Masterbuilt MB20041220 Gravity Series 1050 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker, 202.9 lbs, Black review and price compare 2025
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Product overview
Brand
Masterbuilt
Model Name
Gravity Series 1050
Power Source
Charcoal
Color
Black
Item Weight
202.9 Pounds
Item Dimensions LxWxH
33.07 x 61.02 x 52.17 inches
Fuel Type
Charcoal
product features
This fits your .
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Reaches 225°F in 10 minutes or 700°F in 15 minutes
Control temperature and cook time with the digital control panel or with smart device control using WiFi or Bluetooth
DigitalFan for precise temperature control
GravityFed hopper holds 10 lbs. of lump charcoal or 16 lbs. of briquettes for up to 8 hours of use
Convenient fold out cord storage in back of side shelf to prevent loss or damage to the power supply
Folding stainless steel shelf and stainless steel side shelf for extra preparation space
From the manufacturer
GRAVITYFED CHARCOAL HOPPER
Redefine charcoal cooking with the
GravityFed Hopper that holds up to 8 hours
of fuel using lump or briquette charcoal. No
need to remove charcoal after each use!
DIGITALFAN CONTROL
With the push of a button, the digitally
controlled fan moves air flow from the hopper
to the cooking chamber and maintains desired
cooking temperature.
SMOKE + SEAR VERSATILITY
Reach 700°F in 15 minutes to grill + sear or
225°F in 10 minutes for low + slow smoking.
Includes reversible cast-iron grates to smoke +
sear.
WIFI BLUETOOTH CAPABILITY
Set it and go with your smart device. Learn to
master the art of smoking, grilling and more
with the Masterbuilt App.
FOLDAWAY RACKS + FOLDING SHELF
The FoldAway warming + smoking racks
provide extra cooking space, while the stainless
steel front shelf provides extra preparation
space.
GRAVITY SERIES ROTISSERIE & COVER
Enhance your experience with accessories.
product description
Style:Gravity Series 1050 XL
With the Gravity Series 1050 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker by Masterbuilt, you can smoke, grill, sear, bake, roast and so much more. Set the temperature on the digital control panel or your smart device and the DigitalFan maintains the desired cooking temperature. The GravityFed charcoal hopper holds up to 8 hours of charcoal and gravity ensures you have constant fuel to the fire. The reversible smoke + sear cast-iron grates and FoldAway warming + smoking racks add up to a total of 1050 square inches of cooking space. Master the art of charcoal grilling and smoking with Masterbuilt.
product details
important information
Important information
Safety Information
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Questions about Masterbuilt MB20041220 Gravity Series 1050 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker, 202.9 lbs, Black
Q:
Can you mix wood in with the charcoal?
Answer: Thank you for your interest in the grill and smoker Shelly. Yes, you can mix wood with the charcoal. We recommend for an On-Demand smoke, add 1-2 chunks (no larger than your fist) directly to the Ash bin, this will last approximately 2-3 hours. For a Controlled smoke we recommend, add four (4) pounds of charcoal and this one (1) wood chunk, creating layers of charcoal and wood chunks. We hope this information helps. If you have any additional questions, please contact us directly at 1.800.489.1581.
Answer: I run wood chunks in both the hopper and ash pan. I layer charcoal and chunks in the hopper and then throw in some wood chunks in the ash pan every few hours or so. Gives really good amounts of smoke, not overpowering at all.
Q:
What are the dimensions of the packaging?
Answer: Thank you for your interest in this grill. The box dimensions for this unit are 37.3 W X 21.7 L X 21.6 H. If you have any additional questions, please contact our Customer Support Team at www.masterbuilt.com.
Answer: Which model? Which size?
Q:
Can you shut the grill off with it full of charcoal?
Answer: Good Morning,
Q:
What are dimensions of the cooking area, Length and Width?
Answer: The cooking area dimensions for the two cast iron grates is 14" X 22". If you need any additional assistance, please contact our Customer Support Team at www.masterbuilt.com.
Answer: The main grate is 22.5"x14.5" and the upper grates are 22.5"x5.5" each. You can fit two of the small grates on each of the upper shelves - I bought two extra upper grates to give myself two additional shelves at roughly 22.5”x11”.
Q:
What's the minimum temperature for this gravity series masterbuilt smoke.? And/ or does it have a cold smoke accessory attachment?
Answer: Hello Patricia, 150° is the lowest temp setting for this grill and smoker. Currently we have not produced a cold smoke accessory attachment for this unit.
Q:
Is it made in the USA?
Answer: Thank you for your question. Our products are manufactured in China.
Q:
How big a brisket will fit on the cooker?
Answer: It will hold large brisket 20 plus pounds
Answer: Hello Rex Andrews, thank you for your interest in this grill plus smoker product. The cooking space of each main grate in this grill is 320 sq.in. We hope this information helps. If you need any additional information, please feel free to reach out to our Customer Support Team at www.masterbuilt.com.
Q:
Does it have a drip tray to collect meat juices as cooking? Also, is there somewhere to put a water pan when smoking?
Answer: Thank you for your interest in this grill. Yes, there is a grease tray that will collect liquids. There is not a designed area in the unit for a water pan. Along with the pictures of this unit in the description there are two videos as well that should help with the grill space and components. If you have any additional questions, please contact our Customer Support Team at www.masterbuilt.com.
Answer: The drip tray is on the bottom of grill that slides out is same size as grill as far as water pan would have to put next to food on great or put on great above grill great note there are some real good videos on YouTube hope this helped
Q:
Where do you get a closed lid sensor? Mine melted first burn can't find online parts
Answer: Wow. Definitely haven’t had that happen on mine (with 24+ cooks now). But, ping Masterbuilt customer service. They’ll take care of you. If you can’t reach them on their phone (lots of places shut down due to Covid 19), I’ve heard they respond quickly on Facebook messenger.
Q:
Can this smoker be used in the rain?
Answer: Thank you Eric for asking. We wouldn't recommend using this grill in the rain due to the electric controller on the unit. If you have any additional questions, please contact our Customer Support Team at www.masterbuilt.com.
Answer: I wouldn’t.
Q:
How much charcoal does this thing consume for something simple like burgers? Seems awesome for smoking and steaks - what about burgers?
Answer: Depending on the temperature you are using will depend how much charcoal will be used. It will also depend what kind of charcoal is in use. For a quick cook of burgers, it shouldn't use much. A full hopper can last for up to 15hr with lump or 11hr with briquettes, at 225F. This number will decrease as temperatures rise but, not aggressively. And, coal can be left in the hopper between uses, just keep the hopper lid and door closed, push the slides back in and it will cut off the oxygen.
Q:
How do you return this item?
Answer: You will have to contact the seller so that they can make preparations
Q:
Main grate size on 560 vs 1050?
