When Weber launched , and its first pellet grill in 2020, the corporate’s new period hit a number of speedbumps. The Weber Join expertise was for aspiring outside cooks at any talent degree, however suffered from large temperature fluctuations, pellet feeding points and was susceptible to grease fires. These issues led to for lots of people.
In 2024, the corporate debuted an all-new mannequin because it sought to maneuver previous the troubles of its first. () affords a brand new design with a reworked inside development for a extra direct auger path for these pellets. It’s nonetheless a wise grill, so Weber Join is onboard as soon as once more. However the greatest adjustments are a lower cost and a guide mode that permits you to cook dinner with the lid open with out sacrificing efficiency.
The design of the Weber Searwood
Whereas the Searwood has the same general barrel form to the SmokeFire, there are some notable adjustments. First, the pellet hopper was moved from the again to the aspect, with the brand new location being what loads of the competitors affords. This simplifies the auger path too, which ought to treatment among the issues customers encountered on the earlier model. The show and controller is now on the entrance fringe of the grill as an alternative of towards the again which makes for simpler entry. The hopper was relocated the place the small shelf was, however you need to use the highest of the pellet holder to relaxation any instruments or pans.
One other large change on the Searwood is its legs and wheels. The place the SmokeFire had sturdy legs with sturdy casters on every one, this model has two common wheels on one finish and simply legs on the opposite. This makes the Searwood harder to maneuver, and it means you’ll have to select up one finish to relocate it. All of the heavy stuff is on the wheeled aspect, so this isn’t a giant carry, however the lack of casters means you’ll want extra room to maneuver.
The brand new wheels are solely plastic and the legs aren’t as strong as what was on the SmokeFire. Maybe that is one space the place Weber felt it may get monetary savings to decrease the value of Searwood. If you happen to’re not shifting the grill rather a lot, this most likely gained’t be a priority, however the lack of high quality right here stood out to me. You do achieve a big shelf beneath the grill, which is one thing the SmokeFire didn’t provide.
Going again to the controller and show, Weber did a superb job with the replace there. The numbers are bolder and simpler to learn from a distance and the single-knob controls are easy to make use of. The show can present you set temperature, precise temperature, probe temperature and timers, plus there are mode indicators and a gas gauge that retains tabs on pellets. Throughout, the brand new show and controller is an improve over what was on the SmokeFire.
Inside, rows of the corporate’s Flavorizer bars have been changed with a single, bigger deflector that shields the hearth pot from grease and meals particles. All of that waste and pellet mud could be scraped to the underside of the grill for simple elimination through the slide-out pan beneath. You’ll nonetheless most likely wish to use a store vac for deep cleansing, however you’ll be able to eliminate loads of waste with only a scraper.
Cooking with the Weber Searwood
Like all pellet grills, the Searwood has a large temperature vary that permits you to use it for gradual smoking and fast searing. Extra particularly, these numbers go from 180-600 levels Fahrenheit, so baking, roasting and extra are additionally attainable. I principally use pellet grills for hands-off, low-and-slow barbeque of huge cuts like brisket, pork shoulders and ribs. That’s the place I targeted most of my testing, though I made certain to offer this grill’s open-lid function a number of trial runs.
For gradual smoking, the Searwood is a dependable machine, sustaining warmth all through the cook dinner and recovering rapidly every time I open the lid. That latter function is due to the grill’s Fast React system that additionally preheats the system in quarter-hour or much less. The Searwood imparts beautiful smoke taste in varied meals, however pork shoulders (Boston Butts) and our Thanksgiving turkey have been my two favorites. My spouse now not permits me to cook dinner our vacation chook another method after I smoked it on a Searwood.
Most pellet grills have a setting that permits you to improve taste with extra smoke at sure temperatures. Weber calls this SmokeBoost, however it solely works at 180 levels. I might’ve favored for this to be accessible at any temperature beneath 225 levels, like Traeger affords on its merchandise, for some extra versatility. Weber recommends that you simply use SmokeBoost at first of your cook dinner for additional smokiness earlier than elevating the temperature to your required degree. To be clear, the grill places loads of smoke into your meals with out this, so if the low beginning temperature is off-putting, you actually don’t have to make use of SmokeBoost.
An enormous addition to the Searwood is the guide mode that permits you to use the grill with the lid open. This implies you need to use it for direct-flame searing or as a griddle, if in case you have the right insert to do the latter. In contrast to loads of pellet grills, the Searwood’s guide mode retains gas and fan velocity fixed with the lid up, so it might probably preserve output at instances when different grills would pause. You simply choose a degree of 1-10 similar to how scorching you have to cook dinner and the grill does the remaining. This works properly, however you’ll most likely nonetheless need a charcoal kettle for live-fire searing most often. Throughout my assessments, I most well-liked to make use of the Searwood as a griddle slightly than a sear machine.
The Searwood’s sensible options come by way of a Wi-Fi connection to the Weber Join app. That is the software program the corporate debuted in 2020 when it first launched its sensible grilling platform. Nonetheless, Weber has considerably up to date the app over the previous few years and the present model affords a easy expertise. With Weber Join, you’ll be able to monitor temperatures and management the grill remotely, plus there are reside graphs that plot out your progress, notifications to inform you when meals is prepared and there’s a ton of recipes while you want some concepts.
Weber Searwood equipment
The diploma to which you’ll customise a brand new grill is nearly as vital as its manufacturing unit options. Weber has been offering add-ons through its Weber Crafted assortment for some time now, and a few of these gadgets are appropriate with the Searwood. Upon getting the required body package, you’ll be able to make the most of a smaller griddle insert, dual-sided sear grate, pizza stone and grilling basket. My favourite equipment for this grill are the rotisserie and the full-size griddle insert for $130 and $149 respectively.
If you happen to want extra shelf area, you’ll have to purchase additional items. There are folding choices that connect to each the entrance and aspect of the Searwood, they usually’re each $75. You’ll want to interchange the aspect deal with with the shelf in the event you go that route.
The competitors
At $899, the Searwood 600 is $100 cheaper than the SmokeFire EX4 was at launch. Like its predecessor, the Searwood is available in two sizes, with the bigger . The SmokeFire is now not accessible, however Weber simply introduced at $699 and $899, respectively, if you’d like alternate options from the identical firm. These new grills have a simplified controller and different streamlined adjustments, however the general design is much like the Searwood. I count on to evaluation the Smoque someday this spring.
Traeger lately introduced its Woodridge lineup and the mid-level possibility in that trio is a stable various to the Searwood. The is costlier than the Searwood 600 at $1,000, however it’s additionally a bigger grill. The entry-level, is a workhorse that handles the fundamentals with out a few of Traeger’s useful options. Leap to the Woodridge Professional and also you get cabinets, Tremendous Smoke mode and a pellet sensor within the hopper.
Wrap-up
Don’t name it a comeback, however is an efficient rebound from the stumbles of the SmokeFire. The grill is unquestionably extra dependable than its predecessor and a lot of the adjustments improve the general cooking expertise. Handbook mode is a pleasant bonus, as is the addition of a gas sensor within the pellet hopper. My greatest gripe is the bottom, the place I want the corporate had gone with one thing sturdier like Traeger carried out on the base-model Woodridge. Nonetheless, the Searwood is a flexible sensible grill with out the complications, and that’s precisely what you need while you’re spending valuable time cooking open air.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/residence/kitchen-tech/weber-searwood-review-second-times-the-charm-153037440.html?src=rss
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