# New REC TEC Pellet Pit Arrived Today!



## seenred (Apr 25, 2013)

The new pellet pooper I ordered last week finally arrived this morning.  This is my first foray into pellet grill smoking.  I've been wanting one of these rigs for quite some time.  I went with the REC TEC for a few reasons:  1) I really like their Smart Grill Technology.  It gives very precise control over temps.  2) In researching for literally weeks, I found their customer ratings and reviews to be very high.  3) Its very well put together and made of good heavy gauge materials.  4) Everyone raves about REC TEC's customer service.  I am very pleased so far, those guys are very focused on customer satisfaction.  5) And finally, I like their warranty (6 years), plus they are offering up to 24 months 0% financing, which made this easy for me.

I got it assembled, did a burn-in, and seasoned with by cooking a pound of bacon this evening.













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Looking forward to years of great smoking and grilling on this pit.  I've got a couple racks of spares and some ABT's planned for this weekend.  Lookin' forward to breakin' this thing in right...

Red


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## jaybone (Apr 25, 2013)

Wow, what a beautiful unit!  Congratulations!  Can't wait to see some Q-View of your upcoming smokes.


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## veryolddog (Apr 25, 2013)

Congratulations, Red, that is one nice looking smoker. Having followed your posts, I also visited the Rec-Tec website and they have a great price on their product. The 0 per cent is attractive and if you are talking $50.00 per month, that is really nothing. After you get a few smokes under your belt, I would appreciate your objective review of the experience and how the unit performs. If you have a real problem with this unit, I also would like to know how the Rec-Tec customer service responds. 

When you get a chance, I also would like to know about where and how you acquire all of the pellets that you will be using. And, how many pounds of pellets do you use in the smoking or cooking process per smoke. What I would like know then is the cost per pound of pellets and the amount expected to be burned each time you will use the smoker or how much you think you will use per hour.

Thanks and good luck with your purchase. Outstanding. 

Ed


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## seenred (Apr 26, 2013)

JayBone said:


> Wow, what a beautiful unit!  Congratulations!  Can't wait to see some Q-View of your upcoming smokes.



Thanks, JayBone!  I'm pretty excited.  I'll be posting some Qview soon...

Red


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## seenred (Apr 26, 2013)

veryolddog said:


> Congratulations, Red, that is one nice looking smoker. Having followed your posts, I also visited the Rec-Tec website and they have a great price on their product. The 0 per cent is attractive and if you are talking $50.00 per month, that is really nothing. After you get a few smokes under your belt, I would appreciate your objective review of the experience and how the unit performs. If you have a real problem with this unit, I also would like to know how the Rec-Tec customer service responds.
> 
> When you get a chance, I also would like to know about where and how you acquire all of the pellets that you will be using. And, how many pounds of pellets do you use in the smoking or cooking process per smoke. What I would like know then is the cost per pound of pellets and the amount expected to be burned each time you will use the smoker or how much you think you will use per hour.
> 
> ...



Thanks Ed!  I'm pretty fired up.  I don't know if its gonna be a problem with my pit or not, but before it even arrived I got an email from REC TEC saying that, in a small percentage of their most recent shipment, the epoxy used to secure the bellows fan was failing at high temps.  They just wanted me to know that they were already shipping me a new fan with the issue fixed, whether my unit needed it or not!  I'm pretty impressed with the proactive customer service.  BTW, I took this pit up 500* for almost an hour during the burn-in, the cooked bacon @ 350* for almost 2 hours, the bellows fan performed perfectly.  

I have found a local lawn & garden center the carries 20# bags of BBQ'rs delight pellets for about $17 per.  After researching online, that's the best price I've found.  I can't find anyone online who can ship to me for less than a dollar per pound, unless I go bulk, and I don't have the room to store bulk.  My before- purchase research leads me to expect around a pound per hour of pellet consumption in the REC TEC.  I'll try to get some accurate data as I get more familiar with this pit.

Red


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## tjohnson (Apr 26, 2013)

Congrats on your new RecTec!!

Ron at RecTec and great guy

Pellets can get pricey to ship, so if you have a local dealer with BBQrs Delight Pellets, go for it

Todd


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## woodcutter (Apr 26, 2013)

Congratulations! Looks like a great smoker!


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## kathrynn (Apr 26, 2013)

on the new smoker!  Wanna see more q-views and action shots!

