kettles on a weekday.
It’s an awesome smoker, puts out great smoke flavor a hell of a smoke ring and I couldn’t be happier.

I sent a few friends to rec-tecs while the SF was having issues and I’d love a Yoder for smoking only.
For me it is just too good at both to go any other direction.
Good luck.

 

[J Grotz]

I’m not a SF owner. I don’t own a pellet grill. I have 3 charcoal grills (2 Webers), a Genesis 1000 gasser and a WSM22. And I gotta say I’m envious of the food I see being produced in SFs. I wouldn’t let the early teething problems deter you.

 

[Lew Newby]

I've had Rec Tec and a Camp Chef that I installed the Rec Tec WIFI controller in. They both smoke excellent food because it's the same controller and they have fewer problems than the Smokefire but I'm replacing them. I've only had my EX6 for 2 months but I've run it hot and fast and low and slow. and the food was excellent. Now that owners have figured out how to use the Smokefire we'll see more good stories than bad. Weber uses a novel approach to their pellet grill design which gives it great searing capability but it's had teething problems that I'm more than willing to accept and I'm comfortable with tools. . My Weber Performer, and 14.5 and 18.5" WSM are sold. My Craigslist Camp Chef that I modified to suit me perfectly at the time will also be sold. That's how much this 78 year old fart believes in it. Just for fun I looked at 1 star reviews on Amazon. Feb through April there were a lot. May through July only 2. Weber is making steady improvements. It isn't perfect but it's definitely good enough and getting better. Also, Weber customer support is legendary and they are supporting SmokeFire owners. With that said, I was very happy with my Camp Chef and Rec Tec for low and slow cooks. The new Camp Chef controllers seem to be performing as well as the Rec Tec controller which I love. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Matt Q]

I personally love my Smokefire. I have had minimal issues since the updates and have made some of the best bbq I have ever made. I probably clean it more often than needed. I clean it after any cook of 7+ hours and otherwise clean it about every 3-4 cooks. Not sure if that is needed.

 

[EarlHam]

First time pellet grill guy, but the smokfire performs great. In the 2 months we have owned it we have smoked on it a minimum of 2 times per week, Brisket, pulled pork, Bacon, burnt tips, Canadian bacon. Pastrami is our next effort.

 

[Andrew-Dollins]

Yes it is safe, the software had some issues, in the shutdown mode but they have fixed it. For a grill it’s great. I have done a pork but on it, I use a different pellet smoker for long cooks. The pork but came out great. It’s main attraction is how hot it gets. For those in colder climates you might have issues getting to 600 in winter. The airflow on this thing is crazy, and if you are sucking cold air from the outside it might have issues reaching and holding 600. However most pellet smokers will have the same issues so it is not unique to Weber.