Answer: The Gravity Series 560 cooking and sear grate is 14.5" x 22" while the Gravity Series 1050 is 28" x 18"
Q:
Cuando tendrán en existencia?
Q:
Can this grill be used in light rain? Are there any rain gaskets around the top of the electrical panel?
Answer: There are a lot of safety features to make this a useable outdoor product. It is not suggested to use any electrical appliance in any rain. If there is a place the unit can be used and covered during rain, that would be ideal.
Q:
Temp readout showing 0000timer when increasing temp from 250 to 400 is tis normal
Answer: The controller will scroll through your time and temperature throughout the heating and cook cycle, this is a normal operation of the unit.
Q:
How wide is the unit? The description says 24.6“ but I want to confirm with someone who has the unit. Is that the width from the widest point?
Answer: From the widest points, the width is 54.13", depth is 24.65", and height is 51.96"
Answer: Dimensions
Answer: Not correct. The width is 54” the depth is 24.6”
Answer: What is the width with the bottom door of the stack opened? I have a spot for my grill that measures 67.5” wide.
Q:
Do you have a cook book for masterbuilt gravity series 560?
Answer: It's a digitally controlled smoking oven heated by burning wood and charcoal. Cook anything you want in it with any recipe, it's not unique.
Answer: No I do not have a cook book but if u need some recipes I am more than happy to help
Answer: Hello Vincent, thank you for your interest in this grill. We do have a cookbook designed for this grill yet, but we do have recipes for it. Please visit us at www.masterbuilt.com.
Q:
Do the fan / electronics run on 220v? or is it just 110?
Answer: Power source ia 110
Answer: This is manufactured for the 110v.
Answer: 110v
Q:
Would this work in the United Kingdom? Can it handle 220v without a converter?
Answer: There are units designed specifically for the United Kingdom 220v. These units will need to be purchased in the UK.
Q:
Does it flair-up
Answer: If grease builds up onr the cook is quite fatty. The unit should be cleaned after each use to avoid grease flair ups.
Answer: It flares up when cooking over 350 degrees if there's grease build up in the manifold or if the meat is very fatty. Inserting the 2 metal slides quickly chokes out most flare ups. To avoid flare ups, it's best to clean the manifold regularly.
Answer: three prong
Q:
How many meat probes com with 560
Answer: The unit comes with 1 meat probe.
Answer: Only one probe. This is an awesome piece of equipment.
Answer: I got only one with it. You’ll have to purchase them separately.
Answer: 1
Answer: It comes with one.
Answer: Just 1 but you can buy more.
Q:
i this set it and forget it? I set the temp for say 250, walk away and never have to adjust? It will keep 250 constant?
Answer: As long as you have enough fuel (charcoal/wood) yes it will keep the same temp within a range of the target
Answer: You still have to feed it add charcoal or wood chunks but for the most part it maintains temp for a couple hours
Answer: The unit can be monitored by your phone for temperature control. Variances can occur due to amount of food and outside temperature. Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.
Answer: For 8-10 hours yes. You have to check your hopper level occasionally. Otherwise it’s the taste of charcoal with the ease of a pellet.
Answer: As long as there is charcoal in the bin it should. As with any barbecue cooking it will be +/- 10%. Very easy to use.
Answer: You need to read and follow the instructions that comes with your package. At this time you will familiarize yourself with the grills operation,if not your results my not turn out to be they should be
Answer: Yes, as long as you still have coal in the hopper.
Answer: Yes
Q:
14 cooks old - the walls of the firebox is disintegrated to the extent that the insulation in the walls is visible - is this covered by the warranty?
Answer: According to Masterbuilt, those walls are sacrificial and are just there to hold the fire bricks in place during shipping, so the answer would be no.
Answer: The metal plates in the lower portion of the hopper hold the firebrick in place and protect it during shipping. These burn out and drop into the ash pan. They are not necessary for the grill to function and we’re not offering a replacement part, since they are meant to be temporary
Q:
How do you clean the ash out? Does it fall thru to the ground? Can this be used on a wood deck?
Answer: No grill should be used on a flammable surface. The ash falls to the bottom of the hopper, in a enclosed chamber into an ash bucket.
Answer: The ash goes into a pan that you dump after you are done and it cools. Yes it can be used on a wood deck, everything is contained. To be safe you could use fire brick under it or a fire proof mat. We love ours.
Answer: There is a ash catcher with a latched door at the bottom of the charcoal stack.
Answer: Get a grill mat. For sure. I dont really think there will be a problem but Id be leary about leaving it alone for any period of time without a grill mat under grill and maybe even one in front of grill for you to stand on.
Q:
Where can I purchase additional meat temperature probes?
Answer: There aren’t generic probes yet, so the only option is to purchase the Masterbuilt probes. I bought mine from their website.
Answer: I have never trusted the "onboard" meat thermometers on grills/smokers. They are never very accurate. Buy yourself a good set of bluetooth/wifi thermometers. I have the Tappecue Touch. It's Wifi and I can check grill and meat temps from anywhere on my phone. A bit pricey but well worth it.
Q:
Bought getting error codes V001 and R0 11 won’t work ?
Answer: I had to hook mine up to the internet and update it. Works better with apple products
Q:
How do I contact the seller for replacement parts that were damaged in delivery?
Answer: I registered it on their webpage and then used the support link.
Q:
Where can you buy an additional meat probe?
Answer: MASTERBUILT .COM
Q:
Is this delivered by semi truck?
Answer: Due to weight this unit, it will be delivered through a freight carrier.
Answer: Mine was delivered by semi, unloaded with a pallet Jack and wheeled up onto my deck… I took it from there.
Answer: Yes it was. They took it off the truck and put it in my garage. They were great. BTW it is a great smoker. It is the best gift I’ve given to hubby. ????????
Q:
does it come with Alexa?
Answer: It does not come with alexa
Answer: WOW....does it come with alexa?....just wow. You don't even deserve to have a grill
Answer: No, it features wifi and bluetooth connection with an app, so you can control grill temps and check meat temps and alarms from anywhere.
Answer: No, this feature is not available with the Gravity series Grill.
Q:
Is it Insulated
Answer: This grill is not insulated. For additional questions. please visit us at www.masterbuilt.com.
Answer: No but double walled in hopper
Q:
Does this smoker put out a lot of smoke or is it contained with in grill
Answer: As with any charcoal grill/smoker you’re gunna have smoke come out of the grill and that’s a good thing. If smoke can’t escape it sits over the meat and becomes bitter. That’s why this grill has about a 10-12” vent that runs along the back to help keep the smoke fresh. It smokes more on initial startup but once you’re up to temperature you get that nice thin clean blue smoke.
