I got a new RecTec BFG back in December. Between weather and other things I have not had much time to play with it. I am working on changing that and hoping to provide more content here. Saturday was a reasonably nice day and the wife was busy (so she didn't have anything better for me to be doing) so I decided to play with my new grill. I did a heat test with a loaf of bread. I then stuck the four probes from my Maverick in there to see what that looked like. I connected it to my wifi and attempted to calibrate the probes. The following is my experience with all those things.

First, the bread test. I bought a .88 loaf of white bread to do this. I have never done this on a grill before but I thought this was being so big that it would be good to know. The BFG has three shelves. If all three shelves are in the space between them is pretty tight. I do not imagine I would use it like this often but it gave a good option for laying out all the bread. Below is what it looked like. I have not done photos on this site before so I hope it works.

The bread was placed on the grill when it was up to temp (250°). I thought this would be a good temp as most of my cooking would be in this range. I left the bread on for 15 minutes and came back out. After 15 minutes, no discernible change. (first photo)



I closed the lid and let it run another 30 minutes (second photo)



Still not much change although you can see the top middle is just starting to curl (not color) from the heat. Note, that just below that piece of bread is where the RTD is.

After 45 minutes of no changes I cranked the temp up to 350 to see what would happen. I let it go another 30 minutes. First photo is just opening the lid, second photo is the bread flipped over.

As you can see they are all browned at this point but still fairly even. The bottom front is definitely the crispest but none are really burnt or anything. The bottom front were exposed to the direct air that comes past the deflector, this is a hotspot in all grills as we all know so no surprise there. That top middle was pretty crispy as well but not toast (hehe).  Overall I would say wit was pretty even with the entire middle rack being an almost uniform color. The top is warmer in the middle back but the sides are lighter. This surprised me as I expected more heat at the stacks.

Finally I took my Maverick and did some probing. I calibrated the probes in ice water before the test and all were withing +/- 2° of 32° so I felt good enough about them. I placed them unscientifically in the grill. One in the middle of the bottom rack, two on the right and left of the middle rack, and one in the middle of the top rack. (no photo, sorry) I jammed them all through bread so they were not touching any metal. Below is a photo after 30 minutes of the grill stabilizing at 250°

As you can see the grill setting and RTD both think they are at 250°. The Maverick showed a 5° temp swing. I find this temp swing to be statistically irrelevant because it is so minor that I did not even record which probe was what temp. Between this test and the bread test I feel pretty confident in the BFG's even heating at reasonable temperatures.

(I don't know why this one is sideways, or how to fix it)

I also set up the WiFi on the grill. This was more work then I would have liked for it to be but was not hard. The RecTec controller only recognizes a 2.4ghz network. The controller and device (phone) must be on the same 2.4 network for setup to work. I have a mesh WiFi system in my house that outputs 2.4 and 5.0 bands and chooses based on usage which band is best. I have no way to select a certain band for a certain device.

To work around this I logged into my routers settings and disabled the SSID for the 5ghz band. This upset all the other devices in my house for a few minutes but allowed me to make sure the phone and the controller were only seeing the 2.4 band. Once I did that I was able to (on the second try with the app) successfully connect the BFG to my WiFi. After it was connected I turned the 5ghz SSID back on and the controller stayed connected. My phone reconnected to the 5ghz band but can still see the BFG. Sitting here at work writing this I can still see/controll the BFG over the cellular network. (it is not running but I have the option to turn it on.

I also tried to calibrate the probes. This was a failure. Probe A did not show anything and probe B only showed 25° even when nothing was plugged in. There was also no positive feedback (a click) when inserting probe B. I emailed RecTec and they are sending me a new controller (sigh, will have to redo the wifi) as the probe ports are not replaceable parts. More updates when that arrives.

Well, that's it. It started to sprinkle and as my grills are uncovered (hopefully fixing that this summer) I went back inside. Hope this write up was helpful.

Curious, does it smoke? I know with my cookers when I open the lid there is smoke coming from everywhere and it is hard to get pictures with out smoke messing them up or at least showing up in the pictures.

I also set up the WiFi on the grill. This was more work then I would have liked for it to be but was not hard. The RecTec controller only recognizes a 2.4ghz network. The controller and device (phone) must be on the same 2.4 network for setup to work. I have a mesh WiFi system in my house that outputs 2.4 and 5.0 bands and chooses based on usage which band is best. I have no way to select a certain band for a certain device.

