Weber smokefire gen 2

Kaptain Kadian said:
Doing long smokes like a brisket. My Yoder will also scorch the bottom of ribs after only 2 hours of cooking.
Click to expand...

The Outlaw is like a Yoder but with an extra layer of steel between the fire and the food, full welds instead of spot welds and goo, an ash clean out door, a better fire basket, a better controller (IMO), better door hinges, a better auger motor (IMO), and a better smoke exhaust system.

Outlaw's website is out of date and poorly designed (Nelson White seriously needs to hire a marketing/branding/website person). But his current product (still not shown online) is outstanding.

If you want something like a Yoder but arguably better, give Outlaw your serious consideration.
 
Kaptain Kadian said:
Has anyone bought a gen 2 Weber smokefire lately? I am considering selling my current pellet smoker and getting a smokefire. I was curious if they have fixed any of the numerous problems with the 1st ones. I don't care how it grills food, I am only concerned about how it smokes. Thanks
Click to expand...

I have the Smokefire bought it last December. It's had it's share of small problems. Often exacerbated by people not reading the instructions first. A new firmware update came out last week, which by reading the reports on several FB Smokefire groups, has solved the problems of flameouts, operation of Smokeboost, and a couple of refinements.
My original SF was burned up beyond recognition in the house fire I previously mentioned. Donations have enabled me to purchase a replacement which is to be delivered today. That should speak for itself in favor of the Smokefire
 
Love my smokefire. Had it since last July and it works every time I use it. Only thing I replaced was the free auger weber sent me.
 
ttkt57 said:
The Outlaw is like a Yoder but with an extra layer of steel between the fire and the food, full welds instead of spot welds and goo, an ash clean out door, a better fire basket, a better controller (IMO), better door hinges, a better auger motor (IMO), and a better smoke exhaust system.

Outlaw's website is out of date and poorly designed (Nelson White seriously needs to hire a marketing/branding/website person). But his current product (still not shown online) is outstanding.

If you want something like a Yoder but arguably better, give Outlaw your serious consideration.
Click to expand...

I was super close to pulling the trigger on the Outlaw vs the Yoder. There was just a couple of things that pulled me to the Yoder. However, I would be quick to pull the trigger on an Outlaw over the Weber.
 
jkief said:
I was super close to pulling the trigger on the Outlaw vs the Yoder. There was just a couple of things that pulled me to the Yoder. However, I would be quick to pull the trigger on an Outlaw over the Weber.
Click to expand...

Hard to go wrong with either IMO. I got an Outlaw because their shop is 20 minutes from my house. If I lived in Kansas I probably would have gotten a Yoder.

Both will make your family a great dinner, if you do your part.

Edit: What were the things that made you pick the Yoder over the Outlaw?
 
Last edited:
ttkt57 said:
Hard to go wrong with either IMO. I got an Outlaw because their shop is 20 minutes from my house. If I lived in Kansas I probably would have gotten a Yoder.

Both will make your family a great dinner, if you do your part.

Edit: What were the things that made you pick the Yoder over the Outlaw?
Click to expand...

I’m sure. As I’m using the Yoder more, there are a few things I love about it and a few things I absolutely hate about it. Maybe I’ve been using my MAK too long.
 
jkief said:
I’m sure. As I’m using the Yoder more, there are a few things I love about it and a few things I absolutely hate about it. Maybe I’ve been using my MAK too long.
Click to expand...


Would love to hear more detail... always curious.
 
jkief said:
Going to do a smoked burger cook off tomorrow between the MAK and Yoder. Plan on doing a rib off between them two and the Assassin coming up as well. Going to start a new thread with the results.
Click to expand...


Love it!!!

