Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 - one year in

[mcokevin]

No problem. Obviously the majority of the gravity series grills have been good, otherwise they still wouldn't be on the market. I don't know what is up with the one I've got and have been dealing with masterbuilt customer service trying to get it figured out. Couple things I can guarantee you it is not, it is not a lack of following instructions. It is not mods that have caused the issues. The mods were done to remedy the issues. And it's not just me bitching so everyone can hear my whine. As of right now I got $1000 in a deck ornament. I wish I had better experiences to share, believe me.

The majority of the smokers might be, but yours isn't and that is a bummer. Hopefully Masterbuilt can get you sorted. There are a few of us owning the gravity series that post regularly, and with one or two exceptions everyone is really helpful. If you have questions or are looking for any other experiences from other owners I am sure you will get the help you need here.

 

[negolien]

I must have an exceptional one. I bought the 560 in January 2020 and the only issue I had was the lid switch failing but I just bypassed it. I did not buy the firebox mod as from what I've read the metal is designed to burn away and the hardened firebrick remains. With that said, I don't expect this to last 10 years though. For what it is and what it costs compared to others, it's a solid cooker. Anything built better and/or in the USA will be quite a bit more expensive.

Word as is the experience of the 99% of the owners on this forum.

 

[Smokin Okie]

No problem. Obviously the majority of the gravity series grills have been good, otherwise they still wouldn't be on the market. I don't know what is up with the one I've got and have been dealing with masterbuilt customer service trying to get it figured out. Couple things I can guarantee you it is not, it is not a lack of following instructions. It is not mods that have caused the issues. The mods were done to remedy the issues. And it's not just me bitching so everyone can hear my whine. As of right now I got $1000 in a deck ornament. I wish I had better experiences to share, believe me.

You said something in your OP that I don't understand , and I'd like to know more about.

My first long smoke was a disaster. I had a HUGE flare up that destroyed my brisket. The grill was cleaned out before doing the smoke, but if any and I mean any fat renders down this thing turns into a ball of flames.

What temp were you cooking at ?

Where did the flame up originate ?

Be real honest with you, I don't see any way that could happen. Smoking a brisket at 275 is not gonna be hot enough to ignite grease. The flare up had to come from some lit coal from the firebox, traveling through the manifold, and then hitting a grease puddle.

I smoked a small 9 pound brisket on my 560 early on. I put the brisket on the middle grate and put a small drip pan under the grate to catch most of the grease. So maybe I anticipated a problem.

I line the grease pan with foil. I cover the manifold with foil. And I use a drip pan. These things are not convenient. Its not a matter of setting the temp and walking away.

 

[HurleyBoysBBQ]

Temp was set at 225° every time it flared up. First two times I didn't have any of the mods done but did clean the grill out prior to the run. I read somewhere that people have had issues with ash buildup and not falling into the ash bin. It causes the coals to go almost completely out until the fan ramps up enough to bring it back to life. That then causes a huge flame, temp spikes, and embers to travel into the grill area. I don't know if that's exactly what is happening or not.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I just googled " what temperature does grease ignite " .............and I got bacon grease igniting at 500* , but most results said 600* to 700*.

Those are grilling temps.

 

[HurleyBoysBBQ]

And that's the base of my frustrations with it. I'd get the flare ups doing steak or burgers at high temps, but this shouldn't happen at 225°. Nothing should be getting hot enough to cause a fire. I am using the correct manifold, it is in correctly, the grill is clean.

 

[Smoke-Chem BBQ]

I appreciate having the review posted. I'm not currently looking to upgrade from my humble WSM, but if I do my first step will be to come here and read everything I can find, good, bad, or indifferent, on any smokers I'm considering.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I appreciate having the review posted. I'm not currently looking to upgrade from my humble WSM, but if I do my first step will be to come here and read everything I can find, good, bad, or indifferent, on any smokers I'm considering.

