# Weber officially is entering the pellet smoker field



## schlotz (Nov 18, 2019)

Weber embraces modern grilling with a WiFi-enabled pellet model | Engadget
					

WiFi-enabled pellet grills are having a moment, and rightfully so.




					www.engadget.com
				












						Wood Pellet Grills - Weber SmokeFire Series | Weber Grills
					

Discover authentic wood fired taste with Weber's Wood Pellet Grill. Perfectly sear, smoke, and everything in between. Shop pellet grills at Weber.




					www.weber.com


----------



## sandyut (Nov 18, 2019)

interesting for sure.  I am curious to hear / read some reviews.


----------



## jcam222 (Nov 18, 2019)

I saw an ad of theirs aelwhile back teasing something new was coming.  Figured it was this. They have deep pockets to compete with Traeger for sure.


----------



## sandyut (Nov 18, 2019)

they are definitely not starting at the lower end either.  $1200 for the bigger one with no accessories or cover.  I would like to see one used weekly in a year and see hows its doing.


----------



## chef jimmyj (Nov 18, 2019)

Looks pretty nice. I really like the gravity fed fire pot. Looks like it could use a better direct sear set up. Will be watching this one...JJ


----------



## Hawging It (Nov 18, 2019)

Tell me ain't so!! Well, knowing Weber,  they won't manufacture a dud product.


----------



## SmokingUPnorth (Nov 18, 2019)

sandyut said:


> they are definitely not starting at the lower end either.  $1200 for the bigger one with no accessories or cover.  I would like to see one used weekly in a year and see hows its doing.



where did you see the $1200 label?


----------



## chef jimmyj (Nov 18, 2019)

The Weber website lists the prices...JJ









						Wood Pellet Grills - Weber SmokeFire Series | Weber Grills
					

Discover authentic wood fired taste with Weber's Wood Pellet Grill. Perfectly sear, smoke, and everything in between. Shop pellet grills at Weber.




					www.weber.com


----------



## kelbro (Nov 19, 2019)

Weber was once the top manufacturer of grills. When the competition cranked up, they (like most companies) started cutting costs here and there and backing off their warranties. They still make a decent product but nowhere near what their reputation was built off of. Hopefully they now understand that people will pay for quality and that social media shows no mercy for sub-standard products.


----------



## gmc2003 (Nov 19, 2019)

I'll hold off on my judgment for a year or so. I know their gas grills are starting to get more negative reviews. This is a new product and may have unforeseen issues that have to be worked out - or maybe not. 

Chris


----------



## SmokinAl (Nov 19, 2019)

Yea they definitely  don't make Weber grills like the old ones, especially the gas grills. I think the kettles & WSM's are still a solid product, but am a little weary about a pellet grill. Like Chris I'd like to hear how they are doing after a couple years of use.
Al


----------



## Little-m (Nov 19, 2019)

Interesting for sure.  As I am rapidly losing patience with my PB I will certainly keep an eye on this.


----------



## sandyut (Nov 19, 2019)

I feel there will be a learning curve for Weber on a mass produced pellet grill.  the competition at the price point is pretty hard to beat.  they will definitely need to prove themselves here...  year or two at least to see if they have engineered a winner or not.


----------



## mustardsauce (Nov 19, 2019)

Here's a full write up from AmazingRibs.  Looks like Weber brought them into their HQ for a sneak peek at it.  Sounds like they've fixed (or attempted to at least, we'll see how it holds up) a lot of the quality and performance issues people complain about with pellet grills.  Good searing, no burn back, easy swapping/dumping of pellets, and improved control system.  I'm not sure if it's worth double the price of a Pit Boss or the new OKJ, but it looks like a solid unit based on this writeup.

https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/pellet-grill/weber-smokefire-pellet-grill


----------



## sandyut (Nov 19, 2019)

interesting review.  the ash grease catch looks handy, but they mention that some incompletely burned pellets were seen missing the pan, which sounds like some are going into a pan of grease.  and that the bottom of the unit would be covered in grease...  I could be misunderstanding the engineering...but thats my take given the pics and rev.


----------



## mustardsauce (Nov 19, 2019)

sandyut said:


> interesting review.  the ash grease catch looks handy, but they mention that some incompletely burned pellets were seen missing the pan, which sounds like some are going into a pan of grease.  and that the bottom of the unit would be covered in grease...  I could be misunderstanding the engineering...but thats my take given the pics and rev.



I thought the point about "tiny red embers falling onto the floor" was interesting.  It could be that they just tested a prototype, but if that's happening on production models, it sounds like an accident waiting to happen.


