wow400 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 7 minutes ago, Justin said: nothing will hold temp precisely mate, wind and sun will have an vary effect if nothing else, as long as it is in tolerance you are fine, plus or minus 20c seems fine Yep, I certainly can’t disagree with that (although mines all in °f but I know what you mean) but it should have been able to make max temp and was very slow getting up there - no wind to hinder it and nothing on the grates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 4 hours ago, wow400 said: Well yesterday, after having updated and fully cleaned out the SF (hoovered out auger etc) I thought I’d try a 600°f run then down to 225° for a St Louis cut of ribs. turned on at 0925 and gave up 2hrs later when the max temp of 528.9°f was reached 🙄 As you can see from the graph, it never really held 225° particularly well but the majority of the time the SF was showing 225 exactly. They’ve obviously added a filter that prevents fluctuations in temperature showing! The ribs were nice though 👍 I have said before I want graphs as part of the app. But with this new update and my own way of getting to know the machine now. I am happy with things at the moment and this grill just cooks whatever I throw it, like no other machine I have used or seen. I am lucky that touchwood, my machine reaches 225-600F no problem, there is some fluctuation in pit temp, but I don't use my pit probe from my Maverick anymore with it, as I was looking at it and finding myself frustrated at any temp difference from what I set. Now happy to just set my temp and rely on the IT of the meat for my cook overall. If it goes +/- 20F and takes a bit longer or shorter, I think so what. Just want the meat IT to be cooked to my preference. Only thing I do is, if the size f the meat allows keep the meat from the left as you look at it, using only 2/3rds of the grill on my EX4, as their is a hotspot towards the right and try not to use that part of the grill unless I have to, especially with one big piece of meat on a long cook. You can swap things around with smaller things like chicken wings, skewers etc. 4 hours ago, Jay123 said: First cook with the new update and a change of pellets to GMG. Disaster struck. Everything seemed OK but there was no heat being generated. It was very strange pellets through at a very slow rate and minimal quantity. Eventually gave up and removed the gubbins to find a clump blocking the route of everything. Put everything back together and jigged stuff about, it started to heat up well. My pan fried steak was at least good 😁 Stuck with Weber Pellets because of this problem with other brands, the only other successful brand that works with them I have heard about is Lumberajack, but not available in this country at the moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay123 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 So.... Another failed attempt with the GMG pellets. Think I'll have to try and see if I can get a refund for the other bag and stick with the weber ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay123 Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Another interesting day today....opened up the grill, removed every part of the jam, good clean etc. Ditched the GMG pellets, replaced with weber apple. Everything started off fine, white smoke turned darker and darker, eventually see attached. Temperature stayed at 35c according to the display and shortly after the photo was taken the lid popped. Frightened the hell out of me! Having a young child around this has severely knocked my confidence in this unit. It feels like a bit of a liability due to the unpredictability. Anyone have any ideas as to what could have happened to get the in this state? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James17 Posted May 27, 2020 Author Share Posted May 27, 2020 No idea. Where did you get it? id call Weber ASAP. They are normally really good at customer service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 24 minutes ago, Jay123 said: Another interesting day today....opened up the grill, removed every part of the jam, good clean etc. Ditched the GMG pellets, replaced with weber apple. Everything started off fine, white smoke turned darker and darker, eventually see attached. Temperature stayed at 35c according to the display and shortly after the photo was taken the lid popped. Frightened the hell out of me! Having a young child around this has severely knocked my confidence in this unit. It feels like a bit of a liability due to the unpredictability. Anyone have any ideas as to what could have happened to get the in this state? I have had this happen a couple of times (very heavy smoke on start up) too much to see the reason why. But the both times I have actually seen it happen. Opening the lid and let the smoke disperse (about 30 secs) it has gone back to normal startup and everything was fine. Understand your worry and you should contact Weber, I would be interested in their answer, but touchwood certainly in my case, it hasn't required more than opening the lid to let it disperse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay123 Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 56 minutes ago, James17 said: No idea. Where did you get it? id call Weber ASAP. They are normally really good at customer service Purchased from wowbbq. Will also drop them a line too. Will contact weber and see what happens. Watch this space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Another Firmware Update(4025) yesterday, Weber seems to have got it right now. 225F in 10 minutes and up to 600f in a little over 15 mins from a standing start for me. Rock solid temp holding, this is how it should have been from the start. Seems to recognise an open lid better and temp maintains really well, whilst it is open along with quick recovery. Did 6 hour ribs today, and did smokeboost for 40 minutes and 235F for the rest and it held temperature perfectly. Super pleased with this update 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon.W Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 I've barely used the smokefire since I purchased it, I went from 4003 to 4025 yesterday and I definitely noticed a difference in the way the thing behaves. Everything seemed a lot more responsive and it got to temp much faster and held steady, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James17 Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 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 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Simon.W said: I've barely used the smokefire since I purchased it, I went from 4003 to 4025 yesterday and I definitely noticed a difference in the way the thing behaves. Everything seemed a lot more responsive and it got to temp much faster and held steady, 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., 57 minutes ago, James17 said: 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 Good thing to compare it to. How did it perform and the brisket taste against the Summit? Edited May 31, 2020 by sotv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon.W Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 @sotv Yeah it has been used far less than I intended. This covid thing has simultaneously made my work schedule extremely busy and removed all my motivation to do anything outside of said work. I also felt rather self conscious asking for large cuts of meat in the midst of people panic-buying toilet roll. Hopefully I can start to get the use out of it that I intended over the coming months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 15 minutes ago, Simon.W said: @sotv Yeah it has been used far less than I intended. This covid thing has simultaneously made my work schedule extremely busy and removed all my motivation to do anything outside of said work. I also