Chargriller tends to be better quality than Masterbuilt. Hopefully this one is similarly well made. Looks pretty similar to the Masterbuilt units in overall design.
New Chargriller Gravity Fed Grill
- Thread starter chef jimmyj
- Start date
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I'm still pretty well set on getting a pellet grill next, but these gravity fed charcoal outfits have really grabbed my attention. I even checked the local Lowes to see if they had one of these Chargrillers in stock, but nope. Maybe a good thing, cause it might have followed me home.
FishAndBeer
Meat Mopper
Same here.. I have watched a couple videos of people having issues with temp spikes on these units.. They just kept climbing even with the fan off.. I want one bad but might hold off just a bit yet.
One reviewer on Lowes website said his did that and the only way to get it to quit climbing was to shut the fan door. As interesting as these things are, I think standing back and watching for awhile is the best thing to do.
chef jimmyj
Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
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I watched the videos with the climbing temp. There was another guy that talked about climbing temp and the Fix was a Flap/Damper over the fan that closes off the fresh air when the fan is not running. If the Flap sticks open....Continuous fresh air feeds the fire and the temp rises out of control.
I sent the guy, having trouble, the link and described what to look for.
Waiting until all the Bugs are worked out is a solid plan...JJ
I have a MB 560 and believe me (and I'm sure others here) Wood smoke flavor is not a problem. If i want low to medium smoke, I layer charcoal/wood chunks. If I want a heavier smoke I center my split in the chute and surround it with Charcoal. That's all the wood smoke you can handle throughout the cook. My regret to buying the 560 was that I didn't wait for the 1050 to come out.
Each to their own. I was asked. I answered.
In my opinion, and for the flavor I enjoy in barbecue, charcoal/chunk does not have the flavor of a stick burner.
Terry Bussenger
Newbie
So far I have done 5 grills, from steaks to burgers to some veggies. I have not smoked anything yet, but chompin at the bit to do so!!! So far zero issues with flare ups and ignition! Holds temperature within 2-4 degrees.
Three B's
Fire Starter
One of the major complaints with the MB units is the poor wifi connectivity and many seem to have bought a Fire Board for better reliability. How is it with the 980 units?
Maybe I'm one of the lucky few but no problems with conectivity on my MB 1050. I always connect but prefer to use a remote thermo
Tom Horsman got his hands on a Char-Griller, there's some features I like better than my MB 560. Grease system and manifold look easier to clean, removing the hopper liner, are just two.
I love my MB560 But I have to say I'm diggin this GF grill. If this was out 2 years ago I would probably be owning it instead of 560. Time will tell
chef jimmyj
Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
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- May 12, 2011
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I think MB has nicer Grates, but Hands Down, the removable, triple wall Fire Brick, chute with easily replaceable components, blows MB's doors off. Add Char Griller's heavy porcelain coated Manifold and Heat Diffuser and Covered Adjustable Exhaust, then this looks like they are going to force MB to step up their game. MB will need to make all the Mods people are having to buy/add, permanent improvements. I think Char Griller is gonna take a nice bite out of MB' s bottom line...JJ
I like being able to close the exhaust. On my MB 560, if I have a grease fire , I can't snuff it out by closing up the smoker. I've gotta find a magnetic strip to put over the exhaust, been on my list of things to do that I never get around to.
The exhaust is not as large as on my MB 560 and this CharGriller is a bigger cooker. Horsman liked that it was covered. I really don't like being able to look into the back of my 560 and see the meat. I doubt it hurts anything, but it just doesn't seem right to me. And I always try to position the 560 so that the wind is blowing into the front of the cooker.
Horsman said CharGriller has beat MB to the punch on some of the improvements, I gotta agree. I'd like to find one in a store and see for myself how easy it is to get that manifold out.
I find myself not using the MB cause I've got the grease tray and manifold lined with foil and want to save it for longer cooks. I try to hold down the grease build up.
The exhaust is not as large as on my MB 560 and this CharGriller is a bigger cooker. Horsman liked that it was covered. I really don't like being able to look into the back of my 560 and see the meat. I doubt it hurts anything, but it just doesn't seem right to me. And I always try to position the 560 so that the wind is blowing into the front of the cooker.
Horsman said CharGriller has beat MB to the punch on some of the improvements, I gotta agree. I'd like to find one in a store and see for myself how easy it is to get that manifold out.
I find myself not using the MB cause I've got the grease tray and manifold lined with foil and want to save it for longer cooks. I try to hold down the grease build up.
Three B's
Fire Starter
To my thinking, and just judging from what I've seen from my MB 560 , the best possible feature of a gravity feed is the clean smoke. This MB is great at that. I rolled thin blue smoke for four hours yesterday. At no point in the smoke did I get white billowy smoke. The smoke appears to be no different than I get from stick burner when I'm running a clean fire. My patio had the great aroma of pecan, just like it does when I've got the stick burner fired up.
CharGriller has to match that. They probably will. After seeing what this MB can do, my interest in the higher priced GF's like Assasin, Southern Q , et al ....... even the Old Country GF, has gone way up. IDK how these things produce smoke that's different from other charcoal/chunk smokers , but they do.
I don't care about apps. The " set and forget " feature of these GF's is really nice. But for me, its all about the smoke.
BTW, Horsman made another vid on the CG
CharGriller has to match that. They probably will. After seeing what this MB can do, my interest in the higher priced GF's like Assasin, Southern Q , et al ....... even the Old Country GF, has gone way up. IDK how these things produce smoke that's different from other charcoal/chunk smokers , but they do.
I don't care about apps. The " set and forget " feature of these GF's is really nice. But for me, its all about the smoke.
BTW, Horsman made another vid on the CG
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