Masterbuilt Gravity Feed

[jdmb560]

You can always just cut and solder the wires together or use a butt splice to make it think the door is always closed. The lid switch for the actual bbq on mine broke as well so no big deal opening the lid with the fan on. Note of caution if this is for the hopper lid or ash tray door i would move the switch from the big lid into the broken spot. If you open the hopper or ash door with the fan on at a high temp that could be a recipe for disaster

 

[Motorboat40]

that is probably a wise choice. i am considering actually doing a grate mod or having a friend of mine fab me a second grate for high temp to reduce fuel consumption.

Do you have a few extra tent steaks or some metal kabob sticks? I straighten out 2 tent steaks in my vise and weaved them into the grate. Bam!

grate mod complete no need to pay to have one made spend that extra money I just saved you on a nice Prime brisket!

 

[abcdefghii]

Has anyone suddenly had their 560 wifi issue not work? Mine has been working reliably since I set up a spare router in the garage. This morning I put a pork butt on there, thinking that I could monitor the grill and meat temp via wifi while working. So, I go to connect using the app and while it connects, it also tells me that the smoker is off. I restarted the router, restarted the smoker, but the app still reports it is off. While not a huge deal, the smoker is about 50' from me, I can just go check it periodically, I'd like to have wifi in case I get stuck with something and cannot check it.

 

[jdmb560]

Has anyone suddenly had their 560 wifi issue not work? Mine has been working reliably since I set up a spare router in the garage. This morning I put a pork butt on there, thinking that I could monitor the grill and meat temp via wifi while working. So, I go to connect using the app and while it connects, it also tells me that the smoker is off. I restarted the router, restarted the smoker, but the app still reports it is off. While not a huge deal, the smoker is about 50' from me, I can just go check it periodically, I'd like to have wifi in case I get stuck with something and cannot check it.

I haven't had major issues just the occasional drop in connection if I leave the house and come back. I am also using a thermoworks wireless therm to keep an eye on my meat and on the smoker temp just in case it starts to overheat or if the fan dies.

 

[abcdefghii]

I ended up just deleting it from the app and re-connecting for now, so far seems to be working as expected.... of course, now I get the feeling my estimate of this pork being completed at 6pm might be a little off. Currently sitting at 122F, I had figured it would be done by 6pm, but that is looking somewhat optimistic now.

Funny really, almost everything I have cooked on this previously ended up cooking way faster than expected, this looks to possibly take longer. Oh well, I am sure it will be well worth it once finished.

 

[abcdefghii]

So, need some advice here.... my pork is stuck at 143F. It's just stuck there and has been for at least 2 hours.

My concern is if the temp doesn't start moving soon, I'm going to run out of fuel. So what can I do to get this moving? The pork is on the upper shelf, should I move it to the lower and put the water on the upper shelf? Take the water pan out? Any suggestions, thanks.

Moved it to the lower shelf, water to the top, it's moved up to 146F now. Hoping that gets the temp moving, been just over 12 hours now, if I recall correctly it's about an 11lb pork butt, maybe I'm over thinking and it's just going to take time.

 

[Tokarev]

So without wading through 38 pages what's the general consensus? Worth the money? The 560 would probably work most of the time but I'm leaning towards the bigger one. Thanks!

 

[JollyGiant526]

So, need some advice here.... my pork is stuck at 143F. It's just stuck there and has been for at least 2 hours.

My concern is if the temp doesn't start moving soon, I'm going to run out of fuel. So what can I do to get this moving? The pork is on the upper shelf, should I move it to the lower and put the water on the upper shelf? Take the water pan out? Any suggestions, thanks.

Take out the water pan first and foremost. It messes with Temps. Wrap the pig in foil or even better pink butcher paper if you have it and run the temp up to 275. Lower shelf should be hottest if you need it done even faster. Id wager the water pan caused your chamber temp to be much lower than indicated, thus why it stalled low, im assuming much further into the cooking time than anticipated. If you actually run out of fuel, you can finish it wrapped in the oven at 275 or 300. All is not lost.

