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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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09-06-2013, 02:34 PM | #1 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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New Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker Unpacking (Lots of Pron)
First off, let me say that I have no connection whatsoever with Rec-Tec. I've recently retired and am very excited to start cooking with my new toy. I've got a lot of experience with pellet smokers. In the past I've owned a large Traeger (BBQ125), a small Traeger, an FEC100 and also an FEC120. I sold all my smokers when I moved from Wisconsin then retired in Arizona recently.
I did a lot of research before making this purchase. I no longer needed the capacity of the FEC's but I always liked my larger Traeger (BBQ125) for backyard personal cooking. The Rec-Tec is basically the same size as my larger Traeger which is perfect for me now that I've retired and will not likely be doing any more competitions or large parties. I called Rec-Tec directly to place my order and spoke with Ben. He was very nice and helpful on the phone. I ordered the smoker along with a cover and 2 frog mats. The shipping charge to Arizona was $199 which is the maximum they will charge for freight in the USA. They also accepted PayPal for payment which is not stated on their web site. The smoker was shipped the very next day via UPS truck freight. Rec-Tec emailed me a letter with the tracking number and attached a .pdf file with assembly instructions. UPS called me two days later and scheduled a day and time for delivery at my house. UPS arrived right on time. The truck had a hydraulic lift gate and the driver was extremely helpful unloading the unit and putting it in my garage for me. I asked about the wooden pallet it came on, as I have no use for it, so we took it off the pallet and the driver took the pallet with him which was great. Rec-Tec1.jpg The heavy cardboard box was undamaged and devoid of holes which is a good thing. Rec-Tec also included a free 40 pound bag of pellets which was sitting on top of the box which was a nice gesture. Thank you. Rec-Tec2.jpg Upon opening the box I was impressed with the substantial effort that had gone into packing the unit. The cardboard box had 3 layers of heavy duty cardboard and everything was suspended in large foam blocks. Rec-Tec3.jpg Rec-Tec4.jpg Inside were all the pieces necessary for assembly. Rec-Tec5.jpg The unit is quite heavy and very well built. Two people will be necessary to get the barrel unit out of the box and lay on its back for assembly. Rec-Tec6.jpg Rec-Tec8.jpg Here we have the legs on. I was apprehensive about this part as I read on several forums about people having problems getting the legs on, complaining about tight fits and needing a rubber hammer to install the legs. One fellow pounded so hard he broke some of the welds in the leg socket!! I think I know what may have gone wrong there. The legs are slightly rectangular and could possibly be forced into their sockets the wrong way. If you just look at the holes through the bottom of the legs where the lower shelf bolts in, just have all those holes facing forward. Also, make sure the fixed wheels are on your left and the wheels must face out. Anyway, all four legs slipped into the sockets with no effort. Here's a tip. Leave all of the legs and lower shelf bolts finger tight until you have the unit standing up on its legs. This way, the legs will self align so the unit sits flat on the ground. Make sure the surface is nice and flat and level when you do this. Rec-Tec9.jpg Here we've got the legs and lower shelf on, (bolts loose), and also the LH shelf/controller unit. The controller unit was pre-installed so all I had to do was attach the two wires coming from the temperature pickup. Caution here, follow the directions and use a flashlight. There are other terminals next to the correct ones. It would be easy to connect the wires to the wrong terminals as other people on the forums have done. Rec-Tec10.jpg Here we are with the wiring connected and the lower access plate for the controller installed. Rec-Tec11.jpg Here we've completed installing the smoke stack, side handle and the two cool looking stainless steel "Bull Horns". Rec-Tec12.jpg Ok, got my helper to lift her up on her feet. Notice it is sitting on a nice level concrete slab. Now I tightened the top of the legs first, then the lower shelf last. The unit is very solid and heavy built. Assembly was super easy and there we no missing or damaged parts. I'm very impressed with its quality and construction. The hardware is all stainless steel and much heavier than you'd expect. It's very similar in functional design to my old Traeger BBQ125 but unlike the Traeger, the Rec-Tec has a stainless steel drip pan and heat diverter which is great. Also, the Rec-Tec controller allows temperature changes of 5 degrees versus the Traeger in 25 degree increments. The color is more of a burnt orange versus the red you see on the Rec-Tec web site. I wish it was more red than the orange. Rec-Tec13.jpg The unit is built extremely well, but surprisingly, the two metal back stops for the cover are made out of very thin metal that the heavy cover sits against when it's open. I doubt this will ever cause any problems but it was the only detail that was out of character for this otherwise well built machine. Just had to nitpick something I guess. Rec-Tec14.jpg Well I just completed the initial burn-in. Threw a handful of pellets into the pot, turned her on and set it to 400 degrees. I let it run for just over an hour to burn off any oils. Everything went perfect. Rec-Tec15.jpg And now for seasoning. I foiled the drip pan and put ¾ pound of bacon on the frog mats and set the temperature to 375 degrees. Rec-Tec16.jpg Bacon is done, cooked to perfection. The heat appears to be very even as each piece of bacon came out the same doneness. Rec-Tec17.jpg Well that's it for today. I've got a couple nice pork butts in the refrigerator for the weekend. Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase at this point. What really surprised me with this company is that included in an envelope with the unit was a hand written Thank You note with the business cards for Ray (president), Ben (senior sales manager), and Jamie (general manager) each with their cell phone numbers! I didn't need to call for anything but it is nice to know that they are making themselves easily available should problems arise.
