Bull Is there anywhere on req rec site to post reviews?

[JGW]

I have had few issues with the smoke flavor or profiles on a pellet grill. As others have noted, many of us have come from stick burner backgrounds, but for me....I am not exactly a young man anymore. I don't want to be constantly tending the fire at all hours of the night.

My time (and sleep) is of more value than an intense smoke flavor. I have yet to have anyone try my brisket, butt or anything else I may smoke and say there wasn't enough smoke on it. I've said it before, but a pellet grill is a jack of all trades device, not a master of any of them. Can it grill? Yes. Can it smoke meat? Yes. Is it the best at either of those. Not by a long shot.

It's a trade off between convenience, time and flavor. Greg said it best....80% of the results, 20% of the effort.
As to sites not posting negative reviews....WHY would they do that? Their websites are their point of sales and advertising device. Most of what is on there is going to be advertising how great their equipment is, providing information on their products, and a way to purchase those items.

You don't see McDonalds, Auto Makers, Clothing stores etc. Saying Hey! Check out our stuff and note how many people think it sucks.

 

[Motodad1776]

Pellet grills are overrated.
If you want a good smoke, use a wood smoker (I have a barrel smoker as 2ndary), if you only want a "set it & forget it" without good smoke flavor, get a pellet grill. I've seen so many posts here stating they've gotten smoke tubes or spending over $200 for other accessories to "enhance their smoking experience". As much as these things cost, you should have all of the above, perfect smoke flavor & set it forget it, without spending more money.

Always in the eye of the beholder concerning "good smoke", I've owned everything and much prefer a pellet grill to the rest overall.

 

[C. Keeper]

Always in the eye of the beholder concerning "good smoke", I've owned everything and much prefer a pellet grill to the rest overall.

I'm a self proclaimed smoke expert.

 

[Pops]

I bought an RT-700 a bit over a year ago & would like to post a review for my Bull. Is there anywhere on the company website to post or do I have to post here or another req tec forum?

I have had some problems with my RT grills, I have two, but have been really happy overall. The positives out weigh the negatives.

I cooked some ribs yesterday for 6 hours and the grill never moved over 2 degrees. It is phenomenal. I am not an offset smoker kind of guy, I need something that helps me cook better and RT fit the bill for me. I probably wont ever do competition BBQ, but I can tell you the food I cook on my pellet grill is better than most things I get when I eat out.

That being said, I can be pretty difficult and RT has exceeded my expectations as far as customer service.

I dont think of this forum as a place to rate RT as most here are owners. I see this as a forum to share ideas and help solve problems as they arise.

 

[Lilbullowner]

Only ‘overrated’ if one believes a pellet grill will produce as much smoke flavor as a stick burner. I’ve owned stick burners as well as a Kamado cooker and I would never confuse their flavors with that of a pellet grill. I also would not be quick to dismiss the value of ‘set it and forget it’ either. I’m pretty happy with the trade-off of 80% of the results with only 20% of the effort of a stick burner. This weekend as example, I put a pork butt on my RT-340, set to 225°, at 02:41 and went to bed. I had a single MEATER + probe in the butt with 3 alarms set, 1 for internal of 160° degrees (start to check for time to wrap), another set to internal 195° (time to start probing for tenderness), and a third alarm set to ambient below 200° in case there was a problem with the grill.

Here’s how my day went- up in the morning, spritz the butt, and off to church. After church, check the IT remotely to see if we had time to make a stop on the way home before time to wrap (we did have time). Wrapped the butt at 160° IT 10 hours into the cook (ambient temp drop on the graph). At nearly 15-½ hours into the cook, it was probe tender at 201°, pulled off the grill, and into a cooler for an hour. The results did not disappoint, and I wasn’t up all night, I didn’t have to add fuel once, I didn’t have to change/cancel my other plans for the day, and it was on the table exactly when I wanted. And no, I didn’t use a smoke tube! Frankly, I love pellet grill technology and I’ve never regretted passing my BGE on to my son-in-law!
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Well, guess if you smoke it for a day it's up to you. It's basically set it & forget it. The most I've ever smoked was, probably 12 hrs on the pellet to compare flavor to my barrel. No comparison.... wood hands down.

 

[Greg Jones]

No comparison.... wood hands down.

Sounds like you have found what works best for you.

 

[coast smoke]

I know that some people have problems with their RT but I also know people with other brands that also have problems.You have to decide if there is another brand in the same price range that is better for you. I have also made some adjustments and add on's to my Rt for a better experience but that is true with a lot of product's i have bought, so all in all I think my RT was a good purchase and I would buy it agasin.

 

[kstone113]

Do a web search for “pellet grill forums;” you will find a number of them. Post your thoughts/experiences” there if you don’t want to share them here. Recteq, like a lot of other product manufacturers/sellers only wants positive reviews. They aren’t interested in “thoughts/experiences” as they could be perceived as negative comments.

And, for the record, I haven’t “bought add-ons to enhance flavor” and my next pellet grill/smoker will definitely not be a Recteq. I think you misunderstand the motivations of many on this forum. At least for me, I am here to broaden my experience regarding cooking on a RT product and dealing with their ideosynchrocies.

