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Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
I spent a week cooking on the new Weber Smoque, and it makes smoking feel simple
Price: $799Weight: 102 poundsCooking surface size: 594 square inchesDimensions: 44.5 x 28.75 x 22.5 inches Weber has built its name in the grilling world over the decades as a bastion of reliability, and the brand behind some of the best grills on the market. And the Smoque is no exception: this pellet grill/smoker combo does everything you need it to do, simply and intuitively, with quality results and a small footprint that won't take up your entire patio. For Tom's Guide Get Grillin' Week, I've been testing this new, mid-priced offering from the titans of grilling, and I've largely enjoyed my time using the Smoque. The food it has produced has come out with a subtle smoky flavor and even, consistent results. It suffers from the same drawback that most pellet smokers do: It doesn't get quite hot enough for a really good sear, and while the smoky flavor is noticeable, it's certainly not as strong as a charcoal or wood option. Still, for reliably good results, a set-it-and-forget-it cooking process, and a small footprint with a high quality build, the Smoque delivers a lot of value. The Weber Smoque costs $799 and is available for purchase on Weber's website. It comes with a 5-year warranty and free shipping. You can also add on-site assembly at checkout for an additional $99. The Smoque is also available through other retailers. Weber provides a dealer locator on its website so you can find a store to shop in person. The Smoque has a small footprint, despite offering an ample 594 square inches of cooking surface. That's great if you're short on space on your patio or just don't want the hassle of a large pellet grill. It took me less than an hour to build the Smoque, and the instructions were pretty clear and easy to follow. It was easily one of the quicker grill builds I've done. The finished product feels high-quality and well-made. Like most pellet grills out there, the pellet hopper lives on the side of the main cooking body. At its bottom, an auger runs horizontally to guide pellets from the hopper to the combustion area, where they will burn to create heat and smoke. Notably, the utensil hooks are built into the face of the hopper, where you'll also find the Weber Connect Digital LCD controller. On the other side where you'd usually find a prep table, Weber has instead affixed a handle to make it easier to move the unit around. That system is very easy to use. Just plug in the unit, set your desired temperature, and the grill does the rest. This is also where you'll plug in the two included food probes, which will give you a live reading of your food's internal temperature as you cook. Weber also includes what it calls the Rapid React PID, which essentially monitors the grill's temperature and gets it up to temperature in 15 minutes or less after initial startup. This system is also responsible for getting the grill back up to temperature after you have opened the lid to tend to your food. Weber's SmoqueVent system is a design feature that circulates smoke around your food as it cooks. Weber says this lends a deeper flavor to your food, and encourages browning of meats — again, to lend more depth to your food's flavor, and to help develop a bark on smoked meats. An internal panel beneath the cooking grates sits at an angle and has a hole on one end. This allows greases and debris to flow downward into the hole, where it's caught by a grease trap that mounts to the underside of the cooking chamber. At low temperatures, the Smokeboost feature can be used, which helps maintain ideal temperature for as much smoke absorption as possible. Notably, there are no prep tables on the front or side of the Smoque, nor is there a storage shelf beneath the cooking area. These are available as additional accessories. I immediately liked the Weber for smaller smoking sessions, due in part to its smaller size. But more importantly, Weber allows you to set the Smoque as low as 180 degrees, which really makes it possible to do low and slow cooking. Some of the Weber's closest competitors set the minimum temperature at 200 degrees. That's okay, but for real low and slow cooking, 180 degrees is a sweet spot. At that lower temperature, you can use the Smokeboost feature, which monitors the temperature inside the cooking chamber and maintains it for optimal smoke absorption. I used this feature during my first smoking session to get as much of a smoky flavor as possible. During my first use, I seasoned the grill for an hour at high temperature. This burns off any chemicals or debris from shipping and ensures you don't get any foreign flavors in your food while grilling or smoking. I then smoked chicken thighs for three hours at 180 degrees, using the Smokeboost feature. I chose the largest and smallest thighs for my probes and monitored those temperatures via the Weber app. Within that app, you can set the probes for specific recipes, and the app will walk you though the correct process. In this instance, I simply chose the chicken setting and waited for the thighs to hit a target temperature. Throughout those three hours, I did open the lid occasionally to mop the chicken with barbecue