Do you love charcoal-cooked meals, but haven’t considered a charcoal grill smoker because they’re difficult to light and hard to keep at the correct temperature?
Have you heard about the Masterbuilt Gravity Series? Well, one of the grill smokers in this innovative collection might be of interest to you and your family.
Meet The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker (+ Griddle)
The jewel in the crown of the Gravity Series is its advanced design. A gravity-fed charcoal hopper feeds the fire, and an intelligent fan ensures that the temperature remains steady.
The Gravity Series provides choices in size, cooking area, and function, although all models offer both grilling and smoking capabilities. The middle size also offers the convenience of a griddle function.
There are 3 Gravity Series models in the collection: the GS 560, GS 800, and the GS 1050. The GS 560 is a no-frills selection designed to be within reach of backyard pitmasters on a budget. Having said this, the innovative design is present, along with excellent safety features. The GS 800 and the GS 1050 offer more space, more comfort features, and of course, a higher price.
Where Are Masterbuilt Gravity Grills Made?
Masterbuilt has a superb reputation in the smoker-sphere. They’re a family company that started with modest beginnings in 1973 and have gone from strength to strength.
To keep costs down for their customers, their grills and smokers are manufactured in China to Masterbuilt’s specific requirements.
What Is A Gravity-Fed Smoker Anyway?
The design of the gravity feed smoker grill reduces the amount of monitoring time for the pitmaster.
The chute or hopper is above and to the side of the firepot. The higher position allows the fuel to flow into the firepot without the need for an auger or other device. Gravity ensures that there’s a steady flow of fuel and if the hopper is sufficiently large, the pitmaster won’t need to tend to the wood or charcoal for hours.
Are Gravity Fed Smokers Any Good?
Yes, a gravity-fed smoker offers the convenience of a long hands-off burn time for the pitmaster. This means less babysitting and more time to spend with your guests.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Differences
You might be considering getting one of the wonderful Gravity Series models, but which one? Find out the differences among all the models below.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Vs 1050
The main differences between the middle and largest models are the size and the purpose.
The cooking area of the GS 1050 is 31.25% bigger than the GS 800, and though both are grills and smokers, the GS 800 also is designed to offer a griddle function.
The comfort features are very similar between these 2 models, and the visual presentation is also alike for both units. It’s obvious that they’re from the same collection.
Feature Summary Of GS 800 & GS 1050
| Feature | Gravity Series 800 | Gravity Series 1050 |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Grill, Smoker, Griddle | Grill, Smoker |
Temperature Range (F) | 100-700 | 150-700 |
| Cooking Capacity | 12 chickens or 6 racks of ribs or 57 sausages or 36 burgers | 17 chickens or 7 racks of ribs or 67 sausages or 45 burgers |
| Cooking Surface (Square Inches) | 800 | 1050 |
| Footprint (W x D x H Inches) | 30.5 x 55.1 x 50.9 | 61.02 x 33.07 x 52.17 |
| Front Shelf | Yes, Stainless Steel | Yes, Stainless Steel |
| Side Shelf | Yes, Stainless Steel | Yes, Stainless Steel |
| Lower Shelf | Solid, With Imprint For Manifold | Solid |
| Power Cord Wrap | Yes | Yes |
| Warming Racks | 2 Foldaway Racks, No Need To Remove | 2 Foldaway Racks, No Need To Remove |
| Inner Walls | Porcelain-Coated 100% Double | Porcelain-Coated 100% Double |
| Grease Tray Position | Lower Front | Left-Hand Side |
| Tool Rack Style | 3 Knobs + 3 Hooks | 3 Knobs + 3 Hooks |
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Vs 560
If you’re looking for a griddle, the GS 800 would be your choice. And if you also want a grill and
smoker, you’ll be real happy. The GS 560 has a dual function of grill and smoker, but no griddle.
The GS 800 is 43% bigger than the GS 560, although the cooking area of the GS 560 is nothing to sneeze at.
The GS 560 has been assigned fewer comfort features than the GS 800. This saves money on the build and puts this useful grill and smoker within reach of most backyard grill masters.
Importantly, the safety features of the GS 800 also feature on the GS 560.
