Time to buy?

[Beerman1969]

Another interesting one is the masterbuilt gravity series. It uses lump or briquettes but I'm not sold on their durability. People like them but talk to me after a couple years. Be nice to see some other manufacturers come out with one. Very few moving parts - just a fan and temp controller.

I almost bought that but Weber reputation bought me

 

[Beerman1969]

I almost bought that but Weber reputation bought me

Set it and forget it

 

[dudemcnally]

I hope this helps. They have corrected a lot of issues and this is my first pellet grill. It has done everything And i almost bought a traeger

This is my first pellet grill too.

Agree with all the posts here. I've been close to throwing in the towel a couple times and replacing with a rec tec or a grilla og but now that it's working well and we are all starting to understand the quirks and workarounds, I think those other grills would be a step backwards. Don't get me wrong, they're great grills but I like having the option to crank it to 600, and I like that there are flavorizer bars instead of a solid sheet below because I believe (and I could be wrong) we get more smoke penetration due to the more direct flow of smoke, and I like the way the company has stood behind the grill to work out the problems. So, unless my grill blows up on me in the next few days while I can still return it, It's a keeper.

I wonder if part of the reason I have had very few issues is that this is my first pellet grill so I haven't had to re-learn, or change any of my preconceived notions? It's all new so I just roll with it...

 

[Bruno]

Has issues but like many I haven’t touched my kettle or WSM in months and don’t really plan to.

I wish it would come up to temperature faster and had less temp fluctuation, that being said.....

 

[Captainmike]

Thanks for the detailed response. This helps.

For those (like you) having success, do you still use a traditional gas grill occasionally? Wondering if I can make due with only the Smokefire (at least for a while). My gas grill is on its last legs...

I use my Genesis but only for cooking items I’m not concerned with having smoke flavor and wanting to keep the heat out of the house (live in TX). For instance today I’m doing reverse seared NY Strips on the Smokefire and Baked potatoes on my gasser (wrapped in foil so no smoke). My wife is used to the gasser so she’ll fire that up if she’s cooking otherwise I have been using my Smokefire for every...single..cook... even hot dogs for my daughters because they come out so much better on the SF!!!

 

[jmccrack650]

Thanks for all the responses. I ordered my Smokefire today. Should arrive mid next week.

Lumberjack pellets are on their way as well.

Now, what to cook first...

 

[primeone]

Thanks for all the responses. I ordered my Smokefire today. Should arrive mid next week.

Lumberjack pellets are on their way as well.

Now, what to cook first...

Congrats! Our family favorite has become Pulled Pork! Cheap meat to test out the new smoker with.

 

[Bruno]

Congrats! Our family favorite has become Pulled Pork! Cheap meat to test out the new smoker with.

pribably a good idea! My first SmokeFire long smoke was a Wagyu beef rib and it came out perfect! Then a brisket and a pork shoulder, all came out perfect!!
That being said it’s a journey on the SF, but if you have BBQ experience you got this.

 

[Emayo]

someone had asked a similar question about a week ago, had several specific questions. Here are their questions and my response:

1. Pellets not continually moving down the chute
2. Uneven heating - stronger heat on the right side of the grill
3. Challenges getting to/maintaining 600 degrees
4. Grease fires
5. Various application issues
5. etc.

1. Pellets not continually moving down the chute

I've had 5 or 6 cooks now >12 hours, with 3 or 4 going as long as 19 hours...(I'm losing exact count) I've had zero issues with pellet feeding. I've left it alone for as long as 12 hours and I've had no temperature variation or pellet starvation. I do not have the ramp insert and have no plans to get one. In my experience after 10+hrs it can look like it may be having problems feeding (just the appearance of pellets stacking up on one side) but it fed easily enough to keep the fire going. I don't find it objectionable to look at the condition of the hopper and pellets every 12 hours or so.
I attribute my success to having removed the finger guard when I put together the grill, it's not needed and only seems to cause problems

2. Uneven heating - stronger heat on the right side of the grill

Mine is hotter on the right compared to the left. I don't find this to be a problem, once the lid is closed and temps stabilize the delta is approx 25 degrees or so from one side to the other...I'm not concerned by that

3. Challenges getting to/maintaining 600 degrees

Mine has reached 600 within 15-20 minutes every time I've asked it to

4. Grease fires

I have had zero concern or problems with grease fires and I've put roughly 350lbs of pellets through mine so far with no drip trays. I'm using the grill as it was designed and it's awesome

5. Various application issues

The app is the weakest part of the experience to me. Weber deserves a 'F' for it. The app is, at best, barely functional as a temperature monitor. I will have to have the ability to change temps from the app before I'll consider changing the grade. As it stands I use an inkbird to monitor temps and that works well

5. etc.

I bought my smokefire EX6 at the last of February and I love it. I've cooked on it at least 4 nights per week including long smoke sessions on the weekends AND it's given me the ability to cook brisket on a weekday! I absolutely love my smokefire, it sucks some people have had so many problems. I think some are people being nitpicky, and others are legitimate concerns that, it seems to me, weber is addressing correctly. They seem to have been quick to send out parts and responsive. I have not had to deal with their customer service so I can't comment on that aspect

I agree 100% with this response. Couldnt have said it better..other than the amazing food it puts out!

