Wewe EX4 2nd generation

[larryb]

Any personal experience with the 2nd generation Weber smoke fire EX4?

 

[SmokinEdge]

@chopsaw just bought one.

 

[larryb]

@chopsaw just bought one.

Please let us know how it goes. I am on the fence.

 

[mike243]

Hope it aint a bobwire fence lol I wouldn’t be afraid of the new crop they are putting out but the pitboss still humming along

 

[chopsaw]

Any personal experience with the 2nd generation Weber smoke fire EX4?

Larry , I'm right about 9 days in , and have cooked on it everyday . Sometimes twice in the same day .
Actually just put a pork cushion roast on 20 minutes ago .
When I first saw them I was interested . Never thought I would have a pellet grill , but I really liked the look of it . The floor model I saw had a nice fit and finish to it .
Some nice features also . One important one to me was the drop pellet feed .
At that time they were still $999.00 for the EX4 . I read some of the reviews , and wasn't really in the market for one , so I just let it go .
Time went by , the price on the Gen 2 dropped , and they added a temp probe and 2 igniters . Came equipped with the " fixed " parts . Had some unexpected money hit the bank account , so I ordered one .

At this point the only trouble I had was 2 of the wheels had sloppy threads and did not fit . E mailed Weber . Got an automated reply , but still no wheels from them . I need to call .
I was going to upgrade to a better wheel anyway , so that's what I did . Got the grill on Saturday , and Found a link to the wheels from another site on Sunday morning . They showed up Sunday afternoon . Great set of wheels .

The problems people called out on the Gen 1 were
Pellet hopper design
Something with the auger
Software glitch or short comings
Worst of all ,, grease fires .

So mine has the pellet ramp " fix "
It seems to crater pellets quite a bit . I let it get pretty low at that point . Still plenty of pellets in the hopper . I just pushed them over to even it out . I have no issues with doing that . I don't cook over night or unattended . Non of my kettles add charcoal to themselves , and my old stick burner never stocked it's own fire . So this for me is not a problem .

No auger issues for me . Gen 2 has a different set of parts .

Software
I did read the book before I started it up . Not something I do most times .
I followed the directions . When I turned it on , it connected to my phone using Blue tooth and did the firm ware update right away .
I had downloaded the app ahead of time . You need to do that before you fire up the grill . I did the burn in , but could not get it connected to the wi-fi .
I noticed it doing another update . After that it connected to the wi-fi and works great .
So I have had no issues with the software or the operation of this . It responds right now when you change temps or tell it to shut down .

I was worried about the grease fire issue . The recommended fix is to use a drip pan , and keep it clean .
Seems people got all twisted up by that . Whatever .
If I cook indirect on any of my kettles I use a drip pan .
If I don't keep my Genesis 310 gas grill clean , it will catch fire . Talk about a grease fire , that damn thing will go up if you're not keeping it clean .
I have an extra broiler pan from my oven that I've been using , and it works great . I've cleaned it after every cook , and don't let grease run all over it .
So again for me , this is a non issue .
I don't usually get so long winded , but that kind of sums it up so far .

For me , I absolutely love it . I'm not real big on buying stuff for myself , but I'm glad I did .

Been using B&B pellets . I'm not hung up on 100 % flavor wood pellets for this .
So far I have had great clean smoke flavor no jams or let downs . Only negative was the wheels .
I really like the upgraded wheels . Dual locking , and quick release . Non skid , non marking .
Any questions just ask .

 

[larryb]

Larry , I'm right about 9 days in , and have cooked on it everyday . Sometimes twice in the same day .
Actually just put a pork cushion roast on 20 minutes ago .
When I first saw them I was interested . Never thought I would have a pellet grill , but I really liked the look of it . The floor model I saw had a nice fit and finish to it .
Some nice features also . One important one to me was the drop pellet feed .
At that time they were still $999.00 for the EX4 . I read some of the reviews , and wasn't really in the market for one , so I just let it go .
Time went by , the price on the Gen 2 dropped , and they added a temp probe and 2 igniters . Came equipped with the " fixed " parts . Had some unexpected money hit the bank account , so I ordered one .

At this point the only trouble I had was 2 of the wheels had sloppy threads and did not fit . E mailed Weber . Got an automated reply , but still no wheels from them . I need to call .
I was going to upgrade to a better wheel anyway , so that's what I did . Got the grill on Saturday , and Found a link to the wheels from another site on Sunday morning . They showed up Sunday afternoon . Great set of wheels .

The problems people called out on the Gen 1 were
Pellet hopper design
Something with the auger
Software glitch or short comings
Worst of all ,, grease fires .