Would you be buying another pellet grill? If so, which one? I am just curious.

I got both my RecTeq's (Bull and Bullseye) because of the bang for your bucks. With 3 years with my Bull and almost 2 with my Bullseye, I still feel that way.

I have gotten a lot of add ons. I think you can do that with any grill.

I do enhance the smoke flavor with either a smoke tube(with also wood chips mixed into the pellets) or my smokedaddy magnum PIG but honestly a cheap smoke tube does a lot. I've learned that from spending money and testing.

 

[kstone113]

When i was researching pellet grills, somehow I came across RecTeq and liked what i heard, saw and observed. However, I did start to notice what you all said above....I really found it hard to find negative reviews which did make me pause. So I searched harder and found some.

So if you are posting a critical review, I would post on forums like this and social media groups you may be part of for others to see.

 

[C. Keeper]

When i was researching pellet grills, somehow I came across RecTeq and liked what i heard, saw and observed. However, I did start to notice what you all said above....I really found it hard to find negative reviews which did make me pause. So I searched harder and found some.

So if you are posting a critical review, I would post on forums like this and social media groups you may be part of for others to see.

I think the issues started after a firmware upgrade

 

[Ostrichsak]

I think the issues started after a firmware upgrade

For me (and what I've read from others here and elsewhere) there was no firmware updated related to the notification issue. It started during high-traffic weekends (Super Bowl weekend 2021 was the first time I experienced it personally) which clearly points to a server-side bandwidth issue given the intermittent nature of the issue.

It's gotten worse since then and is pretty indicative of not ramping up your support to pace the demand additional sales put on your resources. No end-user firmware update will fix that. They just need to beef up their server resources to support the features they sold.

This should be a good problem to have but they don't seem to care so it will likely lead to their undoing as more options (that work) become available. As usual, more options benefits the consumer so I'm looking forward to all of the new and innovative products coming out in this segment.

 

[kstone113]

For me (and what I've read from others here and elsewhere) there was no firmware updated related to the notification issue. It started during high-traffic weekends (Super Bowl weekend 2021 was the first time I experienced it personally) which clearly points to a server-side bandwidth issue given the intermittent nature of the issue.

It's gotten worse since then and is pretty indicative of not ramping up your support to pace the demand additional sales put on your resources. No end-user firmware update will fix that. They just need to beef up their server resources to support the features they sold.

This should be a good problem to have but they don't seem to care so it will likely lead to their undoing as more options (that work) become available. As usual, more options benefits the consumer so I'm looking forward to all of the new and innovative products coming out in this segment.

You are correct. It has been hit or miss since I got my Bull. I honestly don't rely on it but I still use it. If you rely on the alarms to wake you up, I Would get a back-up plan. The whole thing of "I paid over $1k for a grill, it should work", I don't disagree at all. I just don't rely on it but appreciate the wi-fi and use it.

I've thought about getting an aftermarket system. I would LOVE thermopro to come out with a wireless theromometer like meater or something. I think they will soon.

 

[Jim6820]

Would you be buying another pellet grill? If so, which one? I am just curious.

Yes, I will buy another pellet grill; I like the concept, but am not particularly impressed by RT’s implementation. And, the recent price increases in RT grills bring them reasonably close to similar USA-made pellet grills. I make no apologies for preferring USA-made products.

Right now, the MAK Two-Star General is at the top of my list, but I am still researching other options.

 

[kstone113]

Yes, I will buy another pellet grill; I like the concept, but am not particularly impressed by RT’s implementation. And, the recent price increases in RT grills bring them reasonably close to similar USA-made pellet grills. I make no apologies for preferring USA-made products.

Right now, the MAK Two-Star General is at the top of my list, but I am still researching other options.

MAK, pitts and smith, Yoder, Memphis are all above RecTeq in my mind and since they are made in the USA, their prices shows. (One of these might of just started going to China - I think i heard that but not sure)

I hear you though, RecTeq has raised their prices so I'm happy I bought when I bought. But pretty much everything is going up in price. I would go further into that but I'd rather not. I know the reason...for now, it is what it is.

 

[Jim6820]

One of these might of just started going to China - I think i heard that but not sure

Unfortunately, Memphis Grills has moved its manufacturing to China. Their web page now says “Designed in the USA.” They were near the top of my consideration list but have now dropped off.

 

[kstone113]

Yeah, that's too bad....out of all of those, I really like their design.

Give Pitts and Smith a good look.

Good luck with your research! And just so we are on the same page, if I was better off $$$ wise, buying from companies who make in the USA is the way to go if possible. So much respect to you!

 

[Jim6820]

Give Pitts and Smith a good look.

I think you are talking about Pitts & Spitts. It is on my list as well.

 

[Motodad1776]

Perhaps a Pitts & Spitts will be my retirement grill, hopefully the USA is still around by then and the dollar is still worth anything at all.

 

[kstone113]

I think you are talking about Pitts & Spitts. It is on my list as well.

