Consistent heat across a very large cooking surface. Heavy smoke production at lower temperatures. Generously sized pellet hopper. Super low maintenace.

App is well-featured but buggy. Some ergonomic and usability considerations.

While my love of smoked meats is well-documented, my own journey into actually tending the fire started just last spring when I jumped at the opportunity to review the Traeger Woodridge Pro. When Recteq came calling with a similar offer to check out the Flagship 1600, I figured it would be a good way to stay warm all winter.

While the two smokers have a lot in common, the Recteq definitely feels like an upgrade from the Traeger I’ve been using. Not only does it have nearly twice the cooking space, but the huge pellet hopper, rounded barrel, and proper smokestack help me feel like a real pitmaster.

The trade-off is losing some of the usability features that make the Woodridge Pro a great first smoker. The setup isn’t as quite as simple, and the larger footprint and less ergonomic conditions require a little more experience or patience. With both options, excellent smoked meat is just a few button presses away, but speaking as someone with both in their backyard, I’ve been firing up the Recteq more often.

Getting Settled

Setting up the Recteq wasn’t as time-consuming as the Woodridge, but it was more difficult to manage on my own. Some of the steps, like attaching the bull horns to the lid, or flipping the barrel onto its stand, would really benefit from a patient friend or loved one. Like most smokers, you’ll need to run a burn-in cycle at 400 degrees Fahrenheit to make sure there’s nothing left over from manufacturing or shipping. Given the amount of setup time and need to cool down the smoker after, I would recommend setting this up Friday afternoon if you want to smoke on a Saturday.

Like the Woodridge, the Flagship has its own app and Wi-Fi connection, which is great for monitoring or adjusting temperature without getting out of your lawn chair. It also stores up to 30 days of cooking history with a reviewable graph, something I expressed a desire for when I reviewed the Traeger. Otherwise, I’m not as pleased with the app. It’s not super user-friendly or responsive, and it likes to randomly send me push notifications that it’s pre-heating to 400F, sending me rushing to the backyard to make sure it hasn’t randomly tried to ruin my pork belly with an hour to go.

Even Heat, Abundant Smoke

Smokers rarely have totally equal heat, but I like Recteq’s approach to mitigating the issue more than Traeger’s. The Recteq’s firepot is located smack in the center of the barrel, with a symmetrical heat spreader and drip catcher that tilts toward the trays on either end. The upside is that I measured no more than a 7-degree difference while cooking between the center of the smoker and the outer edges of the middle grate. The downside is two separate drip buckets to drain and clean, but I feel okay making that trade-off for more evenly cooked brisket.

In fact, “evenly cooked” doesn’t even begin to describe some of the excellent food I prepared on the Recteq over the last month or so. My go-to for a big Saturday is pork belly, and the Recteq produced noticeably more substantial smoke rings and juicier interior than the Woodridge. It heats up faster, too, which worked particularly well for chicken using the 0-400 method, and produces way more smoke at 225 degrees Fahrenheit, my preferred smoking temperature. I’m also stoked about the Recteq’s “Low” heat setting. It gets all the way down to around 170 according to my wireless thermometer, which is slightly lower than the Woodridge’s “super smoke” mode, and was excellent for packing a ton of smoke flavor into a salmon filet.

The Recteq gets a bit hotter overall than the Traeger, with a theoretical max of 700 degrees Fahrenheit, but the most smoke is generated under 250, so anything above that is more of a big oven. High heat is great for pizzas or finishing off poultry with the skin on, but you’ll be chewing through pellets in the process, and the Woodridge’s max of 500 degrees Fahrenheit is more than good enough for baking things off.

Get a Grip

There are some ergonomic and usability issues. Whether you think the big bullhorn handles on the front are fun or tacky, they make the already thick lid quite a bit heavier. That’s great for heat retention, but I definitely let it slam a few times by accident while trying to check on meat or juggle trays and sprayers, and the horns aren’t as easy to grab with an elbow or wrist as a bar would be. The Flagship also includes six grates, but the top shelf is only wide enough for a single shelf, which means you’ll always have an extra grate just kind of hanging out.

One area where the Recteq definitely takes home a win is the maintenance. Traeger recommends deep cleaning the entire inside of the grill every two to three cooks, including a complete degreasing and vacuuming, which is both messy and time-consuming. The Recteq only needs the firepot vacuumed and the foil replaced every few cooks, and the brand recommends running the hopper all the way down every four or five bags of pellets. The ash buildup inside is accounted for in the design and helps provide extra insulation, so you only have to clean it up once or twice per year.

Most people won’t have any reason to pick up a second smoker, so a lot of folks will be wondering about the difference between this and the competing Traeger. If you’re just starting out, you might be a little overwhelmed by the Recteq’s less-friendly interface and setup, not to mention the massive size consuming more pellets when you might not need to. That said, the lack of maintenance, excellent heat distribution, and powerful smoke all made this a worthwhile upgrade for me after only a year or so into my smoking journey. If you just want to make ribs once a month, the Traeger will be easier to operate. If you’re ready to get nerdy about temperatures, foil boats, and vinegar spray mixes, I’d reach for the Recteq.