And I try my best to not be a " homer " owner. I try to be painfully honest and give an objective view whether its good, bad, or ugly.

 

[912smoker]

Temp was set at 225° every time it flared up. First two times I didn't have any of the mods done but did clean the grill out prior to the run. I read somewhere that people have had issues with ash buildup and not falling into the ash bin. It causes the coals to go almost completely out until the fan ramps up enough to bring it back to life. That then causes a huge flame, temp spikes, and embers to travel into the grill area. I don't know if that's exactly what is happening or not.

I always give the ash great a couple of rigorous shakes to loosen anything that may be caught up in there. Sorry you had that experience and lost a brisket but I've never had any issues at that temp. Not even during a reload of the hopper on an overnight cook.
The switches on the MB and CB are prone to failure due to their design. But using contact cleaner between cooks has been a remedy for me. Hopefully you can get the old girl going again and eliminate some of these issues!
Most of us here have had similar issues in one way or another and are eager to help you through any situation!

Keith

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I'm trying to learn as much as I can about these as well and appreciate the original post and all of the comments and insights which may be helpful to the original poster.

They also have the potential to be of benefit to those other owners of other type smokers, who are attempting to learn what they can about these type smokers.

 

[HurleyBoysBBQ]

On a more positive note, I got the new control from masterbuilt over the weekend and it's back up and running. Burgers last night were perfect. Still waiting on switches, temp thermometer for the power control, meat temp probe, and a new cast iron grill grate that was cracked from the get go. The masterbuilt customer service has been really good and trying to help figure out the flare ups. I did take pics and send to them so they do know it's not from grease build up and the grill is taken care of. I'll get everything replaced and try a long smoke on a pork shoulder during the day while I can babysit it. If I see the flare up right when it starts, finding exactly where it's originating would be extremely helpful. Or it don't flare up at all or ever again at smoking temps. I'll keep posting!

 

[912smoker]

I thought I was caught in the matrix for a minute and transported to another forum

Glad you have it fired up and running.
Try using the contact cleaner on the switches.
Spray them (when cool ) and work them manually for 30 secs or so between cooks and you should have no more issues with them.

Keith

 

[jcam222]

I don’t see this post as bashing or out of line at all. Product reviews are welcome good or bad. The info was presented politely. The reality is that the MB Gravities are excellent home set and forget smokers USUALLY. That said there seem to be lemons and those turn into disasters for folks. There are also some pretty common failures with switches that happen to many. I’m sure they will engineer around this on future models. I sold 9 of these last year and at the close to year mark they are all very happy. That said I know someone else thst bought one and has had nothing but issues. Thanks for sharing your experience , hope you get it figured out. There are a lot of resources out there on mods to work around the challenges.

 

[bill1]

A temperature of 225 is what you have or desire at the location of your meat. There is a heat source somewhere causing that temperature, and the heat source is for sure hotter than 225. In a pellet grill, it's the crucible, in these new gravity machines, it's the firebox off on the side with a powerful fan blowing flames and heat into the cook chamber. I have no trouble believing a grease fire can happen in any machine based on burning wood/charcoal even if the temp where my meat is 225.

Call it a generalization but I think the design of the basic pellet grill is almost too extreme in terms of grease control while the charcoal gravity machines maybe should have worried about grease fires a bit more.

 

[Smokin Okie]

A temperature of 225 is what you have or desire at the location of your meat. There is a heat source somewhere causing that temperature, and the heat source is for sure hotter than 225. In a pellet grill, it's the crucible, in these new gravity machines, it's the firebox off on the side with a powerful fan blowing flames and heat into the cook chamber. I have no trouble believing a grease fire can happen in any machine based on burning wood/charcoal even if the temp where my meat is 225.

Call it a generalization but I think the design of the basic pellet grill is almost too extreme in terms of grease control while the charcoal gravity machines maybe should have worried about grease fires a bit more.

Have you cooked with a gravity feed ?

