Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => recteq => Topic started by: okie smokie on June 20, 2019, 08:44:28 AM
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After anguishing over the Smoke N Hot Eco, I decided to return it unopened (still sitting in local warehouse before delivery). This was done without a hitch and full refund is in process.
So I ordered the Stampede on Monday and it is on the move. Should get it Monday. I purchased two 590's as a gift for my kids in fall of last year, and they have been extremely happy with them. Will be happy to get q-ing again, as my GS has been cleaned and is on the market. Will post it separately i :bbq: :bbq:n the Blaz'n section of PF.
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After anguishing over the Smoke N Hot Eco, I decided to return it unopened (still sitting in local warehouse before delivery). This was done without a hitch and full refund is in process.
So I ordered the Stampede on Monday and it is on the move. Should get it Monday. I purchased two 590's as a gift for my kids in fall of last year, and they have been extremely happy with them. Will be happy to get q-ing again, as my GS has been cleaned and is on the market. Will post it separately i :bbq: :bbq:n the Blaz'n section of PF.
What made you do that? The Smoke N Hot Eco looks like a very nice pit.
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See under "All Other Pellet Manufacturers" . I was concerned that the Eco is still in the stage of adjustments needed for problems encountered. I think they have probably worked them out for the most part. But I have decided just to go with a stainless (mostly) with a large and positive track record. The 590 was my previous first pick. Plus it has WiFi included. Price range is the same.
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Congrats Okie. I love my 590. It's my first pellet pit and it's a year old. Very satisfied with both the unit and the customer service.
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Congrats on the 590 Okie. I have the 700, added the Comp Cart and Cold Smoke Box and have been very happy with it. Also had the RT 680 prior and RecTec has always been great to deal with. I also have the 340 for at the lake. I would have a hard time going to a different grill after using the RecTec products, just not sure if it gets any better. (From what I have seen but have not been reviewing since I bought these).
Anyways, enjoy your new grill and I look forward to your feedback, reviews and input.
Take care all.
SS
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Congrats, Okie! That’s a sharp looking unit!
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I think you'll be happy with the REC TEK, okie. They have a large and faithful following and the company seems to be innovative.
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Proven is proven...
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Not trying to reinvent the wheel is a good idea.. Let some ambitious other person go thru the growing pains of a "new" to the market pit..I would have to say I probably would have done the same thing as
you did...
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Well it is here in Tulsa, but now have to wait for a local delivery service to arrange. Thanks for all the good wishes. :)
Update: Monday between 11AM and 1PM.
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I just got mine a few weeks ago. I am very pleased with it so far.
I spoke with Jacob in support today as I was questioning the reason behind the 50 second pellet dump after the 300 second cool down.He explained that it allowed to have fresh pellets vs some burnt pellets in the pot for the next startup. ?? I always clean my pot before the next startup so I see this as a waste of pellets in the overall but I understand it now. That being the only thing I see as a downfall for me I can live with it. :)
MK
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I just got mine a few weeks ago. I am very pleased with it so far.
I spoke with Jacob in support today as I was questioning the reason behind the 50 second pellet dump after the 300 second cool down.He explained that it allowed to have fresh pellets vs some burnt pellets in the pot for the next startup. ?? I always clean my pot before the next startup so I see this as a waste of pellets in the overall but I understand it now. That being the only thing I see as a downfall for me I can live with it. :)
MK
I agree with you. As long as the auger tube is full of pellets, it will not take long for the fire to start up without a need for pellets in the fire pot at startup.
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I just got mine a few weeks ago. I am very pleased with it so far.
I spoke with Jacob in support today as I was questioning the reason behind the 50 second pellet dump after the 300 second cool down.He explained that it allowed to have fresh pellets vs some burnt pellets in the pot for the next startup. ?? I always clean my pot before the next startup so I see this as a waste of pellets in the overall but I understand it now. That being the only thing I see as a downfall for me I can live with it. :)
MK
Actually I have the same type of PID control in my GS and do not have the 50 second pellet drop. After a cook, I empty the fire pot (cause it is so easy to do without taking the grates out) and never had to put any pellets in for the next start up.. During the next start up the hot rod is programmed to stay on until enough pellets are in the pot for a good start up. Never had a non start up.
On the other hand my kids each have a Stampede and I assume they have the same shutdown with a 50 second pellet drop, and they only clean out after 3 or 4 short cooks and after each long low slow and have no problems with shutdown or start up. I trust Rec TEc to have figured out what works best for their units. Those guys are intensely involved with their pits. As for pellet waste, I don't believe there is waste either way, cause once started the PID only adds what is needed to get to the programmed temp. Either way should be fine. Agree with Bar B Lew.
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I just got mine a few weeks ago. I am very pleased with it so far.
