SmokeFire Competition


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
We have seen some interesting discussions about Camp Chef, Traeger and Recteq here. Camp Chef seems to have offered people a good compromise on price, results and ease of use. Traeger has come back pretty strong with the Timberline series. Pretty pricey but offers a lot of nice features and style. My pastor in Florida got one, and I got to check it out while I was down there in February. Very nice, but it is priced a good notch above the SmokeFire.

Meanwhile, Recteq (formerly Rec Tec) has been sitting quiet with a few updates but no major moves. I have their current "flagship" pellet grill - not their biggest, though - the RT-700 "Bull." It has been relatively unchanged for several years now. I have written a number of positives about it, including its reliability, the use of at least a fair amount of stainless, and even style - with its signature bullhorn lid handles. Still, compared to the SmokeFire it has a lot of old-school looks to it.

I have been thinking that Recteq has obviously been studiously analyzing what's going on in the pellet grill world. You can be sure that the SmokeFire's rough introduction gave the boys in Georgia some pause before rolling out a newer style grill. I am betting whatever is going on in the dark recesses of their R&D department is going through serious testing. Recteq can't afford a fiasco like the early SmokeFire rollout.

This evening I received an email from Recteq inviting me to their annual shindig in late May that is on after last year's COVID hiatus. Wish I could go because I am sure it would be a fun event. What really caught my eye, though, was this:

In addition to all the fun, we’ll be running exclusive deals in our showroom and announcing NEW products coming soon!

I will be keeping my eyes open for a new "flagship" model from Recteq. I am looking for some of the styling cues from their smaller RT-590 and definitely some things to compete with the SmokeFire's dual low&slow + sear bragging rights. If that materializes, it will be interesting to see how Recteq addresses the grease and ash management.

Stay tuned!
 
Nicely, well-written post, Jon. My very simpleminded thought is that Recteq's Bull just simply works. But, arguably, Weber took the bull by the horns and attempted a very bold move. I commend them for that, to the extent that after their release of Gen 2 and the Holiday sale [and Holiday gift cards] I bit. But while it works for many, it did not work for me. Somewhat embarrassingly, I returned it. I say embarrassingly because I never returned an item such as that. I do have hope and confidence that Weber will hone-in on a well-designed unit. And I wish good success for Recteq, because they have earned a strong position in this market.
 
BFletcher said:
Nicely, well-written post, Jon. My very simpleminded thought is that Recteq's Bull just simply works. But, arguably, Weber took the bull by the horns and attempted a very bold move. I commend them for that, to the extent that after their release of Gen 2 and the Holiday sale [and Holiday gift cards] I bit. But while it works for many, it did not work for me. Somewhat embarrassingly, I returned it. I say embarrassingly because I never returned an item such as that. I do have hope and confidence that Weber will hone-in on a well-designed unit. And I wish good success for Recteq, because they have earned a strong position in this market.
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Sorry about that one Fletcher, I hate that happened. It’s a funny thing I have a hard time recommending the SF because of possibilities like your experience.

What get’s me is the only mods i ever made was adding the one piece auger assembly and removing the finger guard in the hopper and mine has been amazing, low slow and of course a fiery inferno of a grilling machine.

It’s reminding me to change out my glow plug but it I wonder if it can sense that it’s going bad or if it’s an annual reminder, either way Weber sent out a couple way back.

The RT-700 has been my recommended purchase however I do think if your looking to grill as well, the SmokeFire is an option.

Looking forward to seeing what new stuff comes out, for me pellets are here to stay, I can fire up the SmokeFire and 15 minutes later grill some burgers or whatever and shut her down with what seems like hardly any pellet use. It’s kept me from firing up the kettles to say the least.
 
