Scott Quimby
TVWBB Fan
I finally went down to Lowes this morning and bought a Smoke Fire EX4. There seem to be so many reasons that I shouldn't have done this. The heavy layer of dust on the 3 units at the store was just one reason. The early terrible reviews are another. The lack of newer reviews and detailed explanation of fixes or where in the serial number chain these fixes happened is yet another. So why did I decide to buy it? First off, this is the EXACT product that I have been waiting for. I caught wind of this product last year before it came out and was ready to buy it immediately when it came out. Then the launch was a disaster and I held off.
We have for many years been cooking with gas several times a week, charcoal for better cuts and weekends, and smoking when it worked out or a special occasion. I have a Genesis Silver B that my Father-in-law passed down to me. This Grill from the Early 2000's has shown that it will NEVER die, rust out, or be unreliable - except for the ignition in winter once in a while. I beat it up and it always works. I would have had a hard justifying a new gas grill because this old dog just keeps performing.
The charcoal grill is a 24" avocado green Weber kettle from the 70's. This one has had legs re-welded on and the wood handle is almost gone. This grill is has become a labor of love and I'll never get rid of it. I have spent entire days standing over it while smoking a shoulder or ribs. This is not a dreaded experience, but I often just don't have the time.
Then there are the smokers. I have had little luck with the smokers. The electric stand up one has gone through 3 controllers, has never produced smoke properly except in cold temps and has been written off, it's going to the dump. The bullet smoker has been almost as frustrating, just eating through charcoal and stalling and not performing well. These smokers have disappointed me to the point that I have been doing all smoking in the kettle, which also means that I have not been smoking much.
A really well built pellet smoker that can produce gas grill heat and be controlled through an app is the exact grill that I have wanted. The specs on this thing are perfect. I wasn't even successful in researching whether The grill I bought has the upgrades, and I consider myself to be pretty good at internet research. The employees at Lowes, three different ones, could not tell me if this was an upgraded unit. In the end, I chose the one on the sales floor with the highest serial number and am resigned to having Weber take care of me if it is not an updated version. They are a great company and make great products. All of the Smoke Fires at Lowes were pre-built and they did not have any boxed units.
I got it home and set it up. I was happy to find that my upgraded stainless grates from my gas grill fit perfectly, so I swapped them out. I downloaded the app and paired the grill to my phone, it was seamless, and it performed an automatic firmware update immediately. I filled up the hopper, set it to 600 and it did its thing. It's a bit louder than I was expecting. Not a huge deal, but worth mentioning. After burning this sucker for 30 minutes, I did the shutdown. Is the constant fan cycling for 15 minutes really how it is? I find it loud and annoying, and it's the biggest drawback so far in my experience. I have a 14x14 deck and being out there while this thing shuts down is not going to be pleasant. But I have not had any real technical problems so far. There are currently two racks of ribs cooking at 250, I got a late start and needed to push the temps up just a touch to have dinner at a reasonable time.
So here are a few questions that I could not find answers to. How can I know if this grill has the updated parts? The serial number is UD0162680. I can't see an obvious date code and Weber support has not responded to me yet. Anybody out there able to figure out a date from the serial number? Second, is this constant, loud fan cycling for 15 minutes on shutdown a feature, or a glitch? Third, had anyone purchased the front and side tables, and are they nice, and worth the price? Fourth, are the electronics going to be ok in the elements? I did buy a cover. I grill year round and would like to hear if anyone has had problems with the electronics or fans or screen.
So here I am on the bleeding edge, hoping for a great experience. I'm pretty satisfied so far. Please let me know if you think I will stay satisfied.
We have for many years been cooking with gas several times a week, charcoal for better cuts and weekends, and smoking when it worked out or a special occasion. I have a Genesis Silver B that my Father-in-law passed down to me. This Grill from the Early 2000's has shown that it will NEVER die, rust out, or be unreliable - except for the ignition in winter once in a while. I beat it up and it always works. I would have had a hard justifying a new gas grill because this old dog just keeps performing.
The charcoal grill is a 24" avocado green Weber kettle from the 70's. This one has had legs re-welded on and the wood handle is almost gone. This grill is has become a labor of love and I'll never get rid of it. I have spent entire days standing over it while smoking a shoulder or ribs. This is not a dreaded experience, but I often just don't have the time.
Then there are the smokers. I have had little luck with the smokers. The electric stand up one has gone through 3 controllers, has never produced smoke properly except in cold temps and has been written off, it's going to the dump. The bullet smoker has been almost as frustrating, just eating through charcoal and stalling and not performing well. These smokers have disappointed me to the point that I have been doing all smoking in the kettle, which also means that I have not been smoking much.
A really well built pellet smoker that can produce gas grill heat and be controlled through an app is the exact grill that I have wanted. The specs on this thing are perfect. I wasn't even successful in researching whether The grill I bought has the upgrades, and I consider myself to be pretty good at internet research. The employees at Lowes, three different ones, could not tell me if this was an upgraded unit. In the end, I chose the one on the sales floor with the highest serial number and am resigned to having Weber take care of me if it is not an updated version. They are a great company and make great products. All of the Smoke Fires at Lowes were pre-built and they did not have any boxed units.
I got it home and set it up. I was happy to find that my upgraded stainless grates from my gas grill fit perfectly, so I swapped them out. I downloaded the app and paired the grill to my phone, it was seamless, and it performed an automatic firmware update immediately. I filled up the hopper, set it to 600 and it did its thing. It's a bit louder than I was expecting. Not a huge deal, but worth mentioning. After burning this sucker for 30 minutes, I did the shutdown. Is the constant fan cycling for 15 minutes really how it is? I find it loud and annoying, and it's the biggest drawback so far in my experience. I have a 14x14 deck and being out there while this thing shuts down is not going to be pleasant. But I have not had any real technical problems so far. There are currently two racks of ribs cooking at 250, I got a late start and needed to push the temps up just a touch to have dinner at a reasonable time.
So here are a few questions that I could not find answers to. How can I know if this grill has the updated parts? The serial number is UD0162680. I can't see an obvious date code and Weber support has not responded to me yet. Anybody out there able to figure out a date from the serial number? Second, is this constant, loud fan cycling for 15 minutes on shutdown a feature, or a glitch? Third, had anyone purchased the front and side tables, and are they nice, and worth the price? Fourth, are the electronics going to be ok in the elements? I did buy a cover. I grill year round and would like to hear if anyone has had problems with the electronics or fans or screen.
So here I am on the bleeding edge, hoping for a great experience. I'm pretty satisfied so far. Please let me know if you think I will stay satisfied.
