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In my opinion, you can achieve a deeper color and smoke flavor from a gravity fed smoker by placing the wood chunks in the ash pan. By doing this you obtain constant clean smoke. Depending on the size of the chunk, the wood can burn from 45mins to an hour. I have a Char Griller 980 and ive always use this method. Smoker modified w/ a DigiQ controller and fan.
As a LTL driver I was introduced to BBQ by delivering other peoples grills & striking up a conversation about their purchase. Time & time again ReqTec pellet grills were a 1st purchase of many which led me buy an RT700, the quality & customer service is incredible, but Your instruction & videos has made my BBQ the talk of family & friends! Thank you for the wonderful content I've learned So much from you!
Hey Mad Scientist, I really enjoy your videos, just recently got into smoking starting off with some chooks and easy cooks you’ve shown & they’ve been Great. So thanks for that. One thing though, the trend of the in show adds yourself and other you-tubers do now doesn’t sit well with me. Like me the customer pay a monthly fee for premium so I don’t have the adds, and you-tube (the platform you use and rely on) honours the contractual agreement and I don’t get adds, but then you actually have a dedicated break in your program and pedal adverts during that time. My question that is do you have to declare your earrings from adverts to RUclips & forward pay RUclips a percentage of your advertisement revenue? I imagine you would yeah? Considering the whole platform that google own is only profitable with the use of adds, or user subscriptions. And if you do or you don’t my point still couldn’t be more relevant. The point being these adds inside the video definitely gives the direct consumer (RUclips premium customer) the short end of the stick by paying for an add free service then to have the service & sale contract manipulated by the middle man (that’s you the streamer). I understand you wanna make money and we all do that’s fine. BUT I don’t buy anything off you, I am a consumer of RUclips they provide the service & the structured platform. So what I’m saying is you shouldn’t do those adds when doing so you become a third party responsible for breach of contract. Suggestion: be ahead of the game and just edit a seperate version of the video without your add for the premium customers. Because RUclips will be onto this soon enough anyway. Surprised they haven’t already acted on this stuff as a conflict of interest or basically back door trading out of there business model & equipment.
The early Masterbuilts 560's were problematic, but they have improved considerably since then. I have hundreds of cooks on my 560 & 1050, and I have never had a problem. They aren't nearly as bad as he made them out to be.
I own an early 560 ……been really good …this will be my third year with it I smoke a pork butt over the weekend and came out amazing…(I know, pork butts are hard to screw up but still) my only advice is buy a separate thermometer and use that for your temperature reading …the one built in can be off sometimes but other then that it’s been great and I’m probably 30-40 cooks in
Just bought bought a recteq and there’s no of smoke flavor to speak of. I’m coming from a Weber Smokey mountain which gave great flavor but impossible to control temps. How do these master built a compare taste wise to a Weber and reliability of temp wise for temp control? Maybe I can Craigslist the recteq
I've had the Masterbuilt 1050 since it came out. The only problem I have had was a small piece of charcoal got into the fan unit blocking the fan from spinning. a simple compressed air fan fixed it. The taste is far superior to a pellet. creates great bark on briskets. If you smoke anything, put it on the middle rack with a thick cookie sheet on the bottom rack. helps with grease management and helps put more smoke on the meat
Correct. Hot spots are top and bottom grates, so middle is best. I put a big water pan below the brisket to catch the grease and i can have tallow to wrap it
Just got the Masterbuilt 560 less then a month ago. I agree it takes more to light it up than a pellet grill, but you made it sound like it is work when in reality its just a few minutes of more work but the taste is superior. Not only because its charcoal, it is because you have full control over how much wood you use. You can put it in the ash bin or in the chimney. You can put a few chunks or a piece of log. I don't know in regards to the wifi and app ect. I haven't even downloaded the app.
I've never had a problem with my 560, and have been using for 2 years at least once a week. He is right about it being cheaply made and kind of flimsy, but I love it, nothing else like it on the market.
By far you've taught me so much more than I ever thought I would learn. I started on my own knowing nothing and learning on my own. Since I've found your channel I can actually sit back and enjoy my beer. I've made every mistake a person could make. Your videos have helped refine everything from prepping the meat to fire management. Thank you so much.
Having all three styles of smokers I can agree with everything that you guys said. I run my Camp Chef pellet grills the most, but that's merely due to convenience. I find the gravity fed to be an alight in-between, but nothing compares to an offset. Great video Jeremy!
Great content! Would love a video from you two on the less glamorous but critically important topic of smoker maintenance -- cleaning the steel grates of an offset, the inside of a GMG, etc.
I have a Masterbuilt 1050 and have had little to no issues. Shipping was terrible but they sent replacement parts. Masterbuilt updated thier control pannel so there is less glitches. Smoking use the top racks, searing use the lower racks. I use briquetts mixed with wood chunks and put wood chunks in the ash bin. Fan and charcoal basket mods are necessary.
I have a Masterbuilt 560. I have used it regularly for 2 yrs now, and have had no issues that Eric has described. I also have a Broil KIng Regal 400 pellet grill, and I like the Masterbuilt over the Broil King.
A few comments here regarding the masterbuilt gravity series as I own one: Agreed with the build quality comments. It's a bit flimsy. Agreed with grease issues. I am getting much darker color on mine. I think you need more wood chunks - add them to the ash bin for much more smoke. Smoking should be done on the upper racks, not the lower grill grates.
I have a Chargriller Gravity 980 and I love it! The way they built it makes it seem that they put more thought into the functionality of the grill. I haven't had any grease fire issues and it's pretty sturdy. I upgraded to this from a Pit Boss pellet grill and I love it. Gives me great color, bark and smoke flavor. Very easy to use.
Josh I agree with you said, I said that before on Facebook and bunch of people started attacking me like if I insulted them personally. I love the concept, but it's poorly executed.
@@derekfoster4527 From what I've seen, the Chargriller is probably superior to the Masterbuilt. Unfortunately for me, only the Masterbuilt is available here in Canada, so that's what I went with. Still happy with it though.
@@chadialhajkadour7198 It has flaws namely the sensors and grease management but they're minor and relatively easy to resolve in most cases. For sensors, apply dielectric grease or contact cleaner semi-regularly or if they stop working. For greasefires use a drip tray and put foil over the manifold. They don't prevent it from being an amazing grill for the price still.
Old country makes a pretty decent BBQ pit. I bought the Pecos due to it being half the price of the Brazos. Great first-timer offset. I'm very glad I purchased it.
Just took delivery of my new Yoder from BBQ HQ. They were amazing. Answered all my questions, took the time and even put it together and delivered it for a reasonable extra.. i started with a GMG. It only lasted a couple of seasons. Rust issues and electronic issues. Served me well but i see a huge difference with the yoder.
I have the 800 and after struggling to light it a few times, I discovered if I vigorously shake the steel rack at the bottom of the coal chute it removes any previously burned charcoal and gives you fresh fuel for your fire starters. It doesn’t matter what the air temp is, I can be at 250° in no more than 5 minutes every time. So far I love that smoker and there’s also a company that makes stainless steel replacement parts and accessories for it.
I smoke on a WSM and kettle grills from weber. They work year in and out, they are durable, they don't require electricity, and they are adaptable to cooking many different ways. I can use my kettles to griddle or even cook stir fry in a wok. For versatility and value, I think you guys missed out by not mentioning what can be done with WSMs and Kettles.
This was a great test but feel you missed a few choices. The WSM and Pit Barrel are great affordable choices too and would have loved to see the comparison of all. Lastly, the Weber Smokefire does it all and I have been very happy with mine. I own the WSM which doesn’t get much use anymore really just cuz my laziness. The product from the WSM is top notch.
