Weber Smokefire EX6 - 18 Months Later - Review and Overall Thoughts
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- Опубліковано 9 гру 2021
- Today’s video, at the request of a subscriber, is an overview of the features of the Weber Smokefire EX6 as well as my thoughts on the cooker…and if I would purchase it again.
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Great channel and thank you for the review.
I’ve heard you mention pecan knotty wood pellets in a couple of videos. However unless they as some point discontinued making pecan pellets the only two they make that I’m aware of are almond and plum pellets.
Appreciate your contribution to the game. Keep up the great work ヅ
Thanks for the review. I appreciate your honest thoughts. I will say that you should not have concerns about temperature fluctuation. It is normal for all cooking appliances to have variations, above and below the setting. I've even heard people with much more experience with smoking explain that it is better to have temperature fluctuation because the meat tastes better. I've had my EX4 G2 since May and haven't had any flair up while smoking or any shut downs. I have had a couple of times that the hopper started to cavitate. If it was an overnight cook it probably would've been a problem. Going back to flair ups, this is a grill. Any grill, be it gas, charcoal, or pellet, can have flair ups because food is exposed to direct flame. That's the point of grilling. Weber recommends using a pan under high grease foods when smoking. When you do that, you are doing the exact same thing that all these other pellet smokers do.
I actually never had a grease fire. I have read that others have but never for me. I did use a drip pan when I felt necessary for sure. I still never liked the grease draining mechanism, fires or not. Personal preference thing.
@@BuQeyeBBQ I like the grease drain as it makes a convenient place to sweep the ash and drops into the lower tray.
The thing about Weber's Smokefire pellet grill is that - It's a Grill - Not a smoker.
A grill because it's open to the direct heat. It's not a conventional pellet smoker because it doesn't have the big greese diverter / heat shield. That's why the holes are in the bottom, it's a trade off. I actually think the ash drawer is awesome, but yeah the ash absorbs most of the grease.
You can use it like a pellet smoker but it's a different animal. For one thing you definitely have to put a large foil pan (cookie sheet, something) under the meat on those flavor bars to block the direct heat.
In my opinion the Weber is much better for grilling steaks and burgers, not so much for long, low and slow cooks.
I've had my EX4 gen2 since July which is my first pellet grill, I didn't have anyone to show me the ropes so it's been a learning curve for sure. The hopper is a poor design so for longer cooks you do need to keep an eye on it, I've never had a flairup just some flavorizer bar flames which I think add good flavor. Grease does mix with ash at the bottom of the pit so I judge when it needs cleaning based on what I've cooked, use a foil drip pan with low and slow of fatty foods as you're smoking not grilling anyway. I find grilling quick foods over higher heat works awesome, for me I've learned to love the smokefire and have no regrets. I've read a lot of the negative reviews and appreciate I haven't experienced other pellet grills, I really don't care I love the way foods cooks on it.
First...I think you make a great point...it is all about our own experience...if the EX4 has been good to you that is all that matters. After Weber turned my EX6 into a Gen2 (for all intents), it was MUCH better for me too. I never did like the grease drain but like you, I never experienced a grease fire like it appears some do. Thanks for taking the time to watch and for the comment!
I got one of the very first smokefire grills about three years. It's certainly not been without problems. Weber has always stepped up and fixed the problems each time. Now I'm three years in and all of my flavorizer bars and smokebox cover are rusting out. I called weber today and they are sending out replacement parts. That's all you can really ask of a company. I have very limited space on my lanai in SW Florida and only have room for one grill so I need one that can do it all from grilling to smoking. In my opinion the Weber smokefire does both very well and can get hotter than most others if needed for a sear.
Weber was good to me when I had mine too and it got a lot more reliable but still not as reliable as my Traeger but it put out awesome food and I agree with you about the temperature range…that was a nice feature.
Nice review. I had the same problem with the auger and Weber did send me the replacement parts and I have not had a problem since. After the problem was resolved I clean the grill after every 20 hours of use, I always use a drip tray because of the grease drain issue. I load the pellet hopper with a cat litter scoop to keep pellet dust down. I see that you have stuck pellets between the hopper and the main grill body too, I use a plastic auto trim panel removal tool to clear the pellets out of there. The grill turns out some fantastic BBQ dishes and it does the actual cooking leaving nothing else to be desired. Another thought, if you do experience the pellet fire being extinguished a simple propane torch will ignite the pellets and you are back up cooking.