Feature Summary Of GS 560 & GS 800
| Feature | Gravity Series 560 | Gravity Series 800 |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Grill, Smoker | Grill, Smoker, Griddle |
Temperature Range (F) | 150-700 | 100-700 |
| Cooking Capacity | 8 chickens or 4 racks of ribs or 37 sausages or 21 burgers | 12 chickens or 6 racks of ribs or 57 sausages or 36 burgers |
| Cooking Surface (Square Inches) | 560 | 800 |
| Footprint (W x D x H Inches) | 54.13 x 24.65 x 51.97 | 30.5 x 55.1 x 50.9 |
| Front Shelf | No | Yes, Stainless Steel |
| Side Shelf | Yes, Powder Coated | Yes, Stainless Steel |
| Lower Shelf | Expanded Metal | Solid, With Imprint For Manifold |
| Power Cord Wrap | No | Yes |
| Warming Racks | 2 Removable Half Racks With Extra Racks Available | 2 Foldaway Racks No Need To Remove |
| Inner Walls | Aluminized Steel, Some Sections Double | Porcelain-Coated, 100% Double |
| Grease Tray Position | Lower Front | Lower Front |
| Tool Rack Style | 3 Knobs | 3 Knobs + 3 Hooks |
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050 Vs 560
The GS 1050 has almost double to size cooking area when compared to the GS 560, but it depends on what your family needs. There’s a lot of space with the GS 1050, and if you routinely feed large groups, this may be the one for you, but the GS 560 would be totally suitable for you and your family.
The GS 1050 has plenty of comfort features and refined finishes, while the GS 560 is a functional grill and smoker. The GS 560 has the innovative gravity-fed design but no fluffy bells and whistles.
However, like the GS 1050, The GS 560 is does include all safety features.
Feature Summary Of GS 560 & GS 1050
| Feature | Gravity Series 560 | Gravity Series 1050 |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Grill, Smoker | Grill, Smoker |
Temperature Range (F) | 150-700 | 150-700 |
| Cooking Capacity | 8 chickens or 4 racks of ribs or 37 sausages or 21 burgers | 17 chickens or 7 racks of ribs or 67 sausages or 45 burgers |
| Cooking Surface (Square Inches) | 560 | 1050 |
| Footprint (W x D x H Inches) | 54.13 x 24.65 x 51.97 | 61.02 x 33.07 x 52.17 |
| Front Shelf | No | Yes, Stainless Steel |
| Side Shelf | Yes, Powder Coated | Yes, Stainless Steel |
| Lower Shelf | Expanded Metal | Solid |
| Power Cord Wrap | No | Yes |
| Warming Racks | 2 Removable Half Racks With Extra Racks Available | 2 Foldaway Racks No Need To Remove |
| Inner Walls | Aluminized Steel, Some Sections Double | Porcelain-Coated, 100% Double |
| Grease Tray Position | Lower Front | Left-Hand Side |
| Tool Rack Style | 3 Knobs | 3 Knobs + 3 Hooks |
Comparison Images of GS 560 & GS 1050
Below we have put together some images of the side-by-side differences between these 2 models. The GS 560 is on the left, GS 1050 on the right-hand side.
Grill Surface
The surface of the grill in the GS 560 starts at the lid latch area. The GS 1050 has an anterior-style grill surface, meaning the grill surface extends out beyond the lid latch, giving you more elbow room.
Lower Shelf
Both models have a lower shelf for storage. The shelf on the GS 560 is expanded metal and the GS 1050 shelf has a solid finish.
Warming Racks
The 560 has removable half-racks, while the 1050 has “foldaway” racks that don’t need to be removed. If they are not in use, they sit at the back of the cooking area.
Internal Walls
The internal walls of the GS 560 are constructed from aluminized steel walls and some parts are single and some are double walls. The interior of GS 1050 has double porcelain-coated walls.
Grease Tray
The grease tray of the GS 560 is accessed from the lower front, and on the GS 1050 it’s located on the side.
Side Shelf & Tool Rack
The GS 560 side shelf is powder-coated and has knobs for resting your open tongs.