Answer: It does put out a lot of smoke. I typically add a couple chunks of moist wood to increase the amount of smoke. I love mine! I have two smokers, this one is very easy to clean( I can put most of the pieces in the dishwasher), it has WiFi (I done use it often) and was really easy to assemble ( I put mine together—only needed my husband to assist in moving it). Hope this helps. Oh, I would look at Home Depot - the one in our area had this on sale for $350.
Answer: It smokes. That’s probably why they call it a smoker. :)
Answer: This unit gives a good deal of smoke within the confines of the cabinet.
Answer: It put out a lot up smoke both outside and inside evenly
Answer: Both but does give a good smoke ring add wood chunks to ash bin just made baby backs yesterday and came out best yet
Q:
Why does it say it reaches temp of 700 when that burns the meat?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: high temp grilling is for searing such as with steaks.
Answer: This is for searing feature. Please visit our website for more details.
Q:
How many racks come wth it.
Answer: Has a main grate and a middle rack and a top rack. So 3 tiers. Thats on my 1050. The video will show you.
Answer: The grill comes with 2 smoking and sear grates and warming racks.
Answer: Well there are two bottom racks, then there is an upper one, plus a rotissary mount.
Answer: 2 racks along with the 2 grates.
Answer: Main grilling area and two warming racks.
Answer: One shelf.
Q:
I have been having a difficult time trying to get in touch with customer service, any help?
Answer: To get responses I had to make sure I registered the product first via their website. After that I was able to submit an online form for my issue. It did take 3-10 days for them to respond but I did get a response. I have not tried their Facebook group. Hope this helps.
Answer: It's a knock on them during COVID. The only way to reach them is by email. Keep trying - it took a while but they got back to me
Answer: There is a Facebook group for the gravity series. Lots of folks there may help
Answer: I’ve emailed them and they responded. Contact them on their brand FB page also. Many have had luck with that.
Q:
Does you have to use an outlet for the digital temp or is it battery?
Answer: I know that masterbuilt answered that it needs to be plugged into an outlet to this question, but some of us in the MB560 group are using this with just your standard battery pack that you’d use to charge your phone. If you buy a DC 5v to DC 9v or 12v Adjustable Step Up Voltage Converter, you can plug it into the grill and then the usb side to the battery pack, you can essentially use this on the go! A 20,000 mah battery pack should give you over 20 hours of cooking time.
Answer: Thank you for your interest in this grill. Yes, this product needs to be plugged into an outlet.
Q:
So just bought the 1050 and received the code ERR 1, it says temperature switch not fully comnected but everything seems to be not changing
Answer: Check your connection on the underside. Even unplug and replug it. You should join the Facebook group ‘Masterbuilt Gravity Series Fans’. Lots of help in there.
Q:
What happens if you use fast acting charcoal to season the grill?
Answer: Are you asking what will happen if you fill the hopper? If so, they will all light up and potentially damage the hopper. One or two in the bottom to light regular charcoal would be fine, but a hopper full of easy light charcoal could be disastrous.
Answer: Are you talking about match light charcoal? If so, you could have a problem. Since it burns from the bottom the entire hopper would probably ignite all at once. It is designed to ignite only the bottom layer and then ignite more as the layers burn away. It does this very well but with match light it would all burn at once causing extreme heat and possibly damage the grill.
Answer: Temperatures can be unstable and accelerants are not recommended in use with Gravity.
Q:
Just bought it, is it normal to have smoke coming from the top of the charcoal box?
Answer: Smoke will come from different areas but, ensure all your lids are closed and latched, and your air intake slides are completely removed, to avoid the "chimney" effect.
Answer: Yes. Mine does as well. I don’t think it was designed to be completely sealed, just pretty close.
Answer: Yes
Q:
Saw the assembly video - seems like very many steps to assemble - how long does it take?
Answer: Probably less than three hours with the help
Answer: Took me about 45 minutes. Most of it is put together, just attaching the larger pieces together. It’s pretty easy in my opinion.
Answer: About 1.5 hours but the grill is awesome best smoker I have ever owned
Answer: At least an hour and half.
Answer: Took me two hours.
Answer: Alone 2.5 hrs
Q:
Does the grill come with a cover and temperature probe? Also, can you get a rotisserie for this grill?
Answer: Thank you for your interest in this product. This grill does not come with a cover but comes with 1 meat probe. Our rotisserie will be available late spring.
Answer: The grill does not come with a cover. but you can order one on the Masterbuilt web page. Yes it does with a probe. but I have not been able to connect with it.
Answer: No cover, 1 meat probe, it seems ready to accept a rotisserie but it isn't currently available.
Q:
What size of wood chunks can be used for this grill?
Answer: Standard wood chunks can be used.
Answer: Any that fit into the charcoal drop area, I soak 2 - 4 inch chunks and then add them to the ash box as needed, the dropping charcoal starts these smoldering and is very effective at producing smoke. In my opinion, the larger the better. But I would say anything less than 8 inches you would be fine.
Q:
How durable is the fire box /What gauge steel ,any stainless steel in this grill ?
Answer: This unit is very heavy duty. Double insulated back wall and single walled on the other three. There is brushed stainless steel within the interior of the grill.
Answer: The firebox is a dual walled vertical chamber. Don't know the actual metal thickness but it should be ok for the life of the grill. The metal at the bottom of the firebox where the burn is hottest is thicker metal. A metal slide thst you put the starter material in appears to be SS.
Answer: Have not used it yet so don't know
Answer: IT IS MADE TO LAST IF YOU TAKE CARE OF IT
Q:
Can i use a water pan ?
Answer: Thank you for your interest in the grill. Yes, you can put a water pan in this grill. If you have any additional questions, please contact our Customer Support Team at 1.800.489.1581.
Answer: I believe you could next to food on great or on upper great
Q:
Why don’t you ship to Hawaii?
Answer: Probably not worth it for Amazon...
Q:
We just got the 560 today and its throwing error code 001 something to do with the temperature probe. We tried calling Masterbilt and they are closed
Answer: Have you connected it to WiFi? You might need to download the latest firmware and need a WiFi connection to do that
Q:
When is the rotisserie accessorie coming out ?
Answer: It is available
Answer: I DONT KNOW I WOOD LIKE TO KNOW
Q:
is this the 2020 model or 2021
Answer: this model has no changes year to eyar so far. the only difference you can search for is the size. 580 (580Sqin) the 1050 (1050Sqin) and now a new one 800 (800Sqin).
Answer: We would need the serial number to identify the manufacturing year.
Q:
The charcoal grate holes look pretty wide. Do that fall through before burning?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: Smaller pieces of burnt charcoal do fall thru the grate holes. Your choices are: 1. discard the ash and small charcoal pieces before firing up the grill the next time or 2. separate the ash from the small charcoal pieces then dump the small pieces back onto the top of the unburned charcoal.
Answer: I’ve modified mine slightly to hold charcoal better. Lump’s little pieces fall through a lot. If you use the char logs from royal oak or B&B it’s no problem.
