Thinking about buying a Weber Searwood XL or the Weber Smoque XL? In this video, we put both grills head-to-head to help you decide which one is right for your backyard.
We compare features, build quality, and cooking performance while smoking pork butts, chicken wings, and grilling burgers on both the Searwood XL and the Smoque XL. You’ll also see how each grill handles cleanup so you know what to expect after the cook.
If you’re shopping for a new Weber grill and wondering whether the Searwood XL or Smoque XL is the better choice, this review and comparison will give you the answers you need.
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36 Comments
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Dave & Melissa – An excellent review. I think I would lean toward the Searwood in order to replace multiple functions with one grill. With variable cooking temperatures, it may be hard to estimate but what can we expect in pellet usage?
I'd HIGHLY recommend everyone stop using wire brushes to clean your grill. I have been fortunate in that my injury from them only chipped a tooth, but, thankfully, I didn't ingest that piece as people have died from them. I have switched to a water soaked scrubbing one and it cleans way better and is safer. Otherwise, thank you for the video, it makes my next pellet grill upgrade a harder decision.
I have an old Weber Spirit and a seperate small Masterbuilt cabinet electric smoker. I really want a grill that does everything. My concern is that I will lose the smokey flavor of my cabinet by going to a pellet grill. The Searwood is the closest thing I have seen, but you stated in this video that you lose some of the smokey flavor. Can that be achieved on either of these grills by switching the flavor or brand/ quality of the pellet used? Just asking your opinion… TIA
I'd love to see this channel check out the Recteq X-fire Pro and put it through some real tests. I think Recteq is fudging some of their numbers and claims.
Great video! But 2:15 pissed me off with the careless pellet filling 🤣
Excellent and informative video, thank you for all the information!. Hoping the smaller variants (non-XL) have the same results shown in this video. Still attempting to decide on which one to go with
12:18 On the searwood, the heat router thing has a bunch of ash inside. Theres also edges on the insides of the grill that will hold grease that doesn't make it into the cleaning tray so that needs to be cleaned out before it causes a fire.
It doesn't seem as bad for the Smoque.
Can you review and compare the pitboss 850 DX to other comparable models in the price range or size?
Great comparison ive been looking for one and this was perfect, well presented. My only concern with searwood smoque is having to cook big cuts on bottom shelf alot of other grills have a top shelf i have noticed, does weber do a good job and getting rid of the residual heat or do you have to watch the bottom on briskets?
I have the Searwood XL, Slate 30” Weber 26.75” kettle and the Weber summit Kamado E6. Don’t forget the option of the rotisserie on the Searwood I want one bad
why have a wing-off with two different kinds of wings? why not half the full wings on each and half the small wings on each?
Great job Dave & Melissa! I always appreciate your honest and thoughtful reviews!!
On pellets: I use alder pellets for smoked salmon, I don't use mesquite at all and I mostly use hickory for everything else.
If you want a HOT pellet grill get a Recteq. The newer grills get over 700°. Easy to get great grill marks.
As to your question regarding the difference in taste with different wood pellets…… only with mesquite which I find too strong for my taste. I mostly use blends nowadays so they all taste about the same.
In my experience for pellets on my SmokeFire Gen2 I prefer just two brands. Smokin Pecan Shell Pellets & Royal Oak Charcoal Pellets.
For low & slow the Smokin Pecan Shell Pellets produce the most smoke of any other pellets on the market. Reason is they contain way more lignin in them than wood pellets. Plus they burn longer. But they are expensive.
The Royal Oak Charcoal Pellets are better for the higher heat (500 – 600 degrees). Produce way more smoke at these higher temperatures than wood pellets. Burn hotter, moisture resistant.
I blend the two together (50/50) for the majority of my cooks.
Nice comparison. Thanks.
As per the smoke flavour , a pit master maybe able to tell the difference between pellet flavours , I for one can't , I'm the guy who can't tell the difference between a ten dollar bottle of wine and a 70 dollar bottle 🤣, aside from that your video was one of the best comparisons between two good smokers , thanks guys .
Honestly I can’t hardly tell the difference
My searwood xl comes in Monday. Looks like I made the right decision. Thank you for all the hard work!
I would really like to see a high end pellet smoker comparison video. Pitts and Spitts, Yoder, LSG, MAK , and any others you might could get your hands on.
Why do you make your viewers watch endless full length ads that viewers cannot skip?
Do you think the searwood is a better smoker than the Camp Chef woodwind pro?
I can easily fit 3 costco chickens on the smoque xl on the main grate
Great review, I just got the smoque XL, 500f is more than enough for me. I have a s330 genesis and 22 in kettle. No flare ups and set it and forget it. No pellets sensor though, not a big deal
Did you check the advertised temperatures. Will the Searwood reach 600 and the Smoque 500?
This was an amazing video – thank you. Is it possible for a quick take on how the Searwood griddle works/tests? It’s a killer combo imo
I was disappointed that you didn't check the actual temperature versus what is said on the PID controller.
I cannot tell the difference in smoking pellets. I can tell the level of smoke however. So something smoked with apple wood vs mesquite is noticeable but other than that wood is wood as far as pellets go.
Can’t wait for a max capacity cook episode on the Smoque XL. Ex, how many butts can you smoke at a time.
Oh dang – the FINALLY direct the grease? Nice. That was the stupidest thing about all these.
The Weber Searwood eats my Grilla Grill Silverback for lunch. Wish they had a trade-in credit like the cellphone companies. Talking the wife into a new grill is "No Bueno".
I already have a high end limited edition AceWeber grill with 9mm stainless grates and is a wonderful pit with griddle and other insert accessories. With that said, I’m leaning towards the Smoque for a smoker only solution. I do worry how complex the deflector plate is though .. looks difficult to clean and looks to be more expensive to replace later down the road. Im in a holding pattern for now until the rotisserie option is available since for me that accessory is a must for my next smoker. But as always, a wonderful review David and team!
Your disclaimer needs some clarification. Do you get to keep the grills for free? You probably want to continue to get free products from all these companies to do future reviews. They might not tell you what to say. But what you say might affect if they want to send you their next product that you get to keep. Many of the products you review are expensive. If you're getting to keep them for free then that is a form of payment.
Great video! I think thousands of people have been waiting on a definitive breakdown of the differences between the Searwood and Smoque as Weber has done a really poor job in explaining them. I have a Searwood already, but this is a great video that I can share with people looking for a pellet grill. With that said, I think anyone would be happy with the Smoque for cheaper. I honestly think that the cleaning may be easier on the Smoque.
Lots of shameless plugs for your affiliate links, too many to the point of being annoying. Its a huge turnoff for most people.