The stainless steel GS 1050 side shelf has knobs plus hooks for tools with hanging loops.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Model Differences Comparison
| Feature | Gravity Series 560 | Gravity Series 800 | Gravity Series 1050 |
|---|---|---|---|
Purpose | Grill, Smoker | Grill, Smoker, Griddle | Grill, Smoker |
| What It Looks Like |  |  |  |
Temperature Range (F) | 150-700 | 100-700 | 150-700 |
| Cooking Capacity | 8 chickens or 4 racks of ribs or 37 sausages or 21 burgers | 12 chickens or 6 racks of ribs or 57 sausages or 36 burgers | 17 chickens or 7 racks of ribs or 67 sausages or 45 burgers |
| Cooking Surface (Square Inches) | 560 | 800 | 1050 |
| Footprint (W x D x H Inches) | 54.13 x 24.65 x 51.97 | 30.5 x 55.1 x 50.9 | 61.02 x 33.07 x 52.17 |
| Front Shelf | No | Yes Stainless Steel | Yes Stainless Steel |
| Side Shelf | Yes Powder Coated | Yes Stainless Steel | Yes Stainless Steel |
| Lower Shelf | Expanded Metal | Solid With Imprint For Manifold Not In Use | Solid |
| Power Cord Management Bracket | No | Yes | Yes |
| Warming Racks | 2 Removable Half Racks With Extra Racks Available | 2 Foldaway Racks No Need To Remove | 2 Foldaway Racks No Need To Remove |
| Inner Walls | Aluminized Steel Some Sections Double | Porcelain-Coated 100% Double | Porcelain-Coated 100% Double |
| Grease Tray Position | Lower Front | Lower Front | Left-Hand Side |
| Tool Rack Style | 3 Knobs | 3 Knobs Plus 3 Hooks | 3 Knobs Plus 3 Hooks |
How Does The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Work?
How Do You Start The Gravity Feed Smoker?
- Remove the shutdown slides from between the hopper and the cooking chamber. One is the “heat intake” slide and one is the “air intake” slide; they are known collectively as the shutdown slides. These slides regulate airflow. When they’re in place, no air is getting to the fire, so guess what, it won’t light if you forget to take them out! If you think you might forget to do this, you could paint them or put something bright on them to remind you. While they are out of their slots, they fit nicely on the tool rack on the left-hand side. During the shutdown process, these slides restrict airflow to allow the grill to cool down and to stop using up charcoal.
- Decide which grates you need and adjust as required.
- Spray the grates with cooking spray or olive oil spray.
How Do You Load Masterbuilt Gravity?
- Open the hopper lid and the door to the ash bucket under the hopper.
- Give the charcoal grate above the ash bucket a shake to make sure that any remaining ash from the last cook is passed down to the bucket.
- Add charcoal to the hopper. The hopper holds 16 pounds of charcoal briquettes. A Masterbuilt bag of charcoal is the perfect fit. Never use lighting fluid or fast-light charcoal.
- If you’re adding wood chunks to the hopper, add a chunk every 2 inches or so.
- The charcoal grate is designed to allow very small lit charcoals to fall through to the ash bucket. These will light any wood chunks you have placed there to produce more smoke. If any smaller pieces of charcoal fall through to the ash bucket during the initial loading, pick them out and put them back into the top of the hopper.
- If you would like more smoke, add a couple of wood chunks to the ash bucket.
How To Light Masterbuilt Gravity Series?
- Make sure the lids and doors are all open to allow a flow of oxygen.
- There’s a slot above the ash bucket about 2.5 inches wide; it allows access to the charcoal grate. Place a fire starter into the slot and push it in.
- Light the fire starter from the bottom with a grill lighter or a match.
- Turn the controller on, set the temperature and time.
- When the fire is lit and you can see smoke, close the lids and door.
- While you allow the grill to heat up you can get your food ready.
- If you’re using the app, you can monitor the cook from your mobile phone. If you’d prefer to keep an eye on the smoker’s progress yourself, you can completely ignore the Bluetooth and Wifi features.
How To Shut Down The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Grills?
When the cook is finished, turn off the controller and ensure the lids and the door are closed. Make sure to replace the shutdown slides, otherwise you’ll waste the charcoal that was left over.
Can You Use Wood In The Masterbuilt Gravity Series?
