The RT380 is really a badass for very high heat cooks. This weekend I will try some whole chickens on it for the first time to see how it does. Next up in that realm will be a medium sized turkey that was left over from Christmas time.
Bullseye Bullseye or gas grill to complement RT-700?
- Thread starter hallsofmontezuma
- Start date
Hello,
Wanted throw my 2 cents in as I have experience with Weber gas grills and currently have the Bull and Bullseye.
The first grill I owned was a Weber Q. Then I inherited my parents older Weber Genesis which I used more than 10 years on top of what my parents had used for 5 to 10(can not remember). So needless, I am a Weber fan though currently, no webers in my stock. I got shown how to use wood chips in a tray on my Weber genesis and kind of fell in love with smoked meats. I saved up and got a cheap $250 propane cabinet smoker that used wood chips in the trays.
My Weber Genesis a few years ago either needed a lot of work or I just needed a new grill. Also, my cheap cabinet smoker had caught on fire partially from smoking (doing pork belly burnt ends) and was rusting. I didn't want to spend money just to fix up a cheap starter smoker.
I was looking for a somewhat all-in-one smoker/grill. Now I know that no grill does it all perfectly. There is always trade-offs. I decided on the RecTeq Bull. I've very set in my ways so switching from being a propane guy to pretty much pellet guy was a big move and thought about offsets or something else but I wanted the convenience that propane offered. Pellet grills do that and then some. I kept my Weber genesis when I got my bull. I think I used it twice within that year. Now the Bull itself does take awhile to get up to temp and while the Bull can be a grill and do a pretty good job, it just isn't the same as a direct (more of) heat grill like a gas grill or just a Weber kettle with charcoal. So I decided on the Bullseye but waited for the stainless steel (SS) version to come out. I was luck enough to get on their 3rd round of release of the grill(it was very very hard to get when it was released for months and months) and have loved it! I would not even consider getting another gas grill now unless either it was free or perhaps if I was running a business and it would be easier but even then I would try not to. The Bullseye is an amazing grill!
For those who can not get their grill up to 749 or more(mine only shows 749 though I think it is hotter - I need to get a infrared gun, I would call and ask for a new controller. I"m off facebook now but even without that, I've heard about that happening quite a bit. You do have to keep the vents clean and also have a small gap in the front of the grill for air flow. I've had to keep the rim of the grill clean in the front otherwise it will stay around 650 or so.
One tip I do for anyone reading, I always clean out the ash of the pot when starting and add more pellets in. A good hand full of pellets which does make the grill smoke in the beginning quite a bit but it starts up FAST. Within 10 minutes, I'm usually close to 500 degrees. This grill gets plenty HOT for great grilling. I do have the grill grates plates and I also have the aura cast iron grill grate. I use all 3 of them for different things. Though you don't really need any of them. It does make difference having them. Last night I cooked chicken thighs with the aura cast iron grill grate at 500 degrees and it was so so good! Last time I used the aura cast iron grate on riot mode, I found it burned off a lot of the oil on the cast iron grates and I had to spend a good amount of time re-oiling and fixing. So I figured 500 would work and it worked great. I still got amazing grill marks and even some temporary flame ups which aren't bad if short. Cooking at 500 also preserved the cast iron better.
Anyways, my opinion from all my experience is no doubt I would get the Bullseye over a gas grill. If you want charcoal, I won't argue against that because charcoal does give a unique flavor however the Bullseye does give a great wood smoke flavor and WAY better than any gas grill.
Good luck!
Wanted throw my 2 cents in as I have experience with Weber gas grills and currently have the Bull and Bullseye.
The first grill I owned was a Weber Q. Then I inherited my parents older Weber Genesis which I used more than 10 years on top of what my parents had used for 5 to 10(can not remember). So needless, I am a Weber fan though currently, no webers in my stock. I got shown how to use wood chips in a tray on my Weber genesis and kind of fell in love with smoked meats. I saved up and got a cheap $250 propane cabinet smoker that used wood chips in the trays.
My Weber Genesis a few years ago either needed a lot of work or I just needed a new grill. Also, my cheap cabinet smoker had caught on fire partially from smoking (doing pork belly burnt ends) and was rusting. I didn't want to spend money just to fix up a cheap starter smoker.
I was looking for a somewhat all-in-one smoker/grill. Now I know that no grill does it all perfectly. There is always trade-offs. I decided on the RecTeq Bull. I've very set in my ways so switching from being a propane guy to pretty much pellet guy was a big move and thought about offsets or something else but I wanted the convenience that propane offered. Pellet grills do that and then some. I kept my Weber genesis when I got my bull. I think I used it twice within that year. Now the Bull itself does take awhile to get up to temp and while the Bull can be a grill and do a pretty good job, it just isn't the same as a direct (more of) heat grill like a gas grill or just a Weber kettle with charcoal. So I decided on the Bullseye but waited for the stainless steel (SS) version to come out. I was luck enough to get on their 3rd round of release of the grill(it was very very hard to get when it was released for months and months) and have loved it! I would not even consider getting another gas grill now unless either it was free or perhaps if I was running a business and it would be easier but even then I would try not to. The Bullseye is an amazing grill!
For those who can not get their grill up to 749 or more(mine only shows 749 though I think it is hotter - I need to get a infrared gun, I would call and ask for a new controller. I"m off facebook now but even without that, I've heard about that happening quite a bit. You do have to keep the vents clean and also have a small gap in the front of the grill for air flow. I've had to keep the rim of the grill clean in the front otherwise it will stay around 650 or so.
One tip I do for anyone reading, I always clean out the ash of the pot when starting and add more pellets in. A good hand full of pellets which does make the grill smoke in the beginning quite a bit but it starts up FAST. Within 10 minutes, I'm usually close to 500 degrees. This grill gets plenty HOT for great grilling. I do have the grill grates plates and I also have the aura cast iron grill grate. I use all 3 of them for different things. Though you don't really need any of them. It does make difference having them. Last night I cooked chicken thighs with the aura cast iron grill grate at 500 degrees and it was so so good! Last time I used the aura cast iron grate on riot mode, I found it burned off a lot of the oil on the cast iron grates and I had to spend a good amount of time re-oiling and fixing. So I figured 500 would work and it worked great. I still got amazing grill marks and even some temporary flame ups which aren't bad if short. Cooking at 500 also preserved the cast iron better.
Anyways, my opinion from all my experience is no doubt I would get the Bullseye over a gas grill. If you want charcoal, I won't argue against that because charcoal does give a unique flavor however the Bullseye does give a great wood smoke flavor and WAY better than any gas grill.
Good luck!
I have a Bull and a 36” Blackstone flat top.
Great combination
Great combination
My Genesis is a 2001 so things may have changed but I clean my grill maybe once every 2 or 3 years. By cleaning I mean pulling the grates, heat deflectors, and the burners, and going at it with a scraper and the power washer. Other then that I clean the grates before each use just using the grill brush and a few times a year putting foil over the grates and cranking up the heat for 15 min or some such.
To me my RT is more of a pain to clean then the Gas grill but others may be more picky then I am.
FWIW, I have a Weber Kettle, the Genesis, and the RT-340. I find each has it's place. Can't beat the flavor of the kettle, when you have time to mess with it, but I use the gasser the most as it's fastest when time matters and handles bad weather the best. Unlike many folks, my RT is only used for smoking.
I considered a Bullseye to replace the gasser last year but gave it a pass on it for now.
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