sauce. It was remarkable how quickly the Smoque gets back up to the set temperature once you re-close the lid. This lends more consistency to your cooking. It's a very easy, set-it-and-forget-it operation. If I hadn't spent some time mopping with barbecue sauce, I could have simply walked away for three hours and come back to take the chicken off the grill when they were cooked. It's really that easy. That said, the Smoque does suffer from the same problem pretty much every pellet smoker I've used has. While the chicken ended up with a slightly smoky flavor, I certainly wouldn't call it a champion barbecue smoky flavor. It's subtle, and while the chicken came out delicious, if you're after a truly deep, smoky flavor, I find that charcoal or wood-burning smokers still reign supreme here. For my next session with the Weber Smoque, I tried my hand at cooking a New York strip steak and some mixed vegetables. Once again, the Smoque got up to temperature quickly — in this case, the maximum 500 degrees. I would have liked to get the grill up to 550 degrees, and the recipe the app called for even notes a 550-degree cooking temperature. But the Smoque does not allow you to get the grill that hot. This time, I used the app's recipe, which loads automatically and walks you through each step, from prepping the meat to cooking it through and letting it sit after grilling. It even tells you when to flip the steak. Of course, the timing was a bit off because the recipe called for a higher temperature than the grill can manage, so I still had to monitor the internal temperature of the meat to ensure I got the medium-rare finish I was looking for. And I did indeed get a very good medium-rare steak, albeit with the very extreme edges of the steak slightly overcooked. As promised, the Smoque also delivered a nice browning around the edges, adding to the complexity of flavor. That said, once again the Smoque stumbles where just about all pellet grills do. I wanted to do a reverse sear — that is, cook the steak to the desired temperature, then finish it with a high-heat sear, preferably in a pan or over a flame. I transferred the steak to the lower rack and tried to sear there, but the grill just doesn't get hot enough to get a good sear here. I ended up taking it inside to sear on a cast-iron skillet. One more notable feature of the Smoque: the smoke largely stays in the cooking chamber. A lot of smokers have gaps or openings, whether by design or by chance, that allows a lot of the smoke to escape during the cooking process. Not so with the Smoque. I was very pleased to see it is well-sealed and keeps the smoke in the chamber where it belongs. The Weber Connect app is easy to use and connected quickly to my grill. It gives you the basics — controls for the grill itself, temperature charts to monitor both the cooking chamber and your meats in real time, timers, and access to the Smokeboost feature. You can also look up recipes and have the app walk you through the cooking process. It's clear Weber put some good effort into this app and it's intuitive, user-friendly, and a great companion to the Smoque. One of the bummers about the Smoque is the lack of a side table to prep foods before putting them on the grill. I had to put plates and cutting boards on the lid of the hopper instead. Fortunately, Weber does sell a Side Table for an additional $125, though it definitely feels like this should be included in the original purchase price. The list of other accessories is quite extensive. Some of the most useful ones include: The pellet grill category is a crowded one. Fortunately for Weber, it floats close to the top of the category, with solid build quality, a great app, and some solid features that make cooking on it a breeze. I would compare this to similarly-sized Traeger grills, which is another quality name in pellet grills/smokers. I recently tested the Woodridge Pro from Traeger, which is much larger than the Smoque but similar in terms of performance. It costs $1,150 as compared to the Smoque's $800, and the Traeger includes two side tables and more cooking surface area. Otherwise, the performance of the two smokers is very comparable. It's worth noting that the Smoque seems to be sealed better, keeping more smoke within the cooking chamber. The Smoque is a well-built and easy-to-use option for nightly grilling or weekend smoking. You can fit quite a lot of food on this compact grill, though if you'll be feeding large parties frequently, the Smoque may be a bit small for you. But its small stature is also one of its big benefits if you're short on patio space. Despite its small footprint, it delivers plenty of food, a good smoky flavor (though not as much as wood or charcoal units), and a simple, set-it-and-forget-it cooking method. The app is solid too, and guides you through optimal cooking procedures for various foods you might be interested in grilling or smoking. At this price, I do feel that the side table and bottom storage shelf should be included. But otherwise, I had no problems at all with the Smoque and find it very useful for small and medium-sized meals. It seals in smoke well, and goes down to 180 degrees for true low and slow cooking. I wish it got hotter than 500 degrees for better searing capabilities, but it's a solid unit even without that max temperature.