I picked up a 22 inch WSM last year to go with my 22 inch kettle and I love it. It does outsmoke any pellet grill out there, so for those who don't like smoke flavor I generally tell them to look at pellet units. I fully agree with you that they missed out by not featuring the WSM in this video.
I've had my masterbuilt 560 since it came out. No problems ever except when I neglected to clean it and it caught fire when I turned temp to 700 just to see how hot it got. Still have it and just got the 1050. Got a few Cooks in and so far no problems. I got the lss mods for it this time which are a must. And best of all, I love the rotisserie option I purchased for it. Who else has a dedicated rotisserie for their grill? Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken all are good and rotisserie brings it to the next level. I'm smoking pulled pork and about to rotisserie a pineapple at the same time as of writing this.
I own 12 different smokers. My pellet is a Yoder 640. (I also have a little green mountain Dave Crockett that’s garbage). My recommendation if you only get one smoker is to go with the Big Green Egg and bbq guru. The reason for me is versatility in the weather. I’m in NE South Dakota and that egg will perform flawlessly outside in below zero temps while blizzarding. It does great low and slow, or can do superb direct fire cooking. Works great on either lump charcoal or all wood. That’s my 2 cents. As a side note I would like some expertise videos using an ugly drum smoker. I’ve not yet learned to love mine.👍🏻
Springtime is my favorite time of year. Barbecue is one of my favorite things to do. The pit I own is my favorite pit... for now. No gas, no electricity. Peace ☮️.
I’ve been loving my Masterbuilt GS800. Granted I have only had it for a couple months, but I’ve done probably 15 smokes and 20 cooks on it. It’s been great! The best charcoal I’ve used thus far has been B&B Competition Oak Briquettes. Eat your heart lump guys, this briquettes are amazing!! Great flavor just on their own.
Add a smoker tube to your pellet grill for extra smoke, on the GMG use a 6" tube placed far left but not over the temp probe and the grills air flow pushes way more smoke out.
You should do a video on drum smokers. I built a drum smoker from a kit and I can hold temps for a 16 hour cook with minimal damper adjustments, so much that I've never felt I needed a fan controller.
You should do a comparison video of ribs from an offset vs direct heat ribs (like from a drum or a WSM without the bowl). The flavor you get from pork fat dripping on coals beats the flavor you get from only wood smoke, in my opinion. Give it a shot!
I know the comparison is regarding equipment type, but at the end of the day the results seem to be more about the flavors produced by the various types of combustion materials, aka: wood, charcoal and pellets. It would be interesting to try various combustion materials in identical smokers to see how different the results would be.
I have all three, I love my Masterbuilt. I've had it for 3 years and taken it on the road for local competition events. If you know what charcoal and wood to use you get great results. I have never had problems with the control, after 2 years the burn chamber melted and i put in thicker metal in. Pellet I have (Just like every pellet grill) doesn't really smoke. It puts out a lot of smoke but no flavor. My offset is too temperamental, just like every offset. Found the Masterbuilt and fell in love.
Had my GMG for over 4 years now. Absolutely zero issues. Liked it so much, bought a 2nd one for our RV. Again, rock solid. More importantly, great food. And yes, cooked on an offset too. Great food as well, but way too much work.
Exactly why I'm looking into a pellet or gravity fed. I have pecan and mesquite on hand but for a long cook like brisket it's just to much work on the offset.
Id like to point out, once you dial in your Old Country, its only a matter of putting a log on every hours or so. Also you can direct sear on it as well with the firebox/grate combo..
Talk all you want about the gravity series, mine still works perfectly after over a year and dozens of smokes, plus using it as a grill. Some are faulty, for sure, but overall they're pretty great.
100% agree with the comment of being in the smoke all day impacts your first taste. I have sampled after a cook and thought, "not very smokey". Next day after a night's sleep and my opinion changed to "nailed it".
560 masterbuilt gravity owner here 2yrs now. Made everything from burgers to dessert with no problems and no switch,fan,or control replacement. Have fount that it dose run about 30degrees lower than read out
I actually have 2 560's. I'm one of the lucky few who got them on clearance @wally world. I basically got 2 for less than the price of one. I do love the way they cook. I do a lot of reverse sear on the, we cook out multiple times a week usually.. The metal in my fireboxes is gone, but I've had no issues from this. My big concern is rust inside the grill. Specifically the back lower wall and the heat exchanger. I keep them in my garage, out of the weather, I clean them and spray with canola oil regularly. I'm glad I didn't pay full price, I think I'd be really mad at how much rust there is inside. 1 is just 1 year old, the other is about 6 months. I'm actually doing a brisket as we speak, 20mph winds today so I've got some stuff propped to regulate air flow.
I got a lot of use with my Weber Kettle. I'll never be without one. I got an electric cabinet smoker box years ago. It was alright for some things like ribs, but I still used the Kettle for a lot. Last year I got an OK Joe off-set and I couldn't be happier. I prefer the hands-on involvement with the fire management and flavor from a stick burner. I will never get pellet smoker. Thanks for all the lessons. I learned a lot from this channel
The results the the exact results I have experienced. I had a stick burner a d my friend has a green moutian, and I have a masterbuilt 1050. The 1050 for me was the perfect compromise for easy of use and flavor. While I have had not problems really with my masterbuilt I do wish someone made a high quality version. I would be a buyer for a quality built 1/4" thick version
I have the MB 1050 and I build a small layer of charcoal in the bottom of the hopper and then fill it the rest of the way with chunks of wood. By doing this I basically have an offset smoker that is digitally controlled.
@@CoolJay77 I get small bursts of white smoke as chunks smolder before igniting at first. Once fire is well established the chunks get very dry and ignite instantly maintaining thin blue smoke.
Definitely recommend doing a Part 2 to this video. I don't think you did the gravity fed smoker enough justice. Part 2 should have a functioning gravity fed smoker with someone who actually likes using it, and isn't biased against it.
I have a masterbuilt 560, done 50 to 60 cooks and never had a problem but i only use it for low & slow. You get better results smoking on the 2nd level not the grilling grates
The Char-Griller Akorn Kamodo (Lowes) is by far the BEST $ value in entry level Kamodo grill. It is fantastic and works for long low and slow as well as weekday burgers.
I recently got the Char-Griller 980 Gravity Fed, and I love the thing -- it definitely has a very solid build quality (especially compared to the Master Built), and it also goes up to 700F. Haven't tried a brisket yet, but it's done steaks, ribs, and pork butt extremely well. It's got a rather unique manifold design which distributes heat and smoke quite evenly throughout the cook chamber.
@@waltersigona5642 Nooooooo, but I've been watching videos and plan on trying it soon... and the last will be salmon, I'm not trying to waste $20/lb until I'm supremely confident ;)
Great video and very practical advice! Glad that you guys advised the pellet grill and weren’t biased as most bbq guys are towards charcoal or offset grills.
These are good options, but I’m going to stick with my WSM that I picked up used for $100 and use my money for meat to bbq. I appreciate the thorough reviews of these. Maybe someday a nice offset will be a possibility, but until then I’m quite happy with my Weber.
If you’re able to I would say start on a pellet grill so you have something that will give you consistent temps where you only need to worry about the food and not trying to maintain consistent temps. Once you’ve honed in your skills then I suggest upgrading to a charcoal grill, gravity fed, or an offset. Each offers something different in that each caters to different cooking preferences. I chose a gravity fed because it gives me great bbq without having to babysit the fire all day if I don’t have time to do so.
When I'm in the house drinking beer and my phone let's me know my probe is nearing temp and I can control temp from the store, or playing golf and the temp is daamn near perfect... this is what I want. I LOVE LOVE my Trager
I love burning sticks but I'm in houston, TX and my backyard faces west so most of the year it's a inferno. Super unpleasant to smoke in the summer time so I keep a pellet for those days I want to chill and not sweat my ass off.
