Masterbuilt Gravity Series Digital Charcoal Grill & Smoker Expert Review

Pros:

• The digital control fan manages the temperature automatically, eliminating the need to monitor and adjust vents.
• Lump charcoal and briquettes are stored in the hopper, which is more convenient than keeping them under the grill grates.
• Significant amount of counter space for prepping.
• A lid is included to protect the cooking surface and it hooks easily onto the back of the griddle.
• Long power cord gives you the freedom to grill in more places.

Cons:

• Assembly instructions can be confusing. The pictures are unclear and don’t always match up.
• The grill isn’t self-igniting.
• Instructions recommend keeping the lid closed, so you need to adjust your routine if you’re used to grilling with the lid open.

The Skinny:

• 16-pound hopper holds enough charcoal for an 8-hour cook.
• The gravity-fed smoker works by storing the charcoal in a hopper which provides constant, even heat.
• The digital controls allow you to set your temperature from the grill or an app for convenient monitoring and adjusting.

By: Christie Vanover

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050 is unlike any charcoal grill you’ve ever seen. The digital controls and technology make it easy to use and the gravity-fed feature gives you that authentic barbecue flavor you can only get from a charcoal grill. Most gravity-fed smokers cost several thousand dollars, but the Masterbuilt is an affordable, user-friendly, efficient smoker for those who don’t want to manage vent control.

Quality
This affordable grill and smoker is revolutionizing charcoal grilling.

• While the grill is well-constructed, it could benefit from a slightly thicker hood, and occasional adjustments might be needed for the hopper closures. The grates, cart, and wheels are sturdy and solid. The grill comes with two locking wheels plus two big plastic wheels, making it easy to move. Digital controller makes the grill incredibly user-friendly and easy to operate.

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Spacious hopper holds 10 pounds of lump charcoal or 16 pounds of charcoal briquettes for 8 hours of cooking time. As a bonus, any unburned charcoal can be left in the hopper and used for your next cook.

Cleaning the grill couldn’t be easier. As opposed to the struggle of emptying pellet hoppers or other charcoal grills, with the Masterbuilt you just open the door and empty the ash bucket.

Performance
Smart design provides even air flow and great fuel efficiency.

• The gravity-fed charcoal system makes adding and cooking with charcoal a breeze. Lump charcoal or briquets are added to the hopper located on the side of the grill and lit from the bottom. This keeps the heat constant and even throughout your cook. With other charcoal grills, the coals are added inside the grill under the grate or in a fuel box on the side. With both styles, you need to monitor and control the amount of air that feeds the fuel and adjust the airflow by manipulating the vents or exhaust to maintain your temperature. With the Masterbuilt, there are no vents to maintain, but instead a digital control fan does the work for you. It operates very similar to a pellet grill but with flavors that you can only get from charcoal.

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While the grill does a great job of maintaining temperature with the lid closed, the air flow will be greatly affected if you leave the lid up too long causing the fan to blow more, increasing the heat. This is why the instructions recommend grilling with the lid closed. You can add your meat, close the lid, and check on it occasionally, but be prepared to keep it closed as much as possible to keep the heat consistent.

Be aware that the grill is not self-igniting. When you add the charcoal, turn on the grill, and set the temperature, but don’t forget to manually light it or the grill will display an error message. To light it, simply add 1 or 2 lighter cubes into the tray at the bottom, light them, and shut the door.

Be aware that the temperature may vary slightly from the display, and occasionally, reconnecting the grill to the mobile app may be necessary for proper communication. It is also worth noting that when cooking fattier foods, flare-ups may happen because the deflector gets rather hot. Cooking these foods on the middle rack will help with this issue.

Features
The Gravity Series combines the flavor and versatility of charcoal with the convenience of pellet grills.

One big advantage is the front fold-out shelf and side shelf provide a good amount of space for pans, spices, tools, and prepping. The bottom shelf is useful for storing your favorite accessories plus there’s a storage caddy for the power cord or your probes and tool hooks to hang tongs, spatulas, and more.

There are slots of 4 probes, but only one comes with the grill. If you want to monitor more temps, you will need to purchase more probes. The power cord is long, so you’re less limited in where you want to place your grill. With most grills, you would be restricted to grilling right next to your outside outlet, but the Masterbuilt gives you more freedom.

• In addition to charcoal, you can use wood chunks to smoke your food. All you need is 1 or 2 chunks added to the ash bucket and as the hot ash from the coal lands on the wood chunks, it will slowly burn the wood creating smoke that will last for hours.

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With 3 grate levels totaling 1050 square inches of cooking space, you have plenty of room to grill or smoke a large variety of foods. The main cooking surface is made up of double-sided cast iron cooking grates, with a wider side for searing and a narrow side that allows more smoke to reach your food. Above that are two porcelain coated warming racks that are perfect for indirect cooking and can be folded out of the way for extra space on the main cooking surface.

The digital components in this grill are next level. The variable speed DigitalFan technology controls the flame to reach the precise temperature you set. Within 10 minutes you can reach low smoking temperatures of 225°F or heat it up to 700°F to sear steak to perfection. The innovation does not stop there. Control your smoker with the Masterbuilt App on your smart phone. Just pair your device to the grill, select a temperature, set a timer, and receive notifications when your cook is done using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.