Weber EX4 pellet grill

[chopsaw]

I bought this back in July . Really didn't need one . Really never thought I would ever buy a pellet grill . Since I've been cutting my own hair for the last 2 years ( covid ) , and saving 20 bucks every couple weeks I had some extra money . I like my Weber stuff . I liked the looks of the EX4 . Aesthetics is everything in Carpentry , and when you do that for a living , the slightest deterrent from balance or proportion can be maddening to look at for me . I got to the point where I was gonna buy something . Had dismissed the Weber and was looking at the Camp Chef 24 WiFi . Then Weber dropped the price and added some goodies . So That persuaded me to buy one .
It had a 100 day money back deal , so I thought I'd just cook everything I could in those 100 days . If it didn't work out they could come get it .
So anyway here's how it went .


It was 95 degrees that day . In the garage with no air
flow . Had some fans going . Right out of the box ,
2 of the wheels didn't fit . Bad threads on the shaft .


Look at the inside , open design .

Went ahead and fired it up . The software was the easiest
user interface I've ever used . Completely automated .
I followed the directions , and it did the rest . Synced and did all the updates .
I drank a beer .

Got on a SmokeFire forum page , and seems the wheels not fitting
was a common problem . They had a link posted for an upgraded wheel
This was the morning after the day I received the grill . I ordered the wheels and
they showed up 4 hours later . No lie .
Great upgrade . Dual locking , and easy release .

Puts out some nice blue smoke .
Normal cook temps .

Runs 180 in smoke boost .

Lid open for shut down .

This is what it looks like inside after a long cook .
Drip pan was used . The burn pot is open to a pull out tray ,
and the 2 slots in the bottom for grease drainage .
This is before cleaning .

First cook was pizza . They were good .
Wasn't happy with the color of the crust , and
the convection effect surprised me . Taste was great .


Next up was a spatched chicken . Not a fan of spatchcocking myself , I like my birds
cooked whole .


Not real sure about this .

So I cut into the joint between the leg quarter and the breast .
OK , I like that .

It was pretty good .

Whole teriyaki chicken . Pop's brine overnight .

Does really good chicken parts and wings .


Brisket

Ribs . The ribs were great . Cooked way faster than expected .



Awesome turkey breast . One boned out and rolled .
one whole .

Boned and rolled sliced . This was fantastic .

Pork loin .


Eye round .

I've got more , but that's enough . I have some full plated cooks I might post up .
Bottom line is I really like this grill . I really like the pellet platform .

 

[Brokenhandle]

Looks like a heck of a unit! That puts out some great looking food! Hhhhmmmmm.....now that's something to think about!

Ryan

 

[DougE]

Glad you really like the Weber. I remember you being interested in the Camp Chef as you were asking me how I was liking mine shortly after I got it.

 

[chopsaw]

Looks like a heck of a unit! That puts out some great looking food!

It does , as do a lot of them . It's really nice to cook on . I had it going the other day , was down in the shop at the table saw , and took it out of smoke boost and set a higher temp .

Glad you really like the Weber. I remember you being interested in the Camp Chef as you were asking me how I was liking mine shortly after I got it.

Yup . I was leaning towards the Camp Chef . Had looked at Rec tec and some others . This is just where I landed . A lot of really nice pellet grills out there .

 

[Fueling Around]

Nice unit
Never got close and personal with one and wasn't sure how the pellet feed works
Thanks for the review

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I like that it has top rack. Food looks fantastic!

 

[Buckeye02]

I liked the look of these a lot better than the Recteq that I bought. With the open design like that I would think it'd be easier for the smoke to hit the meat? But I'm no scientist/engineer. I like the ease of the pellet grill when the weather is nasty. But when it's nice there's nothing better than sitting out back with the smell of charcoal going in the 26" or WSM while drinking and beer.

 

[Cabo]

Thanks for posting. My Masterbuilt propane unit is rusting out and I'm looking for something to replace it.

 

[xray]

Great write up Rich and the food coming off it looks fantastic! But that’s more of a testament to the cook and not the cooker.

It seems like the Weber is a well designed unit. I have a 560 gravity feed instead of pellets but both platforms are very convenient to use. I wouldn’t mind either or.

 

[schlotz]

Too bad these weren't available 8 years ago. I would have picked up the larger one. Judging by the output there's little doubt, as to why you like it.

 

[motocrash]

Good review and great looking eats!

 

[normanaj]

chopsaw I wish I had done the same thing when they were on sale.With my circumstances being different now I'm kicking myself in the back side for not doing it when I could.

And I agree with your thoughts on aesthetics,this also important in the world of painting.Bad cut lines drive me nuts.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Good looking eats there Rich! Hard to argue with the results! Excellent write up.

 

[Bearcarver]

Wow!!
That's a lot of Mighty Tasty looking Vittles right there!!!
Nice Jobs!!
Like.

Bear

 

[chopsaw]

Nice unit
Never got close and personal with one and wasn't sure how the pellet feed works
Thanks for the review

Lowes had both sizes set up on the floor . I went and looked at them no less than a dozen times . It's nice to check the fit of the parts and function of the lid .
Height of the handle .

I like that it has top rack. Food looks fantastic!

Yup . I've saw a guy making a full depth upper rack for them , but I can do that if needed .
I added the front tray . A Weber acc. and it has 2 hooks on the bottom to hang and store the upper rack .

 

[chopsaw]

the open design like that I would think it'd be easier for the smoke to hit the meat?

Has to be part of it . It also trickles pellets pretty steady . I don't know if all pellet grills do that or not , but I would think fresh pellets lighting play into it too .

smell of charcoal going in the 26"

Yup . The 26 is a smoking machine . I love mine . Key to using the 26 for a long smoke , is to set it up the night before . So in the morning you light it and go .

 

[sawhorseray]

Boy howdy Rich, you've produced a slew of Grade A+ cooks off that baby! Almost temps me, tho another smoker wouldn't be overly popular. RAY

 

[chopsaw]

Thanks for posting. My Masterbuilt propane unit is rusting out and I'm looking for something to replace it.

Look at some in your price range and decide what you like . I wanted the drop auger system so I looked mainly at the ones that had that .

Great write up Rich and the food coming off it looks fantastic! But that’s more of a testament to the cook and not the cooker.

That's true . Any of us should be able to put out something good no matter the brand or type .

It seems like the Weber is a well designed unit. I have a 560 gravity feed instead of pellets but both platforms are very convenient to use. I wouldn’t mind either or.

I like the gravity smokers . I'm full up now though .

 

[DougE]

Yup . I've saw a guy making a full depth upper rack for them , but I can do that if needed .

That's one feature I like on my Camp Chef. It has a full depth upper rack, but it is made in two pieces. If you have something taller to cook, you can slide the front half out and still have some upper rack space in the back. Looks like you could fix up the SF in a similar way if you were inclined.

 

[rexster314]

Love the SF EX6
Here's some of mine

ABTs fresh off the smoker

Brisket from a few months ago

It does pizza right

Treat a pork belly the same as a brisket

The Christmas bird

A prime tri tip

Tomahawk ribeye? Yessir

Ribs? Sure does