Knotty wood pellets are my absolute favorite. Great flavor and very consistent in burn length and heat output. Great video for anyone trying to decide what type they want to run.
My MB 800 is solid, no issues. I belong to quite a few MB forms and 99% of issues come from ppl not doing the proper maintenance and especially flare ups. My controller works perfectly fine on BT or wifi. They are much better than made out in this vid.
That’s a great smoker to it’s just built cheaper and a lil different I all most got it but Lowe’s made me mad so I drove six hours round trip to get a pecos old country . The pecos has all most twice the size on the fire box witch is nice for building clean fire so just because of that man I would drive or pay that lil extra for the pecos or brazos O and the pecos and the joes have the same thicknes of metal so there the same there
The best smoker in the world is the Weber Smoky Mountain. Cheaper than pellets, no power needed. WAAAAY more reliable. Pellet smokers are notorious for breaking. And if the power doesn’t turn on it’s essentially useless. The WSM literally can’t break. And it’s so much more accessible and usable than an offset. It’s lightweight and the footprint is so small. It might not produce the BBQ of a 1/4 in thick offset. But for majority of people.. it’s going to smoke great BBQ.
Another great comparison video! Loved the interaction with your daughter and wife’s review at the end. Makes it way more personal and real. I’m also a big fan of the Kottywood pellets. I’ve been using them for about a year. First on my 18 year old non PID controller Treager and now on my new LSG 20/36. When your first pellet review with BBQ HQ came out I was thrilled that knottywood was included and you thought they had the best flavors. Nice job Jeremy and Erica!!
Very good video - I have the Masterbuilt and agree 100% with what Eric said. LOVE the concept, and for the price I love my MB. I would love to see a Yoder or Lone Star come out with one. Does the Fireboard eliminate the safety switches on the fans? I am hardwiring a toggle switch to manual turn the fan on and off LOL. I do love that I can smoke beef jerky at 150, get a good sear at 700 and make brick over style pizza in 4 minutes on the Masterbuilt. It's as close to an all-in-one in my opinion.
I would agree that Masterbuilt has issues with longevity. I’ve replaced my manifold twice now in three years. And all of the switches at least once.. The firebox is degrading rapidly. And the internal components are also degrading rapidly. However, the smoker produces some darn good barbecue when it works.😂
Love my Weber Kettle, but am interested in also going pellet for those busy times "set it and forget it" is the best option. Thanks for both yours and BBQ HQ views.
I don't see how the latest Green Mountain vs 1st gen Masterbuilt is a valid comparison. I have a Green Mountain Daniel Boone which I've been cooking on for about 4 years. I recently bought a second gen Char-Griller 980 and I absolutely love it. Haven't used my Daniel Boone since I bought the Char=Griller. I'm a huge Mad Scientist fan. Your vid's are my "reference book" for BBQ. This is the first video of yours I'd consider a "miss." Thank you for all your hard work, amazing content, humor and great ideas!!
As an owner of the Masterbuilt gravity I can say it’s so consistent and does a great job. It’s just built like crap, I’ve owned mine for 2 years and I’ll be shocked if it makes it to 3.
Agreed - I have a 1050. It gets the job done. I do have it setup to run with a Fireboard I got from BBQHQ. For the last 2 years - no problems ...yet (Lol).
Get a kamado-style cooker. You can get get great smoker results and cook hot and fast. If you have a lot of money and a lot of room on your deck or patio, get a smoker and a standard grill.
I own a BGE, a gas grill, & a Masterbuilt. So the Masterbuilt is a dedicated smoker, which is why it's probably lasted so long without mods/upgrades. However I 100% agree, the build quality is lacking on them. However the flavor is so close to the BGE is kinda crazy. For charcoal, I use B&B competition char logs. Which are a cross between briquettes, & Japanese binchotan. The Burn exceedingly Clean, but still provide a great charcoal taste. I'm also agree the idea of the Masterbuilt, & Chargriller gravity smoker is fantastic, I hope a higher end maker creates a product using the same ideas.
Over the past several years, after catching the bbq bug, I went on quite the grills journey. Kettle's, offsets, more pellets than I'd like to really admit (3 smokefires, 3 pit bosses, 3 oklahoma joes, all 3 masterbuilt gravity's (with tons of cooks on them) and 2 char-griller 980 gravity's. Learned a lot, my cooking skills were lacking maybe at first, but have come quite a long way. Recently went back to just running a pellet grill, the gen 2 OKJ Rider DLX (so fun & versatile) and am completely happy with the capabilities/results/etc. Can confirm the "disposableness" of the masterbuilts and char-grillers if used as much as I did (char-griller will last some time longer, but still had severe degradation after less than a year). Like mentioned, if they'd make some component/structural/design upgrades, at like $1300 range to get more years out of them, it'd be excellent. They all have quirks, goods and bads etc. Just my experiences, not looking to start any ford/chevy type battles, as other's mileage may vary.
A side-note... Recent discovery,, Royal Oak charcoal pellets, quite good, add like a 1/3-1/2 amount to whichever pellets you are running, or use alone for higher max temps, like for pizzas, baking or searing, loving them.
@@hinds90 I put a water pan on the center grate, then utilize a couple of the racks for ribs, or one rack for butts or brisket/roast/etc. Middle racks temp is like 25 degrees higher than set temp. I rotate ribs longways and alternate rack positions 2 or 3 times per cook, depending. Of all the pellet grills, it stands out for reverse searing, the big center area, flames and grate temps above 800 (depending on pellet wood type, the royal oaks excel). Have been doing foil boats on the meats after a certain point during some cooks and very pleased with that method for pellet grill. If you were to put thick bacon all over the racks, with no water pan, diffuser on smoke position, never move them, you will see the bacon above the round grate area do get some more heat. Water pan alleviates that, a pizza stone could to, maybe, but I roll with the water pan.
I totally feel what he is saying about the durability of MasterBuilt smokers. The first ever dedicated smoker I bought is a MasterBuilt electric smoker that I still have although at the time, it doesn’t work. I know how to fix it, in fact I have fixed it 4+ times since I bought it around 9 years ago. I got tired of fixing it and bought an offset instead.
I just got my first smoker and was $200 for my MB 30 electric. For what it is i love it. After 3 months and a few dozen sessions im wanting an offset as well. For what they cost and ease of use though its awesone.
I bought my Masterbuilt 560 as soon as they came out on the market. We cook on it all the time, so it gets plenty of use. I don’t even have a cover for it so it sets out in rain, snow, heat, etc.. and it still works like champ, never had a single problem with it. I think he just doesn’t like Masterbuilt that much and doesn’t give them enough credit. My Masterbuilt electric smoker I could say the same for.
I want to thank you for what you do, both intentionally and unintentionally. Because I was googling your name looking for videos, I discovered Yoder Smokers, which led me to purchase a Kingman from a local shop that had a couple in stock.
Eric emphasized the sweetness of the smoked flavor from the plum pellets and found some bitterness in the others. I wonder whether burinng a fruit wood in the offset smoker, such a apple logs or peach logs would have changed his preference. Some people use exclusively apple logs, cause they prefer a milder and sweeter smoke flavor.
You mention someone who has a Weber kettle and wants a smoker. There are options like the Spider 22 pellet adapter, or the Aura Kettle zone cooker to not have to buy another grill. Of course the WSM rocks 225-250 all day with almost no intervention.
In the last year I have put hundreds of hours on my rec TEC rt700, was able to hold steady temps all winter long in below zero outdoor temperatures. Cooked pork shoulders and ribs all winter, which is something I can say I could never do with my Oklahoma Joe.