Yes indeed, you can add wood to the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
So, Where Do You Put The Wood On A Masterbuilt Gravity Smoker?
For the primary source of smoke, you can place a wood chunk every 2 inches of charcoal when you’re loading the hopper.
For a bonus source of smoke, you can place a couple of chunks of wood in the ash bucket. The grate under the hopper is designed to allow small pieces of charcoal to fall through to the ash bucket during the cook. These embers will light any wood chunks you’ve left in there.
Where Do You Put The Wood Chips In A Masterbuilt Gravity Smoker?
Wood chips are not suitable for the Gravity Series because the charcoal grate is designed to allow small charcoal embers to fall through to the ash bucket. Wood chips are way too small, and will fall straight through the grate.
What Is Chunk Wood?
Chunk wood consists of pieces of wood that have had flavor added, and they’re about the size of a fist. The chunks provide smoke and affect the flavor of the meat so you can achieve a great smoky taste.
Some flavored chunk woods available are: hickory, mesquite, and oak are strong flavors, mountain ash, fruit flavors such as apple, peach, and pear are mild.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Features
Construction
The build quality is very carefully thought out both in design and costing and then is perfectly formed.
The reversible grates are constructed of cast iron for durability. If you look after this grill, I think it would last 5 years or more.
The fire is in the bottom 8 inches of the hopper. This area is reinforced with ceramic firebricks to handle the high temperature.
The charcoal is fed by gravity. The coals burn from the bottom only and as the lower coals turn to ash, gravity will allow more coals into the fire. The hopper is sealed so no new oxygen can enter and the only place for the heat and smoke to go is into the cooking chamber.
The bottom door below the hopper gives access to the charcoal grate and ash bucket. The grate is compatible with lump charcoal and briquettes and not for pellets. The grate is designed for the ash to fall into the bucket and will also allow small embers to fall through. The embers will assist the smoldering of any wood chunks you’ve put into the ash bucket, producing extra smoke.
Please note that wood pellets are not suitable for the Gravity Series because they will fall through the charcoal grate.
This video shows what is going on inside the hopper.
The digital fan moves the heat from the fire through the manifold into the cooking area.
Safety Features
The Gravity Series has some thoughtful safety elements to give you some protection around this very hot beast.
The main lid switch confines the temperature to a maximum of 500F when it is open whether you’re grilling or griddling. If the temperature set is less than 500F, it will hold that heat level. Since you would probably have the lid open most of the time if you’re using the griddle, this is a handy feature.
The hopper lid switch and the ash door switch work together to prevent the stack of charcoal in the hopper from burning up. The fan blows air into the hopper to keep the charcoal burning, and if extra oxygen is pushed into it when you open the door this could create a chimney effect. For this reason, whenever you open either of the hopper or the ash doors, the internal fan pauses.
Comfort Features Common To All Models
- A timer that can count down or count up, depending on what you prefer
- Lower storage shelf
- Side shelf for food prep
- Tool rack
- Finger holes for lifting the grates
- Wheels for transportation
- Grease tray for easy cleanup
Temperature Control
Charcoal smokers are notorious for requiring a lot of adjusting and fussing. Lots of playing with dampers and vents and testing the temperature.
There are no dampers in these unit. There is no need because each unit designed to look after itself once you’ve got it going.
There is an intelligent internal fan that is dedicated to maintaining the temperature that you’ve selected. It controls the airflow between the hopper and the cooking area, meaning no vent adjustment is required by you.
A big advantage is that the digital fan will respond quickly to any adjustments you make to the temperature, either up or down. It’ll get to 225F in about 8 minutes, 450F in about 10 minutes and up to the maximum of 700 in about 14 minutes. Once it’s in operation, it’ll take about 10 minutes to reset the heat level, so you’re in charge of whether it’s set at cooking level or the intensity of a sear!
The temperature is selected with the controller unit along with cooking time, meat probe data, and countdown or count-up timer. In the image below you can also see the probe ports on the left and the on/off button in the middle.
There is an inbuilt thermometer in the lid for you to keep track at a glance. I say a glance because there aren’t any numbers on the dial, only zones. Exact numbers are not required because you only need to check out the controller box for the information you need.
