I may have misunderstood the question; I thought Lew was asking if the SF is a universal success, and perhaps according to Weber.
This reminds me that I certainly commend Weber on an innovative design approach. It seems like that would take guts to pull-off. And I cannot offer scientific evidence but I think it's possible that food off a SF has somewhat a different flavor profile and can offer somewhat different cooks than a traditional pellet smoker. But I want to be careful and express this is just my opinion. Case in point: I know Jon has the Bull (and so do I) and has been tempted toward a SF but he may be a more-skilled cook where his Bull could trump my SF cooks. Or he may someday acquire a SF and perform side-by-side comparisons and offer a different conclusion than my uneducated opinion.
I do have a Recteq RT-700. I would love to buy a SmokeFire and do my own unbiased comparison. But with an out of control collection of grills already, it’s pretty hard to get clearance for another significant outlay.
However, I did pick up an odd pellet kettle that I have posted about separately. Using it several times has caused me to have to rethink what I have previously believed about pellet grilling and just perhaps given some new insight on the SmokeFire.
My Recteq has been a champ of holding steady temperatures. I have always considered that a trophy of its good engineering (and still do) but also thought it was a key to good bbq. I have made consistently good barbecue with my Recteq. I wouldn’t say it is better than when I used the Big Green Egg I used to own, just decent and consistent. Certainly easier, too!
Now enter this odd Landmann pellet kettle. It definitely does not keep a highly consistent temperature but rather fluctuates within a 40 degree or so range. I have noticed, though, that when it chugs up to bring the temp up, each time that is accompanied by a wave of nice smoke. My Recteq, on the other hand, only produces a mild wafting of smoke once it hits the set temperature.
I had an igniter failure on my Recteq (after 4 years) which they promptly helped me replace. In the meantime, I had to fall back on my little Landmann to bail me out. Once with two pork shoulders and more recently with baby back ribs. I didn’t have the highest of expectations, but both times I was taken back by results that I honestly believe exceeded anything I have done on my Recteq and which were at least as good as any Green Egg or kettle bbq I have done:
One of my guests told me my ribs were the best he had ever had. I know that was mostly flattery, but they were really good, and maybe the best I have made, at least.
So what to make of this, and how does it apply to the SmokeFire? First, I think the very good bark and nice smoke flavor my little kettle produced shows that a grill keeping perfect “low and slow” temperature is not actually where it is all at. In fact, I will be tempted to adjust the temperature up and down repeatedly the next time I use my RT-700. I also wonder whether the SmokeFire’s success in delivering an excellent smoke profile and great bark are not just because of the flavorizer bar design but also due to temperature changes that it either purposely or inadvertently allows.
Not sure of this opinion, but I no longer will evaluate a pellet grill using temperature steadiness as the surest sign of how well it is likely to cook.
finance.yahoo.com
I agree with your statement about a sale. Reading that, it give me a better understanding of how they're playing the game. It's a wait and see game for now.