If you're going to use charcoal then get a 22 or 26 inch Weber Kettle. Or a 18/22" Weber Smokey Mountain. Best for the money. Pellet smoker? Get a Pit Boss for cheap.
With all the videos of mods and extra care you have to give the masterbuilt. I went with the woodwind pro, can’t wait to pick it up. When I have more room I’ll be in the market for a decent offset.
@madscientistbbq Hi Jeremy, and regards from Finland. Can you consider smoking fish sometimes and compare smokers for that? Warm and cold smoking :-). Would be something very different. In Scandinavia we don't do much brisket and ribs mostly because we don't have the good quality meat with good enough marbling. Finding prime grade meat is impossible without importing. We mostly smoke different lean game meats like roe dear, white tail dear and boar. But maybe mostly we smoke fish like salmon and bass, cold smoking salmon is also popular! Any chance you would experiment with fish smoking as well?
Typically I don't have the time to manage an offset so I bought a pellet smoker, worked great but didn't like it in the winter, and it wasn't hot enough for grilling so I ended up getting an MB 800 because it grills, smokes, and has a griddle, also works great when cold but they make excellent points about it and the other options.
I know he mentioned lots of issues with the Masterbuilt series. I recently picked up a Char-Griller gravity fed and absolutely love it. Spent several months agonizing between it, Masterbuilt, and pellet smoker, and I'm really glad I made the choice I did!
I went with a 980 last month and I'm exchanging it for another due to temp being wildly different than actual temp in the center after an hour. Any thoughts?
thanks for sharing your results . would love to see you do some cooks with a drum smoker . i have a oklahoma joe Bronco and i like it a lot . i will admit the food on my offset is slightly better .... but the bronco is %90+ of the offset flavor IMO but it's dang near set it and forget it and no electricity is needed . take care dude :)
I have a Bronco too. I agree with the offset tasting a tad bit better but yeah the set it and forget it is hard to beat. I have made some incredible bbq on it. I dont know why the drums dont get more attention? Cheers!
Agree! Bronco was one of my favorites. Great temp control. I sold it to try something different, got a masterbuilt 1050 now and can’t wait to cook a brisket! Also, Bronco was great for low and slow AND hot & fast brisket, only annoying part was refilling fuel during winter mornings
Another excellent comparison.I had a Masterbuilt 1050,the controller is junk, replaced grease tray rivets from new, fitted 6mm steel to firebox and fitted firesboard.I have many grills and sold this after 3 months due to I couldn’t stand the quality.Though it cooks excellent at higher temperatures.Also remember even after closing down the charcoal still smoulders a little and the 3 inches above loose energy and is then harder to light.The pellet uses no more when switched off, so is more economical too.I have a Yoder 1500s pellet and it cooks excellent and most people would not know the difference.I cook on offsets, but I don’t want to be chained to it all weekend.
Similar experience to mine. I probably had my 560 the first week it was released. Puts out a great product but the quality is just not there. Recently I tried the char griller 980 and for some reason I couldn't get it to run clean so it way to much smoke flavor but IMHO it is much better built than the masterbuilt.
In general you get what you pay for. The quality of the Masterbuilt gravity series smokers is pretty much on par with their price point relative to the quality of other gravity fed smokers which traditionally started around $2,000. I would say overall they work quite well for what you pay for them but if you're looking for a higher quality or longer lasting product you're probably going to have to pay significantly more money for the next tier of gravity smoker.
That was my point and the idea is great,but in the UK the 1050 is £1000 and even at that price I expected better.For an extra .5mm in materials and a better controller it would be a super product.I do not expect Yoder quality when it’s 6 times the price.
One additional point I would be interested in is the fuel cost for operating these grills. From the results of your pellet grill comparison video, it seems that would vary a lot even by the brand/selection used within a given type; maybe just calculate how much fuel is actually used during the comparison cook and estimate the actual cost? One other idea/request is to include charcoal pellets in some comparisons. Thanks for continuing to provide helpful info, Jeremy.
we have a gas grill, big green egg, green mountain pellet and weber performer deluxe. Fact is the pellet is just so easy to use that it gets the most use. I like the egg but its flavor really isnt so much better than pellet and a great deal more work and mess. Also for steaks and searing we always use the napoleon gas grill with infered station. Also wish you included a Kamado type with a digital controller is the lights out charcoal cooker and its pretty close to the cost of the larger GMG pellet grill.
Backyard bbq’s definitely should include drum smokers (also what is winning a lot of bbq competitions). And. Probably the #1 backyard pit is some style of komado. I recommend the weber as it produces better smoke depth/flavor than the ceramics.
Yeah so maybe Eric has $1200 to spend on a smoker being a restaurant owner, but for those of us that only use once a week at most in warmer months that's just too much. The Masterbuilt definitely has it's problems but calling it a disposable model is sort of a smack in the face to those that aren't cooking daily for profit.
Love it! This is so true and I’ve been looking forward to some content on the MB gravity fed system. It very quickly becomes a modded-out Frankenstein and I really hope someone builds something a little higher-end. Love the flavor vs pellets and the process of using charcoal but the reliability is very suspect.
I bought the MB gravity …..and I absolutely agree with you I hope it last me long enough for someone to build a better quality one …. I would buy it today …..nothing beats the wood charcoal flavor over the pellets
Love my MB gravity fed. 1050 going in a year, time will tell for the long term. Glad the Fireboard was discussed…..that’s actually a planned upgrade to my 1050.
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Why is a vertical offset never included in these comparisons? Can I assume it will cook roughly the same as a traditional offset?
In my opinion, you can achieve a deeper color and smoke flavor from a gravity fed smoker by placing the wood chunks in the ash pan. By doing this you obtain constant clean smoke. Depending on the size of the chunk, the wood can burn from 45mins to an hour. I have a Char Griller 980 and ive always use this method. Smoker modified w/ a DigiQ controller and fan.
As a LTL driver I was introduced to BBQ by delivering other peoples grills & striking up a conversation about their purchase. Time & time again ReqTec pellet grills were a 1st purchase of many which led me buy an RT700, the quality & customer service is incredible, but Your instruction & videos has made my BBQ the talk of family & friends!
Thank you for the wonderful content I've learned So much from you!
Aeeh
Hey Mad Scientist,
I really enjoy your videos, just recently got into smoking starting off with some chooks and easy cooks you’ve shown & they’ve been Great. So thanks for that. One thing though, the trend of the in show adds yourself and other you-tubers do now doesn’t sit well with me. Like me the customer pay a monthly fee for premium so I don’t have the adds, and you-tube (the platform you use and rely on) honours the contractual agreement and I don’t get adds, but then you actually have a dedicated break in your program and pedal adverts during that time. My question that is do you have to declare your earrings from adverts to RUclips & forward pay RUclips a percentage of your advertisement revenue? I imagine you would yeah? Considering the whole platform that google own is only profitable with the use of adds, or user subscriptions. And if you do or you don’t my point still couldn’t be more relevant. The point being these adds inside the video definitely gives the direct consumer (RUclips premium customer) the short end of the stick by paying for an add free service then to have the service & sale contract manipulated by the middle man (that’s you the streamer). I understand you wanna make money and we all do that’s fine. BUT I don’t buy anything off you, I am a consumer of RUclips they provide the service & the structured platform. So what I’m saying is you shouldn’t do those adds when doing so you become a third party responsible for breach of contract. Suggestion: be ahead of the game and just edit a seperate version of the video without your add for the premium customers. Because RUclips will be onto this soon enough anyway. Surprised they haven’t already acted on this stuff as a conflict of interest or basically back door trading out of there business model & equipment.
The early Masterbuilts 560's were problematic, but they have improved considerably since then. I have hundreds of cooks on my 560 & 1050, and I have never had a problem. They aren't nearly as bad as he made them out to be.
