James17

My smoke boost runs at 135f. Just doing beef ribs and good smoke out the back. 
 

been running like a dream for a few months now

All sorted now running like a dream since it’s last rebuild 

12 hours ago, Jay123 said:

First cook this year, excitedly waited for the updates to happen. New bag of pellets opened and off I went. Struggled to get over 260c, followed by auger jam and abandoned cook due to the loss of heat. 

Will be putting that email into weber! 

That’s annoying. Since my new auger and new motherboard, controller it’s been running great. 
 

I did notice on freezing days getting to 600f took ages. But last few days it hit it in no time. 

On 12/12/2020 at 8:52 PM, Simon.W said:

Yikes man, that really sucks.  Chewing through that many controllers seems like there is some external factor involved.  Is it the same issue each time?  

Ok latest update. Weber sent replacement power board and controller. 
 

ive replaced it all and so far so good. All working again. 
 

5th controller now though! Hopefully last one 

I went with a Kamodo Joe big joe 3

i have to say it’s amazing. I was lucky enough to have a Webber summit charcoal to use for a few months. Great piece of kit and with the new non gas starter one coming out at less money it’s a serious contender. 
 

but money aside the KJ is awesome. First time I did an overnight cook I had a remote probe with alarms set if temp drifted. Woke up in the morning in a panic thinking it had disconnected as the alarm hadn’t gone off and woken me. Went downstairs and it was almost the exact temp I left it. I didn’t get quite the same stability off the summit. 
 

KJ rotisserie turns out great food and has quickly become my favorite way of cooking. 
 

the summit has same (I think) grill size as big joe. But divide and conquer system is epic. 
 

Money not a consideration, get the KJ. 

1 hour ago, Simon.W said:

Yikes man, that really sucks.  Chewing through that many controllers seems like there is some external factor involved.  Is it the same issue each time?  

The first time it was resetting to an old version and wouldn’t even light. Somehow the hardware was dragging the software back a few versions. I was on the phone to Weber in the US and they were baffled. Hence the whole new grill. 
 

did some Googling and looks like a power board issue. It was working fine a few days ago. Honestly it’s gutting because when it works it a breeze and turns out great food. 

On 12/6/2020 at 6:22 PM, Simon.W said:

Keep me posted!

So weber bless them sent me pellets to do a test burn. Turned grill on and after 10mins my phone flashed improper shutdown error. 
 

ive tried everything but the controller keeps flashing on and off and flickering. Has ruined a £30 rack of beef ribs. 
 

I am this close to asking for a full refund. I have had to replace 3 controllers, install the hopper insert. Then they replaced the whole grill. Then I had to replace the auger and now it’s broken again. 
 

2 hours ago, Simon.W said:

Yeah it's definitely worth a look. 

This is what mine looked like and it took a screwdriver to pry it all out.  The picture doesn't even show half of it.  

I hoping that most of it was caused by shutdowns done before firmware 4042 and the latest version will stop it from re-occuring.

That will certainly stop it reaching top temp. Thanks I’ll give it a clear out 

4 hours ago, Simon.W said:

I've had temperature issues on my EX6, but it turned out to be the the shutdown process jamming up the pellets in the auger.  That's the welded sing-piece auger as well.  After removing the motor and cleaning it all out, it's working as normal.  Cold weather doesn't seem to bother it.  

I might try that. I have the welded auger but it did put its self out a while ago. Pellets everywhere. 
 

maybe there is a blockage and it’s not able to feed enough. Been running great otherwise 

Anyone having issues getting to full temp in the colder weather?

11 hours ago, sotv said:

Not fair to go into to much detail as Weber are looking into it as I had the incidents all videoed as it was happening and it has been passed onto the International side of Weber as well, due to the nature of what has happened.

It's not the fastest process as Weber CS working from home, but they seem proactive and hopefully will get it sorted albeit slower than what it would be pre-covid as means replacing some parts, to see if it works again and if not further parts etc, etc. Hopefully just a few parts damaged, but won't know till I start replacing them.

Without a working machine at the moment and I'm missing it, may even have to use the PRoQ for the first time this year, this weekend.

 

well I can say that the customer service (which I have used a bit) including on the international side where I have the US on the phone, has been very very good, no complaints on that side. Ive have numerous parts and even a whole new replacement BBQ. fingers crossed but it seems to all works wonderfully now. 

Enjoy the old BBQ, I have been making an effort to cycle through mine as I do love playing with fire!

1 hour ago, Lleyton Mac's Backyard BBQ said:

Still about the same to be honest i was getting flame outs the only way i could stop it before the new chute was to hoover out all the pellet dust from the auger every 2 cooks otherwise i would get a flame out its the sawdust at the back of the spiral feeder clogging it up and making it turn slower i think

New auger for a month now I think. Runs perfect, no issues with smoke boost. 
 

on another note I pulled the trigger on a Kamado Joe 3 as sold my kettle and need charcoal in my life.... aside from my WSM lol 

1 hour ago, Simon.W said:

I think I'm just being a wuss about the whole rain thing then  

I'm quite tempted to push support for the new auger, I've noticed a lot of sawdust in mine when I emptied it out last night.  I'll test the new pellets like they've suggested and go from there.