I spoke with Jacob in support today as I was questioning the reason behind the 50 second pellet dump after the 300 second cool down.He explained that it allowed to have fresh pellets vs some burnt pellets in the pot for the next startup. ?? I always clean my pot before the next startup so I see this as a waste of pellets in the overall but I understand it now. That being the only thing I see as a downfall for me I can live with it. :)
MK
Actually I have the same type of PID control in my GS and do not have the 50 second pellet drop. After a cook, I empty the fire pot (cause it is so easy to do without taking the grates out) and never had to put any pellets in for the next start up.. During the next start up the hot rod is programmed to stay on until enough pellets are in the pot for a good start up. Never had a non start up.
On the other hand my kids each have a Stampede and I assume they have the same shutdown with a 50 second pellet drop, and they only clean out after 3 or 4 short cooks and after each long low slow and have no problems with shutdown or start up. I trust Rec TEc to have figured out what works best for their units. Those guys are intensely involved with their pits. As for pellet waste, I don't believe there is waste either way, cause once started the PID only adds what is needed to get to the programmed temp. Either way should be fine. Agree with Bar B Lew.
I agree on all parts. I just wanted to know why and what purpose. Now I know from the Horses mouth. :)
mk
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Hope unit arrives early enough for me to construct, burn in, and do a bacon cook. Will compare control temps with my Maverick grill probe. at least for center grill temp during the burn in. (400*). :bbq:
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Hope unit arrives early enough for me to construct, burn in, and do a bacon cook. Will compare control temps with my Maverick grill probe. at least for center grill temp during the burn in. (400*). :bbq:
Very exciting! Remember pics! :)
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Got it a little later, so just finished the construction and burn in. All is well except for two minor issues. Probe A at the control has some obstruction in the plug hole, and will not accept the meat probes. Probe B is fine. Both meat probes were accurate within a degree or two. I used my maverick grill probe at the center of my grates and at 400 and when it was stable, the Maverick measured 423 and 424. At 225* the center of the grates was at 234*. I will talk to them tomorrow about changing the control to read more accurately, I believe that is adjustment of the offset (OFS in adjustment #2). Anyone done any of that? I do believe my Maverick is very accurate (at least it has been). I can check that tonight.
Burn in otherwise good, with no problems with ash build up. (1 hour at 400 and 1 hour at 225). What I noticed at 225 was that there was a lot of smoke both white and blue..
Also, could not get the WiFi to connect. I think I need a signal booster. I am not very interested in WiFi, but want it working anyhow. So will bring that up tomorrow also.
Overall, No significant problems and can start cooking tomorrow. Plan a bacon bake.
(https://i.imgur.com/ItCyzS5l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VAjbNMTl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rUeY91Nl.jpg)
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Called Rec Tec at 8:30 AM. In five minutes the following was accomplished:
1. They will send a new control panel because the Probe A socket is damaged. 7 plugs all color coded, easy to replace.
2. I can adjust the temps but Adam advised against it. He said the reading discrepancy is not as much as it appears. The RTD is set on the average temp in the pit and that includes the whole surface of the grids as well as the space above. He said "trust the grilll". He said I can adjust it if I want and no big deal but is confident that there is no need. I will follow his advice.
3. WiFi won't connect. He gave me a simple fix for that.
With service like that I am very happy.
Bacon cook today. :cool:
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Great to hear about their customer service! Good luck with the cooks!
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WiFi fixed and works great. Bacon is on at 350* will check at 30 minutes. Thick cut Maple, only had a pound or so, but should be enough. I like mine crisp but not burnt! I believe this fan is an on/off type. Have not detected variable speeds as yet.
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What was the wifi fix? I also have a 590 and I can't get it to connect.
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He advised that the short arial inside (have to take the bottom off of hopper side) is taped to the wall. He said untape it and let it dangle. I have a netgear wifi booster in my network and after I went back into System on my iPhone and selected my WiFi with the ".ext" after the name on the wifi list, I had no problem, so did not have to do the above.
Bacon cook went well and had the best BLT ever for lunch. Only had 8 thick slices but that did the job.
One note of caution. Be sure the grill grates are level. My porch causes my grill grates to drain to the back of the grill and then down the back support ledge where it drained off into the left corner of the barrel, then onto the bottom and leaked thru to drip on the ground. It was not the caulking that caused the leak. It was where the rivets that hold on the end cap of the barrel come thru the metal. These rivets do not seal themselves, and the bacon grease easily leaked thru in one place and then oozed out of the end cap on the bottom. I completely cleaned those areas with rags and then with Goof Off (naphtha) and when dry applied 800* gray "make a gasket" to all of those rivets I could find. In the meantime, I have found a level position to place the grill when doing a greasy cook. After a bacon cook, of course I had to do a thorough cleaning anyhow. If you use foil on the drip pan, the oily grease tends to puddle in spots anyhow. BUT that was the best bacon ever.
