The REC TEC Wood Pellet Grill offers forty pounds of capacity for your smoking pellets. The temperature controls can be set from 180 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit / 82 to 260 degrees Celsius.
This unit offers a cooking rack nearly two feet deep and three feet wide (702 Sq./In cooking area).
This unit is somewhat easy to assemble and set in place for your next gathering. In this REC TEC grill review we will explore all of it’s features and specifications.
Features & Specifications
The REC TEC Wood Pellet Grill may be an excellent addition to your cooking tools. This unit can generate intense heat and requires access to 110 volts.
To make sure it will work in your outdoor cooking space, consider the following features and specifications.
SEE ALSO: Best Pellet Smokers
Power
You will need access to a grounded outlet. While you can use a durable extension cord with this grill, it’s important to note that weather can damage even the sturdiest extension cords over time, so keep an eye on the condition of this cord.
The unit needs to stay plugged in the entire time so the auger and the fan that keeps the fire going work consistently. Your RecTec smoker will need an outlet for the full duration of cooking or smoking.
Heat
This unit can be used as a smoker, a grill or an oven. Depending on ambient temperature and winds in your outdoor cooking space, be aware that your Rec Tec cooking times may vary.
Getting the fire going in this unit is fairly simple. Start the fire with a handful of pellets, and once they’re burning, you can load the bins with up to forty pounds of smoking pellets.
The pellets are fed into the fire via the auger and the digital controls for your smoker/grill are on the front of the unit on the left side as you face it.
Once it’s hot, this unit works more like a convection oven than a conventional grill. You’ll have plenty of heat but no direct flame from underneath.
Size & Clearance
The grill shipping weight is 250 pounds. You will probably need help during the assembly process.
This unit is large and quite heavy. Unless you plan to consistently grill for large crowds, you may be happier with a REC TEC Mini Smoker.
| Model | Cooking Space | Pellet Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| REC TEC RT-680 | 702 Sq./In | 40 lbs. |
| REC TEC MINI | 341 Sq./In | 15 lbs. |
While the company doesn’t offer professional assembly assistance, you may be able to hire help via a handyman service.
How handy do I have to be to assemble this? Review the instructions, the hardware and tool packets, and enlist the help of a strong friend. The assembly isn’t hard, but lining things up so the fasteners fit will be challenging for one person.
This unit is over four feet long and nearly three feet deep. All four legs feature quality casters, so after it’s assembled you can easily set it in your outdoor cooking area.
However, once you’ve got it fired up, it needs to stay put until it cools down. Be sure to follow the instructions on how much clearance you need between your grill and your house before you start the fire.
Access & Design
The REC TEC grill is made with cast iron for heat retention and stainless steel for rust prevention. This gives home grillers and smokers the best of both worlds.
However, all surfaces that hold food are stainless. Your food should never come in contact with rust, and the grill is protected by the paint job.
Control Design Is Excellent: The temperature controls for this grill are far from the fire. You control the temperature on this grill from a display bar at the left edge of the grill.
Front Handle Offers Close Access: The front handle of the grill is made of stainless steel and is split rather than a solid bar across the front.
This is referred to as a bull horn handle. If you need to reach over the grill to check on a hopper or add more pellets, you won’t need to reach as far.
However, once the unit has reached the desired temperature, take care as you reach over it!
Storage Shelf For Convenience and Stability: Under the grill is a large storage shelf which also serves to brace the legs and keep the unit sturdy and rolling along.
Hoppers
The hoppers for this unit can be accessed from the ends so you can add as you smoke or grill and maintain consistent fire.
Be sure to figure access to the hoppers when placing your REC TEC Wood Pellet Grill.
The hoppers can be accessed from the front or the side. From the front, you have to reach across the grill. The sides may be hard to get to once the unit is hot.
If your grilling area is small, refilling the hoppers could be a challenge.
Not A Grill?
It’s important to note that this is primarily a smoker, so you don’t actually cook your meat over an open flame.
While you can use your grill as a convection oven and get great burgers and steaks, it’s going to be hard to enjoy a char-broiled piece of meat from this grill.
Final Thoughts
The Rec Tec Wood Pellet Grill is a great choice for someone with a large outdoor cooking area and plenty of hungry people to feed.
The design and construction of these units is excellent and will make it easy to smoke beautiful roasts, briskets, and poultry of all sizes.
However, it’s important to note that this unit is huge. If you’re grilling or smoking food for just a few people, you might be happier with the REC TEC Mini.
