Shopping gravity fed smokers

[jcam222]

I've eaten and enjoyed a lot of smoldering chunk/charcoal barbecue. Till I found something I liked better. Its all personal subjective taste.

You can watch Steven Raichlen's " Primal Grill " series from 2009 on Crackle. Almost everything he did was charcoal/chunk. He even soaked his wood chunks to make them smolder even longer. He ran an offset with charcoal/chunk.

And nobody ever accused Raichlen of making bad barbecue .

https://www.crackle.com/details/7a8a6b9c-ac2b-4b7d-a6f5-2595004c7c31/primal-grill

I'll have to check that out!

 

[jetfixr]

I do have a WSM and still use it on occasion. I have had some really good cooks on it. But also had a few cooks where I was belching up smoke rings...lol. Maybe it was my technique or brand of charcoal, who knows. I am just not real consistent with it.

 

[jcam222]

Having bought and sold close to 20 Masterbuilt Gravity smokers I can attest to the fact you can in fact get them for $300 or less if you are diligent and know where to look. I bought a dozen MB 1050s on clearance at a Walmart for about $200 apiece. There is no doubt that new they are more expensive than a used WSM and like anything involving electronics can have things go wrong. That said I believe it to be far more set and forget than a WSM.. I can also from experience say the results from Masterbuilt Gravity feeds rival that of my Lang 84D and that's saying something for sure! I base that on damn near weekly samples from my buddies lol. Temp range on them is phenomenal too making it good for low and slow or up to super hot searing and pizza. At the end of the day all th choices boil down to personal preference and cost.

 

[912smoker]

I've only used the WSM once and liked it.

But I paid full price for my MBGF 1050 and will be waiting in line when the new one comes out in April. Is it as good as a stick burner ? As Jeff @jcam222 said, it's pretty dadgum close once you figure out what kind of smoke profile you desire.
I stand a split in the chute and surround it with lump. Get consistent wood fire flavor without having to feed the beast every 30 minutes. Fits perfect with my age and lifestyle .
I love the Lang and the have the guys at the shop insured but haven't been able to justify the $$$ (convincing the CFO at the house)....yet.
I compete against them and the Jambo pit regularly and those guys stay busy!
But that's what works....for me.

Keith

 

[jimmyjamz]

I ordered the Limo Jr. Now just waiting for it to arrive. When I first started BBQing 30 over years ago I had BBQs made with thiner gauge steel and they just didn't last too long. There are some mods to beef up the firebox on the masterbuilts, but I just decided to treat myself. It should ship in a week or so. I will post some pics when I get it.

Let me know all about it, I ordered mine last week, I have a few weeks to go, I cant wait to get it and get it fired up

 

[KennyJ]

I ordered the Limo Jr. Now just waiting for it to arrive. When I first started BBQing 30 over years ago I had BBQs made with thiner gauge steel and they just didn't last too long. There are some mods to beef up the firebox on the masterbuilts, but I just decided to treat myself. It should ship in a week or so. I will post some pics when I get it.

Are you happy with what you got? I've been considering the same smoker; curious about how the bottom of the smoke chamber looks under the grate as I can't find a picture online and want to know about grease cleanup.

How hot have you gotten your JR Limo? I know the MB claims it can get hot enough to sear steaks but haven't seen anyone say they've pushed a JR Limo past 350. Also wondering if I could get one hot enough (550+) to throw a fresh pizza in on top of a stone.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Some Limo Jr pics I collected when I was shopping for a GF. I think these are from @seenred , but not sure

 

[seenred]

curious about how the bottom of the smoke chamber looks under the grate as I can't find a picture online and want to know about grease cleanup.

How hot have you gotten your JR Limo? I know the MB claims it can get hot enough to sear steaks but haven't seen anyone say they've pushed a JR Limo past 350. Also wondering if I could get one hot enough (550+) to throw a fresh pizza in on top of a stone.

Although I don't remember shooting those pics, @Smokin Okie posted a couple pics of the bottom of a Limo Jr that looks like mine...and I'm happy to take more pics if you want to see anything else. You'll notice that there's a hole in the bottom-center of the cabinet - that's the grease drain. There are rails on outside bottom of the cook chamber where you can put a pan to catch grease drippings, but I rarely have any grease in the bottom of my smoker because I usually use the bottom cooking rack to hold a big foil drip pan.

I personally don't know of anyone who's gotten their cabinet-style GF smoker anywhere near that hot. They are generally designed to run at sub-300* temps...although I've had mine as high as 320 a few times. I'm not sure you can get them to temps much higher than that.

