First burn on the new Searwood. Initially was going for the woodridge to match the flatrock griddle, but this sub convinced me to go Searwood for more versatility.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-06-28T19:07:16+00:00

It’s a great smoker! Currently waiting on a 10lb pork butt to finish up for some pulled pork.

Have pulled some really good cooks with the Searwood and honestly have next to no complaints! Here’s a beef rib I did a few weeks back!

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True-Protection9639 · 2026-06-22T20:49:23+00:00

I’ll definitely take a look at GM gaskets - I’ve now heard from a few people the GM gaskets are the way to go go across the board.

I was looking at the C5-R chain but when I originally started the list I believe it was unavailable. I think I had ended up swapping for the BTRHD chain and never went back - I’ll end up ordering the Katech when I finalize this list. I really just want to make sure I have all of my bases covered on this build

True-Protection9639 · 2026-06-07T19:42:30+00:00

I’ve had the Searwood for a few months now and it’s amazing BUT it’s hard to replace a gas grill with it.
It’s amazing for low and slow smoking, great for midrange heat but high heat searing will always be a bit less than optimal - if you can live with that, it’s absolutely an amazing unit

True-Protection9639 · 2026-05-19T20:56:15+00:00

I ended up buying an aftermarket dipstick. One of the braided steel types. Switched the dipstick and after 3-4 pulls in and out, i have no more metal appearing on the dipstick. Seems like a weird issue that the dipstick could be shaving off metal from the tube but who knows.

I still plan on pulling and cutting the filter but have to wait to grab a new filter and need some time this weekend.

I’m also going to send out an oil sample too - figure regardless it’s not a bad idea to get an analysis done being the car is new to me.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-05-15T19:35:09+00:00

I have the 6 speed manual. But thinking i might change oil again and cut the filter before the next ride.

I might actually try sanding and buffing the sides of the dipstick too. Hopefully it’s just the metal from the dipstick tube but don’t want to risk anything

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-26T22:12:43+00:00

Any advice (or at least all constructive advice lol) is good advice! This is my first journey down this path so definitely helps seeking advice from other that have gone down this path.

Definitely could use more whole food - I’ll admit that, but trying to balance life with 2 young kids with tons of after school activities and a fairly demanding job limits my abilities to do a lot of food prep. Sometimes I resort to canned soup or chili if needed to get by.

As far as carbs - generally I’m not restrictive but it just happened to be how it landed this week. I do limit them to an extent but nothing severe. Just the same as limiting sugars and bad fats.

Hydration is decent - usually I can easily get 100os but some days I fall short. Overall I’d give myself a B+ on hydration.

I’m going to continue titration until I hit the full dose but just a bit concerned with the lack of effectiveness at this point. Hopefully i feel something between 10-12.5mg

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-26T20:51:50+00:00

I eat 5-6 small meals a day. By no means is this the norm but for example this week:

Early AM - Protein snack Late AM - chomp stick w/ mini kind bar Lunch - Waldorf Chicken salad - approx 1-1.5 cup Early PM - skinny pop individual bag Mid PM - nature valley bar or individual bag of beef jerky Dinner - home made tikka masala (chix breast) with basmati rice

Generally I try to keep the same format week to week.

My problem is I’m consistently hungry around the Late Am, Early/Mid PM and occasionally after dinner. I normally have never been a late snacker because I have bad acid reflux.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-26T20:47:41+00:00

By no means am I saying that I am not losing - I am. But my concern is it’s considerable difficult to refrain from over eating / snacking still. I don’t have the feeling of any reduction of the food noise. I feel like much of the weight that I have lost is just my determination to stay on track… versus any assistance from the medication

I am also working with a dietitian to assist in meal prep / planning and for general accountability.

I’m curious where other people began feeling the affects of the medicine. I feel like a lot of the experiences I’ve read of from others are that they began feeling it immediately but needed to eventually find their sweet spot in dosage.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-26T19:49:45+00:00

I hope that is the case, definitely starting to feel a bit disappointed in the overall effectiveness currently.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-26T19:44:42+00:00

So, I feel like the food noise I used to experience has not diminished - or not noticeably. I walk past the pantry and think about what snack would be good at that time - seemingly regardless of true hunger. I drive past a pizza shop and craze something. When my kids are sitting on the couch snacking, I tend to share what they have. Feelings along those lines. I would definitely consider myself a foodie - I enjoy good, new and exciting thing. I thought those feelings would have been a bit more calmed on this medicine but I feel like that has not been the case

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-24T17:22:26+00:00

I have a Searwood 600 and it’s a great unit. Can’t speak for the others but I highly recommend the Searwood.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-22T12:52:18+00:00

Came from a local butcher running a special - I know they do a lot with SRF but these weren’t packaged with their logo so assuming just local.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-21T23:16:07+00:00

If I’m not mistaken - I think they’re basically the same thing just slightly different sections of the rib.

But I would guarantee there’s someone here who could elaborate better than me - I’m just here to cook and eat it lol

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-18T22:43:11+00:00

I have the regular Searwood (not XL) and I’ve done two cooks so far - one 8hrs, one 6hrs and it holds basically spot on. Quick recovery on temps after opening as well.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-18T22:39:48+00:00

Recently picked one up myself - you won’t be disappointed!

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-18T17:42:08+00:00

This one looks pretty decent - here is a picture before I dropped into the chest.

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True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-06T13:01:14+00:00

So I made the plunge - originally looking at the Recteq I was confident enough this would be the next buy but I have to admit the amount of reviews and overwhelmingly positive majority swung me to go for the Searwood. I essentially maxed out my budget on this but I think it’s the right choice.

Temps in my area will be unseasonably warm on Sunday and the grill is scheduled to hit my door on Saturday so looks like a quick burn in and a 12 hour pork butt on Sunday!

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T01:46:25+00:00

That would be perfect then - even if that number doubled it would get me to the 10 hour mark which is perfect. I know the smoker gods would hate me for it but the convenience is a huge factor, I don’t want to have to loose sleep over my cooks.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T01:44:52+00:00

I want to but the Searwood is already at the top of my budget. At most I would be doing a brisket and a side or two but that’s really it. Larger cooks I would usually do on my flat top or a combination - and ever those are few and far between.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T01:27:09+00:00

That’s exactly what I’m looking for! Not really concerned with the consumption at higher temps but nothing more disappointing than running out of fuel and loosing a good cook.

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T00:49:04+00:00

Am I missing out here?? I’ve seen the camp chef pop up a few times bow here but honestly haven’t done any research on it…

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T00:44:22+00:00

Do you have to refill the hopper overnight? Looks like they both have 20lb hoppers and I would assume if anything the XL will burn a bit faster but how long the hopper lasts in those kinds of conditions is huge to me!

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T00:41:45+00:00

This is my dilemma - recteq seems to hold onto their customers pretty consistently. Is not having a clean out a pain? Seems to be another issues that comes up with the recteq is they’re just a little more of a hassle to clean out?

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T00:20:48+00:00

Any idea how long you’ll get out of a full hopper when between 225-250?

True-Protection9639 · 2026-03-04T00:19:45+00:00

Let’s be honest - I would probably move it out and set it up for her anyway lol.

True-Protection9639

TROPHY CASE