Thanks and yep, totally agree, it puts out good food. I have used the torch method to relight…a bit of a pain but doesn’t happen often and can happen to any pellet cooker. Thanks very much for taking the time to watch.
this great review thanks. i am getting EX4 this spring. lover weber products. i always use drip pans in all my pits.,i subbed you, drip pans in all my pits.
How is the ex4?
@@user-et3kk4tn4s exelent no problems
Couldn’t agree more mate. I have the next gen 4 and haven’t had your experience yet. I have had no problems yet. I believe that the pellet smoker will become over time the best on the market. I also believe that if you maintain your cooker regularly that you will not have the problems that many say that are seasoned with the other brands. The package with Webber comes with a life time warrantee unlike other smokers. Just my thoughts
Not sure where you are getting the lifetime warranty on the SmokeFire. People should maintain their cooker to prevent failures though and stop blaming the manufacture!
Excellent video, very honest and informative!
Thanks man, appreciate you watching. Are you considering a WSF?
@@BuQeyeBBQ I was looking for a pellet smoker to see if I’d like it. I’m giving all brands a look. I currently have a Weber kettle (best charcoal grill out there) and a pit barrel cooker.
@@therider6926 got ya. I have a PBC too…love the simplicity. Everyone needs a Weber kettle. For pellet cookers, check out RecTeq, I have the Bullseye and it is rock solid (I wanted a smaller one for our camp). But I just ordered a Cookshack Fast Eddy’s PG500…can’t wait to get it and do some videos with it. Good luck!
@@BuQeyeBBQ thanks I’ll look for that brand.
@ 6:48 Just an observation I had seen on another Webber review is that I thought the internal temperature probe was way to close to the fire pot. Therefore it would always read hotter than the grill area
yep, probably true
I have the 4 and it’s an amazing grille, smoker, I’m not sure what people are expecting but it’s a bbq, and it does bbq very well
Definitely put out good food
Here's my thing, from what I've read and watched, a Yoder or Lonestar pellet grill are really the only pellet grills that gets you closest to a stick burner next to a Weber SF. And those are over $3000. I have weeks left on the 100 day money back guarantee. I think I am going to turn mine in and go with the new stealth model. From a YT video I've seen, looks like they changed the pellet hopper at least on the inside and I am hoping the temp fluctuations as well. Other than that, I really like the smoker. A cooking sheet catches my grease and the smoker puts out such good food.
The Smokefire does put out good food!
Any update on the stealth? Sold out on the Weber site...thinking about pulling the trigger on it.
Went to Knotty Wood's website and No Pecan wood pellets. Maybe they made them when this review was made, IDK. Would have been nice to know what "Chock Full" means in actual capacity. And, different hardwood types or blends make a HUGE difference on how well a Pellet Grill can maintain it's highest rated temps.
Good video with candid comments that are appreciated. I'm looking for a new larger pellet cooker, and have Weber charcoal grills for years, so of course looking at this. But that grease drain design right next to fire seems like a major red flag to me.
I got rid of mine. It put out good food for sure and they made improvements where they could and sent free parts to upgrade but nothing they can do about the overall design. I also had some inconsistencies with flameouts, etc. Not all the time but more often than any other pellet cooker I have used and I have used a few for sure.
@@BuQeyeBBQ appreciate the insight. Crossing off my list for sure.
Hey there! Great video mate! I just got a deal i the ex4 i was happy until i saw couple YT reviews about the ash and grease.
So here's my question:
1) how do you differentiate the 1st Gen from 2nd Gen (cause im not sure if mine is 2nd gen. Just bought it at Home depot 4 july)
2) does the 2nd Gen is better at managing the grease?
Thanks for your help and great review you did!
If you got it recently then it is likely the Gen 2. I believe you can go to the Weber web site and enter the serial number. The other ways to tell are the hopper on the gen 2 has an augmented piece in it to update the angle of the larger part of the pellet hopper and the auger is a single piece instead of welded parts. Weber sent a company to update my Gen 1 to Gen 2. They stood by it and made things right. The Smokefire isn't my favorite cooker but it turns out good food for sure. Thanks for watching.
