Amen, Brother, I did get a pellet, and am having fun with it. There are definitely some perks, but I got my trusty 22 inch Weber Kettle with the vortex, slow n sear, and new Santa Maria sitting right next to me. They do it all, and put out just as good or better BBQ/food than anything out there.
WOW thats a lot of maintenance to do after every cook...to much for me. I have left pellets in my rec teq all winter and never had an issue - in fact I have never emptied the hopper. Its gotten pretty low from use and then refilled. I vac the fire pot and refoil the drip tray every few cooks...like every 3-5 depending on how long the cooks were.
I’m sure I could get away with that too, but I’m a little anal, and it really isn’t too much for me. I’d rather be safe than sorry, and NEVER have to deal with the HASSLE of customer service, or warranties. I want my equipment looking and working as close to new as possible everytime use it. No matter what brand I buy. They last a lifetime that way.
Takes me 30 seconds to open the trap door and empty remaining pellets back into bucket, and 10 minutes to to empty auger and burn remaining pellets in shutdown mode. I’m not sure if other brands offer those features or not.
Looks like Rec Teq has a better warranty, after looking at rest of comparison it’s probably necessary.
Which model worked the best for you ?
Corey, when you use your grill in the winter, do you have a "blanket" to cover the grill to help hold in the heat?
Ya. I bought the top blanket when i bought the grill. Im supposed to take that off in the summer but it stays on year round also. Looks as good as new, except for a nice smoked brown hue.
If i want 350 in the winter, i just set the temp to 500 and it holds pretty close to what i need. Takes about 45 min to get there but it gets there eventually.
Im not Cory, but I run my Rec Teq all winter in SLC. I think most people with pellet grill run them in the cold and snow. Rec Teq used to sell a cold weather cover that was fitted. I have one and it works great. They stopped selling them because they said it wasn't really needed. the Rec Teq will reach and hold temp in any weather, but when its around freezing or lower it will use more pellets to do so.
I use a Harbor Freight welding blanket on my Camp Chef in winter. Does the same thing the custom cover does at a way cheaper price. Also, don't forget to close the stack gap down to 1/2 inch in the cold weather.
1 1/2 inches. The manual calls for a 1 1/2 inch gap in warm weather and 1/2 inch in cold.
The place i bought the grill from threw in the winter cover for no extra cost but a welding blanket would do the trick also. Im not sure what campchef uses as an insulation in their blankets but mine weighs a ton.
Far as I recall, it's a fiberglass cover. same stuff welding blankets are made from.
