Choices, Choices

[ss69camaro]

Long time lurker, first time poster here (thanks in advance, by the way). I have been diligently researching purchasing my first pellet grill. I had my eyes set on the new Weber Smokefire, but with the fiasco that it's release was, I am thinking otherwise. I have a lot of experience grilling on both charcoal and propane, and have operated out of an electric smoker for years. Looking for a one stop shop to possibly consolidate them all.

Based on research I have it narrowed down to a few choices. Rec Tec 590 (or maybe 700 if it is somehow better vs larger), Camp Chef Woodwind SG, Grilla Grills Silverback Alpha. I like the WiFi on the Rec Tec and Camp Chef, am intrigued by the cleanout cup on the Camp Chef, but like the overall value the Silverback brings. My main questions on deciding are:

1) How is the durability of each of those models compared to the rest of the industry? Anyone have rust issues / breakdowns?
2) Can any properly sear a steak / burger without the side box like the Camp Chef? If not, my plan is to mod a Camp Chef burner onto whatever I get, but if I can get away without it, great!
3) Any produce better smoke flavor than the others without needing to throw in an Amazin Tube?
4) As far as the Grilla, is WiFi really that handy to have, or more of a gimmick?
5) As far as Camp Chef, is the cleanout cup and slide searing function handy or more of a gimmick?

I appreciate any feedback. Im trying to keep it right around $1000, but I want it done right the first time. These forums have already been a big help in narrowing it down to these, but Ive been agonizing for weeks as to which to pull the trigger on. Hopefully you guys can help me make the final call. Thanks again!

 

[BKING!]

I haven’t cooked on either but from what I read and see on videos I would go with either the silverback or Rec tec. All 3 are nice with the Rec tec being the nicest but also the most expensive. If you go Rec tec I’d go with the 700 because you can never have too much grill lol. Smoke production seems to be same on all 3. All 3 can sear with grill grates or cast iron

 

[JC in GB]

I have only seen pellet grills at competitions so my knowledge is pretty limited but from what I have seen, the Rec-Tec and GMG pellet grills are solid performers that put out some fine Q.

 

[sandyut]

Rec Tec all the way. I have been using a RT700 for about 1.5 years and love it every time. Rock solid, easy, accurate. Their Customer service is second to none.

I labored over my decision for months. the Rec Tec won and I have no regrets what so ever and feel comfortable recommending to anyone.

Got the 700 over the 560 if you can - I find more space very nice; especially for wings and jerky that take up a lot of grill surface - but also for 3-4 racks of ribs at once too. you will use the space if you have it. :)

 

[sandyut]

And welcome to SMF. great place to be.

 

[ss69camaro]

Have you had good luck getting it up to high temps when needed to sear / grill burgers? From some video reviews I have seen, it looks like the GrillGrate addons have gotten people up to about 550 on the grate surface. Not stellar, but certainly enough to get a bit of a crust. My backup if i find it not working would be to mod a Camp Chef sear burner onto it. Might take a bit of work on the 700 given the stack location, but would be easy peasy on the 590

 

[sweetride95]

I bought a Traeger pro 22 a year and a half ago. It worked very well for what it is. I added a Savannah Stoker controller trying improve accuracy. The SS did, but it still had issues. Maybe it was my grill, I don't know. So I sold all of that and now have a Rec Tec Rt-590 Stampede. Wow, what a difference. I haven't done much cooking yet, so far the machine itself has been outstanding. If customer service is anything like I hear, Rec Tec is seriously a badass grill in these price ranges.

 

[kruizer]

I have the Camp Chef Woodwind with the sear burner and have enjoyed remarkable smoked meats with the capability of searing at up to 900 degrees. And no mods for performance.

 

[bregent]

4) As far as the Grilla, is WiFi really that handy to have, or more of a gimmick?
5) As far as Camp Chef, is the cleanout cup and slide searing function handy or more of a gimmick?

My take on Wifi is this: I like to remotely monitor temps, but can do that with a number of 3rd party wireless thermometers. As far as remotely controlling temps, that's not something that I would want to do. I would not change the pit temp without visually looking at the food to see how it's cooking and making several instant read temp checks. If you've ever checked the temp in a brisket you'll find that it may vary 10 degrees or more. So I would not trust a single leave-in thermometer to determine any adjustment. Now, most WIFI controllers do allow for running programs that will ramp the temp up/down - which might make it easier to start a cook low to get more smoke and then raise it to finish the cook. That might be handy but it's something I can easily live without.

As far as the cleanout cup goes; when I had a CampChef I used the cleanout before every cook. Then one day it got stuck so I cooked without using it. After several cooks I removed the drip tray and found that there was very little ash in the pot, but a lot was in the bottom of the grill. That's because most of the ash gets blown out of the pot. So there's very little value in the cleanout and it's more moving parts that can fail and cause air leaks.