Now that the Smokefire is out...


 
R

Robert Dilbert

TVWBB Fan
Is it really a do-all grill/smoker? Can i replace my performer & WSM with the smokefire and be perfectly happy, or is it not really a grill replacement?

My BIL has a pellet grill that has a heat diffuser that you slide over to use it as a grill. He said he is never going back to propane grills, and only using pellet from now on.
 
That's what I'm doing. I'm early in the process but my goal is to use a single grill for everything. Food is coming out very good.
 
In my opinion it is an excellent high temp grill and smoker. The new Smokeboost feature makes it great for Jerky at 150 to 175°. I'm impressed by how much smoke it makes at temps above 250°. .I bought my Smokefire in early July. After I cooked Steaks, Pork Steaks, Chicken, and a Pork Butt I sold my 18 & 14" WSMs, My 21 year old Performer, and all accessories. I kept my Camp Chef pellet grill as a backup for a big cook I had last week. I'm now putting it up for sale.
 
I had a SmokeFire on release day and used it almost daily for 3-4 weeks before returning it...mostly out of fear seeing others issues at launch. My only issues were a couple of flameouts due to poor pellet feed and cleaning woes from not using drip pans. I didn't want to be stuck with it if Weber wasn't going to fix it or support buyers. I absolutely loved the food it produce, so it was a super hard decision to return it.

Fast Forward 4-5 months later and I longed for the SmokeFire high temp abilities and actually getting flavor from the fire unlike my gasser, so I sold my Spirit E-330 and bought another EX4. I've used it multiple times a week since. I started as a high heat grill only with reverse seared steaks being the only LnS I attempted in the first couple weeks. I've since succumbed to the need for drip pans and have started doing LnS cooks there as well. I've done briskets, butts, chuckles, etc. No issues whatsoever, at any temp between 200-600.

Like Lew, I also have a Camp Chef that is getting very very lonely since I got the SmokeFire. I pulled it out last week to do a butt since they are a little easier there and realized while we were eating it that it got a lot less smoke flavor from the Woodwind than everything I've been cooking on the SmokeFire gets.

The only thing I can see with the SmokeFire over other more traditional pellet grills is the bottoms of large cooks get a little crunchier in comparison. Sometimes that's not all bad and there are ways around it like flipping food partway through, wrapping in butcher paper or foil, etc. I'm going to sell the Camp Chef, but I do sill have the WSCG to share the duties and pretty much double my cooking capacity over just having the SmokeFire.
 
Smokefire is definitely making a case for being that elusive "one arrow quiver."

The other contender imo is the Masterbuilt Gravity which, in concept, I prefer. Gets going super fast, goes up to 700F, has electronic temp control, and runs on charcoal and wood chunks. But the build quality there is pretty iffy for now.

I'm sticking with my current quiver (gasser for Tuesday night; WSM for the weekend) for another season or two to see if someone really gets the all-in-one figured out. A Smokefire charcoal from Weber would be the dream for me.
 
To make a long story short the weber has an excellent smoke mode, and it 6-10 minutes it can go from smoke to searing. This is not possible with any grills that I own. I own a Kamado Joe, Pitboss cabinet smoker, a gas grill with sear burner, an offset smoker, and the Weber smoke fire. It is the most versatile grill in my arsenal of grills. It produces smoke when a pellet grill should not, and it produces heat when a pellet grill should not. It has its issues but it is better than the sum of its parts. Should you buy it that is up to you, however, you will not find a grill that performs like the smoke fire for any price. Is it the best at smoking no is it the best at searing steak no. However, you will be hard-pressed to find a grill that goes to these extremes like the smoke fire. It wears so many hats and does it with such aplomb that you will not want for another grill.
 
Well, I am late to the game with the Smokefire but I believe this is a good thing. Purchased a couple of weeks ago and went through all the software updates upon the first setup. I am just super excited about the SF with it providing a very juicy and flavorful steak/chicken with a very fast ramp-up time to cooking temperature. I have already sold my gasser and my Big Green Egg is currently sitting idle. With the BGE, I have a 30-minute warmup for the coal to be ready. I think of the SF as a gasser but with great smoke taste and juicy meats. I will be keeping the BGE for a while until I see how the SF performs on longer cooks i.e. briskets.