To work around this I logged into my routers settings and disabled the SSID for the 5ghz band. This upset all the other devices in my house for a few minutes but allowed me to make sure the phone and the controller were only seeing the 2.4 band. Once I did that I was able to (on the second try with the app) successfully connect the BFG to my WiFi. After it was connected I turned the 5ghz SSID back on and the controller stayed connected. My phone reconnected to the 5ghz band but can still see the BFG. Sitting here at work writing this I can still see/controll the BFG over the cellular network. (it is not running but I have the option to turn it on.

I also tried to calibrate the probes. This was a failure. Probe A did not show anything and probe B only showed 25° even when nothing was plugged in. There was also no positive feedback (a click) when inserting probe B. I emailed RecTec and they are sending me a new controller (sigh, will have to redo the wifi) as the probe ports are not replaceable parts. More updates when that arrives.

Well, that's it. It started to sprinkle and as my grills are uncovered (hopefully fixing that this summer) I went back inside. Hope this write up was helpful.

Is there an option to set up a guest network on your router without disabling the mesh?  If so, you could put the grill on the guest network.  I was thinking we could do this with our routers at work but then again, I haven't had to do it.

Is your mesh network an Orbi?  If so, there is a method to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5 networks. If it is an Orbi, PM me and I'll send you a doc that describes how to do it. This is one of the downsides of mesh networks when there are still many devices that only "talk" 2.4.

Looks like a foreign language to me.  Glad you guys could help each other out. Nice looking pit for large groups or commercial service.

I also set up the WiFi on the grill. This was more work then I would have liked for it to be but was not hard. The RecTec controller only recognizes a 2.4ghz network. The controller and device (phone) must be on the same 2.4 network for setup to work. I have a mesh WiFi system in my house that outputs 2.4 and 5.0 bands and chooses based on usage which band is best. I have no way to select a certain band for a certain device.

To work around this I logged into my routers settings and disabled the SSID for the 5ghz band. This upset all the other devices in my house for a few minutes but allowed me to make sure the phone and the controller were only seeing the 2.4 band. Once I did that I was able to (on the second try with the app) successfully connect the BFG to my WiFi. After it was connected I turned the 5ghz SSID back on and the controller stayed connected. My phone reconnected to the 5ghz band but can still see the BFG. Sitting here at work writing this I can still see/controll the BFG over the cellular network. (it is not running but I have the option to turn it on.

I also tried to calibrate the probes. This was a failure. Probe A did not show anything and probe B only showed 25° even when nothing was plugged in. There was also no positive feedback (a click) when inserting probe B. I emailed RecTec and they are sending me a new controller (sigh, will have to redo the wifi) as the probe ports are not replaceable parts. More updates when that arrives.

Well, that's it. It started to sprinkle and as my grills are uncovered (hopefully fixing that this summer) I went back inside. Hope this write up was helpful.

Is there an option to set up a guest network on your router without disabling the mesh?  If so, you could put the grill on the guest network.  I was thinking we could do this with our routers at work but then again, I haven't had to do it.

I do have a guest network set up on my system. However, it is using the same MESH network so it bounces from 2.4 to 5 as well. My fix seems to have worked pretty well. The grill is still connected to the WiFi. Sadly, I will have to do it again. I reached out to RecTec and they sent me a new controller when I told them about the temp probe problems. I just got that today so will get it in this weekend and retest.

Is your mesh network an Orbi?  If so, there is a method to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5 networks. If it is an Orbi, PM me and I'll send you a doc that describes how to do it. This is one of the downsides of mesh networks when there are still many devices that only "talk" 2.4.

The system is an Orbi. Clearly you recognize the problem. I probably found the document you are referencing however I was using my PC and not my laptop at the time I was setting it up and the PC does not have Putty installed. I might look into doing the telnet fix at some point so I can assign the SSID's to the Echo devices and such like I had on the previous set up. But disabling the SSID's worked for now. Overall moving from a single Netgear Nighthawk with a repeater to the Orbi Mesh system has been a very good upgrade for my 2500 sq. ft. home.

Curious, does it smoke? I know with my cookers when I open the lid there is smoke coming from everywhere and it is hard to get pictures with out smoke messing them up or at least showing up in the pictures.

It smokes a lot on start up of course but other than that it seems to run pretty clean. Truth be told I have not had a chance to do any real smoking on it. However, I think it is just the fact that the chamber is so large and that there are two large smokestacks that make it seem like it doesn't smoke. Like you, when I lifted the lid on my Traeger or smaller RecTec I was hit in the face with smoke which made it hard to take photos. I think the shear volume of air in this things makes that problem much less. I do have concerns about the lack of any visible smoke but posts on the BFG facebook page seem to show good results. I will document a brisket cook soon and report back. Have to wait for the rainy PNW to be less rainy.