I'd be really keen to see people's christmas turkey results on the smokefire!

I asked and got nowhere. But when I said it wouldn’t get up to full temp they shipped it straight out. One of the first replacement ones to go out. 
 

not easy to fit (over sized screws) so I gave them my feedback. 

2 hours ago, Simon.W said:

Yeah I've found the same thing, although I purchased it for the slow smoking, it makes the standard BBQ items a complete breeze as well.  I'm planning on doing a Shepards pie on it over the weekend, hopefully it will turn out good!

The Florida-like weather is not something I would want to risk either.

I usually buy a rolled half turkey crown for xmas which I then brine for a day before cooking, I'm thinking of buying two slightly smaller ones this year and cooking them similtaneously in the oven like normal and on the smokefire to compare the results.  If the smokefire comes out on top, I'll retire the oven for the next year!

Used mine in heavy rain and it stays plugged in all the time. No issues. 
 

I use it a few times a week as still try to use the others in my collection. 
 

I got the new welded auger and it’s been a dream since then. No issues at all. But when I replaced it the old one did Have a lot of sawdust in it. The new update limits the reverse of the auger at the end of a cook so this should be far less of an issue going forward. 
 

the best thing is the wife now uses it every week to do a roast chicken because it’s so easy. I have done a Christmas turkey on the WSM for the last few years but I might use the EX6 this year. 

52 minutes ago, sotv said:

I am probably the oldest Smokefire user here 😀 But if anybody prefers Fahrenheit to Centigrade the new App Update from Weber yesterday, allows you to monitor and set all temps on your phone now In Fahrenheit and not just from the Smokefire control unit now. Hooray.

Great because my phone is in Celsius and grill in Fahrenheit so they always are in different settings

Ok so new welded auger fitted.

story of two halves. Whilst it all goes together ok, the screws that go through the auger and bolt it to the hopper are a bit too big for the auger holes, so you end up forcing them through as you are effectively threading the metal in the auger holes for the first time. The screws for the auger are right up agains the sides of the hopper so very hard to get good force onto them. I ended up getting them to bite, and then getting a socked and wrench on the bolt heads. If I didn't have a set I doubt I'd have managed. 

So what should have been a quick job turned into a 40 minute mission with multiple trips to the garage for tools.

That said, once done I fired it up and it got straight to 600F. So it appears to have fixed the problem. not sure how as the old auger was feeding fine and you don't replace the motor. 

As a bonus Weber also included a free bag of pellets with it. happy days 

1 hour ago, wow400 said:

Hopefully that’ll stop the reverse pellet grinding 👍

not had any issues with that so far. overall it's been great but the last software update and no longer getting up to top temp

22 minutes ago, Jay123 said:

Those that have received welded auger etc are you using the ex4 or ex6? 

Ex6 for me

Since the latest update mine is no longer reaching top searing temp. emailed weber last night and this morning they came back and are shipping the new welded auger. apparently one of the first in the country so looking forward to an improved experience.

Can't fault their customer service. 

17 minutes ago, Justin said:

amazing

I use Tom Hixson. Expensive but very good quality and you get USDA and Aussie meats etc...

44 minutes ago, sotv said:

Expensive garden ornament. I use mine 3 or 4 times a week, tried so many different things fried, grilled, cooked. I love mine and so many ideas for food to try yet. I am probably one of the lucky ones and had no real problems with it and with the constant improvements from Weber, I am really pleased with it. Just wish it was cheaper to run fuel wise and did'nt give me a static shock when I put the cover on. Had some right pissers lately from it.,

Good thing to compare it to. How did it perform and the brisket taste against the Summit?

The smokefire ran beautifully, 2 hours smoke boost to start. 
 

the summit was rock solid and used hardly any fuel. I have been very impressed with its efficiency. 
 

I find the smokefire pretty good on fuel when going low but start pushing it to 180c and higher and it becomes very hungry. You can see the level in the hopper going down. Still 10-15 minutes to get Up to temp and ready to go is a major plus. 
 

both briskets had good smoke rings. Impressed with how much smoke flavour smoke boost added. Of course not as smokey as the summit but not far off. If it wanted a load of smoke flavour I would probably use the WSM anyway, it’s not as insulated so you get better air flow. 
 

im lucky enough to use my BBQ’s almost every day. Did a pasta bake on one the other day for the hell of it. 
 

had 3 running today at one stage as we had lamp rump as well for lunch so used the Weber go anywhere To sear the steaks. Love that thing for quick steaks with the grillgrates. 
 

I haven’t had a single static shock from mine. 

Did a brisket today with 2 hr smoke boost. Ran exactly how it should do. 
 

also ran a brisket on a summit charcoal as a side by side Test to see how they compare

I am looking to buy a new BBQ and need to clear some space. Selling my beloved performer charcoal. 
 

they are currently £539 new. It’s in great condition, sear grate has been used once. Looking for £350. 
 

collection from Essex, near Leigh-on-Sea 

Really undecided on which Kamado. It’s summit (there is a third party that does a rotisserie so boxed ticked) or KJ big joe 3. 
 

before I found out about the rotisserie for the summit it was an easy choice but now....

does anyone have experience of both?

thanks