Answer: You want lit coals to drop through and help ignite wood in the ash pan. Some people have modified the grates to a smaller hole. Works for some, others have ash build up and trouble lighting and/or getting to higher temps. I’ve left mine as is and it works fantastic. Zero complaints.
Answer: No, the ash will fall through after burning.
Answer: It burns probably 3/4 of the charcoal piece before it’s small enough to fall through.
Answer: Haven't cooked a lot on mine yet but this doesn't seem to be a problem. My main issue is that the you will waste a lot of charcoal if you fill up the hopper and are only cooking burgers etc. I thought there was some kind of "slide" that would separate the unburned charcoal but doesn't appear to be so.
Answer: Yes. Most users have modified it by placing another grate over it with narrower gaps.
Answer: A couple of pieces may get through but there is no reason to panic everything will still run normal.
Answer: No, this grill is the best grill I ever owned
Product reviews of Masterbuilt MB20041220 Gravity Series 1050 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker, 202.9 lbs, Black
James T. : not your average charcoal grill
I have followed several Facebook and reviews before purchasing. As the charcoal drops into a lower burning area than being flat and burning. it has some issues to be aware of. I purchased form a website a stainless steel sleeve that I installed during the build of the new grill. it protects better the burning section of the grill better. when routing the wires to the safety switches, keep in mind heat and use wire ties to keep away from hot areas. one thing i see alot form other users is the wires burn up and they have to make new contacts to use. other than proper preparation, it is a great grill, easier to maintain. heats great and cooks just how I like it.
McKenzie : Brand new doesn’t work
After a few hours of assembly we were excited to try the new smoker. Was going through the first cook process to cook off the chemicals and grease from manufacturing. Followed step by step and the smoker will not get to temp. The reason for this is the fan is not working at all. Tried all the troubleshooting and googling for the past 3 hours or so and am defeated. They delivered us a faulty product. For the price you would really expect it to work :/
TC : Build quality needs a LOT of work
Waiting on MasterBuilt to get back to me but my unit arrived with a damaged shelf; specifically the compartment in the back of the side shelf is bent and sticks. It's the little spring-loaded pull out drawer for your probes, etc. The body of the cooker is also misaligned...the hood has overhang on the left side with the underhand on the right side. I've tried aligning and tightening the bolts on both sides of the hood to see if I could compensate...didn't work.
However, I knew what I was getting when I bought a product from MasterBuilt...their build quality has always been less than stellar. Yet, this product checked a lot of boxes for me so I decided to give them a shot. (Usually would've been a hard pass but a Wifi/BT temp controlled gravity-fed charcoal cooker was very intriguing.)
Will update when I get my new side shelf...I've emailed MasterBuilt's customer service...we'll see...
Shelli H : Do not waste you money...worked twice and now dead
Do not buy this grill. We used it twice since January and it stopped working. We contacted Masterbuilt we followed the instructions and nothing. The fan does not turn on essentially rendering the grill completely useless. For hundreds of dollars and to have received it Dec 29,2020 and it has been unusuable since March 1st is appalling. This should be removed from Amazon and my money refunded
Stella : No customer support
Took a good three hours to assemble and at that point my husband was very impressed with the quality. He ran it through all the seasoning process, no problem. First time we actually go to use it we get 1050, error3 and the dam thing won’t start. I was able to bypass that using the app but husband is done. You can’t call Masterbuilt EVERYTHING is online. Here’s the true rub when you fill in the online request you get to an Oracle you don’t have permission for this..... TO WRAP THIS THERE IS NO CUSTOMER SUPPORT! I finally got a form to submit let’s see if they will stand by it, if not Amazon can pick it up AS IS.
Edit: finally heard from Masterbuilt apparently the codes we saw 1050(model), and the next numbers were software build and version. That would be good to list in the manual. It appears to turn off because it is off, until you press the power button.
I still stand by my title of no customer support, there should be a way to contact them by phone, especially since the contact form goes to an Oracle error.
Amazon Customer : Amazing Grill. You have to own one!!!
I ordered this grill and when I received it, it looked like the shipping company kicked it across 4 states. I unboxed it and it was damaged to the point that I could not even assemble it. BUT! I found the 1050 at Walmart and bought it while waiting for the return to be picked up. This grill is amazing. I have had it for 2 weeks now and have only not used it 2 days. Pork ribs, seared ribeyes, beef back ribs, rotisserie chicken, tri-tip (twice) and others have already been cook on my grill. All I can say is Wow! Everything came out better than my pellet grill ever dreamed of. I have now tried lump charcoal, regular charcoal, and charcoal with chuncks of wood in the bin for smoking. All are fantastic. This unit is double walled and insulated. It will hold the temperature within 5 degrees. Closer to 3 most of the time. I live in a windy area. This can cause a lot of issues with all other grills I own. But not this one. They have taken the majority of the mess, and all of the pain, out of using charcoal. Easy to light. Takes a little longer than the one to two minutes to ignite the charcoal than the book says, but that could be because of the lighter squares I am using. Clean up of the entire grill took 5 minutes. Assembly of the grill is not difficult, but quite time consuming. It is handy to have a helper as it is not exactly light weight. But if you follow the instructions, they are very well put together. This is my favorite grill ever.
Jeffrey : NO RAGRETS!
The easiest way to cook with charcoal! Assembly wasn’t bad just kind of weird how the instructions are written, I cooked for 8 hours on one hopper and still had 1/4 hopper left over (cooking between 225&250) definitely worth it! Mine was kind of banged up on delivery though my only complaint for sure it looked like someone hit it with a forklift, Amazon took the return and brought me a new one but the second one was also damaged on the inside the drip tray slides were bent and the drip tray itself was dented but other than that best grill I’ve ever used. Loved my Treager but it can’t sear or reach temps anywhere near as fast or maintain like charcoal can I still use my Treager for smoking but this grill does it all and more and the app is an awesome bonus temps vary between 5-10 degrees give or take
Jay Long : Worst buyers remorse I’ve ever had
Where to start. Want temp control? Mine is usually 26 degrees (F) over for the duration of the cook.
Like the advertised heat up speeds? Takes an hour to get the charcoal going.
Like the built in thermometer? I have to use a different one. It just stops working for 5 minutes at a time.
All charcoal left in the hopper is unusable after each cook. It won’t ignite at all. I do full shutdown, replace the slides. It won’t ignite again, hence the hour to start comment. We finally figured out if we fully replace all charcoal, we can light it.
Also half the time we finally get the charcoal going, the fan won’t start.
I’m an engineer that used to build houses and assembly was awful for me.
The ONLY reason I wanted this over our $100 acorn grill was the temp control, and it’s worse here.
Kindle Customer : Great grill/smoker. App not ready for prime time.