Those MB Gravity Series rigs are a different design, and I've heard they can reach temps high enough for good searing of steaks - although I don't really have any direct experience with that type of GF cooker.

Red

 

[Smokin Okie]

Are you happy with what you got? I've been considering the same smoker; curious about how the bottom of the smoke chamber looks under the grate as I can't find a picture online and want to know about grease cleanup.

How hot have you gotten your JR Limo? I know the MB claims it can get hot enough to sear steaks but haven't seen anyone say they've pushed a JR Limo past 350. Also wondering if I could get one hot enough (550+) to throw a fresh pizza in on top of a stone.

I owned a MB560 before I bought my Assassin. The MB is capable of 700*, but I never ran it that hot. In fact, I did not use it as a grill.

Its grilling with indirect heat. I've grilled on a PK and a Kettle for the past 40 years and that may influence my view, but I did not like the MB for grilling , at all. It was a great smoker.

From reading at the MB Facebook groups and what I've seen in forums like this one, most of the problems with MB GF's came from running it at grilling temps i.e. grease fires, ash, etc. The fan is really cranked up to reach those high temps and it blows a lot of ash and ember into the cook chamber. I also don't think its built with heavy enough metal to withstand a whole lot uses at those high temps.

But again, that's just my opinion. There are a lot of others very happy with grilling on a MB GF.

My highest temps with my Assassin 17 have been 325, and I use a Thermoworks Billows. It might've gone a little higher, but again, if I'm gonna cook anything that hot, like @seenred , I go to the Kettle.

Here's the cook that I took it to 325.

 

[KennyJ]

Thanks for the inputs gents. I have a friend with an MB560 who has had issues with grease fires, but he's said it was more typical with fattier meats rather than high temps. The issue has made me steer clear of them.

I figured having a smoker/grill that can do everything probably won't do any single thing great. I appreciate the input. I had a yoder offset previously that I sold last fall since I live in the midwest and don't smoke much through the winter. I loved the flavor I got from it but honestly got tired of nursing the fire on long cooks. I've just about made up my mind on the Limo Jr and will continue to sear on my Weber kettle.

 

[jimmyjamz]

Although I don't remember shooting those pics, @Smokin Okie posted a couple pics of the bottom of a Limo Jr that looks like mine...and I'm happy to take more pics if you want to see anything else. You'll notice that there's a hole in the bottom-center of the cabinet - that's the grease drain. There are rails on outside bottom of the cook chamber where you can put a pan to catch grease drippings, but I rarely have any grease in the bottom of my smoker because I usually use the bottom cooking rack to hold a big foil drip pan.

I personally don't know of anyone who's gotten their cabinet-style GF smoker anywhere near that hot. They are generally designed to run at sub-300* temps...although I've had mine as high as 320 a few times. I'm not sure you can get them to temps much higher than that.

Those MB Gravity Series rigs are a different design, and I've heard they can reach temps high enough for good searing of steaks - although I don't really have any direct experience with that type of GF cooker.

Red

Red, you probably have covered this, just received my Limo Jr yesterday, you run Lump or Briquettes? thanks for any advice

 

[Smokin Okie]

Thanks for the inputs gents. I have a friend with an MB560 who has had issues with grease fires, but he's said it was more typical with fattier meats rather than high temps. The issue has made me steer clear of them.

I figured having a smoker/grill that can do everything probably won't do any single thing great. I appreciate the input. I had a yoder offset previously that I sold last fall since I live in the midwest and don't smoke much through the winter. I loved the flavor I got from it but honestly got tired of nursing the fire on long cooks. I've just about made up my mind on the Limo Jr and will continue to sear on my Weber kettle.

The MB560 sold me on GF as a smoker. I found it on sale at Walmart for $250 and bought it out of curiosity . I expected a lot of white billowy smoke. Never happened. I got thin blue and it produced flavor as close to my stickburner as anything I'd found. It greatly exceeded my expectations.

That led to wanting a GF that's more substantial and there was not much out there in the price I wanted to pay. The closest was the Old Country GF. But I wasn't totally sold on the design nor the build quality, and they were a PITA just to purchase one. I'd have to drive to Texas, then take my chances on the build quality.

So I finally just bit the bullet and spent a lot more than I wanted to pay, but I'm happy with my purchase.