There is an upgraded thermometer for the Gravity Series available if this is important to you.
The supplied internal meat probe will ensure that the food is cooked to the correct temperature and ready to be served. There are 4 ports for probes, and extra meat temperature probes can be purchased separately if you need them.
The smoke is supplied via the charcoal hopper. You can add a wood chunk every 2 inches or so as you’re adding the briquettes. If you’d like even more smoke, you could put a couple of wood chunks in the ash pan under the hopper. These will flame up and provide more smoke.
There is no water pan included in the design of this collection, but that won’t stop you from placing a flameproof container of liquid with your meat.
Seasoning The Masterbuilt Gravity Series
Don’t plan on using the grill immediately because the burning-in will take a few hours.
1. Seasoning The Grill On All 3 Models
- Fill the hopper with charcoal to between 25% to 50% full.
- Start the grill and set the temperature to 250F for 60 minutes.
- Increase the temperature to 400F for 30 minutes.
- Shut down the grill.
- Allow the unit to cool down completely.
- Using a clean cloth, rub a light coat of cooking oil on both grates, both racks, the charcoal grate, and the inside of the lid and body.
- Start the grill again at 350F, leave for 30 minutes.
- Once again, shut the grill down and allow it to cool completely.
Ready to grill!
2. Seasoning The Griddle Of The GS 800
Being a dual-cooking surface unit, there are 2 burn-ins required for the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800. There is the general seasoning of the smoker above, but you also need to season the griddle separately.
- Get some cooking oil, paper towel your BBQ gloves
- Convert your grill to the griddle
- Wipe the griddle down
- Set the temperature to 250F
- Let it heat up for about 15 minutes
- Pour cooking oil over the griddle top
- Put your BBQ gloves on and wipe the oil to cover the whole griddle surface with the paper towel
- Heat the griddle to 400F
- The oil will smoke as it settles on the griddle
- After the smoke disperses, adjust the temperature to 350F
- Pour more oil on the griddle surface
- Again wipe the oil over the whole surface with your BBQ gloves on
- The griddle will smoke again
- Allow the griddle to cool down after the smoke disperses
Ready for griddling!
Ease Of Use
For a charcoal smoker, these units really easy to use; they practically look after themselves. And they’re happy to tell you all about it via the app.
Flexibility Of The Gravity Series
Both the GS 560 and the GS 1050 have both grill and smoker functions, but the GS 800 is a grill, a smoker and also a griddle.
All of them can become a rotisserie with the optional rotisserie kit attachment, which is purchased separately.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Assembly
Assembling the unit is pretty straightforward according to customer experience, but leave a couple of hours because there are a lot of parts. It’s a good idea to have someone available to help you with the unboxing and assembly.
The tools needed for the assembly are:
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Adjustable wrench
• 19mm socket wrench
Very helpfully, the hopper arrives already attached to the grill body.
The main assembly required is for the accessories, such as the cart and the shelves. The diagrams in the instruction manual of the Masterbuilt Gravity Series are better than average, although I think it could do with a table of contents.
A lot of the parts destined for the inside of the grill are coated in oil to protect them from rust. Maybe consider setting down a tarpaulin or paint sheet when unboxing. Plus, this oil needs to be burned off before using the grill for food, so make sure you do your seasoning!
How To Clean Masterbuilt Gravity Series
- Turn the power off at the controller.
- Re-insert the shutdown slides.
- Wait until the grill is completely cooled down.
- The sear and smoke grates in the main cooking area are cast iron and can be scraped like any other grill grates. Scrape both sides of the sear and smoke grates.
- The warming racks above the cooking area are porcelain-coated, so they can be cleaned with warm water and mild dish detergent.
- Remove the grill grates to reveal the heat manifold.
- Scrape the manifold.
- Remove the grease tray, empty it, and clean it with warm water and mild dish detergent. The grease tray is at the lower front of the GS 560 and the GS 800 and on the left-hand side of the GS 1050.
- Slide out the bottom tray from the rear of the unit and scrape it off.
- Spray the grill grates and manifold with cooking oil to as a re-seasoning.
- The ash bucket is accessed by the door under the hopper and makes emptying the ash very easy. Tap or shake the charcoal grate to knock all remaining ash into the bucket.
