I wanted so bad to NOT like it

[jkief]

So a few months ago, wife talked me into a Masterbuilt 1050 gravity. I was able to get hands on at my local HD before purchasing. I really wasn’t impressed with the quality or design. Loved the concept, but hated everything else. Cooked on it a few times and the food that comes off that thing is amazing. The smoke profile is perfectly balanced, it’s easy to cook with, and the temp is pretty stable across the pit. I really hate to admit that this little cooker is fast becoming on the top of my list of favorites. And their CS wasn’t bad to boot either. I believe it’s overpriced at MSRP for the quality you’re getting. Hopefully Char Griller’s competition in the segment drives that price down a bit. I’ve gone as low as 225 for pork butts and as high as 500 to finish chicken thighs. It’s a pretty darn versatile cooker that creates some amazing flavors on the food that comes off. I wouldn’t think it would last 10 years or so if used regularly, but hopefully it will last 5-10 yrs.

 

[Chester]

So a few months ago, wife talked me into a Masterbuilt 1050 gravity. I was able to get hands on at my local HD before purchasing. I really wasn’t impressed with the quality or design. Loved the concept, but hated everything else. Cooked on it a few times and the food that comes off that thing is amazing. The smoke profile is perfectly balanced, it’s easy to cook with, and the temp is pretty stable across the pit. I really hate to admit that this little cooker is fast becoming on the top of my list of favorites. And their CS wasn’t bad to boot either. I believe it’s overpriced at MSRP for the quality you’re getting. Hopefully Char Griller’s competition in the segment drives that price down a bit. I’ve gone as low as 225 for pork butts and as high as 500 to finish chicken thighs. It’s a pretty darn versatile cooker that creates some amazing flavors on the food that comes off. I wouldn’t think it would last 10 years or so if used regularly, but hopefully it will last 5-10 yrs.

Gravity feeds are the bomb. Never have gotten 500 on the Limo Jr. (never tried), but have run it several times at 350-375 for some chicken, that has always turned out really nice. I have other grills that I use to cook high temp on if I need that.

The Masterbulit is unique in that it is designed to run at higher temps than most gravity feeds. Seems like a great choice for those wanting to try a Gravity fed charcoal smoker.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

That was a cooker which greatly interested me. Some of the problems with the controller and fan wiring scared me away, but boy all I have seen is awesome food come off of it.

 

[jkief]

Gravity feeds are the bomb. Never have gotten 500 on the Limo Jr. (never tried), but have run it several times at 350-375 for some chicken, that has always turned out really nice. I have other grills that I use to cook high temp on if I need that.

The Masterbulit is unique in that it is designed to run at higher temps than most gravity feeds. Seems like a great choice for those wanting to try a Gravity fed charcoal smoker.

If the food comes off the Limo Jr like it does this sucker, I’m sold!! As it turns out, there may be a slim chance I get assigned to Ft Benning in GA. If that’s the case, I think I’m all but sold on the Limo Jr since there wouldn’t be any shipping costs.

 

[jkief]

That was a cooker which greatly interested me. Some of the problems with the controller and fan wiring scared me away, but boy all I have seen is awesome food come off of it.

Mine is fairly new still, but no issues so far. Knock on wood!

 

[Mht150]

Man I love my 1050. It puts out some great food. Finding the balance of coal to wood is my only issue right now. When I put to many pieces of wood in it gets dirty smoke and not enough I don’t get the Smokey flavor I want.

 

[jkief]

Man I love my 1050. It puts out some great food. Finding the balance of coal to wood is my only issue right now. When I put to many pieces of wood in it gets dirty smoke and not enough I don’t get the Smokey flavor I want.

Not sure what charcoal you’re using. I use B&B briquettes if I can. Kingsford if I can’t get it. Only use 1-3 chunks of wood in the hopper depending on what/how long I’m cooking. I never add any wood past the 1/2 mark of the hopper if filling up to the top for a long cook.

 

[bschoen]

Fort Benning is not far from Macon either, so an Assassin is another shipping non-issue.

 

[darita]

I've had the 560 for while and still love it. That said, I replaced the controller with a Fireboard 2 Drive and now it works consistently well. For some reason, the food that comes out of it is super good. I still use the Primo or MAK for long cooks, but for everything else, the 560 is my go-to. I makes fantastic chicken.

 

[onemanlan]

Yeeeeeah brother! It's an amazingly versatile cooker as you said. Does low and slow as well as it does searing. I have a few complaints, but its mostly about the grease handling and whether or not some of the components will last that long. The app actually blows chunks too, but otherwise the grill is solid.

I picked up a sweet 560 on clearance instead of a pellet pooper recently. So far, 10 or so cooks in, I'm 100% grateful for the choice. My hope is that more competition comes out in the gravity feed hybrid grill market. Need more choices to make it harder. I love keeping to a single fuel & smoke source across all my cookers. It smokes way better than I expected it too. The efficiency with fuel is kinda poor, but you're getting convenience out of it.