Engadget
6 days ago
- Business
- Engadget
Weber Smoque review: A simplified smart grill that's still a workhorse
Simple devices can be a blessing or a curse. Sometimes companies streamline entry-level products to offer the best core features at a lower price. Other times they pair down the experience so much that it becomes a hindrance. With the Smoque (pronounced "smoke"), Weber wants to give prospective pellet grillers access to reliable performance and basic smart features for less money than its more versatile Searwood series. In the end, the company offers enough capabilities to appeal to beginners and expert backyard pitmasters alike, although the Smoque isn't as much of a value as it was a few months ago. The most affordable smart pellet grill from Weber is a reliable barbeque machine with just enough smart features to appeal to both beginners and experienced backyard cooks alike. $799 at Weber The Smoque may look like a smaller Searwood on the outside, but there are a few noteworthy differences. First, this model has a simplified controller that, like its predecessor, is only operated with a single knob. The smaller LCD panel is easily read from a distance, and it can show grill temperature, food probe temperature and timer info. The catch is the limited real estate can only display one of those stats at a time. This isn't a problem if you've got the Weber Connect app handy, but you'll want to be mindful of which item you leave on the screen if you're planning to glance at the progress from across the deck. The company is actually hoping the limited onboard controls will encourage grillers to use the app on their phone more during the process. This isn't a far-fetched scenario since the Smoque is more for smoking and roasting than high-heat cooking, but I'll get to that in a bit. The other main difference between the Smoque and the Searwood is underneath the cooking grates inside. Weber replaced its trademark Flavorizer bars with a grease sheet that's typical in most pellet grills. The Searwood has one large bar stretching from side to side, while Weber's gas grills and the SmokeFire have several of them going front to back. The company opted for vents instead of a solid sheet of metal, and their covers are basically mini Flavorizer bars. This means you still get the effect of infusing flavor back into foods when grease and juices hit the hot metal and sizzle, albeit on a smaller scale. And those vents facilitate better airflow around the cook chamber, which means efficient smoke circulation. Billy Steele for Engadget Weber Connect, a trademark feature of Weber's smart pellet grills, is available on the Smoque via Wi-Fi. Once your grill syncs with your home network, the mobile software can be used to monitor ambient and food temperatures from anywhere. This is handy if you run out of pellets before your brisket is done or when it's time to hit the school carpool line. You can set timers, activate SmokeBoost mode, add a temperature alert and initiate the shutdown process from the app, too. For beginners, or for cooks just looking for inspiration, the Weber Connect app also provides a wealth of recipes. Those come with step-by-step instructions, and the software offers readiness alerts so you don't overcook those pricey cuts of meat. All of these software features have been a staple of Weber's smart grilling lineup since the debut of the platform in 2020. The company has greatly refined them in the years since, and Weber Connect is now just as handy and reliable as Traeger's WiFire tech, which I previously considered the gold standard. Speaking of reliability, the Smoque is a barbeque workhorse in the backyard. Weber promises preheat times of under 15 minutes on the grill, and that holds true. In fact, most of the time the Smoque will arrive at the desired temperature well before that. Every time I use it, I'm shocked by how quickly it preheats, recovers from the lid being open and adjusts to a higher temperature. This is all thanks to the Rapid React tech in the controller, an upgrade that first appeared on the Searwood. During cooking sessions, the Smoque held its temperature reliability, too. The Weber Connect app has graphs for the various temperatures, and the ambient grill temperature trajectory is almost always a straight line. Sure, you'll see the dips any time you open the lid, but you'll also see the sharp incline that indicates how quickly the grill returned to the set temperature. A nice, uniform smoke ring on baby back ribs. Like the Searwood, the SmokeBoost feature that's designed to add more smoky flavor to your food only works at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This is lower than you'd want to cook things like brisket or pork shoulders, so you have to plan additional cook time for the 1-2 hours at the lower setting. However, you don't really need to use it all. The Smoque imparts plenty of wood-fired flavor from the pellets at the appropriate cooking temperatures. Ribs, pork butts, wings and chicken kabobs all had ample smokiness during my tests — even though