Rec Teq Deck Boss first smoke

[masssmoke]

I got my new smoker this week and put it together and did the burn in on Friday, today is the first smoke. Decided to do some pork butt burnt ends.
Looking forward to getting a lot of use out of this Deck Boss.

 

[JLeonard]

Nice looking cooker and great start to a first cook.

Jim

 

[PapaLlama]

I got my new smoker this week and put it together and did the burn in on Friday, today is the first smoke. Decided to do some pork butt burnt ends.
Looking forward to getting a lot of use out of this Deck Boss.

I like it! I also like your orientation choice with the horn handles.

 

[Redicans]

Looking good to me! How are those burnt ends doing?

 

[masssmoke]

well it was not the debut I hoped for. Not sure what is up but a few hours into the smoke I started getting wild temp swings and then a fire under the drip pan. First time using it so no grease build upon etc. The outside of the grill where the bottom meets the smoke chamber literally melted. Going to be on the phone with Req Tec in the morning! Need either a replacement or my $$ back!

 

[PapaLlama]

Sounds like a weird flare up. I'm shocked that anything on that unit could melt. Supposedly their customer service is top notch so you're probably in good hands.

 

[912smoker]

I know that's a huge disappointment and hopefully CS can get everything resolved tomorrow!

Keith

 

[Winterrider]

Wow, sorry to hear. Keep us posted on what you/Rec Tec come up with. Odd to have a fire unless auger just kept spitting pellets into the burn pot at uncontrolled rate.

 

[tpc74]

Yes thats definitely odd. You would need a pretty hot fire to melt anything, though I have cranked mine up to full, and any paint drips on the painted portion can "run" at that point.

I wonder if there was some sort of auger jam? I've never got what I would call wild temp swings, but at the high end there can definitely be some swings, especially if you open it up.

 

[masssmoke]

So, it was all strange and happened fast. I was cruising along for 3.5 hours at 250 all fine and then shortly after I pulled the pieces of pork off and put them in a foil pan it started doing a quick set of spikes, I dropped the temp and tried to get things back under control but then the fire started in the burn pot and to the side of it.
It wasn't a case where the burn pot was full of pellets, as I checked that after things cooled off and I couldn't find any evidence of a full burn pot, I could see there difference between the bottom where pellets had burnt and where they ended. There could not have been a grease issue as it was literally the first smoke on it. I did foil the drip pan as they recommended. I noticed a bit of loud sound when the auger would turn but didn't think much of it. Also the temp gauge didn't keep up with how hot it must have been it wasn't showing a very high temp, so I think the gauge could have been defective. The paint melt was nasty in the front and back.

I called their support and they asked me to send pictures. Asked me some questions about what I did. Apparently they ruled out user error and offered to replace the unit with a new one. So, I am awaiting shipment. I hope I have better luck with the next one as this was a very strange experience.

Lastly the burnt ends came through it all very well! I had to break out my old Pit Boss to finish them once the RecTeq burnt itself up.

 

[Winterrider]

I called their support and they asked me to send pictures. Asked me some questions about what I did. Apparently they ruled out user error and offered to replace the unit with a new one. So, I am awaiting shipment.

Glad to hear they are working with you, they are top notch CS.

 

[millerbuilds]

Looking Good!!

- Jason

 

[masssmoke]

so, I finally got a replacement, it arrived yesterday. The delay is not on RecTeq as I asked them to delay shipment as I was out of town last week. I need to unpack the new smoker, pack the defective one into the packaging and then notify them to have the freight carrier pick it up.
I will be setting up, burning in and testing the new one over the weekend. Hope this one is better than the last one!

 

[OldSmoke]

Sounds like great customer service. Hope you have better luck with the new one!