When Weber launched a smart grilling platform, a connected grilling hub and its first pellet grill in 2020, the companys new era hit a few speedbumps. The Weber Connect technology was a solid foundation for aspiring outdoor cooks at any skill level, but the SmokeFire grill suffered from big temperature fluctuations, pellet feeding issues and was prone to grease fires. Those problems led to inconsistent performance for a lot of people. In 2024, the company debuted an all-new model as it sought to move past the troubles of its first. The Searwood ($899 and up) offers a new design with a reworked internal construction for a more direct auger path for those pellets. Its still a smart grill, so Weber Connect is onboard once again. But the biggest changes are a lower price and a manual mode that allows you to cook with the lid open without sacrificing performance. The design of the Weber Searwood While the Searwood has a similar overall barrel shape to the SmokeFire, there are some notable changes. First, the pellet hopper was moved from the back to the side, with the new location being what a lot of the competition offers. This simplifies the auger path too, which should remedy some of the problems users encountered on the previous version. The display and controller is now on the front edge of the grill instead of toward the back which makes for easier access. The hopper was relocated where the small shelf was, but you can use the top of the pellet holder to rest any tools or pans. Another big change on the Searwood is its legs and wheels. Where the SmokeFire had sturdy legs with durable casters on each one, this version has two regular wheels on one end and just legs on the other. This makes the Searwood more difficult to move, and it means youll have to pick up one end to relocate it. All the heavy stuff is on the wheeled side, so this isnt a big lift, but the lack of casters means youll need more room to maneuver. Billy Steele for Engadget The new wheels are entirely plastic and the legs arent as robust as what was on the SmokeFire. Perhaps this is one area where Weber felt it could save money to lower the price of Searwood. If youre not moving the grill a lot, this probably wont be a concern, but the lack of quality here stood out to me. You do gain a large shelf under the grill, which is something the SmokeFire didnt offer. Going back to the controller and display, Weber did an excellent job with the update there. The numbers are bolder and easier to read from a distance and the single-knob controls are simple to use. The display can show you set temperature, actual temperature, probe temperature and timers, plus there are mode indicators and a fuel gauge that keeps tabs on pellets. All around, the new display and controller is an upgrade over what was on the SmokeFire. Inside, rows of the companys Flavorizer bars were replaced with a single, larger deflector that shields the fire pot from grease and food debris. All of that waste and pellet dust can be scraped to the bottom of the grill for easy removal via the slide-out pan underneath. Youll still probably want to use a shop vac for deep cleaning, but you can get rid of a lot of waste with just a scraper. Cooking with the Weber Searwood Billy Steele for Engadget Like all pellet grills, the Searwood has a wide temperature range that allows you to use it for slow smoking and quick searing. More specifically, those numbers go from 180-600 degrees Fahrenheit, so baking, roasting and more are also possible. I mostly use pellet grills for hands-off, low-and-slow barbeque of large cuts like brisket, pork shoulders and ribs. Thats where I focused most of my testing, although I made sure to give this grills open-lid feature a few trial runs. For slow smoking, the Searwood is a reliable machine, maintaining heat throughout the cook and recovering quickly each time I open the lid. That latter feature is thanks to the grills Rapid React system that also preheats the device in 15 minutes or less. The Searwood imparts lovely smoke flavor in various foods, but pork shoulders (Boston Butts) and our Thanksgiving turkey were my two favorites. My wife no longer allows me to cook our holiday bird any other way after I smoked it on a Searwood. Most pellet grills have a setting that allows you to enhance flavor with more smoke at certain temperatures. Weber calls this SmokeBoost, but it only works at 180 degrees. I wouldve liked for this to be available at any temperature under 225 degrees, like Traeger offers on its products, for some more versatility. Weber recommends that you use SmokeBoost at the beginning of your cook for extra smokiness before raising the temperature to your desired level. To be clear, the grill puts plenty of smoke into your food without this, so if the low starting temperature is off-putting, you certainly dont have to use SmokeBoost. Billy Steele for Engadget A big addition to the Searwood is the manual mode that allows you to use the grill with the lid open. This means you can use it for direct-flame searing or as a griddle, if you have the proper insert to do the latter. Unlike a lot of pellet grills, the Searwoods manual mode keeps fuel and fan speed constant with the lid up, so it can maintain output at times when other grills would pause. You just select a level of 1-10 corresponding to how hot you need to cook and the grill does the rest. This works well, but youll probably still want a charcoal kettle for live-fire searing in most cases. During my tests, I preferred to use the Searwood as a griddle rather than a sear machine. The Searwoods smart features come through a Wi-Fi connection to the Weber Connect app. This is the software the company debuted in 2020 when it first launched its smart grilling platform. However, Weber has significantly updated the app over the last few years and the current version offers a smooth experience. With Weber Connect, you can monitor temperatures and control the grill remotely, plus there are live graphs that plot out your progress, notifications to tell you when food is ready and theres a ton of recipes when you need some ideas. Weber Searwood accessories The degree to which you can customize a new grill is almost as important as its factory features. Weber has been providing add-ons via its Weber Crafted collection for a while now, and some of those items are compatible with the Searwood. Once you have the required frame kit, you can utilize a smaller griddle insert, dual-sided sear grate, pizza stone and grilling basket. My favorite accessories for this grill are the rotisserie and the full-size griddle insert for $130 and $149 respectively. If you need more shelf space, youll have to buy extra pieces. There are folding options that attach to both the front and side of the Searwood, and theyre both $75. Youll need to replace the side handle with the shelf if you go that route. The competition Billy Steele for Engadget At $899, the Searwood 600 is $100 cheaper than the SmokeFire EX4 was at launch. Like its predecessor, the Searwood comes in two sizes, with the larger XL 600 starting at $1,199. The SmokeFire is no longer available, but Weber just announced the Smoque and Smoque XL at $699 and $899, respectively, if you want alternatives from the same company. Those new grills have a simplified controller and other streamlined changes, but the overall design is similar to the Searwood. I expect to review the Smoque sometime this spring. Traeger recently announced its Woodridge lineup and the mid-level option in that trio is a solid alternative to the Searwood. The Woodridge Pro is more expensive than the Searwood 600 at $1,000, but its also a larger grill. The entry-level, $800 Woodridge is a workhorse that handles the basics without some of Traegers handy features. Jump to the Woodridge Pro and you get shelves, Super Smoke mode and a pellet sensor in the hopper. Wrap-up Dont call it a comeback, but Webers Searwood is a good rebound from the stumbles of the SmokeFire. The grill is definitely more reliable than its predecessor and most of the changes enhance the overall cooking experience. Manual mode is a nice bonus, as is the addition of a fuel sensor in the pellet hopper. My biggest gripe is the base, where I wish the company had gone with something sturdier like Traeger implemented on the base-model Woodridge. Still, the Searwood is a versatile smart grill without the headaches, and thats exactly what you want when youre spending precious time cooking outdoors. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/weber-searwood-review-second-times-the-charm-153037440.html?src=rss