RT-1250 Grilling/Searing on 1250 (700+ advertised temps)

[Racosta52]

Hello all, I am a newbie to recteq, but my neighbor has an older 680 that absolutely rocks, and I’m looking to add a 1250 to go with my monster offset stick burner as an alternative for quick cooks, or long low and slow cooks when I’m lazy or low on wood. I saw that the 1250 advertises ability to reach 700+ degrees which should be plenty in my opinion for searing steaks and grilling burgers/fajitas (I know charcoal/open flame is still king for these kind of cooks I’m just looking for something that is close). I’m wondering if anyone has had luck with these kind of cooks on 1250 or reaching these temps. My only previous pellet experience is the pitboss pro series 1150 that we use at the firehouse which has the dedicated flame searing area which has worked extremely well. I’ve considered getting a pitboss as I’ve had success with its quick grilling ability and slow smoking ability, but the pitboss wifi app is trash, and I would really like to take a dive on something with a better wifi controller and better materials and better quality all around. Just wondering what the current 1250 owners think and what the experience has been so far with grilling and searing. Thanks! I’ve included a picture of a tomahawk steak that was being finished off (reverse sear) on pitboss as an example, I would hope the recteq could provide heat hot enough to get a good crust while obviously not having the ability to flame char.

 

[Recteclifestyle]

I don’t own a 1250 but I’ve owned a couple Recteq’s and personally I don’t think the max temperature cooks are Recteqs bread and butter. What I’ve found while cooking thick tomahawk ribeyes on full setting is the grill has to be very clean of any grease or you’ll get major flare ups. Recteq makes sear grates for this purpose but I’ve always felt if I’m going to go to that trouble I’ll just use my grill for steaks. Just my two cents, I’ve heard other people say they love cooking steaks on their Recteq. Either way, you should still buy that 1250!

 

[rkensrud]

The ability to move quickly from slow to seer is why I sold my 700 and got a 1250. The 700 took way to long to heat up. The workaround for many folks is to buy a bullseye or swap in an auger meant for a different smoker. I wanted a single smoker solution that was supported by Recteq.

So I do my steaks slow for a while, then put them on the bottom rack of the side smoke box. That keeps them warm without subjecting them to excess heat. I add the grill grates, and crank the temp. Within a few minutes its well above 650 and rising. I put the steaks back on the seer grates for 1-2 min per side. It comes out perfect.

 

[sdynak]

The ability to move quickly from slow to seer is why I sold my 700 and got a 1250. The 700 took way to long to heat up. The workaround for many folks is to buy a bullseye or swap in an auger meant for a different smoker. I wanted a single smoker solution that was supported by Recteq.

So I do my steaks slow for a while, then put them on the bottom rack of the side smoke box. That keeps them warm without subjecting them to excess heat. I add the grill grates, and crank the temp. Within a few minutes its well above 650 and rising. I put the steaks back on the seer grates for 1-2 min per side. It comes out perfect.

Understand the concerns with swapping the auger motor but I think the same 3RPM as I understand is what is in the 1250.. I'm sure the controller is more fine tuned to operate it but so far mine seems to be doing well with the motor in the 700. I get your decision 100% though. Enjoy that bad boy!

 

[Doublebull]

Hello all, I am a newbie to recteq, but my neighbor has an older 680 that absolutely rocks, and I’m looking to add a 1250 to go with my monster offset stick burner as an alternative for quick cooks, or long low and slow cooks when I’m lazy or low on wood. I saw that the 1250 advertises ability to reach 700+ degrees which should be plenty in my opinion for searing steaks and grilling burgers/fajitas (I know charcoal/open flame is still king for these kind of cooks I’m just looking for something that is close). I’m wondering if anyone has had luck with these kind of cooks on 1250 or reaching these temps. My only previous pellet experience is the pitboss pro series 1150 that we use at the firehouse which has the dedicated flame searing area which has worked extremely well. I’ve considered getting a pitboss as I’ve had success with its quick grilling ability and slow smoking ability, but the pitboss wifi app is trash, and I would really like to take a dive on something with a better wifi controller and better materials and better quality all around. Just wondering what the current 1250 owners think and what the experience has been so far with grilling and searing. Thanks! I’ve included a picture of a tomahawk steak that was being finished off (reverse sear) on pitboss as an example, I would hope the recteq could provide heat hot enough to get a good crust while obviously not having the ability to flame char.