Jon Tofte said:
definitely some things to compete with the SmokeFire's dual low&slow + sear bragging rights. If that materializes, it will be interesting to see how Recteq addresses the grease and ash management.
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Rec Tec can already compete with the smokefire for the low and slow and the sear. Their bullseye will do low and slow, and sear at 750f, at a much cheaper price point of $400. I do not know how well it works, but its out there and from what I recall sold out in seconds at launch. The only disadvantage is the size, and shape, but I see that as an advantage when doing hot and fast personally. Its the only grill that I have seen that says it can be grilled on the with the lid off, as far as I know, no other pellet grill makes that claim.
 
Robert,
Yeah, that Bullseye would make a great "2nd" pellet grill because of its super high heat capability. It is on my wish list. And you are right about it also doing low and slow, because I have seen YouTube reviews where some nice looking ribs were turned out. Now, can Recteq figure out ways to bring that capability to a full-size pellet grill like the SmokeFire EX-6?
 
Robert Dilbert said:
I keep searching for a used one!
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There's a guy here in Indiana with a used, somewhat dirty one. Asking $300. That's not enough of a break from the new price to get me to jump. If it were another $75 less, well... Actually I would prefer to buy new directly from Recteq and be sure of having their full support. That will require yet another stimulus check :D !
 
Down here in San Jose, Costa Rica I have only seen the Weber Smokefire Brand available for sale at the two(2) Weber Authorized Dealerships. The E-4 is selling for around $1500 and the E-6 at a hefty price of around $1900.

Appears Pellet Grills have not hit the "mainstream" here as I have not encountered any other Brand available for sale here in Ticoland.
 
Rec Tec introduced their Stainless line, (700, 590, and 340 plus the Bullseye and Matador) in 2018. I was the owner of an RT-300 at the time. Then, in 2019 they introduced their big boy lineup. The BFG and 2 even bigger models. Since they seem to be selling pretty well I'm not expecting anything earth shaking this year. Yes, recteq has two pellet grills that will duplicate the SF all in one grill plus smoke capability. I wouldn't be surprised if recteq comes out with their take on the Camp Chef slide n sear. Lots of folks like that feature. How's that for a WAG?
 
I had studied pellet smokers and had arrived on the Recteq 590 as the one to purchase, but then I found a Masterbuilt 560 at WalMart for half price, $250 ....... and my plans were ruined. The MB has exceeded my expectations and I'm looking at gravity feed charcoal and chunk, in a whole new way.
 
Those gravity feed machines are another pretty compelling idea. How has yours held up as far as burn-through issues? I saw both of the Masterbuilt models at Lowes last month. Pretty interesting setup.
 
Lew Newby said:
Rec Tec introduced their Stainless line, (700, 590, and 340 plus the Bullseye and Matador) in 2018. I was the owner of an RT-300 at the time. Then, in 2019 they introduced their big boy lineup. The BFG and 2 even bigger models. Since they seem to be selling pretty well I'm not expecting anything earth shaking this year. Yes, recteq has two pellet grills that will duplicate the SF all in one grill plus smoke capability. I wouldn't be surprised if recteq comes out with their take on the Camp Chef slide n sear. Lots of folks like that feature. How's that for a WAG?
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Lew,
I had been wishing for a Rec Tec TR-680 back in 2017 or maybe a little earlier. For a little while they brought out a black porcelain hood option, and I was even more interested. Then when I got a little more serious the black hood option mysteriously disappeared! Then, shazam, they came out with the RT-700. They didn't want the black hoods on the old model to canibalize sales I am betting.

The RT-700 has had a nice run with the only other obvious change I know of being making the legs stand out on angles - to look more "aggressive" (and keep up with Traeger). I won't be surprise if a new RT-720 or whatever is announced in May. An octagon shape with no chimney would be something I wouldn't be surprised at all about. And, I agree, some kind of slide n sear. But maybe Rec Tec will go one step further and, like Weber with the SmokeFire, pioneer something new. It will be interesting to see.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Those gravity feed machines are another pretty compelling idea. How has yours held up as far as burn-through issues? I saw both of the Masterbuilt models at Lowes last month. Pretty interesting setup.
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I've only done four or five cooks. And I've learned that just like pellet grills, ya gotta clean ash out often. Fans and ash were just not meant to work together. And I've only grilled with it one time, I don't trust the build enough to run it up to 600 degrees, or even 700* as some are doing.