I own an early 560 ……been really good …this will be my third year with it I smoke a pork butt over the weekend and came out amazing…(I know, pork butts are hard to screw up but still) my only advice is buy a separate thermometer and use that for your temperature reading …the one built in can be off sometimes but other then that it’s been great and I’m probably 30-40 cooks in
Agreed, mine is fine. It sounded like he uses his constantly and high heat as well. I only use mine to smoke.
Agree 👍 I also like my 560. 3rd year, moderate use, no issues.
Agreed, my 1050 is a great product for me. Never a problem except the one I created myself. Damn slides have got me twice!
Just bought bought a recteq and there’s no of smoke flavor to speak of. I’m coming from a Weber Smokey mountain which gave great flavor but impossible to control temps.
How do these master built a compare taste wise to a Weber and reliability of temp wise for temp control?
Maybe I can Craigslist the recteq
I've had the Masterbuilt 1050 since it came out. The only problem I have had was a small piece of charcoal got into the fan unit blocking the fan from spinning. a simple compressed air fan fixed it. The taste is far superior to a pellet. creates great bark on briskets.
If you smoke anything, put it on the middle rack with a thick cookie sheet on the bottom rack. helps with grease management and helps put more smoke on the meat
Correct. Hot spots are top and bottom grates, so middle is best. I put a big water pan below the brisket to catch the grease and i can have tallow to wrap it
Just got the Masterbuilt 560 less then a month ago. I agree it takes more to light it up than a pellet grill, but you made it sound like it is work when in reality its just a few minutes of more work but the taste is superior. Not only because its charcoal, it is because you have full control over how much wood you use. You can put it in the ash bin or in the chimney. You can put a few chunks or a piece of log.
I don't know in regards to the wifi and app ect. I haven't even downloaded the app.
I've never had a problem with my 560, and have been using for 2 years at least once a week. He is right about it being cheaply made and kind of flimsy, but I love it, nothing else like it on the market.
Knocking down the masterbuilt….. have had mine for 3 years and not a single issue with app, Wi-Fi, or door switches
By far you've taught me so much more than I ever thought I would learn. I started on my own knowing nothing and learning on my own. Since I've found your channel I can actually sit back and enjoy my beer. I've made every mistake a person could make. Your videos have helped refine everything from prepping the meat to fire management. Thank you so much.
Having all three styles of smokers I can agree with everything that you guys said. I run my Camp Chef pellet grills the most, but that's merely due to convenience. I find the gravity fed to be an alight in-between, but nothing compares to an offset. Great video Jeremy!
Great content! Would love a video from you two on the less glamorous but critically important topic of smoker maintenance -- cleaning the steel grates of an offset, the inside of a GMG, etc.
I have a Masterbuilt 1050 and have had little to no issues. Shipping was terrible but they sent replacement parts. Masterbuilt updated thier control pannel so there is less glitches. Smoking use the top racks, searing use the lower racks. I use briquetts mixed with wood chunks and put wood chunks in the ash bin. Fan and charcoal basket mods are necessary.
I have a Masterbuilt 560. I have used it regularly for 2 yrs now, and have had no issues that Eric has described.
I also have a Broil KIng Regal 400 pellet grill, and I like the Masterbuilt over the Broil King.
I have a 1050 Masterbuilt and love it. The temp control on it is amazing.
Yes finally the MB Gravity gets a spot on the channel. I have a MB 560 with a fireboard 2 drive. Love it!!
A few comments here regarding the masterbuilt gravity series as I own one:
Agreed with the build quality comments. It's a bit flimsy. Agreed with grease issues.
I am getting much darker color on mine. I think you need more wood chunks - add them to the ash bin for much more smoke.
Smoking should be done on the upper racks, not the lower grill grates.
I have a Chargriller Gravity 980 and I love it! The way they built it makes it seem that they put more thought into the functionality of the grill. I haven't had any grease fire issues and it's pretty sturdy. I upgraded to this from a Pit Boss pellet grill and I love it. Gives me great color, bark and smoke flavor. Very easy to use.
Josh I agree with you said, I said that before on Facebook and bunch of people started attacking me like if I insulted them personally.
I love the concept, but it's poorly executed.
@@derekfoster4527 From what I've seen, the Chargriller is probably superior to the Masterbuilt. Unfortunately for me, only the Masterbuilt is available here in Canada, so that's what I went with. Still happy with it though.
@@chadialhajkadour7198 It has flaws namely the sensors and grease management but they're minor and relatively easy to resolve in most cases. For sensors, apply dielectric grease or contact cleaner semi-regularly or if they stop working. For greasefires use a drip tray and put foil over the manifold. They don't prevent it from being an amazing grill for the price still.
Old country makes a pretty decent BBQ pit. I bought the Pecos due to it being half the price of the Brazos. Great first-timer offset. I'm very glad I purchased it.
Just took delivery of my new Yoder from BBQ HQ. They were amazing. Answered all my questions, took the time and even put it together and delivered it for a reasonable extra.. i started with a GMG. It only lasted a couple of seasons. Rust issues and electronic issues. Served me well but i see a huge difference with the yoder.
I have the 800 and after struggling to light it a few times, I discovered if I vigorously shake the steel rack at the bottom of the coal chute it removes any previously burned charcoal and gives you fresh fuel for your fire starters. It doesn’t matter what the air temp is, I can be at 250° in no more than 5 minutes every time. So far I love that smoker and there’s also a company that makes stainless steel replacement parts and accessories for it.
I smoke on a WSM and kettle grills from weber. They work year in and out, they are durable, they don't require electricity, and they are adaptable to cooking many different ways. I can use my kettles to griddle or even cook stir fry in a wok.
For versatility and value, I think you guys missed out by not mentioning what can be done with WSMs and Kettles.
This was a great test but feel you missed a few choices. The WSM and Pit Barrel are great affordable choices too and would have loved to see the comparison of all. Lastly, the Weber Smokefire does it all and I have been very happy with mine. I own the WSM which doesn’t get much use anymore really just cuz my laziness. The product from the WSM is top notch.
I picked up a 22 inch WSM last year to go with my 22 inch kettle and I love it. It does outsmoke any pellet grill out there, so for those who don't like smoke flavor I generally tell them to look at pellet units.
I fully agree with you that they missed out by not featuring the WSM in this video.
I love my WSM.
Even the Oklahoma Joe Bronco is a great smoker/grill
You know, so many people mention the WSM I’ve been tested to get one.
@@Sparks00psn keep an eye out for used ones. It can save you money, and if you decide it isn't for you, clean it up and resell it.
Thanks for keeping the tail end of this video of just casual conversation. Really enjoyed that portion.
Keep up the good work.
I've had my masterbuilt 560 since it came out. No problems ever except when I neglected to clean it and it caught fire when I turned temp to 700 just to see how hot it got. Still have it and just got the 1050. Got a few Cooks in and so far no problems. I got the lss mods for it this time which are a must. And best of all, I love the rotisserie option I purchased for it. Who else has a dedicated rotisserie for their grill? Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken all are good and rotisserie brings it to the next level. I'm smoking pulled pork and about to rotisserie a pineapple at the same time as of writing this.
There is an outdoor cooking season? I've been smoking all winter. I have a blanket from my Trager and just keep on smokin'!
Same here my friend! No off season for the Canadian smoker
Same here lol. Ppl from Texas smoke and grill all year long
I use an old welding blanket
Rain or shine, im grilling/smoking all year round.
I have a blanket also for my GMG and smoke all winter long over here in Minnesota.