the latter two items cooked at higher temperatures without using SmokeBoost first. A useful feature you'll need to decide if you can live without on the Smoque is manual mode. Weber introduced this on the Searwood and the tool allows you to cook with the lid open for things like direct-flame searing and flat-top griddling. It makes that pellet grill more versatile, undoubtedly, but we're talking about a more affordable, more streamlined model with the Smoque. As a result, that's not available here. Both Weber and Trager have taken an interesting approach to their new smart grills in 2025. The companies have built options that are more affordable than previous devices, and the cheapest models from both of them start at $800. The Smoque was initially announced at $699, and Traeger now lists the Woodridge for $900 when it's not on sale (it currently is). Given the current global economic predicament, it's no surprise both companies have raised their prices since their January announcements. Traeger's Woodridge also excels at the basics and will help you churn out some deliciously smoked meats. However, the temperature fluctuates during cooking on that grill, so I give a slight edge to Weber in a head-to-head matchup for its rock-solid consistency. And given the fact that the Smoque is now $100 cheaper at full price, those savings could go towards additional accessories. With the Smoque, Weber proves that a basic grill doesn't have to offer a subpar experience. This model offers reliable smoking and roasting performance with smart features in the company's app for less than its more robust Searwood model. The Smoque is even available in two sizes, so there's an option if you need more than the 594 square inches of cooking space on the unit I tested. Weber really hit its stride with pellet grills last year with the Searwood, and Smoque is proof the company has more compelling ideas in the hopper. Thankfully, this one saves you some money without sacrificing any of the culinary results. Weber says the 22-inch Smoque is headed to retailers now and will be available on its website in early June for $799. The larger, 36-inch model is coming mid-summer for $999. A removable top grate is handy for keeping food further away from the heat.
Tom's Guide
6 days ago
- General
- Tom's Guide
Weber vs Traeger: which pellet grill should I buy?
If you're shopping for a pellet grill, chances are two major names have come up frequently in your search: Traeger and Weber. Both brands have been in the best grill game for a long time and are noted for their high-quality products. If you've narrowed your search down to these two brands among the very crowded pellet grill market, deciding which one to buy can be a challenge. But it's Get Grillin' Week here at Tom's Guide, which means we're answering all your burning questions about how to choose the best grill for your yard. Fortunately, I've tested both Weber's Smoque pellet grill and Traeger's Woodridge Pro, so if you need some guidance on which brand is right for you, I'm your guy. First things first, you'll be getting a high-quality grill either way. But it helps to understand how pellet grills work and what they're best used for before making your purchase. And if you're specifically choosing between a Weber and a Traeger, a simple spec comparison may be enough to sway you one way or another. But if your questions run deeper than that, here's an overview of how you can choose between a Weber and a Traeger pellet grill. How you intend to use your pellet grill has the biggest impact on determining which is best for you. If, for example, you expect to spend more time grilling at high temperatures and less time smoking at low temperatures, be sure to choose a unit that can provide a high-heat sear. You'll want a pellet grill that can handle a 500-degree to 550-degree temperature for grilling meats like steaks. If, conversely, you intend to do a lot more smoking with your pellet grill — which, in my experience, is really the biggest benefit to owning a pellet grill of any kind — you'll want to make sure your pellet grill can reach low temperatures. I usually smoke around 180 degrees, though a 200-degree minimum temperature may be suitable for your needs. I usually smoke around 180 degrees, though a 200-degree minimum temperature may be suitable for your needs. Some pellet grills feature some sort of 'super smoke' setting at low temperatures, which optimizes the amount of smoke and the low temperature to ensure top-quality smoked meats. Look for some setting like this if you intend to do a lot of low-and-slow cooking. Both the Weber Smoque and the Traeger Timberline are great at low-heat smoking, with minimum temperatures of 180 degrees and 165 degrees respectively. As for top temperatures, they both hit 500 degrees. Neither is the perfect choice for high-heat grilling, but I found that they both did the trick. Do you cook for you and your family, or are you gearing up for a series of big gatherings? Both Weber and Traeger offer pellet grills of different sizes to accommodate