Thats basicly everything but clean o.O
I'm here researching to see if the random shut down after a few to several hours of cooking happened to this guy & apparently it has, flame out, loss of temp & a pile of pellets from the auger to the fire pot. I'm reading the comments below & it seems to be an auger issue maybe? I've only used my EX6 Gen 2 a half dozen times ( 5 to be exact ) and this has happened twice now. As far as grease fires go I use a drip pan under my protein and I've noticed clean up down below is minimal. Wish me luck Weber family on getting my issue resolved.
I don't have mine anymore but it cooked good food. When I first got it, it was very frustrating. To Weber's credit, they tried to make it right by having it serviced, etc. It was definitely improved after that. but not necessarily perfect.
the ambient probe isn't made to handle high heat that is why its inaccurate and fluctuating on you all the time. i have destroyed quite a few of them when running mine at high heat and honestly just stopped using one the unit does what its supposed to do and i have found looking at that is completely unnecessary.
Also on the temperature variability, this is normal and desired in pellet grills the controllers intentionally lie to you about the real temp as long as its in range because the controller is prioritizing keeping the smoke level consistent and these grills are excellent in this department they smoke extremely well for a pellet grill.
100%, and I was mistakenly using the meat probe too and not the one meant for ambient measurement. Thanks for the comment!
What pellet smokers do you reccomend?
I like my trager but I also want a lonestar grillz or a yoder...any of these 3, to me a good.
Knotty wood Pecan? Where do you find those at?
I get them from Amazon. Not cheap but I do like them.
@@BuQeyeBBQ I didn't know they had Pecan flavor, thanks I'll check it out!
Quite question : I have the option to get a gen 1 in Dubai for AED5850 vs the gen 2 that is AED10900.00 is it worth spending the extra cash or would you recommend the gen 1 ? thank you or your time
If the Gen 1 has had the modifications...auger assembly, etc then yes it may be worth it but if the mods haven't been done I would stay away from the Gen 1.
Hey cool video. I don’t think you will get an accurate reading with the probe you are using. Those probes are super sensitive. I would get an aftermarket probe that is meant to measure ambient temp such as a Fireboard. Just my opinion.
Hey thanks for watching and for the comment. I agree re: the probes. I actually have a Thermoworks Signals with an ambient specific probe I use almost all the time. Thanks again for watching!
Don't you ever wipe down your grill? I'd hate to see you oven and cook top.
I had a new EX4 this past labor day weekend. It had difficulty downloading software updates, inconsistent temp readings and failed 3 1/2 hours into its very first cook. I returned the piece of garbage and ended up getting a masterbuilt 1050 from cabelas for a great deal and it absolutely blows away the weber.
I ended up getting mine to a pretty good spot but I was definitely in the same position a few times over the 1.5 years I owned. Unreliability is the worst thing a pellet cooker can be.
Apples to oranges comparison. The Masterbuilt is also plagued with issues as well.
@@toddbunnett640 I use the hell out of mine without any issues.
Is this a Gen 2 or 1?
I believe it was a gen 1 with the gen 2 upgrades after Weber had it serviced but I never actually verified that. I actually sold it not long ago. Thanks for the question!
@@BuQeyeBBQ why did you sell it if you don't mind me asking?
@@seanwright5894 I wanted a new one mostly. I had my eye on one by cookshack and decided to pull the trigger. I have enough cookers and didn’t need both so just put it on FB market place. I wasn’t super impressed with the smokefire for the 18 months I had it (for the reasons in the video) but it was running a lot better. One thing I do already miss about it was it’s size…could throw a lot more meat on it than my new one. Not that I cook for large groups very much.
@@BuQeyeBBQ how is the flavor profile based on what you have now?
Every review complaines about grease issue. That's a huge issue. If they resolved that and the uneven heat it would be a winner for its smoke profile you can't get with most pellet grills.
Have had mine for as him if not more and haven't had any issues with grease fires. As much as people complain about grease management you think there would be videos all over of it burning down.
I saw a couple reviews that the uneven heat is when it's going up or down. Once the temp is set it heats pretty even.
Grease management is a horrible fail in the Smokefire. I am so relieved that I canceled my reservation after the first reviews. And, in every cooking video on Smokefires that I have seen an incredible amount of ash gets blown on the food. Both are far better on my Camp Chef Woodwind.