🔥 What's cooking on your SmokeFire/Searwood? 🥩
- Thread starter primeone
- Start date
None but I loaded the hopper to start and push them towards the augers from time to time even when it looks like it doesn't need it. No grease issues but this is a lean cut. Nice smoke ring too.
I'm anxious to hear how yours goes. Mine turned out well for just a basic cook. I didn't do anything special just salt and pepper. The best part was the outer part near the smoke ring. Cooker did its job. The chef needs to up his game.
FredSC
Active member
Smoking a Brisket today, this is the second time I've done one, but the first time on the EX 6. I fired up the EX6 this morning at 3am and put the brisket on the cooker at 4am.
I removed the finger guard over the auger opening yesterday and I've had no trouble with bridging or cavities forming in the pellets. I'm using a mixture of Weber HIckory, Pitboss Apple, and Pitboss Cherry pellets.
I removed the finger guard over the auger opening yesterday and I've had no trouble with bridging or cavities forming in the pellets. I'm using a mixture of Weber HIckory, Pitboss Apple, and Pitboss Cherry pellets.
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UGator
Member
The wife took the kids out to dinner last night so made myself some chicken thighs while I trimmed the brisket. They turned out great! My older two devoured them when they got home from dinner
... I got one bite of crispy chicken skin and a pb&j 
... Got the brisket on last night at about 8 PM (@225F) and made a conscious decision to not use a drip pan. I checked the hopper every 3 hours and pushed pellets over every time for my own sanity. I didn't actually notice bridging, in that the temp never deviated from 225, but the pellets didn't seem to slide over as I would expect. I am going to go unwrapped and I think it should be done by about 2 PM today. I have not seen any indication of a grease fire yet, I am checking pretty regularly..
This picture was taken at 7 AM.
I used the Weber Grillmaster Blend Pellets. This is my first brisket ever, so I welcome any and all feedback
... I got one bite of crispy chicken skin and a pb&j ... Got the brisket on last night at about 8 PM (@225F) and made a conscious decision to not use a drip pan. I checked the hopper every 3 hours and pushed pellets over every time for my own sanity. I didn't actually notice bridging, in that the temp never deviated from 225, but the pellets didn't seem to slide over as I would expect. I am going to go unwrapped and I think it should be done by about 2 PM today. I have not seen any indication of a grease fire yet, I am checking pretty regularly.. This picture was taken at 7 AM.
I used the Weber Grillmaster Blend Pellets. This is my first brisket ever, so I welcome any and all feedback
SmokeMeister
Active member
Well, I almost don't even know where to start. This is long, I apologize in advance. It's been a disaster. Put it on at 9PM, it was working perfect when I checked it before bed at 12:30. Just happened to wake up at 1:30 and checked the temp, 140. By the time I got out there, it was 130 and dropping. Checked the hopper, found no issues with bridging or voids. Kept dropping. At a loss, I cranked it up to 350. Temp started rising, so I lowered the setpoint back down. Temps started going back down again. Ended up shutting it down and restarting at 2:30. Started back up, came up to temp and it was going again at 3:00. Made sure to push pellets as far to the left side as possible.
Woke up at 8AM, temps were fine. At 8:30, I noticed temps dropping, waited a bit to see if it would recover, it didn't. Checked hopper and it was starved of pellets, completely gone on the left side with a decent pile on the right. Pushed them over, but it was too late, it was dead. Restarted again, and here's where things really started going wrong. Started it back up, got almost up to temp, then it just slowly dropped, dead again. Restarted at 9, basically did the same thing, dead again at 9:40. Restarted again at 10. Though all this I've found that setpoints up to and including 300 use a normally low fan speed with bursts to high and this would not sustain heat, continual drops. Setpoints 305 and up are high speed fan, which allowed it to recover, but very slowly. Currently set at 305 with grate temps of 275. Setting it to 300 or lower,it dies. Maybe I can get over the finish line this way?
So, first of all, what the heck happened at 1:30 to cause it to go crazy? It's my own fault it died at 8:30. Maybe that allowed moisture into the hopper and that's why I'm having all the issues now?