 

[Emayo]

Congrats! Our family favorite has become Pulled Pork! Cheap meat to test out the new smoker with.

Nice! Patience and no regrets go a long way. When I received my SF over a month ago I reverse seared some NY strips to test searing at 600 and then a port shoulder for pulled pork low and slow to test a long cook. Both were flawless. I think a good test round to begin. I have done many cooks with no issues.

 

[GillMarx]

This forum seems to have slowed down a bit, so I am hoping it is because there are less issues. I have been watching the forum since Feb, watching the issues, and waiting to buy.

With the solutions at this point (pellet ramp, welded chute, software updates), do people find the grill is to the point that the issues are minimal?

I realize I may need to contact Weber to get these replacement parts.

I can deal with a few hicups as the further sort out the software, but don't want to buy something I will immediately regret.

This will be my first pellet grill, and I really want to buy this model due to the flexibility to smoke and grill. Also... choices are limited here in Canada.

What are people's honest thoughts?

I was one of the first people to purchase the smokefire in Canada. I had all the problems people talked about. I’ve had all replacement parts shipped to me and I’ve installed them. Now the smokefire works as good or better than I expected. When you buy yours just make sure it now comes with the upgraded parts otherwise you should just wait.

 

[jmccrack650]

Not sure it will come with the upgraded parts, so I will likely need to contact Weber. I know the ramp they will send right away.

What are the symptoms that are solved by the welded auger chute? I want to get right away, but I know Weber support will still question what my issues are.

Are there additional upgrade parts?

 

[Sduell61]

someone had asked a similar question about a week ago, had several specific questions. Here are their questions and my response:

1. Pellets not continually moving down the chute
2. Uneven heating - stronger heat on the right side of the grill
3. Challenges getting to/maintaining 600 degrees
4. Grease fires
5. Various application issues
5. etc.

1. Pellets not continually moving down the chute

I've had 5 or 6 cooks now >12 hours, with 3 or 4 going as long as 19 hours...(I'm losing exact count) I've had zero issues with pellet feeding. I've left it alone for as long as 12 hours and I've had no temperature variation or pellet starvation. I do not have the ramp insert and have no plans to get one. In my experience after 10+hrs it can look like it may be having problems feeding (just the appearance of pellets stacking up on one side) but it fed easily enough to keep the fire going. I don't find it objectionable to look at the condition of the hopper and pellets every 12 hours or so.
I attribute my success to having removed the finger guard when I put together the grill, it's not needed and only seems to cause problems

2. Uneven heating - stronger heat on the right side of the grill

Mine is hotter on the right compared to the left. I don't find this to be a problem, once the lid is closed and temps stabilize the delta is approx 25 degrees or so from one side to the other...I'm not concerned by that

3. Challenges getting to/maintaining 600 degrees

Mine has reached 600 within 15-20 minutes every time I've asked it to

4. Grease fires

I have had zero concern or problems with grease fires and I've put roughly 350lbs of pellets through mine so far with no drip trays. I'm using the grill as it was designed and it's awesome

5. Various application issues

The app is the weakest part of the experience to me. Weber deserves a 'F' for it. The app is, at best, barely functional as a temperature monitor. I will have to have the ability to change temps from the app before I'll consider changing the grade. As it stands I use an inkbird to monitor temps and that works well

5. etc.

I bought my smokefire EX6 at the last of February and I love it. I've cooked on it at least 4 nights per week including long smoke sessions on the weekends AND it's given me the ability to cook brisket on a weekday! I absolutely love my smokefire, it sucks some people have had so many problems. I think some are people being nitpicky, and others are legitimate concerns that, it seems to me, weber is addressing correctly. They seem to have been quick to send out parts and responsive. I have not had to deal with their customer service so I can't comment on that aspect

I would agree with everything said here. My experience has been almost identical. I did have a pellet feed issue through the original auger. Weber replaced it with the new steel welded version and I haven't had an issue since. As mentioned the right side of the grill is hotter than the left. It is a manageable issue. I'm not aware of any pellet, charcoal or lp grill / smoker in existence that maintains exact temps across the cook surface. The temp variations to me are simply an aspect of knowing and understanding your equipment. Like dudemcnally I use mine often and have put a lot of pellets through it. The more you use it the better you understand it's nuances and adjust accordingly. I've cooked and smoked on everything from full blown offset stick burners, to pellet grills, to gas grills and considering the wide range of application from low and slow to searing hot I haven't seen anything that matches the SmokeFire. I also agree with Dude on the app ... it is essentially useless without the ability to change temps from the app. That criticism also has to followed by the acknowledgement by me that I don't remember the last time I ever needed to change temps mid cook or mid smoke? My fuel source is LumberJack pellets and I can't say enough good things about them. They work great and you are hard pressed to beat the price.