Everyone needs to calm down

[Billybo]

I think most people here are calm and I don't think that anyone is overreacting. Everyone here wanted the SmokeFire to be a success. We all wanted Weber to hit it out of the park. Even terrific companies have products that disappoint from time to time.

Speaking for myself only, I don't have the time or the patience to be a Weber beta tester, plus a good cut of meat is not cheap, I want a grill that I can depend on for long cooks without being babysat. I don't want to have to agitate the pellets or have to "MacGiver" a brand new grill simply to get it to work properly.

At the end of the day, I'm not as much angry with Weber as I am disappointed... Oh wait? Did I just turn into my dad? LOL

Weber did some things right with this grill that they can be proud of. The grill also appears to have some flaws and they need to own those as well. Weber is a good company with a good reputation who I'm sure will do the right thing. I believe they'll get things sorted out but I fear that there will be some short-term pain ahead,

For those of you who are happy with your SmokeFire and it's working for you, I think that's awesome. I hope that it continues to make you happy for years to come. Cook some great food and enjoy it.

 

[tigermikie]

Good point Billybo. I just wish we had more positive experiences told, and I have to believe they are out there . I think it is human nature that more people speak out when things are going bad. I want to give this grill a fair shake, but the verdict is still out on it. Personally the only thing at this point that has me scratching my head is the issue with the hopper. I've said before that this is inherent with pellet grills, though a Company like Weber should have solved this issue.

This weekend I will be smoking a brisket. I will say up front that I will be using pans at the bottom of the grill with a mixture of beer and water in them. That's the way I cook low and slow, not the fast cook method used by Harry Soo in his recent Youtube video. And yes he has been trashed for both how he cooked the meat and his conclusions.

I'll let those interested know how it turns out. Warts and all!

 

[Brad S]

Have you done much low and slow cooking yet? Digging into all the reviews and videos it seems that people who are using it to grill or do "hot and fast" smoking seem to have very little problems, but the folks doing low and slow long term cooks of fatty meats are seeing all the issues. If that is the case, that sucks, but you could at least adjust accordingly.

Only one that really qualifies as low and slow, a chuck roast that went for maybe 9 hrs. I forget the actual time. I need to do some pork butts to really test it for the flare up issue. Haven't had any hopper issues but in all fairness I did constantly push the pellets towards the augers but not due to any problems I just can't help myself I gotta push them pellets.

 

[Billybo]

Good point Billybo. I just wish we had more positive experiences told, and I have to believe they are out there . I think it is human nature that more people speak out when things are going bad. I want to give this grill a fair shake, but the verdict is still out on it. Personally the only thing at this point that has me scratching my head is the issue with the hopper. I've said before that this is inherent with pellet grills, though a Company like Weber should have solved this issue.

This weekend I will be smoking a brisket. I will say up front that I will be using pans at the bottom of the grill with a mixture of beer and water in them. That's the way I cook low and slow, not the fast cook method used by Harry Soo in his recent Youtube video. And yes he has been trashed for both how he cooked the meat and his conclusions.

I'll let those interested know how it turns out. Warts and all!

Unfortunately, bad news always seems to travel faster than good news. Maybe the folks who are having no issues are too busy grilling and eating and have no time to post their positive feedback! I do believe that some of the bad experiences could be chalked up to pilot error. There have also been quite a few seasoned grillers and reviewers that know what they are doing who cannot recommend the grill for an assortment of reasons. It was their feedback that sealed it for me, not the weekend warriors.

I was really torn because I was so looking forward to getting my hands on this grill and considered staying the course. Ultimately I decided to go a different route. I had also heard through the grapevine that the dealer where I pre-ordered it wasn't the best with returns, so there was that.

FWIW, I like Harry Soo but he finished stuff in the oven and for an accurate review, that's cheating in my opinion. While it was still informative, I don't see that as a proper, "real-world" test. I think that Baby Back Maniac's approach was more in line with how I feel it should be tested, but hey, that's just me. I want my grill to do a full low and slow cook with minimal hands-on and no grease fires! (I'm funny that way) If I want to babysit my cook, I'll use my Kamado!

I'd love to hear how your brisket turns out.