Weber SmokeFire review: An intriguing work-in-progress

The company says it took its time and put its decades of expertise to work on its connected-cooking products and addressing the “pain points” of pellet grills. While the SmokeFire grills create insane smoke flavor and some of the features are handy, there’s still work to be done. The SmokeFire EX4 ($999) looks like what you’d expect from a Weber pellet grill. However, Weber Connect is inconsistent on these grills right now, and the app lacks basic features the competition offers.Inside, Weber chose its trademark Flavorizer bars instead of a solid stainless steel drip tray to direct grease to a small bucket. All pellet grills require you to “burn-in” at a high temperature for about an hour, and Weber’s SmokeFire is no different. Like the Smart Grilling Hub, Weber Connect will lead you through cooking a variety of meat and seafood, from prepping to final slicing, and every step in between. Even though Weber Connect gives you a specific cooking temperature, picking a preset doesn’t send that info to the grill for you. Some grills, like Traeger’s, will send temperature info, but you still have to physically push the ignite button, so it’s not exactly a huge time saver.When I reviewed the Smart Grilling Hub, I didn’t have any issues with the estimated cooking times. These time estimates can be handy for longer cooks, and they were a welcome feature on the Smart Grilling Hub. However, on the SmokeFire grill, there’s room for improvement. Weber Connect is also missing key SmokeFire tools like the ability to adjust the grill temperature from your phone. They’re nice, but most people are fine with a Ford Focus.Weber doesn’t need to copy Traeger to make SmokeFire a complete smart grill. But it’s clear companies like Traeger have been at this a lot longer and have had time to iron out issues and build a versatile set of grilling tools for backyard cooks of all levels.