Recent content by pbft

I *knew* people would have a Field day with this!

I made a custom blanket from a carbon fiber welding mat. Pictures and discussion on this thread. It works pretty well and lets me do pizza at zero degrees.

I used a carbon fiber welding blanket. Since it sheds a bit (it's like soft felt) I stitched a piece of scrap fabric to the outer surface. I used some strong magnets to hod it in place near the top hinges and at the bottom rear. I also discovered that the outer shell of the RT340 gets really hot...

I went the DIY route. Ordered a pair of stainless steel folding shelf brackets and a pair of Weber series E grates. I made a couple of oak spacers to put the shelf at the right height and put supports inside the Trailblazer to hold the second grate at just the right height. Presto! folding...

OK, you're more of a pizza fanatic than we are, but that's a good thing. Plenty of good ideas to steal. We tried home-made pizza at 10 degrees outside temp. The RT worked pretty hard to hold 450, and took a long time to recover after opening the door. Despite that, the pizza was great. The...

No problem - I don't see that as thread hijacking. Any information about searing options seems relevant. How long does it take your RT to get to 500 from a standing start? Looks like you have the Stampede. I have the Trailblazer, and it gets to 450 in between 15 and 20 minutes when it's 10...

Good info - thanks. If the sear box reaches working temp in ten minutes, that's a win. I don't think I need the advertised 900 degree temp, but 600 with nice grill marks would be nice, and flare-ups should be manageable. The CC sear box has a double baffle / diffuser that looks like it should...

They do, but firing up the whole grill just to do a quick sear seems a waste.

When is it time to clean out the ashes from the firepot? What happens if you wait too long? I've looked around this and other forums, and I haven't found a good answer. I have seen some suggestion that a little ash in the bottom is a good thing as it provides some insulation, but I haven't seen...

Thanks. Preheat time is a big question that I should have asked up front. I'm hoping it's at least quicker than my old Genesis or the Trailblazer, but I'd be really bummed if I got it and found out that it takes half an hour to get up to temp.

I think you know this, but it's pretty hard to think about stopping to take a picture when you've got a plate of smoked goodness in front of you. I'll try to do better in the future.

Thanks - pretty much what I thought. I looked at the searing grates, and the Rec Tec definitely gets hot enough. I was able to crank the Trailblazer up to 450 to finish the chicken breasts, even without the searing grates. Usually I'm just cooking for two, and if all I need is a quick sear...

My 1995 Weber Genesis is on its last legs, and my cheap Masterbuilt smoker is dead. I just got a Trailblazer RT-340 to replace both of them. I'm totally happy with it as a smoker and a grill, but I'm looking for a better searing solution. I like to cook several different ways: 'Low and slow'...

Just got a Trailblazer and cooked up some chicken breasts. Great grill and a huge step up from where I've been. Ready to start learning. Just as with home brew, the fun is in the testing, and there's always something else to test. Pretty sure that pellet smokers and home brew were made for each...