Which RT should I get for Grilling Size (Meat Capacity)

[HeavyMusic]

Hi, ok not sure what size would be good for me. At times, I may cook up for 50 people. Maybe two briskets, and 10 racks of ribs at the same time or two or three big turkeys. Which RT should I get? The Bull or the BFG? I would just think the BFG might be too big and I wouldn't utilize the space as much. Thanks for your help!

 

[Mike]

@HeavyMusic first welcome to Rec Tec Forum and thanks for joining!

The first question I have would be, how often are you cooking for 50 people at one time?

The BFG would obviously give you more room, however the majority of that additional room is coming from the 2 additional vertical racks which is great for burgers, pork butts, ribs and. You however won't be able to fit large turkeys on each rack.

Speaking of the BFG, here is a neat video of the Rec Tec crew stuffing the BFG full of pork butts.

On the flip side, the Rec Tec Bull pellet grill will probably do you just as well. I know you can easily get to large birds in the Bull. I've cooked up to 6 rack of ribs in my bull and still had plenty of room.

Rec Tec does sell two second racks (large & small) that would give you even more room in the Bull.

 

[Stile 88]

The bfg to me would be the obvious choice but the bull is nice too

the bull is 36 inches wide on the inside of grill by 19.5 and 9.5 headroom

702 sq. in. cooking area and with shelf its over 1000

the bfg is 44 inches wide inside grill by 23 and around 13 or so inches head room

its got duel racks 761.5 each and with all those together plus main grates its over 2500 sq in

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with that being said imo i feel like the bfg is the better choice with headroom and lots of room ect however the bull looks excellent to as with all of the rectec product line

good luck on your choice

btw all this info is available on there website in case you want to compare and of course you can call them and they will point you in right direction

 

[cookingjnj]

Hey HM, I do not know about the number of turkeys, as I have not smoked a whole turkey yet, but I have cooked 60# of pork butt in my RT (I have the second shelf), and could have put at least two more 8-9# butts to get close to 80# of meat. For a different party I was able to get 6 brisket flats in the RT, so 2 whole packers (with the second shelf) should work too. Have not had to do that more than once so I have found my 680 has enough space for all I need. I have done 4 butts several times, and 6 racks of spares several times and never thought I did not have enough space. The bfg looks really cool and might work for you better, but for me I have not needed that much space very often. Hope this helps.

 

[HeavyMusic]

You all ROCK! Thank you for your replies. I don't normally cook for large crowds often but plan on it more. Usually the cook is for 6 to 8 people. I am thinking the Bull might be better after seeing the video of the butts being put in the BFG? Maybe the 680 would be better? I can always upgrade later. Decisions, Decisions, decisions... lol.... I know its rt, but which one... Thanks again for all your inputs. Appreciated it.

 

[cookingjnj]

Just to clarify, the Bull is the newer version of the 680, I believe the cook surface etc is the same for both the older 680 model and the Bull.

 

[Grilltreats]

I would go with the Bull (RT-700). The reason being is the pellet consumption on everyday cooks. It's just common sense that the BFG will gobble up more pellets per cook than the Bull. With the second rack in the Bull, you can add a lot more to the cook on those rare occasions.

 

[Stile 88]

I would go with the Bull (RT-700). The reason being is the pellet consumption on everyday cooks. It's just common sense that the BFG will gobble up more pellets per cook than the Bull. With the second rack in the Bull, you can add a lot more to the cook on those rare occasions.

I disagree just because something is bigger dosent mean it goobles up more fuel from what rectec says it doesnt
Of course with anything even the bull will use more fuel depending on conditions

 

[navydroid]

I think the Bull with the large second self will work perfectly for you. I can easily do two large full packer briskets or two large turkeys. Good luck on the decision. You'll win with either.