felt rather self conscious asking for large cuts of meat in the midst of people panic-buying toilet roll. Hopefully I can start to get the use out of it that I intended over the coming months. It's easy to forget, some people are busier than ever at the moment and don't have the time some have us have been afforded due to Covid-19. Meat is available from the normal sources, High Street Butchers and Supermarkets, I have found. But their are some good online butchers, if time is of premium or looking for specialist cuts also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James17 Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon.W Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 11 hours ago, sotv said: It's easy to forget, some people are busier than ever at the moment and don't have the time some have us have been afforded due to Covid-19. Meat is available from the normal sources, High Street Butchers and Supermarkets, I have found. But their are some good online butchers, if time is of premium or looking for specialist cuts also Yeah it's definitely been hectic. Are there any online butchers that you would recommend? I've been tempted to order online, but I usually like to see the piece of meat before buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Simon.W said: Yeah it's definitely been hectic. Are there any online butchers that you would recommend? I've been tempted to order online, but I usually like to see the piece of meat before buying. I have ordered from Gridironmeat a few times and been very pleased with their products, I signed up to Tom Hixson newsletter last week and got a 15% off introductory offer as heard good reports about them and will probably make an order up next week. There is a running thread here of other recommendations. If you like to see your meat and have a Morrisons near you, they have legs of British lamb at £7 a kg this week and I think that what Sunday dinner will be off the Smokefire this week as I want to see if I can adapt this recipe to it. I also picked a whole Gressingham Duck for £6 to cook on it tomorrow. Edited June 1, 2020 by sotv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon.W Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 50 minutes ago, sotv said: I have ordered from Gridironmeat a few times and been very pleased with their products, I signed up to Tom Hixson newsletter last week and got a 15% off introductory offer as heard good reports about them and will probably make an order up next week. There is a running thread here of other recommendations. If you like to see your meat and have a Morrisons near you, they have legs of British lamb at £7 a kg this week and I think that what Sunday dinner will be off the Smokefire this week as I want to see if I can adapt this recipe to it. I also picked a whole Gressingham Duck for £6 to cook on it tomorrow. Thanks for this, I'll certainly take a look and post any results that I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 54 minutes ago, sotv said: I have ordered from Gridironmeat a few times and been very pleased with their products, I signed up to Tom Hixson newsletter last week and got a 15% off introductory offer as heard good reports about them and will probably make an order up next week. There is a running thread here of other recommendations. If you like to see your meat and have a Morrisons near you, they have legs of British lamb at £7 a kg this week and I think that what Sunday dinner will be off the Smokefire this week as I want to see if I can adapt this recipe to it. I also picked a whole Gressingham Duck for £6 to cook on it tomorrow. If you re doing a Kleftico I highly recommend lamb shoulder on the bone. I live in Cyprus for 3 years and that was one of the best dishes there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James17 Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 I use Tom Hixson. Expensive but very good quality and you get USDA and Aussie meats etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Updates flying out now and more to come over the summer Engadget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wow400 Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Good to know 👍 I’ve done a couple of cooks and tests recently - the latest software / firmware updates have definitely helped although I reckon Weber have tweaked / filtered their algorithm such that when you set a temp and it gets near (say 600°f) it doesn’t really move from that unless it’s a big jump for a longer period of time. I set up my FireBoard to measure a food-less burn from ambient to 600° then a drop to 225° for a bit then back up to 600° again. You can see the results for yourself. Obviously way, way better than it was but I reckon you can see how they’ve accomplished it 😉 I also did a beer can chicken (second graph) with it set to 225° again then a final burn to crisp the skin - worked very well but the ‘stable’ 225° indication on the WSF isn’t what really occurs! I also had some weird ‘hunting’ of the temp display when I was trying to get it up to 600° (I had used one of their probes resting on the top grill inside) and it’s a shame you can’t attach a video or you could see the rock steady SF temp of 600° yet the probe jumped up & down through 529° then 586° then 624° (just those 3 exact temps) in random order for 5 mins before I turned it off...... There’s something going on behind the scenes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Interesting. I have the smaller EX4 and although I don't have a fireboard, have tried it with an old Maverick one I have and the pit temperatures are within 5 C of what the Smokefire display says all the way through the cook, when I checked. The Maverick pit probe was at the centre @ grill level There was another update (App only I think) haven't done it yet, the other day as well. Smokeboost ranged between 170-185F when I used it for 40 minutes each time with a seperate cook of ribs and a whole chicken. Still got to work out whether it's best to set smokeboost with a cooking temp set at 225F and then increase it to the desired cooking temp after the smokeboost has finished if cooking at a high temp or just set it to work at whatever temp your cooking at high or low Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wow400 Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Aah, that’s a good point - I’ve got an old Maverick somewhere, I’ll dig it out & try it against the FireBoard and the WSF probes. The smokeboost kicked in around 210° for me and fluctuated +- about 20°f and if you set it to on when at a higher temp, it stops the pellet feed & fan until the temp drops low enough to enable the smokeboost. And everything I’ve read reckons that the most smoky flavour is imparted when the food is not that hot: Quote It has long been known that smoke rings stop growing as the cook progresses. The point at which they stop seems to be when the myoglobin hits about 170°F depending on a number of variables. At that temp it has broken down so far that the pink color can no longer be locked in. But basting or spritzing the surface cools it and allows it to grow. So the size of the smoke ring as well as the sharpness of the edge is connected to how fast the meat heats. Yet another reason to cook low and slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Saw this on another forum, looks like they are about to released soon in the States only at the moment a Wet Smoke Kit for the Smokefire Basically a metal frame that you put the foil pan on and place between flavorizer bars and the grill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay123 Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 https://consumer-care.weber.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040719432-Update-from-our-CEO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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