When Weber launched a sensible grilling platform, a linked grilling hub and its first pellet grill in 2020, the corporate’s new period hit a number of speedbumps. The Weber Join expertise was a strong basis for aspiring outside cooks at any ability degree, however the SmokeFire grill suffered from large temperature fluctuations, pellet feeding points and was vulnerable to grease fires. These issues led to inconsistent efficiency for lots of people.
In 2024, the corporate debuted an all-new mannequin because it sought to maneuver previous the troubles of its first. The Searwood ($899 and up) gives a brand new design with a reworked inside development for a extra direct auger path for these pellets. It’s nonetheless a sensible grill, so Weber Join is onboard as soon as once more. However the greatest modifications are a lower cost and a handbook mode that means that you can prepare 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 modifications. First, the pellet hopper was moved from the again to the aspect, with the brand new location being what a whole lot of the competitors gives. This simplifies the auger path too, which ought to treatment a few of the issues customers encountered on the earlier model. The show and controller is now on the entrance fringe of the grill as a substitute of towards the again which makes for simpler entry. The hopper was relocated the place the small shelf was, however you should utilize 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 each, 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 raise, however the lack of casters means you’ll want extra room to maneuver.
The brand new wheels are fully 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 worth of Searwood. When you’re not shifting the grill so much, this most likely received’t be a priority, however the lack of high quality right here stood out to me. You do acquire a big shelf underneath the grill, which is one thing the SmokeFire didn’t supply.
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 fireplace pot from grease and meals particles. All of that waste and pellet mud will be scraped to the underside of the grill for simple removing through the slide-out pan beneath. You’ll nonetheless most likely need to use a store vac for deep cleansing, however you may eliminate a whole lot of waste with only a scraper.
Cooking with the Weber Searwood
Like all pellet grills, the Searwood has a large temperature vary that means that you can use it for sluggish smoking and fast searing. Extra particularly, these numbers go from 180-600 levels Fahrenheit, so baking, roasting and extra are additionally potential. I principally use pellet grills for hands-off, low-and-slow barbeque of enormous cuts like brisket, pork shoulders and ribs. That’s the place I centered most of my testing, though I made certain to provide this grill’s open-lid characteristic a number of trial runs.
For sluggish smoking, the Searwood is a dependable machine, sustaining warmth all through the prepare dinner and recovering rapidly every time I open the lid. That latter characteristic is because of the grill’s Speedy React system that additionally preheats the system in quarter-hour or much less. The Searwood imparts pretty smoke taste in varied meals, however pork shoulders (Boston Butts) and our Thanksgiving turkey have been my two favorites. My spouse not permits me to prepare dinner our vacation fowl some other means after I smoked it on a Searwood.
Most pellet grills have a setting that means that you can improve taste with extra smoke at sure temperatures. Weber calls this SmokeBoost, however it solely works at 180 levels. I might’ve preferred for this to be out there at any temperature underneath 225 levels, like Traeger gives on its merchandise, for some extra versatility. Weber recommends that you just use SmokeBoost in the beginning of your prepare dinner for further 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 handbook mode that means that you can use the grill with the lid open. This implies you should utilize it for direct-flame searing or as a griddle, when you have the correct insert to do the latter. Not like a whole lot of pellet grills, the Searwood’s handbook mode retains gas and fan pace fixed with the lid up, so it may well keep output at instances when different grills would pause. You simply choose a degree of 1-10 similar to how scorching you’ll want to prepare dinner and the grill does the remainder. This works nicely, however you’ll most likely nonetheless desire a charcoal kettle for live-fire searing most often. Throughout my checks, I most popular 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. Nevertheless, Weber has considerably up to date the app over the previous couple of years and the present model gives a easy expertise. With Weber Join, you may monitor temperatures and management the grill remotely, plus there are stay graphs that plot out your progress, notifications to let you know 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 be able to customise a brand new grill is nearly as necessary 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 objects are appropriate with the Searwood. Upon getting the required body package, you may 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.
When you want extra shelf house, you’ll have to purchase further 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 exchange the aspect deal with with the shelf in case 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 XL 600 beginning at $1,199. The SmokeFire is not out there, however Weber simply introduced the Smoque and Smoque XL 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 modifications, however the general design is much like the Searwood. I count on to overview the Smoque someday this spring.
Traeger not too long ago introduced its Woodridge lineup and the mid-level possibility in that trio is a strong various to the Searwood. The Woodridge Professional is costlier than the Searwood 600 at $1,000, however it’s additionally a bigger grill. The entry-level, $800 Woodridge 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 Weber’s Searwood is an effective rebound from the stumbles of the SmokeFire. The grill is unquestionably extra dependable than its predecessor and a lot of the modifications 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 outside.
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