Started as Weber Present And his first pellet grill in 2020, the company’s new era, met a few speed bumps. The Weber Connect technology was For aspiring outdoor chefs in every level of ability, but suffered from large temperature fluctuations, pellet feeding problems and was susceptible to fat fires. These problems led to For many people.
In 2024, the company debut a brand new model when it tried to overcome the problems of its first. (() offers a new design with a revised internal construction for a more direct eye path for these pellets. It is still an intelligent grill, so Weber Connect is back on board. However, the biggest changes are a lower price and a manual mode with which you can cook with an open lid without impairing the performance.
The design of the Weber Searwood
While the Searwood has a total barrel shape similar to the smoke fire, there are some remarkable changes. First, the Pellet Hopper was moved to the side from behind, whereby the new place was what a large part of the competition offers. This also simplifies the eye path, which should fix some of the problems that users encounter on the previous version. The display and the controller are now on the front edge of the grill instead of backwards, which is easier for easier access. The funnel was laid where the small shelf was located, but they can use the top of the pellet holder to rest tools or pans.
Another big change in the Searwood are his legs and bikes. Where the Smokefire had robust legs with durable roles on each individual, this version has two regular bikes at one end and on the other only legs. This makes the Searwood more difficult to move, and it means that you have to catch up with an end to shift it. The whole heavy stuff is on the rendered side, so this is not a big elevator, but the lack of roles means that you need more space to maneuver.
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The new wheels are completely plastic and the legs are not as robust as what was on the smoke fire. Perhaps this is an area in which Weber had the feeling of saving money to reduce the price for Searwood. If you don’t move the grill much, this will probably not be a problem, but I noticed the lack of quality here. You win a large shelf under the grill, which the Smokefire does not offer.
Weber returned to the controller and the display and did an excellent job there with the update. The numbers are braver and easier to read from a distance, and the one-knot controls are easy to use. The display can show that you set the temperature, actual temperature, probe temperature and timer as well as fashion indicators and a fuel knife that keeps pellets. Everywhere the new display and the new controller is an upgrade about what was on the smoke fire.
Inside, rows of the company’s aroma bar were replaced by a single, larger deflector that protects the fire pot from fat and food waste. All of this waste and pellet dust can be scraped off on the bottom of the grill to easily remove the slip pan underneath. You probably still want to use a shop VAC for a deep cleaning, but you can get rid of a lot of waste with just one scraper.
Cooking with the Weber Searwood
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As with all pellet grills, the Searwood has a wide temperature range, with which you can use it for slow smoking and fast Seger. In particular, these figures come from 180 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, so that baking, roasting and more are possible. I mainly use pellet grills for hand-off, low-and-slow grill from large cuts such as breaststep, pork shoulders and ribs. There I concentrated most of my tests, although I made sure that the open feature of this grill conveyed a few test runs.
For slow smoking, the Searwood is a reliable machine that maintains the heat in the entire cook and quickly recovers every time I open the lid. This latter function is thanks to the rapid react system of the grill, which the device also preheats in 15 minutes or less. The Searwood gives a nice smoke taste in different foods, but pork shoulders (Boston Butts) and our Thanksgiving Turkey were my two favorites. My wife no longer allows me to cook our vacation bird in another way after smoking it on a Searwood.
Most pellet grills have an environment with which you can improve the taste with more smoke at certain temperatures. Weber calls this Smokloost, but it only works at 180 degrees. I would have liked this that this is available at every temperature of less than 225 degrees, as Traeger is offered for its products for further versatility. Weber recommends using Smokboost at the beginning of your cook to have additional smoke before increasing the temperature to your desired level. To make it clear, the grill puts in your food without these smoke. If the low start temperature is repulsive, you will certainly not have to use a smokloost.
Billy Steele for Engadget
A large addition to the Searwood is the manual mode with which you can use the grill with an open lid. This means that you can use it to reduce the direct flame or as a frying pan if you have the right use to do the latter. In contrast to many pellet grills, the manual mode of the Searwood with the lid keeps the fuel and fan speed constant, so that in times when other grills paused, it maintains the performance. They only select a level of 1-10 that corresponds to the cooking and the grill does the rest. This works well, but you will probably still wish for a charcoal boiler for live fires in most cases. During my tests, I preferred to use the Searwood as a frying pan rather than a Sear machine.
Searwood’s intelligent functions take place to the Weber Connect app. This is the software that the company made in 2020 when it brought its intelligent grill platform to the market for the first time. However, Weber has updated the app considerably in recent years and the current version offers a smooth experience. With Weber Connect you can monitor the temperatures and control the grill from a distance. There are also live diagrams that have their progress, notifications to tell you when the food is ready and there are a lot of recipes if you need some ideas.
Weber Searwood Accessories
The degree in which you can adapt a new grill are almost as important as the factory functions. Weber has been offering add-ons on its Weber collection for some time, and some of these articles are compatible with the Searwood. As soon as you have the required frame kit, you can use a smaller industry use, a double-sided sear-rust, pizza stone and grill basket. My favorite accessories for this grill are the rotisserie and Griddle insert in full size for $ 130 or $ 149.
If you need more shelf space, you have to buy additional pieces. There are folding options that are attached to both the front and on the side of the Searwood, and both 75 US dollars. You have to replace the side handle with the shelf when you go this route.
The competition
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With 899 US dollars, the Searwood costs $ 600 100 cheaper than the Smokefire EX4 at the start. Like its predecessor, the Searwood receives in two sizes, with the larger one . The Smokefire is no longer available, but Weber has just announced At $ 699 or 899 US dollars if you want alternatives from the same company. These new grills have a simplified controller and other optimized changes, but the overall design is similar to Searwood. I assume that I will check the Smoque at some point this spring.
Traeger recently announced his Woodridge line-up and the option with a medium level in this trio is a solid alternative to the Searwood. The is more expensive than the Searwood 600 with $ 1,000, but it is also a larger grill. The entry level, is a work animal that takes over the basics without some practical characteristics from Traeger. Jump to the Woodridge Pro and you will receive shelves, super smoke mode and a pellet sensor in the funnel.
Diploma
Don’t call it a comeback, but is a good rebound from the stumbling of the smoke fire. The grill is definitely more reliable than its predecessor and most of the changes improve the overall cooking experience. Manual mode is a beautiful bonus, as is the addition of a fuel sensor in the Pellet funnel. My biggest criticism is the basis in which I wanted that the company had gone with something more stable and Traeger, which was implemented on the basic model Woodridge. Nevertheless, the Searwood is a versatile intelligent grill without a headache, and that is exactly what you want when you spend precious time to cook outdoors.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/Weber-Searwood-second-times-charm-153037440.html?src=rsss
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