If this cook had turned out well, I was all set to keep it and work through any issues. However, I'm pretty frustrated right now and questioning whether I want to keep dealing with this...
I built a custom temp controller for my WSM and it has no trouble going for 12+ hours with no input from me. That's looking awfully good right about now.
Woke up at 8AM, temps were fine. At 8:30, I noticed temps dropping, waited a bit to see if it would recover, it didn't. Checked hopper and it was starved of pellets, completely gone on the left side with a decent pile on the right. Pushed them over, but it was too late, it was dead. Restarted again, and here's where things really started going wrong. Started it back up, got almost up to temp, then it just slowly dropped, dead again. Restarted at 9, basically did the same thing, dead again at 9:40. Restarted again at 10. Though all this I've found that setpoints up to and including 300 use a normally low fan speed with bursts to high and this would not sustain heat, continual drops. Setpoints 305 and up are high speed fan, which allowed it to recover, but very slowly. Currently set at 305 with grate temps of 275. Setting it to 300 or lower,it dies. Maybe I can get over the finish line this way?
So, first of all, what the heck happened at 1:30 to cause it to go crazy? It's my own fault it died at 8:30. Maybe that allowed moisture into the hopper and that's why I'm having all the issues now?
If this cook had turned out well, I was all set to keep it and work through any issues. However, I'm pretty frustrated right now and questioning whether I want to keep dealing with this...
I built a custom temp controller for my WSM and it has no trouble going for 12+ hours with no input from me. That's looking awfully good right about now.
VELPO
Member
Threw this 15 pounder on at 5am. It's been 4 hours and here is a sneak peek. The backyard smells fantastic on this beautiful southern California Sunday morning. Wife is on the way back from the store with some apple juice so I can wrap this bad boy and finish the cook.
Cheers!
Cheers!
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BarreBQ
Member
My first cook was a success... I did bacon on the bottom rack to find my hot spots and then wings covering the top rack.
I smoked with apple pellets at 275. While the cooker heats up there is a lot of temperature variation. Every time I open the smoker it does the same variation swing but once it settles it seems to dial in extremely well.
Here are a few screen shots showing temperature variation extremes and calming... also a picture of my finished wings to brag a bit. (Wings are super crispy without too much smoke)
I smoked with apple pellets at 275. While the cooker heats up there is a lot of temperature variation. Every time I open the smoker it does the same variation swing but once it settles it seems to dial in extremely well.
Here are a few screen shots showing temperature variation extremes and calming... also a picture of my finished wings to brag a bit. (Wings are super crispy without too much smoke)
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Disappointing to hear. Possible power fluctuations affecting the controller? I don't know what other variable there could be.
BarreBQ
Member
I am looking for this to eventually be a set and forget... fingers crossed that it will be sooner than later.
I've been waiting to see how your results were, especially given the issues you've had with yours in the past. I'm finally giving in to the voices of reason and returning my EX4 (thankfully still in the box so I just have to load it in the truck). This grill seems to have tighten tolerances than the space shuttle ever did. For now I'll look elsewhere, or see if I can patiently wait for Weber to issue version 2.0. Sorry you had a bad experience.
Beef ribs this afternoon. Set the temp to 225 at startup. It made it to 200 then the temp dropped to about 170. I left it alone and it seemed to figure it out and came up to 225. When I put the ribs in of course it dropped with the door open but recovered quickly. Been maintaining for about an hour now. With the exception of the hopper issues, this feels like buggy software to me.
SmokeMeister
Active member
Yeah, I ended up getting it to about 180 on the SmokeFire before I started having issues again, so I said enough is enough and finished it in the oven. Pulled at 199 and wrapped in foil and towels and put it in the cooler. For all the problems I had, it looks and smells amazing.
JmanOhioBBQ
Member
So I just got done with some baby back ribs. Everything went great, set the temp at 225, no issues at all the whole cook. I used the 2-1-1 method and turned out great. I also used the Johnny Trigg recipe. I used Lumberjack Pecan pellets and everyone loved it!!!
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