Rich Dahl has a Camp Chef with the slide and Sear and he says the grill is rock solid. That grill was on my short list when I got the Smokefire to replace my old Camp Chef DLX. That controller also has 10 smoke level settings so you can play with that also.That was a very helpful video by guys who know grills and bbq. Glad to see something that brings some balance into the picture.
Still wanting an EX-4, but not at $999. I wish I could get one of those clearance deals. All the used ones available now are all EX-6s.
I have to admit that one alternative that has caught my eye is the Camp Chef WiFi 24. It has a lot of interesting features. The grease shield has perforations that would seem to be a step in the direction of the SmokeFire flavorizer bars and it also has a sliding heat shield to allow more direct heat. That feature gets mediocre reviews but the grill overall gets very good reviews. There’s an almost new one asking $475.
I think our pal Dave who did some crazy stuff with his SmokeFire bought one, the down side I saw to that perforated shield was liners, I figured you couldn’t use foil because it would block the openings. Did look interesting though.That was a very helpful video by guys who know grills and bbq. Glad to see something that brings some balance into the picture.
Still wanting an EX-4, but not at $999. I wish I could get one of those clearance deals. All the used ones available now are all EX-6s.
I have to admit that one alternative that has caught my eye is the Camp Chef WiFi 24. It has a lot of interesting features. The grease shield has perforations that would seem to be a step in the direction of the SmokeFire flavorizer bars and it also has a sliding heat shield to allow more direct heat. That feature gets mediocre reviews but the grill overall gets very good reviews. There’s an almost new one asking $475.
Let's remember, this test was based solely on grill performance, and all but eliminated skills possessed by the person behind the cook. I think most of us here could cook ribs, or any other protein, on most any grill that would rival any of the ribs used in the test. We all have our preferences and biases, but this does show the Smoke Fire to definitely be a viable product in the pellet grill market, and possibly more versatile than the others.
Would I buy one? If my eight-year-old Traeger ever needs to be replaced, the SF would definitely be on my short list.
Did you watch the video? The SmokeFire clearly holds its own. The flavorizer bars caused some confusion in the beginning and that’s fine, use a pan to catch the drippings.Agree with the above-been very happy with my 575, knock on wood no issues, great controller, very satisfied. But if I was to start out again I would go CC as well. Weber should stick to kettles and gas.
Weber totally botched their rollout of the Smokefire and Covid compounded their problems. It's going to take some time for attitudes to change but it's happening. Their design will have an effect on the pellet grill industry for years to come and I sure hope Weber will continue perfecting their pellet grill.Agree with the above-been very happy with my 575, knock on wood no issues, great controller, very satisfied. But if I was to start out again I would go CC as well. Weber should stick to kettles and gas.
What about a PELLET kettle like the Recteq Bullseye? I think the Bullseye is a cool little grill, but I don't like that it has no real grease management. No drain of any kind. Weber could easily one-up this and put it on a Performer-type chassis.Agree with the above-been very happy with my 575, knock on wood no issues, great controller, very satisfied. But if I was to start out again I would go CC as well. Weber should stick to kettles and gas.
I understand that and point it out in my original post. Not sure about others, but I can't remember the last time I salt and peppered some protein, threw it on the grill and walked away. If you're prone to doing that, the test results would be very useful. Otherwise, not so much. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the results after seeing the critique when the SF was introduced.But the whole idea was to eliminate all variables except the grill.
Mad Scientist has done a lot of this type of comparisons, been mostly with burning sticks. Lately he's moved into pellets. Very interesting.
I understand that and point it out in my original post. Not sure about others, but I can't remember the last time I salt and peppered some protein, threw it on the grill and walked away. If you're prone to doing that, the test results would be very useful. Otherwise, not so much. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the results after seeing the critique when the SF was introduced.