Initial impression after assembly and first use. Assembly wasn't too bad, but it does take time. I did it solo. Another set of hands would have been helpful, but it can be done without.
This things fires up quickly and the temperature control is outstanding. So fun to turn the dial and watch it respond immediately.
As other have noted, the app is hot trash so far. If wifi/Bluetooth is an absolute necessity for you....this may not be the smoker for you. I will say that I thought going in that this was the case for me....but I may be willing to overlook it in the end given how good the performance of the actual grill/smoker seems to be. Hopefully future updates help.
rick : Minor modifications needed for more efficient burn
Easy to assemble plenty of cooking space. Tastes great with wood chunks mixed in the charcoal. The only drawback is that the factory grate allows for half burnt charcoal to fall into the ash can. Cut a grate and lay it in and it will burn up all the coals before they fall out.
Jay Long : Worst buyers remorse I’ve ever had
Where to start. Want temp control? Mine is usually 26 degrees (F) over for the duration of the cook.
Like the advertised heat up speeds? Takes an hour to get the charcoal going.
Like the built in thermometer? I have to use a different one. It just stops working for 5 minutes at a time.
All charcoal left in the hopper is unusable after each cook. It won’t ignite at all. I do full shutdown, replace the slides. It won’t ignite again, hence the hour to start comment. We finally figured out if we fully replace all charcoal, we can light it.
Also half the time we finally get the charcoal going, the fan won’t start.
I’m an engineer that used to build houses and assembly was awful for me.
The ONLY reason I wanted this over our $100 acorn grill was the temp control, and it’s worse here.
B. Kim : Never received from AMAZON scheduled Delivery
I did not receive this item from amazon because it took over 2 weeks of the run around for a scheduled (specified time and date a week out from order date) before I had to cancel my order because no one could tell me when or where my order actually was. Ordered and picked up same day from Walmart.
Now down to the smoker If your are looking for something as simple electric smoker and want the taste and flavor for a charcoal smoker this is the Smoker for you. I suggest getting your own Blutooth thermometer probe, i use it to monitor my meat temps and cooking temps since my smoker is too far from my router to use the app for the smoker.
Pros It smokes about 12 hours with my setup without needing a refill. Electric Fan control and built in meat and inside thermometer Great cast iron racks for searing
Cons Wifi range is quite short, no blutooth, wifi antenna is under the metal shelf plate (loss of signal range) Random error codes during cooking
Amazon Customer : Damaged-AC adapter sketchy at working properly
This item was received in an undamaged carton. Upon opening all appeared to be factory packaged properly. In separating the multitude of pieces many were bent and warped. The front tray had a big dent in the middle that cannot be repaired. The AC adapter sometimes works to power the grill and sometimes not until very much maneuvering of the plug in the outlet or heavy duty extension cord to get it to turn on. Had such high hopes for this as it checked off all my needs. Customer service is non-existent. Very disappointed. Honestly I would not invest in this product. Stay Away.
Shelli H : Do not waste you money...worked twice and now dead
Do not buy this grill. We used it twice since January and it stopped working. We contacted Masterbuilt we followed the instructions and nothing. The fan does not turn on essentially rendering the grill completely useless. For hundreds of dollars and to have received it Dec 29,2020 and it has been unusuable since March 1st is appalling. This should be removed from Amazon and my money refunded
Ben and Alicia Osmun : Dented on arrival
Everything is amazing. I love it. Replaced a pellet grill much more versatile... only problem is it came broken and dented as all get out.
Halborges : Looks good but the fire box is a concern.
The product arrived timely, is easy to assemble and looks really good with a lot of real estate for grilling.
The reason for the low review is that after 1 use, yes a single use, the area where the coal burns showed significant degradation an worst, the fumes from the walls going to the meat. Not the type of smoke I want my family and friends to taste.
Northwestern Bag Co. : It was just ok
The 560 model is small. Would be tight to fit two racks of ribs. The taste of food wasn't any different than cooking on a propane grill. The biggest con for me was the fuel usage. This thing uses a lot of charcoal. I just couldn't justify using half a bag of charcoal every weekend for grilling my meal prep meat. About 10lbs of chicken and a couple steaks uses half a bag of charcoal.
Didn't use to smoke on but it would be difficult to keep wood burning in the hopper. You would have to try to mix wood and charcoal to load the hopper. It would tale a lot of trial and error to get the mix right.
Chris : Some issues but easy to use and turns out great food
Holds temp well 150 up to 700 and cooks great, everything I throw at this grill it handles excellent, from beef jerky to brisket and pizza. this grill will handle it all. Charcoal consumption is very fair and depending whether you use lump or briquettes will determine your cook and temp time. The app works OK but to try connect for an update though wifi its crap. Some minor issues that I came across is that switches sometimes seem to get stuck in other words it'll think the lid and or the hopper is open. Also as of recently the meat prob isn't that reliable either so I tend use my webber connect to get a more of a accurate reading. I have tried to contact customer support about these small issues but thats a whole other hurdle, I do highly recommend this product it handles it all. The 560 smokes well and when you put small wood chunks in ashbin and it turns out a nice smoke ring and the fact is I'd buy it again..
**Update** I reached out to Customer service though social media, they help me register my unit and addressed the minor issues I had with fast and efficient service ...5 star now
phil : AWFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCT
I have used my Masterbuilt Smoker 3 times and in the middle of using it to make a meal for guests it just quit working. There is NO support for a breakdown. They will only support through a website that wants photocopies of reciepts and other information submitted before they will even review an issue. THEY STATE THAT THEY WILL NOT CALL AND WILL NOT TAKE A CALL ON THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE. Is that some sort of oxymoron? The worst.
phil : AWFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCT
I have used my Masterbuilt Smoker 3 times and in the middle of using it to make a meal for guests it just quit working. There is NO support for a breakdown. They will only support through a website that wants photocopies of reciepts and other information submitted before they will even review an issue. THEY STATE THAT THEY WILL NOT CALL AND WILL NOT TAKE A CALL ON THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE. Is that some sort of oxymoron? The worst.
Ken Mynatt : You Won't Regret This Purchase!
Like several reviewers I had a wood pellet smoker for many years. I just smoked a steak on this unit for 45 minutes at 180, then took it off, turned up the temp to 700 and seared it. Wow! The flavor is awesome. I added some applewood chips to the charcoal hopper for the smoke. This is the real deal! About two hours to assemble, drilled out some small holes, but not bad. It's amazing how the steak internal temp went from 90 to 135 in about 4 minutes at 700 degrees. Meat is extremely tender on inside and seared with dark grill marks on top. Get this and grill/sear/smoke like a PRO!
Runner : Really good
Product came damaged. Masterbuilt sent a new main body right away. It took about 1.5 hrs to put together by myself. The temp controller is easy to use and works well. The app sometimes loses its connection. I have found I go through quite a bit more charcoal than Masterbuilt stated, but it is winter. Overall I Like it a lot. The smoke flavor is awesome!
