Current Lurker - Future RT700 Owner

[Luscombe]

I have been doing the research and the decision has been made. It will be a Bull.
My son introduced me to a Bull about 6 months ago while we were visiting him in Kansas City. He was introduced to one from his friend in Houston when he was visiting on a business trip. Richard came home and bought one without hesitation. His first cook for us was a brisket. We licked the plates when we finished.

I feel a bit unfaithful as I get ready to purchase the Bull. Guido and Luigi are not going to like their new brother. The two boys have been with me since 2005. I really learned how to BBQ on them while we lived in the Atlanta area. they were the culmination of my grilling journey. I had started on a charcoal Weber then to a couple of gassers then back to a Charcoal Weber and then on to a couple BGE's. Last year I bought a Masterbuilt cabinet gas smoker and then modified it to keep it reliable in windy conditions. All of the fussing around, modifications, babysitting cooking sessions etc. have worn me out.

When my son told me how stable the temperature was and the reliability, he got my attention. You see, he too had owned the same BGE set up I have and replaced them with a Bull. I was never really able to keep my BGE below 275 for low and slow. I do like that it can go 18 hours without a refill but it has gone out on me in the middle of the night and ruined a cook or two. I have cooked many many different foods on my BGE, bread, pizza, meat, fish, cookies, cakes, etc., it was used several days a week while in Atlanta. When we moved back to the Midwest, the use tapered off.

So I am excited about the Rec Tec based upon what I have read about the RT700, it will do everything the BGE does except the extreme high temp sears. It also will go lower and has much better temperature stability. Easier and quicker to light, wifi plus PID, what a winning combination.

So for my birthday in December, I will be getting a Bull. My BGE set up is modular so one of them will be replaced by the Bull. I will keep one for the times when I want or need a high temp sear or a BGE fix. I don't think it will be often though. Just can't imagine not having a BGE and I see many others have multiple grills. The cabinet smoker will go away and many years ago I converted the gasser into a coffee roasting setup.

I appreciate this forum and this community. The camaraderie here feels a bit cultish, similar to the BGE community. I'm going to miss those guys.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I went to a Stampede as my go to cooker from my Kamado Joe Classic. I found out the same thing that you did.

Keeping a Kamado below 275° for low and slow can be a chore, depending upon how hot it is outside. Keeping the fire where you want it in the wee hours of the morning when the temperature drops and the dew starts to form can also be a chore.

It's certainly not something that I felt comfortable going to sleep on.

Hence my Rec Tec. I set it where I want it for an overnight cook, put my brisket or pork shoulder on it, close the lid down on it and then I turn in for the night and sleep like a baby.

I get up the next morning, check my meat temps, and go from there. Leave it on longer if it needs it, take it off if it doesn't.

I get great consistent results every time.

I know that I'm not going to wake up and go outside and see a dial reading 160° at the dome because the fire has gotten too cold. Not going to discover that the lump charcoal is burning out or has burned out and only embers remain because it got cold outside or even outright near freezing from 2:30AM until 5:30AM and it was all that the Kamado could do on a fixed fuel load.

If I started the cook at 9:00PM last night, well then at 5:00AM the next day, it's been going for 8hrs on the same load of lump charcoal. How hot can I expect those coals to be if they've been fighting 41° weather or colder in the middle of the night? My brisket might need to run for 12hrs or more and it's been running for 8 on those same coals. There is a chance that at that point, there is more ash than coals. And that it might need more lump charcoal.

However when it comes to my Rec Tec, I know that my Rec Tec is going to hold temp throughout the cook. It's going to hold temp for as long as my pellets hold out, and on a full hopper, that's somewhere around 30hrs. Longer if I had a Bull.

It's almost too easy, my Rec Tec.

But for the high temp sears, I sear my steaks at or near 1000°F on my Kamado and cast iron, the Kamado is just the ticket for that. I also like grilled oysters and plank salmon better on my Kamado.

But for just about anything else, my Rec Tec is going to get the call.