Remove the ash bucket, empty it. - Before replacing the ash bucket, wipe out any residue in the bucket compartment.
- The hopper doesn’t require emptying because any remaining charcoal will be saved for the next cook. No wastage!
- The exterior of the grill can be wiped with a damp cloth.
- Replace the cover, store the grill in a sheltered dry place.
Storing The Gravity Series Grills
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series are designed to be outside grills, but they appreciate a cover because they does not take kindly to being in the weather. An enclosed or sheltered dry spot would suit it best to keep the charcoal from getting damp and of course the electrical control panel doesn’t do well if it’s wet.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Troubleshooting
Temporary Lining In The Firebox
Your Masterbuilt Gravity Series units will arrive with a stainless-steel liner in the lower section of the hopper. Its only purpose is to hold the firebrick in place during shipping. It is designed to disintegrate gradually after the first burn. The residue will fall into the ash bucket.
The food-grade ceramic firebrick will then be exposed and will harden with use.
The Display Says That The Grill Is Open But It’s Not
Even though it looks like all the doors are closed, they might not be quite closed. Open and reclose the main lid. You can also try pressing the lid safety switch a few times; it may be stuck. It’s at the front on the right-hand side.
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Fan Is Not Working
The fan won’t work if the grill thinks that the hopper lid or door is open. This is for your safety.
To get the fan working:
- Open the hopper lid and press the safety switch a few times and then latch it firmly.
- Open the hopper door and press the safety switch a few times and then latch it firmly.
- Ensure that you’ve set the temperature, otherwise, the fan will not come on.
- During the cook, the fan will turn off and on depending on what the cooking chamber needs to keep a steady temperature.
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series App
Masterbuilt has an optional free app available that will allow you to control and monitor the temperature of the cook. It will also communicate various areas if it determines that certain conditions exist.
There are very mixed customer reviews concerning the apps. Some say it works as it should and it’s a great feature. Some say that opening the lid of the grill causes the app to disconnect and they then need to turn the app back on.
In short, the app is not yet perfect and it’s a good idea to still physically check your grill from time to time.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Error Codes
If you’re using the app, it may communicate certain situations with error codes. These errors are Err 1, Err 2 and Err 5 relate to the meat probe and its temperature, Err 3 warns about the grill overheating, and Err 4 warns that ignition didn’t work. Here is a summary of the codes, what they mean and what to do.
Warranty
The warranty is for 1 year, which is less than other units.
Does The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Provide Value For Money?
Masterbuilt has carefully considered their customers when creating this series.
They have balanced valuable features with cost and come up with an innovative design at a price that is accessible to most would-be pitmasters. With the versatility to be a grill or smoker (or griddle in the case of the GS 800) plus being so easy to use, we think this is value for money.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Summary
What’s Nifty About The Masterbuilt Gravity Series
- Easily switches between functions – all 3 convert easily to grilling or smoking by switching the grill plates, and the GS 800 can become a griddle by switching the manifolds
- Holds steady temperature – the intelligent internal fan monitors and maintains the cooking temperature
- Wide temperature range – these units can go as low as 150F for smoking and up to 700F for searing plus temperatures in between for grilling, and in the case of the GS 800, griddling
- Fast heating up (and down) – there is no hanging around waiting for the temperature to preheat; the time it takes to heat up provides just the right time to prepare your food
- Charcoal can be added without letting heat out of the cooking area – no heat or smoke will escape if you need to add more charcoal; keep in mind you need to reload when the temperature is less than 250F.
- Controller enabled for Bluetooth and WiFi – thanks to the app, the controller can speak to your phone and keep you up to date with the progress of the cook
- 4 Temperature probe ports – no more squashing the probe wires under the lid and there are 4 of them! Love it. One probe is included with the grill. The size of the meat probe plug is 3.5mm. It is a standard aux (auxiliary) style connection.