Heath : Do not buy this through Amazon
The product is good, but the shipment was bad. Somewhere along the line, this item was dropped. It’s not possible to see this until you completely take the item out of the packaging.
john wagner : The grill is great. Dented during shipping
So far I seasoned the grill as suggested and grilled steaks. Performed beautifully. I bought this mainly for smoking, so we'll see. So far so good.
Issues with shipping, the product came 11 days late. Sat in the shipping companies warehouse for 8 days. The product was dented and the whole pallet looked like it was mishandled. The dent in the back was not something that would cause issues with the grill working correctly. Greg with Masterbuilt Manufacturing really stepped and help me with getting my grill. Great customer service. I recommend the grill and the company.
Phong Ngo : Don't buy this if you expect the app/bluetooth/wifi to work
Received my grill yesterday morning and it was delivered carefully to the back deck. It took about 1.5 hours to assemble by myself and the instructions were very simple, detailed, and easy to follow. After completing the seasoning procedure, I grilled/seared some steaks the same night.
In my first use, I found the following observations: 1. Even after shaking the charcoal grate to shake free any ash, it takes 2x fire starter cubes to really get the fire going. One cube just doesn't cut it. 2. I love that the grill will beep and give error if it finds issues such as it's taking much longer than expected for the temperature to rise, which is why I found out about #1. 3. The wifi is a joke and the antenna must be for show, because I'm quite tech savvy and couldn't connect even once. The bluetooth is LOS (most times) and is working maybe 4 out of 10 attempts. Sometimes I'll be in my kitchen with the phone in LOS of the grill outside the window (approx 10 ft away) and it just refuses to connect. 4. The app is very hand (when it works), but it needs some serious development. A buggy app is one thing, but it's appalling that an entire product with so much marketing material focused on the smart connectivity doesn't actually work half the time.
Luckily, this grill has a lot going for it aside from the app/connectivity. It's a beautiful grill, feels very solid, and a pleasure to grill on. The double walled design of the lid makes it light to life, but still maintains temps really well and doesn't get so hot that you'd burn/injure yourself instantly.
Vernie : The temp control works very well!
First, I ordered this grill from Walmart, it arrived on a pallet with a dent and scrape from the fork of a fork lift through the box. SENT it back. Decided to order from the big A, this grill is pretty much sold at full retail everywhere. Amazon had it listed via seller for $25 off. This grill is heavy (200+ lbs), and the freight truck delivered intact. Boxed looked good. Thought, great. So I unpacked it and found three small dents, one on the bottom, two on the top, (thot) I can live with these. Probably from stacking on top/each other in some slow boat from the China. The grill can be temper mental to start, but once you find the right sequence to ignite the charcoals, this grill is money! Temp holds around your target, bounces up and down, as fan switches on/off to keep the heat moving through the grill box. Smoked brisket flat, hamburger patties, Salmon, and steaks within a week. Awesome. A few things I disliked about my Weber Smokey Mountain bullet, hitting your target temp, temp control, and stacking briquettes for a serpentine fuse. Adding more briquettes was inconvenient too. This grill is a home run. The blue tooth remote has worked perfectly. No complaints. For the money Masterbuilt could have thrown in all four temp probes, ONLY 1 came with, and the temperature was 4.5-5 degree off my instant read thermometer. Directions say 45 min assembly, Ha ha ha, some comedian wrote the assembly directions. Get a COLD beverage, relax and take your time, gonna be a bit longer if by yourself. A second thought, I use my Weber Summit 470 Gas grill to sear, it has no problem getting to 650+. I did not want to "crank" up the 1050 to 600 degrees, once those briquettes get hot, cooling down will still burn them up.
Kindle Customer : Great grill/smoker. App not ready for prime time.
Initial impression after assembly and first use. Assembly wasn't too bad, but it does take time. I did it solo. Another set of hands would have been helpful, but it can be done without.
This things fires up quickly and the temperature control is outstanding. So fun to turn the dial and watch it respond immediately.
As other have noted, the app is hot trash so far. If wifi/Bluetooth is an absolute necessity for you....this may not be the smoker for you. I will say that I thought going in that this was the case for me....but I may be willing to overlook it in the end given how good the performance of the actual grill/smoker seems to be. Hopefully future updates help.
Molo : WARNING: ADHESIVE HAZARD DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So several things wrong here but I will start with the worst. When I am putting things together I noticed a big poster within the inside portion of the lid. This advertisement poster is glued on to the inside hood with not one or two little dabs, it's two very long strips of glue. I tried my best to remove them but the instructions say to burn it off for 1 hour on 250 and 30m on 400. I did so, and when I got next to it after a while I inhaled some of the nastiest stuff that burned my lungs and made me so light-headed. WHO PUTS GLUE ON THE INSIDE OF A BBQ?!!?!?!? Anyway, now those glue strips are burned/Stained into the hood and will not go away. I even tried to burn it off for several extra hours at 700! and that smell and glue still won't go away- I don't want all my cooks to be glue flavored!!!! Check out the pictures you will see both of those strips of glue burned there forever haunting me - it still hurts to breathe yall. Anyway, a few other things like bent up henges and the hopper lid won't close right. and I understand some of the parts are oiled but RUST?! jeez what kind of oil/grease is this. ( I may be wrong here but maybe they use RUST colored grease idk???). Majorly disappointed on this one- was soo looking forward to so many cookouts :(
Herbert : Fan not working after 45 days...
I was really excited for this purchase... bought all the protective gear and the extra racks.
Set up was a puzzle.
Once I got it all assembled, I became aware that to light the charcoal you have to do some pretty creative things to get the charcoal ignited.
I ended up getting starter cubes, but they didn’t do too great.
Then I purchased an electric charcoal lighter and that does the job quite well.
But... now the fan on the Masterbuilt doesn’t kick on. I’ve used this grill 4-5 times and the fan already isn’t working.
Bought APRIL 13th, 2021 and fan was out by May 30th, 2021. Not happy with this purchase.
Northwestern Bag Co. : It was just ok
The 560 model is small. Would be tight to fit two racks of ribs. The taste of food wasn't any different than cooking on a propane grill. The biggest con for me was the fuel usage. This thing uses a lot of charcoal. I just couldn't justify using half a bag of charcoal every weekend for grilling my meal prep meat. About 10lbs of chicken and a couple steaks uses half a bag of charcoal.
Didn't use to smoke on but it would be difficult to keep wood burning in the hopper. You would have to try to mix wood and charcoal to load the hopper. It would tale a lot of trial and error to get the mix right.