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No pics of the cooked bacon--Sorry. Here are the rivets that I caulked, (sloppy looking but worked well).
(https://i.imgur.com/eGeS56Hl.jpg)
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No pics of the cooked bacon--Sorry. Here are the rivets that I caulked, (sloppy looking but worked well).
(https://i.imgur.com/eGeS56Hl.jpg)
Did you let it cure before using (24 hrs I believe) or did you just wait the one hour to dry before using grill?
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Have not used it since adding the caulk. Decided to wait for the new control module. It has been delayed but should arrive tomorrow. I picked the Permatex gray because it is rated at 800* (100* more that the red). I checked the new caulks today and they are hard and stuck tight. If no problems with the replacement module , should take less than 1/2 hr to exchange, will be cooking tomorrow PM.
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Took the control out this AM. Took 5 minutes. Found the problem with the socket for the A Probe. There is a little spring steel tab that hold it in place. That tab has is bent out into the canal and the probe cannot get past it. It will not spring back out of the way.
Very impressed with the quality of the control module. It is on a solid steel plate and neatly constructed.
Also, the WiFi arial is glued in place and I would not suggest freeing it up at all.
Here is socket for probe A: Easy to see the reason for the obstruction.
(https://i.imgur.com/v32AlYVl.jpg)
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Arrived at about 12:15PM and was in and working by 1 PM. All is working now. Ribs tomorrow.
:clap: :cool: :clap:
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Ribs today. But WiFi would not come on at the Stampede control. Called them. Their tech will fix me up on Monday. Meanwhile the 3:2:1 spares were awesome. done at 225*. Trimmed to St. Louis style, but cooked the chine as well. They were as good as I have done but the fat was all rendered as well. Tender to the bone.
Note the significant smoke ring. Lots of smoke at 225. Ribs had better smoke taste than on my Blaz'n (sold on Craigs List today).
(https://i.imgur.com/JU1xDBql.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8Vt2oenl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EHoA50Ml.jpg)
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Look good. Glad you are happy with the results.
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Ribs look great!
Congrats on selling the Blazin'!
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Nice, looks awesome. Putting a few racks on my 680 later today.
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I was impressed with the amount of smoke at 225. The ribs had smoke flavor but not excessive. Great bark, low fat but were not dry. We almost ate them all but our neighbor came by and ate a couple. Proves anyone can make good ribs with good pork, steady temp and good smoke. One little special thing. If you foil, then save the liquid when you open the foil, separate the fat from it, and use the rest to baste the ribs just before serving. Big flavor booster!
Next cook tonight: Eye of ribeye on the GrillGrates.
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Glad you're having some positive results with the Stampede!
I have had the big brother (Bull) now for a little over a year, and absolutely love the results from it. I have since added the Bullseye and really like it for the searing task more, though it's more cheaply built compared to the Bull.
I brought out my KJ the other day for a whole chicken. I hadn't used it in a good eight months. I'll just say it was not nearly as good, or was over smoked and bitter in comparison to the Rec Tec's.
Try some Lumberjack 100% woods for more of an intense smoke flavor without the bitterness if you haven't yet.
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I was impressed with the amount of smoke at 225. The ribs had smoke flavor but not excessive. Great bark, low fat but were not dry. We almost ate them all but our neighbor came by and ate a couple. Proves anyone can make good ribs with good pork, steady temp and good smoke. One little special thing. If you foil, then save the liquid when you open the foil, separate the fat from it, and use the rest to baste the ribs just before serving. Big flavor booster!
Next cook tonight: Eye of ribeye on the GrillGrates.
Did this last week. GrillGrates work fine for the eye of ribeye.
(https://i.imgur.com/FtIHBWTl.jpg)
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I was impressed with the amount of smoke at 225. The ribs had smoke flavor but not excessive. Great bark, low fat but were not dry. We almost ate them all but our neighbor came by and ate a couple. Proves anyone can make good ribs with good pork, steady temp and good smoke. One little special thing. If you foil, then save the liquid when you open the foil, separate the fat from it, and use the rest to baste the ribs just before serving. Big flavor booster!
Next cook tonight: Eye of ribeye on the GrillGrates.
Did this last week. GrillGrates work fine for the eye of ribeye.
(https://i.imgur.com/FtIHBWTl.jpg)
Nice job! How long does it take to heat up the GrillGrates? What temp did you set at?
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Set temp at 500* and let the grill reach that temp for 5 minutes before putting the steak on. Usually the GG's measure about 560* or more using my radiant heat sensor but I did not test this time. They are well worth the cost. I have not tested the "High" setting, but am told that the temps can approach 600* I see no need to use that setting, as you can see, the steak is well seared. Since you have direct flame searing, you would not need the GG's.