 

[abcdefghii]

Thanks, I had a feeling the water pan was causing issues. Usually I use a much smaller one, but discovered it had a hole, so had to use one almost double in size. I'll take it out in a few minutes and then up the temp, that should get it finished.

 

[jdmb560]

So without wading through 38 pages what's the general consensus? Worth the money? The 560 would probably work most of the time but I'm leaning towards the bigger one. Thanks!

Here is my breakdown:
I absolutely love my 560, granted I only paid $200 for an open box special. This allowed me to keep some money in the bank for upgrades down the road (fire board, and firebox mod).
if you are coming from a pellet smoker or no smoker at all you’ll be very impressed with the results. Compared to an offset smoker it will not get you the same overall Smokey taste.
Size wise i did a tri tip/ 9x9” pan of beans and 5 lobster tails on Saturday and they all fit nicely. If you were to cook more than this I would recommend the 1050.

 

[Tokarev]

Here is my breakdown:
I absolutely love my 560, granted I only paid $200 for an open box special.
if you are coming from a pellet smoker or no smoker at all you’ll be very impressed with the results.

So it falls between a pellet smoker and a real smoker in terms of overall flavor? Which side of the spectrum does it tend to lean? More to the real side or more to the pellet side?

One thing I do wonder about is fine ash. Does the fan circulate a fine powdered ash inside the cook chamber?

 

[Aledavidov]

So it falls between a pellet smoker and a real smoker in terms of overall flavor? Which side of the spectrum does it tend to lean? More to the real side or more to the pellet side?

One thing I do wonder about is fine ash. Does the fan circulate a fine powdered ash inside the cook chamber?

I have no problem with ash , I know it’s a lot to read but I think best for you to read .
I love my 1050 , one of the member run strait wood chunks with out any charcoal or lumps charcoal . He just upgraded fan so you can get plenty smoke flavor
Hope it’s helps

 

[Tokarev]

I love my 1050 ,
Hope it’s helps

It does.

Seems like a logical progression from pellet and auger to charcoal or charcoal+wood and fan motors etc. As I understand it, similar cooking units have existed commercially for some time but the 560 and 1050 are unique to the home market. Nothing succeeds like sucess so I assume other companies have designs on the way.

I'll do some more research (to include wading through this thread) and see what happens.

 

[Roman Buffalo]

So it falls between a pellet smoker and a real smoker in terms of overall flavor? Which side of the spectrum does it tend to lean? More to the real side or more to the pellet side?

One thing I do wonder about is fine ash. Does the fan circulate a fine powdered ash inside the cook chamber?

I mean in terms of smokers it is a real smoker lol ( wood+ charcoal = smoke) I get what your saying though. If your comparing the flavor you'd get between a pellet and an offset smoker its way closer to a offset smoke if not pretty much the same IMO. You have the benefit of adjusting how much smokiness you want by how much hard wood you add to the hopper/ash bin and how frequently you add it in.

I cut my own firewood to heat my house so its cool that I can save some Cherry, Oak and Maple chunk them up and toss them in my smoker. Something that I couldn't do with a pellet smoker. One advantage I've noticed over the offset is cook times tend to be faster not sure if its purely coincidence or its just that more efficient.

plenty of good info in this thread like any smoker this one has its quirks and downfalls but overall its pretty dang good I dont regret one bit buying the 1050 over a Traeger.

 

[jdmb560]

Also I know there is someone else on here who mentioned Brickseek.com to find the best deal around town. I know searching yesterday in my area (san dieg) I could get a 560 for $330. I don't think you will be disappointed at all when it comes to the quality of food this produces. I was coming from an MES30 with the mailbox mod and the amps tray, this to me is a night and day difference in the easiness and quality of smoke.

 

[abcdefghii]

like any smoker this one has its quirks and downfalls but overall its pretty dang good I dont regret one bit buying the 1050 over a Traeger.