G. P. Wolf : Couldn't be more happy with delivery and product
Couldn't be more happy with delivery and product Couldn't be more happy with delivery and product Couldn't be more happy with delivery and product Couldn't be more happy with delivery and product Couldn't be more happy with delivery and product
Nullism : Smoker stopped working after 8 smokes and less than a year.
So many problems with this smoker, but here are the primary issues:
1. As others have mentioned, the seal on the smoke box lid came loose after less than a year. This leads to smoke leakage. 2. The sensor on the main box stopped working after the sixth smoke, so the smoker display just says "open", after some trial and error you can still get it to smoke, but you no longer get a temperature display on the smoker so you have to use your own thermometer. The sensor does not have any signs of damage. 3. The build quality is really poor for the price. The metal is pretty thin and can bend easily. 4. The drip tray is awkward to reach and pull out / put in the bottom slot, and it's fairly small so has to be changed often. 5. The top airflow cutoff insert is really stiff and is a PITA to put in and out, especially after the smoker has been sitting. 6. The power connection pops out frequently. The entire weight of the cable is held by a small connector, so it can rip the power connector from the circuit board if you're not careful. I added a mounted cable tie to hold some of the weight and that seems to help. 7. As others have mentioned, the glue inside the lid is very hard to remove and offgasses periodically. Doesn't seem to impact the flavor after a few smokes though.
Pros 1. The flavor is pretty good. On part with a nicer gravity smoker.
tl;dr - The build quality is terrible and there are several design decisions that make this a poor choice for your next smoker. The flavor is good, better than a pellet grill without a smoke tube, but definitely not good enough to warrant the price.
T Hestand : Where have you been all my life???
First off... I've been smoking for about 40 years on just about every kind of smoker you can imagine. I saw the reviews and videos of the Gravity Series and ordered the 1050. Assembled it today and did the seasoning.
Truthfully, I have been in awe all evening after what I saw during the seasoning. For smoking "Low and Slow" temp management has always been a struggle. Bouncing back and forth between "Too Hot" and "Too Cold" is the norm. Even on a pellet grill with PID it still sometimes was a struggle.
Today I lit of the Gravity series to do the seasoning and set it for 250° and it shot to about 325° (Rookie Mistake... Didn't remove the slides). It quickly settled back to 250° and my Tappecue (Clipped under the warming rack center) read 256°. I watched for an hour as this thing bounced between 253° and 259° (Tappecue). This thing was rock solid on temp control.
Then bumped to 400° and it too about 4 minutes to top off at 410° then back down to 403° and held for 30 minutes. Again Amazing temp control.
Then shut down and put back the slides and the charcoal went out without wasting any. Greased it up and relit it. set for 350°. It took about 4 minutes to get there and then for 30 minutes I watched it vary by +/-3°.
The assembly wasn't too hard (even one handed because of a torn rotator cuff) and took me about 4 hours (again... One handed). They even gave an extra set of screws/bolts incase you dropped one (which I did).
Startup was simple and again Temp Control was nothing less than Amazing. How they can do that with a charcoal grill/smoker is awesome. Time to sell my pellet grill/smoker and never look back.
The graph shows temp changes at 250° then bumped to 400°
Would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for anyone in the market and if you're thinking about a pellet grill.... STOP and take a look at this! You won't be sorry.
Greg Carroll : Best Grill I ever Bought
This Masterbuilt MB20040220 Gravity Series 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker, Black is the best grill ever. I looked for months and could not made a decision. Once I seen this grill in action and all the features I had to have it. Yes, a little love and patience to put it together but well worth when done. I'm looking forward to using this grill for years to come.
Amazon Customer : BUY THIS!!!!!
Please get this smoker/grill!!!! I’ve smoked with pellet, charcoal, and electric. I love this thing. Gives you the charcoal smokey flavor but you don’t have to sit around all day tending the smoker because the digitally controlled fan regulates the temperature for you. It connects to WiFi and Bluetooth. Temperature range that lets you smoke delicate foods or sear a amazing steak. I don’t work for Masterbuilt, I’m just a happy customer that bought this amazing grill.
Busy mommy : Horrible, after 8 months of troubleshooting still unable to cook a single thing.
I would love to leave an amazing review but unfortunately, after 8+ months of back and fourth with the frustratingly slow masterbuilt support, we are unable to return this product and we have never been able to cook a single thing on it. It’s one thing after another breaking, troubleshooting, waiting for a response, more troubleshooting. I should have burned that $850 in the fireplace, at least I would have been warm. It’s a bummer because we were really excited about this product.
Do yourself a favor and buy a different grill.
Lance J. : BEST Charcoal Grill Smoker PERIOD!!
If you truly love to cook outdoors this gravity fed charcoal smoker by Masterbuilt is a MUST BUY!! I can’t stress enough how much I like this grill. Besides a true expensive offset smoker, this is the next best thing!
Takes some time to put together but you can do it. Don’t let that stand in the way of buying. There are many online YT walk-through videos on putting this together step by step.
Don’t pass up buying this grill and get the 1050 if you cook for more than say 6-8 people on a regular basis. For my family of 5, it handles plenty of food as you can see with my 2nd pic.
kurt phillip : No instructions
Lots of parts but no instructions booklet. Got bent during shipping. Err 5 code come on when I plugged it in. Warming rack is comes with scraps the side because they wasnt riveted in properly. Pics included. Had to watch a YouTube video to assemble.
rick : Minor modifications needed for more efficient burn
Easy to assemble plenty of cooking space. Tastes great with wood chunks mixed in the charcoal. The only drawback is that the factory grate allows for half burnt charcoal to fall into the ash can. Cut a grate and lay it in and it will burn up all the coals before they fall out.
Shelli H : Do not waste you money...worked twice and now dead
Do not buy this grill. We used it twice since January and it stopped working. We contacted Masterbuilt we followed the instructions and nothing. The fan does not turn on essentially rendering the grill completely useless. For hundreds of dollars and to have received it Dec 29,2020 and it has been unusuable since March 1st is appalling. This should be removed from Amazon and my money refunded
Chris : Some issues but easy to use and turns out great food
Holds temp well 150 up to 700 and cooks great, everything I throw at this grill it handles excellent, from beef jerky to brisket and pizza. this grill will handle it all. Charcoal consumption is very fair and depending whether you use lump or briquettes will determine your cook and temp time. The app works OK but to try connect for an update though wifi its crap. Some minor issues that I came across is that switches sometimes seem to get stuck in other words it'll think the lid and or the hopper is open. Also as of recently the meat prob isn't that reliable either so I tend use my webber connect to get a more of a accurate reading. I have tried to contact customer support about these small issues but thats a whole other hurdle, I do highly recommend this product it handles it all. The 560 smokes well and when you put small wood chunks in ashbin and it turns out a nice smoke ring and the fact is I'd buy it again..
