So, last week I joined the forum and mentioned I was waiting for delivery of my RT 590. I was scheduled for delivery last Friday, but the trucking company pulled a fubar and didn't show. They finally got it to me by Monday midday. I unpacked it and was happy to see that there was no shipping damage and all the parts were there.
For the most part I'm happy with the device, though the finish quality of the stainless material, particularly on the pellet box, is a little less than what I believe it should be. I can spend some time to improve the appearance, and have the tools to do so, just a slight bit of disappointment there. Assembly went well. I've seen folks talk about as little as 15 minutes of assembly time (which seemed amazing) and I suspect they started their "clock" at a different point than I did. I started timing myself once I had all the components unpacked and spread out, though some still in their protective wraps. I'm reasonably mechanically adept, and have plenty of tools. I used my own wrenches and driver rather than the "Ikea" stuff supplied with the hardware pack. Since I'm an old goat I've got some hinderance from arthritis in my wrists and hands, so that slows me a bit, but I don't think by much. Anyway, from the above description to completely assembled, ready for burn in took right at 45 minutes, including some instruction reading (yeah, I know, violating the "man rules"). I rolled it out of the garage to the patio and fired it up at 400 degrees for the recommended burn in. I got some fluctuations in temp enroute to 400 and it ran for a short time at 436 before settling back down. That didn't seem too far out for a first time running, but I'd read so much about how accurate the control system was that it had me just a bit concerned. I called RecTec and we had a brief discussion. Their recommendation was to run it again once it completely cooled down and call back with the results. It was late enough in the day I didn't do run #2 until the next afternoon. That sequence went as it should have with the temps doing a steady up run to 400 and stabilizing for the hour test. I had also set up the wifi app and that operated fine, the graph of time and temp reflecting what I had observed. I've read that some folks have difficulty with the wifi operating as promised, but it acquired on the first try and has worked fine since.
I figured I'd go with something simple for the first cook so prepped a rack of spare ribs. I typically do the standard dry rub, 3-2-1 cooking method with a foil wrap for the 2 hour interval. I had seen a blog piece on the Premium pellet site that suggested a bump from the 225 temp for the first 5 hours to 300 for the final hour with a sauce baste the last 15 minutes. The ribs turned out very nicely. They were moist, had great internal color and external bark, and while tender still had a nice firm bite rather than falling off the bone. Just what the competition folks strive for. I've done ribs this way in both a kamado and an electric box and had them usually come out with that over cooked, fall off the bone texture. Based on today's outcome I'd have to say that the RecTec does a far better job of maintaining consistent, accurate temperature. Just what I'd hoped for. I used the Premium blend for pellet that RecTec supplies and it imparted a nice, slightly sweet smoke flavor. My bride doesn't like a heavy smoke flavor and she was quite pleased.
At this early stage I'm quite pleased with the purchase and results. Of course, experimentation with different foods and variations in prep and process will be in the future. I want to try a Neapolitan style pizza in the near future, and of course the mandatory brisket (I live in Central Texas.....it's practically a law here). All in all, a good experience.
The pics are as it looked when assembly finished, during the first cook (winter is upon us, so lawn in brown, rain coming down, and leaves a constant nuisance), and the ribs just completed.
For the most part I'm happy with the device, though the finish quality of the stainless material, particularly on the pellet box, is a little less than what I believe it should be. I can spend some time to improve the appearance, and have the tools to do so, just a slight bit of disappointment there. Assembly went well. I've seen folks talk about as little as 15 minutes of assembly time (which seemed amazing) and I suspect they started their "clock" at a different point than I did. I started timing myself once I had all the components unpacked and spread out, though some still in their protective wraps. I'm reasonably mechanically adept, and have plenty of tools. I used my own wrenches and driver rather than the "Ikea" stuff supplied with the hardware pack. Since I'm an old goat I've got some hinderance from arthritis in my wrists and hands, so that slows me a bit, but I don't think by much. Anyway, from the above description to completely assembled, ready for burn in took right at 45 minutes, including some instruction reading (yeah, I know, violating the "man rules"). I rolled it out of the garage to the patio and fired it up at 400 degrees for the recommended burn in. I got some fluctuations in temp enroute to 400 and it ran for a short time at 436 before settling back down. That didn't seem too far out for a first time running, but I'd read so much about how accurate the control system was that it had me just a bit concerned. I called RecTec and we had a brief discussion. Their recommendation was to run it again once it completely cooled down and call back with the results. It was late enough in the day I didn't do run #2 until the next afternoon. That sequence went as it should have with the temps doing a steady up run to 400 and stabilizing for the hour test. I had also set up the wifi app and that operated fine, the graph of time and temp reflecting what I had observed. I've read that some folks have difficulty with the wifi operating as promised, but it acquired on the first try and has worked fine since.
I figured I'd go with something simple for the first cook so prepped a rack of spare ribs. I typically do the standard dry rub, 3-2-1 cooking method with a foil wrap for the 2 hour interval. I had seen a blog piece on the Premium pellet site that suggested a bump from the 225 temp for the first 5 hours to 300 for the final hour with a sauce baste the last 15 minutes. The ribs turned out very nicely. They were moist, had great internal color and external bark, and while tender still had a nice firm bite rather than falling off the bone. Just what the competition folks strive for. I've done ribs this way in both a kamado and an electric box and had them usually come out with that over cooked, fall off the bone texture. Based on today's outcome I'd have to say that the RecTec does a far better job of maintaining consistent, accurate temperature. Just what I'd hoped for. I used the Premium blend for pellet that RecTec supplies and it imparted a nice, slightly sweet smoke flavor. My bride doesn't like a heavy smoke flavor and she was quite pleased.
At this early stage I'm quite pleased with the purchase and results. Of course, experimentation with different foods and variations in prep and process will be in the future. I want to try a Neapolitan style pizza in the near future, and of course the mandatory brisket (I live in Central Texas.....it's practically a law here). All in all, a good experience.
The pics are as it looked when assembly finished, during the first cook (winter is upon us, so lawn in brown, rain coming down, and leaves a constant nuisance), and the ribs just completed.
over the hot rod in the background to even look at the smoker hahah..