Contacted Weber about a recall on the SmokeFire. The representative stated there was no product recall as of last Saturday but maybe he hadn't received word yet. Nevertheless, Weber agreed to send a new Chute / Auger assembly which should greatly increase product reliability/longevity (Note: the new hopper slide came with the new unit). I noticed today on Amazon, they are calling the SmokeFire a (1st Generation) product.

If you need to contact Weber about your unit, I would recommend contacting Weber through their website as they quickly responded to me on even on a Saturday.

After a few cooks out with the SmokeFire EX4, I decided to line the bottom of the unit with heavy-duty foil to provide easier cleanouts. I molded the foil to the grease channels and so far this is working great for me. I also prefer clean the grill grates immediately after cooking as they are easier to clean and turn up the temperature to 600 degrees for a few minutes to clean the flavor bars.

I just am ecstatic about my Weber SmokeFire and couldn't be happier. From time to time there are advancements to Quality of Life and SmokeFire just improved my QOL!
 
Yeah but the Masterbuilt gravity is a piece of dung. Own it for a year and see how you feel about it. It is cheap, and yes it does do some amazing things I cannot deny that but it is a cheap charcoal grill that will fail you when you need it the most. Don't take my word for it ask anyone that owns one.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
Smokefire is definitely making a case for being that elusive "one arrow quiver."

The other contender imo is the Masterbuilt Gravity which, in concept, I prefer. Gets going super fast, goes up to 700F, has electronic temp control, and runs on charcoal and wood chunks. But the build quality there is pretty iffy for now.

I'm sticking with my current quiver (gasser for Tuesday night; WSM for the weekend) for another season or two to see if someone really gets the all-in-one figured out. A Smokefire charcoal from Weber would be the dream for me.
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Lol, no offense, that thing is built like $#|+!!
 
LMichaels said:
Except with Weber pulling them all off the market and out of stores good luck finding one
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They are available on Weber’s site.
Probably the best purchase option at this point. Fixes will be installed and with Weber’s customer service you are in great hands.
 
Bruno said:
They are available on Weber’s site.
Probably the best purchase option at this point. Fixes will be installed and with Weber’s customer service you are in great hands.
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That's the funny thing, Weber was still shipping them without fixes 2 months ago long after the welded auger had been out. Has anyone here gotten one direct from Weber recently to verify if they have the fixes installed? I ordered mine in 6/29, got hopper insert, but original auger chute. You'd sure hope with the inventory recall they would not be shipping more out themselves without the updates.
 
I am not seeing any availability issues. I checked AceHardware.com websites around the country and were available for pickup today or within a few days. My suspicion is that they are selling through the current inventory and then push out SF Gen2 probably in October. Just in time for the holidays. You will probably see a big marketing push on the SF Gen 2's come available widely.
 
Robert Dilbert said:
do you grill on the smokefire, and what is the smokefire replacing?
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Yes I grill, and smoke. It is mainly replacing a genesis Silver B as daily cooker plus a kettle grill and a smoker. I was constantly compromising between gas and charcoal depending on time and night of the week, and smoking was always a pain. This setup is really working out to be exactly what I wanted it to be.
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I'm a HUGE Weber fan and I own many of their products. And while this site is aimed toward Weber products please forgive me as I digress for a moment but I enjoy a variety of outdoor cookers. Case in point: I've owned and used MB's [stock] Gravity for 5 months thus far. Based on my actual, personal experience I'd have to scratch my head at the notion that in another 7 months I'd consider it scrap. Given its MSRP compared to that of the SM I might assume it to be a mediocre build but I'm well-pleased with it thus far :)
 
LKruse said:
I am not seeing any availability issues. I checked AceHardware.com websites around the country and were available for pickup today or within a few days. My suspicion is that they are selling through the current inventory and then push out SF Gen2 probably in October. Just in time for the holidays. You will probably see a big marketing push on the SF Gen 2's come available widely.
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I don’t think this year.
 
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