maddiedou said:

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Question
Hickory. Pecan mesquite

I have a bag of hickory that is about three pounds and very small chunks I have already added twice to the ash pail and it burns up quick

Do yall buy like logs and throw them in the ash box instead of the chips

So that they smoke instead of burn

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I use bigger pieces, around 3-4" size. I put some in the ash box and when filling the hopper I'll layer in some wood chunks. I can definitely tell when they catch because I get a ton of smoke off of them.

Thanks

For all the owners that have the 800. I was watching a video and they said that the electric connection is a faulty design
And it will pull a solder joint loose on your controller if pulled while plugging it in

So I zipped tied mine

Nvm

Yes on cleaning. I was at 185. Doing pork steaks and about 4-5 hours in I leave for 30 min because i was basting every 30 and the dang thing was at 385 when I checked again and burned the lower steaks

Just assembled and burnt in a new Masterbuilt 800. For all of you more experienced guys, what are the instructions/recipe for smoking a brisket on it? The recipe on the company website simply says to smoke it at a certain temperature for 5 to 6 hours. There has to be more to it than that, right?

I set my Char-Griller to 250 F and smoke for about 1 hr per pound. You can use whatever rub you like, I just stick with a salt/pepper mix with some garlic powder mixed in.

Jabin said:

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Just assembled and burnt in a new Masterbuilt 800. For all of you more experienced guys, what are the instructions/recipe for smoking a brisket on it? The recipe on the company website simply says to smoke it at a certain temperature for 5 to 6 hours. There has to be more to it than that, right?

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Double check your grill temp with an oven thermometer. My 560 controller reads anywhere from 20 - 50 degrees hotter than what the actual temp is. I set my controller to 275 for brisket, which is actually 225 - 240. One hopper full of charcoal will last ~ 8 - 9 hrs at that temp.

Do you guys think it's safe to use a charcoal smoker on a wood deck?

Jabin said:

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Do you guys think it's safe to use a charcoal smoker on a wood deck?

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I think the Masterbuilt is safe even though it will spit out some small embers sometimes when the fan ramps up. They don't hang around long enough to catch bone dry pine needles on fire... so I'm fairly sure a wooden deck is ok. I would not use a charcoal grill like an old school Weber on a wooden deck because you can get some pretty big chunks falling out of it.

I have one on my wooden deck, no issues. You can also put down a grill mat for a little more piece of mind.
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Mat%EF%BC%8CPremium-Mat-Protects-material-Contains-Splatter%EF%BC%8CAnti-Slip-Backing%EF%BC%8CWashable/dp/B0857G5FGN/ref=asc_df_B0857G5FGN/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459661620601&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11901849693731205502&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028317&hvtargid=pla-942455153467&th=1

Thanks.

Any more feedback on the gravity charcoal smokers? My wife wants to buy me a pellet grill for my birthday but Im thinking these might be a better option.

I've had the Char-Griller 980 an for about a year and a half - only complaint that I have is that I can't get the wifi mode to work (that's more of a hardware issue on my side than on the unit).

I've had the fan stop working on me a couple of times causing an error on the computer - those time have turned out that a very tiny piece of charcoal has gotten blown into the fan unit and prevented the blades from turning....once I've gotten that out, I've been back in business.

Strong recommendation from me.

Geddy Lee soul patch said:

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Any more feedback on the gravity charcoal smokers? My wife wants to buy me a pellet grill for my birthday but Im thinking these might be a better option.

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Clean every 3-4 burns or always try to put a grease pan under your cooks

So after dping hamburgers I said you know what I need to heat thing thing up and burn some of the grill grates

Dont do that without cleaning the bottom first

I am on my 2nd masterbuilt

Also when I do brisquots I do two of them for normally about 24 hours at about 210-215 and they have all came out perfect

I do wrap at 160 in butcher and put in a pan with aluminum foil over the pan

I kinda do the same with my pork butt also

Love mine. Going on two years I think. Don't put wood chips in ash tray. They will melt the rubber divider and you will have to replace it. If you do have to replace it, use a grilling mat and trim it to size.

maddiedou said:

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Also when I do brisquots I do two of them for normally about 24 hours at about 210-215 and they have all came out perfect

I do wrap at 160 in butcher and put in a pan with aluminum foil over the pan

I kinda do the same with my pork butt also

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I'm guessing those are French briskets wrapped in some kind of puff pastry? Sounds delish.

I've had mine over 2 years…. still cook 3-4 nights a week on it. Its a grilling/smoking machine, but you do need to clean it often or use a drip pan. You'll eventually need to bypass the lid switches too.

Shelton98 said:

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I've had mine over 2 years…. still cook 3-4 nights a week on it. Its a grilling/smoking machine, but you do need to clean it often or use a drip pan. You'll eventually need to bypass the lid switches too.

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Yes that is correct when I said I was on my second one it was because I burnt the stupid thing up because I did not clean it

Another satisfied customer here.

Great thread with some helpful information. After babysitting my last brisket for 17 hours on a stick burner this past weekend, I am ready to make the jump to something more automated. I like the idea of a charcoal or wood chunk - fed smoker over pellet, and want to make sure I look at every option out there. Any new products out there to consider? It will be hard to adjust to the taste of a pellet-smoked brisket over something from live oak.. What's the best current option?

The masterbuilt you can do alittle charcoal and then whatever oak you want

I have read that after 3-4 hours the meat does not take any more smoke