**Update** I reached out to Customer service though social media, they help me register my unit and addressed the minor issues I had with fast and efficient service ...5 star now
McKenzie : Brand new doesn’t work
After a few hours of assembly we were excited to try the new smoker. Was going through the first cook process to cook off the chemicals and grease from manufacturing. Followed step by step and the smoker will not get to temp. The reason for this is the fan is not working at all. Tried all the troubleshooting and googling for the past 3 hours or so and am defeated. They delivered us a faulty product. For the price you would really expect it to work :/
Amazon Customer : Used twice and broke. Cant easily get ahold of masterbuilt.
I was really excited to get this unit. I did a great deal of research and overall it seemed to be positive. The second time I tried to use this it threw out error codes and the fan would not turn on. I go online and find out you cannot contact master built for help until you register the product. So I'm in the middle of a cook with everything prepped and I can't get any answers? No phone number to call in for tech support, nothing without registering. Second, even tho I bought my unit brand new not everyone gets their grills new. Some people might have for example inherited a unit or bought it used and they won't register you unless you upload a receipt of purchase so don't buy one of these used because you won't be able to get any information or tech support. That basically, tells me Masterbuilt is more interested in getting information to add you to marketing lists then they are about actually just providing help for anyone who owns one of their grills regardless of how they came about owning it. I don't want to spend close to 800 dollars on something that breaks the second time you cook with it. Very disappointed. I returned it and am looking into other options.
Halborges : Looks good but the fire box is a concern.
The product arrived timely, is easy to assemble and looks really good with a lot of real estate for grilling.
The reason for the low review is that after 1 use, yes a single use, the area where the coal burns showed significant degradation an worst, the fumes from the walls going to the meat. Not the type of smoke I want my family and friends to taste.
Nic : Great smoker and grill!
Before the Masterbuilt 560, I had been using a pellet smoker for about 4 years. Prior to my pellet smoker, I was using an offset. I went to a pellet smoker due to the ease of set and forget. One thing about using the pellet smoker for the past 4 years is that it was always lacking in smoke flavor. I did all the mods and add ons to get a stronger smoke flavor but could never get that familiar smoke flavor from the offset. Now for the MB560. When I saw this announced I immediately knew I needed this grill. The fact that I could cook with charcoal and throw in large chunks of wood in the hopper and ash pan, I knew I would get a better smoke flavor off of this grill. I got this grill delivered the day before Christmas. Put the grill together immediately and did the burn off. Tri-Tip steaks were the first thing I cooked on this. I reverse seared the steaks. Smoked them for about 45 minutes at 200 then bumped up the grill to 700 to sear the steaks. This is where the awesomeness of this grill comes in. With the grill already running at 200, for me to get to 700 took less than 5 minutes. I have to take the steaks off during this time so I can get that good sear on them. I mention this because with my pellet grill, the time to get to 500 (this is the hottest it gets) from 200 would take 20 minutes. The fact that I was at 700 in 5 minutes was amazing. The amount of smoke flavor that was on these steaks was awesome. I had thrown in some hickory chunks in the ash pan during the smoking process. The mixture of the charcoal flavor from the Oak Lump charcoal and Hickory tasted great on the steaks. I have done ribs and pork butt as well and they have come out with better flavor than anything that ever came off my pellet grill. The versatility of this grill is awesome. To have a true smoker and a true grill all in one is amazing. I have had this for about a month now and haven't touched any of my other grills since I got the MB560. I would definitely recommend this grill!
Jeremy : Pretty good but could be better
The grill is great and works really well. However, the quality of some of the important parts is pretty bad. The little trigger switch that senses if the grill is closed has broke after about a year of use. I’ll be the first to admit that the lid has came down a lot harder then I should’ve let it a couple times. Might be my fault but the quality is still a bit cheap for what it costs. If you take real good care of the grill though I’m sure it can last years.
yost28 : Better bbq than a Traeger
This smoker has been honestly amazing. Easy as a pellet but real charcoal bbq flavor. My house is the best bbq place hands down. The only downside is everyone will ask if you have a Traeger. Explaining that it’s a Masterbuilt and it’s better than a Traeger to a bbq layman is not an easy task. I’m still working on this. Luckily most people don’t really care and are just happy to eat your bbq.
The hopper itself is very versatile and will accept just about any wood and charcoal. I’ve prefer kingsford with webber wood chunks.
robert : Lots of value for the money. Super convenient, Real BBQ taste.
I’ve been on the fence about getting a new smoker. I know I wanted temperature control but that limits your options to few. pellet, thermo-temp propane, or convert a kettle using a fan and controller. To me this was win/win. All the other options have shortcomings that this unit addresses. Propane is flavor. Pellet , flavor and heat.
1) Temperature control. Unit comes up to temp fast and maintains very well. I have done low and slow (225) as well as (700) for searing ribeyes. Fan is variable speed. Not just on/off witch is nice. 2) cooking chamber is double wall. I’ve already added an additional rack. Lots of nice touches, like a rubber grommet on the side to run your probes thru. Provisions for a future rotisserie. Grates have a smoke/sear side. 3) App is a little quirky but very helpful. I ran several errands during my cook without worry as I can just check the status of the pit temperature and the meat remotely. 4) I have been smoking for 20+ and after three cooks my overall impression is very good. Lots of value for the money. The main reason I bought this is for the same reason I’ve looked at pellets grills for years. Convenience. Doing a 15 hour smoke overnight or babysitting the smoker all day is not very convenient. I have used multiple smokers over the years. Electric, Gas, Pellet, charcoal. The best flavors all seem to come from charcoal and wood. My old Weber kettle and slow-n-sear can produce some really good BBQ. So, is this better? Yes and no. Convenience , temp control, high heat, connectivity. it’s amazing. Flavor. No. I know how to make good BBQ. I’ve got years of experience. But, for someone with less experience, this things a slam dunk. It allows you to cook at a high level right out of the box. If you’ve been looking at a pellet grill , I’d say you are much better off with this. Way more versatile and better real BBQ flavor.
yost28 : Better bbq than a Traeger
This smoker has been honestly amazing. Easy as a pellet but real charcoal bbq flavor. My house is the best bbq place hands down. The only downside is everyone will ask if you have a Traeger. Explaining that it’s a Masterbuilt and it’s better than a Traeger to a bbq layman is not an easy task. I’m still working on this. Luckily most people don’t really care and are just happy to eat your bbq.
The hopper itself is very versatile and will accept just about any wood and charcoal. I’ve prefer kingsford with webber wood chunks.
phil : AWFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCT
I have used my Masterbuilt Smoker 3 times and in the middle of using it to make a meal for guests it just quit working. There is NO support for a breakdown. They will only support through a website that wants photocopies of reciepts and other information submitted before they will even review an issue. THEY STATE THAT THEY WILL NOT CALL AND WILL NOT TAKE A CALL ON THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE. Is that some sort of oxymoron? The worst.
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