I own 12 different smokers. My pellet is a Yoder 640. (I also have a little green mountain Dave Crockett that’s garbage). My recommendation if you only get one smoker is to go with the Big Green Egg and bbq guru. The reason for me is versatility in the weather. I’m in NE South Dakota and that egg will perform flawlessly outside in below zero temps while blizzarding. It does great low and slow, or can do superb direct fire cooking. Works great on either lump charcoal or all wood. That’s my 2 cents.
As a side note I would like some expertise videos using an ugly drum smoker. I’ve not yet learned to love mine.👍🏻
I must say I miss my green egg...best bbq chicken...omg
A gateway drum, PK 360, traeger ironwood, ooni, and black stone setup honestly does everything for me
Springtime is my favorite time of year. Barbecue is one of my favorite things to do. The pit I own is my favorite pit... for now. No gas, no electricity.
Peace ☮️.
I’ve been loving my Masterbuilt GS800. Granted I have only had it for a couple months, but I’ve done probably 15 smokes and 20 cooks on it. It’s been great! The best charcoal I’ve used thus far has been B&B Competition Oak Briquettes. Eat your heart lump guys, this briquettes are amazing!! Great flavor just on their own.
Add a smoker tube to your pellet grill for extra smoke, on the GMG use a 6" tube placed far left but not over the temp probe and the grills air flow pushes way more smoke out.
You should do a video on drum smokers. I built a drum smoker from a kit and I can hold temps for a 16 hour cook with minimal damper adjustments, so much that I've never felt I needed a fan controller.
You should do a comparison video of ribs from an offset vs direct heat ribs (like from a drum or a WSM without the bowl). The flavor you get from pork fat dripping on coals beats the flavor you get from only wood smoke, in my opinion. Give it a shot!
I know the comparison is regarding equipment type, but at the end of the day the results seem to be more about the flavors produced by the various types of combustion materials, aka: wood, charcoal and pellets.
It would be interesting to try various combustion materials in identical smokers to see how different the results would be.
I have all three, I love my Masterbuilt. I've had it for 3 years and taken it on the road for local competition events. If you know what charcoal and wood to use you get great results. I have never had problems with the control, after 2 years the burn chamber melted and i put in thicker metal in. Pellet I have (Just like every pellet grill) doesn't really smoke. It puts out a lot of smoke but no flavor. My offset is too temperamental, just like every offset. Found the Masterbuilt and fell in love.
Had my GMG for over 4 years now. Absolutely zero issues. Liked it so much, bought a 2nd one for our RV. Again, rock solid. More importantly, great food. And yes, cooked on an offset too. Great food as well, but way too much work.
Exactly why I'm looking into a pellet or gravity fed. I have pecan and mesquite on hand but for a long cook like brisket it's just to much work on the offset.
Just charcoal on the MasterBuilt? The idea is to add wood chunks with the charcoal!! 🙂
Id like to point out, once you dial in your Old Country, its only a matter of putting a log on every hours or so. Also you can direct sear on it as well with the firebox/grate combo..
Talk all you want about the gravity series, mine still works perfectly after over a year and dozens of smokes, plus using it as a grill. Some are faulty, for sure, but overall they're pretty great.
100% agree with the comment of being in the smoke all day impacts your first taste. I have sampled after a cook and thought, "not very smokey". Next day after a night's sleep and my opinion changed to "nailed it".
You did the video I suggested in the comments on the pellet grill completion video. Thanks Jeremy! Super cool.
560 masterbuilt gravity owner here 2yrs now. Made everything from burgers to dessert with no problems and no switch,fan,or control replacement. Have fount that it dose run about 30degrees lower than read out
Good to hear. I'm having a 560 delivered today.
I actually have 2 560's. I'm one of the lucky few who got them on clearance @wally world. I basically got 2 for less than the price of one. I do love the way they cook. I do a lot of reverse sear on the, we cook out multiple times a week usually.. The metal in my fireboxes is gone, but I've had no issues from this. My big concern is rust inside the grill. Specifically the back lower wall and the heat exchanger. I keep them in my garage, out of the weather, I clean them and spray with canola oil regularly. I'm glad I didn't pay full price, I think I'd be really mad at how much rust there is inside. 1 is just 1 year old, the other is about 6 months. I'm actually doing a brisket as we speak, 20mph winds today so I've got some stuff propped to regulate air flow.
I got a lot of use with my Weber Kettle. I'll never be without one. I got an electric cabinet smoker box years ago. It was alright for some things like ribs, but I still used the Kettle for a lot. Last year I got an OK Joe off-set and I couldn't be happier. I prefer the hands-on involvement with the fire management and flavor from a stick burner. I will never get pellet smoker. Thanks for all the lessons. I learned a lot from this channel
The results the the exact results I have experienced. I had a stick burner a d my friend has a green moutian, and I have a masterbuilt 1050. The 1050 for me was the perfect compromise for easy of use and flavor. While I have had not problems really with my masterbuilt I do wish someone made a high quality version. I would be a buyer for a quality built 1/4" thick version
I have the MB 1050 and I build a small layer of charcoal in the bottom of the hopper and then fill it the rest of the way with chunks of wood. By doing this I basically have an offset smoker that is digitally controlled.
Do you get clean blue smoke, or white smoke?
@@CoolJay77 I get small bursts of white smoke as chunks smolder before igniting at first. Once fire is well established the chunks get very dry and ignite instantly maintaining thin blue smoke.
I just picked up a Burch Barrel and would love to see videos about it. Tips and tricks on cooks would be awesome
Definitely recommend doing a Part 2 to this video. I don't think you did the gravity fed smoker enough justice. Part 2 should have a functioning gravity fed smoker with someone who actually likes using it, and isn't biased against it.
I have a masterbuilt 560, done 50 to 60 cooks and never had a problem but i only use it for low & slow.
You get better results smoking on the 2nd level not the grilling grates
The Char-Griller Akorn Kamodo (Lowes) is by far the BEST $ value in entry level Kamodo grill. It is fantastic and works for long low and slow as well as weekday burgers.
I recently got the Char-Griller 980 Gravity Fed, and I love the thing -- it definitely has a very solid build quality (especially compared to the Master Built), and it also goes up to 700F. Haven't tried a brisket yet, but it's done steaks, ribs, and pork butt extremely well. It's got a rather unique manifold design which distributes heat and smoke quite evenly throughout the cook chamber.
Yup. got mine a year ago. I love offset burners a Just dont have time to manage.. Its worth the money
Have you tried Pizza yet?
@@waltersigona5642 Nooooooo, but I've been watching videos and plan on trying it soon... and the last will be salmon, I'm not trying to waste $20/lb until I'm supremely confident ;)
Love my Fireboard. Im a deputy and i can check my temps anywhere in the county. Thanks Jeremy for all the great videos. I have learned so much.
I smoke year round, and the best smoker for me is the one I built myself. I still love your videos though.
Great video and very practical advice!
Glad that you guys advised the pellet grill and weren’t biased as most bbq guys are towards charcoal or offset grills.
These are good options, but I’m going to stick with my WSM that I picked up used for $100 and use my money for meat to bbq.
I appreciate the thorough reviews of these. Maybe someday a nice offset will be a possibility, but until then I’m quite happy with my Weber.
this is a perfect video for me - i'm currently shopping around for a beginner smoker to start my meat smoking journey! thanks for making this
If you’re able to I would say start on a pellet grill so you have something that will give you consistent temps where you only need to worry about the food and not trying to maintain consistent temps. Once you’ve honed in your skills then I suggest upgrading to a charcoal grill, gravity fed, or an offset. Each offers something different in that each caters to different cooking preferences.
I chose a gravity fed because it gives me great bbq without having to babysit the fire all day if I don’t have time to do so.
As hot as it gets here in Phoenix I’m thinking I might get an electric smoker, at least until fall then back to the kettle.