----------



## mike guy (Nov 19, 2019)

Interesting approach on the sear part of the grill.  Smoke daddy makes a third party sear product for pellet grills that works using a similar approach.  Expose the firebox to enable direct heat.  I've not used it with the rec tec because I will just either sear using lump charcoal in another grill or on a cast iron.  But for those wanting a true all in one solution, it's a step in the right direction.  Personally I still think 600f is still on the low side to be searing steaks, but it's better than 450.


----------



## Little-m (Nov 19, 2019)

Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for them to enter the fray.  Kind of reminds me of Microsoft and this little known phenomenon called the Internet.


----------



## schlotz (Nov 19, 2019)

Some of us were there for that...


----------



## sandyut (Nov 20, 2019)

Little-m said:


> Kind of reminds me of Microsoft and this little known phenomenon called the Internet.


those were the days before the internet, cell phones and bike helmets.


----------



## mustardsauce (Nov 20, 2019)

Little-m said:


> Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for them to enter the fray.  Kind of reminds me of Microsoft and this little known phenomenon called the Internet.


I think they did it the right way.  Rather than rush to just do a "me too" pellet like so many did, they waited, tested everything out there, found improvements to make it unique to them and only released one once they had a product that was better than other stuff out there (as a grill).


----------



## sandyut (Nov 20, 2019)

mustardsauce said:


> I think they did it the right way. Rather than rush to just do a "me too" pellet like so many did, they waited, tested everything out there, found improvements to make it unique to them and only released one once they had a product that was better than other stuff out there (as a grill).


Time will tell on that.  I wouldn't assume they did so well on development.


----------



## mustardsauce (Nov 20, 2019)

sandyut said:


> Time will tell on that.  I wouldn't assume they did so well on development.


Oh I agree.  It's their first venture into pellets, so I assume they'll run into some QA problems (like lit ash falling onto the ground?!).  But, I do think the features they've incorporated will have been well thought out and aim to fix the issues a lot of pellets have.  Whether that will outweigh the potential quality issues or justify the price is yet to be seen.


----------



## sandyut (Nov 20, 2019)

mustardsauce said:


> Oh I agree. It's their first venture into pellets, so I assume they'll run into some QA problems (like lit ash falling onto the ground?!). But, I do think the features they've incorporated will have been well thought out and aim to fix the issues a lot of pellets have. Whether that will outweigh the potential quality issues or justify the price is yet to be seen.


Agreed.


----------



## Little-m (Nov 20, 2019)

schlotz said:


> Some of us were there for that...





sandyut said:


> those were the days before the internet, cell phones and bike helmets.



Sorry, I was wearing my tinfoil hat when I wrote that.  I was referring to the fact that Microsoft was so slow at adopting Internet technology, they were behind the 8-ball for quite a while.

And yeah, I do kind of miss the pre tech times.  Life was much easier then, especially when you could just jump on your motorcycle and go....


----------



## chef jimmyj (Nov 20, 2019)

We had two areas we hung out in. Gasoline was under a Dollar a gallon. So for $10 or less, you filled the tank and drove around until you found the rest of the guys. Way more Fun than Texting!...JJ


----------



## Little-m (Nov 20, 2019)

chef jimmyj said:


> We had two areas we hung out in. Gasoline was under a Dollar a gallon. So for $10 or less, you filled the tank and drove around until you found the rest of the guys. Way more Fun than Texting!...JJ



Haha I'm probably the only human who doesn't own a cell.  Which is why I find the wifi enabled smokers to be a complete waste of money.


----------



## noboundaries (Nov 20, 2019)

There's a market for everything. I won't be buying one, but can appreciate the need for Weber moving into the tech market, much like they did with gas grills. Moving parts break, immovable parts deteriorate, but technique, heat, and edibles always find a way to play together to put food on the table whether the fuel is wood, charcoal, pellets, electricity, or gas.

As long as they keep making their Kettles, and they last as long as they do, I'll be happy.


----------



## mike243 (Nov 21, 2019)

The promo vid looked pretty dang good on cooking a steak,I enjoy them cooked on my Pitboss but it will have to die before I could upgrade, it also shows no signs of dying anytime soon lol


----------



## Little-m (Nov 21, 2019)

mike243 said:


> The promo vid looked pretty dang good on cooking a steak,I enjoy them cooked on my Pitboss but it will have to die before I could upgrade, it also shows no signs of dying anytime soon lol



Aren't you lucky.  Mine has been dying since the day I bought it.


----------



## sandyut (Nov 21, 2019)

Little-m said:


> Aren't you lucky. Mine has been dying since the day I bought it.


I would be out of my mind mad!  sorry...  can you return it?