- Easy to light – this unit is lit using a fire starter and the charcoal is fed by gravity
- Easy cleanup – there is an ash bucket and a grease tray, both easily removed, no need to empty the hopper because the charcoal is saved for the next cook
- Safety features – when the hopper lid or door are opened, there are switches that turn the fan off to avoid a sudden rush of oxygen and subsequent flare-up plus, when the main lid is open, the temperature is adjusted to 500F for your safety, and then it returns to your set temperature when the lid is closed
What’s Not So Nifty About The Masterbuilt Gravity Series
- Needs to be situated near an electrical outlet – yes, this is a charcoal grill, but the controller and the internal fan required electricity; this is not a blackout unit
- Power cord connection is fragile – the connection to the controller is a soldered join and it needs to have the tension relieved to stay attached. When you’re packing up the unit, disconnect the power cord before wrapping it to protect the join. Consider using zip-ties to hang the power cord under the unit to take the strain off the cord.
- Not suitable for small spaces – These units are quite large and although they have wheels and can be moved around, they are not what I would call portable
- Short warranty – this length of warranty is not unusual among the other grills on the market, but it is quite short
How Could The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Be Improved?
Any improvements would increase the cost, of course. Having said that, a more robust power connection would be appreciated.
The performance of the app has mixed reviews, but, as with all apps, this is an ongoing project.
Who Is The Masterbuilt Gravity Series For?
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series is for someone who has room for it sit proudly in a large backyard or on a roomy patio; under cover is better.
These new owners love the taste of charcoal-cooked meat, but don’t appreciate the constant monitoring required for the perfect smoky taste. They value the thoughtful safety features and the easy cleanup, which is unusual for a charcoal unit.
Optional Masterbuilt Gravity Series Accessories
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Covers
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Rotisserie Kit
Masterbuilt Gravity Series Rotisserie Kit | Amazon ........ Now Fits 560, 800 & 1050 
Masterbuilt Chrome-Coated Rib Rack
Upgraded Lid Thermometer
Upgraded Temperature Gauge Grill Thermometer | See The Numbers In The Gravity Series Inbuilt Lid Thermometer | Amazon So, you love the Gravity Series and you know you can see the current temperature on the controller box.
But you really would like a lid thermometer with numbers. Well, this upgraded temperature gauge might be just the thing for you.
Tips For Best Performance Of Your Masterbuilt Gravity Series
- When you’re setting up for each cook, remember to remove the two shutdown slides to allow airflow.
- Tap or shake the charcoal grate to release the ash from the last cook into the bucket.
- As you add the charcoal, add a wood chunk for every couple of inches for your favorite smoky taste.
- For even more smoke, add a couple of wood chunks to the ash bucket.
- If you like to add a water pan, a flameproof container such as a foil tray can be placed on the grate with the food; there is no designated water pan.
- Charcoal can be added during the cook if the current temperature is below 250F.
- Wear your BBQ gloves to reload charcoal during the cook; the hopper will be hot!
- Be gentle with the power cord, try to give it some slack, and always disconnect after use.
- When you’re finished cooking, replace the shutdown slides to put out the fire and save the remaining charcoal for the next cook. No wasted charcoal!
Contacting The Manufacturer
Submit a form on the Masterbuilt “Contact Us” page. You can include images of your smoker to show your problem. Please note that your unit needs to be registered before sending your query.
Alternatively, you can email them at customersupport@masterbuilt.com or leave a message at (706) 256-3943.
Verdict
We like this collection a lot. In return for gentle treatment and care, one of these smoker grills will give you hassle-free charcoal-cooked meals. Regarding the GS 800, we love the choice of an easily switched griddle on a Sunday morning and a smoking session afterward for a delicious Sunday supper.
Should You Buy The Masterbuilt Gravity Series?
This easy-to-use unit would not suit someone who likes to continually check vents, charcoal, and temperature. It would not suit someone who doesn’t have the room for it on their patio or in their back yard.
How Does The Masterbuilt Gravity Series Stack Up Against Similarly Priced Smokers?
If you miss being able to use wood pellets and you don’t need a griddle, maybe one of these would suit you.
| Smoker Name | Smoker | Hopper Capacity (Pounds) | Cooking Surface (Square Inches) | Weight (Pounds) | Footprint (W x D x H Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 18 | 575 | 124 | 41 x 27 x 53 | |
 | 22 | 811 | 132 | 42 x 30 x 49 |
Wishing you sunny smoking days!
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