I just inherited a Weber Smoke Fire

[Kevin Braker]

...... and I am nt sure of to is a 1sr or 2nd Gen version. Also, i have read that it can be prone to grease fires, has anyone encountered this or any other known issues?
Thanks KB
P>S i need to find some probes for it too, other than Amazon, is there a good place to purchase them?

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

just keep it clean and you’ll be fine! Congrats

 

[Brokenhandle]

Congratulations! Look forward to some of your cooks on it!

Ryan

 

[Winterrider]

Yep, most all grease fires can be avoided from all smokers. Enjoy . . .

 

[chopsaw]

Congrats ! That is one of the best pellet grills out there . From low and slow to normal grilling , to high heat searing . I have the EX4 .

and I am nt sure of to is a 1sr or 2nd Gen version

Look at the tag . The last 3 numbers in the number on the left should be 201 ( not 101 ) . The number on the right should start with UA , NOT UD for the Gen. 2 .

Also, i have read that it can be prone to grease fires,

No . That's all user error , and people believing some bad info on Youtube . Use a drip pan and keep it clean . I use a broiler pan from the oven . It fits under the cooking grate .

I've been using mine more and more as a grill . No drip pan . Works just fine . Just make sure you clean it .

Clean up on these is a breeze . No vac needed . The ash scrapes out to a pan in the bottom . Dump the pan and you're done .

I would contact Weber and see if you can register it . Don't ask them , tell them you want to register the grill and see what happens . I've heard stories that they don't register 2nd hand grills , but I'm not sure I believe that .

I have several SmokeFire cooks on here if you're interested . Any questions , send me a pm .

 

[zwiller]

Got one not long ago and love mine. I am not easily impressed but I am with it. IE heats up WAY faster than I expected. I have run a few chickens and it's some of the best I ever ate. Have not run a long smoke in it like butt or brisket yet but expect it to be good. Coming from an MES I can definitely smell a difference and the pellets burning/combustion vs running a tube. Not night and day but I think a step in the right direction.

 

[Kevin Braker]

Looks as if I have a Gen 1 . What is also odd is that the pellet hopper has no finger guard in it….

 

[chopsaw]

Looks as if I have a Gen 1 .

Ok . Good that you know . Don't take it as a negative . I'll have to recheck what the issues were .
I know one was grease fires . That's a non issue not Gen specific . So use a drip pan , clean it , and cross that one off .

Another was the cratering / bridging of the pellets . So they added a ramp in the hopper . Look to see if yours has the ramp . Either way , the ramp doesn't stop this . I just keep and eye on mine and when I check the food , I move the pellets . Another non issue . They also have a low pellet alarm . Great feature for a pellet fed grill .

There was something with the auger . You'll have to ask the person you got it from if the upgrades were done . This might be something you need to address , but I know guys that have the gen 1 with no upgrades and no issues .

What is also odd is that the pellet hopper has no finger guard in it…

Mine doesn't either because I took it out . Sounds like maybe the guy you got it from might have been changing stuff , so maybe they did some of the up grades .

Have you used it yet ? I would fire it up , and see if it needs to upgrade the software , Then let it run empty and see what it does .
I'll revisit the upgrades and see how you can tell if the auger was changed . If you know the person ask them if any of it was done .

 

[Kevin Braker]

When I got it home I plugged it in to make sure it had power. This morning I cleaned the pellet dust and grease out of the bottom and set it to 400. No issues there, the fire pot was going pretty good. Success thus far. It still needs an external cleaning and nuts and bolt’s tightening….

 

[chopsaw]

Does it have the ramp in the hopper ? Just wondering . If it does , maybe it has the rest of the upgrades .

Just a comment FYI . Watch the cord where it plugs into the smoker itself . Mine is know to wiggle itself loose . So if you plug it in and get nothing , check that first .

 

[Kevin Braker]

No ramp I believe

 

[chopsaw]

Get on the Weber site and register the grill if it lets you . Then do some cooks and if you have issues contact them . I would think they should or would honor the parts upgrade if needed .

 

[Kevin Braker]

im registered

 

[chopsaw]

I just searched the number you showed above . So you have an EX6 ? Nice .
I looked at the warranty , and some of it is 5 years and some is 3 years . Not sure if that applies to the kit to fix the " bad " , but I would shoot them an e mail asking about the parts to do the up grade . Should be the ramp insert for the hopper and and an auger assembly .

Amazon will be the cheapest option for probes . You can get them from Weber . They're about 18 bucks a piece . When Lowes was moving all the SmokeFire stuff out of the store they had probes for $11.00 . I bought a couple , should have bought all they had .
I'll use one here and there , but if I'm really worried about it , like doing brisket or something I use one of my better therms .

 

[chopsaw]

No ramp I believe

Just fired mine up to do some chicken parts .
If it has the ramp added it would look like this .

 

[zwiller]

Just fired mine up to do some chicken parts

X2.

 

[Kevin Braker]

No ramp. I got two nice ribeyes getting some smoke before I crank the heat to sear

 

[chopsaw]

Mine was pre heated today . 125 before I even fired it up .
Went with some Freddie Lee's Ghetto sauce . Little heat to it .

 

[zwiller]

Mine was pre heated today . 125 before I even fired it up .

DUDE, that's HOT. Mine was 88F here when I started. Looks good! Ghetto = Open Pit to me. Has it's place... Tried 350F this run. Done under 60m. 325F is like 75m. Tastes the same. Lawry's Poultry rub on these. Too refined and restrained for this old punk. LOL No lie, I am ECSTATIC how chicken comes out on this thing and if everything else I run sucks I will still be happy since the bird is good. Ate the wings and a drum the moment I brought it in, that's just how good it is.

 

[chopsaw]

ECSTATIC how chicken comes out on this thing

Sure looks good . It's a heck of a grill / smoker . Wait 'til you do a pork loin .

Ghetto = Open Pit to me.

That's the name . He's a local guy that was making his own sauce . I guess someone backed him and he started selling it . My Son knows him from the grocery store . He used to work for Nabisco .