Weber SmokeFire is a grill that can smoke low and slow but also sear steaks – summer just got more mouth-watering

Weber's new grill range, the SmokeFire EX4 and EX6 (larger and smaller versions respectively of this pellet grill) could be a game changer for the barbecue world. It currently sits atop our list of the Best barbecues and grills. 

I've had the Weber SmokeFire for 2 months now, and it is my new favourite barbecue. Or, if you are American, my new favourite grill. You can skip this and read T3's full Weber Smokefire EX4 review now, if you like.

It's worth noting that there was some very negative feedback on early units of the SmokeFire, of the 'this does not work and may catch fire' variety. However, while it will be of little consolation to anyone who bought early and is now waiting for their grill to be fixed, the one Weber provided me with has worked exactly as advertised.  The grill I used is the smaller EX4 but the super-sized EX6 is also on sale now.

The grill, the software and – most important – the food it produces are seriously impressive. T3 went to the launch of the SmokeFire earlier this year, when people were allowed out, and Weber's own team of grill masters served the food. 

However, even they said that the temperature probes and cooking app meant that anyone could make complex smoked and seared barbecue. Yes, even me and you.

🇬🇧 Buy Weber SmokeFire EX4 now in the UK for £1,199 at Weber

🇬🇧 Buy the larger Weber SmokeFire EX6 now in the UK for £1,449 at Weber

You can claim 2 free accessories if you buy direct from Weber in the UK right now.

🇬🇧 Buy Weber SmokeFire now in the UK for £1,199 at John Lewis

🇺🇸 Buy Weber SmokeFire now in the USA from $999

• There's also a new #1 entry in our Best small barbecue list
• Like it slow and low? These are the Best smokers

Weber's first pellet grill range, the SmokeFire system claims to be able to cook slow and low but also to sear at high temperatures. In other words, it's a smoker and a steak sizzler in one immaculately constructed machine.

Weber is never one to rest on its laurels – nor be left behind by the likes of Traeger and Pit Boss – and its pellet-based smoker-cum-barbecue system will be ready for early 2020. Pellet grills are big business in the US where they love their smoked baby back ribs and slow-cooked cuts – and as you'll see from my Traeger Pro 575 review, pellet grills can be quite awesome cooking machines. 

So far, we Brits have been far less imaginative and experimental when it comes to barbecuing. We seemingly prefer to indulge in the simple pleasures of slapping a bunch of cheap sausages and half a dozen chicken legs onto a searingly hot open grill – and then watching everything burn to a cinder. But smoker sales were well up this summer in Brittania and that trend could explode now UK market leader Weber is getting into the smokin' game. The SmokeFire system could also be huge in the USA though.

Why? Because this is a pellet grill that can sear more expensive cuts of meat fast, like a barbecue, but also cook slow and low, while also giving food a legitimate dose of smoke. It's potentially a one-way trip to flavour town, you might say. If you're Food Network's BBQ bro Guy Fieri, anyways. 

By contrast, pellet grilling is a far more docile, manageable – and indeed easier – way to cook both meat and veg in the great outdoors. In fact, because pellet grills are controlled by an electronic processor, the heat under the lid is kept at a precise and constant temperature that barely fluctuates. This means you can set the system to cook at, say, 180ºC, and, like your oven, it’ll stay at that temperature for as long as there are enough pellets in the hopper. 

If Weber’s past and current form is anything to go by, the SmokeFire should shift well here in the UK, not least because Weber already has a wide distribution system in place.

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This is what the pellets look like: rabbit feed or Twiglets, basically

Weber SmokeFire: release date and price

• Weber SmokeFire is on sale now.

• The 24” SmokeFire EX4 GBS is £1,199 and the 36” SmokeFire EX6 GBS is £1,449.

🇬🇧 Buy Weber SmokeFire now in the UK for £1,199

🇺🇸 Buy Weber SmokeFire now in the USA from $999

What’s so special about the Weber SmokeFire?

Weber has clearly looked closely at the competition and addressed common issues with many pellet-based smokers, namely the design of the auger – the mechanical corkscrew system that distributes wooden pellets down a tunnel into a small fire pot. Where most models use a relatively long, level auger tunnel, the Weber features a really short uphill tunnel. This supposedly helps to prevent blockages and, perhaps more importantly, blowbacks – that admittedly rare instance when the pellets in the auger ignite, leading to possible conflagration of the entire pellet hopper.

Most current pellet grills are ideal for slow roasting and, of course, smoking. What they are not normally that good at is searing steaks which require temperatures around 500ºF or 260ºC. According to Weber, the SmokeFire is capable of reaching a temperature of 600ºF or 315ºC – that’s another major plus in its favour.

Like the Traeger Pro 575, which also rates highly in our top 20 best grills, the SmokeFire is fitted with a digital control panel that lets you choose your temp and time frame and retreat in the knowledge that everything will be cooked to succulent perfection with very little intervention. The integrated Weber Control app, meanwhile, offers ‘step-by-step guidance on everything from setup and meal-prep, to smart tips and custom food doneness alerts’. 

Traeger's app is probably better than Weber's but the SmokeFire's ability to sear and smoke is a game-changer. So long as Weber can keep shipping SmokeFire grills that work as well as the one we've tried – as we noted up top, early models have included a lot of faulty ones – Weber SmokeFire is going to be the grill sensation of 2020.

Fantastic Weber BBQs for Australia that you can buy right now

• Weber Original BBQ Kettle
• Weber Go-Anywhere BBQ
• Weber Family Q (Q3100) LP

Read T3's full verdict on the Weber SmokeFire in our Best barbecue/grill list 

Weber SmokeFire is out now.

🇬🇧 Buy Weber SmokeFire EX4 now in the UK for £1,199 at Weber

🇬🇧 Buy the larger Weber SmokeFire EX6 now in the UK for £1,449 at Weber

You can claim 2 free accessories if you buy direct from Weber in the UK right now.

🇬🇧 Buy Weber SmokeFire now at John Lewis for £1,199 

🇺🇸 Buy Weber SmokeFire now in the USA from $999

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