So mine has the pellet ramp " fix "
It seems to crater pellets quite a bit . I let it get pretty low at that point . Still plenty of pellets in the hopper . I just pushed them over to even it out . I have no issues with doing that . I don't cook over night or unattended . Non of my kettles add charcoal to themselves , and my old stick burner never stocked it's own fire . So this for me is not a problem .

No auger issues for me . Gen 2 has a different set of parts .

Software
I did read the book before I started it up . Not something I do most times .
I followed the directions . When I turned it on , it connected to my phone using Blue tooth and did the firm ware update right away .
I had downloaded the app ahead of time . You need to do that before you fire up the grill . I did the burn in , but could not get it connected to the wi-fi .
I noticed it doing another update . After that it connected to the wi-fi and works great .
So I have had no issues with the software or the operation of this . It responds right now when you change temps or tell it to shut down .

I was worried about the grease fire issue . The recommended fix is to use a drip pan , and keep it clean .
Seems people got all twisted up by that . Whatever .
If I cook indirect on any of my kettles I use a drip pan .
If I don't keep my Genesis 310 gas grill clean , it will catch fire . Talk about a grease fire , that damn thing will go up if you're not keeping it clean .
I have an extra broiler pan from my oven that I've been using , and it works great . I've cleaned it after every cook , and don't let grease run all over it .
So again for me , this is a non issue .
I don't usually get so long winded , but that kind of sums it up so far .

For me , I absolutely love it . I'm not real big on buying stuff for myself , but I'm glad I did .

Been using B&B pellets . I'm not hung up on 100 % flavor wood pellets for this .
So far I have had great clean smoke flavor no jams or let downs . Only negative was the wheels .
I really like the upgraded wheels . Dual locking , and quick release . Non skid , non marking .
Any questions just ask .
View attachment 506526 View attachment 506527

Thank you. Think I will get off the fence D order 1. Where did you get the snazy wheels. Also notamiiar with B&B pellets. Is that an abbreviation or the full name? I greatly appreciate your long review. So your old oven broiler pan acsas the drip pan. They (at least mine) is very shallow, not sure it will hold much grease. How is the smoky flavor?
Thanks.

 

[chopsaw]

B&B is a brand name . I get them at Academy sports . Others will have an opinion on what you should use . These work fine and I get a nice clean smoke flavor . Weber has their own pellets that they recommend using . They are apparently smaller . I don't know .
If you going to use a pan underneath the grates I think you have an 1 1/2 , maybe 2 " . That broiler pan fits under there . Haven't done any long cooks yet but I think it will be fine .

 

[chopsaw]

I got the wheels thru Amazon from caster HQ .
mine are 5 " wheels . 1/2 " x 13 x 1 1/2 . That's diameter , teeth per inch and stud length .

 

[larryb]

Thank you. I will be using mostly for low and slow smoking, I have a weber gas grill for the hot work.

 

[chopsaw]

I've done pizza , ribs and chicken on mine . Just did the stuffed onions . So I've used all temp ranges so far . They also have a 100 money back , no questions asked policy . That's one reason I've been using it .
I baked a loaf of bread on it the other day too . Like I said I like it , and no trouble so far . Did the ribs at 250 . Came out good .

 

[larryb]

Thanks for the pic. I was thinking thay put the broiler pan on top of the flavorizer bars.

 

[chopsaw]

I was thinking thay put the broiler pan on top of the flavorizer bars

You can , and I have . That's just one way I set it up . Here's a couple others .
Foil pan on bars .

In the broiler pan on lower grate

Pizza stone .

 

[larryb]

Would you share the recipe for the stuffed onions?

 

[chopsaw]

Would you share the recipe for the stuffed onions?

Those are stuffed with a Swedish meatball mixture that my son puts together . I think it's actually a combination of 2 different meatball recipes . I'm not real sure what he uses .
You can use any meat or sausage mixture you like .

 

[larryb]

Those are stuffed with a Swedish meatball mixture that my son puts together . I think it's actually a combination of 2 different meatball recipes . I'm not real sure what he uses .
You can use any meat or sausage mixture you like .

Thank you, like a stuffed pepper, but use an onion!

 

[chopsaw]

I ordered a front shelf for mine . Showed up while I was cooking yesterday .
Managed to get it installed and cook at the same time .

 

[Winterrider]

That is a pretty sweet looking unit Chop. Glad to hear it is working out for you and good report for others interested.

 

[larryb]

I ordered a front shelf for mine . Showed up while I was cooking yesterday .
Managed to get it installed and cook at the same time .
View attachment 506687

Looks great. That is 1 of the options I will order if I Decide on the EX4.

 

[chopsaw]

That is a pretty sweet looking unit Chop. Glad to hear it is working out for you and good report for others interested.

I have to say I really like it . Put around 60 pounds of pellets thru it so far .
Just under 2 weeks . Used it almost everyday .