I don't think he should buy a
Rec Tec because Billy told him to either. Especially with no further explanation.
But talk about things that rub some the wrong way, here is one thing that rubbed me the wrong way about Grilla.
I typically don't like what I consider to be gimmicks touted as "advantages". I like to actually see as much practicality and demonstration of said advantages as I can, while adhering to basic rules of logic, common sense, science even.
Heat rises. It's a fact. Yet they tout the thickness of the lower cooking chamber.
I grill and smoke year round, and live in a cold climate state. Pennsylvania.
When my house was built, they insulated my attic. They blew insulation material into the attic of my home. Not onto the floor of my basement.
Why??? Because heat rises.
If double walled lower cooking chamber construction is such the advantage, well then why isn't the
lid of the Grilla double insulated too instead of, or in addition to, just the lower cooking chamber? Heat rises.
Why doesn't it come with felt gasket seals on the body and the lid like my Kamado Joe or a Big Green Egg to prevent heat from escaping from around the lid? Heat rises.
The bottom line is heat, and lots of it if it's cold enough outside, is going to escape from it and any other outdoor cooker in severely cold weather. And it's going to do that through it's skin, it's lid, and through any joints, lids, doors or vents. Same as with any other cooker. Same as in your house.
Thermal imaging is going to show heat escaping from any grill in cold weather.
If I want to "insulate" the bottom of my
Rec Tec, well then I need do nothing more than let ash from several cooks build up inside of it and settle to the bottom. That should "insulate" the bottom of it quite well. I can get "insulation" at least an inch thick, just doing that.
But that makes as much sense to me as adding another sheet of metal to the bottom of it.
Rec Tecs are PID controlled. To the original poster, you may hear from those who will tell you that a non PID controlled pellet grill, or one which offers you the advantage of going non PID, will give you better smoke flavor due to wide temperature swings that is characteristic of a non PID controlled grill.
However should anyone tell you that, well then very politely ask them to point you to the blind taste test results which support that theory, as the burden of proof is on anyone suggesting such.
I doubt that anyone anywhere can consistently, say for instance on a 10 out of 10 attempts basis, tell you which rack of ribs for example, or which brisket, was cooked on a PID controlled pellet grill vs a non PID controlled pellet grill.
Show me someone with taste buds that accurate. Because you see, I have yet to see anyone make so much as a
claim that they can achieve the above, let alone actually demonstrate that they can perform such a feat. And if it can't be done, well then one logical reason why it can't, would be because "there is no difference which can be consistently discerned".
Yet one of the pellet grills out there touted for so long, that wider swinging temperatures in a pellet grill offered better smoke flavor over tighter temperature control, the type of which is characteristic of PID controlled grills.............................and then later themselves came out with, you guessed it a PID capable controller of their own. Well actually a "hybrid". But one wonders.........it's a head scratcher.......if wide temperature swings somehow make food taste better in terms of smoke flavor, as was the position, well then why not stick with that and tout that, instead of putting something into your grills which was indicated in the past to somehow create a compromise in smoke flavor?
I don't like what I perceive to be gimmicks. They rub me the wrong way.
Pellet grills are a personal choice as you can probably see. Fanboism abounds and along with it trolling.
I don't blame
Rec Tec nor Yoder for that matter as they do the same in this regard, not one bit for removing content which they believe to be troll bait and troll material attempting to trash their products from their respective sites.
Next, and again this is directed to the original poster, in your decision making efforts, I would suggest that you look at warranty and who stands behind their products and is willing to actually "bet" that you are going to like their product. So much so that you can return it for any reason within 30 days should you not be fully satisfied with it.
Rec Tec has a 6 year warranty on the Rec Tec RT700. It costs $1199.00 same as the Traeger Ironwood 650 retails for, but the Traeger has a 3yr warranty. Rec Tec has a 4 year warranty on the RT590. But Rec Tec goes a step further. They plainly state on their website as you look at their grills under "customer care": "If you are not fully satisfied with your REC TEC grill, just return it within 30 days and we will refund your purchase price. We are confident that you will love your new REC TEC grill".
With a position like that, you really have less to lose. It's also just a part of why Rec Tec owners are so vocal about their satisfaction with Rec Tec's customer service. You don't like the Rec Tec, you simply send it back for your money back within 30 days, no questions asked.
And then there is the WiFi advantage. Again, I direct this to the original poster. The convenience of being able to monitor your cook and your grill's temperature remotely is an advantage which is hard for me to overstate. If I have a brisket on right now, I can adjust the temp of my RT590 right from my bed via my smart phone, as well as tell the temp of that brisket remotely. And the Rec Tec has 2 temp probes as opposed to 1. So if I have a pork butt running along with that brisket, then I can monitor the temp of both pieces of meat, or monitor the temp of the same piece of meat at two different points.
If I have to run to Lowes or Home Depot while the cook is going, then I can monitor the temps again right from my phone while I'm inside the store, and make adjustments remotely if necessary.
If I'm in another part of the house, or even out of the house, I can ignite the grill remotely and preheat it while I'm preparing the food all without going outside until I'm ready to put the food on.
If I've preheated the grill, well then all I need do is glance down at my phone, from anywhere in my house or even outside of my house, to tell if it has preheated to the temperature that I want. But you know all of this if you're looking at the Traeger.
There is the 30lb hopper vs the 20lb hopper, the Ceramic Igniter rod rated for over 100,000 ignition cycles, vs ??? ignitor rod in the competing brands listed in your poll.
But no, I would agree with anyone in here who tells you that you shouldn't buy a Rec Tec because "Billy" said to buy one.
But if you do your homework, for the $100.00 difference in price vs one of the other brands mentioned in your poll, you may find that you are getting a better value in the Rec Tec.
Finally, someone in the thread mentioned that they don't use their grill that much. Only about twice a month.
I'm different. I grill or smoke as many as 6-7 days a week. Using a variety of cookers. This was the last cook I did on my Rec Tec this past Friday, 6 days ago. My Kamado Joe has gotten the last 5 cooks over the last 5 days. My Otto Wilde is up for sous vide steaks tomorrow. I expect good results and won't settle for less. Believe me, if my Rec Tec were not getting the job done, I'd tell you.
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