The RT-1250 Newbie Thread - Updated 05/24/2022

Just had mine dropped off today, going to assemble tonight and do a first cook overnight brisket Friday into Saturday. Going to really test it in the cold weather, forecast for 3 degrees all day :)
 
I do wish the grill code had the logic to say, "Whoa, the temp just dropped by 100 degrees very abruptly, the door must be open. I'll wait a minute to see if it gets better."
.
When I am going to open the lid for more than a quick look, I simply hit the power button shutting the grill off. When done, close the lid and turn it back on. It gets back to the set temperature in a minute or two.
 
When I am going to open the lid for more than a quick look, I simply hit the power button shutting the grill off. When done, close the lid and turn it back on. It gets back to the set temperature in a minute or two.
Surprised that you don't get a power error :unsure:
 
Surprised that you don't get a power error :unsure:
Why would you expect to get an error turning power off and back on a few minutes later? I have never gotten one.
 
My new RT-1250 arrived today and I've made it to the point of needing help to move the biggest piece, but while I wait for a buddy to arrive, I'm going to start this thread. Since it doesn't seem that there's a concise "Here are the tips for newbies" thread with all the mods, questions, etc in one place, my hope is to build this out as I go through the process of assembling, burning in, and my initial cooks and pull together what I can from other threads about all topics that I have to learn about. Hopefully, I can help others that come after me so they don't have to spend quite as much time digging into the RT-700 threads, searching other areas of the internet / Facebook, etc.

For now, here are some of the initial topics I know I have questions with already. I'll flesh these out in the next few days...Feel free to jump in with advice / tips below and I'll compile everything in this first post over time.

First, since these are most urgent...it's going to rain tomorrow, so the plan is to do things like assemble in the house today, put on the seal if I decide to go that route, use the high temp sealant around places where there are openings (e.g. at the bottom of the drain spout), and wash all the interior parts.

To Seal or Not to Seal...that is the question?
I've seen both sides of this, seal with LavaLock / do not seal, it was designed to breathe (Recteq's answer).

Pros:
  • Helps keep grill clean by preventing leakage
  • Keeps more smoke in for more flavor
  • Improves heat retention, especially in colder weather
  • Reduces pellet consumption
Cons:
  • Additional expense / work
  • May hold in too much heat in warmer weather / climates and make it difficult to reach ultra low temps
  • Another area of maintenance over time
Anything else?

Covers

RecTeq
Pros:​
  • Made to fit
  • Seems to last a while
  • 18 Month Warranty (My credit card would extend this by another 2 years)
  • Buckles / made for the grill
Cons:​
  • Expensive ($85)
  • Fits too well...difficult to get on without ripping
  • Some complaints of early deterioration
Unicook (Amazon) - 65" (will this fit the 1250?)
Pros:​
  • Inexpensive ($30) - Could replace 3x for the price of one RecTeq
  • Easier to get on / off
  • Straps
  • Air vents
  • Great Reviews
Cons:​
  • Generic fit
  • May not cover as completely?
  • Possibly lower quality material?
I remembered that I had one of these in my garage that I had never used. Since I didn't have a cover ordered and rain was in the forecast, I used it. It fit over the grill nicely and was easy to get on!​
Pros:​
  • Inexpensive ($25)
  • Heavy Duty
  • Has vents at bottom to allow airflow
Cons:​
  • Generic Fit
  • Bungee Cords in Bottom difficult to pull tight. Could be because mine is older though.
Pellets
To be continued...

Mods
To be continued...



Any feedback on the above items is greatly appreciated! As I said, I want to flesh this out so that someone new can come in and find the info quickly.
I added a seal to my 1250 and I live in Missouri. Even when it was over 100 outside my grill never went over the set temp. It is not in direct sunlight so that may help. I also just figured out you can cold smoke on this grill by going into settings and turning the fan on. I just put a smoke tube in and I smoked some cheese. Worked quite well. There are videos on YouTube showing you how to do this. Easy to do.
 
