First hi heat cook with Rec Tec

Okay I didn’t buy the pellet grill for high heat cooks. I am dialed in for steaks on my Primo which is my dedicated high heat cooker. But since I am cooking for myself, I figured I would see how my Rec Tec does with high heat cooks.

Angus filet seasoned with cow cover.

Two Grill Grate panels on the main grate. Grill set to 500 degrees, using B&B post oak pellets. Turned the pit on 50 minutes ago and only at 435. I have read somewhere on a review that B&B pellets don’t get hot enough for some people. No big deal. Just a test. I bought this cooker for low and slow cooks.

It is a school night so I am drinking the “reg” instead of the good stuff.

Be back soon

It is good for the money. I drink a fair amount of red wine and try to stay below $20 per bottle if possible. For second bottles or of nights I generally stay below $10/ bottle. 14 hands can be had for $9 on sale. I am not going to say it is great but it is really good. Doesn’t taste cheap at least. Decent balance. I also stock up on Clos Du Boris Merlot for an economical daily drinker.

At the flip. Never got above 450 so I threw it on. 6.5 minutes per side and we will see how we do

And we are done. Never got over 440.is it pellets? The cooker? I don’t care. My Primo cooks a mean steak. I went 6 minutes first side, 7 the second. Maybe a hair over cooked but not by much. Juicy and flavorful. Without Grill Grates would be a non starter. Honestly, I am still learning this cooker, so I am not closing the book on high heat cooks, but with a perfectly good Primo sitting there ready to roll there isn’t a point to that. The Primo is a world class steak cooker in my opinion.

Still a wonderful meal and that is what counts

It really was. Wish I cooked 2.

This thread is aimed at those who would consider this as an only grill. In my opinion it would work, just wouldn’t be optimum. If I didn’t have a Primo I would have a Weber kettle parked next to it.

SweetHeatBBQnSC said:

After using a little longer, how do you feel about it? Would you still highly recommend it?



Does it cook the chicken well? What are your thoughts on the cooker as a whole?

Click to expand...

1. Absolutely I am happy with it. It is a quality cooker. Well made with quality materials (stainless interior, heavy duty fire pot, ceramic igniter). Even though some complain about the Wifi, it works well for me and has all the functions I need.

I am still dialing it in on what works best and what imparts the best flavor. Every cooker has a temperature it likes to run. I am starting to think that 250 degrees might be the sweet spot for this cooker for right amount of smoke for long cooks.

So far, I have done 4 cooks. First cook was STL spare ribs. 4 hours at 275. Some of the best ribs I have cooked in a while. Loved them. Next day did 2 racks of Loin backs. Same rub, same pellets, 275. They were good but I didn't enjoy them as much. The very next day did a brisket using B&B post oak. Cooked at 275 for about 8.5 hours. Very tender, nice smoke ring, but not much smoke flavor. Tasted like baked beef roast. Next brisket cook, I will do overnight at lower temperatures to get more smoke. Like I said earlier, still dialing this thing in. And last night's steak cook was the 4th cook.

It is kind of fun trying different pellets to see the differences. I bought 2 more bags of Lumberjack last night and will use 100% pecan this weekend on a pork butt. I liked the pecan blend and am curious to see the difference with the 100%. Still cannot find the 100% hickory but bought a bag of blend because that is all they had.

All in all, I really like this grill. It does everything I need it to do. It is high quality at a reasonable price. I would recommend it with confidence to anyone shopping at that price point. But I also would be happy with anything from Grilla or Pellet Pro as they are in the same level as far as quality and customer service goes from what I have heard.

2. I have seen a lot of reviews on the facebook page of people having trouble getting the skin crispy using all low temps. I have yet to do chicken. My Primo is very good at chicken. But I am sure I will do some wings soon. My gameplan would be 225 for an hour to get smoke, then crank to 350 to finish and crisp the skin.

SMetroHawkeye said:

Congrats on the new cooker - very cool looking! Even if it didn’t hit the temp you wanted, that steak looks great to me! Solid high temp test... sounds like now it’s time to relax with the low and slow!

I have not used the B&B, but can vouch for the Lumberjack Pecan... I used them for both ribs and butt and they were awesome; I like that super smoke setting on the RT - should be a great way to start the cook. I’m also really liking CookinPellets Perfect Mix. I got lucky that there is a dealer nearby. Good smoke flavor and MAYBE a little lower ash than the Lumberjack, but negligible so far.

Good luck with the new cooker - looking forward to seeing more of your cooks!

Click to expand...

thank you for the feedback. You are talking about the 100% pecan right? I liked the blend and have high hopes for this one.

rwalters said:

Nice looking steak! Had you made two, I would’ve been more than happy to join you for dinner

Just rambling, but in my opinion, having the RT and Primo sitting side by side provides you with a really nice and EASY 2 zone setup for reverse searing. There are a lot of us pelletheads that find by slowly bringing the steaks up to temp in the pellet ‘smoker’ followed by a screaming hot sear on a secondary cooker (like your Primo) to be very hard to beat!!!

Click to expand...

that is my thoughts exactly. I have a tri tip in my freezer right now. My plan is to smoke at 200 until I hit around 115 internal then sear on the Primo. I believe in using the proper tool for the right job. Both cookers have their strong points. I look at the two together as a perfect cooking system. Or at least that is the plan.