Rec tec

I've had a RT 680 for almost three years, it's been about as worry free as an electronic cooker can get. I've cooked in 90+ degree heat and in the 20s in the winter, never had an issue and it holds temp better than I could have ever expected. I have no complaints and if I ever need to get another pellet cooker it will be from them.

Happy with my two RecTec cookers.

I bought the small bullseye for competition steak cooking, and after I enjoyed it so much, I was an early adopter of the BFG. I had MAJOR issues with the BFG, but RecTec's customer service was spot-on through the process.

I'm cooking my first competition with the BFG next week, and based on my test cooks I am looking forward to seeing how it does.

I purchased a BFG when they were first released. I decided that pellet cookers aren't for me, but their customer service was excellent.

I've had the 590 Stampede for about 6 months now. I really like the set and forget aspect of it because I'm always working on something around the house and I can't always babysit charcoal. I has produces some of the best ribs I've ever made. I've done pizza, ribs, csr's, chicken, turkey breast, and smoked tuna...all have come out excellent. The key to the smokey flavor is to let it ride at 225 or lower. Anything higher and the smoke profile gets lighter.

I don't own one but 3 of my coworkers do. One has a RT680 and the other two are 700's which I believe replaced the 680. From all indications I get they love their cookers.

I got a BFG when it first came out...pretty sure the one I got was the very first production run. The cook chamber door was out of alignment leaving about a 1" gap on one side, while it sat flush on the other side. After about a months worth of use I noticed that the side with the gap was about 75° hotter than the other side. I spoke with Rec Tec and they sent me a new door, and that door was better, but there was still about a 1/2" gap all around. I figured it would be OK, but once I changed the doors the computer started having issues for some reason. The internal temp was reading 250° but checking with my Thermoworks Smoke the cook chamber was almost 400°. The only reason I started using the Smoke to check the temp was because I put on a few racks of spare ribs at 250° for 4 hours...when I came back to check on them they were burnt beyond all recognition.

Rec Tec was awesome though and even though I had been using the cooker for ~2 months they took it back and gave me a full refund. I've always heard very good things about their other models, so maybe the BFG just wasn't quite ready and they shipped them out a bit too early.

As @BigThicket said the BFG showed me that pellet cookers weren't for me. One thing that caught me off guard was the cost of pellets. I had always been a stickburner, which is very cheap to run, so having to pay $20-25 in pellets every time I cooked was pretty shocking.

Love my Rec Tec, and for the money, I believe they are an excellent value. The newer one have lots of stainless, perform flawlessly, and produce excellent food. I've had mine over three years and it has become my go-to cooker for smoking.

Good luck!

AJREALBBQ said:

Anyone have experience with REC TEC?

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Three years in with my 680. Love it. Holds temps like a champ.

I had a Traeger for years, when time to purchase a new one I went with RecTec instead and will never look back. Good solid smoker, locks in temps within 1 degrees, ridiculous amount of stainless steel on this smoker (grates, handles, firebox cover and more).

We love our Rec Tec RT 590 Stampede. True set it and forget it capabilities, WiFi, and great results.

NewEnglandQ said:

I had a Traeger for years, when time to purchase a new one I went with RecTec instead and will never look back. Good solid smoker, locks in temps within 1 degrees, ridiculous amount of stainless steel on this smoker (grates, handles, firebox cover and more).

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Have you ever ran a fireboard along with your rectec? Bet it won’t hold to one degree. Mine didn’t, the controllers are programmed to say they are though. I had a 680 and had lots of issues. Had to repaint within 6 months, new fan, rtd, controller, and I think the auger motor.