both scenarios, so this won't be the deciding factor for either brand, but if you're mostly cooking for your immediate family for backyard barbecues, you'll want to choose a smaller smoker. It may be tempting to go big for those 'just in case' moments. But keep in mind that a larger smoker will consume more fuel in order to regulate the temperature in a larger cooking area. So you may end up burning more pellets than necessary just to smoke a rack or two of ribs. A larger capacity lets you smoke more food at once, though also keep in mind that's more meat you'll have to monitor. Of course, if you routinely have family and friends over, and need to get a lot of meat on the grill, by all means, go big! A larger capacity lets you smoke more food at once, though also keep in mind that's more meat you'll have to monitor. If that's the case, the Traeger app does a nice job of setting you up for success. It has features that automatically inform you how to smoke your meats, and monitors it all in real time to the ideal temperature set forth within the app. Weber's app is very good too, but it's not quite as immersive and handy as the Traeger app. The Traeger Woodridge is a smart and capable pellet grill that offers 6-in-1 cooking, including smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ. It's now 22% off for a limited time at Amazon, making it an excellent deal on one of Traeger's leading grills. Low and slow barbecue takes time. That means you might have your pellet grill running all day (and maybe all night) long. Consequently, you'll need a pellet hopper that can handle enough pellets to get you through the entire session. Both Weber and Traeger offer options with large hoppers, so regardless of which you choose, you should be well set for long smoking sessions. The Weber Searwood XL 600 should be your choice if you're looking for a large capacity from a Weber, and the Traeger Timberline XL also offers plenty of space. Both brands also come with apps which monitor the hopper as you smoke, so you'll get alerts should you need to refill. Keep in mind too that you will need to purchase pellets. While each brand recommends you use their brand of pellets, you should be able to use just about any pellets made for smoking foods with a Weber or a Traeger. As pellets are a consumable item, you'll need to factor in the price of refills as part of your smoking experience. Pellet grills can get quite large quite quickly. So even if you want to feed a lot of people, you'll need to think of the overall footprint of the grill and where it will live on your patio or in your yard. If you're short on space, look for a pellet grill that offers ample cooking space in a small footprint. Weber's Smoque is a good example of a spacious cooking area in a small footprint. It doesn't skimp on hopper capacity, and you can definitely pack a lot of food within. You will, however, lose out on a side prep table, which the Traeger Woodridge offers in spades. It even features a side burner! We've tested both the Smoque and the Weber Searwood, and neither offers side shelves or storage space for accessories. That said, you can always buy the side table accessory and add it later if you want. Both Weber and Traeger offer plenty of options for different sizes and use cases, so you're in luck if you prefer one brand over the other. But overall, Weber offers pellet grills with smaller footprints, so if you're tight on space, lean toward a Weber. Both Weber and Traeger offer a ton of accessories to go with their pellet smokers. Once again, this will largely come down to personal brand preference. Traeger does have a slight edge in the accessories department, however. While Weber's accessories offerings are deep, Traeger's accessories run a wider gamut. And in my experience, Traeger accessories have a higher-end look and feel to them. That's not to say Weber's accessories are bad, or low-end. But it's clear Traeger has put a lot more thought into not only the usefulness of its accessories, but also the look and feel. A grill and workspace that looks great and functions well is one you'll want to use frequently. I know it's not helpful to hear this, but you really can't go wrong with either Weber or Traeger. Both offer well-built, high-quality pellet smokers that will make your backyard barbecuing easy and delicious. So ultimately, it comes down to which brand you like better. To tip the scales, Traeger smokers tend to be super versatile, and they do very well at both smoking and grilling. And Traeger's accessory offerings edge out Weber. Weber pellet grills are built like tanks, and you're likely to get years and years out of them. Weber also offers super powerful smokers with smaller overall footprints, so if you're short on space, look here. I gave the Traeger Woodridge Pro a rare 4.5-star review, but Tom's Guide's Reviews Editor Peter Wolinski awarded the Weber Searwood the same honor, so you're getting a good option either way. So take solace knowing that you're getting a top-quality product from either of these powerhouse brands.
