Weber SmokeFire EX4 Wood Fired Pellet Grill, Black, 2nd Generation

Upgraded from an electric smoker because it could not maintain a constant temperature when the outside temp dropped below 50 degrees. After a couple of rebuilds of the electric cooker I upgraded.Little did I know the Weber Smokefire EX4 was in a total different league.Just set the temperature on the console or App and it ignites, heats up to the desired temp and maintains until you change it. Regardless of the external temp.Below are some of the features I love:* The smoke boost function adds the extra smoke flavor that is sometimes missing in a Pellet smoker* Solid build* Wheels make it easy to roll across the deck when used* Easy start - just set temperature* Auto shut-down, just push the button on the app* Adjust the cook temperature from the app anywhere* Temperature probes send the temp info to the app and charts* Great recipes in the app* Easy cleanup* Great resultsI have had excellent results smoking wings, chicken, 14 pound turkey (guess when), calzones, ribs and a Boston Butt.

I've been a "Weber man" for the past 25 years. So, when I wanted to get a pellet smoker, I looked at Weber's SmokeFire, as well as others. The 1st gen SmokeFire seemed to have some issues, but reviews looked better for the 2nd gen. I gave Weber the benefit of the doubt, assuming that they worked out the bugs from the 1st gen. I was wrong. This is a great grill WHEN IT WORKS. The problem is that it doesn't work that often/reliably and has ruined more than a few BBQs. Weber customer service has been OK. They sent me all new "guts" which I had to replace myself and the same issues persisted. Weber needs to either fix their product or get out of the pellet grill market. Spending $1200 for a grill that only occasionally works doesn't leave customers with a warm and fuzzy feeling.Issues:1. Won't heat/hold the temperature - I fully clean the inside of the grill before every cook. Sometimes the grill works/other times it starts heating up and then stops. There is a 15 min shut down before you can try to re-start the grill. Initial startup, shut down, re-start is a 45-minute exercise - my dinner guests aren't always this patient. Replacing the glow plug ($25) seems to help for a while, but I'm getting maybe 10-15 cooks before I run into problems again (Weber says glow plugs will last 150 cooks - ha!).2. REQUIRES Weber pellets - initially tried other pellets because I couldn't find Weber pellets, but other pellets are generally too large for the SmokeFire and clog the auger. The problem is that Weber pellets are ~2x more expensive and are becoming increasingly hard to find (many places that sell Weber grills/parts don't carry their pellets).3. Extra time/maintenance/costs - as noted above, I fully clean out the auger, chute, burn box, etc. before every grill (never did this with my propane grill). I also have to replace the glow plug every 10-15 cooks ($25). I've spent hours working with Weber support and replacing the guts of the SmokeFire (priceless). Proprietary pellets??? I'd gladly do all this for better taste, but it's frustrating when you do all that and it still doesn't work.4. No help from support - Weber support are VERY nice people, but they haven't solved my problem. I feel like they are now just making me "jump through a few hoops" (i.e., send us a picture of this, send a video of that) before, eventually, they just stop responding.Seems like Weber knows they have issues with the SmokeFire grill but won't admit it or help customers who bought them. This experience has been so dreadful, this may be the last Weber I buy.

This is by far my favorite outdoor grill. I started out young with a SwingerII charcoal grill, then got married to a guy with a propane Weber Silver Series, after some time we added an Oklahoma Joe Smoker, the Weber Silver got replaced by a Weber Genesis ii 6 burner, and now the latest and greatest SmokeFire has been added.All my neighbors have Traegers and kept telling me I needed to get one, but I'm partial to the Weber brand. I looked at all the videos and reviews of each and all the pros and cons. Ultimately what led me to the SmokeFire is the ability to fire it up to 600F.I was looking for a smaller surface area to grill on for just the two of us, when using the 6 burner is overkill, but I also wanted the flexibility to smoke low and slow. This grill is the perfect tool for me.I've had the grill for 56 days and have used it 21 times so far. I'm keeping a notebook for reference until I get the feel for it. Also because I'm slightly obsessive compulsive about these things, or wait, it's because I really like to drink beer and lose focus while hanging with friends and family while the food is on the grill.Bacon, cooked on the top shelf is awesome, takes about 18 minutes.Chicken, 'set it and forget it', we've gone to the neighbors house for happy hour and I can monitor it remotely from the app on the phone.Burgers, grill 'em on the lower shelf, move to the top shelf with cheese to finish.Stuffed Pork Loin wrapped in Bacon, two probes and a 'happy hour' later, perfection.Game Hens, on a rainy day took 2 hours and turned the heat up after a low smoke.TriTip, need to dial this one in better and find my own method for reverse searing but was still enjoyed by all.Ribs, Ribs, Ribs, Ribs, We love our ribs and they have been exquisite every time. The squirt bottle with a mix of cider vinegar and water keeps them moist and looking good. Never have I used this method before and I like it.NY steaks, this was an early use of the grill and my notes suggest they could have used more smoke, will dial that in next time.Oysters! Yes, we smoked/grilled raw oysters in their shells on the top shelf. Wow those were good!Prime Rib Roast, this was excellent perfection. Again, used two probes to keep track of the inside temperatures and rotated around as needed to hit the hotter spots of the grill. The smoke ring was just enough to give it some good smoky flavor without overpowering it.The overall functionality of this grill is five stars. I love having the controls at my fingertips via wifi and the app. It's been easy to clean and maintain. I find tips for temperature and time for pellet grills online and keep my own notes on what is working and what I would try differently.The learning curve wasn't huge and we've been enjoying it ever since.Cheers to more grillin' and more happy hours!Edit 8/19/2021: added photo of Hopper Pull Out to answer a question

I love the temperature control and temp probes that connect to the app. It all syncs very nicely to make a great smoke flavor. I often use the smoke boost and finish the meat off with a 500+ degree sear. No complaints yet