REC TEC Grills Mini Portable Pellet Grill Review

REC TEC RT-300 Review

REC TEC may be a younger brand than other pellet grill companies, but its smokers are becoming a favorite for its no-fail approach to cooking tender and smoky meat thanks to REC TEC’s patented Smart Grill Technology. The Mini Portable Wood Pellet Grill (RT-300) is one of the only 2 pellet grills REC TEC offers. But don’t be fooled by the word “mini” – this grill is as powerful as any full-sized models in the market today.

The REC TEC Mini Portable Wood Pellet Grill (RT-300) is a wood-firing smoker that’s basically a plug-and-play grill with just one push of a button, and makes anyone a pro in the grill with tender meat at every cookout.

Design

The mini portable wood pellet grill has the REC TEC trademark black and bright orange colors. It is constructed using heavy-duty, powder-coated stainless steel, and equipped with a 15-pound pellet hopper, the Smart Grill Technology panel (where power cord is located), a black-and-orange smoke exhaust chimney, and a bucket-type drip system connected to the stainless steel drip pan. It has a pair of large rear wheels and a foldable stand on the front, so you could move it around like a cart.

TEC REC has 3 interesting finishing touches for its mini grill – the stainless steel towel ring, the classic REC TEC logo, and the REC TEC GRILLS branding on top of the Smart Grill Tech box.

Assembly takes less than an hour, thanks to the user-friendly manual included. Once you’ve placed some pellets, you have to burn off possible leftover residues from the REC TEC manufacturing plant. To do this, you need to let it run for 30 to 40 minutes at 500°F.

Features

• Smart Grill Technology – The most distinctive feature of the REC TEC Mini Portable Wood Pellet Grill is the control panel. It has a straightforward layout – the red push button to check actual and set temperature. On the display, there’s an on/off switch for the lights, an on/off switch for the grill, and up/down switch to adjust temperature.

This technology can control the heat for you. Its temperature range is 180˚F to 550˚F, which can be adjusted in increments of 5 degrees. After setting the temperature, the probe (installed inside) communicates actual temp to the controller. This means that it can add pellets (and therefore, add extra heat) if your grill is running too cold, or back off a bit if it’s running too hot.

Because this technology does the job for you, you’ll have no worries slow-cooking meat overnight without drying it out, or resulting in undercooked meat.

• Plug and Grill – Once you’ve done initial assembly, cooking on the REC TEC Mini Grill is easy. You just unfold the legs, open the box, lift its grill, plug in and cook.

• Spacious Hopper – The REC TEC Mini Grill hopper, a huge box where you place your chosen pellets, has ample space for up to 15 pounds of flavored real wood. That’s enough for most backyard cooking, since it could last for up to 15 hours non-stop. And since the pellets stop passing through the fire pot when you turn the griller off, you wouldn’t be wasting them once you’re done cooking.

• Even cooking all the time – There are three reasons why the REC TEC RT-300 model can cook evenly all the time. First, the fire pot is located at the center of the grill, which creates an even flow of heat once fired up. Second, the patented PID algorithm for controlled temperature allows food to cook properly, resulting to evenly-flavored meat. Lastly, the fire pot has a built-in heat deflector and blower fan that works simultaneously in ensuring even heat distribution at all times.

• Portable design – The “mini” on this REC TEC grill’s name can also refer to portability. It weighs 99 pounds and measure 33 x 16 x 41 inches. The folding legs and lightweight frame contributes to its portability.

• Handles temperature Up to 500 ºF in 5º increments – This grill does the dirty job for you, but its temperature can still be adjusted if needed.

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Pros

• Affordable (one of the cheapest pellet grillers in the market)
• Easy to assemble
• Quickly heats up
• Straightforward operation
• Easy to clean
• Very economical use of pellets
• Rust-proof durable parts, especially the cooking grates
• Easy-to-use Smart Grill Technology digital control panel
• Even heat distribution and consistent cooking temperatures
• Portable and easy to move around
• Ample grilling area space
• Two-year warranty

Cons

One of the main complaints of customers who bought the REC TEC Mini Portable Wood Pellet Grill (RT-300) is that the griller is made in China. However, this isn’t something to worry about since the construction is solid and REC TEC seems to have an excellent quality-assurance team.

Other downsides of this model include:

• No accessories included (but REC TEC does offer a range of accessories that you can buy on top of your griller)
• Not exactly portable (It is still heavy due to its 100-pound weight, so moving it may require two people)

Verdict

Ideal for home use and regular backyard cookouts, the REC TEC Mini Portable Wood Pellet Grill (RT-300) is a handsome griller. It is equipped with the company’s innovative Smart Grill Technology™ Controller and Proprietary PID algorithm that work together to cook consistently even-flavored meat at every cooking.

Don’t be fooled by the name. The REC TEC’s mini griller has 341 square-inch cooking space, which fits a ton of meat. The grill measures 22″ x 15.5″, which is tall enough for a turkey. Just like its bigger and more-expensive brother, the REC TEC Mini pellet grill lets you cook with a “set it and forget it” method – perfect for hosting parties and family reunions.

Despite concerns that this grill was made in China, no one can contest the durability (mostly all parts are made of warp-proof and rust-proof 304 Stainless Steel from inside and out.

The REC TEC Mini Grill is definitely a good buy for its impressive features, solid built, technology built into the grill, portability and affordable price.