When I'm in the house drinking beer and my phone let's me know my probe is nearing temp and I can control temp from the store, or playing golf and the temp is daamn near perfect... this is what I want. I LOVE LOVE my Trager
I love burning sticks but I'm in houston, TX and my backyard faces west so most of the year it's a inferno. Super unpleasant to smoke in the summer time so I keep a pellet for those days I want to chill and not sweat my ass off.
I’m in Phx also, been running a MB560 for a couple years now. It does have its quirks but overall it’s been a great little grill
Knotty wood pellets are my absolute favorite. Great flavor and very consistent in burn length and heat output. Great video for anyone trying to decide what type they want to run.
The master built!!!
Thanks for using it!!
My MB 800 is solid, no issues. I belong to quite a few MB forms and 99% of issues come from ppl not doing the proper maintenance and especially flare ups. My controller works perfectly fine on BT or wifi. They are much better than made out in this vid.
Can you please do an episode of oklahoma Joe's because the more professional brands are hard to get ahold of and are alot more expensive
Specifically the highland offset highland reverse flow and the longhorn reverse flow
That’s a great smoker to it’s just built cheaper and a lil different I all most got it but Lowe’s made me mad so I drove six hours round trip to get a pecos old country . The pecos has all most twice the size on the fire box witch is nice for building clean fire so just because of that man I would drive or pay that lil extra for the pecos or brazos
O and the pecos and the joes have the same thicknes of metal so there the same there
The best smoker in the world is the Weber Smoky Mountain. Cheaper than pellets, no power needed. WAAAAY more reliable. Pellet smokers are notorious for breaking. And if the power doesn’t turn on it’s essentially useless. The WSM literally can’t break. And it’s so much more accessible and usable than an offset. It’s lightweight and the footprint is so small. It might not produce the BBQ of a 1/4 in thick offset. But for majority of people.. it’s going to smoke great BBQ.
Another great comparison video!
Loved the interaction with your daughter and wife’s review at the end.
Makes it way more personal and real.
I’m also a big fan of the Kottywood pellets. I’ve been using them for about a year. First on my 18 year old non PID controller Treager and now on my new LSG 20/36. When your first pellet review with BBQ HQ came out I was thrilled that knottywood was included and you thought they had the best flavors.
Nice job Jeremy and Erica!!
Very good video - I have the Masterbuilt and agree 100% with what Eric said. LOVE the concept, and for the price I love my MB. I would love to see a Yoder or Lone Star come out with one.
Does the Fireboard eliminate the safety switches on the fans? I am hardwiring a toggle switch to manual turn the fan on and off LOL.
I do love that I can smoke beef jerky at 150, get a good sear at 700 and make brick over style pizza in 4 minutes on the Masterbuilt. It's as close to an all-in-one in my opinion.
Thanks for the review I live in Alaska and do a lot of cooks on my 560
I would agree that Masterbuilt has issues with longevity. I’ve replaced my manifold twice now in three years. And all of the switches at least once.. The firebox is degrading rapidly. And the internal components are also degrading rapidly. However, the smoker produces some darn good barbecue when it works.😂
Love my Weber Kettle, but am interested in also going pellet for those busy times "set it and forget it" is the best option. Thanks for both yours and BBQ HQ views.
I don't see how the latest Green Mountain vs 1st gen Masterbuilt is a valid comparison. I have a Green Mountain Daniel Boone which I've been cooking on for about 4 years. I recently bought a second gen Char-Griller 980 and I absolutely love it. Haven't used my Daniel Boone since I bought the Char=Griller. I'm a huge Mad Scientist fan. Your vid's are my "reference book" for BBQ. This is the first video of yours I'd consider a "miss." Thank you for all your hard work, amazing content, humor and great ideas!!
As an owner of the Masterbuilt gravity I can say it’s so consistent and does a great job. It’s just built like crap, I’ve owned mine for 2 years and I’ll be shocked if it makes it to 3.
Agreed - I have a 1050. It gets the job done. I do have it setup to run with a Fireboard I got from BBQHQ. For the last 2 years - no problems ...yet (Lol).
@@d.riggins6525 I haven’t gad any electronic issues. Mine is just rusting out and I fully expect it to be rusted apart by winter.
@@PentaRaus yes, i have a cover and it’s under an awning as well.
I use a smoke tube for a bit of extra smoke flavor in my pellet smoker, thanks for the comparison!
Get a kamado-style cooker. You can get get great smoker results and cook hot and fast. If you have a lot of money and a lot of room on your deck or patio, get a smoker and a standard grill.
I own a BGE, a gas grill, & a Masterbuilt. So the Masterbuilt is a dedicated smoker, which is why it's probably lasted so long without mods/upgrades. However I 100% agree, the build quality is lacking on them. However the flavor is so close to the BGE is kinda crazy. For charcoal, I use B&B competition char logs. Which are a cross between briquettes, & Japanese binchotan. The Burn exceedingly Clean, but still provide a great charcoal taste. I'm also agree the idea of the Masterbuilt, & Chargriller gravity smoker is fantastic, I hope a higher end maker creates a product using the same ideas.
The Brazos is 1/4" and 3/16" steel. The sides and middle plate are 3/16" and the round parts are 1/4".
I like this. I am expanding from a gas grill to some type of smoker this year.
Over the past several years, after catching the bbq bug, I went on quite the grills journey. Kettle's, offsets, more pellets than I'd like to really admit (3 smokefires, 3 pit bosses, 3 oklahoma joes, all 3 masterbuilt gravity's (with tons of cooks on them) and 2 char-griller 980 gravity's. Learned a lot, my cooking skills were lacking maybe at first, but have come quite a long way. Recently went back to just running a pellet grill, the gen 2 OKJ Rider DLX (so fun & versatile) and am completely happy with the capabilities/results/etc. Can confirm the "disposableness" of the masterbuilts and char-grillers if used as much as I did (char-griller will last some time longer, but still had severe degradation after less than a year). Like mentioned, if they'd make some component/structural/design upgrades, at like $1300 range to get more years out of them, it'd be excellent. They all have quirks, goods and bads etc. Just my experiences, not looking to start any ford/chevy type battles, as other's mileage may vary.
A side-note... Recent discovery,, Royal Oak charcoal pellets, quite good, add like a 1/3-1/2 amount to whichever pellets you are running, or use alone for higher max temps, like for pizzas, baking or searing, loving them.
Hmmmm my journey is kinda similar and I've actually been looking at the rider. How bad is the hot spot in the center where the sear spin thing is?
@@hinds90 I put a water pan on the center grate, then utilize a couple of the racks for ribs, or one rack for butts or brisket/roast/etc. Middle racks temp is like 25 degrees higher than set temp. I rotate ribs longways and alternate rack positions 2 or 3 times per cook, depending. Of all the pellet grills, it stands out for reverse searing, the big center area, flames and grate temps above 800 (depending on pellet wood type, the royal oaks excel). Have been doing foil boats on the meats after a certain point during some cooks and very pleased with that method for pellet grill. If you were to put thick bacon all over the racks, with no water pan, diffuser on smoke position, never move them, you will see the bacon above the round grate area do get some more heat. Water pan alleviates that, a pizza stone could to, maybe, but I roll with the water pan.
Another good comparison video.
I’ve found that smoking lard with the ribs and using it during the wrap works well to add some extra flavor.
I totally feel what he is saying about the durability of MasterBuilt smokers. The first ever dedicated smoker I bought is a MasterBuilt electric smoker that I still have although at the time, it doesn’t work. I know how to fix it, in fact I have fixed it 4+ times since I bought it around 9 years ago. I got tired of fixing it and bought an offset instead.
I just got my first smoker and was $200 for my MB 30 electric. For what it is i love it. After 3 months and a few dozen sessions im wanting an offset as well. For what they cost and ease of use though its awesone.