 

[jkief]

Yeeeeeah brother! It's an amazingly versatile cooker as you said. Does low and slow as well as it does searing. I have a few complaints, but its mostly about the grease handling and whether or not some of the components will last that long. The app actually blows chunks too, but otherwise the grill is solid.

I picked up a sweet 560 on clearance instead of a pellet pooper recently. So far, 10 or so cooks in, I'm 100% grateful for the choice. My hope is that more competition comes out in the gravity feed hybrid grill market. Need more choices to make it harder. I love keeping to a single fuel & smoke source across all my cookers. It smokes way better than I expected it too. The efficiency with fuel is kinda poor, but you're getting convenience out of it.

I bought the manifold cover from lss mods. It works excellent at grease management. So far, I’m one of the few that hasn’t had any app issues. It synced without question and it keeps temp just fine. I don’t use it much but it works. Fuel usage does blow, but I never fill it up unless I’m doing a 10-12 hour cook. It burns a half of chimney just shutting it down. Like you said, hopefully better companies jump in the arena.

 

[DarkStar11]

I like my 560 more than I thought I would, too. The convenience and food it produces make up for the build quality a little bit - at least when build quality doesn't get in the way of convenience! All the door switches on mine have failed and been replaced. Customer service has been spotty, but improved towards the end of 2020. The app has never worked and I'm okay with that. Like y'all, I'm hoping for more competition and some higher quality units in this space. The LSS manifold cover is a must-have in my opinion.

 

[NoCoPk360]

I love the concept of these just wish they were built a little better. I would be willing to pay for better build quality. Looking forward to checking out the Char griller version when one shows up at my local Lowes. I would love to see some of the better pellet grill makers come up with their version of one of these. That would be tough for me to not buy even though my wife would have a fit if I added another cooker to the collection.

 

[onemanlan]

I bought the manifold cover from lss mods. It works excellent at grease management. So far, I’m one of the few that hasn’t had any app issues. It synced without question and it keeps temp just fine. I don’t use it much but it works. Fuel usage does blow, but I never fill it up unless I’m doing a 10-12 hour cook. It burns a half of chimney just shutting it down. Like you said, hopefully better companies jump in the arena.

The app works & overall the controller on the pit works fine. The issue is the app is just clunky on my end.

I'm glad you mentioned it! The manifold cover is one mod I've actually been eyeballing along with the battery powered connector since the grill is supposedly fairly energy efficient just running. I have plenty of power banks sitting around to use. It'll free up one of my precious outside outlets as well.

As for the smoke wood, IDK about you guys but I opt to drop it in the firebox catch rather than in the chute. Just easier to moderate there. Takes longer to 'start' though. The other problem is you have to be attentive ever hour or so. Any thoughts?

 

[jkief]

I’ve done the wood both ways. I always put at least 1 in the chute right above the where the charcoal will light. From there, I’ll either add to the chute or in the ash bin. If it’s a long brisket or pork butt cook, I drop in the hopper and call it a day. If it’s ribs, tri-tip or something just a few hours, I’ll use ash pan. It works well either way.

 

[bowhnter]

You have me rethinking my pellet grill research. It would be one less fuel type I would have to keep around.

 

[jkief]

You have me rethinking my pellet grill research. It would be one less fuel type I would have to keep around.

I personally can’t speak for the char griller, but Tom Horsman on YouTube does a breakdown of both as he owns the Masterbuilt 560 and Char griller. For 500$ for the Chargriller or 800 for the Masterbuilt, if I could only have one, I’d probably go that route over a pellet grill. I prefer that type of flavor most of the time, myself.

 

[worldbfreebase]

Yeeeeeah brother! It's an amazingly versatile cooker as you said. Does low and slow as well as it does searing. I have a few complaints, but its mostly about the grease handling and whether or not some of the components will last that long. The app actually blows chunks too, but otherwise the grill is solid.

I picked up a sweet 560 on clearance instead of a pellet pooper recently. So far, 10 or so cooks in, I'm 100% grateful for the choice. My hope is that more competition comes out in the gravity feed hybrid grill market. Need more choices to make it harder. I love keeping to a single fuel & smoke source across all my cookers. It smokes way better than I expected it too. The efficiency with fuel is kinda poor, but you're getting convenience out of it.

if you are having a connection issue, it is probably your wifi. Most routers these days have dual signals and the wifi i.o.t. on the grill controller does not like connecting to a dual signal. log into your router, split the signals so you have a dedicated 2.4 and 5.0 signal and set the channel on the 2.4 to 1, 6 or 11. get a wifi analyzer app on your phone and see which one of those channels is least used.

once you are connected your smoker will be able to run an update to the newest version of software.

 

[worldbfreebase]

The app works & overall the controller on the pit works fine. The issue is the app is just clunky on my end.

I'm glad you mentioned it! The manifold cover is one mod I've actually been eyeballing along with the battery powered connector since the grill is supposedly fairly energy efficient just running. I have plenty of power banks sitting around to use.

you have to get a step up connector like this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J6NYVJV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i use a 26800mah 18W battery pack. the one i have is no longer available and i can't remember the reason i got it specifically. what i do remember is one of the ports on it is orange and i think that is the only one that will power the grill, IIRC.