Kat


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## fwismoker (Apr 26, 2013)

Congratulations...you just kicked the flavor up a notch from the plug-ins! (even though you have to plug this in...you know what i mean)  Nothing like real wood for heat and flavor!


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## seenred (Apr 26, 2013)

Thanks everyone...Real happy so far.  Lookin' forward to getiin' it dirty this weekend!

Red


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## chef willie (Apr 26, 2013)

congrats...sweet looking set-up. Like everybody else, waiting for some pics and taste tests....enjoy & have fun


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## njfoses (Jun 1, 2013)

Can you use the amnps instead of the pellet hopper?


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## njfoses (Jun 1, 2013)

njfoses said:


> Can you use the amnps instead of the pellet hopper?


Nvm, there would be no heat if the pellet's were not in the hopper to be added as fuel.


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## daveomak (Jun 1, 2013)

Red, evening....   Very nice unit.... I have read about them and they sound like the cat's a...  meow....  Enjoy and take many pictures...   

Dave


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## njfoses (Jun 2, 2013)

I am certainly intrigued, but concerned of the fuel cost per hour.


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 6, 2013)

This caught my eye as I am considering Pellet Poopers and am looking for reviews from folks I know and trust...JJ


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## roller (Jun 6, 2013)

That unit is Pretty Darn Sweet...your going to enjoy it...


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## smokinhusker (Jun 6, 2013)

Congrats!!! That is one sweet looking rig!!!


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## seenred (Jun 6, 2013)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> This caught my eye as I am considering Pellet Poopers and am looking for reviews from folks I know and trust...JJ


JJ, my initial review is very good.  I've been cooking on it for about 6 weeks, and I'm loving it.  It is very versatile...I've done low and slow at 225* for as long as 9 hours, and high temp grilling at 500*.  I had heard that pellet poopers don't make enough smoke, but with the Rec Tec that hasn't been an issue...at temps of 250 and below it makes plenty of smoke, and Todd's tube smokers work great in it for extra smoke or an added flavor smoke.  Everything I've cooked on it so far has gotten rave reviews from my family as some of the best food I've ever turned out.

The biggest challenge I've had so far is the availability and cost of cooking pellets.  My pit is burning an average rate of around 1.5 lbs. of pellets per hour (depending on cook temps and ambient conditions...obviously burns significantly more pellets at grilling temps).  Premium cooking pellets (BBQrs Delight, Lumberjack, etc.) are not readily available in my area without online ordering, which brings shipping costs into play.  The least expensive I could have pellets shipped to me was over a dollar per lb., unless I ordered bulk quantities (which I don't really have room for).  I have found some cheaper pellets at a nearby Academy for .50 per lb., and they are working out nicely.  As long as you can find decent, affordable pellets in your area, I don't think there are any down sides to these rigs.

My pre-purchase research led me to believe that one of the most important considerations in shopping for and buying a pellet smoker is the temperature controller.  On my Rec Tec, temperature control is as easy as pushing a button.  I can set it at temps from 180-500*, and the computer controller will maintain that set temp within + - 5 degrees for as long as I want it to.  There are some pellet pits on the market whose temp controllers can't claim that, but of the pits I compared, Rec Tec, Yoder, Blazin Grills, and Green Mountain Grills are all said to have very good temp controllers.

If you get serious about buying one, just ask and I'll try to answer any specific concern or question you have.

Red


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## smokefever (Jul 5, 2017)

Hey Red, just ordered mine today and got the kitchen sink bundle.  Should be able to cook on it next weekend.  One question, have you kept the aluminum foil on the drip pan the whole time or was that just for seasoning it with the bacon cook??


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## scottma (Jul 5, 2017)

SmokeFever said:


> Hey Red, just ordered mine today and got the kitchen sink bundle. Should be able to cook on it next weekend. One question, have you kept the aluminum foil on the drip pan the whole time or was that just for seasoning it with the bacon cook??


This is an old thread and I believe Red has moved on from the Rec Tec but i can chime in and say YES keep the heavy duty foil on all the time and change it out every few cooks.


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## smokefever (Jul 6, 2017)

ScottMa said:


> This is an old thread and I believe Red has moved on from the Rec Tec but i can chime in and say YES keep the heavy duty foil on all the time and change it out every few cooks.



Ok great, thanks for the help!


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