 

[hogminder30]

Thank you for your post HBBB. I am in the same boat as you unfortunately. I have had my gravity series 800 for a year now. Customer service has been good however I seem to be in contact with them very frequently for a brand new grill at its price.
My initial 800 would not transfer heat from the fire box into the grill. I tried all of the troubleshooting videos and ensured there was no blockages or issues with the fan. Without a fix I received a replacement.
My biggest issue with the replacement grill is the temperature on the controller is widely different than the actual temperature within the grill. I understand hot spots and areas that will always be different than the actual displayed temperature on the controller. This was more than that. The grill never seemed to reach high enough temps to grill. I will say that my long smokes were immaculate once the temperature inside stabilized. For example I would set my temps to 450 just to get it to stabilize around 265-275. Beautiful briskets, ribs, turkey, pork. Using it as a grill however was unachievable. Even when set to 695 the grill would not even come close to 450. It’s frustrating to pay that kind of money for something advertised as a smoker as well as a grill that can reach 700.
I reached out to MB and was told to try all the troubleshooting which of course did not work so they sent me a new temperature sensor that is on the left side of the grill. After installing it a few weeks ago I finally got the opportunity to give it a try and let’s say I have the exact opposite problem now. This one has to be defective as it gives me a constant reading of basically ambient temperature. I tested the new sensor on burgers and dogs so that I don’t waste some good meats and I am glad that I did. While giving a constant reading between 74-76 degrees my grill was firing away at 575 and climbing. I had been chastised before for saying this grill couldn’t reach 700, well I found out it most certainly can just not when set to 700. Depending on what the solution is I may be switching back and forth between sensors based on if I am smoking or grilling. A hard pill for me to swallow after shelling out the cash for this.
After reading your thread I’m sure there are some out there that think I can’t follow directions our don’t know what I am doing. I am no stranger to grills having old school webers, gmg pellet smoker, and an Oklahoma joe offset smoker but I just wanted to let you know you are not alone in your struggles with the MB 800.

 

[wahoowad]

My initial 800 would not transfer heat from the fire box into the grill. I tried all of the troubleshooting videos and ensured there was no blockages or issues with the fan

This makes no sense. I don't see how you couldn't solve this as there is no complicated wizardry here. If the fan runs and there is something burning in the firebox then heat WILL blow from the fan into the firebox and back out into the cooking chamber. Unless you have the path blocked by incorrect assembly.

 

[hogminder30]

This makes no sense. I don't see how you couldn't solve this as there is no complicated wizardry here. If the fan runs and there is something burning in the firebox then heat WILL blow from the fan into the firebox and back out into the cooking chamber. Unless you have the path blocked by incorrect assembly.

Like I said after trying all of MB trouble shooting videos, making sure there wasn’t a blockage, or in your suggestion incorrect assembly there was still no solution. There was some heat but not anything close to cook on. Maybe to warm your hand by placing them directly on the grates. I don’t have the time unfortunately to troubleshoot a brand new grill every single time I tried to cook anything and for the price I shouldn’t have to. The second worked great for smoking but not even close for grilling. MB solution was to change the temperature sensor and now I have a grill that shows me the ambient temperature while constantly increasing in heat.

 

[HurleyBoysBBQ]

Just wanted to give a final update. After going through masterbuilt warranty and trying to get the flare ups figured out the final solution is no solution. Nothing has fixed it. I was smoking some chicken leg quarters at 225° and watched the grill like a hawk with a separate wireless thermometer to monitor internal grill temps. Once I saw is starting to rapidly rise I opened the lid to see that the flare up strated in the back right corner. My best guess is that when the fan ramps up to give more heat it blows hot embers in and igniting any rendered fat. Again I want to say that my grill is clean and gets taken care of, it was put together properly, and I'm not some random idiot who doesn't know how to use this thing.

 

[G8trwood]

So the solution is to take the gravity fed part and bolt it to an Oklahoma Joe’s ;)