I bought my Masterbuilt 560 as soon as they came out on the market. We cook on it all the time, so it gets plenty of use. I don’t even have a cover for it so it sets out in rain, snow, heat, etc.. and it still works like champ, never had a single problem with it. I think he just doesn’t like Masterbuilt that much and doesn’t give them enough credit. My Masterbuilt electric smoker I could say the same for.
lol eric is so biased to pellets and jeremy is so biased to offset haha
There’s nothing better than starting my day with another great video from you!
I want to thank you for what you do, both intentionally and unintentionally. Because I was googling your name looking for videos, I discovered Yoder Smokers, which led me to purchase a Kingman from a local shop that had a couple in stock.
Eric emphasized the sweetness of the smoked flavor from the plum pellets and found some bitterness in the others. I wonder whether burinng a fruit wood in the offset smoker, such a apple logs
or peach logs would have changed his preference. Some people use exclusively apple logs, cause they prefer a milder and sweeter smoke flavor.
You mention someone who has a Weber kettle and wants a smoker. There are options like the Spider 22 pellet adapter, or the Aura Kettle zone cooker to not have to buy another grill.
Of course the WSM rocks 225-250 all day with almost no intervention.
The pit barrel for the win with ribs. He really needs to test it out one day.
I would still like to see a brisket cook on workhorse 1975 thinking of buying one
Check out Backyard Warrior
In the last year I have put hundreds of hours on my rec TEC rt700, was able to hold steady temps all winter long in below zero outdoor temperatures. Cooked pork shoulders and ribs all winter, which is something I can say I could never do with my Oklahoma Joe.
If you're going to use charcoal then get a 22 or 26 inch Weber Kettle. Or a 18/22" Weber Smokey Mountain. Best for the money. Pellet smoker? Get a Pit Boss for cheap.
With all the videos of mods and extra care you have to give the masterbuilt. I went with the woodwind pro, can’t wait to pick it up. When I have more room I’ll be in the market for a decent offset.
I use pit barrel cooker. It does well.
@madscientistbbq Hi Jeremy, and regards from Finland. Can you consider smoking fish sometimes and compare smokers for that? Warm and cold smoking :-). Would be something very different. In Scandinavia we don't do much brisket and ribs mostly because we don't have the good quality meat with good enough marbling. Finding prime grade meat is impossible without importing. We mostly smoke different lean game meats like roe dear, white tail dear and boar. But maybe mostly we smoke fish like salmon and bass, cold smoking salmon is also popular! Any chance you would experiment with fish smoking as well?
Typically I don't have the time to manage an offset so I bought a pellet smoker, worked great but didn't like it in the winter, and it wasn't hot enough for grilling so I ended up getting an MB 800 because it grills, smokes, and has a griddle, also works great when cold but they make excellent points about it and the other options.
Pellet is all i have been using. But want to get an offset one day to start playing around with it.
on the masterbilt briquets work better also sometimes the lump doesn't burn as well.
I know he mentioned lots of issues with the Masterbuilt series. I recently picked up a Char-Griller gravity fed and absolutely love it. Spent several months agonizing between it, Masterbuilt, and pellet smoker, and I'm really glad I made the choice I did!
I went with a 980 last month and I'm exchanging it for another due to temp being wildly different than actual temp in the center after an hour. Any thoughts?
@@jonnyrmatthews I had the same exact issue and returned it. They could never get it to work correctly.
thanks for sharing your results . would love to see you do some cooks with a drum smoker . i have a oklahoma joe Bronco and i like it a lot . i will admit the food on my offset is slightly better .... but the bronco is %90+ of the offset flavor IMO but it's dang near set it and forget it and no electricity is needed . take care dude :)
I have a Bronco too. I agree with the offset tasting a tad bit better but yeah the set it and forget it is hard to beat. I have made some incredible bbq on it. I dont know why the drums dont get more attention? Cheers!
Agree! Bronco was one of my favorites. Great temp control. I sold it to try something different, got a masterbuilt 1050 now and can’t wait to cook a brisket! Also, Bronco was great for low and slow AND hot & fast brisket, only annoying part was refilling fuel during winter mornings
Another excellent comparison.I had a Masterbuilt 1050,the controller is junk, replaced grease tray rivets from new, fitted 6mm steel to firebox and fitted firesboard.I have many grills and sold this after 3 months due to I couldn’t stand the quality.Though it cooks excellent at higher temperatures.Also remember even after closing down the charcoal still smoulders a little and the 3 inches above loose energy and is then harder to light.The pellet uses no more when switched off, so is more economical too.I have a Yoder 1500s pellet and it cooks excellent and most people would not know the difference.I cook on offsets, but I don’t want to be chained to it all weekend.
Similar experience to mine. I probably had my 560 the first week it was released. Puts out a great product but the quality is just not there. Recently I tried the char griller 980 and for some reason I couldn't get it to run clean so it way to much smoke flavor but IMHO it is much better built than the masterbuilt.
In general you get what you pay for. The quality of the Masterbuilt gravity series smokers is pretty much on par with their price point relative to the quality of other gravity fed smokers which traditionally started around $2,000. I would say overall they work quite well for what you pay for them but if you're looking for a higher quality or longer lasting product you're probably going to have to pay significantly more money for the next tier of gravity smoker.
That was my point and the idea is great,but in the UK the 1050 is £1000 and even at that price I expected better.For an extra .5mm in materials and a better controller it would be a super product.I do not expect Yoder quality when it’s 6 times the price.
@@ambbrano3049 Ah, I see. Interesting. Here in the US the Masterbuilt 560 can be had for as low as $200 on sale at the right time of year.
Love my Pit Barrell Cooker. Best ribs I've ever had. 😋
Have you looked at the Karubecue smoker? Seems like the inverted fire and other tech involved would be right up your alley.
One additional point I would be interested in is the fuel cost for operating these grills. From the results of your pellet grill comparison video, it seems that would vary a lot even by the brand/selection used within a given type; maybe just calculate how much fuel is actually used during the comparison cook and estimate the actual cost? One other idea/request is to include charcoal pellets in some comparisons. Thanks for continuing to provide helpful info, Jeremy.
I would like to see a video on drum smokers! Drum smoker vs offset vs pellet
we have a gas grill, big green egg, green mountain pellet and weber performer deluxe. Fact is the pellet is just so easy to use that it gets the most use. I like the egg but its flavor really isnt so much better than pellet and a great deal more work and mess. Also for steaks and searing we always use the napoleon gas grill with infered station. Also wish you included a Kamado type with a digital controller is the lights out charcoal cooker and its pretty close to the cost of the larger GMG pellet grill.
Backyard bbq’s definitely should include drum smokers (also what is winning a lot of bbq competitions). And. Probably the #1 backyard pit is some style of komado. I recommend the weber as it produces better smoke depth/flavor than the ceramics.
Yeah so maybe Eric has $1200 to spend on a smoker being a restaurant owner, but for those of us that only use once a week at most in warmer months that's just too much. The Masterbuilt definitely has it's problems but calling it a disposable model is sort of a smack in the face to those that aren't cooking daily for profit.
Love it! This is so true and I’ve been looking forward to some content on the MB gravity fed system. It very quickly becomes a modded-out Frankenstein and I really hope someone builds something a little higher-end. Love the flavor vs pellets and the process of using charcoal but the reliability is very suspect.
I bought the MB gravity …..and I absolutely agree with you I hope it last me long enough for someone to build a better quality one …. I would buy it today …..nothing beats the wood charcoal flavor over the pellets
Love my MB gravity fed. 1050 going in a year, time will tell for the long term. Glad the Fireboard was discussed…..that’s actually a planned upgrade to my 1050.
Is your Masterbuilt still going?