It'll be a while before I arrive at a conclusion. Honestly , every time I fire it up, I wonder if this is the time that it will somehow fail.
 
My error. :( Since it was introduced I just never considered the Bullseye as a smoker, which it can be, so that was a misstatement on my part. You don't need 2 recteqs to grill and do low and slow.
 
The SmokeFire really doesn't have any competition. Nothing else can do both high and low like it. I've tried quite a few of them myself to feel that way. However, Weber doesn't need any competition as they are still their own worst enemy. Until they figure out how to manage the software side of things, they're going to alienate a lot more customers. People don't want to re-learn their grill every 2-3 months and want to be able to trust that features they've enjoyed aren't going to randomly stop working. Watching a lot of other places, I think the SmokeFire has been a huge sales boost for RecTeq.

No other pellet grill really sears like a SmokeFire, however it still doesn't sear like a charcoal grill or a high BTU gasser. As well, if you are a BBQ junky versus a casual customer and listen to podcasts and such, Weber has an active high profile voice that can really rub a lot of people wrong with his arrogance and frequent name dropping trying to build cred.

I hope Weber gets things pointed in a better direction soon. Hopefully, the acquisition of June will help them implement a better development and testing process with their software and firmware updates. If they take the moodiness and unpredictability out of the SmokeFire, they might be able to improve the reputation. This is one of just a few places it gets any sort of love. Everywhere else, any mentions of SmokeFire are usually as the butt of a joke.
 
I’ve enjoyed the grilling capabilities of my SmokeFire WAY more than I anticipated, it truly does a great job at both.
I’ve had a relatively good first year with mine, the disastrous launch and the Baby Back meltdown were stressful, along with some initial issues I had of my own. After changing out the auger it’s run pretty damn well all year, I average a couple cooks a week on it.
What sucks is I am not comfortable recommending one because people still have issues.
 
Bruno said:
I’ve enjoyed the grilling capabilities of my SmokeFire WAY more than I anticipated, it truly does a great job at both.
I’ve had a relatively good first year with mine, the disastrous launch and the Baby Back meltdown were stressful, along with some initial issues I had of my own. After changing out the auger it’s run pretty damn well all year, I average a couple cooks a week on it.
What sucks is I am not comfortable recommending one because people still have issues.
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Watching you, Dave, and others struggle early on and then talk about how the grill was improving kept me interested until I pulled the trigger. I recommend it but with a huge caveat. Don't expect it to be "set it and forget it" until the software gets mature. It's irritating too much of the time. We're all hanging in there because the capability is unique among pellet grills and eventually the software will get there.
 
Lew Newby said:
Don't expect it to be "set it and forget it" until the software gets mature. It's irritating too much of the time. We're all hanging in there because the capability is unique among pellet grills and eventually the software will get there.
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Maybe I am lucky, but what about the machine is not set & forget? I have done plenty of long smokes and grills, and the only thing I do is shuffle pellets (which is more my anxiety than anything).
 
Robert Dilbert said:
Maybe I am lucky, but what about the machine is not set & forget? I have done plenty of long smokes and grills, and the only thing I do is shuffle pellets (which is more my anxiety than anything).
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Great. You are lucky. Since the December software update many owners have experienced much worse problems than I have. Some haven't. Weber knows that there are problems and tells owners that the upcoming firmware update will, hopefully, solve a lot of them. They delayed the release from January to "soon" so apparently they're doing a lot more software testing this time. My EX6 does the job well enough that I sold my WSMs, Performer, and Camp Chef pellet grill. As much as I like my SmokeFire there's enough evidence of problems that I'm not going to recommend it without reservation.
 
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