Bull New RT-700 ordered thanks to these forums!

[Beach Bum]

That being said, I haven’t told my wife yet, she still thinks I’m getting the RT-590.

I did not tell my wife the final price until after a couple months. By that time she was hooked and was thrilled with "her" decision. Big win!

 

[eric_jk]

I went through a similar process. I initially was going to purchase the RT-590, but realized that I would not be able to add a smokebox when it's back in stock and figured it's better to have more space than not. Therefore, I purchased the RT-700, but canceled it the next day after realizing the RT-1250 was the upgraded model. I ended up spending $679.14 more than my original budget. I am thankful that my wife encouraged that I get the more expensive one .

Sounds like we went through the same thinking process!

 

[Pacman]

I too was a tire kicker for a long time thinking about buying the 700. I loaded up my shopping cart a few times with the 700 and all of the accessories I wanted. Then all of a sudden this 1250 thing gets announced with the cast iron heat deflector, the second grate, the included shelf, the 3rpm auger, and the dual band WiFi. I ordered my 1250 within about 24 hours of it being released. Net price difference between the 700 and accessories and the 1250 was maybe a few hundred bucks.

I have yet to have a disappointing cook (even though there's always room for improvement). Did I over-buy for my actual cooking needs? Probably. Do I regret it? Not one bit! I lost interest in barbecue/smoking due to the time and labor commitment my old stick burner required. I am thrilled to be back in the game...even on a Tuesday.

 

[Pacman]

I did not tell my wife the final price until after a couple months. By that time she was hooked and was thrilled with "her" decision. Big win!

My wife was totally good with the 1250 purchase. She started getting suspicious when I was ordering more pellets, more meat, a garage fridge/freezer to keep things in, and miscellaneous gadgets like the Thermoworks One pen and Thermoworks Signals WiFi 4 probe thermometer.

I'm more or less off the hook now after a couple dozen decent meals including Thanksgiving.

 

[eric_jk]

I too was a tire kicker for a long time thinking about buying the 700. I loaded up my shopping cart a few times with the 700 and all of the accessories I wanted. Then all of a sudden this 1250 thing gets announced with the cast iron heat deflector, the second grate, the included shelf, the 3rpm auger, and the dual band WiFi. I ordered my 1250 within about 24 hours of it being released. Net price difference between the 700 and accessories and the 1250 was maybe a few hundred bucks.

I have yet to have a disappointing cook (even though there's always room for improvement). Did I over-buy for my actual cooking needs? Probably. Do I regret it? Not one bit! I lost interest in barbecue/smoking due to the time and labor commitment my old stick burner required. I am thrilled to be back in the game...even on a Tuesday.

The net difference in price between the 700 and 1250 after accessories was pretty marginal, so that was my justification as well. My wife did tell me, as long as I commit to cook more meals, I can buy whatever I want.

 

[Fortay]

I can pretty much tell you that has never been the case from anyone I've came across. But I tell you what, if that 1250 goes unused, you be sure to let me know.

It's always better to get bigger than you need. With the ease of use... not using it will not be an issue. You can cook anything on it... even though only 3 in my house I have the 1250 and I used every inch on Thanksgiving ...

 

[MikeK]

It's always better to get bigger than you need. With the ease of use... not using it will not be an issue. You can cook anything on it... even though only 3 in my house I have the 1250 and I used every inch on Thanksgiving ...

Other than the extra shelf, the 1250 is the same exact size as the 700. Most things I smoke I would have to take the upper grate out because it sits 5" above the lower which is too low. It's just the wife and me but I do need more when my three boys come over with their families so I went a different route and just bought two grills. I use my 340 4-5 times a week and use the 700 when family and friends come other. A lot of times I've got both going at the same time because I also smoke food for friends. The 340 actually does a better job at holding the heat and producing more smoke than the 700.

 

[DenStinett]

Welcome to the Forum Eric
We bought our Bull a year ago Oct
I agree, if the 1250 was available, we'd most likely have ordered it .... considering its upgrades
We got the 700 with a Front and a Center Shelf (200 sqin shy of the same surface area as the 1250)
4 of those Cooking Mats .... which are great for a lot of our Cooks (Fish, Chicken, Cheese etc
And we do use our Grill Grates A LOT !
Great for Steaks, Chops etc
We don't use them to "Reverse Sear", we cook right on them

As for your first Cook:
Yeah, something greasy, like Chicken
And considering the cost of Meat today, Chicken is a good starter ! ! !
We get 4 whole Chicken on the Main Shelf of the Bull:

 

[WilmotD]

After himming and hawing for about two years, I finally pulled the trigger on the RT-700. After seeing the black friday sale, I just couldn't pass that up since they never go on sale. I got the front shelf, grill grates, and cover. Are there any other "must have" accessories I should consider?

I originally thought I wanted a Traeger until a friend of mine told me to check out Recteq. I'm glad I did! I was originally going to go with the RT-590 but it seemed like I would regret it down the road. I just have a family of 4 and rarely host gatherings, but I figured I would rather have the tools available when I need them, then not have them at all. The other eye opening perspective was that the RT-700 is not that big, when you compare it to a gasser, my old 3 burner weber genesis was still wider than the RT-700.

This is my first pellet smoker and first time switching from a gas grill. What would you all recommend for the inaugural grill?

Bacon!