Ruwallydog
Well-known member
- Messages
- 52
- Grill(s) owned
- Bullseye
As some of you are aware I have been a Stick Burner guy for years and finally got into the pellet game this past week when my Bull arrived on Friday. Being originally from Texas, then Arizona and now Illinois I have maintained my love of BBQ but my interest in smoking in the cold, wind, and snow has waned. Did a ton of research and pulled the trigger on the Rec Tec in attempt to give me the ability to enjoy the food I love year-round without the hassle of my Yoder.
First Cook:
15 lb Brisket Fully Trimmed - Rub: Kosher Salt, Pepper, Onion & Garlic Powder, and McCormick Steak seasoning (Lightly) to finish
3 Slabs of Ribs 3-2-1 method - Traditional pork rub
Put the brisket on at midnight Saturday night at the lowest (smoke) setting using Lumberjack Competition Blend Pellets. At 9:30 Sunday morning the brisket was probing around 140 so I increased the temp to 210 and it took another hour or so to reach an internal temp of 150 degrees. So performed the "TX Crutch" and wrapped in foil increasing temp to 225. Hit target temp of 201-202 degrees about 3:00 pm Sunday afternoon.
EASILY the best brisket I have ever made...and I have cooked hundreds and at the time I thought they were great...but the bar has now officially been raised. Smoke ring and smoke flavor were on the mark, and neither the family or myself noticed a discernible difference whatsoever.
Bad news: Ribs sucked. My fault. Had probe issues and I ended up rushing at the end. I know better, but still irritated at myself. Will try to redeem myself with a few slabs here in the next couple weeks.
General Observations:
Rec-Tec is Solid and will be a great performer for years to come. Trust is a big thing in cooking and I spent waaay to much time checking probes, opening the cooker, etc. but should have that sorted out soon enough.
APP is great! I was aware of its limitations in advance, thanks to you guys, but no alerts and did have to reconnect twice to continue to get updates on the probe data. Being able to wake-up Sunday morning and check on the grill from bed!! Now that's a good thing in my opinion.
Pellets: Long cook, but damn near went through 30 pounds of pellets. I have no basis for comparison so not sure what to expect in that regard. No complaints...comparatively speaking they are cheap.
What did I miss: Rec-Tec did feel a bit cramped compared to the Yoder, and would love to see a pull (slide) out shelf for temp checks, spritzing, etc. I used the upper shelf for the brisket once it was wrapped, with the thee slabs on the main grate. Worked ok, but being removable it tends to slide around when positioning, etc. which I need to figure out a solution for next time.
What's next: Going to do another check on the probes and chamber for accuracy and adjust as necessary. My probes are both measuring about 7 degrees under the ThermoPen but the chamber temp seems to fine but will verify all just to be sure. Pork butt goes on Friday!
Really appreciate the support and insight from the forum. Thank You!
-Kurt
First Cook:
15 lb Brisket Fully Trimmed - Rub: Kosher Salt, Pepper, Onion & Garlic Powder, and McCormick Steak seasoning (Lightly) to finish
3 Slabs of Ribs 3-2-1 method - Traditional pork rub
Put the brisket on at midnight Saturday night at the lowest (smoke) setting using Lumberjack Competition Blend Pellets. At 9:30 Sunday morning the brisket was probing around 140 so I increased the temp to 210 and it took another hour or so to reach an internal temp of 150 degrees. So performed the "TX Crutch" and wrapped in foil increasing temp to 225. Hit target temp of 201-202 degrees about 3:00 pm Sunday afternoon.
EASILY the best brisket I have ever made...and I have cooked hundreds and at the time I thought they were great...but the bar has now officially been raised. Smoke ring and smoke flavor were on the mark, and neither the family or myself noticed a discernible difference whatsoever.
Bad news: Ribs sucked. My fault. Had probe issues and I ended up rushing at the end. I know better, but still irritated at myself. Will try to redeem myself with a few slabs here in the next couple weeks.
General Observations:
Rec-Tec is Solid and will be a great performer for years to come. Trust is a big thing in cooking and I spent waaay to much time checking probes, opening the cooker, etc. but should have that sorted out soon enough.
APP is great! I was aware of its limitations in advance, thanks to you guys, but no alerts and did have to reconnect twice to continue to get updates on the probe data. Being able to wake-up Sunday morning and check on the grill from bed!! Now that's a good thing in my opinion.
Pellets: Long cook, but damn near went through 30 pounds of pellets. I have no basis for comparison so not sure what to expect in that regard. No complaints...comparatively speaking they are cheap.
What did I miss: Rec-Tec did feel a bit cramped compared to the Yoder, and would love to see a pull (slide) out shelf for temp checks, spritzing, etc. I used the upper shelf for the brisket once it was wrapped, with the thee slabs on the main grate. Worked ok, but being removable it tends to slide around when positioning, etc. which I need to figure out a solution for next time.
What's next: Going to do another check on the probes and chamber for accuracy and adjust as necessary. My probes are both measuring about 7 degrees under the ThermoPen but the chamber temp seems to fine but will verify all just to be sure. Pork butt goes on Friday!
Really appreciate the support and insight from the forum. Thank You!
-Kurt