----------



## mike243 (Nov 21, 2019)

I am about 1.5 years cooking with it and has been great. lemons come along with any brand. no mods or any thing done to it, pile pellets in and let it run


----------



## krj (Nov 21, 2019)

It's interesting to see Weber going this route, and then Masterbuilt now starting to branch into the gravity fed styles. I really wish Weber would have continued on with it's "charcoal heritage" and built a gravity fed, and left pellet cookers to other manufacturers. But I get, you have to go where the money is, and pellet cookers at the moment are a hot item, where as gravity fed is a lesser known style.


----------



## Little-m (Nov 21, 2019)

sandyut said:


> I would be out of my mind mad!  sorry...  can you return it?





mike243 said:


> I am about 1.5 years cooking with it and has been great. lemons come along with any brand. no mods or any thing done to it, pile pellets in and let it run



Replaced controller, temp sensor, auger and auger motor.  Nothing left to replace but the fan.  My last smoke had the temps swinging as much as 60*.  For me 20-30* swings is no big deal if things settle down eventually.  I have a feeling if I report this I will need to do another controller replacement.  Tech support is fine, but I'm getting tired of being Mr. Fixit.

So back on topic....

It seems they really did their homework on this unit.  The short auger is a plus as well as the feedback of pellets in shutdown mode.  If they concentrate on the controller and make it reliable and accurate, they should have a winner.

The steel skeleton looks a bit thin but so is the Traeger and they are more expensive.


----------



## forktender (Nov 22, 2019)




----------



## noboundaries (Nov 22, 2019)

Informative video, but I felt like I was being hypnotized...and now I have a craving to buy one! Hmmm...


----------



## Little-m (Nov 22, 2019)

noboundaries said:


> Informative video, but I felt like I was being hypnotized...and now I have a craving to buy one! Hmmm...


----------



## Slow42 (Nov 22, 2019)

I have been a fan of Weber grills for decades no more. They have continually gone down hill in quality year by year. I now consider it a disposable grill like the MES,  great for a while then repairs far out way their value.  They are way over priced for what you get. I do however still have my old Weber kettle grill still working and in great shape go figure.  Stay away from anything  Weber.


----------



## eddiememphis (Nov 22, 2019)

Slow42 said:


> Stay away from anything Weber.


Okay.


Slow42 said:


> I do however still have my old Weber kettle grill still working and in great shape


Okay.

Most manufacturers make junk in addition to great products. It is up to the consumer to determine the value of the product.


----------



## forktender (Nov 23, 2019)

I don't own anything newer than at least 15 yrs old from Weber, but I can say their customer has been great too me. I called to order new stainless steel flavorizer bars after the S.S. replacements became brittle and fell apart. And to order new handles for my 18'' and 22'' kettles and a new bottom vent for the 22''.
After talking with the lady for at least 10 minutes about how great their products have treated my family over the years and small talk about the weather. The lady asked me for my address and said I would see everything except the  one of the handles that they were out of with in two days.  Then she said thank you for being a faithful Weber fan and said have a great weekend. Whoa, whoa, whoa wait a minute you forgot to take my credit card info. She said no I didn't this one is on us. WOW !!! Thank you, that was really unexpected but  very much appreciated. The lady said we appreciate customers that are Weber faithfuls.
Two weeks later the handle that they didn't have was on my front porch in the morning.

While I can't speak for any of their newer products, I often check out their new grills, and they look to be made much better than anything we can buy locally. And the new burner layout looks to be well though out and improved on than the older units. If I was in the market I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from Weber. 
Not as faithful as this guy but you get the point.
Weber for life!!!


----------



## Little-m (Nov 23, 2019)

Gee.  I hope he is getting advertising revenue from Weber for that.


----------



## noboundaries (Nov 23, 2019)

Weber has a lot of loyal fans here, and we all cut our teeth on their Kettles and the WSM. Grates were the only things that needed to be replaced after years of use and weather.  

Would I buy their gas grill? No. Their gas grill originated with an acquisition.  Would I buy their pellet pooper? Nope, because I have no interest in that tech or expensive fuel. But, I'd buy another Kettle or WSM in a heartbeat as long as they keep their ceramic coating. Unfortunately, charcoal and wood is generally viewed by younger techies as their father and grandfather's methods.  

If the Weber Kettle or WSM lines ever get compromised, I'll switch to a brick homebuilt combo grill and smoker.  Until then, I'm a happy Weber user.


----------



## noboundaries (Nov 23, 2019)

Just a happy Weber user.


----------



## mike243 (Nov 24, 2019)

Slow42 said:


> I have been a fan of Weber grills for decades no more. They have continually gone down hill in quality year by year. I now consider it a disposable grill like the MES,  great for a while then repairs far out way their value.  They are way over priced for what you get. I do however still have my old Weber kettle grill still working and in great shape go figure.  Stay away from anything  Weber.


How many of their new grills have you bought and had trouble with?


----------