Is your mesh network an Orbi?  If so, there is a method to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5 networks. If it is an Orbi, PM me and I'll send you a doc that describes how to do it. This is one of the downsides of mesh networks when there are still many devices that only "talk" 2.4.

The system is an Orbi. Clearly you recognize the problem. I probably found the document you are referencing however I was using my PC and not my laptop at the time I was setting it up and the PC does not have Putty installed. I might look into doing the telnet fix at some point so I can assign the SSID's to the Echo devices and such like I had on the previous set up. But disabling the SSID's worked for now. Overall moving from a single Netgear Nighthawk with a repeater to the Orbi Mesh system has been a very good upgrade for my 2500 sq. ft. home.

Similar networking story.  Had the nighthawk and it died within a week or so of me upgrading to 1GB internet service.  I then switched to Google mesh and have since upgraded that to the newest Google Nest mesh.  Better coverage.  Easy to see who is on the network.  I have several hubs wired to our ethernet network and they seem to have stronger signals than those that are not.  And the new models also have the Google mini built into them.  So, I put one of them in the garage to have wifi and to be able to  stream music from XM, Google, etc.

Is your mesh network an Orbi?  If so, there is a method to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5 networks. If it is an Orbi, PM me and I'll send you a doc that describes how to do it. This is one of the downsides of mesh networks when there are still many devices that only "talk" 2.4.

The system is an Orbi. Clearly you recognize the problem. I probably found the document you are referencing however I was using my PC and not my laptop at the time I was setting it up and the PC does not have Putty installed. I might look into doing the telnet fix at some point so I can assign the SSID's to the Echo devices and such like I had on the previous set up. But disabling the SSID's worked for now. Overall moving from a single Netgear Nighthawk with a repeater to the Orbi Mesh system has been a very good upgrade for my 2500 sq. ft. home.

Similar networking story.  Had the nighthawk and it died within a week or so of me upgrading to 1GB internet service.  I then switched to Google mesh and have since upgraded that to the newest Google Nest mesh.  Better coverage.  Easy to see who is on the network.  I have several hubs wired to our ethernet network and they seem to have stronger signals than those that are not.  And the new models also have the Google mini built into them.  So, I put one of them in the garage to have wifi and to be able to  stream music from XM, Google, etc.

I looked long and hard at both the Google system (NEST) and the Amazon system (EERO) but settled on Orbi. Neither the Nest or the Eero were triband with a dedicated backband for the satellites. I really wanted to go with the Nest because I have Nest cameras and Nest thermostat but I am an Amazon Echo household so I actually didn't want the mini google homes built in. Had they not had the speakers built in I might have gone with them. Costco had the Orbi's on sale and I have had two previous Netgear routers so I went with them. A search of "best mesh" put Orbi near the top of a lot of lists and so far I have been happy.

We use a newer brand of Zyxel routers at work.  I was setting one up yesterday morning and checked the Guest settings, it actually will let me set the Guest to a dedicated 2.4 or 5 network while still having the mesh on the main setup.  Haven't messed with an Orbi in awhile.

Is your mesh network an Orbi?  If so, there is a method to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5 networks. If it is an Orbi, PM me and I'll send you a doc that describes how to do it. This is one of the downsides of mesh networks when there are still many devices that only "talk" 2.4.

The system is an Orbi. Clearly you recognize the problem. I probably found the document you are referencing however I was using my PC and not my laptop at the time I was setting it up and the PC does not have Putty installed. I might look into doing the telnet fix at some point so I can assign the SSID's to the Echo devices and such like I had on the previous set up. But disabling the SSID's worked for now. Overall moving from a single Netgear Nighthawk with a repeater to the Orbi Mesh system has been a very good upgrade for my 2500 sq. ft. home.

Just FYI - Windows has a telnet client built in.  You have to go to "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features" and then check the box next to "telnet client".  No restart required.

Also, with Orbi or any other mesh, you can setup a guest network and have it use a specific band. However I do not know if that causes issues with access from the devices on the non-Guest SSIDs.

Thank you for the info! I didn't know that (the built in client). I will take a look at dialing it in better when I get some time. As far as ease of regular setup for an average person I can recommend the Orbi. I was able to set it all up and can monitor it with just an App on the phone. But it would be nice to assign the lower level things to the 2.4 network again. I will definitely take a look.

Hopefully I will have more info and updates for you all on the BFG as well. There is a lot of question as to the "smoke" you get from it and whether it cooks hotter on one side or the other. My bread or temp test did not show any real hotspots but they were not over long cooks. I am wondering if because of the dual stacks if a breeze in one direction or the other would have an impact on a larger draw from one side or the other and therefore cause one side to effectively run hotter.