SmoothBoarBBQ
is Blowin Smoke!
Yeah, I'm not sure. The lady with whom I spoke was clearly very knowledgeable and forthright. That's not to say that Weber either isn't aware of a bigger issue, or not cover something up. She did, however, say that grease fires are not an issue that they've identified and they disagree with what's being posted/published.
Just so everyone is clear, you can open your lid, put your probe in, etc. What Weber is saying in the manual is that they recommend a drip pan and they do not recommend cooking with the lid open. I didn't like that when I saw it either, as I prefer grilling without a lid.
For me, the biggest takeaway is that I'm now a huge pellet grill fan. I'm very much looking forward to getting a Mak. For those who don't want to drop a ton of coin on a higher end cooker, I think the Smokefire is a tremendous value. It doesn't have the paint problems of a Yoder, probably cooks hotter than a Mak and smokes better than a Memphis, all without the massive price tag. Is it a better cooker? Probably not, at least not right now, but it is probably a much better value and will improve in short order.
Those of you who find yourselves angry, frustrated and disappointed might want to avoid early adoption in the future. I had no expectations of this grill and, for that reason, have not found myself disappointed. I actually chuckled last night when my cooker died mid-cook and I had to move my lamb chops to a skillet.
Buddy, it seems like you keep on saying the same thing over and over, and you're refusing to listen to what people are explicitly showing you. The drip pan is recommended....IN THE GREASE SYSTEM. What this means is that they recommend a drip pan in the drawer. NOWHERE in that manual, or in any video put out by Weber, does it say they recommend a drip tray INSIDE the cooking chamber. If you actually watched BabyBackManiac's video he CLEARLY has a drip pan inside the drawer as recommended by Weber.
Do you mean to tell us that on the phone with Weber they explicitly stated that you should have a drip tray INSIDE the smoke chamber?
Here's what it says in the "warnings" part of the manual :
"WARNING! Never operate this grill without the
ash and grease system in place. Always use a
drip pan to collect grease within the drawer."
That manual NEVER states to use a drip pan INSIDE the smoke chamber. Each and every time this manual uses the words "drip pan" it is linked directly to "grease system." Their grease system is the method of diverting the grease into the drawer. Unfortunately, as has been shown in many videos, the grease can't drain properly because there is more ash than was designed to be inside the bottom of the cook chamber.
Good luck with your SmokeFire and putting in the new auger (it was the auger, right?). I'm not trying to be rude here but I just wanted to emphasize that you're misunderstanding Weber when they say the words "drip pan" in regards to the SmokeFire. It is part of the grease system which means the the drip pan needs to be in the drawer...NOT the cook chamber.
Also, here's what the manual says about the grease system :
"Easy-Clean Ash and Grease System
With superior ash and grease removal, the ash and grease are channeled into an external, contained drawer for a quick and easy cleanup. This means not having to look at all that nasty grease in a bucket hanging from the side of your beautiful new pellet grill. This unique system also prevents ash from blowing up into the cookbox and onto your food. "