REC TEC Grills Stampede RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill Review

Are you intimidated by monster-sized barbeques? Opt for a mid-sized wood pellet grill that is portable and ideal for moving around. After all, you’ll need a grill that you can move around to make room for a big summertime barbeque bash.

A REC TEC wood pellet grill will help you to control cooking temperatures better and simplify the cooking process. If you are looking for a mid-sized REC TEC Pellet Grill that won’t break the bank, the REC TEC Stampede RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill is perfect for you!

At FireFoodChef, we are committed to helping you find the best REC TEC grill to meet your grilling needs.

If you want to gauge the wood pellet grills on the market, be sure to check out our guide to REC TEC wood pellet grill reviews to get all the information you need to make an educated decision.

We broke down all the essentials to the REC TEC Stampede, to help you identify if this is the wood pellet grill for you!

Key Features of the RT-590 STAMPEDE

  • 772 sq. inch cooking area with an optional second grate, making it more than enough for a great garden cookout
  • PID and WiFi-enabled controller automate the grilling process while adding a layer of convenience
  • Get the power of the bull without that jaw-dropping price tag
  • Can reach temperatures over 500 °F
  • Two meat probes to simplify cooking

Overview: REC TEC Grills Stampede RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill

The Stampede is another runaway success from the mighty REC TEC. It offers a great deal of the functionality you get on the Bull in a slightly smaller unit.

If you are looking for a more budget-friendly REC TEC model, keep reading to see if the Stampede is right for you!

Cooking Area

While you’ll take a slight hit in size, that reduction can work as an advantage as well as a drawback. The cooking area is slightly less generous at 772 sq. inches, but you’ll still be able to feed a large and hungry gathering in a single session.

As long as you don’t want more than five whole racks of ribs, you shouldn’t find the cooking real estate lacking. It’s important to note that primary cooking grate is just 592 sq. inches. That said, you can boost this to the quoted maximum with the 180 sq. inch secondary grate in place.

If you are looking for some tips to help you spice up your meat cooking game (literally and figuratively), be sure to check out our BBQ 101 guide to become the grill master of your neighbourhood.

Portable

Of course, a smaller unit means a little more portability. While you’re not likely to throw the stampede into the trunk of the car, shifting this mid-sized REC TEC Pellet Grill around the yard is a little less taxing than trying to shunt the Bull around.

There are rollerblade-style wheels in place with lockable casters, so you’ll be able to do this without breaking your back.

Stylish

Like every other REC TEC grill, the Stampede is extremely easy on the eye. This model has a commanding octagonal shape that comes with an added kicker. As well as looking good, it translates to a little more internal volume than the more traditional rounded shape.

It’s these small but thoughtful touches that elevate REC TEC above most of the competition. That considering, beer can chickens and large turkeys will present no problem for the Stampede.

Quality

The build quality of the REC TEC Stampede RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill is impeccable. Stainless steel inside and out gives you the rugged lifespan you need along with great insulation. Both the cooking grates are 304 stainless steel, which not only makes them a breeze to clean, but ensures that they’ll last for years.

The fire pot is constructed from the same material, rendering it nearly indestructible. A stainless-steel drip pan and heat deflector complete a remarkably robust package.

When they started out selling grills from a garage, REC TEC had one target uppermost: to simplify and automate pellet grilling so that even complete beginners could get involved. The Stampede accomplished this in fine style.

A differentiating feature on the Stampede is the three smoke vent holes allowing heat to escape evenly right across the cooking chamber.

Cooking

The PID controller takes all the grunt work out of temperature manipulation. REC TEC’s algorithm ensures your grill stays at precisely the temperature you want throughout the cooking process even if you’re relaxing with your feet up.

Automatic lighting removes any of that initial fussing around from the equation. Fire up the ignition, and you’re in business. Kiss all those messy and unreliable fire starters goodbye and say hello to instantaneous cooking.

Once you’re done, a handy auto shut down feature kicks in, and you can enter Cool mode at the push of a button. LO setting sees you right for temperatures less than 200 °F, and you’ll be rewarded with optimal smoke output. By activating the FULL setting, you can ratchet things up over 500 °F.

Like with every REC TEC pellet grill, you get a brace of meat probes included. This is useful when you’re cooking up a storm and want to minimize messing around.

Technology

With so many of us investing in smart home technology and cell phones practically welded to us, REC TEC harnesses the convenience of connectivity.

This grill comes fully Wi-Fi enabled so you can relax with a cocktail and take charge from a distance using your smartphone.

What’s Included

You’ll get 160 pounds (4 bags) of REC TEC’s Ultimate Blend hardwood pellets included. These impart the lip-smacking flavor you expect from the king of grills.

As with all pellets of this type, you’re well advised to keep them stashed away in an airtight container. Allowing them to remain unprotected can impair results, especially if you don’t get around to using them for a while.

This model comes with a 30-pound hopper but what does that mean? Well, in real time, that’s an exceptional 30 hours of continuous cooking. Unless you’re doing some competitive event, we can’t imagine you’d possibly need more capacity than that!

Warranty

A minor disappointment is the reduced 2-year warranty. That said, customer service is stellar. You’ll also benefit from a full month in which to claim a refund if you’re not totally happy with the Stampede.

We consider this to be the ultimate demonstration of faith. Let’s face it; few manufacturers now sell any product with such confidence that they’ll give you your money back.

Aside from the shorter warranty and the slightly reduced cooking area, there’s not much to knock about this grill.

That’s not a case of concealing flaws either, but an admission that REC TEC is at the very top of their game. And remember, with that offer of a refund in place, you’ve got literally nothing to lose!

Verdict: REC TEC Grills Stampede RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill

We have to say this model pretty much hits that ideal sweet spot of delivering the cooking area you need without dominating your patio and overcrowding things.

With this mid-sized wood pellet grill, you’ll get pretty much everything that comes with the costlier Bull while shaving a little bit off the price tag.

This REC TEC grill has a super-convenient approach to pellet grilling by taking care of all the trickier tasks of grilling automatically. Your job is to sit, relax and enjoy your company while the Stampede does the work.

We strongly recommend this model, especially if you want to get a taste for pellet grilling the easy way! This is the idea wood pellet grill for beginnings – the REC TEC Stampede will set you down the path to becoming a grilling master, without all the effort!

About the Author William Clay

William Clay is a BBQ enthusiast dedicated to sharing his grilling (and overall cooking) expertise with FireFoodChef's readers.