Man, am I the only one who fights with the grill cover, getting it on/off?! Lol
Nope:

1642254432176.png
 
I just got a 1250, being delivered maybe today, or sometime in the next week. Any tips and warning to give me? Do I need to worry about the first burn at all? How do I avoid explosions that I've heard about, just start it with the lid open until smoke and turn down the temp at the end of a cook before I turn it off? Any cleaners or degreasers I should be on the lookout for, my old side manual fire box smoker is so covered in tar the door sticks when cold?
 
Congrats. I'm really enjoying my 1250.

The initial burn in was totally uneventful for me.

It seems the common theme on the explosions are shutting down at high heat on a previous cook, not cleaning out the firepot after long cooks, and possibly weird pellets (too long, too dirty, etc.). Allegedly Recteq did a firmware update on the 1250's to address the explosions. I've never had one so I can't say anything got "fixed." I left the lid open once on startup and it didn't seem to do anything except slow the startup process for me. I always start the grill off at like 225 - 250 and then crank it up after that to see if that prevents overfeeding of pellets. So far so good...

I noticed that I'm beginning to see some creosote buildup inside my barrel, but so far it just flakes off and I vacuum it out with the ash. I really haven't had to do anything to the inside other than just general cleanup with a Buckethead vac. I've used Barkeepers Friend and some stainless steel cleaner to keep the outside stain free. I sealed my lid with Lavalock and that greatly reduced the smoke stains on the outside of the grill.

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences.
 
Congrats. I'm really enjoying my 1250.

The initial burn in was totally uneventful for me.

I always start the grill off at like 225 - 250 and then crank it up after that to see if that prevents overfeeding of pellets. So far so good...

I noticed that I'm beginning to see some creosote buildup inside my barrel,

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences.
Thanks Pacman.

I bought the 100 lbs of recteq pellets, so I'll use those at first. I have about 8 lbs still of pecan pellets from Costco, they seem a little long, I'll compare them to the recteq pellets when it gets here.

I'll try your method if the lid open doesn't help at all.

I'm not sure what creosote is. When I looked it up, it looks more like ash and lava rocks, not like smooth shiny tar that sticks and stretches. I've attached some pictures of my old faithful. I got her used, but the black stuff has definitely built up more since I got her. I've used her maybe 30 times, no cleaning. Wondering if something similar will happen to my recteq 1250, and what I should use to keep it running right. I'm not a stickler for clean, as you can see, so I'm hoping the 1250 doesn't require much more than vacuuming out the ash every few cooks.
 

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I'm hoping the 1250 doesn't require much more than vacuuming out the ash every few cooks.
It hasn't for me so far and I've been cooking at least several times a week since mine arrived in early September.
 
With a little more research since my last post: yes, it's creosote, and I should probably clean it off.
 
Also a newbie here. Doing my second cook tonight, NY Strip. Set the 1250 to 225 but it ran upwards of 260 for the majority of the cook. Finally came back down into the 225 range. Anyone else noticing this as well?
What was the weather like wherever you are? Windy? Cold?
 
Following this as well...I've owned two stick burners, and a Blazin Grill Works Grid Iron pellet pooper...RT-1250 on the way!
 
Got the 1250, assembled it, and about to finish my first smoke!
Also for some reason, one of my horn handles got messed up. I put them on before I put on the "lid sweep" by mistake, and when I unscrewed it, it bound up and goobered up the threads. Customer service is sending me a new handle. Their explanation was stainless steel sometimes when tightended almost "welds" to itself. Not sure if I understand or believe that, but happy they are sending me a new handle.
 
I heard from Estes today. The 1250 is supposed to be here next Wed.
I ordered the Lavasomething tape to seal the lid and have a wrap kit coming to prettify it. Other than that, I need to dig some more to see what it might need for set up and break in.
This will be a complement to my stick burner. Tomorrow we're smoking up a brisket, couple of pork butts, duck, salmon and some sausages. When I go through the trouble to get it to temp, I like to load it up pretty heavily then freeze some of the food to eat of a while.
For us, the 1250 replaces a grill. We can use the Santa Maria if we need a lot of direct flame, but we plan on using the 1250 for the quicker cooks and maybe longer cooks for more delicate things like salmon. I see it as our weekend warrior.
 
And the adventure begins.
I have most of the 1250 assembled now. Will finish later. Might start on the 340 tonight.
 

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