Might sell my Camp Chef Woodwind setup for RecTeq B380 Bullseye...bad idea?

[dbrunone]

About a year ago I had 2 grills: a classic Weber kettle and a Weber propane. Our deck is small so wife wanted me to consolidate down to one grill, and I wanted as much versatility as possible. So I got a CC Woodwind 24, and the sidekick attachment with the grill box. Even got the griddle and pizza oven attachments for it as well. I also really liked the idea of the "slide n grill" feature which promised to allow me to grill on the WW similar to any other gas grill. After a year of using it, I like a lot of things about it but there are several reasons this setup isn't working for me (in order of importance):

1. Smoke amount/flavor is very disappointing. I knew this about pellet grills but the WW goes in "cycles" with pellet injection to make smoke and it seems to make 20-30 second puffs of smoke every 5ish mins, which is not nearly enough to impart the proper flavor on things. This is with the smoke setting on 8 or 9 or 10 on the controller, and at low temps like 200F. I have to use smoke tubes which take up space on the grill and cause hot spots and contradict the convenience of a pellet grill in the first place. BTW I use Lumberjack pellets so I dont think thats the issue.
2. The slide-n-grill feature is useless, because the drip pan tray thing is about 2 inches under the grate, and any grease that drops immediately bursts into flames. Cooking anything with fat content more than chicken breasts is not feasible using slide-n-grill. Tried burgers, sausages, even hotdogs and it didnt end up well, even at moderate temps like 350-400. So, I've resigned to smoking things on the WW then trying to get a sear and/or grill marks on the sidekick.
3. Covering the drip pan with foil is almost required to keep it from crudding up and becoming impossible to clean, however that also covers the air holes which means all heat comes around the sides so temps around the edges of the grill are MUCH higher than the middle. Very hard to keep things consistent inside, especially with chicken wings or something like that.
4. The propane grill box attachment is OK but the drip tray is too close to the grate on this as well, so grease fires are a big issue compared to my old Weber gas grill. Plus it is a bit small.
5. Wifi module is glitchy. Keeps asking me to pair on bluetooth over and over. A bit annoying but overall it works OK.

Would the RT-B380 solve these woes? I've seen different things on different reviews about tendency to flare up with grease drippings, what's the consensus there?

I know there will always be compromises but I'm looking for something that is competent for smoking, basic grilling (burgers, steaks, etc), and is convenient and easy enough for my wife to use. I see youtube reviews of pork butts with thick nice bark so it seems the smoke generation is good on this thing? Sorry for long post but would like to hear any opinions, thanks.

 

[bauchjw]

Hm, I am not familiar with either of these, but giving a bump!

 

[JCAP]

So, I have a Bullseye. I like it! I think even though it's advertised as a pellet grill, it works much better as a smoker in my opinion. Many on Bullseye specific groups disagree and love the grilling part of it. This seems a matter of opinion and that's fine by me!

It does not have WiFi or Bluetooth compatibility. It won't solve your smoke flavor problem. You'll still need a smoke tube for extra smoke flavor or be okay going really low temp for a while. One reason that I use this as a smoker often is my wife prefers less smoke flavor. I've never had any issues with grease dripping or flare ups, but I always use a pan on the top of the deflector underneath the meat to catch drippings. However as a smoker, I think it is pretty darn good.

The two issues that I see are as follows:
1. The price went up to $499. And it's simply not worth that amount. Because....
2. It is no where near as versatile as a regular Weber kettle. All the contraptions and additions that people use on the Bullseye are available for the kettle. A kettle solves your smoke flavor issue, lets you create zones of heat, is easy to start and shut off, and requires no additional power source than charcoal. Heck, you can even get a 26in kettle for less than the Bullseye. And if you really find that you miss pellets later, you can just get the Spider Grill pellet addition for the 22in kettle.

Those are my thoughts. But I don't think you'd be disappointed in it at all.

 

[sandyut]

I am not sure I have seen any “combo/all in one” that will do either job well (Smoking and grilling). When I bought my rec teq I considered ditching my gasser - but I waited and now 4 years later I am very happy I have both. The rec teq is a fantastic smoker. But when I want a grilled burger, dogs, etc, i use the gasser.

I have not used a Bullseye. I almost bought one but the boss said no.

With space at a premium, I would consider a RT-590 and a small kettle or weber gasser.

 

[BigW.]

If you want more flavor you may want to consider a gravity charcoal smoker such as a Char Griller 980.

 

[Buckeye1]

Agree with above comments. I have a 340 and 380 and they both have a place. The nice thing about the 380 is I can push A button and set a temp and not have to worry about messing with charcoal. I use the 380 for burgers, chicken and steaks. The 340 for everything else.