RECTEQ RT-B380 Bullseye OR RT-340

[trx680]

I'll just be cooking for two of us most of the time, although I thought about cooking extra and freezing it. I see myself cooking chicken, whole birds and parts, ribs, brisket.
Anyway, price isnt the factor, but I'm undecided about getting the dome shaped 380 or the barrel shaped 340.
Whos got these grills. What do you like or dislike about them?

 

[bauchjw]

I cant help with the rigs you are looking at, but I'll give a bump!

 

[Buckeye1]

So I have both! They each have there place to me. If money and space are not an issue I like having both. I do my chicken parts and burgers on Bullseye. I do ribs, brisket, chuckies, Turkey ECT on the Trailblazer. A few points:
Bullseye
No WiFi
Does fluctuate a little more on temp
Easier access to flip chicken and burgers
Can get very hot though I rarely go over 500
Trailblazer
More of a "smoker"
Holds temp really well
Can get hotter than the 590 or 700
WiFi so I can monitor temp

Feel free to ask specific questions

 

[JCAP]

I have the 380 Bullseye. Out of the box it needs an adjustment to the offset or the temps will not match what you expect. Mine was off by like 100 degrees! But the offset fix is super simple and there are no issues. I have two thoughts:

1. As a grill...eh it really falls short for me. I know people love this feature, but I don't think it's very good as a grill. I've used it a lot in this capacity and I'm never impressed. I'll be happy to say that this is user error but it's not my bag.

2. I like this thing as a smoker. I just cooked a butt on it the other day and it was fantastic.

A few months ago (?) the price for the 380 jumped from something in the 300s to 499. It's not exclusive to RecTeq so it's not a company thing. I'd honestly much rather invest that 500 in some other way. If you're looking for a combo grill/smoker, I would just look into a kettle, maybe a 26incher.

But I'm going to happily keep smoking on it. The customer service is fantastic too.

 

[Buckeye1]

JCAP made a key point. The bullseye does not have a drip pan or grease bucket. So on low and slow cooks a pan needs to be added to catch grease.

 

[JCAP]

JCAP made a key point. The bullseye does not have a drip pan or grease bucket. So on low and slow cooks a pan needs to be added to catch grease.

Yea I always add a pan underneath to catch the grease. Good point Buckeye! I've read that some don't do that and let the pellet ash do that job, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[sandyut]

Too add another wrinkle...I am cooking for two and I have the RT-700. And I would never go smaller. its rock solid and I can do everything I have thrown at it from two shelves of jerky, 3 racks of ribs, brisket of any size, two butts etc. Dont shortchange yourself on size. having extra room to load anything and work is priceless.

 

[BurntWeenie]

Too add another wrinkle...I am cooking for two and I have the RT-700. And I would never go smaller. its rock solid and I can do everything I have thrown at it from two shelves of jerky, 3 racks of ribs, brisket of any size, two butts etc. Dont shortchange yourself on size. having extra room to load anything and work is priceless.

I would have disagreed before. But now I fins that I am glad I got the RT590. I can smoke/cook everything for a week of meals in one go. My wife loves the wings I now make so I can easily do a huge batch.

 

[Cajun Smokes]

Been looking at smaller smoker/grills lately myself, bullseye in particular. I'm a charcoal cooker at heart but sometimes I just want something simple for a steak. Not my thread but thanks for all the good tips lol