This month, MB is suppose to be releasing a beefed up version of their GF. Last I heard, it was only gonna be available from MB. Would sell for $1500 or so. If out last summer, I'd greatly considered it.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Red, you probably have covered this, just received my Limo Jr yesterday, you run Lump or Briquettes? thanks for any advice

I can tell you that Assassin owners in their Facebook group, do not run lump. Due to irregular shape, it can bridge in the hopper.

And me, I don't see the need. IDK what lump brings ? Some say it burns hotter, but that's not an issue in a gravity feed where temp is controlled by a fan or air input. That's more a of a grilling thing.

I do use a natural briquette that has no additives, like B&B, but even then, a GF burns so clean, I don't think that's an issue.

 

[jimmyjamz]

I can tell you that Assassin owners in their Facebook group, do not run lump. Due to irregular shape, it can bridge in the hopper.

And me, I don't see the need. IDK what lump brings ? Some say it burns hotter, but that's not an issue in a gravity feed where temp is controlled by a fan or air input. That's more a of a grilling thing.

I do use a natural briquette that has no additives, like B&B, but even then, a GF burns so clean, I don't think that's an issue.

I am a huge fan of B&B briquette, just wasnt sure if the fan blows ash into cook chamber, I dont find a flavor difference in lump vs,

 

[KennyJ]

The MB560 sold me on GF as a smoker. I found it on sale at Walmart for $250 and bought it out of curiosity . I expected a lot of white billowy smoke. Never happened. I got thin blue and it produced flavor as close to my stickburner as anything I'd found. It greatly exceeded my expectations.

That led to wanting a GF that's more substantial and there was not much out there in the price I wanted to pay. The closest was the Old Country GF. But I wasn't totally sold on the design nor the build quality, and they were a PITA just to purchase one. I'd have to drive to Texas, then take my chances on the build quality.

So I finally just bit the bullet and spent a lot more than I wanted to pay, but I'm happy with my purchase.

This month, MB is suppose to be releasing a beefed up version of their GF. Last I heard, it was only gonna be available from MB. Would sell for $1500 or so. If out last summer, I'd greatly considered it.

I just read into the new MB smoker. I'm skeptical about the build quality but might take a chance on it because of the price. It's not listed on their website for sale yet but when it is, I'll probably order one and see how it goes.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I think there was a thread in this forum when it was announced last fall.

Its gotta be thicker metal than on the MB560. I'd like to see a weight comparison between it and the 1050 , or even the 800.

It appears to be a better quality controller.

I don't recall all the smaller improvements, but it was intriguing to me.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Here's the thread from December

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/new-masterbuilt-gravity-models-coming.324595/#post-2480328

 

[seenred]

Red, you probably have covered this, just received my Limo Jr yesterday, you run Lump or Briquettes? thanks for any advice

I can tell you that Assassin owners in their Facebook group, do not run lump. Due to irregular shape, it can bridge in the hopper.

And me, I don't see the need. IDK what lump brings ? Some say it burns hotter, but that's not an issue in a gravity feed where temp is controlled by a fan or air input. That's more a of a grilling thing.

I do use a natural briquette that has no additives, like B&B, but even then, a GF burns so clean, I don't think that's an issue.

I am a huge fan of B&B briquette, just wasnt sure if the fan blows ash into cook chamber, I dont find a flavor difference in lump vs,

Hey Jimmy - first let me say Congrats on the new Limo Jr! If you like it half as much as I like mine, you'll be very happy with it.

Now, as far a charcoal goes, I'm same as @Smokin Okie. I don't burn lump coal in my Limo Jr. I don't see the need. I do like using lump in my kettle grill, where a hotter fire is desired. But for the GF, I find that B&B Oak briquettes burn very consistently, I don't have to worry about bridging in the chute, and it produces less ash than other briqs I've tried. And I've never noticed any ash blowing into the cook chamber.

Red

 

[jimmyjamz]

Hey Jimmy - first let me say Congrats on the new Limo Jr! If you like it half as much as I like mine, you'll be very happy with it.

Now, as far a charcoal goes, I'm same as @Smokin Okie. I don't burn lump coal in my Limo Jr. I don't see the need. I do like using lump in my kettle grill, where a hotter fire is desired. But for the GF, I find that B&B Oak briquettes burn very consistently, I don't have to worry about bridging in the chute, and it produces less ash than other briqs I've tried. And I've never noticed any ash blowing into the cook chamber.

Red

Thanks Red, I am on the same path

 

[jimmyjamz]

Thanks Red, I am on the same path

Thanks Red, I am on the same path