Bull First Time Recteq RT700 Owner, Need Help

[TheRicker]

Migrating from a Traeger I've had for over 12 years.

 

[RogueKNB]

Like @Mlmurrah says - double foil the drip pan. I wish I'd done that right off the bat. I have a nice thick layer of greasy smoke that is a b*%ch to get off if you don't foil right away

Pellets - I talked with the guys @recteq and they said the Kingsford pellets are best for minimizing temp variation and pellet ash. They said they did a lot of research with several pellet makers and rely on Kingsford - but it really is a personal choice for taste and ash buildup. I've gone through a few bags - depending on how long my cook is and what the outside temp is, burn rate in the pot if affected to maintain temps, etc. will influence the ash inside the barrel
Switched it up to B&B - I use their lump charcoal in my egg and really seem to like their pellets better than Kingsford

Get some LavaLock tape (I got mine from Amazon) and 'seal' the lid - where the lid comes in contact with the barrel - put the felt tape on the inside of the lid. Biggest improvement I could make towards minimizing smoke leak out of the lid & onto the unit. (You want the smoke inside not on the outside) - Also helps keep the temp a bit more consistent.
If you have the side smoke box for cheese & fish, etc - put some LavaLock tape on the door of that, too. I didn't like the way the door closed on the unit. Seemed kinda flimsy vs how the rest of the grill is built. Putting that tape on the inside of the door to seal that helped make it more sturdy & minimize smoke leak

why did you apply the lavalock to the lid versus the barrel?

 

[Pacman]

I did the lid as well. I didn't give it much thought at the time, but aesthetically I think it just looks nicer on the lid rather than stuck to the stainless steel barrel. Functionally, it wouldn't make a difference. I actually liked the "soft close feature" of the Lavalock so much that I did the lid to the hopper as well, but frankly it serves no real functional purpose beyond silencing steel on steel "clanks".