Great smoker, I wont use for high heat grilling for the fact that it is a good way to warp your drip pan and heat deflector.

 

[Dubs]

If you use grill grates, you don’t need to run the temp up high. Running the grill at 425 with the grates put the temp over 500 on the cooking surface, for me creates a great sear.

 

[Pacman]

If you use grill grates, you don’t need to run the temp up high. Running the grill at 425 with the grates put the temp over 500 on the cooking surface, for me creates a great sear.

I totally agree. It also allows me a little cheat where I put a couple grill grates on one side and start with some smoke at 250 +/- then crank up to 425 to sear. The heat up on my 1250 from 250 to 400+ is always about 6 - 8 minutes.

 

[Stratratbj96]

You can also add the bullseye to your 1250. I think they have a great bundle going on right now. IMO that’s the perfect combo to cook anything. You can do low and slow and larger cooks on the 1250, and the Bullseye is perfect for a quick steak or burger during the work week or a quick hot seer on a good piece of meat. You can also cook low and slow on the Bullseye.

 

[Hawgdriver]

Great stuff. Just ordered my 1250. Can’t wait to try it out!

 

[C. Keeper]

Great stuff. Just ordered my 1250. Can’t wait to try it out!

Congratulations on your purchase, I'm sure you will be happy!
BTW, welcome to the Forum, enjoy your stay

 

[Stratratbj96]

Welcome from central Florida where it was 84 degrees today!

 

[Mozekian]

A few issues with my 1250 that might be temp related, as in what happens when you crank it up on high/max

Seal around firebox failed. To the point I could see the gap between the metal. Grease got through, dripped through and onto the patio. Wonder how much of this failure of the seal was bad quality vs high temps and it breaking down.

The shocker was this week with the cast iron heat deflector developing a crack of about 2 inches. Literally just showed up, not dropped or anything.

RecTeq is sending me a new heat deflector and I used some high temp permatex on the gaps and resealed the firebox, inside and out. Hoping this fixes the issues. But I do wonder if running this thing "Wide open throttle" could cause more issues.

 

[Stratratbj96]

A few issues with my 1250 that might be temp related, as in what happens when you crank it up on high/max

Seal around firebox failed. To the point I could see the gap between the metal. Grease got through, dripped through and onto the patio. Wonder how much of this failure of the seal was bad quality vs high temps and it breaking down.

The shocker was this week with the cast iron heat deflector developing a crack of about 2 inches. Literally just showed up, not dropped or anything.

RecTeq is sending me a new heat deflector and I used some high temp permatex on the gaps and resealed the firebox, inside and out. Hoping this fixes the issues. But I do wonder if running this thing "Wide open throttle" could cause more issues.

Just drill a hole at both ends of the crack. The radius’s from the drill bit will stop the crack in it’s tracks.

 

[IPlayWithMeat]

A few issues with my 1250 that might be temp related, as in what happens when you crank it up on high/max

Seal around firebox failed. To the point I could see the gap between the metal. Grease got through, dripped through and onto the patio. Wonder how much of this failure of the seal was bad quality vs high temps and it breaking down.

The shocker was this week with the cast iron heat deflector developing a crack of about 2 inches. Literally just showed up, not dropped or anything.

RecTeq is sending me a new heat deflector and I used some high temp permatex on the gaps and resealed the firebox, inside and out. Hoping this fixes the issues. But I do wonder if running this thing "Wide open throttle" could cause more issues.

Nothing good comes from crack .

 

[C. Keeper]

Nothing good comes from crack .

That's why you have to drill it

 

[Mozekian]

Just drill a hole at both ends of the crack. The radius’s from the drill bit will stop the crack in it’s tracks.

Nice tip. However I had them warranty it and have the new cast iron deflector now