Yes, I am. I think I've been saying it wrong for a long time by mistake, thanks for noticing.

 

[oldschool]

It's not to bash anyone. Only to provide my thoughts/experiences of what I purchased.
No sense of posting here since mostly everyone owns a rec tec grill. I haven't really seen any negative posts here, only folks who bought add-ons to enhance smoke flavor or something else. If this is such a good product, you wouldn't need anything for good smoke flavor.

Pellet grills are overrated.
If you want a good smoke, use a wood smoker (I have a barrel smoker as 2ndary), if you only want a "set it & forget it" without good smoke flavor, get a pellet grill. I've seen so many posts here stating they've gotten smoke tubes or spending over $200 for other accessories to "enhance their smoking experience". As much as these things cost, you should have all of the above, perfect smoke flavor & set it forget it, without spending more money.

Only ‘overrated’ if one believes a pellet grill will produce as much smoke flavor as a stick burner. I’ve owned stick burners as well as a Kamado cooker and I would never confuse their flavors with that of a pellet grill. I also would not be quick to dismiss the value of ‘set it and forget it’ either. I’m pretty happy with the trade-off of 80% of the results with only 20% of the effort of a stick burner. This weekend as example, I put a pork butt on my RT-340, set to 225°, at 02:41 and went to bed. I had a single MEATER + probe in the butt with 3 alarms set, 1 for internal of 160° degrees (start to check for time to wrap), another set to internal 195° (time to start probing for tenderness), and a third alarm set to ambient below 200° in case there was a problem with the grill.

Here’s how my day went- up in the morning, spritz the butt, and off to church. After church, check the IT remotely to see if we had time to make a stop on the way home before time to wrap (we did have time). Wrapped the butt at 160° IT 10 hours into the cook (ambient temp drop on the graph). At nearly 15-½ hours into the cook, it was probe tender at 201°, pulled off the grill, and into a cooler for an hour. The results did not disappoint, and I wasn’t up all night, I didn’t have to add fuel once, I didn’t have to change/cancel my other plans for the day, and it was on the table exactly when I wanted. And no, I didn’t use a smoke tube! Frankly, I love pellet grill technology and I’ve never regretted passing my BGE on to my son-in-law!
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Your post here is Exhibit A for why manufacturers screen reviews. It is pretty obvious that you are unhappy with your pellet grill and want a place to vent. Well, this is the place; not the Recteq website. They don’t want to hear it. We will, at least, listen and make suggestions.

As for “smoke,” some folks prefer a lighter touch and others like it heavy. It is a personal taste. Stick burners are fine, and I’ve used them in the past, but the convenience of a pellet grill (as noted by @Greg Jones above) is a plus factor for many. To each their own.

I have supplemental smoke accessories but I don't use them because, for me, the level of smoke I get from pellet smokers (several now) is perfect. We're getting heavily into opinion though so no sense arguing about it, you're entitled to create the food you want to eat.

I guess my point is that, with all of the issues I have with RT and this device, poor smoke flavor isn't one of them. If you want super strong smoke flavor though you won't get it with a pellet smoker for the most part. Newer technologies are improving on that front but it may still not be to your preference.

That said, I FAR prefer the flavor I get off of my pellet smokers because I want the meat to be the star of the show with the smoke (and other seasoning) to compliment and play a backup role. Not everyone feels that way though and I'm not here to convince anyone of anything in that regard. Pellet smokers may just be right for you.

I have had few issues with the smoke flavor or profiles on a pellet grill. As others have noted, many of us have come from stick burner backgrounds, but for me....I am not exactly a young man anymore. I don't want to be constantly tending the fire at all hours of the night.

My time (and sleep) is of more value than an intense smoke flavor. I have yet to have anyone try my brisket, butt or anything else I may smoke and say there wasn't enough smoke on it. I've said it before, but a pellet grill is a jack of all trades device, not a master of any of them. Can it grill? Yes. Can it smoke meat? Yes. Is it the best at either of those. Not by a long shot.

It's a trade off between convenience, time and flavor. Greg said it best....80% of the results, 20% of the effort.
As to sites not posting negative reviews....WHY would they do that? Their websites are their point of sales and advertising device. Most of what is on there is going to be advertising how great their equipment is, providing information on their products, and a way to purchase those items.

You don't see McDonalds, Auto Makers, Clothing stores etc. Saying Hey! Check out our stuff and note how many people think it sucks.

Well, guess if you smoke it for a day it's up to you. It's basically set it & forget it. The most I've ever smoked was, probably 12 hrs on the pellet to compare flavor to my barrel. No comparison.... wood hands down.

I cook competition and came from a stick burner to recteq. I'm not supplementing with any additional smoke, just the recteq and recteq pellets and last weekend I got 2nd place brisket competing against 140 teams.

I can't tell you how many times I heard people say oh you can't get good smoke from pellet, oh have fun with your oven, you'll never have the smoke flavor you get with "real wood". I constantly hear this mentioned on forums as well.

The judges at competitions seem to disagree and the competition world is seeing a lot of stick burners switching to pellet smokers. Consistency is better and the smoke is perfect.