Same with my 560, I had been also looking at a Traeger but went with the Masterbuilt. The biggest quirk I have had so far has been with the app, which is not really a deal breaker anyway. I'm sure at some point in the future I will have to do the firebox mod etc. but if it prolongs the life of the smoker I am fine with it. It is very easy to use, cooks food really well and being able to somewhat set it and forget it is great.


The pork I was cooking yesterday, finally finished just before 1am. Close to 18 hours after I first put it on the smoker, by far the longest cook I have done. Of course, it being finished so late meant I could not really eat more than a quick taste. But, at least it means I have that to look forward to later today.

 

[Will Squared]

I mean in terms of smokers it is a real smoker lol ( wood+ charcoal = smoke) I get what your saying though. If your comparing the flavor you'd get between a pellet and an offset smoker its way closer to a offset smoke if not pretty much the same IMO. You have the benefit of adjusting how much smokiness you want by how much hard wood you add to the hopper/ash bin and how frequently you add it in.

I cut my own firewood to heat my house so its cool that I can save some Cherry, Oak and Maple chunk them up and toss them in my smoker. Something that I couldn't do with a pellet smoker. One advantage I've noticed over the offset is cook times tend to be faster not sure if its purely coincidence or its just that more efficient.

plenty of good info in this thread like any smoker this one has its quirks and downfalls but overall its pretty dang good I dont regret one bit buying the 1050 over a Traeger.

I have even run straight Oak chunk firewood in the stack doing pizza.

Do That in a Traeger !

 

[Will Squared]

So, need some advice here.... my pork is stuck at 143F. It's just stuck there and has been for at least 2 hours.

My concern is if the temp doesn't start moving soon, I'm going to run out of fuel. So what can I do to get this moving? The pork is on the upper shelf, should I move it to the lower and put the water on the upper shelf? Take the water pan out? Any suggestions, thanks.

Moved it to the lower shelf, water to the top, it's moved up to 146F now. Hoping that gets the temp moving, been just over 12 hours now, if I recall correctly it's about an 11lb pork butt, maybe I'm over thinking and it's just going to take time.

You might have hit a plateau in the cook.
It has to do with how much moisture is moving towards the outside from inside.
Patience is best.

 

[abcdefghii]

I have even run straight Oak chunk firewood in the stack doing pizza.

Oh man, that sounds delicious. Might have to whip up some homemade dough soon and put a pizza on there. What temperature and how long did you cook it for?

You might have hit a plateau in the cook.
It has to do with how much moisture is moving towards the outside from inside.
Patience is best.

I had soaked it in brine for about 16 hours before putting it on to cook as well, I guess that and the larger water pan all combined to take much longer than anticipated. Add that to my previous cooking taking less time than usual and you get me worrying something is wrong! Thankfully, it worked out in the end.

 

[Will Squared]

Over the weekend I went to do a reverse sear on some 24oz prime rib-eyes. I used el diablo lump charcoal from costco. The cook at 200 went great, but when I cranked it up to 700 it would only get to 600 and then drop to 580 and then back to 600. Mind you I am in Southern California so ambient temperature was around 90F. Has anyone else had this issue?View attachment 463244View attachment 463241

My thoughts on the sear temps.
Think of the Unit like a machine. You can lose 100' every time you open the door at the high temps so you are using this machine to do a job produce heat. I use a griddle as a heat stabilizer and figure that whatever you are reading can fluctuate all it wants. It can go up and down but you are heating up the grates or the griddle and maintain that.
As long as the Engine is at Full Tilt Boogie I don't care what the temp reads. I can open the door as I wish and watch the meat.

The door thermometer and the unit probe are used as kind of an approximation. I have had my 560 up to 780'.

One time I was running too many fines in the stack and when that layer burned down to the fire box it choked off the breathing to a certain extent. At that time I could not get up to searing temps.

It is all about how your engine breathes.

My 2 cents...