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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09-06-2013, 03:09 PM | #2 |
is Blowin Smoke!
Join Date: 12-15-11
Location: Madison, MS
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I really would like one of those!
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Large BGE, MINI-WSM, URR (Ugly Retro Rotisserie) Weber OTG |
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09-06-2013, 03:26 PM | #3 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-02-12
Location: Nashville, Tn
Name/Nickname : Jim H.
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Thanks for the great review & all the pics. Our comp team has been using a Rec Tec all season long to cook big meats, and it has performed perfectly. So far, we have a 2nd place brisket, two first place pork & one second place pork on the Rec Tec. The temperature control is very good and stays right on set temp.
I may get one to replace my Traeger soon.
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BWS Extended Party, 18" WSM, Green SS Performer, 22" OTG, KCBS CBJ |
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09-06-2013, 03:26 PM | #4 |
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Join Date: 08-23-13
Location: In the woods
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That looks great!
I'll be looking forward to see how the weekend cook goes. It sure is nice to have even heat distribution
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[B][COLOR=Blue]Help us raise funds to feed our Veterans and Homeless [/COLOR][/B][COLOR=Blue][COLOR=Black][URL="https://www.gofundme.com/2s8fv5qs"][B][COLOR=Red]HERE[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/COLOR][/COLOR] Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring ― Marilyn Monroe |
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09-06-2013, 03:31 PM | #5 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-17-13
Location: Burleson Tx
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Cool Deal - Looks Good - now Smoke a Brisket and report with pics so I know if I want one ......
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09-06-2013, 03:38 PM | #6 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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Got a good price on two nice pork butts for tomorrow. Brisket will be coming very soon !!
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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09-06-2013, 05:35 PM | #7 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 03-02-13
Location: Hendersonville, TN
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Congrats on the smoker...I've been looking at that one for some time now, have to wait till I can afford it though. Best of luck with it!
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WSM 22.5 , Weber OTG Shirley Fabrication 24x48 RF Offset :thumb: KCBS CBJ |
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Thanks from:---> |
09-06-2013, 06:20 PM | #8 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 07-02-10
Location: lake grove, new york
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Nice smoker good luck with it. Truth be told I am getting interested in pellet smokers. Im wondering if a pellet smoker is in my future.
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PITMAKER SAFE WSM WEBER KETTLE JENAIR GASSER |
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Thanks from:---> |
09-06-2013, 11:26 PM | #9 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 09-06-09
Location: Wilson, NC
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I have been looking at the Rec Tec also! Heard lots of good reviews and comments on them. Keep us posted on how it does.
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Rec Tec Bull Rec Tec Bullseye |
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09-06-2013, 11:40 PM | #10 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 07-03-12
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
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great looking cooker
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~Ren~ Fat Kids Club Founding Member |
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Thanks from:---> |
09-07-2013, 01:01 PM | #11 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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Butts on
Last night I injected two large butts (10 lb and 9.2 lb). Early this morning I applied the rub. Going with a 50/50 mix of Apple and Hickory pellets at 250 degrees.
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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09-07-2013, 03:16 PM | #12 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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We're now about 5 hours 45 minutes into the cook. I put temp probes a couple inches out from both sides of the butts to check grate temps. I found that the grate temp has been running about 10 degrees cooler than the controller set temp. I wanted a grate temp of 250 so a couple hours ago I raised the Rec-Tec controller up to 260 which put me almost exactly 250 at the grate on both temp probes. The Rec-Tec temp readout never varies more than 1 degree but the ThermoWorks quick reading thermocouple probe shows about a 3 degree variance up and down which is very good. You can see that the internal temp of the butt probe () is at 163.7 degrees right now. I'll be wrapping the butts in foil at 170.
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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09-07-2013, 04:05 PM | #13 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-17-13
Location: Burleson Tx
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On these pellet cookers can yall get a heavy smoke/heavy bark- a lump of charcoal Butt? Not knocking them just curious - I've been considering getting one. How does the cost of pellets per cook compare to Charcoal/chunks?
LIke: |
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09-07-2013, 04:22 PM | #14 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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You can get as dark a bark as desired. The rub that you use has a lot to do with the bark color. More sugars will give a darker bark. As far as smoke you will not get as heavy a smoke than you can get with some other methods but I and many people feel pellet smokers give just the right amount. Too much smoke is worse than not enough. I've had stick burners and a couple WSM. I love pellet smokers for the ease of use and consistent product they produce. I like that I can put on a brisket at 11pm and go to bed and not worry about it. Just my opinion though.
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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09-07-2013, 04:24 PM | #15 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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As far as pellet cost it's about one dollar per hour buying in 20lb bags including shipping.
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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