Weber Searwood evaluation: Second time’s the attraction

When Weber launched , and its first pellet grill in 2020, the corporate’s new period hit just a few speedbumps. The Weber Join know-how was for aspiring outside cooks at any talent stage, however suffered from massive 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. () provides a brand new design with a reworked inner 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 lets you prepare dinner with the lid open with out sacrificing efficiency.

The design of the Weber Searwood

Whereas the Searwood has an identical total barrel form to the SmokeFire, there are some notable modifications. First, the pellet hopper was moved from the again to the facet, with the brand new location being what numerous the competitors provides. This simplifies the auger path too, which ought to treatment a number of 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 should use the highest of the pellet holder to relaxation any instruments or pans.

One other massive 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 facet, so this isn’t a giant carry, however the lack of casters means you’ll want extra room to maneuver.

Billy Steele for Engadget

The brand new wheels are completely plastic and the legs aren’t as sturdy as what was on the SmokeFire. Maybe that is one space the place Weber felt it might get monetary savings to decrease the value of Searwood. Should you’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 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 gasoline 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 could be scraped to the underside of the grill for straightforward elimination through the slide-out pan beneath. You’ll nonetheless most likely wish to use a store vac for deep cleansing, however you may eliminate numerous waste with only a scraper.

Cooking with the Weber Searwood

The Searwood shines when you use it for low-and-slow smoking.

Like all pellet grills, the Searwood has a large temperature vary that lets you 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 doable. I largely use pellet grills for hands-off, low-and-slow barbeque of enormous cuts like brisket, pork shoulders and ribs. That’s the place I targeted most of my testing, though I made certain to present this grill’s open-lid function just a few 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 function is due to the grill’s Speedy React system that additionally preheats the system in quarter-hour or much less. The Searwood imparts beautiful smoke taste in numerous 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 method after I smoked it on a Searwood.

Most pellet grills have a setting that lets you improve taste with extra smoke at sure temperatures. Weber calls this SmokeBoost, however it solely works at 180 levels. I might’ve appreciated for this to be accessible at any temperature beneath 225 levels, like Traeger provides on its merchandise, for some extra versatility. Weber recommends that you simply use SmokeBoost at the start of your prepare dinner for further smokiness earlier than elevating the temperature to your required stage. 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.

The Weber Connect app is where all of the Searwood's stats are sent.

An enormous addition to the Searwood is the handbook mode that lets you use the grill with the lid open. This implies you should use it for direct-flame searing or as a griddle, you probably have the correct insert to do the latter. In contrast to numerous pellet grills, the Searwood’s handbook mode retains gasoline 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 stage of 1-10 akin to how scorching you should prepare dinner and the grill does the remaining. This works properly, however you’ll most likely nonetheless need a charcoal kettle for live-fire searing usually. Throughout my checks, I most well-liked to make use of the Searwood as a griddle somewhat than a sear machine.

The Searwood’s sensible options come by means 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 few years and the present model provides a clean 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 inform you when meals is prepared and there’s a ton of recipes once you want some concepts.

Weber Searwood equipment

The diploma to which you’ll customise a brand new grill is nearly as necessary as its manufacturing facility options. Weber has been offering add-ons through its Weber Crafted assortment for some time now, and a few of these gadgets are suitable with the Searwood. After you have 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.

Should you want extra shelf area, you’ll have to purchase further items. There are folding choices that connect to each the entrance and facet of the Searwood, and so they’re each $75. You’ll want to exchange the facet deal with with the shelf when you go that route.

The competitors

Weber redesigned the inside of the Searwood too.

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 not accessible, however Weber simply introduced at $699 and $899, respectively, if you would like alternate options from the identical firm. These new grills have a simplified controller and different streamlined modifications, however the total design is much like the Searwood. I anticipate to evaluation the Smoque someday this spring.

Traeger not too long ago introduced its Woodridge lineup and the mid-level choice in that trio is a strong different to the Searwood. The is dearer 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. Soar 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 certainly extra dependable than its predecessor and a lot of the modifications improve the general cooking expertise. Guide mode is a pleasant bonus, as is the addition of a gasoline 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 once you’re spending treasured time cooking outside.

This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dwelling/kitchen-tech/weber-searwood-review-second-times-the-charm-153037440.html?src=rss

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