I just did some smoked burgers on the MAK the other day. Sooooo good :)
 
I have had my Smokefire for over a year with minimal problems. It most definitely produces better flavor than most pellet cookers and yes it works well as a grill. I got rid of a Grilla Silverback because I hated the lack of flavor. The firmware is a little wonky once in awhile but the latest update seems like a good improvement. It's definitely not perfect but I think in its price range there isn't anything better (I'm sure all the Rec-Tec fans will jump on that!). I got my EX6 on sale for under 1k and had Weber send me the updated auger motor and pellet ramp which have worked flawlessly. I'm hoping to get several more years out of it but might eventually upgrade to a high end pellet cooker like a Mak or Pitts and Spits.
 
I'm doing a cook on my SmokeFire EX4 Gen 2 right now. It held temp steady at 500 for 1 hour, then it dropped down to at least 320 degrees and is currently attempting to recover. Because I've never had issues with high-temp cooks before, I'm not monitoring it with my InkBird - so I'm not sure how low it really went or if the controller is lying about its recovery right now. We'll see how the bread looks in a little bit.
 
The bread turned out pretty good despite the temp swing. It's a little softer inside, but still good.

20210420bread.jpg


Tonight's cook did present a new issue - condensation forming in the pellet hopper, on the lid and starting to drip down the back side. Fortunately, since it was running at a high temp and it chews up pellets at a pretty brisk pace, the condensation never made it to the pellets. This may be an oddball event based on our current weather conditions (54F at 6 PM, 43F at 11 PM, low of 34 tonight, RH 64%) and the temp I was running the cooker at (500F). It still gives me concern, and I don't think it would have occurred if the pellet hopper wasn't directly under the grill's exhaust. Yes, the lid was closed completely the entire time.

Anyway, that's the most recent update on my experience with the SmokeFire EX4 Gen2. My ticket with Weber has been updated with both issues. Apologies for the poor photo skills.
 
NoCoPk360 said:
I have had my Smokefire for over a year with minimal problems. It most definitely produces better flavor than most pellet cookers and yes it works well as a grill. I got rid of a Grilla Silverback because I hated the lack of flavor. The firmware is a little wonky once in awhile but the latest update seems like a good improvement. It's definitely not perfect but I think in its price range there isn't anything better (I'm sure all the Rec-Tec fans will jump on that!). I got my EX6 on sale for under 1k and had Weber send me the updated auger motor and pellet ramp which have worked flawlessly. I'm hoping to get several more years out of it but might eventually upgrade to a high end pellet cooker like a Mak or Pitts and Spits.
Click to expand...
How did you get it on sale?
 
Long story, no one wants to hear it. But I received another EX6 Smokefire yesterday. It appeared to have been tweaked in the construction. Legs fit better, lid tighter, it updated to the early 2021 firmware and then 30 minutes later updated to the firmware released last week.
I reverse seared some ribeyes last night, seared at 600 degrees like a champ. It did everything it was supposed to do, and a good fashion
 
Kaptain Kadian said:
How did you get it on sale?
Click to expand...

Ace Hardware was clearing out the generation 1 models they had left. I had read that Weber would send you the updates so I saved myself a couple of hundred bucks and took a leftover gen 1 and installed the updates myself. I've also heard of people finding them on craigslist or facebook for a good price.
 
Love it.

Just bought one. I love it. No it’s not a Smokey mountain, but the WSM cannot perform half the stuff the smoke fire can accomplish.
 
I bought a smoke fire last week. I smoked on a WSM for a decade, and still do. I love the smoke fire. It is not a replacement for the best smokers, but being able to cook from sub 200 to 600 degrees by the adjustment of a dial is amazing. From ribs, steak, to pizza. Amazing cooker with nice smoke flavor. Love it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

mcyork28
Weber Smokefire Gen 2
Replies
2
Views
666
SmokinAussie
SmokinAussie
T
Mak 2-Star Capacity
Replies
16
Views
935
DBBQ
D
S
Weber smokefire second generation
Replies
6
Views
11K
RCAlan
R
Happy Hapgood
Weber 3 Star Review. Weber Reached Out.
Replies
18
Views
1K
sandro
sandro
S
Equipment switcharoo (warning, stupidly long and likely boring!)
Replies
10
Views
402
DBBQ
D
Back
Top